Guide
Plant protein and creatine: taking them together
Creatine and plant protein are often taken together, but creatine isn't a protein and works through a different mechanism. A controlled trial found taking creatine with about 50 g of protein and 47 g of carbohydrate increased whole-body creatine retention by roughly 25% — well above what one scoop of a typical plant protein serving provides on its own.
Plant protein and creatine are often stacked together, but creatine isn't a protein — it's a small nitrogen-containing compound the body uses to regenerate rapid energy for short, intense muscle contractions, not a source of the amino acids "protein" refers to. A controlled trial found taking creatine alongside protein and carbohydrate increased how much creatine the body retained — at a protein dose well above a single scoop of ours.
What each one actually is
Plant protein supplies dietary protein — amino acids the body uses to build and repair tissue, including muscle. Creatine monohydrate is a different kind of molecule entirely: it's stored in muscle and used to regenerate ATP, the cell's immediate energy source, during short bursts of high-intensity effort. See what is plant protein? a plain guide and creatine's own research pages for what each one's evidence base actually covers — they're separate literatures built around different outcomes.
Does taking them together do anything extra?
One controlled trial has tested creatine alongside a protein-and-carbohydrate combination directly. Twelve healthy men took 4 x 5 g doses of creatine on four separate occasions, each paired with a different drink: a low-carbohydrate control, about 50 g of protein plus 47 g of carbohydrate, a high-carbohydrate drink (96 g), or a moderate-carbohydrate drink (50 g). Whole-body creatine retention was about 25% higher with the protein-and-carbohydrate combination than with the low-carbohydrate control — roughly matching the effect of the much larger 96 g carbohydrate dose on its own. That's a real, measured effect, but the trial used about 50 g of protein per occasion — more than double the 21 g in one two-scoop serving of our Plant Protein — and the protein source wasn't specified as plant-based. It shows protein-plus-carbohydrate can help retain more of a creatine dose at that amount; it doesn't confirm the same effect at a smaller, plant-protein-specific serving.
Protein and creatine also each have their own separate strength and lean-mass literature. A 2018 meta-analysis of 49 randomized trials (1,863 adults doing resistance training) found extra dietary protein, from mixed sources and doses, added about 0.3 kg more lean mass and 2.5 kg more strength than training alone, with no further benefit once total daily protein passed roughly 1.6 g per kilogram of body weight. That's evidence for protein's own role in training adaptations, not a test of protein taken specifically alongside creatine.
Taking them together in practice
There's no evidence requiring plant protein and creatine to be taken at the same time, separated, or in any particular order. A standard creatine protocol — a short loading phase of divided doses, then 3–5 g a day for maintenance — is described in a 2017 sports-nutrition position stand as safe and well tolerated across the studies it reviewed; that protocol is independent of when or whether you also take a protein shake. Mixing both into one shake is common practice and isn't documented as a problem in any trial we found.
Electric Tiger Plant Protein (Chocolate) provides 21 g of protein per two-scoop serving (34.7 g), from fava bean protein isolate and YESTEIN™ fermented nutritional yeast protein — 110 calories, 1 g of sugar, 24 servings a tub, as low as $54.47 on subscription. Directions are to mix two scoops with 6–8 oz of water or your favorite beverage once daily. If you have G6PD deficiency or a family history of it, read who should not take fava bean protein before trying it, since the protein here comes from a fava bean isolate.
Questions people ask
Can you mix plant protein and creatine in the same shake?
Yes — nothing in the research above suggests a problem with combining them, and it's common practice. The co-ingestion trial above even found a protein-and-carbohydrate combination increased how much creatine the body retained, at a protein dose well above ours.
Does plant protein help creatine work better?
The trial above tested protein plus carbohydrate together, not plant protein specifically, and at roughly double our serving size. It's the most direct evidence available on the pairing, but it doesn't confirm the same result from a single scoop of a plant-based protein powder on its own.
Plant protein vs creatine — which should I take?
They're not competing for the same job: plant protein supplies dietary protein, creatine supports short, high-intensity muscle energy. Most people taking one for its own goal aren't choosing between them.
How much plant protein and creatine should I take together?
There's no established combined dose. Each product's own label sets its own serving — ours directs two scoops of Plant Protein daily; a typical creatine protocol is a short loading phase followed by 3–5 g a day for maintenance, or as directed by a healthcare professional.
Related reading: how much plant protein should you take a day?, plant protein benefits: what the research does and doesn't show, and how to choose a good plant protein.
Sources
- Protein- and carbohydrate-induced augmentation of whole body creatine retention in humans A trial in 12 men found taking creatine with about 50 g of protein and 47 g of carbohydrate increased whole-body creatine retention by roughly 25%, as effectively as taking creatine with almost 100 g of carbohydrate alone, and significantly more than a low-carbohydrate creatine dose.
- A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults In 1,863 adults doing resistance training, extra protein (mixed forms/doses) added about 0.3 kg more lean mass and 2.5 kg more strength than training alone.
- International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine A 2017 position stand from the International Society of Sports Nutrition describes how creatine is stored and used by muscle, and concludes it's safe and well tolerated across the doses and durations tested in the literature it reviewed.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
