After trying some pretty decent protein shake powders (currently unreviewed), I decided to get a powder with a much higher protein content and much lower calorie count. And that led me to The Naked Pea, which can be acquired in its pure form as entirely pea protein. But, by accident, I bought the one that sounds more like a protein shake powder, because it includes two additional ingredients to make it more palatable.
The full product specs are listed below, but the short story is that for 140 kcal a serving, this stuff promises. nearly 26g or protein. For those of you familiar with the math, that’s a whopping 74% calories from protein. That rivals one of the protein superstars: chicken breast, which provides 80% of its calories from protein. That means if you’re trying to hit your protein target at the end of the day, this is a decent go-to.
Expectations
Even though I realized my error once the stuff arrived (it was vanilla, not the pure stuff), I leaned in and tried a half-serving hydrated with cold brew coffee. I’ve done a caffein meal replacer shake before, and it’s often pretty good. So I went for it.
Impressions
That was a mistake.
The flavorings included in the mix do nothing to cover up the sort of mealiness of pea. It it is hard to describe the flavor. Incomplete mixing (I did use a shaker bottle) meant that the shake was overly gritty. I would say that if you’re familiar with dried chickpeas, imagine unsalted, dried chickpeas. Now imagine chewing on them for a while without swallowing them. It was kind of like that. Not exactly, but enough. It reinforced my thought that I should have gotten the unflavored, because I immediately considered using it in a savory mixture instead of expecting sweetness.
So, aha. I guess I could use this as an ingredient rather than a food. The rest of htis post is about how I made the thing more palatable. That is the actual snack I am going to review.
Recipe
The product label talks about dressing up the shake with various ingredients, so let’s call this…
Dressed Up Pea Shake
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Servings: 1
- Total Energy: ~275 kcal
Ingredients
Liquids & Base
- 10 fl oz water/ice cubes, split (approx. 295.7 g)
- 6 fl oz Great Value 1% Lowfat Milk
- 2 scoops (37 g) Naked Nutrition Vanilla Naked Pea Protein Powder
Flavor & Spices
- 2 tsp (3.6 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp (2.6 g) ground cinnamon
- 1/2 g ground cayenne pepper
Sweeteners & Flavor Syrups
- 1 tsp (7.1 g) honey
- 1 tbsp Torani Sugar-Free Classic Hazelnut Syrup
- 2 packets (2.0 g) sucralose sweetener powder
Instructions
- Hydrate First: Pour 4 ounces of the water over two scoops of powder in a wide-mouthed quart mason jar or shaker bottle. Mix with any clean implement long enough to reach the bottom. For my weirdo friends: I don’t mean a pencil. Make an evenly-mixed slurry. This step helps reduce grittiness by giving the powder some time to hydrate.
- Add Spices and Sweeteners: Add the Vanilla Naked Pea powder, unsweetened cocoa powder, ground cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and sucralose. Drizzle in the honey and Torani hazelnut syrup.
- Stir: Mix those ingredients into the slurry.
- Add Liquid: Add the 6 oz. milk and the remaining water in the form of ice cubes and cold water. I generally don’t worry about over-diluting this.
- Blend: If you were using a blender, this is when you would blend on high speed for 30–45 seconds. I would use a frother or stick blender in the mason jar, or shake vigorously in a shaker bottle with a blending ball until it’s uniformly smooth. There shouldn’t be dry spots because of your creation of the slurry, but make sure there are no places where the slurry isn’t mixed into the liquid. If you’re using a blender or frother, I suggest holding back the ice until after blending. I don’t feel like adding ice causes detrimental dilution. A more dilute shake actually tastes better than a thicker one.
- Drink: Down the hatch!
Flavor
The chocolate and cinnamon especially work to cover up the pea flavor. The cayenne is another distraction. The chocolate, spice, and cinnamon are delightful together. The contrast between this and the raw shake couldn’t be greater. I had to choke down the “naked” shake. This I drank with lunch without even thinking about it.
Satiety
This is approximately as satisfying as other shake powders. For shakes, I ask myself: does it just feel like I’ve drunk a bunch of water, or can my stomach tell that I drank food? My stomach could tell. That shouldn’t be shocking; this mixture weighs in at 268 kcal. That’s not nothing.
Nutrition
The promise of the 140 kcal shake was dashed, a bit, by my inclusion of calorie-bearing ingredients. The greatest “offender” is the 1% milk.
Here’s the full nutrition info for this recipe courtesy of Cronometer.com – my referral link, if you’re interested:
At 267.9 kcal and 33.4g protein, that’s: \(\frac{(33.4 \text{ g/kcal} \times 4)}{267 \text{ kcal}} = \frac{133.6}{267} \approx 0.5004\)
Over 50% calories form protein. Still outstanding! Having protein-dense foods in my diet helps me eat more bread and healthy carbs like potatoes, but still come in balanced by the end of the day.
As I’m sure you have figured out for yourself, you don’t have to use milk. You can use water, or skim milk, or other milk substitutes.
And here’s the nutrition info if you substitute water for the 6oz of 1% milk – as completely vegan option:
Verdict
When I tried the product alone, I thought it would never make its way out of D-tier status. But here’s where we are now:
Honestly, on flavor alone this isn’t better than a low B. But considering the dramatic protein content and versatility in reaching a daily goal, I’m giving it A-tier. So, if you make this and think it’s meh, there’s your answer. It only had to be palatable to be something I will consider reaching for when the occasion calls for it (protein boost on a weak day). It accomplishes its purpose in A-tier fashion. Other meal-replacer shakes may have a leg up on taste, but they have more carbs and fat, so that’s the tradeoff. But now you know.
See where this ranks against every other review on the full Snack Tier List.
Product Breakdown
This is for the product itself, not my recipe.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Product Name | Naked Pea Vanilla |
| Brand | Naked Nutrition |
| Flavor | Vanilla Flavored |
| Category | Plant-Based Protein Powder |
| Key Ingredients | Yellow pea protein, organic coconut sugar, natural vanilla flavor |
| Full Ingredients | Yellow Pea Protein, Organic Coconut Sugar, Natural Vanilla Flavor |
| Selling Point | 25g protein per serving, only three premium ingredients with nothing to hide |
| Net Weight | 5 lb (2.27 kg) |
| Calories | 140 kcal / serving (37g / ~2 scoops) |
| Macros (Per Serving) | Protein: 25g | Fat: 2.5g | Carbs: 8g (1g Fiber, 5g Total Sugars / 3g Added Sugars) |
| Sodium | 230 mg (10% DV per serving) |
| Dietary Badges | Vegan, Certified Gluten-Free, NSF Contents Certified, Soy-Free, Dairy-Free, GMO-Free |
| Allergens | Contains: Tree Nuts (Coconut) |
AI Disclosure: Language models were used to check the spelling and grammar on this post, and also for formatting/CSS generation. Always follow up on sources when a result has any AI involved, including with Google searches. All writing, math, perceptions, and reasoning on this post are my own.
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