Did you know that hemp protein is one of the fastest-growing plant-based proteins? Product launches are up 369 percent, according to Innova Market Insights.

Here’s the rub, though: Traditional hemp protein is made from the press cake—or what remains after the whole hemp seed is pressed for hemp oil. Hemp protein powder made this way has a gritty texture, its color is green, and it tastes grassy. 

That profile, as a result, leaves many food formulators hesitant to add hemp protein to their product formulations. “When you’re competing against other [milder] plant proteins like pea, soy, almond, etc., green hemp protein can taste too healthy and not delicious enough,” says Ben Raymond, Director of Research & Development at Victory Hemp. Thus, using green hemp protein isn’t a long-term sustainable choice for product formulation.

The Best Tasting Hemp Protein Powder: V-70^™ Hemp Heart Protein

Fortunately, at Victory Hemp, we’ve developed a top-notch solution: V-70^™ Hemp Heart Protein. Made from shelled hemp hearts, this protein powder is smooth (e.g., more soluble than traditional green hemp protein) and flowable. It’s neutral in flavor and near white in color.

As a result of how V-70^™ is made, its overall taste and how it influences the flavor of food product formulations was preferred by consumers when we put it to the test recently. We developed four different recipes: protein muffins, a vanilla non-dairy gelato, a blueberry smoothie, and plant-based “meat” crumbles. Then, we prepared two versions of each recipe—incorporating our traditional green hemp protein (called Hemp Protein 50, or P-50) into one and adding our new V-70^™ Hemp Heart Protein into the other. 

Here’s what taste testers thought about each recipe: 

Plant-Based “Meat” Crumbles: 94% preferred V-70^™ over P-50. 

Tasters commented that when V-70^™ was used the crumbles tasted “savory” and “like meat” compared to the crumbles made with traditional hemp protein powder (P-50). Others noted that the texture was better and firm.  

Blueberry Protein Smoothie: 88% preferred V-70^™ over P-50.

Not only was V-70^™ the preferred smoothie in this side-by-side tasting, but the color of the V-70^™ smoothie was more reflective of its ingredients compared to the P-50-based smoothie, which was a brown, almost chocolate, color. 

Protein Muffins: 82% preferred V-70^TM over P-50.

Tasters who preferred the protein muffin made with V-70^™ remarked that the muffin tasted more akin to your typical muffin that isn’t protein-enriched. The texture was better and not “like a bran muffin,” unlike the P-50-enriched muffin. 

Vanilla Non-Dairy Gelato: 71% preferred V-70^™ over P-50.

The gelato made with V-70^™ had a sweeter and more prominent vanilla flavor, per taste test reports, and less of an aftertaste.  

Victory Hemp V-70™ Hemp Heart Protein: More Protein and Easier to Use

While taste is the ultimate test of a product, V-70^™ is also easier to formulate with, and delivers on nutrition.  

V-70™ is ideal for formulators that need excellent water and fat holding, and a silky smooth mouthfeel without the bitter off-notes (e.g., a more mild flavor) typically found in plant protein powders that are this high in protein.  

Compared to traditional hemp protein (including our P-50), V-70^TM maintains the ideal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids for human health, yet is higher in protein (at >70%) compared to traditional hemp proteins. 

Looking at other common plant protein powders, you can see that V-70^™ is superior in many other ways, too. 

Learn how hemp protein stacks up to pea, soy, almond, and chickpea protein powders, and request a Hemp Heart Protein sample, here.