Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Powder, Vanilla Ice Cream, 2 Pound (Packaging May Vary)

Delicious flavors and a really decent value for the cost. I was buying Kachava for a while and was fed up with the slow shipping speeds and cost to product ratio, Optimum Nutrition makes a really good product and was recently featured in a Consumer Reports article that showed it had extremely low levels of lead compared to other brands. I like when a company looks out for its customers and I’m happy I made the switch, this powder mixes well with other fresh ingredients like bananas and peanut butter. It doesn’t really get clumpy and I find that two scoops doesn’t make me feel ill like with other brands. I’m able to get a good amount of protein in one drink and I don’t get bloated. I bought Vanilla Ice Cream, Extreme Milk Chocolate and Cookies ‘N Cream…my least fave was the Cookies ‘N Cream, it’s just very sweet tasting. The other two flavors were phenomenal and taste like what they’re trying to imitate. I’ll keep buying this brand if they keep up this quality, you can’t really go wrong with the Vanilla Ice Cream or Extreme Milk Chocolate. Try it. 👍🏼👍🏼

This is a solid protein powder all around. The Fruity Cereal flavor and even the smell is about as close as you can get to the real thing without being overly sweet or artificial. I personally prefer it mixed with milk, which really brings out the flavor, but it also mixes surprisingly well with water if you want something lighter. It dissolves easily in a shaker with no clumping or chalky texture, which is something I always look for in a whey protein. I use this daily and often double up on scoops to meet higher protein needs for training, and it has been easy on digestion with consistent results. Overall, this is a high-quality protein powder that tastes good, mixes cleanly, and fits well into a regular training routine. I would definitely buy it again and recommend it to anyone looking for a reliable whey protein with a flavor that actually delivers.

First off, I've purchased a bunch of different flavors of ON Gold Standard Whey. All of them have close to the same nutritional value, but they vary greatly in taste. Both my wife and I drink these protein shakes as part of our daily diet, and as a product, Optimum Nutrition is great. I've mixed with both milk and water, and all of the shakes mix well and don't seem to clump. I've tried other manufactures whey, and I keep finding myself going back to ON for the price, nutritional value, and above all the taste. So the flavor question. As I mentioned, each flavor has a different characteristic from the others. Some are bland, some taste sweet, some taste overly fake. We loved some, and we hated some. Below is a list based on what we like so far and why. Bear in mind that I hate diet drinks for their bad aftertaste. The drinks don't have to be sweet for me to like them, but I can't stand the garbage aftertaste of fake sweeteners. The best flavors: Rocky Road - By far the single best tasting flavor. The downside is that it does taste a little sweet. The nutritional value is right on with the other flavors, but it is a bit sweet. I could drink this all day. If you only buy one flavor, this is it. There is no real aftertaste, and the flavor is great. Extreme Milk Chocolate - Another good flavor with almost no aftertaste. This one tastes like chocolate, and doesn't have a fake taste to it. If you are looking at the chocolate flavors, this one is perfect. Natural Vanilla - This is a slightly different product, and it comes in a tub with yellow labeling instead of the red. It's on Amazon for the same price, and it has the same nutritional values. They claim it has less artificial sweeteners in it, hence the natural label. In any case, this is the best vanilla out there. There is no aftertaste, and it tastes like vanilla milk. It is not as sweet as the others, but it the single best vanilla flavor I've found. The middle of the road flavors: Cookies and Cream - This one is both good and bad. If you like the creamy vanilla taste, you will like the flavor. It doesn't have a bad aftertaste, but it is sort bland. It is sweet, but bland. Also, the cookie chunks in it don't dissolve. This is the only flavor so far that has bits of stuff that you are swallowing when you drink it. It's odd. That said, I have reordered it in the past. Chocolate Malt - It's just OK. The flavor is a little odd because of the malt. Given the choice, just order the Extreme Milk Chocolate. Caramel Toffee Fudge - Again, just OK. They tried too hit to many flavors with this one, and it just turned out odd. Not a bad flavor, but don't start out here. I got bored so I tried it. I doubt I'll order it again. And the bad: Double Rich Chocolate - This flavor sucks. It tastes like fake chocolate. Not good fake chocolate, but generic fake chocolate. It has that bad aftertaste of fake sweetener, and is all around not good. Vanilla Ice Cream - Another swing and a miss. This flavor tastes like bad fake powdered milk. It has that bad aftertaste, and is probably the single worst flavor they have. If you are looking for vanilla, avoid this at all costs and get the Natural Vanilla. Tropical Punch - Another fake tasting flavor. When I got this, I could barely get through the first few shakes. Eventually it grew on me a little bit, and I was able to drink it without hating it. It tastes like strawberry milk with a bunch of fake sweetener. It's just wrong, and is not something you want to drink after a workout. I know that taste varies from person to person, so take this with a grain of salt. I hate the taste of fake sweetener, so this list draws from that. I've taken to buying the 2lb tubs to try out a flavor, and then going with the 5lb tubs if I like it. It costs a bit more that way, but it means there is only 2lbs to choke down if you get a flavor that you hate. Enjoy!

Favorite protein powder and affordable. Doesn’t taste like a typical protein drink. Mixes well with anything but my favorite is ice, milk, 1 scoop of this protein, PB, 1/2 banana, and a little cocoa powder. Yum!

I bought this a month ago for my husband, and I’ve been using it myself after workouts from time to time. It mixes easily whether I use just a shaker bottle or stir it in a glass, it almost never clumps. We mainly use it post-workout, and it sits well on my stomach with no bloating or weird reactions. The flavor is fine and not overly sweet. To be honest, it’s a little mild for my taste, so if you prefer sweeter or more milkshake-like protein powders, this one might feel a bit light, especially when mixed with water. With milk, though, the flavor improves a lot and tastes much better. Other than that personal preference on sweetness, we haven’t had any issues with it so far.

This is the best stuff around and has been for quite a long time. It works well for both muscle growth as well as a meal replacement. I generally consume it in the afternoon before lunch and dinner as a bulky snack. I mix it with water because mixing this with milk is a big waste of milk. It contains calcium anyways. It still tastes good with water and is healthier that way. It disolves well as long as you shake it properly. Gold standard whey is known for its clean ingredients so, unlike most protein powders, you dont have a lot of extra stuff that you dont want or need. It does however, include small servings of several suppement ingredients that you would want for health and muscle growth. Ive tried at least eight flavors and they are all good (fruity cereal was iffy though). Top two so far are Cookies and Cream and Cinnamon Roll, which I always have on hand. I rotate those daily with what I call guest flavors, so I always have three flavors in my cabinet. It does cost a lot more than I would like to pay, but thats the protein biz for you. It's the same with most other suitable protein brands too. You cannot go wrong with Gold Standard.

For less than $10 a pound, this is a solid deal. The protein quality is consistent, mixes well with water or milk, and doesn’t have a chalky texture. The vanilla ice cream flavor is smooth and not overly sweet, which makes it easy to drink daily without getting tired of it. If you’re trying to bulk up your protein intake while also watching calories to lose weight, this works great. It helps hit daily protein goals without adding unnecessary fats or sugars. Digestion has been easy for me with no stomach issues. Overall, reliable quality, good taste, and excellent value for the price — especially in the larger size. I’d definitely buy it again. If you want, I can also write a shorter version or one that sounds more casual.

This is my second purchase of this, and overall I’m very happy with it. The flavor is genuinely good, not overly sweet or artificial, and it tastes smooth whether mixed with water or milk. It mixes easily with a shaker bottle and doesn’t leave clumps, which I appreciate since I use it regularly. Performance wise, it worked well for me. I felt satisfied after using it post-workout, and it fit easily into my daily routine without causing any stomach issues. It’s a solid, reliable protein powder that delivers exactly what you expect. I’d definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a good tasting, dependable whey protein.