• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The BarBend Logo in white.

BarBend

The Online Home for Strength Sports

  • News
    • CrossFit
    • Strongman
    • Bodybuilding
    • Top Athletes
    • Powerlifting
    • Weightlifting
    • HYROX
    • Competition Results
    • Latest Research
  • Reviews
    • Recovery
      • Best Cold Plunges
      • Best Saunas
      • Best Mini-Massage Guns
    • Supplements
      • Best Protein
        • Best Vegan Protein Powders
        • Best Whey Isolate Protein Powders
        • Best Mass Gainer
        • Best Protein Bars
      • Best Pre-Workouts
        • Best Pre-Workout for Women
        • Best Pre-Workouts for Men
        • Best Non-Stim Pre-Workouts
        • Strongest Pre-Workouts
      • Best Creatine
      • Best Electrolyte Supplements
      • Best Greens Powder
      • Best Meal Replacements
      • Best Nitric Oxide Supplements
      • Best Fat Burners
      • Individual Supplement Reviews
    • Cardio Equipment
      • Best Treadmills
      • Best Rowing Machines
      • Best Exercise Bikes
      • Best Ellipticals
      • Best Recumbent Bikes
      • Individual Cardio Equipment Reviews
    • Strength Equipment
      • Best Adjustable Dumbbells
      • Best Dumbbells
      • Best Kettlebells
      • Best Barbells
      • Best Squat Racks
      • Best Weight Benches
      • Best Resistance Bands
      • Best Leg Extension Machines
      • Individual Strength Equipment Reviews
    • Apparel
      • Best Weightlifting Shoes
      • Best Cross Training Shoes
      • Best Running Shoes
      • Best Gym Shorts
    • Fitness Tech
      • Best Running Apps
      • Best Fitness Trackers
      • Best Workout Apps
      • Best Smart Scales
    • Support Gear
      • Best Lifting Straps
      • Best Gym Bags
      • Best Lifting Gloves
      • Best Wrist Wraps
  • Nutrition
    • Diets
      • Carb Cycling
      • Vertical Diet
      • Reverse Dieting
      • Carnivore Diet
      • Ketogenic Diet
      • Intermittent Fasting
      • IIFYM Diet
    • Muscle Gain
      • How to Dirty Bulk
      • Go From Cutting to Bulking
      • Eat These Carbs
      • How to Eat for Muscle
    • Fat Loss
      • Macros for Fat Loss
      • Calorie Deficits
      • Natural Fat Burners
      • Cut 2 Pounds Weekly
    • Supplement Guides
      • Pre-Workout
      • Whey Protein
      • Mass Gainers
      • Greens Powders
      • Creatine
      • BCAAs
    • Daily Protein Needs
    • Pre- and Post-Workout Nutrition
    • Foods With Creatine
    • Bulking Tips
  • Training
    • Workouts
      • Back Workouts
      • At-Home Workouts
      • Chest & Back Workouts
      • Full-Body Workout
      • HIIT Workouts
    • Exercise Guides
      • Deadlift
      • Bench Press
      • Back Squat
      • Overhead Press
      • Bent-Over Row
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Crunches
      • Farmer’s Carry
    • Best Exercises
      • Shoulder Exercises
      • Back Exercises
      • Chest Exercises
      • Glute Exercises
      • Ab Exercises
      • Hamstring Exercises
      • Quad Exercises
      • Calf Exercises
      • Biceps Exercises
      • Triceps Exercises
    • Programs
      • Push-Up Program
      • Pull-Up Program
      • German Volume Training
      • 5/3/1 Program
      • Powerbuilding Program
      • The Cube Method
      • 5×5 Program
      • Bodybuilding Programs
      • Build Your Own Program
    • Fat Loss
      • How to Burn Fat
      • Spot Fat Reduction
      • How to Train on a Cut
      • Body Conditioning
      • Workouts
        • Kettlebell Circuits
        • Dumbbell Complexes
        • Farmer’s Carry Workouts
    • Muscle Gain
      • Muscle Hypertrophy Explained
      • How to Build Muscle
      • How to Maintain Muscle
      • What Researchers Say About Muscle Gain
        • Workouts
          • 20-Minute Workouts
          • Kettlebell Circuits
          • CrossFit Workouts for Muscle
          • Bodybuilding Workouts
  • Calculators
    • Protein Intake Calculator
    • Macros Calculator
    • BMR Calculator
    • Squat Calculator
    • Calorie Calculator
  • Community Forum
Home » Supplement Reviews » Pure Protein Natural Whey Protein Review — As Good As the Bars?

Pure Protein Natural Whey Protein Review — As Good As the Bars?

Written by Nick English
Last updated on November 26th, 2024

We receive free products and receive commissions through our links. See disclosures page.

Based in New York State, Pure Protein is a supplement company that’s pretty well known for their popular protein bars. I decided to review Pure Protein’s Natural Whey Protein. If their protein powder is known for anything it’s for being surprisingly cheap for a powder that’s free from artificial flavors, sweeteners, and colors.

I wanted to know if the taste matched the price tag, but first, let’s take a look at the nutrition.

Pure Protein Whey
Pure Protein Whey
Pure Protein Whey
Provides 23 grams of protein and no artificial ingredients at all, Pure Protein is also instantized for easier mixing.
Shop Amazon

Pure Protein Natural Whey Protein Nutrition Info

One scoop delivers 130 calories, 23 grams of protein, 5 grams of carbs (3 grams of sugar and no fiber), 2 grams of fat and 1 gram of saturated fat.

Regarding micronutrients, there’s nothing really notable. For a whey powder, it’s relatively low in calcium (11 percent of your daily intake) and sodium (2 percent of your daily intake) and there’s about 40mg of cholesterol, or 13 percent of your daily intake, which may be important to note if you need to limit cholesterol.

Pure Protein Natural Whey Nutrition
Pure Protein Natural Whey Nutrition

Pure Protein Natural Whey Protein Ingredients

The first ingredient is a protein blend of whey concentrate (the cheapest form of whey) and whey isolate (the lowest calorie form of whey), followed by cocoa, fructose (a natural sugar that’s used as a sweetener), natural flavors, soy lecithin (for mixability) and stevia extract, a natural sweetener.

Pure Protein Natural Whey Protein Benefits and Effectiveness

Looking at the nutrition and the ingredients, one thing immediately comes to mind: this product contains lactose, and it doesn’t contain lactase or any other digestive enzymes. That means if you’re lactose intolerant or if you tend to have difficulty digesting protein powder, there’s a chance this could upset your stomach.

Otherwise, the most problematic ingredient is soy, which some folks steer clear of. The fructose is also a pretty unusual addition that might give some people pause, but the evidence is pretty clear that it doesn’t cause cancer and it’s just included as a natural sweetener that’s a little lower in calories than sucrose or glucose. That said, it does make it just slightly higher in sugar than artificially sweetened protein powders.

Related: best whey protein powders

Pure Protein Natural Whey Review
Pure Protein Natural Whey Review

But hey, this is a solid product: it’s pretty low in calories, carbs, and fat, and pretty high in protein. The macros aren’t as dramatic as your zero carb zero fat whey isolates, but that’s because it has no artificial ingredients and because it’s largely made from the inexpensive whey concentrate. The macros aren’t going to be out-of-this-world, but if what you need is a low-carb protein powder with nothing artificial in it, this is going to fit the bill — so long as you can digest lactose and you don’t mind soy.

Pure Protein Natural Whey Protein Price

On Amazon Prime it’s between $18 and $22 for a 1.6-pound tub, which is the largest package I can find at the time of writing. I’m not sure why there’s such a big price difference, but let’s say it costs $20 for 1.6 pounds, or 22 servings. That winds up at 90 cents a serving or 3.9 cents per gram of protein.

When we’re talking about 2-pound tubs (and cents per gram of protein), that’s very cheap, even cheaper than Optimum Nutrition and about the same as MusclePharm’s Combat Whey. It makes me think it should be available in larger sizes for folks who really want to save cash, because this is a strikingly cheap product, especially since it’s free from artificial flavors.

Mixability

While it’s a little frothy, I found this protein mixed pretty well. That’s probably because of the soy lecithin, which usually improves mixability.

Pure Protein Natural Whey
Pure Protein Natural Whey

Pure Protein Natural Whey Protein Taste

I was a little disappointed in the taste. While it contains fructose and stevia, it tasted an awful lot like straight cocoa — which means it was bitter, and the bitterness really hangs around your mouth, too. The natural sweetness of milk makes it a little more palatable, but there’s no sugarcoating it: it’s bitter.

The Takeaway

If you’re the kind of person who prioritizes all natural fitness supplements and you don’t want to spend all your money to find them, you’ve probably been frustrated by what’s available on the market. And so long as you don’t have a problem with lactose or soy, you’ll be delighted with Pure Protein Natural Whey. It’s all natural and inexpensive, but it’s true that the taste leaves a lot to be desired. If I were you and I really didn’t want to fork out for pricier brands, I’d probaby buy it anyway and add a little stevia or mashed banana to sweeten it up.

[Get the best Amazon price on Pure Protein’s 100% Whey here.]

Other Great Protein Powders Reviews

  • BiPro Whey Protein Isolate Review – Rating: 8.4/10
  • Animal Whey Protein Review – Rating: 9.2/10
  • Transparent Labs 100% Grass-Fed Whey Concentrate Review – Rating: 7.9/10
  • Ladder Whey Review
  • Athletic Greens Whey Protein Review – Rating: 7.4/10
  • Xtend Pro Whey Isolate Review – Rating: 8.8/10

Related Best Protein Powders Content

  • The 7 Best Whey Protein Powders for 2019
  • What’s the Difference Between Grass-Fed Whey Vs. Regular Whey?
  • More Protein: How Strength Athletes Can Save Time, Money, & Hassle on Nutrition
  • Whey Versus Casein: Which Is Better for Strength and Muscle Gain?
  • Orgain Organic Protein Plant Based Powder Review — Creamy and Vegan?
  • Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Vs. Body Fortress Super Advanced Whey Protein — A Pretty Easy Winner
  • 6 Best Vegan Protein Powders you can buy in 2019 Reviewed

Pure Protein Natural Whey Protein

Per Serving: $0.90
Pure Protein Natural Whey Protein
7.6

Taste

4.0/10

Price

8.5/10

Ingredients

8.5/10

Effectiveness

8.0/10

Mixability

9.0/10

Pros

  • Zero artificial ingredients
  • Reasonably priced
  • Inexpensive

Cons

  • Bitter taste
  • Contains lactose and soy
  • No digestive enzymes
Buy On Amazon

About Nick English

Nick is a content producer and journalist with over seven years’ experience reporting on four continents. Since moving to New York City in 2013 he's been writing on health and fitness full time for outlets like BarBend, Men's Health, VICE, and Popular Science.

View All Articles

Primary Sidebar

Latest Reviews

Featured image for the Ironmaster Super Bench Pro V2 Review

Ironmaster Super Bench Pro V2 Review (2025): Our Expert’s New Favorite FID Bench

Titan T3 Power Rack Review

Titan T3 Power Rack Review (2025): An Expert-Approved Rig Beckoning to Budget-Minded Athletes

Our tester works out at the beach in preparation for the Rogue Resistance Bands Review

Rogue Resistance Bands Review (2025): Tested by a Certified Personal Trainer

Barbend tester Jake Herod works out on a Force USA Trainer

Force USA G3 Review (2025): Our Experts Tested This Compact All-In-One Rack for Small Home Gyms

BarBend

BarBend is an independent website. The views expressed on this site may come from individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the view of BarBend or any other organization. BarBend is the Official Media Partner of USA Weightlifting.

  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

Pure Protein Natural Whey Protein

Per Serving: $0.90
Pure Protein Natural Whey Protein
7.6

Taste

4.0/10

Price

8.5/10

Ingredients

8.5/10

Effectiveness

8.0/10

Mixability

9.0/10

Pros

  • Zero artificial ingredients
  • Reasonably priced
  • Inexpensive

Cons

  • Bitter taste
  • Contains lactose and soy
  • No digestive enzymes
Buy On Amazon

Sections

  • CrossFit
  • Strongman
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Weightlifting
  • Reviews
  • Nutrition
  • Training

More

  • BarBend Newsletter
  • BarBend Podcast
  • The Ripped Report
  • 1RM Calculator
  • BMR Calculator
  • Macros Calculator
  • Protein Calculator
  • Squat Calculator

Policies

  • Accessibility
  • Advice Disclaimer
  • Cookies Policy
  • Disclaimers
  • Disclosures
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Copyright © 2025 · BarBend Inc · Sitemap