If you’re trying to eat more protein while also limiting your consumption of food additives and artificial ingredients, you may find that most types of protein powder on the market don’t fit your needs. Many contain artificial ingredients, gums, emulsifiers, and other food additives which, though safe, some people prefer to avoid.
Orgain Simple Plant Protein is one of the first vegan protein powders to pop up when searching for clean plant-based protein powders. Still, you may not be sure whether it’s any good.
Fortunately, the GGR nutrition experts are here to simplify your search! We’ve tested the product ourselves and provided our expert opinions on the ingredients, taste, price, and more in our Orgain Simple Plant Protein review.
Medical disclaimer: This article is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. For health advice, contact a licensed healthcare provider. GGR also recommends choosing a product that has been third-party tested for quality.
Reviews From Plant Protein Experts
Our expert team of registered dietitians, certified personal trainers, weightlifting coaches, certified nutrition coaches, and strength and conditioning coaches have personally tested dozens of protein powders over the years.
We combine this practical experience with our professional understanding of the relationship between protein and health, providing you with helpful reviews you can trust.
Our testers use a comprehensive set of testing criteria to rate each protein powder they analyze on a scale of 1 to 5, looking at factors like:
- Price
- Formulation
- Taste
- Solubility
- Side effects
- Third-party testing
- Customer reviews
We prepare each protein powder according to the brand’s instructions and take them as part of our normal fitness and supplementation routines.
Orgain Simple Plant Protein
Orgain Simple Plant Protein
Product Highlights
- Plant protein
- Blend of pea, pumpkin seed, almond, and chia
- Clean, simple formula with no artificial ingredients
- 20 g of protein per serving
- USDA organic
- Available in 3 flavors
Pros & Cons
Pros
- 20 g of protein per serving
- No artificial ingredients
- Organic
Cons
- Only 3 flavors available
- Expensive
- 11 g of carbs per serving
Bottom Line
Orgain Simple Plant Protein is a plant-based protein powder with a short ingredient list and no artificial flavors. You'll get 20 grams of protein per serving from pea, pumpkin seed, almond, and chia protein sweetened with 5 grams of coconut sugar per serving. There are 11 grams of carbs per serving, though, and it's quite expensive at about $2.53 per serving.
A Quick Look at Orgain Simple Plant Protein
Orgain Simple Plant Protein is an alternative to the brand’s original Organic Plant Protein Powder boasting a streamlined ingredients list. It’s a more “natural” alternative that doesn’t contain seed oils, sugar alcohols, stevia, monk fruit, or preservatives, apart from salt.
Instead, it’s sweetened with coconut sugar and omits the sunflower oil creamer base. Orgain has also removed acacia fiber, sunflower lecithin, xanthan gum, and guar gum from the formulation.
Unlike plain bulk protein powders, however, Orgain Simple comes in multiple flavors.
Fans of Orgain products will be happy to know that, like their other products, Orgain Simple Plant Protein is USDA Organic, non-GMO, certified plant-based, Kosher, and gluten-free.
Before You Buy
- Orgain Simple contains 20 grams of complete plant protein per serving.
- It is not suitable for those with nut allergies, as it contains peanuts and tree nuts.
- Orgain Simple only contains 15 servings per container.
Is Orgain Simple Plant Protein Worth It?
Orgain Simple Plant Protein powder can help you hit your macros for fat loss and muscle gain while limiting the number of food additives in the ingredients.
That said, it won’t be more effective for meeting most health and fitness goals than proteins that do include additives. If you place a premium on simple, “clean” ingredients, the high sticker price of $2.53 per serving may be worth it to you. Otherwise, you can get the same health benefits from other complementary plant-protein blends at a lower price.
Great for:
- Vegans and plant-forward eaters interested in building muscle or losing weight
- Plant-based eaters avoiding sugar alcohols, stevia, and artificial sweeteners
- Anyone looking for a great-tasting, minimalist plant protein powder without gums or artificial flavors
Not recommended for:
- Anyone strictly avoiding adding sugars
- People with peanut or tree nut allergies
- Anyone with a limited supplement budget
Orgain Simple Plant Protein Specs
| Price per serving | $2.53 |
| Serving size | 2 scoops (37 g) |
| Flavors | Vanilla, Creamy Chocolate, Peanut Butter |
| Protein source | Organic Pea Protein, Organic Peanut Flour, Organic Pumpkin Seed Protein, Organic Almond Protein, Organic Chia Seeds |
| Calories per serving | 150 |
| Protein per serving | 20 g |
| Carbs per serving | 9-11 g (depending on flavor) |
| Fat per serving | 3-3.5 g (depending on flavor) |
| Sweeteners | Organic Coconut Sugar |
| Third-party tested? | No |
Experience Using Orgain Simple Plant Protein
GGR Editor and product tester Frieda Johnson, CNC, was happy to test Orgain Simple Plant Protein for us.
As someone who regularly eats a lot of plant-based foods in her day-to-day life and who understands the benefits of plant-based protein powders, this product was right in her wheelhouse.
“The price is very high, but I really like that this is made with nuts and seeds, which gives it a richer flavor and a different micronutrient profile than other protein powders,” she says.
Price Per Serving
Out of all our testing categories, affordability was where Orgain Simple Plant Protein fared the worst. At $2.53 per serving, it’s much more expensive than most other plant-based protein powders.
We rated it a 1 out of 5 here. The price may be worth it to you depending on how highly you value the simplified ingredients list, but it won’t be worth it to everyone.
Formulation
The included 20 grams of protein per serving is pretty standard for plant proteins. We appreciated the blend of complementary plant proteins, which provides optimal amounts of all nine essential amino acids, and that the bulk of the protein comes from leucine-rich pea protein.
While it’s no longer considered necessary to combine complementary plant proteins at every meal, plant protein powders made from complementary proteins may provide an extra edge when your goal is to build muscle.
We docked a point for the slightly higher carbohydrate content of some flavors and recognized that the use of peanut and almond protein will limit some people from using this product. Overall, though, we were impressed with the thoughtful formulation, rating it a 4 out of 5.
RELATED: Pea Protein Benefits
Taste and Solubility
Frieda couldn’t have been more impressed with the Creamy Vanilla flavor, rating it a 5 out of 5 for taste. “I really like it! It tastes creamy and sweet without being overly sweet or having an artificial taste. It also smells really good, like a cookie mix or something,” she said.
As someone who eats a lot of whole plant foods, Frieda also loved that this protein tasted a bit more natural than other brands and didn’t have an aftertaste. “Having so much of the formula made up of nuts and seeds gives it a really pleasant whole-food taste that you don’t usually find in protein powder,” she noted.
It also mixed up very smoothly with both water and almond milk. There wasn’t any clumping, but Frieda says, “It does settle some if you don’t drink it fast enough.” Because of the slight settling, we gave it a 4 out of 5 rating for solubility.
Side Effects
Plant protein powders are lactose-free and generally better tolerated than whey protein, and the Orgain Simple Plant Protein was no exception. People sensitive to sugar alcohols or stevia extract will probably do well with this protein since it’s sweetened with coconut sugar.
Frieda didn’t have any uncomfortable digestive symptoms after her protein shake, rating it a 5 out of 5 for digestibility.
RELATED: Whey Protein Side Effects
Third-Party Testing
The FDA doesn’t strictly regulate dietary supplements in the United States. Unfortunately, this means that it’s impossible to know the safety profile of a supplement unless it has been third-party tested for purity.
Here, we rated this protein a 3 out of 5. “I couldn’t find any info about third-party testing, but it’s certified organic and certified plant-based, which shows that there’s some third-party oversight. The ingredient list is also minimal and transparent, with no proprietary blends,” said Frieda.
Since many popular brands don’t do third-party testing, GGR had our own third-party testing done by the accredited lab Ellipse Analytics. We had them test over 150 protein powders for label accuracy and purity. Overall Orgain Simple (Creamy Vanilla flavor) Meets Standard, meaning it’s in the top 50% of products tested and is considered generally safe for regular consumption. For more information on the meaning of these criteria, check out our Independent Supplement Testing Glossary.
Orgain Simple Plant Protein vs Orgain Organic Plant Protein
Orgain Organic Protein Powder
Orgain Organic Protein Powder
Product Highlights
- Multi-source vegan protein powder
- USDA organic, non-GMO, dairy-free, kosher, and no artificial ingredients
- 21 grams of protein per serving
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Wide variety of flavors, including seasonal options
- Under $2 per serving
- Coffee flavor with caffeine
Cons
- Only 21 grams of protein per serving
- Some reviewers found flavors too sweet
- Reviewers reported upset stomach
Bottom Line
Orgain protein doesn’t have as much protein per serving as its competitors, but it has the widest variety of flavors. Some users did experience upset stomachs after using the protein.
One of the biggest questions among Orgain fans is how this product differs from their OG plant protein, the Orgain Organic Protein Powder. We’ve made it easy to compare the two in the table below.
The biggest differences are price, flavors, sweeteners, and protein sources. Ironically, the Orgain Simple Plant Protein organic protein blend contains five protein sources compared to the three in the original version.
For more information, check out our full Orgain Protein Powder Review.
| Orgain Simple Plant Protein | Orgain Organic Plant Protein | |
| Price per serving | $2.53 | $1.70-$3.10, depending on size |
| Serving size | 2 scoops (37 g) | 2 scoops (46 g) |
| Flavors | Vanilla, Creamy Chocolate, Peanut Butter | Creamy Chocolate Fudge, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Chocolate Caramel Sea Salt, Churro Caramel Swirl, Cookies ‘n Cream, Fruity Cereal, Horchata, Iced Coffee, Natural Unsweetened, Peanut Butter, Strawberries & Cream, Vanilla Bean, Vanilla Horchata |
| Protein source | Organic Pea Protein, Organic Peanut Flour, Organic Pumpkin Seed Protein, Organic Almond Protein, Organic Chia | Organic Pea, Organic Brown Rice, Organic Chia |
| Calories per serving | 150 | 140-190 (depending on flavor) |
| Protein per serving | 20 g | 21 g |
| Carbs per serving | 9-11 g (depending on flavor) | 7-16 g (depending on flavor) |
| Fat per serving | 3-3.5 g (depending on flavor) | 4-5 g (depending on flavor) |
| Sweeteners | Organic Coconut Sugar | Erythritol, Stevia |
| Third-party tested? | No | No |
Customer Experience
Orgain offers free returns and exchanges within 30 days, making it easy to try different products. Returns need to be initiated through the Returns & Exchange center on their website.
Orgain also has a convenient link on their website for reporting quality issues, should you have any problems with an order.
Ordering Orgain Simple Plant Protein
When ordering directly from Orgain, simply choose your preferred flavor and delivery frequency, add the product to your cart, and proceed to checkout.
You can save on repeat deliveries by signing up for their “Subscribe & Save” option, which provides a 15% discount and free shipping on every delivery. Otherwise, you can get free shipping with orders of $75 or more. Smaller orders will incur a flat $9.95 shipping fee.
Customer Reviews
Customer reviews on the Orgain website range from 4.3 to 4.6 stars depending on the flavor, with Creamy Chocolate rated the highest.
Most reviews praise the taste, although a few customers thought the protein was too sweet despite only containing 5 grams of added sugars per serving. Similarly, many reviews mention its smooth, non-gritty consistency, while a few people disagree.
Amazon reviews are similar, with a 4.3-star rating from over 4,000 customers. Most people love the great taste and lack of artificial ingredients and food additives. Some wish it was less expensive, a bit higher in protein, and came in a larger canister, but most are happy with the product itself.
Final Verdict of Our Orgain Simple Plant Protein Review
Overall, this is a solid plant-based option with high-quality, clean ingredients that can support a variety of performance and health goals. It could be a great choice for people who:
- Want a plant protein to help build muscle or lose fat
- Have a roomy supplement budget
- Prioritize “clean” ingredient labels free from emulsifiers, gums, and artificial ingredients
- Don’t mind a small amount of added sugars
- Aren’t allergic to peanuts or tree nuts
Want to learn more about other pea protein options? Check out our picks for the Best Pea Protein Powder!
Full Rating
Orgain Simple Plant Protein
Orgain Simple Plant Protein is a plant-based protein powder with a short ingredient list and no artificial flavors. You’ll get 20 grams of protein per serving from pea, pumpkin seed, almond, and chia protein sweetened with 5 grams of coconut sugar per serving. There are 11 grams of carbs per serving, though, and it’s quite expensive at about $2.53 per serving.
Product Brand: Orgain
Product Currency: $
Product Price: 37.99
Product In-Stock: InStock
3.95
Orgain Simple Plant Protein: FAQs
Is Orgain Simple good for you?
Orgain Simple can help you eat more plant-based protein to support your health, fitness, and wellness goals. It contains a small amount of added sugars, so consider whether this meets your health needs. It shouldn’t be consumed by people with peanut or tree nut allergies.
Is Orgain Simple a complete protein?
Yes, Orgain Simple is made from a blend of complementary plant proteins that contain all nine essential amino acids.
Is Orgain protein powder good for weight loss?
Yes, higher protein diets can assist with weight loss thanks to their satiating effects and metabolism-raising effects1. Orgain protein powder is an effective way to increase your total protein consumption.
Is plant-based organic protein good for you?
Yes, plant-based proteins2 are associated with a reduced risk of multiple chronic diseases and can help with building lean muscle mass3
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases.
References
- Calcagno, M., Kahleova, H., Alwarith, J., Burgess, N. N., Flores, R. A., Busta, M. L., & Barnard, N. D. (2019). The Thermic Effect of Food: A Review. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 38(6), 547–551. https://doi.org/10.1080/07315724.2018.1552544
- Ahnen, R. T., Jonnalagadda, S. S., & Slavin, J. L. (2019). Role of plant protein in nutrition, wellness, and health. Nutrition Reviews, 77(11), 735–747. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuz028
- Nichele, S., Phillips, S. M., & Boaventura, B. C. B. (2022). Plant-based food patterns to stimulate muscle protein synthesis and support muscle mass in humans: a narrative review. Applied physiology, nutrition, and metabolism = Physiologie appliquee, nutrition et metabolisme, 47(7), 700–710. https://doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2021-0806
