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Muscle Milk is a popular drink amongst athletes and bodybuilders alike, due to its high protein content. This powerhouse drink has been around since the 1990’s and has grown in popularity in recent years due to the health benefits it provides. But, is Muscle Milk vegan?
Muscle Milk Aminos Supplement Powder and Aminos With Caffeine Supplement Powder is vegan, but the rest of the products are not vegan because they contain milk.
Below is a table showing Muscle Milk products and its vegan status.
| Product | Vegan Status |
| Muscle Milk Zero Protein Shake | No, contains Milk. |
| Muscle Milk Genuine Protein Shake | No, contains Milk. |
| Muscle Milk Pro Advanced Nutrition Protein Shake | No, contains Milk. |
| Muscle Milk Zero Protein Powder | No, contains Milk. |
| Muscle Milk Genuine Protein Powder | No, contains Milk. |
| Muscle Milk Pro Series Protein Powder | No, contains Milk. |
| Muscle Milk 100% Whey Protein Powder | No, contains Milk. |
| Muscle Milk Gainer Protein Powder | No, contains Milk. |
| Muscle Milk Aminos Supplement Powder | Vegan. |
| Muscle Milk Aminos With Caffeine Supplement Powder | Vegan. |
| Muscle Milk Sleeping Giant Protein Powder Supplement | No, contains Milk. |
Muscle Milk Ingredients
Below is a list of ingredients from all the products that I could find.
- Acesulfame Potassium
- Alkalized Cocoa Powder
- Ascorbic Acid
- Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C)
- Biotin
- Black Carrot Juice Concentrate (Color)
- Calcium Caseinate (Milk Derivative)
- Calcium Pantothenate
- Calcium Phosphate
- Canola Oil
- Carrageenan
- Cellulose Gel
- Cellulose Gum
- Cholecalciferol
- Chromium Chloride
- Citric Acid
- Cocoa (Processed With Alkali)
- Copper Gluconate
- Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12)
- Dextrose
- Ferric Pyrophosphate
- Folic Acid
- Gum Arabic
- High Oleic Sunflower Oil
- Hydrolyzed Whey Protein Isolate
- Inulin
- Isomalto-Oligosaccharides (Soluble Vegetable Powder)
- L-Tryptophan
- Magnesium Oxide
- Magnesium Phosphate
- Malic Acid
- Maltodextrin
- Medium Chain Triglycerides
- Milk Protein Isolate
- Micellar Casein
- Mixed Triglycerides
- Mono- And Diglycerides
- Natural And Artificial Flavors
- Niacinamide
- Non Dairy Creamer
- Potassium Chloride
- Potassium Citrate
- Potassium Iodide
- Potassium Phosphate
- Purified Stevia Leaf Extract
- Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6)
- Red Cabbage Juice (Color)
- Riboflavin
- Salt
- Sodium Bicarbonate
- Sodium Caseinate [Milk Derivative]
- Sodium Citrate
- Sodium Polyphosphates
- Soluble Corn Fiber
- Sucralose
- Sunflower Lecithin
- Thiamin Mononitrate (Vitamin B1)
- Tocopherols
- Tripotassium Phosphate
- Turmeric Oleoresin (Color)
- Vitamin A Palmitate
- Vitamin D3
- Vitamin E Acetate
- Water
- Whey Protein Isolate
- Xanthan Gum
- Zinc Oxide
[Source]
As always I’ve highlighted the ingredients that we need to take a closer look at.
Non-Vegan Ingredients
Milk
Since cows milk comes from animals, it’s not a vegan-friendly ingredient.
Questionable Ingredients
Natural Flavors
So this is a very common ingredient and a lot of companies use this ingredient for the flavor in their food. The problem is that the name natural flavors is very broad and can include many different ingredients.
So it can include animal-derived ingredients and it would only show natural flavors on the ingredients label. So vegans needs to be careful when it comes to this ingredient.
Mono- And Diglycerides
This ingredient can be derived from both plants and animals.
Vitamin D3
Vitamin D3 is often made from lanolin, which is derived from sheep’s wool.
Vegan Alternative To Muscle Milk
Vegan protein shakes are not hard to come by today and the best part is that they have become tastier and the quality has improved since I became a vegan.
For me flavor and recovery is important.
I found some great alternatives to Muscle Milk and below are my top 3 picks.
Orgain Organic Vegan Plant Based Nutritional Shake
This is a popular pick for vegans with both their flavors chocolate and vanilla tasting amazing.
Evolve Plant Based Protein Shake
Evolve have several tasty flavors with high amount of protein.
OWYN Plant Based Protein Shake
This is a personal favorite of mine. It has great taste and it really helps me recover from a workout.
Conclusion
With veganism increasing in popularity all over the world so is the amount of vegan-friendly products. Me personally have never had a problem with recovery when it comes to vegan protein, but I do know people who noticed the difference between dairy and non-dairy protein.
Thanks for reading, take care!
