If you are in a hurry and just want to find out what the best rice protein for vegetarians is, then we recommend Performance Lab® SPORT Protein as the best one.
Protein powders are very popular these days due to their assistance in muscle gains.
They have many other benefits as well and having the best rice protein is how you’ll ensure that you’ll get the maximum benefits.
This article will tell you everything you need to know about rice protein as well as five of the best rice protein supplements we’ve found currently on the market.
The top rice proteins we’ll be reviewing:
- Terrasoul Superfoods Organic Sprouted Brown Rice Protein Powder
- Naked Rice Organic Brown Rice Protein Powder
- Judee’s Brown Rice Protein
- Nutribiotic Organic Rice Protein
- Performance Lab® SPORT Protein
The Benefits of Rice Protein
There are several types of protein powders on the market, but a lot of people want vegan protein powders.
In fact, you don’t have to be vegan to get a vegan protein powder; these plant-based powders have some advantages over animal-based powders.
Many people feel that these advantages are just what they need, so the fact that they’re vegan is simply a bonus.
Besides the obvious benefit of adding protein to your diet, brown rice has other benefits that make it an attractive choice. Three of the most popular benefits are listed below.
Suitable for Many Types of Diets
One of the most popular reasons people use brown rice protein is because of the way they eat. It’s not just because it’s vegan.
There are other diets/lifestyles that benefit from this type of protein supplement.
Some people are gluten-intolerant or may have Celiac disease. All rice is gluten-free so these people can safely incorporate brown rice protein in their diets.
It’s a great choice for diabetics because it’s a food with a low glycemic index. This means that it doesn’t quickly raise blood sugar like many other foods (and protein powders).
Brown rice is a low-calorie food. It only has about 216 calories per serving. Once it’s reduced to a protein powder, it has, on average, about half of that amount of calories per serving.
This makes it suitable for people on a low-calorie diet.
Some people choose a vegan or vegetarian diet for religious reasons. For some people, eating pork is a sin or eating meat altogether goes against their beliefs.
Any plant-based protein powder would be suitable for these people. Brown rice protein is a top choice.
Easy to Digest
There are a lot of plant-based protein powders that cause digestive discomfort. Rice protein powder is not one of them.
Because of this, many people choose rice protein powder over other plant-based protein powders.
Not only is it easier on your digestive system, it helps your digestive system run a little more smoothly. The fiber in brown rice is called insoluble because your body doesn’t digest it.
It basically runs through your digestive system, helping to push other bulk waste along as it goes.
People who have a high-fiber diet have a lowered risk of digestive issues like hemorrhoids and constipation.
Brown rice is an excellent way to increase your fiber intake, especially since you want extra protein anyway. It’s like getting a two for one deal.
High Nutrition Content
While you’re increasing your protein intake with this protein powder, you would be increasing a plethora of nutrients as well.
Looking at brown rice as a whole can give you an idea of the nutrient content (since the powder is essentially ground rice).
You can find electrolytes, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals in brown rice. A few of the nutrients it has in fair to high amounts include (based on the RDI):
- Thiamin 12%
- Magnesium 21%
- Selenium 27%
- Phosphorus 16%
- Niacin 15%
- Manganese 88%
Best Rice Protein Reviews
Now that you know what brown rice protein powder can do for you, you’re probably eager to find a good one.
A search of brown rice protein powder will likely yield a ton of results which can be overwhelming.
I’ve done some of the leg work for you and found five of the best powders out there. Keep reading to find out what makes them the top rice protein powders.
Terrasoul Superfoods Organic Sprouted Brown Rice Protein Powder
Terrasoul Superfoods Organic Sprouted Brown Rice Protein Powder is made from sprouted brown rice. It’s also sometimes called germinated brown rice.
While brown rice protein powder and sprouted brown rice protein powder are mostly the same, the sprouted version may have a couple of additional benefits.
Many people say that sprouted brown rice keeps all of it’s nutritional value. While that’s true, it’s also true of regular brown rice.
What makes sprouted brown rice better is that the process of germination neutralizes a compound called phytic acid.
This allows your body to absorb the nutrients much better and that’s why it seems like sprouted brown rice has more nutrients.
The Terrasoul powder is USDA certified organic and non-GMO. It’s 80% of it is protein. There aren’t any flavors to choose from so it won’t taste good, but it’s not bad either.
This gives you a blank pallet so you can flavor it however you want to.
While this is the lowest price powder on the list with the most servings in the bag, their serving size is half of what some of the others are.
In the end, there isn’t much of a price difference between this one and the others.
Pros:
- Mixes well.
- No overpowering taste so you can flavor it to your taste.
- Affordable pricing.
Cons:
- No flavors to choose from.
- Made in China although the company is a U.S. company.
- Ground so finely that it causes little “puffs” and “clouds” of powder that can settle on your counter or make you sneeze.
Naked Rice Organic Brown Rice Protein Powder
It’s great to have a protein powder that is completely transparent and you get that with the Naked Rice Organic Brown Rice Protein Powder.
It lists every single nutrient you’ll get from using this supplement, plus exactly how much of each you’ll get. This will allow you to incorporate it into your diet without any guesswork.
One of the best things about this protein powder and this company is that they use a hexane-free extraction process.
Using hexane as a solvent is popular because it allows for an even richer nutrient extraction. However, even though the FDA has approved using hexane as a solvent, it has many environmental consequences.
It’s really not necessary for the manufacturing of brown rice protein since it already maintains most of it’s nutritional value.
The powder comes in two size choices. The one-pound size has 15 servings and the five-pound has 75 servings. It has 25 grams of protein per serving.
It’s a very clean product and if you want to make sure you do your part for the environment, you can feel comfortable knowing that you’re doing business with an environmentally-conscious company.
Pros:
- Has a good amount of almost every nutrient you can think of.
- Has 4.9 grams of BCAAs.
- Hexane-free extraction process.
- Doesn’t clump.
Cons:
- Gritty texture.
- Doesn’t dissolve well.
- Comes in an excessively large container.
Judee’s Brown Rice Protein
Judee’s Brown Rice Protein is an affordable brown rice protein that is very popular among consumers. While it might not be the best rice protein powder, it’s definitely at the top of the pack.
Like the previous powder, the company is very transparent about how much of each nutrient is included in the powder. It has a fair amount of everything.
The one thing that the company could improve is the packaging. It doesn’t come in a container and the package is not resealable so you must use your own container for storage.
This isn’t a huge problem and most people don’t mind storing it in a Tupperware container, but it’s a problem that the company could easily solve.
It comes in two sizes. The 1.5 pound size has 27 servings per container and the 3 pound size naturally has twice as much. It has 21 grams of protein per serving.
Like the others, it’s unflavored so you can flavor to taste.
Pros:
- Affordable price.
- Plenty of BCAAs and other nutrients.
- Manufactured and packaged in an allergen-free facility.
- Dissolves well.
Cons:
- Package isn’t resealable.
- It’s not sprouted brown rice.
Nutribiotic Organic Rice Protein
Nutribiotic Organic Rice Protein is the only protein powder on the list that has a flavor to it. It’s vanilla flavored and most consumers seem to like the flavor.
It’s not off-putting like a lot of powder supplements on the market.
It’s made from sprouted brown rice and contains all the amino acids and BCAAs. However, it does contain less than the others per serving although this is due to a smaller serving size.
This also means less protein per serving, but if you want more, just add another tablespoon of powder to your drink mix.
At only 60 calories per serving, it can fit into any diet (again, due to the smaller serving size). It comes in one size and flavor – the three pound vanilla.
The one improvement that could be made is that this powder doesn’t mix well. If you’re okay with the gritty textures of plant-based powders, this probably won’t bother you.
Pros:
- Comes in a vanilla flavor.
- Has lots of BCAAs.
- Haa a great taste.
Cons:
- It’s expensive compared to others.
- Doesn’t mix well.
Performance Lab® SPORT Protein
Performance Lab® is known for producing heavily researched products. They make sure that every ingredient they use is the best in the world.
Most of the ingredients that make up their products are trademarked, meaning they come from third parties that are just as strict about their ingredients as Performance Lab®.
Performance Lab® SPORT Protein is very different from the others on the list. For one, they have other ingredients in the powder besides brown rice.
Usually this is bad, but not in this case. They added natural ingredients to give it a superior flavor to others on the market.
Some of these ingredients include cocoa, vanilla bean, cinnamon, and monk fruit stevia.
When all of these ingredients and more are blended together, it gives SPORT Protein a very unique flavor that’s hard for manufacturers to recreate.
This powder is very pricey. There are only 20 servings per container and their price is higher than all the rest.
However, it’s worth the extra money. It’s hard to find a brown rice protein powder that actually tastes great.
Pros:
- Great, unique flavor.
- Blends well.
- All ingredients are high-quality, organic ingredients.
- The chocolate flavor actually tastes like chocolate.
Cons:
- It’s very expensive.
Related: Click here to read our full review of Performance Lab® SPORT Protein.
Final Thoughts
Let’s be honest here. Brown rice protein powder isn’t going to taste like a dessert. It’s not supposed to.
What it’s supposed to do is provide you with protein, fuel your muscle gains, and increase your overall state of health.
If it tastes great, that’s an added bonus.
Surprisingly, Performance Lab® SPORT Protein tastes good. I don’t mean good for a brown rice protein powder. I mean good.
Because of the taste and the high-quality ingredients, I won’t hesitate to say that it is the best rice protein powder on the list.
It’s expensive, but if you can swing it you won’t be disappointed. For more information on Performance Lab® SPORT Protein, or to give it a try, click here.
