Is vegan protein worse than whey for building muscle?

It is not worse, it needs a larger amount. Muscle protein synthesis responds to the leucine in the serving, and plant sources carry less leucine per gram. By raising the serving from 20 to 30 or 35 g, or mixing pea with rice, you get to the same place. What really rules is total daily protein.

Which is better: pea, rice or soy?

Soy has the most complete amino acid profile of the three. Pea is rich in lysine and low in methionine, and rice is the opposite, so together they complement each other: that is why so many products blend the two. For the practical result, the difference between them is smaller than the difference between taking it and not.

Is a kilo of vegan protein a kilo of protein?

No. Plant isolates on the market range from 50 % to 90 % protein depending on the source and product. This site applies a typical 80 % so prices can be compared across categories, but if the label declares its own figure, the label rules. It is the figure to check before the price per kilo.

Does soy affect testosterone?

At shake doses, reviews find no effect on testosterone or oestrogen in men. The idea comes from studies with very high doses of isolated isoflavones and from isolated case reports. If you would still rather avoid it, pea and rice do the same job.

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Vegan protein · Strong evidence

What vegan protein is for and how it differs from whey

The short answer. A plant protein does the same job as whey, but it needs a somewhat bigger serving to do it. The reason is leucine: pea, rice or soy isolates carry less per gram, and muscle protein synthesis responds to the leucine in the serving. With 30 g instead of 20, or by mixing two plant sources, the practical difference disappears. What still rules is total daily protein.

Several meta-analyses or position stands from scientific societies agree that there is an effect. No figure on this page is attributed to a specific product: the effect belongs to the ingredient and every number carries its source next to it.

01 What it does and how much

Each row is a measured effect, with the figure the study gives and the source number. Where the evidence gives no figure, the column says so instead of making up a percentage.

Effects of vegan protein with their source
Effect	How much	Detail
Dose per serving	20 to 40 g	The same range as any other protein. With a plant source it is worth going to the top of it, because you need to reach the same leucine with less leucine per gram. [1]
Leucine needed per serving	700 to 3000 mg	It is the figure that triggers protein synthesis, and it explains all the differences between sources. It is not that plant protein is worse: it takes more of it to get to the same place. [1]
Actual protein in a plant isolate	50 to 90 %	The range measured in commercial isolates. That is why this site applies a typical 80 % when comparing price per kilo: a kilo of tub is not a kilo of protein, and with plants the spread between brands is even wider than with whey. [2]
Mixing plant sources	a more complete profile	Pea and rice complement each other: pea lacks methionine and rice lacks lysine. A blend of the two looks much more like a complete protein than either on its own. [2]

02 How to take it

Dose. 25 to 40 g per serving. The daily target is still 1.4 to 2.0 g per kilo of body weight.
When. Whenever it suits you to reach the daily total.
How long before you notice it. Weeks or months, and only with strength training behind it.

Details that change the result

Always compare the protein per serving declared on the label, not the grams in the tub: between a pea isolate at 85 % and a "plant mix" at 60 % there is a third of a difference at the same price per kilo.
If the tub does not declare how much protein there is per serving, that is the most important information it is hiding from you.
Soy is the plant source with the best amino acid profile, and reviews do not find the hormonal effects the internet attributes to it at shake doses.
Taste and texture are worse than whey, and that is a practical fact: the best protein is the one you will actually take.

03 When it makes sense and when it does not

Worth it if

Vegan or vegetarian diet, where reaching daily protein from food is harder.
Lactose intolerance that does not get on even with whey isolate.
A personal preference for avoiding dairy, which is reason enough and needs no health justification.

Not worth it if

Looking for an advantage over whey: there is none, and at the same price per kilo of protein it usually costs more.
If you already reach your protein from food. Then the shake, whatever the type, is spending.

04 Sources

Every figure above comes from here. They are position stands from scientific societies, meta-analyses and peer-reviewed reviews: if a claim cannot hang from one of these lines, it is not on the page. References are cited in their original form.

Jager R et al. ISSN position stand: protein and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:20. Dosis de 20-40 g por toma y 700-3000 mg de leucina para maximizar la sintesis proteica. doi:10.1186/s12970-017-0177-8
Gorissen SHM et al. Protein content and amino acid composition of commercially available plant-based protein isolates. Amino Acids. 2018;50(12):1685-1695. doi:10.1007/s00726-018-2640-5

This is not medical advice. It is what some studies say about an ingredient, not a protocol for you. With an illness, medication or pregnancy involved, the decision belongs to a healthcare professional who knows you.

Questions about vegan protein

Answered with the data on this page

Is vegan protein worse than whey for building muscle?: It is not worse, it needs a larger amount. Muscle protein synthesis responds to the leucine in the serving, and plant sources carry less leucine per gram. By raising the serving from 20 to 30 or 35 g, or mixing pea with rice, you get to the same place. What really rules is total daily protein.
Which is better: pea, rice or soy?: Soy has the most complete amino acid profile of the three. Pea is rich in lysine and low in methionine, and rice is the opposite, so together they complement each other: that is why so many products blend the two. For the practical result, the difference between them is smaller than the difference between taking it and not.
Is a kilo of vegan protein a kilo of protein?: No. Plant isolates on the market range from 50 % to 90 % protein depending on the source and product. This site applies a typical 80 % so prices can be compared across categories, but if the label declares its own figure, the label rules. It is the figure to check before the price per kilo.
Does soy affect testosterone?: At shake doses, reviews find no effect on testosterone or oestrogen in men. The idea comes from studies with very high doses of isolated isoflavones and from isolated case reports. If you would still rather avoid it, pea and rice do the same job.

And now, which to buy

Prices, kept apart from the evidence

This page explains what vegan protein does and deliberately names no brand. The comparison is the other half: 141 products from 17 stores from €7.39 per kg, sorted by price and by how verifiable their certification is.

See the vegan protein comparison

Other guides

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