I tested five products and found Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Double Rich Chocolate Whey Powder to be the best Optimum Nutrition flavor.
When you want a productive post-workout, the Best Optimum Nutrition protein and whey blend will give you that boost you need. Consuming a high-protein powder, such as the Double Rich Chocolate, first thing in the morning, before you exercise, or after a hard workout, helps protect your muscles from damage and shorten the recovery time afterward.
The Double Rich Chocolate Whey Powder includes cocoa, which enhances the flavor and tastes great with fruit and peanut butter. That’s the beauty of chocolate–you can fix it up any way you want.
A pre-workout protein shake should not be bland. Optimum Nutrition offers a plethora of flavors from which to choose. In addition to the Double Rich Chocolate, the other four best flavors include Mocha Cappuccino, Banana Cream, Extreme Milk Chocolate, and Strawberries and Cream.
For a variety in your daily routine, learn about the five most scrumptious flavors below.
The 5 Best ON Flavors
Optimum Nutrition offers numerous flavors of their protein powders, but these next five are my favorites. I’m sure there’s one here that you’ll love, too!
1. Double Rich Chocolate
Everyone loves a shake that’s easy to mix and delicious. This protein powder can give you the best of both worlds. Effortlessly mix it with the beverage of your choice to taste the chocolate decadence that this whey drink offers.
Double Rich Chocolate is the best Optimum Nutrition flavor of all the choices because cocoa never bores chocolate lovers. To me, the Double Rich Chocolate tastes like a cup of chocolate heaven.
Plus, Double Rich Chocolate is versatile. It is divine with water, milk, bananas, peanut butter – you name it. With water, it has a rich, chocolatey taste. When I mixed it with milk, I thought I was drinking mildly sweet chocolate milk.
Bananas add a little extra sweetness, like any chocolate-banana combination. Peanut butter is a popular addition to chocolate. Combine the flavors, and it will be like drinking a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.
2. Mocha Cappuccino
If you like coffee, you may want to try the mocha cappuccino. As the second-best optimum nutrition flavor, Mocha Cappuccino consists of the same amount of nutrients as the Double Rich Chocolate.
One feature that makes the mocha cappuccino stand out is the hint of coffee right there in the powder. It is not too strong, but I could taste it – just enough to satisfy my coffee craving. Like most flavors, Mocha Cappuccino includes sucralose, an artificial sweetener containing no calories. It tastes just as good as sugar but doesn’t include an aftertaste.
What you may also like is the flavor of a cappuccino minus the caffeine. The 24-gram protein blend shake gives you the energy you need to get into shape without experiencing side effects from caffeine. This way, you can have your cup of joe with a healthy twist.
For those who don’t regularly drink coffee, Mocha Cappuccino can get boring over time. However, coffee-drinkers may include this protein blend as part of their daily routine.
If you want to enhance your ability to lose weight or build muscle mass without the extra fat, combine your Mocha Cappuccino powder with water. For a smooth, richer flavor, mix it with milk.
3. Banana Cream
Calling all Laffy Taffy fans – this Banana Cream flavor will never bore you. You can change it up a little and add a banana to this whey/protein powder, or just use it according to the label and pretend you’re drinking a banana shake. I mixed it with milk and thought it tasted like eating a piece of banana cream pie.
Optimum Nutrition brand powders, including the banana cream, have Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine, the three Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs), in each delicious serving. You improve muscle mass while enjoying a great-tasting shake.
The Banana Cream whey mix consists of three to four grams of carbs, one to three grams of sugar, and 1-1.5 grams of fat, and is gluten-free. It is among the whey and protein drinks with a certification through Informed Change, which tests products for safety.
The reconstituting abilities of Optimum Nutrition powder allow you to mix your drink without fear of clumping, so go ahead and take it with you to mix later. All you really need is a shaker cup, and you’re good to go.
Consider adding another fruit or cocoa to the Banana Cream. I added strawberry, which is another favorite combo, and it was delightful. You can’t go wrong with bananas and strawberries together. Of course, you must try banana cream with chocolate.
4. Extreme Milk Chocolate
Here we have another chocolate option that has a milder yet sweeter chocolate taste – similar to Hershey’s Chocolate. The Extreme Milk Chocolate tastes good with both water and milk.
Compare this to the Double Rich Chocolate, and you may find just how much sweeter it is. If you have those days when you need something sweet, this might be the choice for you. Extreme chocolate has the same protein content as other Optimum Nutrition powders, as well as the convenience of a quick snack on the go.
There is no bad time to have chocolate, which is why it’s perfect for any time of the day. Daily plain chocolate shakes can become dull, so that’s where fruit and peanut butter come into the picture. Drinking a different flavor combination every day can prevent that from happening. Consider adding little whipped cream on top.
The Extreme Chocolate flavored whey drink includes greater than five grams of amino acids that help build up those strong, lean muscles you need to get through tough workouts. You can easily mix the powder with milk or water without a mixer or blender.
When you drink this protein supplement, you can enjoy 120 calories per serving, five of those from fats. That’s a big plus when it comes to getting your daily protein and chocolate fix at the same time.
5. Strawberries and Cream
I think the Strawberries and Cream is definitely one of the best Optimum Nutrition protein flavors because strawberries are a popular fruit to use in power shakes.
The Strawberries and Cream whey and protein powder tastes like a bowl of fresh strawberries with a dollop of whipped cream – tart and refreshing. Mixing it with milk highlights that strawberry taste and makes it creamier.
With this flavor, the possibilities are endless. Try adding some chocolate. It’s almost a crime not to mix the two. I fell in love with this, especially after putting in pieces of chocolate – it’s like eating dessert through a straw.
If you want more variety, consider adding bananas or blueberries. Get really creative and add all your favorite fruits. No matter how you choose to drink this power shake, you’re in for a real treat.
Like chocolate, there is no bad time to have a Strawberries and Cream protein shake. Before working out, for a light lunch or evening snack, or in place of a soft drink, you can enjoy the sweetness of this delightful smoothie.
What Is Optimum Nutrition?
Optimum Nutrition is the trusted brand of choice for professional athletes and trainers or anyone who needs good protein in their diet. Each supplement or snack consists of the highest quality of raw materials, amino acids, and other nutrients that improve strength and endurance during physical activity. Plus, every product goes through testing before it is ready to sell.
Why Are They So Popular?
Optimum Nutrition has something for everyone. Gold Standard Whey is Optimum Nutrition’s combination of nutrients, artificial sweeteners, and digestive enzymes to meet the requirements of an active lifestyle. Most of those nutrients are 5.5 grams of natural Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) that build up your muscle mass.
Why Should I Choose Their Supplements?
The Optimum Nutrition protein blends contain whey protein isolates (WPI), whey protein concentrate (WPC), and whey peptides to help build good muscle mass while you work out.
Consuming a protein shake early in the morning, before exercising, or after a good workout may be just what you may need to keep you going. That’s 24 grams of protein that can make you feel full longer, three to four grams of carbs to provide energy for your body, and 1-1.5 grams of fat that should enhance flavor—all in one shake.
Only the highest quality ingredients make up the blends, with no artificial growth hormones. The 100% whey protein powder is low-carb, low-fat, and gluten-free. Plus, it includes 24 grams of protein in every serving so that you can reach your maximum potential during physical activity.
Protein intake isn’t just for working out at the gym because a blend of whey and protein is good any time of the day. You don’t need a blender to make these delicious supplements–just a spoon or shaker cup will do.
FAQ
If you still have some questions about Optimum Nutrition flavors, explore our answers to common questions below.
Should I Take Whey?
The short answer is yes. Whey is a type of protein that is present in dairy products. It contains many amino acids, which help build muscle tissue and make it stronger. A whey nutritional supplement will provide the extra protein your body may need. Besides protein shakes, you can add whey to almost anything.
What Is the Best Optimum Nutrition Flavor?
I think Double Rich Chocolate is the best because of its rich cocoa flavor, which I love. However, the extreme milk chocolate may be a close second. Both chocolate shakes are divine alone or in combination with other ingredients.
If you are more of a coffee fan, the Mocha Cappuccino is at the top of the list. It depends on your taste.
What Do I Mix with Whey Protein?
Whey protein blends well with any flavor. If you buy vanilla powder, it’s more versatile and is excellent with a larger variety of flavors. Some powders, such as strawberry, chocolate, vanilla, or banana, are great alone, but they can go with other flavors as well.
For instance, add blueberries or peaches, or perhaps juice. Whey is not for protein shakes alone. You can add it to soft foods, such as applesauce or yogurt.
Does Optimum Nutrition Contain Artificial Ingredients?
Yes. Sucralose is a common artificial sweetener in most Optimum Nutrition protein/whey powders. It is sweeter than sugar but has no calories. The only flavor on this list that does not contain sucralose is Double Rich Chocolate. There is some artificial flavoring in the powders.
What Are the Benefits of Whey Protein?
Whey protein contains the nine essential amino acids that your body needs to be healthy. When you consume whey protein, you increase your body’s ability to build tissue, organs, hormones, enzymes, and perform other important functions.
Whey aids with wound healing, replaces nutrients from malnutrition, and helps build up immunity. Whey protein contributes to alertness and focus and can increase your energy level.
Take-Away
Now that we’ve covered the five best Optimum Nutrition flavors, it’s time for you to decide on your favorite one.
For me, it’s a close tie, but I think the Double Rich Chocolate has them all beat. Chocolate is one of the most versatile flavors because there’s so much you can do with it. If you are a chocolate fan like me, try the Optimum Nutrition Double Rich Chocolate 100% Whey Protein powder.
Still, there are flavors for everyone. If you do not like chocolate or coffee, you may prefer Banana Cream. It’s a personal choice!
Besides the selections I have listed above, Optimum Nutrition offers a variety of other flavors that may suit your taste. From Vanilla to Cookies and Cream, you should be able to find the right one for you.
There’s no reason to look elsewhere with the health benefits of whey and protein combined with great taste. Try the Double Rich Chocolate flavor today and see if it’s your favorite, too!
