No company paid to be part of this review. All reviews are honest and based on our tests, conducted.
Between my wife and I, we'll use six to eight shaker bottles a day. We'll use a shaker for daily greens and probiotics in the morning, a shaker bottle for preworkout, blender bottles for BCAAs and recovery drinks, and mixing bottles for protein post-workout in the afternoons or evenings. We realize that this is beyond the average use — so who better to test them??
Finding the Best Protein Shaker Bottle
We tested plastic shaker bottles, metal shakers, and even electric mixing bottles. Each protein shaker bottle received 8 ounces of water and one serving of protein powder. For this test, we used Gold Standard Chocolate Whey Protein and Owyn Vanilla Plant-Based Protein. Water was added first, then the powder, then each bottle was shaken (or run) for exactly 30 seconds.
The drink was then poured through a fine mesh sieve to determine how well each protein shaker performed. Additionally, bottles were judged on loudness and ease of cleaning, with notes made for whether they include a powder container and what type of mixing function it has (a ball, net, open, or blending propeller).
Our Top Protein Shaker Bottles
You can see information about all 40 bottles tested below, but here are our top picks for each category:
Our Top Pick - Best Protein Shaker Overall - Nike HyperCharge
I'll be honest, part of me was rooting against this one, just because I love an underdog and Nike is not that. But they did a great job on this shaker bottle. It left zero unmixed granules (and gave the smoothest consistency for the plant-based protein), the styling is nice, it's comfortable to hold, and really quiet when you shake it. The plastic wall is thicker than most and it feels sturdy without being bulky. It lands toward the lower middle range on price, and would be a great drink mixer for any sport.
Best Plastic Protein Shaker - Shakesphere Original
I was nervous about this one, but in the end it mixed as well as most and was really easy to clean. The lid closure feels like I'm doing something wrong. My first time using it, I didn't have it closed tightly enough, so it did spill. But now that I know, I give it some extra "oomph," and it doesn't spill. I do not like how narrow the base is — tips over easy so keep that lid closed tight when not actively drinking from it.
Best Metal Protein Shaker - Smartshake Reforce
This shaker won out simply because of the weight and girth. Most metal shakers tested were also double wall insulated which makes them heavier and wider. Great for staying cold, less ideal for shaking. The Smartshake Reforce mixed really well, was super easy to clean, and just happened to be the most affordable metal option we tested. Because there's no insulation, if your liquid is cold, your hands are cold.
Best Insulated Protein Shaker - Ice Shaker Stainless
The Ice Shaker insulated protein shaker bottle was a little "girthy," but less so than other insulated shakers tested. The styling on it is nice, it mixed well, and it comes in several color options. We docked some points for cleaning, because the lid has a lot of nooks and crannies that are tough to get into. But a dishwasher will handle it fine.
Best Budget-Friendly Protein Shaker - Amazon Basics
This is about the least sexy looking shaker bottle on the market, but if you're looking to stock a shelf with shakers and don't want to spend much, this is the one. It comes in a pack of two, includes a compartment for powders, and mixed quite well for having a plastic ball as the blending component. Points docked for style, the mixing ball is a bear to clean, and it was also one of the louder bottles tested.
Best Electric Blender Bottle/Protein Shaker - Fans One Premium Electric Shaker
Now I'll say this right off the bat: I would never buy an electric protein mixer. Especially after testing so many. Most are terribly annoying to clean, they don't blend any better than a standard shaker, and the motor ads extra weight and something you have to keep charged for it to function. Obviously there is a place for them - if there are injuries or joint issues that prevent the act of shaking a bottle of water (it's a real thing, and people experience it), then this one was the best we tested overall. Most of these also feel like they're manufactured by the same people and someone is just slapping a new logo on it - this one is definitely that. But what can I say - it mixed really well, the motor was quiet, and the motor detaches so you don't have to carry that extra weight once mixed.
All 40 Bottles Tested - Their Scores and Our Thoughts
All scores are 1-5, 1 being the lowest score and 5 being the highest. All bottles fit in standard cupholders, and all metal components tested negative for traces of lead.
Plastic Shaker Bottles
Quietness - 5/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 4/5
Mixer Type - Contour
Ease of Cleaning - 5/5
Price - $$
I was nervous about this one, but it ended up mixing really well and was super easy to clean because it doesn't have a ball or a net. The top doesn't "snap" so it never feels fully closed.
Quietness - 3/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 3/5
Mixer Type - Ball
Ease of Cleaning - 4/5
Price - $
Many of you may be surprised this one didn't end up as one of our winners. This is the classic. The "OG" if you will. This is what everyone thinks of when you say "shaker bottle." But the truth is, it doesn't work the best, and it doesn't work the worst either.
Quietness - 4/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 3/5
Mixer Type - Contour
Ease of Cleaning - 4/5
Price - $$
I can appreciate what Helimix is trying to do and it works well with extra shaking. For our 30 second time limit, it left many more granular bits with whey, and lots of even larger clumps of plant-based protein.
Quietness - 3/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 2/5
Mixer Type - Ball (on stick??)
Ease of Cleaning - 3/5
Price - $
The plastic was too dark to see the liquid levels inside, and the mixer was no effective at all. This felt like a case of being more interested in being different than being better. Comes in a pack of 4.
Quietness - 3/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 4/5
Mixer Type - Ball
Ease of Cleaning - 4/5
Price - $
This is BlenderBottle's new take on the classic. It has more of a curvy design, which might help agitate the liquid more because it did mix better than the classic V2.
Quietness - 3/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 2/5
Mixer Type - Ball
Ease of Cleaning - 3/5
Price - $
The BluePeak comes in a pack of 3, so it's very affordable but the plastic mixing ball didn't perform well. There's not much to be excited about here.
Quietness - 2/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 3/5
Mixer Type - Ball
Ease of Cleaning - 2/5
Price - $
I liked nothing about this one. It's a gimmick. It was bulky, hard to clean, and didn't mix well. If you have two drinks, just use two shakers, IMO.
Quietness - 3/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 4/5
Mixer Type - Ball
Ease of Cleaning - 4/5
Price - $
My hopes were not high, but this one mixed really well and I appreciate how clear the plastic is for viewing liquid levels. It's a bit large, but still fits in a standard cup holder.
Quietness - 4/5
Powder Container - Yes
Effectiveness - 4/5
Mixer Type - Net
Ease of Cleaning - 4/5
Price - $
The finger hold for this is like a carabiner design, but stiff and feels cheap. That said, the wide mouth makes it easy to clean and it mixed really well.
Quietness - 4/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 4/5
Mixer Type - Net & Ball
Ease of Cleaning - 2/5
Price - $
If bottles with inspirational sayings on them are your thing, here's one to consider (they are not my thing). It comes with both a net and ball, but the net worked better on all counts.
Quietness - 3/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 3/5
Mixer Type - Paddle
Ease of Cleaning - 1/5
Price - $$
I did not like this one at all. It's a gimmick, didn't work well, and is kind of a bear to clean. It feels silly to just spin the bottom of your bottle. Not my thing.
Quietness - 3/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 3/5
Mixer Type - Ball
Ease of Cleaning - 3/5
Price - $
The design feels like the 70's trying to make a bottle for the 90's. I don't trust the silicone handle and it only shows "ml" and not "oz" on the side, if that matters to you.
Quietness - 4/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 3/5
Mixer Type - Net
Ease of Cleaning - 4/5
Price - $$$
Some of you said you used this for your protein drinks so I gave it a go. My thoughts - skip this as a protein shaker and use it for salad dressings or BBQ sauce.
Quietness - 2/5
Powder Container - Yes
Effectiveness - 4/5
Mixer Type - Ball
Ease of Cleaning - 3/5
Price - $
The Amazon Basics shaker comes in a pack of 2 and works really well. It's one of the loudest shakers we tested and kinda boring to look at, but we chose it as our best budget option.
Quietness - 3/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 2/5
Mixer Type - Ball
Ease of Cleaning - 4/5
Price - $
Even though the Diliqua comes in packs of 6 and 4, it's still not worth the price IMO. it's loud and didn't mix either whey or plant-based protein well.
Quietness - 4/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 4/5
Mixer Type - Net
Ease of Cleaning - 4/5
Price - $
This is a great protein shaker that works well and cleans easily. If you like the look, Promixx is worth a buy.
Quietness - 5/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 5/5
Mixer Type - Net
Ease of Cleaning - 4/5
Price - $$
This was the only plastic option that mixed both the whey and plant-based powders perfectly. The styling is nice, feels substantial but still comfortable. We chose this as our overall winner for a reason.
Metal Shaker Bottles
Quietness - 4/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 5/5
Mixer Type - Net
Ease of Cleaning - 4/5
Price - $
The Smartshake Reforce is light weight and really comfortable to hold and shake. It's not insulated so it does get really cold in the hand if you add ice. But as a shaker it worked best of the metal options.
Quietness - 4/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 3/5
Mixer Type - None
Ease of Cleaning - 4/5
Price - $
The description says it comes with two whisks but ours came with none, so that's how we tested it. It did fine with whey, but plant-based was a mess. If you use plant-based protein, you need a ball for agitation.
Quietness - 2/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 4/5
Mixer Type - Net
Ease of Cleaning - 2/5
Price - $$
This was one of the loudest shakers we tested, and the net didn't appear to detach so it was really tough to clean.
Quietness - 3/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 3/5
Mixer Type - Ball
Ease of Cleaning - 4/5
Price - $$
The ball is plastic and a bit of an odd shape, but it mixed well. The taper of the sides is a bit aggressive so I found it easy to slip from my hands.
Quietness - 3/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 3/5
Mixer Type - Ball
Ease of Cleaning - 4/5
Price - $$$$
This is literally exactly the same as the Takeya stainless above, millimeter for millimeter. the only difference is the colors and logo. At nearly half the price we'd say go for the Takeya.
Quietness - 4/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 4/5
Mixer Type - Net
Ease of Cleaning - 4/5
Price - $$
The insulated Promixx Pursuit works as well as the plastic version, but the capacity is smaller so keep that in mind.
Quietness - 3/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 3/5
Mixer Type - Ball
Ease of Cleaning - 4/5
Price - $$
Everything about it is "fine." Has a "viewing window" on the side to see liquid, but that window is plastic so if you want plastic-free, this one's not for you.
Quietness - 4/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 4/5
Mixer Type - Net
Ease of Cleaning - 3/5
Price - $$$
This shaker was a little wide around the hips, so smaller hands may not like it. The lid is also tough to clean by hand, but it mixed well and looks pretty sharp. This one also stayed cold the longest in our test.
Quietness - 3/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 3/5
Mixer Type - Net
Ease of Cleaning - 3/5
Price - $$$
The BruMate worked well but didn't have much capacity for something that feels so large.
Quietness - 4/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 2/5
Mixer Type - None
Ease of Cleaning - 4/5
Price - $$$$
Packaging was exceptional - really going for a "premium" unboxing experience. unfortunately it left a lot of clumps, both with whey protein and even worse with plant-based.
Quietness - 2/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 3/5
Mixer Type - Ball
Ease of Cleaning - 4/5
Price - $$
It's more girthy than the plastic Blender Bottles and louder to boot. If you love Blender Bottle, you'll like this ok but it's not our favorite one in terms of how effective it works. It is pretty, though.
Quietness - 4/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 2/5
Mixer Type - Ball
Ease of Cleaning - 4/5
Price - $$$
The rubber base keeps it stable, but there was a lot of powder clumping in the mouth of the bottle on all of the tests we did with it. It comes with a straw to use it as a water bottle, which might be a better use.
Quietness - 2/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 4/5
Mixer Type - Ball
Ease of Cleaning - 3/5
Price - $
This one worked well, though it's a little on the noisy side. It was the slimmest insulated option as well, really comfortable to hold and had a lot of color options. It also includes a straw-top.
Quietness - 3/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 4/5
Mixer Type - Ball
Ease of Cleaning - 4/5
Price - $$
The TOOFEEL bottle was slim for being insulated and comfortable to hold. It has a plastic ball and a silicone ball, and the silicone ball performed best. Overall, this is a great insulated shaker.
Electric Shaker Bottles
Quietness - 4/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 4/5
Mixer Type - Paddle
Ease of Cleaning - 2/5
Price - $$
The base unit detaches and the top is dishwasher safe. Hand-washing is tricky. Like many you'll see below the Fans One has a 30 second timer, but for some reason this one mixed better than the others.
Quietness - 4/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 3/5
Mixer Type - Paddle
Ease of Cleaning - 2/5
Price - $$
The Spinterra has an automatic 30 second timer, and is comfortable in the hand. The motor detaches from the bottom and the bottle section is dishwasher safe. Washing this by hand is difficult.
Quietness - 4/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 3/5
Mixer Type - Paddle
Ease of Cleaning - 1/5
Price - $$
The page says "LeadNear" but when it arrived the package said "Equra," which is a brand you'll see again below. The base on this one doesn't come off, so it's hand-wash only.
Quietness - 2/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 3/5
Mixer Type - Paddle
Ease of Cleaning - 3/5
Price - $$
The base of this one has the paddle attached to it, instead of the paddle being part of the bottle itself. It makes the bottle easy to clean, but the paddle does need to be hand washed since the base cannot go in the dishwasher.
Quietness - 2/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 1/5
Mixer Type - Paddle
Ease of Cleaning - 1/5
Price - $$
The EQURA Electric Shaker Plus, by far, did the worst job of any mixer we tested. There were very many large clumps of powder with both whey and plant-based protein. Has a handle, which would be cool if the bottle did it's basic job of mixing powders into liquid. It does not.
Quietness - 4/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 3/5
Mixer Type - Paddle
Ease of Cleaning - 2/5
Price - $$
The motor on this one was very quiet, but it doesn't have an auto-stop at 30 seconds. Perhaps there's one longer, but we didn't test it past the 30. The motor detaches for putting the bottle in the dishwasher.
Quietness - 4/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 4/5
Mixer Type - Paddle
Ease of Cleaning - 2/5
Price - $$$
The Promixx Rechargeable is pretty compact, with good styling. The base detaches for cleaning in the dishwasher, but it didn't have a 30 second auto shut off. It was the only electric option with a container for powders.
Quietness - 1/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 5/5
Mixer Type - Blender
Ease of Cleaning - 3/5
Price - $$$$
This one's a bit unfair for mixing, because it is an actual blender and has more power to it. But we found that wasn't necessarily a good thing, especially if you don't like frothy protein drinks. The base also has to stay attached while you drink, and it's kind of heavy - it feels awkward to drink from.
Quietness - 1/5
Powder Container - No
Effectiveness - 5/5
Mixer Type - Paddle
Ease of Cleaning - 3/5
Price - $$$$$
This is a blender base that is compatible with Shakesphere's classic Tritan bottles. The benefit is you can blend it and then swap for the standard Shakesphere lid, but you have to be careful washing the base not to get water in the charging port (which isn't covered by anything) and it's not very intuitive to use. It kind of got it going by luck - I still couldn't tell you what I did to get it to actually blend (it has one button to power on, start, stop, and power off).
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Who knew that we needed reviews on shaker bottles! But when I need to buy one, I am glad you have done all the work for me!
Great post. Would love a look at Julia's diet routine, what she eats in a day, including her protein shakes etc. I'm on a similar diet (and counting calories) and would love to get ideas. AND want to look as great as Julia lol!