How Do You Make Your Powder Supplements Taste Better?

You know what's wonderful? Knowing you've covered all your nutritional bases, not just by eating a well-balanced diet, but with quality supplements to fill in any gaps. Look at you, beaming with the glow of optimal nourishment!

You know what's not so wonderful? Swallowing a bunch of capsules or tablets every day (at least for some of us). The alternative, powder supplements, can make it easy to get the nutrients you want at the doses you want them. But these may have a not-so-wonderful taste to pickier palates.

The good news is there are plenty of tips and tricks to make your powder supplements more tastebud-friendly.

Here are some simple ways to improve the taste of powder supplements without sacrificing their nutrition or health benefits.

What to mix with powder supplements to make them taste good

Because of their form, powdered nutritional supplements are super-easy to combine with any beverage or food that suits your tastes. The way you take your powder supplement is purely subjective. Start with this list and let your imagination go wild!

1. Drink up

Perhaps the clearest powder supplement mixer of choice is water. (See what we did there?) But if you aren't loving how plain old H2O tastes with your daily powders, there's no need to restrict yourself to the tap. There are so many different types of water to choose from: electrolyte water, coconut water, fruit-infused mineral water…and the list goes on. Adding just a teensy splash of a flavorful juice (such as orange, cranberry or mango) can make a big difference as well.

Sports drinks, iced tea, or your favorite chilled coffee shop drinks are also interesting mixer options to make your powdered supplement intake more palatable, but ideally, you'd avoid liquids that have added sugars or artificial sweeteners. Instead, go for nutritious options that you'd already be enjoying with your daily diet, such as almond milk.

You might also want to try blending it into a fruit or veggie smoothie. Need some inspiration? We've got three amazing drink recipes for your collagen powder supplement.

A quick tip on flavor: pair tart-flavored powders (anything citrus-flavored, or greens) with fruity, sweet beverages but avoid creamy options. On the flip side, richer powders like animal-based collagen or whey will be yummier in that morning latte (especially if they are chocolate-flavored).

And if it's not the flavor but the consistency that's irking you, try mixing your supplement in sparkling water, or experiment with types of ice (cubes, chips, even a slushie or popsicle).

For the smoothest consistency, think shaken, not stirred. Avoid stirring your combination in a glass; it can wind up chunky and thick with residue. Instead, shake up the beverage of your choice and powder supplement in a shaker with some ice.

2. Add it to the menu

When it comes to making your powder supplement tastier, creativity is the name of the game. Although drinks may be the most obvious—and perhaps quickest—way to take your supplements, they're not the only way, not by a long shot! Think of your powder supplement as a spice, a topping, an ingredient or all the above. This isn't just a mundane supplement-mixing exercise; it's a tastebud adventure fit for foodies.

Start with breakfast. How about some muffins powered up with vanilla whey protein? You can mix your powder supplement with cinnamon and sprinkle it over your oatmeal or overnight oats, or add it to your pancake mix or yogurt with berries (hello, tasty lean muscle mass support).

Let's say it's snack time, and you're about to whip up your famous guacamole or hummus recipe. Stir in a spoonful of powder and voilà—it's instantly more nutritious! It's also simple to scoop powdered supplements into soups or cookie recipes. Some people even like to make popsicles with their powder supplement and beverage of choice.

No matter what you put on the menu or in your smoothie, you can include your supplement in a pinch (literally) to meet your daily intake. This leads to the next point...

3. Mind your dosage

Whether or not you ultimately end up on Team Beverage or Team Foodie (or both!), it's important to keep in mind that supplements are dosed based on the results of clinical studies. It's crucial that you get the right dose to get all the benefits. So, if you decide to add just one serving of powder to your smoothie or overnight oats, you need to consume the whole thing to get the right dose.

And from a taste perspective, adding in too much powder is one surefire way to overwhelm your tastebuds, while skimping on the dosage could weaken the taste. So you've got multiple reasons to follow the label to the letter.

Pro tip: As you make your flavor-improvement plan, remember that some powders are easier to mix and blend than others because of their consistency and texture. Just keep mixing things up until you find your faves!

How to store your powder supplements for optimal taste

Aside from blending them into smoothies or sprinkling them onto salads, you can help make your powder supplements as tasty as possible by storing them properly.

• Check the label. Always store your nutritional supplements according to the instructions on the label. Typically, you'll want to keep them at room temperature, away from direct sunlight, and in a cool, dry area. Note that flavored protein powders are especially sensitive to changes in temperature and should be stored in a temperature-controlled environment if possible. If you can, keep your powder supplement in the original container—this will ensure that you consume it before the use-by expiration date. Also, make sure the lid is air-tight to protect it from moisture and light.
• Avoid moisture. When your supplement is exposed to moisture in the air or via spills or other moisture mishaps, it can make the powder clump and create a humid environment that may cause contamination. You'll also want to avoid refrigerating or freezing your supplements—the temperature fluctuations as you move the container in and out of the cold can cause condensation and may impact the potency of the powder.

What are powder supplements?

Powder supplements are just that: nutritional supplements that come in powder form. For those who have difficulty swallowing tablets or capsules, powder supplements are ideal. While a supplement may be a powder inside a capsule, it may not have ingredients to make it tasty if it's designed as a capsule. What a capsule and powder supplement do have in common is that they are both excellent sources of vitamins and minerals.

For example, greens powders and greens capsules are both made with fruits and vegetables and help provide nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, folate and iron. These nutrients, along with other ingredients often found in greens powders, help support optimal health and well-being.

3 best powder supplements

Powder supplements range in nutrition, flavor (vanilla, orange or chocolate) and source (plant-based or animal). Here's the scoop on a few to try:

1. Magnesium

Concerned with keeping your memory sharp and your brain fed? In that case, a powder supplement with magnesium is a perfect choice. Magnesium is an essential mineral that supports healthy memory and cognitive function. Magnesium L-threonate is a special type of magnesium well-studied for cognitive health. And the tropical punch flavor of Magnesium L-threonate powder makes it an obvious mixer with fruit juices, smoothies or mocktails.

2. Collagen

If the health and beauty of your skin is paramount, you might consider adding collagen to your daily routine, which is readily available in various flavors. It's easy to bake with collagen powder if you don't love the taste or texture of it in smoothies or with water.

Another great option if you don't love collagen's taste profile or are trying to avoid animal-derived products: vegan pro-collagen. This orange-flavored powder supplement combines the same amino acids as type I collagen (the most common type of collagen found in skin) with vitamin C, gotu kola and ginseng root extracts. The combination of ingredients was clinically studied to promote healthy collagen production and help reduce common signs of skin aging and the appearance of wrinkles.

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, this vegan formula was compared with traditional collagen (from fish). Not only did the vegan pro-collagen group report similar improvements in collagen density and appearance of wrinkles compared to placebo, but the vegan pro-collagen group's overall skin hydration and health were almost identical to the marine collagen group.

3. Protein

Of all the powder supplements out there, protein powder may be the most well-known. From whey to plant-based, vanilla to chocolate flavor, there is no shortage of protein powders to choose from, which is great news for athletes and non-athletes alike. The benefits of protein powders are as diverse as the types. While protein powders are famous for their post-workout benefits (they help encourage lean muscle mass, promote exercise recovery, and inhibit protein breakdown), they also may contain ingredients that promote a healthy immune system, gut integrity and overall exercise performance.

Clearly, you have many powder supplement options and many ways to make them taste great. Adding the nutrients and health benefits of powdered supplements to your mix can be a culinary adventure. Get creative, be open to new ways to incorporate powders into your day and keep mixing things up!

References

• Ferrari L, et al. "Animal- and Plant-Based Protein Sources: A Scoping Review of Human Health Outcomes and Environmental Impact." Nutrients. December 2022. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9741334/
• Lin YK, et al. "Oral supplementation of vegan collagen biomimetic has beneficial effects on human skin physiology: A double-blind, placebo-controlled study." Journal of Functional Foods. January 2024. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1756464623005558
• Voulgaridou G, et al. "Increasing Muscle Mass in Elders through Diet and Exercise: A Literature Review of Recent RCTs." Foods. March 2023. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36981144/
• Weiler M, et al. "Is It Time to Reconsider the U.S. Recommendations for Dietary Protein and Amino Acid Intake?" Nutrients. February 2023. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9963165/