The Best Casein Protein Powders (2020 Guide)

What’s the aboslute best casein protein powder? Our guide highlights the 10 best casein protein powders for muscle mass, athletics, weight loss, taste, price, and more.

Below our top picks, we have a fleshed-out guide on the research behind casein protein, as well as its recommended dosage.

Top 10 Best Casein Protein Powders

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All About Casein Protein Powder

Casein is a milk product, and is actually the basic structural component of cheese. It makes up 80% of the total protein content in milk, with the other 20% being in whey. Despite the fact that it’s the more abundant constituent, casein protein tends to be lesser known than whey.

This is partly because of the way the dairy industry uses the two ingredients. When milk is separated into whey and casein, the casein is most often used for making cheese. Whey, on the other hand, is most often dried down into a powder to be sold as a supplement or mixed into other foods.

Despite its lesser popularity, the best casein protein powders are an excellent choice for achieving health and fitness goals.

How to Take Casein Protein Powder

Once you’ve picked the best casein protein powder for your goals, what’s the best way to take it?

Most people prefer to mix their casein powder into shakes and smoothies. Sometimes it may take a little effort, but casein blends into liquid fairly well.

Bear in mind that since casein naturally clumps together, there may be sticky lumps in your shake if it’s not mixed well enough.

How Much to Take

When to Take It

Nutritional Value of Casein Protein Powder

Casein is a high-quality protein source with lots of nutritional value. Here’s a brief overview.

Casein vs. Other Animal Proteins

Protein Source	Protein Efficiency Ratio	Biological Value	Net Protein Utilization	PDCAAS
Whey Protein	3.2	104	92	1.00
Casein Protein	2.7	77	76	1.00
Egg Protein	3.9	100	92	1.00
Milk Protein	2.5	91	82	1.00

Casein Protein Side Effects and Considerations

There are a few precautions to bear in mind for those looking for the best casein protein powder for their goals.

How Casein Protein is Made

Here’s a simplified overview of how manufacturers make some of the best casein protein powder.

To make casein protein powder, manufacturers start with cow milk, typically skim. (Lower fat content leads to higher-quality casein.) After warming the milk up, special enzymes are added, causing different components of the milk to separate. Some manufacturers use an acid instead of enzymes, but the end-product is similar.

By the time the acids or enzymes are finished with their work, the milk has been separated into whey, fat, lactose, minerals, and clumps of casein. The solid materials are then separated, including the casein. They then go through several stages of washing in water, leaving behind nothing but casein itself.

Once the casein has been isolated, it’s either used for making cheese or dried as a food supplement. That dried food supplement ends up on shelves as casein protein powder.

Casein Protein Benefits

Casein is one of the highest-quality protein supplements, despite not being as popular as its little brother whey. The two milk-based protein sources both contain all essential amino acids in good quantity.

1. Casein is a high-quality protein source

There are several measures used to determine the quality of a protein source. We won’t explain them here thoroughly, but below you’ll find a table with a comparison among some popular protein powders. (For more thorough information on protein quality, refer to our protein powder guide.)

For our purposes, you’ll want to key in on Protein Efficiency Ratio and Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS).

Casein vs. Other Proteins

Protein Source	Protein Efficiency Ratio	Biological Value	Net Protein Utilization	PDCAAS
Casein Protein	2.5	77	76	1.00
Whey Protein	3.2	104	92	1.00
Soy Protein	2.2	74	61	1.00
Pea Protein	2.3	83	66	0.89
Hemp Seed Protein	0.7	85	ND	0.51

2. Casein protein digests slowly

One of the most popular reasons for taking the best casein protein powders is its slow digestion. Earlier we discussed how casein protein naturally clumps together, which is essential in the cheese-making process.

Well, casein protein powder (particularly micellar casein protein powder) similarly clumps up when you eat it. The casein coagulates into a lump in the stomach, and is slowly digested from the outside in.

This slow digestion can last up to eight hours. This is a great way to supply the blood with essential amino acids over a long period of time, which can be helpful for athletes and health enthusiasts alike.

Because of casein powder’s slow digestion, some people like to drink a casein protein shake right before bed. The idea is that the slow-digesting protein will supply the body with amino acids throughout the whole night.

3. Casein can help manage appetite

Casein protein powder’s ability to clump up is useful for more than just slow digestion. When the proteins in casein form a clump in the stomach, they keep you feeling full for a longer time.

Since that casein powder clump takes up space in the stomach, those hunger signals will be delayed. You can expect to feel fuller for up to several hours, after which the casein should be entirely digested.

Compare this property to whey protein. Whey is popular for its ability to be digested really quickly, supplying the body with a spike of amino acids. Its quick digestion is aided by the fact that whey doesn’t clump together in the stomach.

Casein is the exact opposite. Because of this, some people keep a supply of both whey and casein protein powder. With both available, you always have the right powder for the job.

Casein Pros & Cons

Pros

• High-quality protein
• Slow digestion for steady supply of amino acids
• Can help manage appetite

Cons

• For bulking, casein should be taken only at night to avoid appetite suppression
• Doesn’t dissolve as well as whey
• Some casein protein powders contain traces of dairy

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Quick Protein Overview

Here’s a quick rundown of what protein itself actually is. This brief explanation will help you understand why the best casein protein powders are perfect for building muscle. For more thorough information, see our protein powder guide.

Proteins are the basic building blocks of the body. They’re composed of amino acids, which are used to build muscle and other structural tissue.

Out of the twenty amino acids needed by the body, there are nine that it can’t produce on its own. Those nine are referred to as essential amino acids, and they have to come from our diets.

Protein sources that contain all nine essential amino acids are referred to as complete proteins. Since the body needs every one of those essential amino acids, protein powders typically made from complete sources. Casein and egg white protein powders are good examples.

Most people can reach their protein needs through diet alone. However, protein powders can be helpful for reaching more demanding health and fitness goals. Casein powder is particularly effective for this, as explained below.

Protein Powder Benefits

While it’s true that nobody needs protein powder to reach their fitness goals, research has continually shown how much it can help. Here’s a quick overview:

Athletics

Weight Loss

It might seem backwards that taking casein protein powder can help with weight loss, but it’s true!

Research has repeatedly shown that drinking protein shakes can help with losing fat. With or without exercise, supplementing protein shakes as part of a healthy diet can lead to more fat loss and muscle preservation.³⁰Whey Protein Supplementation Improves Body Composition and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Overweight and Obese Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis³¹A whey-protein supplement increases fat loss and spares lean muscle in obese subjects: a randomized human clinical study³²Effects of protein supplements consumed with meals, versus between meals, on resistance training–induced body composition changes in adults: a systematic review

Why do protein shakes help with weight loss? There are a few factors at play.

The first is that supplements like casein protein can replace unhealthy foods. Take, for example, someone who is restricted to a 2000-calorie diet. If they drink a 300-calorie casein protein shake, those are 300 calories spent on something nutritious instead of, say, a small bag of chips.

Secondly, protein supplements help with increasing and maintaining muscle mass, as mentioned above. This is particularly important for someone trying to lose weight. Muscle mass has a greater basal metabolic rate than fat tissue. That’s the technical way of saying muscle burns more calories at rest.

Here’s why that’s significant. Let’s you have a pair of twins who are exactly identical in weight, height, diet, activities, and everything else except one thing: muscle mass. One twin has more muscle and less fat, and the other has more fat and less muscle, though they weigh the same.

The twin with more muscle mass would actually burn more calories throughout the day due to their higher metabolic needs. This means that if they ate the exact same diet, the twin with more muscle would lose more fat.

And, finally, casein protein in particular can help with appetite control. Casein protein powder has the ability to clump together in the stomach, dissolving over a longer period of time. This means the body is supplied with a steady stream of amino acids over several hours. This, in turn, helps with appetite suppression and portion control.

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Summary

Casein protein powder is a great choice for anyone wanting to improve their health and fitness. For both muscle building and weight management, supplementing casein is a great way to feed your body the essential amino acids it needs.

For more information on protein supplementation, see our complete protein powder guide.