Best Protein Powder Without Artificial Sweeteners UK 2026
For a flavoured whey without artificial sweeteners, buy Myprotein Impact Whey in a Naturally Derived Sweeteners flavour, Cocoa or Vanilla Honey, sweetened with stevia and monk fruit instead of sucralose. Check the flavour name, because Impact Whey Natural Chocolate still lists sucralose. For no sweetener at all, Olimp 100% Natural Whey Protein Concentrate is just whey and soy lecithin.
Kevin, founder of WheyWise
Quick answer
For a flavoured whey without artificial sweeteners, buy Myprotein Impact Whey in one of its Naturally Derived Sweeteners flavours, Cocoa or Vanilla Honey: they are sweetened with stevia and monk fruit instead of sucralose, and the Cocoa costs £1.44 per 25g of protein in the 30-serving bag at £34.49. Check the flavour name, because Impact Whey Natural Chocolate still lists sucralose. If you want no sweetener at all, Olimp 100% Natural Whey Protein Concentrate is just whey concentrate and soy lecithin, at £1.46 per 25g of protein in the 700g bag.
If you want protein without sucralose, acesulfame K, or aspartame, you have more UK options in 2026 than ever, but the labels are confusing because most brands sell both a standard sweetened version and a natural or unflavoured one under almost identical names. This guide ranks the best protein powders without artificial sweeteners, splits them into naturally sweetened, unflavoured, and clean plant options, and shows you exactly how to read the ingredient list.
What is the best protein powder without artificial sweeteners?
Myprotein Impact Whey in a Naturally Derived Sweeteners flavour is the best naturally sweetened whey protein in the UK. The Cocoa and Vanilla Honey flavours use stevia and monk fruit instead of sucralose, and the Cocoa costs £1.44 per 25g of protein in the 30-serving bag at £34.49. Vivo Life Perform is the best plant-based pick: 25g protein per serving, sweetened with stevia, from £1.00 per 25g of protein at Healf. For zero sweetener of any kind, an unflavoured whey such as Olimp 100% Natural Whey Protein Concentrate (£1.46 per 25g of protein) or The Organic Protein Company Pure Unflavoured Organic Whey (£1.56) is the cleanest choice, plain enough to disappear into cooking and smoothies.
Why avoid artificial sweeteners in protein powder?
People avoid artificial sweeteners in protein powder for three practical reasons, none of which require a health scare to justify:
- Digestive comfort. Some people find sucralose and especially sugar alcohols cause bloating or loose stools. A naturally sweetened or unflavoured powder removes the variable.
- Taste preference. The lingering aftertaste of sucralose and acesulfame K puts a lot of people off. Stevia and unflavoured options taste cleaner to many palates.
- Short ingredient lists. Clean-label buyers simply prefer fewer additives. An unflavoured whey is just protein, nothing else.
UK and EU food safety authorities consider sweeteners like sucralose safe at the amounts used in supplements, so this is a preference choice rather than a safety emergency. If your real concern is bloating, our best protein powder for sensitive stomachs guide covers the digestive angle in depth.
The best naturally sweetened and unflavoured proteins UK
1. Myprotein Impact Whey, Naturally Derived Sweeteners - Best naturally sweetened whey
Myprotein sells two Impact Whey flavours labelled Naturally Derived Sweeteners. The Cocoa lists whey protein concentrate, fat-reduced cocoa powder, natural flavouring, steviol glycosides from stevia and monk fruit extract, with 70g of protein per 100g and 20g in a 29g scoop. The Vanilla Honey uses the same sweeteners at 72g per 100g. A 30-serving bag costs £34.49 on myprotein.com, which is £1.44 per 25g of protein. Choose by the flavour name, not the word “natural”: Impact Whey Natural Chocolate is sweetened with sucralose.
Best naturally sweetened
MyProtein Impact Whey Protein Powder
1kg bag
The easiest switch from a sucralose whey. The card shows Impact Whey's lowest price across all flavours, so pick Cocoa or Vanilla Honey (Naturally Derived Sweeteners) when you order.
or compare all UK prices →Best naturally sweetened
Pros
- + Cocoa and Vanilla Honey flavours use stevia and monk fruit instead of sucralose
- + 20g of protein in a 29g scoop of the Cocoa, 70g per 100g
Cons
- – Only the two Naturally Derived Sweeteners flavours avoid sucralose; standard flavours and Natural Chocolate use it
- – £1.44 per 25g of protein in the 30-serving bag, dearer than standard Impact Whey in a big bag
●Nutrition per scoop · 21.6g protein in 30g▼
Protein makes up 72%
of this 30g scoop · 113 kcal total
2. Vivo Life Perform - Best plant pick
A plant protein blend of pea, brown rice and pumpkin seed protein with 25g of protein and 139 calories per serving, sweetened with stevia, with no artificial sweeteners. It costs £44.99 for 26 servings on vivolife.co.uk, which is £1.73 per 25g of protein, but Healf had the 936g Madagascan Vanilla at £25.99, or £1.00 per 25g. Its ingredient list runs to about a dozen items, including turmeric and konjac, so it suits you if you want a flavoured vegan shake without artificial sweeteners rather than the shortest possible label.
Best plant pick
Vivo Life Perform Plant Protein
936g bag
Protein powder from Vivo Life. Compare prices across UK retailers.
or compare all UK prices →Best plant pick
Vivo Life Perform Plant Protein
936g bagPros
- + Good protein content
- + Plant-based, dairy-free
Cons
- – Premium price point
●Nutrition per scoop · 25g protein in 36g▼
Protein makes up 69%
of this 36g scoop · 135 kcal total
3. Olimp 100% Natural Whey Protein Concentrate - Cheapest with no sweetener
Unflavoured whey concentrate with nothing to sweeten it. Olimp lists the ingredients as whey protein concentrate with soy lecithin, and 77g of protein per 100g, or 27g in a 35g scoop. The 700g bag costs £31.47 on Amazon UK, which is £1.46 per 25g of protein, the cheapest no-sweetener whey in this guide. The soy lecithin is a trace emulsifier that helps it mix, so it is not the pick if you avoid soy entirely.
No sweetener
Olimp Nutrition 100% Natural Whey Protein Concentrate
700g bag
Olimp's 100% Natural Whey Concentrate is an additive-free whey - just concentrate and soy lecithin - heavy-metal tested in the brand's pharmaceutical labs and rated 4.6/5 on Amazon UK. A strong unflavoured pick for mixing, though the 700g bag limits value per gram.
Buy 100% Natural Whey Protein Concentrate →See the price on AmazonNo sweetener
Pros
- + Just whey concentrate and soy lecithin, no sweeteners
- + Heavy-metal tested in Olimp's pharmaceutical labs
- + 4.6/5 on Amazon UK, praised for clean ingredients
- + Neutral taste mixes cleanly into oats and baking
Cons
- – Contains soy lecithin, so not soy-free
- – Concentrate, so still contains some lactose
- – Small 700g bag, worse value per gram than big sizes
●Nutrition per scoop · 21.6g protein in 30g▼
Protein makes up 72%
of this 30g scoop · 106 kcal total
4. The Organic Protein Company Pure Unflavoured Organic Whey - Best organic option
The only one-ingredient whey in this guide: organic whey protein concentrate from grass-fed milk, with 79g of protein per 100g. The 1.2kg bag costs £59 at Healf, which is £1.56 per 25g of protein, and the 400g costs £26, or £2.06. For buyers who want organic certification and zero sweetener, it is the shortest and most traceable label available. It is the top pick in our cleanest protein powder UK guide.
Best organic
Organic Protein Company Organic Whey Protein
600g bag
Protein powder from Organic Protein Company. Compare prices across UK retailers.
or compare all UK prices →Best organic
Pros
- + Very high protein content
- + Widely available in the UK
Cons
- – Premium price point
- – Contains lactose
●Nutrition per scoop · 19.8g protein in 25g▼
Protein makes up 79%
of this 25g scoop · 98 kcal total
5. Nuzest Clean Lean Protein Just Natural - Best unflavoured vegan
The dairy-free equivalent of an unflavoured whey. Nuzest lists Just Natural as 100% pea protein isolate, with 81g of protein per 100g, and its flavoured Smooth Vanilla uses only pea protein isolate, natural vanilla flavour and stevia. The 1kg Just Natural costs £59 at Healf, which is £1.82 per 25g of protein, the most expensive pick here.
Best unflavoured vegan
Nuzest Clean Lean Protein
500g bag
Protein powder from Nuzest. Compare prices across UK retailers.
or compare all UK prices →Best unflavoured vegan
Nuzest Clean Lean Protein
500g bagPros
- + Very high protein content
- + Plant-based, dairy-free
Cons
- – Premium price point
●Nutrition per scoop · 19g protein in 25g▼
Protein makes up 76%
of this 25g scoop · 100 kcal total
How to read the label: what counts as artificial
To avoid artificial sweeteners, learn the names. These are the artificial sweeteners you are trying to avoid:
- Sucralose (sometimes listed as E955) - by far the most common in UK whey.
- Acesulfame K (E950) - often paired with sucralose.
- Aspartame (E951) - less common now but still appears.
These are the natural alternatives that clean-label products use instead:
- Steviol glycosides (stevia) - plant-derived, the most common natural sweetener.
- Monk fruit extract - another plant-derived sweetener, often paired with stevia, as in Myprotein's Naturally Derived Sweeteners flavours.
- Thaumatin - a natural protein sweetener used in small amounts.
- Nothing at all - unflavoured powders contain no sweetener.
Separately, watch for sugar alcohols (sorbitol, maltitol, xylitol). These are not classed as artificial sweeteners but are the most common cause of sweetener-related bloating, so clean-label and sensitive-stomach buyers often avoid them too.
Do naturally sweetened proteins taste worse?
Not worse, just different. Stevia-sweetened protein has a cleaner finish but a faint liquorice or herbal note that some people prefer and others do not. Unflavoured protein tastes plain and slightly milky, which is the point: it is designed to disappear into other food rather than to drink neat. If you want a clean label but still enjoy a strongly flavoured shake, a stevia-sweetened whey like Myprotein Impact Whey Cocoa (Naturally Derived Sweeteners) is the easiest transition. For the best-tasting flavoured options overall see best tasting protein powder UK.
What clean-label protein costs per 25g
Clean-label protein costs £1.00 to £1.82 per 25g of protein across the picks in this guide, against £1.01 for standard sucralose-sweetened Myprotein Impact Whey in the 2.7kg bag. The cheapest is Vivo Life Perform at Healf, and the cheapest whey with no sweetener at all is Olimp 100% Natural Whey at £1.46.
| Protein powder | Sweetener | Pack and price | Cost per 25g of protein |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vivo Life Perform Madagascan Vanilla | Stevia | 936g, £25.99 (Healf) | £1.00 |
| Myprotein Impact Whey Cocoa (Naturally Derived Sweeteners) | Stevia, monk fruit | 30 servings, £34.49 | £1.44 |
| Olimp 100% Natural Whey Protein Concentrate | None | 700g, £31.47 | £1.46 |
| The Organic Protein Company Pure Unflavoured Organic Whey | None | 1.2kg, £59 (Healf) | £1.56 |
| Vivo Life Perform | Stevia | 26 servings, £44.99 (vivolife.co.uk) | £1.73 |
| Nuzest Clean Lean Protein Just Natural | None | 1kg, £59 (Healf) | £1.82 |
You can rank every product by cost per 25g of protein on the main comparison table, and learn the maths in how to calculate protein cost per serving.
Frequently asked questions
Is stevia better than sucralose?
Neither is proven harmful at supplement doses, so “better” is a preference. Stevia is plant-derived and appeals to clean-label buyers, while sucralose is more neutral-tasting and cheaper. If you simply want to avoid artificial sweeteners, stevia-sweetened or unflavoured is the way to go.
What is the best unflavoured protein for cooking?
An unflavoured whey concentrate is the most versatile because it adds no taste. Olimp 100% Natural Whey Protein Concentrate is the cheapest we checked at £1.46 per 25g of protein, and The Organic Protein Company Pure Unflavoured Organic Whey has a one-ingredient label. We cover this in detail in our protein powder for smoothies, oats, coffee and baking guide.
Do any big brands make a no-sweetener whey?
Yes. Most major UK brands, including Bulk, MyProtein, and Optimum Nutrition, sell an unflavoured or natural version alongside their sweetened range. The unflavoured variant is the guaranteed no-sweetener option.
What is the best protein powder without artificial sweeteners in the UK?
Myprotein Impact Whey in its Naturally Derived Sweeteners flavours (Cocoa or Vanilla Honey) is the best naturally sweetened whey, using stevia and monk fruit instead of sucralose. Vivo Life Perform is the best plant option, sweetened with stevia. For zero sweeteners of any kind, an unflavoured whey such as Olimp 100% Natural Whey Protein Concentrate or The Organic Protein Company Pure Unflavoured Organic Whey is the cleanest choice.
Which protein powders use stevia instead of sucralose?
Myprotein Impact Whey Cocoa and Vanilla Honey (Naturally Derived Sweeteners) use stevia with monk fruit extract, and Vivo Life Perform uses stevia. Olimp 100% Natural Whey and The Organic Protein Company's unflavoured whey use no sweetener at all. Always check the ingredient list, because brands run standard and natural versions of the same product, and Myprotein's Impact Whey Natural Chocolate is sweetened with sucralose.
Are artificial sweeteners in protein powder bad for you?
For most people, sweeteners like sucralose and acesulfame K are considered safe at the levels used in protein powder by UK and EU food authorities. The reasons people avoid them are usually digestive comfort, taste preference, or a wish for a shorter ingredient list, rather than a proven health risk. Some people also report bloating from sugar alcohols, which are a separate category from sucralose.
Does unflavoured protein powder have any sweetener?
True unflavoured protein powder contains no sweetener at all, just the protein source. It tastes plain and slightly milky or earthy, which makes it ideal for adding to cooking, smoothies, or coffee where other ingredients provide the flavour. It is the only way to guarantee zero artificial and zero natural sweeteners.
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