Premier Protein Review: 30g Protein Per Scoop, But What’s the Catch?

Hi, I’m Corey 👋🏽

As an ex-NFL/CFL athlete and current personal trainer, I’ve put countless supplements to the test. I have a degree in Sports Administration and a passion for the science behind sports nutrition.

Plus, I’m backed by a wonderful team of doctors, dietitians, and athletes.

You can read more about our testing process here.

Getting ready to test these bad boys out!

Premier Protein at a Glance:

*Cost and ingredients may vary depending on the tub size, retailer, and flavor.

What Makes Premier Whey Protein Different?

First, it has 30 grams of protein per serving, which is a lot higher than most whey protein powders on the market.

Second, Premier Protein was founded nearly 30 years ago, in 1997, and focus solely on protein products, including powders, shakes, and bars. In other words, they’re protein experts. A lot of competing brands make other supplements like pre-workouts and creatine.

Premier is owned by BellRing Brands: the same company behind Dymatize ISO100 Whey Protein and PowerBar.

Prepping for the taste test

Testing Premier Whey Protein:

As usual, we tested 8 factors in total. To learn more about our testing process, see here.

*Note: Averages are calculated using our proprietary database of 350+ protein powders.

Taste Test (8 out of 10)

In our taste test, we looked at texture, consistency, and aftertaste. We mixed each flavor with 8 oz of water only.

The chocolate flavor and texture was rich and flavorful, earning an 8.5 out of 10. The vanilla flavor was solid but slightly underwhelming in terms of overall taste and texture, earning a 7.5.

Overall, if you’re deciding between these two flavors, I’d recommend going with the chocolate. The rich chocolatey texture will make your post-workout shake feel like a treat not a chore.

Your other two flavor options are:

1. Café Latte—which contains “as much caffeine as a cup of coffee” to help you stay alert.
2. Cozy Cocoa—which contains magnesium and zinc and is meant to help you wind down before bed.

Tasting the Vanilla flavor

Mixability (8.5 out of 10)

There are two things we look at when testing mixability:

1. How well does the powder mix?
2. Is the shake clumpy or foamy after mixing?

Overall, Premier Whey mixed really well. I mixed it with water using a shaker bottle and shaker ball only. There was no leftover residue, and it was easy to drink and went down smooth.

For better results, you could try using a blender. Or try adding water before the powder. This simple trick can make a big difference in reducing clumps. Something I often forget to do : )

Mixing the Vanilla flavor

Nutritional Value (7 out of 10)

We looked at three things when evaluating the Nutritional Value of Premier:

1. What is the ingredient profile?
2. Are there artificial sweeteners?
3. Is there anything else to be aware of?

I scored Premier Whey a 7 out of 10 in this section, which is solid for a mainstream product.

It’s tied with Body Fortress Whey Protein, Six Star Whey Protein, and Muscle Milk Whey Protein for most protein per serving of any whey protein powder we’ve tested (30g per serving).

80% of its calories come from real protein as opposed to filler ingredients. This is great if you’re looking to maximize your protein while minimizing your caloric intake.

It does contain artificial ingredients like Sucralose and Acesulfame Potassium, which I don’t love.

If you prefer a naturally-sweetened protein check out Boba Tea Protein Naked Whey Protein, Ascent Whey Protein, all of which use natural sweeteners like Monk Fruit Extract, Coconut Sugar, and Stevia Leaf Extract for flavoring.

Overall, Premier has a solid ingredient profile, a good protein-to-calorie ratio, and a reasonably-sized list of (pronounceable) ingredients on their label.

Close up of Vanilla ingredients

Third Party Testing (0 out of 10)

The way we score Third Party Testing is simple:

Either it’s third-party tested by a trustworthy source like NSF or Informed Choice—or it’s not.

In this case, Premier Protein is NOT third-party tested so we gave it a 0. This doesn’t mean the product is unsafe; it just means the ingredients can’t be verified.

You might be wondering: Why wouldn’t a company third-party test their product? Well, the answer is simple: cost. Third-party testing is expensive which often results in a more expensive (and less profitable) product.

If you want a protein that is third-party tested, check out Clean Simple Eats or Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey.

Close up of Vanilla flavor

Cost (7.5 out of 10)

When evaluating Cost, we look at Cost Per Gram of Protein and Cost Per Serving across the full market of whey protein powders. We then assign an objective score based on relative cost across all products.

Premier Whey costs approximately $0.07 per gram of protein and $2.12 per serving, which is right around the average for per gram cost, but above average for per serving cost.

If you’re looking for cheaper options; Naked Whey, Gold Standard Whey, or Dymatize ISO100 are all $0.05 and under per gram of protein.

Here’s a closer look at how Premier Whey Protein compares on price:

*Note: Price estimates will vary depending on tub size, time of purchase, and place of purchase.

Premier Protein VS The Market

Let’s see how Premier Whey stacks up to its competitors in terms of protein and calories per serving:

As you can see, Premier has a lot of protein and calories per serving. This is great if you’re looking for a protein-heavy meal replacement throughout your day.

Close up of Chocolate Milkshake flavor

Here’s how it compares on protein density (purity), i.e. the percentage of calories from protein:

As you can see, Premier is among the higher-purity proteins on the market.

If you prefer an even denser protein, check out Transparent Labs (review coming soon) or Dymatize ISO100 which have densities of 86% and 83% respectively.

*Keep in mind, calories per serving, and therefore protein density, may vary across flavors.

Comparing All Flavors of Premier Whey Protein:

Note: the Café Latte flavor has a lot of caffeine and is meant for the morning.

The Cozy Cocoa flavor has a lot of zinc and magnesium and is meant to help you wind down before bed.

Premier Whey IS a Good Option if:

• You want a high-purity protein
• You want lots of protein per scoop
• You don’t mind only having a few flavors to choose from
• You’re watching your sugar intake (only 1g of sugar per serving)
• You’re looking to use your protein shakes as meal replacements

Premier Whey is NOT a Good Option if:

• You’re trying to avoid artificial sweeteners
• You want a protein that is third-party tested
• You’re looking for an exceptionally tasting whey protein