A review and ranking of Ryse protein powders. Flavors included are Kool-Aid Tropical Punch, Country Time Lemonade, Cinnamon Toast, Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies, Jet-Puffed Marshmallow, and Little Debbie Strawberry Shortcake Rolls.
Overall Review & Verdict
Needless to say, Ryse makes some interesting-sounding flavors for their protein powders — talk about brand partnering!
These protein powders are primarily made of whey isolate and sweetened by non-sugar sweeteners. With that, these have a good protein-to-calorie ratio. All of these small protein sachets range from 100 calories to 150 calories, with Cosmic Brownies being the highest. Lastly, the composition is a thick, tan, white (except Cosmic Brownies), fluffy powder that generally requires extra mixing to fully dissolve.
All of these were mixed with about 6-8oz of water as directed.
To my surprise, despite mixing these in water, these are very sweet proteins, and their flavors came out pronounced and mostly accurate. I can’t imagine using milk instead–they would certainly be even better! Overall, these are top-quality, sweeter-tasting protein powders that don’t fall prey to the stereotypical artificial tastes and weirdness found in some other brands.
Flavor Ranking
1. Cinnamon Toast
My drink turned a darker tan color, reminding me of French toast batter. And taste-wise, it’s kind of like that, minus any egginess. It’s fairly sweet and has a smooth, equal part cinnamon flavor. The flavor profile? Honestly, you could absolutely convince me this was the leftover liquid from a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch! The taste is wonderful, it feels creamy, and simply put, everything about this just feels right!
2. Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies
This was the only flavor that was colored differently — a chocolate brown —and as soon as it hit my drink, it turned it into a fairly dark chocolate-looking beverage. Taste-wise, it’s a darker, mostly authentic-flavored chocolate, akin to brownie batter. Does it taste like a Cosmic Brownie? Sort of. It doesn’t nail that precise flavor profile; instead, it is more or less just sweeter brownie batter-flavored protein. It’s not bitter, doesn’t come across as artificial (and not as artificial-tasting as a Cosmic Brownie), and overall, is just a darker-tasting protein powder.
4. Little Debbie Strawberry Shortcake Rolls
This turned my drink a tan color, and I noticed it has small red embedded bits as well. The taste is sort of like a Little Debbie Strawberry Shortcake roll: it has some creaminess and a light strawberry flavor. However, this comes across as having a stronger artificial sweetener taste. It’s actually not terrible, no, the drink is still quite good. But to be clear, I understand that Little Debbie snack cakes are artificial, but they have an authentic artificial-sugar taste, while these have a sharper sweetener taste. Additionally, while this is a sweet protein, it’s a hair less sweet than its cake counterpart and, most importantly, is missing the cakey taste. Overall, it reminds me more of a sweet strawberry vanilla milkshake.
3. Jet-Puffed Marshmallow
I am disappointed. I really expected marshmallow flavor! Unfortunately, this is your typical vanilla-tasting protein powder. Really, if you blindfolded me and had me compare this to regular vanilla protein powders, I would say this is right in line with everything else. Good amount of sweetness, no super-artificial taste, and overall fairly generic.
5. Kool-Aid Tropical Punch
This flavor turns your drink a reddish pink color! Taste-wise, it’s very similar, if not identical, to a tropical punch-flavored Kool-Aid. Even the sweetness is about the same level, too. Nothing artificial or weird, just straight up Kool-Aid! Wait… This is a protein powder, right? Surely, they didn’t mix this up with actual Kool-Aid!
5. Country Time Lemonade
This tastes like your typical lemonade. It’s a little sharp and sour, and a sweetness is up there. It genuinely tastes like an authentic sugary lemonade. Not much else to say!