UK-based Roots ‘n Shoots is a brand specializing in plant-based protein powders. While on the pricey side, the trade-off is a product that mixes great and taste really nice.
Hey! We compare vegan protein powder a little differently here. Instead of arbitrary grades, we calculate three numbers based on hard data – Price, Potency, and Profile.
*Price is cost per 100 grams of pure protein.*
*Potency is amount of protein per kcal.*
*Profile is amino acids completeness.*
Let’s get down to the details.
Nutrition
With up to 25.5 grams of protein with each serving of 35 grams, Roots ‘n Shoots isn’t the purest form of protein I’ve seen, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it bad either.
Moreover, depending on flavour, you get up to 5.2 grams of carbohydrates per serving and, even if only half a gram of those are sugars, this is a little bit on the high side. Keep in mind I’ve forced myself to become used to unflavoured isolates. I don’t think this is necessarily bad but some people like to go for as much purity as they can.
Further, the products are flavoured with stevia, which I don’t mind but some people might be put off by it.
The trade-off with the lower purity here, however, is that they have packed the powder with an entire daily recommended dose of vitamin B12. Further, the carbs and stevia make the shakes taste really good.
The fact that they’ve combined protein sources is nice since it gives a nutritious, well-rounded amino acid profile, which is handily labeled on the back.
Value
Selling for €24 per 500 grams of protein powder, Roots ‘n Shoots is one of the more expensive products I’ve come across. For reference, I can get a protein powder and a bottle of B12 supplements for only €12 in total, for the same amount.
However, it’s not the fairest benchmark because I’m used to buying pea protein isolate from a big supplement company. In contrast, this product is made by a company that only sells vegan powders, uses a variety of sources for its protein, and reports to use only natural, non-GMO ingredients produced in the UK itself.
The higher price point clearly comes with some very nice benefits.
NB! There is no reason to fear GMOs. It’s just a technology and, like any other technologies, its impact depends entirely on its use.
Consistency
I had the privilege to try all the four flavours that Roots ‘n Shoots offer. Looking at their website, you can tell that they’re going for a “deluxe”, milkshake-like product, and it shows in the flavour profile.
What struck me in all four tastings was that each powder mixes flawlessly. The shake you end up with might be a little on the heavy side, its consistency matches the milkshake flavour profiles excellently.
There’s almost no leftover grain with any of the flavours when mixed with water, and only a slightly grainy texture when mixed with oat milk. Even when just shaken instead of blended, there were absolutely no clumps to speak of, which is a big plus.
I’ve got to hand it to the folks behind Roots ‘n Shoots: this is the best-mixing vegan powder I have ever tasted.
So, in terms of consistency, Roots ‘n Shoots scores sky-high.
Flavour
A bad tasting powder that mixes great is still a bad tasting powder, however. Fortunately, in terms of flavour, these powders range from nice to great.
I tried their Blatantly Good Berry first because I generally dislike fruity protein shakes - they always tend to be much too artificial. To my surprise, this one tasted delicious. The thing that struck me first is how much the shake, when mixed with water, smelled like candy!
The flavour you end up with depends on what you mix it with, of course: when shaken with water, Blatantly Good Berry tastes a little on the artificial side, with a very high sweetness profile. I wouldn’t choose this flavour as my go-to, twice-a-day protein shake, simply because I would get bored of the super sweet flavour. When mixed with oat milk, the taste leans more towards the milkshake side of sweetness, which I preferred. Part of the artificiality of the flavour profile is moved towards the aftertaste. I’d recommend mixing with oat milk.
The second one I tasted actually became my favourite.
Salted Caramel tastes less sweet, its palette being more balanced. This one is not as heavy as the Crazy Good Cacao and doesn’t taste as artificial as the Blatantly Good Berry. The salty notes of caramel complement the flavours and earthy notes of the vegan powder nicely and provides a nice, long aftertaste. This one has a slightly more grainy texture than the Blatantly Good Berry.
The Crazy Good Cacao powder was a little underwhelming. I usually tend to purchase chocolate flavours when buying flavoured protein powders, because chocolate is a little harder to do “wrong”, so I have experienced a lot of well-tasting chocolate protein powders in my life. This one, while definitely not bad, was a little bit too heavy for my tastes, making it less versatile and maybe satiating a little bit too much. It’s not a bad one, by any stretch, but maybe reserve this one for your dessert shakes.
Very Vanilla, in contrast, surprised me. While vanilla has a reputation for being bland, this one was a little bolder than I had anticipated, which I liked. The shake - which I only tasted with oat milk after I realised every Roots ‘n Shoots powder up to this point tasted even better with oat milk - gave off a liquid vanilla cookies kind-of-flavour. Again, this one was very sweet, but I did like it more than the Crazy Good Cacao or the Blatantly Good Berry.
Overall, I’d wholeheartedly recommend going for the Salted Caramel flavour and mixing it with oat milk, since that generated the best-tasting combination in my opinion.
Products
Roots 'n Shoots Blatantly Good Berry
Roots 'n Shoots Very Vanilla
Roots 'n Shoots Crazy Good Cacao
Roots 'n Shoots Salted Caramel
Verdict
Roots ‘n Shoots’ protein powders may be a little bit more expensive than what you might be used to but the trade-off is a very nice tasting protein powder that you can use to treat yourself with at the end of a day.
It is a little bit too heavy to drink right after a gruelling training session but fits the dessert timing window neatly.
The added B12 is definitely a nice bonus, and I love that with buying Roots ‘n Shoots, you support a brand that only sells vegan powders and sources its ingredients locally.
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