Muscle Milk Protein Shakes, Ranked Worst To Best

There are so many protein shakes out there; you probably would never get through them all — let alone all the flavors and varieties. I've sipped on many shakes, and one name I've heard a lot over the years is Muscle Milk. The brand is not new to the protein world, as it has been around since 2000. By 2019, it was added to the Gatorade Portfolio, and in May 2026, it reformulated its offerings. 

The new formula touts no artificial sweeteners, colors, or flavors with a simpler ingredient list. I set out to try all eight new options to find the most flavorful. For this review, I focus on the 11-ounce cartons, as the 14-ounce bottles have different protein content simply due to their size. There are technically four flavors, but each has a Pro version with 33 grams of protein and a standard version with 26 grams.

I chose to review all eight shakes individually by flavor. That means you'll see the standard and Pro versions of each flavor back-to-back, since the flavors are mostly the same, except for some minor differences I'll get into. I wanted a delicious drink that hit its advertised flavor profile. Which one does it best? Let's find out.

I find that the Cookies 'N Crème Pro just didn't deliver a profile as strong as its moniker suggests. I couldn't taste cookies; instead, it just kind of tasted like a creamy (aka milky), slightly chocolate-flavored drink. I find this flavor is really hard to achieve, in shakes and beyond, so it's not a Muscle Milk problem. It tastes fine, but I doubt I'd be able to figure out it's supposed to be cookies and cream if you gave it to me in a blind taste test. 

I want to note something now, since it comes up in all Pro vs. regular flavors: The regular ones typically have more flavor. I can't say for sure how it's formulated or exactly what the difference is between the Pro and regular since the ingredients are identical, but there's some caloric difference. The flavor, though, is worth noting. It's almost like the Pros use less flavoring, though just speculation, of course. Although this has 33 grams of protein, I would likely just pick out a different flavor entirely.

The regular Cookies 'N Crème drink with 26 grams of protein ranks slightly above its Pro version because it has a stronger chocolatey flavor. Drinking it tastes like a muted chocolate milk. The Pro one tastes a smidge milkier and therefore has even less of the cookies and cream flavor. Here, the flavor comes through better as you swallow. 

While I found this to be the case across the board with the Pro and regular flavors, there's one instance where this comes to the flavors' advantage. Cookies 'N Crème has a tad more complexity with a clearer chocolate hint, but still, it's not the most flavorful or interesting of the four flavors I tried. It tastes fine on its own, and I doubt I'd complain if you gave it to me, but it's plain compared to the other three. It would make a tasty dessert drink base; you could do a protein spin on a cookies and cream milkshake and just add a couple of cookies and one Cookies 'N Crème bottle to a blender, blitz, and sip. Ice could help thicken it up, if desired.

Strawberries 'N Crème offers a nostalgic, Nesquik strawberry milk-like flavor. Even though it uses natural flavoring, it still has a little bit of what I associate with artificial strawberry milk — just more so in the sense that whatever natural flavoring it uses doesn't taste like you blended fresh strawberries into the milk. That said, I could see that being a huge selling point for this type of product. 

You get only 3 grams of sugar, compared to 38 grams in Nesquik's 14-ounce bottle. That is an enormous difference; I know I would select Muscle Milk any day for that reason alone, not to mention it also has 26 grams of protein compared to 14 grams in Nesquik. I prefer the flavor over either Cookies 'N Crème variety, for sure. Try it as part of a strawberry milk latte or even a strawberry matcha. Just note that it will not yield a pink hue.

I like the Strawberries 'N Crème Pro slightly better than the standard version because the milkiness I found in all the Pro drinks comes in handy to mellow out that strawberry aftertaste. It still has strawberry flavoring, but it isn't as intense or fragrant. I found this easier to sip on and enjoy. This flavor would be really good in a smoothie with banana, fresh strawberries, and ice, creating a flavorful, nutrient-dense option when you don't want to just sip it straight from the container. It could work in a Strawberry Cinnamon smoothie, too, where the spice brings a dash of warmth and complexity.

The flavoring used here keeps it from ranking higher, but I can really appreciate the nostalgia and think that people will love this flavor. That said, I definitely prefer the Muscle Milk strawberry protein shake over Premier Protein, which was my least favorite flavor from the brand when I tried 16 varieties.

Vanilla is a classic flavor, and this Muscle Milk variety is almost like drinking an enhanced cup of vanilla milk. In that regard, I quite like this and place it above strawberry flavor. It isn't especially striking or memorable with whimsical flavor combinations, but it is effectively a tasty protein shake the way it comes — which was what I was looking for. 

I feel like it has a lot of versatility, making it a great option to keep in your pantry. It has a vanilla note, like you merely added some extract and sweetener to your milk. I think this makes a good foundation for making a protein latte with espresso (no need to go to Starbucks to get one) or blending it with ice to create a thicker shake of sorts. It has a milky vanilla flavor that isn't too intense. I think vanilla is a great entry point into Muscle Milk when you don't want something as strong as the strawberry.

Now the Vanilla Crème gets slightly over the Pro just because it has more flavor going for it. Because the Pro has 190 calories compared to 160 in the regular, maybe it really does just boil down to the Pro having more milk; it has to get the added protein content from somewhere. The regular Vanilla Crème seems like it has a more flavorful vanilla base. This has the same versatility as the previous one, but it's also delicious enough to drink on its own, as it imparts its flavor effectively. 

You could use it in something like chia pudding or even overnight oats when you want to add some intrigue without totally overthrowing the flavors of other mix-ins; the other Muscle Milk flavors may not work as well in that regard. The great thing about protein shakes is that you don't have to drink them straight from the bottle either. There are several ways to use it in food and other drinks.

Who doesn't like chocolate milk? The Chocolate Pro is just like adding protein powder to a glass of chocolate milk, except it doesn't have any lumpy bits, chalky taste, or weird mouthfeel. It's silky smooth and tasty, with 33 grams of protein per container. I actually like to open this shake and drink one 11-ounce bottle over the course of the day. 

For example, I have half of it in the morning with breakfast to give myself a protein boost along with a cup of coffee; it goes well with a robust cuppa. But then I finish it off in the afternoon as part of a midday snack with pretzels and carrots, for example. You don't have to drink it all at once, which makes it more approachable for those who don't want to get 33 grams of protein in one go. I like the thickness, too, where it doesn't seem watery or terribly viscous. This would be good as the liquid base in a chocolate peanut butter chia pudding.

The Chocolate Muscle Milk tastes like a richer, more chocolatey version of its Pro counterpart, which helps it stand out and earn my No. 1 pick. It has a deeper cocoa taste that makes it so easy to slurp on; I found myself going in for sip after sip. You could pour this into a glass, and I would think it was just a chocolate milk. There's nothing in the aftertaste to suggest it is a protein shake. 

If anything, you can taste the stevia, so be aware if you are sensitive to different types of sweeteners — this goes for all the reformulated flavors, by the way. Still, I think this taste is palatable and welcome, given that it has less sugar than some other options on the market. Even Core Power's 14-ounce bottle with 26 grams of protein has 5 grams of sugar. I would be happy to keep the Chocolate in stock in my pantry for a quick protein boost, usually in the afternoon when whipping up a full meal or a snack platter doesn't make sense for my workflow. I think this would be the flavor most people would like, too.

Since there are technically four flavors based on the different protein contents, I grouped them together. The flavors between the two were very similar, but there were small differences, which is how I came up with my ranking. I wanted a flavorful protein shake that didn't leave any funky aftertaste and just tasted like a good beverage. Varieties that ranked lower didn't quite live up to their advertised flavor profiles and left a lingering aftertaste. My highest ranking one tastes like a really delicious flavored milk, not like a protein shake.

I purchased the drinks from Target and Albertsons because not all eight flavors were available at one store. Because the two protein-content drinks tasted so similar, I used water as a palate cleanser and found it to be the best, most effective way to taste the minute differences. Without water, the flavors just stuck to the tongue, making it hard to distinguish them. None of them was particularly bad. I really enjoyed the reformulation, but my criterion was to find the tastiest option; I feel like I found one that people would enjoy drinking as part of a protein-rich lifestyle.