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What is the best tasting mass gainer? They’re not typically renowned for their taste. Many are – in fact – quite bad. Your weight gain is easier if you get one of the good ones!
That’s why we’ve put this article together – so you know where to start. Obviously, this is personal preference. But I’ve put myself through dozens of mass gainers so that you don’t have to.
Today, I’ll be outlining the top 6 mass gainers that will help you gain weight without leaving a bad taste in your mouth.
Mass Gainer: The Role And Point
The role of mass gainers is to make the weight gain process easier, more convenient, and more effective. This is something that millions of people want to achieve – and can use mass gainers for.
I personally used mass gainers because I was struggling to gain weight. I found myself falling short on calories, plateauing on weight gain, and feeling deeply disappointed. When another week passed and the scale showed the same small range of numbers, it felt like a personal failing.
I have used dozens of products since and they’ve all offered something interesting. I’m a fan of the convenience and variety they offer. Mass gainers can be thrown in a shaker for work, for a busy day at college, and even as a post-workout shake if you’re feeling eager.
Making Mass Gainers More Enjoyable
I typically also recommend using mass gainers more often, instead of using larger shakes. I’ve found that two half-servings are usually best when dealing with larger numbers. This is also great for reducing the negative effect of huge carb-intake while “at rest”.
This can be challenging for the schedule, but both the taste and texture improve when you’re not trying to force down a multiple scoop shake. When you get into the 1000s of calories, the shake experience is never a good one.
I’m no expert in food science, but a subtler experience is usually a better one. Many of the best tasting weight gain shakes on this list hold up well. I’ve tried both full servings and half servings for each, and my reviews consider both!
Taste and More: How I Judge the Taste of Mass Gainers
I try to use every aspect of a mass gainer to review taste. This is a review of tastes – but I can’t neglect texture or mix, nor the aftertaste or feeling they leave in the mouth.
If you ask any food critic, they’ll tell you that taste and texture are closely related. The taste-experience of these mass gainers has to consider other factors.
Texture is the most important and obvious. The mouth-feel of a shake and the way that it mixes into your chosen liquid is important. It controls how powdery it is, how the flavors spread out into the liquid, and how you experience it. Texture and mixability are part of taste – and today’s reviews!
Mass gainers that blend well are also more sustainable as you add more. They don’t break down into lumps of sweetener, or dry starches, or linger around in the mouth and need chewing.
Needless to say, these aren’t nice experiences.
Otherwise, taste will usually involve how the flavors are added, how they blend with the natural flavor of the starches and proteins, and how they balance sweetening. Natural sugars are fine, but need to be balanced, while synthetic sweeteners can easily spoil the taste.
Balance – as in diet and exercise – is the key!
The Best Tasting Mass Gainers on the Market
After reviewing many different mass gainers and high-calorie protein shakes, the best tasting mass gainer based on the texture, after-taste and mixability is Transparent Labs ProteinSeries Mass Gainer- Sweet Vanilla Flavor. Here are some other good tasting weight gainers:
- Serious Mass – Chocolate
- Muscletech Masstech – Cookies and Cream
- BSN True Mass Protein – Strawberry Milkshake
- Dymatize Super Mass Gainer – Rich Chocolate
1. ProteinSeries Mass Gainer – Sweet Vanilla Flavor
What immediately appealed about this product was how real it tasted. I found that the taste was so much more genuine than others, and this was great. Especially in a subtle flavor like vanilla, this honesty and lack of “over the top” sweetness or flavor was a great upgrade on the market.
It’s a much easier mix for other shakes, too, due to this flavor. Vanilla blends with many flavors without clashing, which I’ve found to be important for making homemade shakes. It blends with all kinds of ingredients in a complementary (rather than competitive) way:
- But Butters
- Banana
- Ice Cream
- Cinnamon and other spices
- High-calorie fruits
I found this was a huge benefit to the taste of the end-result.
I love mixing mass gainer powder with other whole foods to get the most balanced, most personalized results. Protein Series sweet vanilla was the best for this, as well as a great taste by itself.
2. Serious Mass – Chocolate Flavor
Serious mass, seriously good flavor. I found this was a simple take on the chocolate flavor, but one that worked really well. Like real chocolate, it was very basic but not too sweet. It is also great in the aftertaste, which is quite rare on the market.
This is perfect for the basic use of a mass gainer by itself. Just like Protein series, I found that this flavor was also great for mixing with other ingredients.
This was a great addition to the experience and made weight gain easier even without relying solely on mass gainer.
I like to mix with:
- Nut butters
- Oatmeal cookies
- Actual oats
- Coconut milk
3. Muscletech Masstech – Cookies and Cream Flavor
I like cookies and cream as a mild alternative to vanilla and chocolate. It’s a good way to change up the flavor profile of your mass gainer without specializing in something that may not work with other ingredients.
It maintains a mild flavor and combines well with most liquids. It also has a mild sweetness to it that has defined all of the products on my top 3 list. It’s a fantastic benefit that lets it mix with almost anything, and it offers a great blend with other ingredients.
I like to mix with:
- Choco-chip cookies
- Ice-cream
- Roasted hazelnut butter (fancy Nutella)
4. BSN True Mass Protein – Strawberry Milkshake Flavor
The only strawberry flavor that I like. It’s not the best tasting weight gainer, but definitely in the top 5!
I don’t typically like strawberry flavors, as I find them difficult to drink every day. The artificial versions on the market typically feel overwhelming and rely on sweetness, instead of real flavors.
However, this product is definitely better. It’s a mild flavor, which really helps it out. It’s a great way to set up a basis for high-calorie smoothies for weight gain. The mixing options are more limited than vanilla, but they’re still possible!
I like to mix with:
- Other fruits (especially berries and bananas)
- Ice-cream
- Any mild cream flavors
- Ice cubes (this one really helps)
- Almond Butter
5. Dymatize Super Mass Gainer – Rich Chocolate Flavor
This is just a less-excellent version of the Serious Mass flavor. They’re united by a similar approach that prioritizes a subtle chocolate flavor and a good aftertaste.
These flavors are also enhanced by the creamy texture and relatively good mixability. This is a great benefit. I will still say that it’s not as well executed as the serious mass chocolate flavor and I think the “rich” chocolate taste does lack the same subtlety and “real”ness of the ProSeries.
I found this was a great mixer with nut butter and oats, particularly, where it shined. This particular mix was my favorite, though I didn’t enjoy it as much as ProSeries in other combinations.
I like to mix with:
- Nut butter
- Oats
- Chocolate or vanilla ice-creams
6. NAKED Mass – Unflavored
This might be a risky inclusion. IT’s not a great flavor by itself, but it’s a mass gainer with transparent ingredients and absolutely brilliant mixability. I found this to be a great flavor because it’s so mild and flavorless.
I love to mix my own weight gain shakes, so this was a great place to start. I can basically make any flavor I want with other ingredients. If you’re looking for a mass gainer that tastes good, this is the perfect place to start. Just add your own ingredients to make it flavorful, easy!
I like to mix with:
- Literally anything (usually ice cream and a flavored BCAA or similar)
7. Clean Gainer – Campfire Smores Flavor
There was always going to be one personal favorite flavor on this list. Today’s winner of that status is the Clean Gainer Campfire S’mores flavor mass gainer. The product itself is relatively light compared to others on the market without such a huge, thick shake constitution.
This product focuses on protein, providing carbs at a good – but not insane – ratio. This makes it a more manageable single serving than something like Mutant Mass or other hardcore gainers.
The campfire s’mores flavor is actually mild, but still feels rich and luxurious. It’s a combination of chocolate and marshmallow flavors that doesn’t feel overpowering. It’s an interesting take and the clean gainer approach leads to a great product. At only 560 calories per serving, the texture is far better.
I like to mix with:
- Vanilla ice-cream
- Toffee sauce
- Oats and oatmeal cookies
8. JYM Mass Weight Gainer Protein– Apple Fritter Flavor
Jym take an interesting approach to flavors. For example, their chocolate cookie protein powder actually has cookie pieces in it. The apple fritter avoids this odd texture clash and simply offers an unusual, but enjoyable, take on mass gainer.
The spiced apple flavors work surprisingly well and the natural flavors of the carbohydrates make it taste like a fritter. These are an unexpected combination that actually plays really well on the higher carb content.
The mixability isn’t the best on the market, however, which does hold the Jym Weight flavor back. The 1:1 ratio of carbs and protein is pretty good, and makes for one of the lightest and easiest to use textures on any mass gainer we’ve seen.
I like to mix with:
- Vanilla ice-cream
- Ice
- Cinnamon Sugar
9. PRO Gainer – Vanilla Custard Flavor
Optimum nutrition pro gainer is a popular product. It uses the same format of whey as their Gold Standard, one of the most popular products on the supplement market. With a 650 calorie serving, it’s on the higher end of the thickness comparison, but still manageable and pleasant.
Vanilla custard is an oddly fresh flavor that could easily have gone wrong. It’s not as good as the sweet vanilla we saw with Protein Series, but it is a good mass gainer. The balance of flavor and texture is surprisingly good.
The only thing holding it back is that ON’s protein is always a little ashy. This is less obvious in Pro Gainer because of the carbs. The flavors are simple but pleasant, and definitely a great mixer with other, blended ingredients for your gainer shake.
I like to mix with:
- Nut butters
- Oatmeal cookies
- Actual oats
- Coconut milk
- Cookies
- (Almost anything else…)
10. Mutant Mass – Triple Chocolate Flavor
The flavor itself is smooth and not bad. I found this product was great on the taste at the start, but was severely compromised by both the thickness and aftertaste. I’ve included it because I Think it’s a great example of how a product can be nearly great.
It can be a very serious effort to take this shake down. It’s thicker than others I’ve tried, and the flavor doesn’t hold up well with larger scoops. I find that it comes to a thick and overwhelming experience very easily.
Mutant is a respected brand – and I’m sure it’s good for weight gain – but I wouldn’t want to drink it every day. I’ve done that, and I quit after a few weeks!
I like to mix with:
- More liquid than any other mass gainer!
How To Get The Most From A Mass Gainer
Mass gainers are great when you add them to a normal, maintenance diet. When you eat healthy and add a mass gainer, you’re still focusing on the right foods. It’s better than slamming down huge amounts of junk food.
You can use mass gainers to boost a healthy diet to weight gain levels, or you can use it as a way to get calories when you’re busy. I’ve tried both, and they both work well.
It’s a good idea to start experimenting with other ingredients if you’re blending mass gainers. This leads to more calories, better control over nutrients, and a chance to experiment with your own flavors.
Mass gainers are a good supplement in the narrow sense. They let you supplement a diet to reach weight gain calories with the things that build muscle. They add carbs and protein to your diet without too much effort or planning out another meal.
Pay attention to taste and texture, because you’re stuck with a bag once you’ve paid for it, and it’s great if you can actually enjoy it. This makes a weight gain diet far easier, and helps you get more results with less effort!
Related Articles:
Mass Gainer vs Whey Protein
Lactose Free Weight Gainer
Frequently Asked Questions
Does mass gainer taste good?
Most mass gainers taste good enough to be consumed everyday. However, the taste and flavors are personal choices and can vary for different people. If you are taking mass gainer for the first time, we recommend taking the chocolate flavor, since you cannot go wrong with chocolate.
Which serious mass flavor is the best?
Chocolate and Chocolate Peanut Butter are two of the best serious mass flavors available in the market. They both offer a rich, creamy taste and are easy to consume and digest.
If you are looking for a different flavor, you can try Vanilla, since you would be able to mix different ingredients with this flavor to increase the calories.
How to make mass gainer taste better?
You can make a mass gainer taste better by simply adding ingredients such as vanilla ice-cream, chocolate syrup or peanut butter. This will increase the calorie count as well, making your shake more calorie dense for weight gain.
Why does mass gainer taste bad?
If you have a mass gainer that tastes bad, we recommend mixing different ingredients (such as ice-cream and peanut butter) to make it drinkable. We also recommend you to try different flavors to find your perfect fit.
Final Thoughts
In my opinion, the best tasting mass gainer is Transparent Labs Protein Series in sweet vanilla.
I’ve tried a lot of high-calorie powders in my time, but this was by far the most pleasant to use. It’s a tough choice at the top, as there are definitely benefits and drawbacks to each of the products I’ve looked at.
The balance of taste, effectiveness, and texture all add up. This was not only a good taste, relatively, but a good texture and even comfortable in the stomach. I usually find that these are the 3 main factors to look out for with the experience of a mass gainer.
It’s one thing to be able to suffer through one, and another thing entirely to enjoy it. If you’re looking to gain weight without suffering a horrid taste and texture, ProSeries is the place to go – but I can happily recommend anything in the top 5!
You Might Like:
- Optimum Nutrition Pro Complex Gainer Review and Results
- Dymatize Super Mass Gainer Review
- Mutant Mass Muscle Mass Gainer Review for Bulking
- Vegan Mass Gainer Shake Recipe – 2023
- 5 Homemade Mass Gainer Recipes for Weight Gain

Rohan Arora is a Certified Personal Trainer and Sports Nutritionist and has been actively involved in sports and fitness for over 8 years. He now leads the team of fitness specialists and personal trainers who help people around the world with personalized workout and nutrition plans, along with providing the right information on sports supplements.