How to Find the Best Protein Powder for Weight Gain

📌 Overview and Key Takeaways

This is a Certified Nutrition Coach’s guide on how to find the best protein powder for weight gain​.

Discover how to safely use protein powder to gain weight.

Last Updated Jul 22, 2026

Author and Medical Reviewer

Jack, CNC

Jack is a National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Nutrition Coach.

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Disclaimer: This communication is for general informational purposes only and is not a substitute for personalized medical advice.

Does Protein Powder Make You Gain Weight?

Although protein shakes and powders are championed as a weight loss food, they can also help you put on weight.

This is because protein powders and shakes make it easy to add calories to your diet.

And at the end of the day, gaining weight comes down to eating more calories than you burn.

It takes an extra 3,500 calories to gain a pound, and to gain weight at a safe rate (0.5 pound per week), you need to eat an extra 250 calories per day.

A serving of protein powder, added to smoothies, oatmeal, and other recipes, can help you create this calorie surplus.

Moreover, if you are looking not only to gain weight, but also to build muscle, then you have to eat lots of protein.

Muscle growth can occur only if muscle protein synthesis exceeds muscle protein breakdown, which is a balance regulated, in part, by dietary protein intake.

Adding a protein powder to your diet is also an easy way to increase your protein intake, thereby helping you build muscle.

Keep in mind that in order to build muscle, you must also do regular resistance training.

Resistance exercises (like weightlifting) create small tears in your muscle fibers, and when your body repairs these tears, your muscles become stronger and larger.

For what its worth, research also shows that you tend to gain more weight when eating a high protein diet than when eating a diet low in protein (JAMA, 2012).

Which Protein Powder Is Best for Weight Gain?

Not all protein powders are created equal.

As long as you are eating a balanced diet (getting your protein from a variety of sources), the type of protein powder you use does not matter.

Ingredients do matter, however.

Many protein powders are made with ingredients known to cause painful side effects and long term health problems.

Among these ingredients are food additives, dairy-based proteins, and protein concentrates and isolates.

🚫 Avoid Food Additives

Regularly eating emulsifiers, thickeners, and other additives can not only upset your stomach, but also alter the composition of your gut microbiome (North Clin Istanb, 2019).

Over time, this can lead to gut dysbiosis, which can diminish your ability to digest and absorb the food you eat (Microorganisms, 2022; Microbiome, 2019).

As you might imagine, this can make it harder for you to gain weight.

⚠️ Here is a list of the most common food additives in protein shakes and powders:

• acacia fiber
• acacia gum
• acesulfame potassium
• artificial flavors
• ascorbic acid
• aspartame
• calcium carbonate
• carrageenan
• cellulose gum
• dextrin
• dicalcium phosphate
• dipotassium phosphate
• erythritol
• gellan gum
• guar gum
• gum arabic
• inulin
• locust bean gum
• maltitol
• maltodextrin
• mono- and diglycerides
• ‘natural’ flavors
• rice bran extract
• rice dextrin
• rice hulls
• rosemary extract
• silica
• silicon dioxide
• sodium alginate
• soluble corn fiber
• sorbitol
• soy lecithin
• sucralose
• sunflower lecithin
• tocopherols
• tricalcium phosphate
• xanthan gum
• xylitol
• zinc oxide

As a rule of thumb, if you cannot find it in nature or make it at home, it is probably a food additive.

🚫 Avoid Dairy-Based Proteins

Dairy-based proteins like whey and casein, although not an issue for everyone, can cause digestive issues.

This is usually because they contain lactose, a sugar many individuals with sensitive stomachs cannot fully digest.

But you might be sensitive to dairy-based proteins even if you are not lactose intolerant.

This is particularly true for casein protein, which forms a gel-like substance in your stomach that slows down digestion.

🚫 Avoid Protein Concentrates and Isolates

You might also want to avoid ultra-processed protein concentrates and isolates.

Most protein shakes and powders are made from one or both of these ultra-processed protein sources, which have been mechanically and/or chemically stripped of everything but the protein.

This includes the enzymes, fiber, and other natural digestive aids that help your gut break them down.

You therefore do not digest them in the same way that you do whole foods, which could affect your gut health.

Studies show that regularly eating protein concentrates and isolates might disrupt your gut microbiome and cause the formation of toxic byproducts in your gut (Nutrients, 2018; Mol Nutr Food Res, 2024).

You should thus look for protein shakes and powders made from whole food protein sources like egg whites and almonds, which are easier to digest and absorb.

Order Samples to see for yourself.

Sources

1. Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Effect of Dietary Protein Content on Weight Gain, Energy Expenditure, and Body Composition During Overeating: A Randomized Controlled Trial. 2012.
2. Northern Clinics of Istanbul (North Clin Istanb). Food additives and microbiota. 2019.
3. Microorganisms (Microorganisms). Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis: Triggers, Consequences, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Options. 2022.
4. Microbiome (Microbiome). The potential roles of the gastrointestinal microbiome in digestive function and disease. 2019.
5. Nutrients (Nutrients). Effect of a Protein Supplement on the Gut Microbiota of Endurance Athletes: A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Pilot Study. 2018.
6. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research (Mol Nutr Food Res). In Vitro Fermentation of Animal and Plant Protein Isolates by the Human Gut Microbiota Under High and Low Carbohydrate Conditions. 2024.

Editorial Guidelines

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This article was written by a Certified Nutrition Coach and reviewed by a Registered Dietitian. We rely on peer-reviewed research and trusted medical sources, and regularly update our content to ensure accuracy and clarity.