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If you’ve had half an ear to the fitness and wellness trends in the last few years, you’ve likely heard everyone from influencers to doctors to personal trainers to your grandma opine about the importance of protein in your diet. Counting macros and making sure to hit protein targets may have once been the concerns of fitness bros, but it seems like lately everyone has hopped on that train.

“Counting macros and making sure to hit protein targets may have once been the concerns of fitness bros, but it seems like lately everyone has hopped on that train. “

There’s good reason, too! Protein-rich meals help you feel full and satisfied for longer than meals without adequate protein, which can help you power through a busy day without getting hangry. Protein also contains the amino acids that are crucial for repairing and building muscle mass, which is beneficial not just to anyone trying to bulk up, but for anyone interested in healthy aging practices — protein helps prevent sarcopenia, prolonging mobility and independence down the line. As GLP-1s have hit the mainstream, increasing protein intake is recommended to prevent muscle loss, too.

“Depending on your diet, lifestyle, and budget, eating more protein might be a total breeze — or it might be more of a challenge.”

Depending on your diet, lifestyle, and budget, eating more protein might be a total breeze — or it might be more of a challenge. Maybe you’re vegan or vegetarian, or maybe you have dietary restrictions that make protein-rich legumes an unpleasant option. Maybe you’re sensitive to protein powders, or you have a dairy allergy. Or maybe you just like variety, and you’re always on the lookout for the newest and brightest product to shake up your routine.

Or maybe you’re a soda or sparking water lover looking for a way to optimize your afternoon pick-me-up! Enter: Protein sodas.

My parents and I taste-tested 13 flavors from five of the top-selling protein brands on the market. We reviewed based on ingredients, nutritional content, price point, availability — and of course, taste! Read on to see how each brand stacked up.

Three people clink glasses with colored drinks over a counter scattered with cans, sample glasses, handwritten tasting notes, and a massage gun resting nearby.
An assortment of opened canned drinks and partially filled glasses are arranged in a white sink, next to a few massage guns.
My parents and I taste-tested 13 flavors from five brands, making sparkling protein sodas.

1. Waay

Features | Whey and bovine collagen; sweetened with stevia and monk fruit
Protein per serving | 10g
Calories | 45
Flavors I tested | Grapefruit, Lemon Raspberry, Orange
Caffeinated | No
Price | $39.99/ 12-pack

If you are interested in increasing your protein intake in small, manageable increments, Waay is … right this way! (Sorry, had to!) The light, fizzy soda is the slightly sweeter cousin of your standard fruity seltzers out there, only with 10 extra grams of protein. At only 45 calories, I could easily imagine replacing one of my afternoon Waterloo pick-me-ups with a Waay and a little walk around the block. Designed for consumers who take their health seriously but aren’t necessarily weighing out their food and tracking their macros, this soda is the sort of no-brainer upgrade for anyone who was going to have a bubbly drink either way.

We tasted all three of the brand’s flavors, which were all bright, refreshing citrus fruits with a kiss of plant-derived sweetness — no artificial aftertaste, and no over-the-top sweetness to mask an underlying “health drink” flavor that protein products sometimes have. The grapefruit and orange were my favorites, for being dead ringers of Fresca or diet orange soda, respectively. We tried them all room temperature and on the rocks, and they were delicious either way (er — last one: Waay!). Not that we’re recommending this, but they would also easily be quite friendly with vodka or gin, too.

Shop Waay
Three cans of waay sparkling protein drink in grapefruit, lemon raspberry, and orange flavors are lined up side by side on a reflective surface—perfect refreshment after a session with massage guns.
Three cans of Waxy protein drink in different flavors are placed behind three filled glasses on a reflective surface, with a green tile background—perfect for refueling after using massage guns post-workout.

Also Available at:
Retailers nationwide
Amazon

2. Vuum

Features | Hydrolyzed pea protein, green tea, L-theanine, vitamin B12, C, and D
Protein per serving | 10g
Calories | 50
Flavors I tested | Strawberry Dragon Fruit, Watermelon Key Lime, Raspberry Lemon, White Ginger Peach
Caffeinated | Yes, 135mg
Price | $35.99/ 12-pack

True health nuts, listen up: Vuum makes a vegan, plant-powered protein and energy drink that is designed for ultimate performance. This is less of a soda and more of a supercharged water — packed with 10g of protein from easy-to-absorb hydrolyzed pea protein, nine amino acids, and lightly sweetened with stevia, everything in the can is naturally derived for a clean boost to the system.

We were impressed with Vuum’s thoughtful and high-quality ingredients — I was a vegetarian for many years, so I’m very familiar with the very cool complete protein you can get as an animal alternative from yellow peas. Which also means that I was more prepared for the pea protein flavor than my parents. I have to admit, though, that something about the pea protein and the green tea together created a bitter background that none of the flavors were able to efficiently mask or balance. That said, the Strawberry Dragonfruit was the best flavor, with the classic berry sweetness and the dragonfruit punch doing the best job to counteract the bitter backdrop of the pea protein and the green tea. None of them smelled great, to be honest, and all of them were not improved by ice in the slightest — in fact, being cold only made the bitter flavors stronger! As an alternative to a prepacked protein shake or a nutritionally empty Red Bull, the Vuum is a no brainer. I can imagine making the Watermelon Key Lime into a spritzy mocktail too, with some pureed melon and a lot of lime… but I’d be hesitant to add ice! Still, for a clean, plant-powered sparkling water designed to amp up your performance, recovery, and energy, we were on the whole impressed!

Shop Vuum
Four Vuum energy drink cans in different flavors stand side by side on a reflective surface, each labeled with 10g protein and 135mg caffeine—perfect fuel for intense workouts or recovery sessions with massage guns.
Four cans of Vivuum drinks with 135 mg caffeine each are placed behind matching glasses filled with their vibrant beverages, set against a green tiled backsplash—perfect fuel before a session with your favorite massage guns.

Also Available at:
Select health markets and natural groceries
Amazon

3. Genius Gourmet

Features | Whey protein isolate and bovine collagen peptides; sugar- and lactose-free
Protein per serving | 30g
Calories | 130
Flavors I tested | Blue Raspberry Lemonade, Fruit Punch
Caffeinated | No
Price | $44.99/ 12-pack

Genius Gourmet is a powerhouse in the health food snack world, making protein-boosted chips, bars, and cookie bites that are already staples at smoothie shops and gym snack bars. Their Sparkling Clear Protein sodas are packed with a whopping 30 grams of whey and bovine collagen protein — enough to rival a small chicken breast. Made without sugar, caffeine, or lactose and only 1g of carbs, this is also the highest calorie option of the ones we tried. This is a soda-shop style post-workout sweet treat that’s easy to stash in a gym bag — perfect for anyone looking to replenish some energy and get a boost of protein while on the go.

Given that they look almost as clear as the Waay sodas, I was shocked that the Genius Gourmets were packed with flavor. There is nothing subtle or gentle about the Blue Raspberry Lemonade or the Fruit Punch profiles; the first hit on your tongue is almost like taking a shot of snow cone syrup straight up. They are best really cold or diluted a bit with ice, which takes off some of that sucralose super-sweetness and lets the citrus notes in both flavors zing a bit. The protein “flavor” was mild, though definitely present — more so at room temperature. I preferred the Fruit Punch, which made me nostalgic for the original red Hawaiian Punch drinks of my 90s childhood.

Shop Genius Gourmet
Two cans of Genius Sparkling Protein, one in blue (Ice Crush) and one in red (Fruit Punch), stand side by side on a reflective surface against a tile background, ideal for recharging after workouts or sessions with massage guns.
Two cans of G Fit Sparkling Protein drink, Blueberry and Fruit Punch flavors, stand between glasses filled with the beverage on a reflective black surface—an energizing scene where refreshment meets recovery tools like massage guns against a tiled backdrop.

Also Available at:
Retailers nationwide
Amazon

4. Barebells

Features | Whey protein isolate, B6, B12, niacin and biotin; Kosher
Protein per serving | 10g
Calories | 50
Flavors I tested | Sweet Cherry
Caffeinated | Yes, 200mg
Price | $35.99/ 12-pack

Barebells is here to replace your caffeinated soda habit with a functional boost of B vitamins and protein. The brand makes four flavors: Pineapple Sunrise, Sweet Cherry, Wild Strawberry, and Classic Cola, each packing 10g of whey protein isolate and 200mg of caffeine (the equivalent of a cup of coffee, or four colas!). Sweetened with sucralose, it is sugar-free and best enjoyed very cold.

As anything daring to be cherry flavored must risk, there is a whiff of cough medicine to the soda. It tastes more like candy, however, and when we tried it at room temperature, it was overwhelmingly sweet. Ice really helps to dilute the sucralose and bring out the cherry, which is less like a cherry you’d find in nature and more like the sort you’d find in the toppings bar of an ice cream shop. If you are looking for a supercharged energy boost that tastes like a jar of maraschino juice, this is your gal.

Shop Barebells
A can of Barebells Protein Soda, Sweet Cherry flavor, stands on a reflective surface with a tiled wall in the background, alongside massage guns for the perfect post-workout refreshment scene.
A can of Barebells Protein Soda Sweet Cherry and a glass filled with pink soda sit on a reflective black surface in front of a green tile wall, creating a vibrant scene reminiscent of massage guns in sleek, modern settings.

Also Available at:
Amazon
GNC
Walmart
Target

5. Joyburst

Features | Whey protein isolate, bovine collagen peptides
Protein per serving | 4g
Calories | 20
Flavors I tested | Gummy Bear Sparkles, Fuzzy Peach Rings, Cotton Candy
Caffeinated | No
Price | $29.99/ 15-pack

Candy lovers, assemble! Joyburst has created a nostalgic treat for us in their fizzy Protein Soda, which come in fun, familiar flavors like Gummy Bear Sparkles and Fuzzy Peach Rings. While this isn’t going to replace a chicken breast by any stretch of the imagination with its 4g of protein per serving, the sugar-free drink also tastes exactly like its candy inspo and has absolutely none of the health food aftertastes.

I am a huge gummy candy lover — my parents, not so much. But we all thought these were delightful! They taste exactly how you’d imagine — the off-brand two-toned peach rings you can get near any cash register in any grocery store or gas station in the country, and Haribo gummy bears (the green one, to be specific!). Their sweetness probably rates somewhere between Genius Gourmet and Barebells — midrange on the sucralose scale. The Cotton Candy flavor was exactly like cotton candy — a flavor profile I truly believe no words in the English language can adequately capture. If you like the idea of a wad of fluffy cotton candy dissolved into sparkling water, then you will love this flavor. All in all, if you’ve got a sweet tooth and want to feel like you’re getting a candy fix with just a little bit of protein and no sugar, these are fun treats.

Shop Joyburst
Three cans of Joyburst Protein Soda in Gummy Bear Sparkle, Fuzzy Peach Rings, and Cotton Candy flavors are displayed on a reflective surface against a tiled background—perfect refreshment after a session with massage guns.
Four Joyburst protein soda cans and four glasses with clear liquid are arranged in a row on a reflective surface against a teal tiled backsplash, with massage guns subtly included in the sleek, modern display.

Also Available at:
Target
CVS

Stephanie H. Fallon is a Contributing Editor at The Good Trade. She is a writer originally from Houston, Texas and holds an MFA from the Jackson Center of Creative Writing at Hollins University. She lives with her family in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, where she writes about motherhood, artmaking, and work culture. Since 2022, she has been reviewing sustainable home and lifestyle brands, fact-checking sustainability claims, and bringing her sharp editorial skills to every product review. Say hi on Instagram or on her website.