9 of the Best Soy Free Meal Replacement & Protein Powders (2022)

Finding soy-free meal replacements and protein powders might seem hard at first. However, there are plenty of options in the market if you know where to look for. Selecting the best shakes without soy is then your next step. In this list, I’ve compiled the best soy free meal replacements that are available to you right now.

I have divided this list in two sections. In the first part, I will recommend you meal replacement shakes without soy. These are drinks that will provide you with all the nutrients you need. In the second part, I will list the best soy free protein powders. Unlike the previous, these shakes are primarily a boost to your protein intake. But more on that later.

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Best Soy Free Meal Replacement Shakes and Protein Powders at a Glance

One of my most recent discoveries, Lyfefuel Daily Essentials is an absolute gem. This soy free meal replacement shake is 100% vegan, made with whole food ingredients, no artificial ingredients, and a clear focus on providing you the healthiest shake possible.

In fact, Daily Essentials’ aim is to provide you with nutrients that you are lacking in your diet (key vitamins and minerals), not those that you might have in excess (calories). Thus, they formulated their shake to provide you with extra vitamin B12, vitamin D3, K2, A, E etc. These are incredibly important in cellular mechanisms (synthesis, messaging), molecular repair and have positive short and long-term impacts on your health.

Thus, after regularly consuming Daily Essentials shake, you will notice improvements in your energy levels, mood, and even skin. It’s surprising the positive impact good nutrition can have in your health.

Unfortunately, this won’t be the cheapest soy-free shake you can buy. They offer 2 flavours, from which I would recommend chocolate.

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Let’s start with Ample. This US based company strongly beliefs in high quality ingredients and real food shakes. They carefully choose what it goes into the shakes aiming to boost your nutrition and gut health. As such, Ample shakes have no soy, no gluten, no dairy and no GMO ingredients.

In general Ample meal shakes are low in carbs, low in sugars and high in fats. Ideal for those who are looking to lose weight by avoiding sugars and processed carbs.

Furthermore, they include essential nutrients like omega-3, fiber, fats and proteins; as well as some vitamins and minerals. These soy free shakes also provide you with probiotics (4 billion CFU) and prebiotics.

You will find Ample offers you 4 products: Original (whey-based); Plant-based; Recover (extra protein); and Keto (contains whey).

If you are looking for a vegan shake, then you need to choose the delicious Ample V (plant-based). In fact, the shakes are incredibly smooth and mix superbly, even without a blender.

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Complete 360 meal is a more affordable soy-free meal replacement shake. Not only that, but a well-rounded healthy shake that provides you with excellent nutrition. In fact, it’s one of my go-to shakes in a daily basis.

The reason for this is the high protein content, 30g of protein from a pea+rice+hemp protein blend for optimal amino acid delivery. Plus, it also offers tons of fibre; and it’s very low sugar. This makes for a very healthy combo.

Besides, you will also get omega-3 fatty acids, all the vitamins and minerals, plus some probiotics to help you with digestion.

Nonetheless, one of the aspects I like the most about Complete 360 meal is the taste. Double Milk Chocolate is among the best-tasting shakes that I’ve tried (and I’ve tried over 200). Vanilla and Strawberry are also good.

Prices might seem high at first, but you can always use the discounts that they offer and get the best deal for yourself!

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Huel Black is one of the most popular low carb meal replacement shakes available in the world. This drink is free of soy, fully plant based, and provides you with all the essential nutrients your body needs, including 40g of protein per serving.

This last is perhaps one of the keys to Huel Black’s success. Their high protein formula combined with the low GI, gluten-free carbs has been incredibly well-received.

Personally, while I was always a fan of the nutritional side, the taste didn’t do it for me. That was until I discovered Salted Caramel. Absolutely delicious. Where other flavors failed to mask the background flavor, Salted Caramel blends itself very well with it, and gives you a fantastic soy free shake.

Therefore, with Huel Black you will be able to enjoy a nice shake, that’s affordable and provides you with exactly what your body needs.

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Orgain is another US based brand that does soy free nutritional shakes. They have a wide array of high quality products, but I’ve chosen their ready-to-drink formula due to its smoothness and unique format (compared to the rest).

Besides the unique format, it is worth mentioning that all Orgain shakes are organic and soy free. The All-in-One RTD is available in both vegan and whey based formulas. The plant based replaces soy with organic pea protein and organic chia seeds (16g per 220kcal!).

Another distinguishing feature of Orgain’s RTDs is the smoothness and taste of the shakes. You will love the delicious Creamy Chocolate Fudge and the Iced Cafe Mocha flavours!

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Best Soy Free Protein Powders

Four Sigmatic’s plant based protein is a little bit more than just protein. It will, of course, offer you with 18g of complete protein without soy; but it will also provide you with more nutrients and no crap ingredients.

They use a unique blend of organic pea, chia, pumpkin and hemp protein to make sure you get all the amino acids you need. But this blend, also helps making the shake taste better, and does not need to hide the strong pea protein flavour (not great) like others do.

This, paired with the delicious creamy dark chocolate taste makes the shakes irresistible in my opinion.

Thus, for me Four Sigmatic protein is one of the best soy free protein powders you can get. Particularly in the US, with free fast shipping.

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Another great soy free shake by Orgain; this time focusing on providing you with high quality plant-based protein. Instead of soy, Orgain uses a blend of organic pea, brown rice and chia seed protein to which they add their custom 50 superfood blend.

Why would I need superfoods on my no soy protein powder? These provide you with extra nutrients (mostly vitamins and minerals) and phytonutrients that will boost the absorption and efficiency.

As such, each serving will provide you with 21g of protein, 6g of fiber and 0 added sugars.

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Bulk Powder’s vegan protein shake is the best soy free protein powder in the UK. The British brand offers a highly concentrated plant-based protein blend with 23g of protein per 130kcal (very low carb content!).

They key ingredients of one of the purest vegan protein powders without soy are: pea protein isolate, brown rice protein, pumpkin seed protein, flaxseed powder and quinoa flour. This ensures that you get a complete amino acid profile, unlike most single vegan sources (pea, rice etc).

Furthermore, this protein powder is also gluten free, lactose free and contains digestive enzymes to help you with the digestion. All this, topped up with an excellent taste backed up by more than 780 positive reviews. It’s not only me who likes them.

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Naked Nutrition’s Vegan Weight Gainer is a bit of an odd one on this list; since it’s a high calorie protein shake without soy. In fact, strictly speaking, is not purely protein but also loaded with carbs to help you put on muscle more easily.

Nevertheless, each 1,230kcal serving contains 50g of soy-free protein (rice and pea protein blend)! The powder is gluten-free and GMO free and contains high quality organic ingredients.

This would be my choice if I were looking to put some weight on, but didn’t want to take the usual weight gainers or protein powders that contain soy.

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Let’s Talk Soy

Soy is a widely used ingredient in the food industry. It is present in more foods that you might expect including: oils, tomato soup (as emulsifier), protein powders and nutritional supplements, sauces (soy flour)… Despite being used widely, there has always been a shadow of concern on the negative effects of soy.

Among those negative effects are fear that might cause breast cancer, thyroid problems and dementia. This fear is partially due to soy being high in isoflavones. These are plant estrogens similar to what humans produce but much weaker. However, the effects of these might vary depending the ethnicity, hormone levels or type of soy being used (thus different results in scientific studies).

Is It Safe to Consume Soy?

In spite what I mention earlier, the short answer is yes. Most studies indicate that it has neutral or positive effects on health; and it is very nutrient dense (vitamin B, fiber, complete protein etc.).

However, it is advisory to consume minimally processed soy in order to avoid problematic antinutrients.

Soy Protein Isolate and Common Concerns

Even after all major health organizations (ESFA, FDA, WHO) consider soy and soy protein isolate safe to consume for the majority of population; there are a few concerns:

• GMO origin. Most of the soy produced in the United States is genetically modified. There is much controversy around genetically modified food and possible negative effects; even though, current understanding says they are safe to consume
• Soy protein might contain anti-nutrients. In fact, most vegetables are likely to contain anti-nutrients. In the case of soy, it contains phytates, which reduce the absorption of zinc and iron.
• Residue chemical. Extracting the protein from they soy beans is a process carried through acid washing. This chemical process can leave some residues behind like hexane. Nonetheless, it is unlikely that these metals are going to be in toxic levels.
• Upset stomach. To many folks soy may cause digestive issues; or in the worse cases you may get an allergic reaction to it.

The Best Soy Protein Isolate Alternatives

Because the reasons mentioned above, or other of your own, you might have pivoted into looking for soy free protein shakes. If you don’t mind consuming dairy; then the best alternative is simple: whey protein concentrate or whey protein isolate. In this case, I would recommend you looking at Impact Whey (soy free whey protein), as previously mentioned.

When buying dairy based protein powders, make sure to check the ingredients since they might contain soy lecithin (small amounts).

However, it is very likely that you are looking for plant-based alternatives. Here, things get complicated.

Soy Protein Isolate vs Other Vegan Isolates

There are many non soy protein powder isolates: pea, hemp, rice, peanut butter… just to name a few. However, ALL of them have one issue soy protein isolate doesn’t: they are not complete protein sources.

What do I mean with “complete”? Dietary protein is composed by 20 amino-acids (building blocks); only nine of which are essential. However, no all protein sources contain all nine in adequate fashion. This means that you will need to consume more plant protein a day or combine different isolates to get the best results.

We can also observe this in the table below; and why pea and brown rice are considered complementary:

	Complete Protein (min%)	Pea Protein	Brown Rice
Histidine	1.5	2.5	2.4
Isoleucine	3	4.8	4.5
Leucine	5.9	8.5	8.3
Lysine	4.5	7.5	3.1
Methionine+ Cysteine	2.5	1.9	5.1
Phenylalanine+ Tyrosine	3	5.5	11.2
Threonine	2.3	3.7	3.8
Tryptophan	0.7	1.0	1.5
Valine	3.9	3.2	5.9

That is why in my best protein powders without soy I tend to prioritize plant protein blends.

Things to Look Out For When Choosing Protein Powders without Soy

So, let’s end this mini-overview on soy protein isolate and the soy free alternatives by highlighting few factors that you need to watch out:

• Hidden soy. Even in whey protein meal shakes might contain soy. How? Many brands include soy lecithin in small amounts to improve the texture of the shake.
• Protein quantity per serving. Many soy isolates are going to be 90% pure of upwards. This means that most of your calories will come from protein. However, many vegan soy free protein powders might contain unwanted fillers (carbs, fats etc).
• Source of protein. I strongly recommend you opt for a blend of plant-based, likely with pea protein as one of the ingredients. Avoid protein blends that contains solely nuts or seeds. Mix grains, seeds and beans to make the most out of your protein powder.
• Taste. One thing that goes often unmentioned is that each protein source has its own flavour. This affects the taste of the shake. For example, pea protein can be quite unpleasant. Whey, on the other hand, has a very milky taste.

Soy Free Protein Powders vs Soy Free Meal Replacement Shakes

Many of you might use your protein powder to replace one of your meals with. However, there are healthier options than doing that: meet meal replacement shakes. These are also considered complete food, and they aim to provide you with all the essential nutrients per meal.

Therefore, whenever you don’t have time for a proper meal, you can use a soy free meal shake to ensure that you are getting all the nutrients you need. Including fats, complex carbohydrates, protein and micronutrients (vitamins & minerals).

For instance, I used to struggle to get my protein in the morning so I used to eat oatmeal and a protein shake (with a banana or another condiment). However, doing this was tedious and sometimes I didn’t have enough time. That’s when I switched to meal replacement shakes. One shake provided me with the same nutrients my old meal did, but with half the hassle.

My Breakfast Example

Let me show you:

So, as you can observe, nutritionally they are very similar; with the added positive that meal replacement shakes also provide you with vitamins and minerals.

Other Positives:

Besides the above mention, there are other reasons to like meal replacements:

• Easily adaptable to your diet. Soy free, gluten free, organic, paleo or keto. No matter what your dietary needs are, there’s a shake that will fit your needs.
• Choose your macros. With meal replacement shakes is easy to tailor the macros to your needs.
• Never get bored. There are tons of flavours and textures out there, that will allow you to diversify easily.
• Control what you eat on the go. Don’t be limited by where you are. Get the meal you need at the office, while travelling or at home.
• Save money and time.

Therefore, if you didn’t know about meal replacements I hope that I’ve made a good case to switch to them. If you were aware, then you’ll probably already know all this!

Conclusion: The Best Soy Free Meal Replacement Shake and Protein Powder are

… Ample V and Ambronite Complete Plant Protein. Both are incredibly high quality soy free shakes that will help you boost your protein intake or replace your meals.

There are, nonetheless, more alternatives that might suit you better depending your requirements. Thus, I have tried to cover different areas with my best soy free powder picks.

Choose wisely and enjoy the benefits of a clean diet!

Sources

1.US Dietary Guidelines 2015-20.

2. FDA Daily Values.

3. Protein and Amono Acid Requirements in Human Nutrition by WHO.

4. Ultimate Meal Replacement List.

5. Latestfuel’s Best Meal Replacement Shakes.

6. Essential Nutrients.

7. Amino Acid Composition of an Organic Brown Rice Protein Concentrate and Isolate Compared to Soy and Whey Concentrates and Isolates.