Plant protein vs pea protein: what's actually different?

Pea protein is one specific plant protein source; "plant protein" is the broader category, and ours is a different source entirely — fava bean protein isolate blended with fermented yeast protein. A direct lab comparison of pea, fava bean and whey protein isolates, at the same dose, found pea protein raised blood amino acids more than fava bean did, though both trailed whey.

	Pea protein	Fava bean protein isolate (ours)
Source	Yellow split peas	Fava beans
DIAAS quality tier (2020 review)	No quality claim (below 75)	No quality claim (below 75)
Blood amino acid response at matched dose (2023 trial)	28% higher than fava bean over 3 hours	Lower than pea and whey in the same trial
12-week muscle trial vs whey (50 g/day)	No significant difference from whey overall	Not tested in that trial
Do we sell it	No	Yes — 21 g per 2-scoop serving

Pea protein: best for, what the evidence shows, watch out for

Best for: anyone specifically comparing plant protein sources on the strength of an amino-acid-response trial, since pea has more direct head-to-head data against both whey and fava bean than most plant proteins. What the evidence shows: a 2023 trial found pea protein raised blood amino acids significantly more than fava bean protein at the same dose, and a separate 12-week trial found pea protein performed no differently than whey on muscle thickness or strength gains, both dosed at 50 g/day. Watch out for: we don't sell pea protein, and the 50 g/day dose in that muscle trial is more than double a typical single serving — check whatever product you're considering against its own label, not that trial's number.

Fava bean protein isolate: best for, what the evidence shows, watch out for

Best for: anyone already choosing our product for reasons other than a documented amino-acid-response edge over pea protein — this is our own primary ingredient. What the evidence shows: the same 2023 trial found fava bean protein isolate raised blood amino acids less than pea protein and less than whey, at a matched 0.33 g/kg dose. A separate trial found 0.33 g/kg of fava bean protein isolate, taken after a leg workout, didn't raise the muscle-building response above a protein-free control. Watch out for: our label doesn't print an amino acid profile, and the DIAAS review below places fava bean protein in the same lower quality tier as pea, not above it.

What the head-to-head trial actually found

A 2023 trial gave 9 healthy young men the same 0.33 g/kg body-mass dose of whey, pea or fava bean protein isolate, on separate occasions, and tracked blood amino acid levels for 3 hours afterward. Total indispensable amino acids made up 58% of whey's amino acid composition, versus 46% for pea and 42% for fava bean. Reflecting that, the rise in blood amino acids was 41% greater with whey than pea, 57% greater with whey than fava bean, and pea exceeded fava bean by 28%. The authors concluded that, as a sole single-dose serving, pea and fava bean's lower amino acid content would likely produce a smaller post-meal muscle-building response than whey. This is a 9-person trial measuring blood levels, not a training study measuring actual muscle gained over weeks.

What the amino acid quality scoring shows

A 2020 review scoring proteins by DIAAS (Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score) placed both pea and fava bean protein in the same lower "no quality claim" tier (below 75), well below whey's "high quality" score and casein's "excellent quality" score. Neither plant protein source has a documented amino-acid-quality edge over the other in that scoring system.

Our plant protein

Electric Tiger Plant Protein (Chocolate) uses fava bean protein isolate and YESTEIN™ fermented nutritional yeast protein, not pea protein — 21 g of protein per two-scoop serving (34.7 g), 24 servings per tub, as low as $54.47 a bottle on subscription ($2.27 a serving). We don't carry a pea protein product, so this page reports the research on both rather than steering you toward one of our own SKUs over the other.

Questions people ask

Is pea protein better than plant protein?

Pea protein is a plant protein — the comparison that actually has data behind it is pea protein against a different plant protein, like our fava bean blend. The one direct trial we found showed pea protein produced a larger short-term blood amino acid rise than fava bean at a matched dose.

Is fava bean protein as good as pea protein?

In the one head-to-head trial we found, no — fava bean protein isolate raised blood amino acids less than pea protein at the same dose. Both scored in the same lower DIAAS quality tier, though, so the amino-acid-quality difference between them is smaller than the difference either has with whey.

Which plant protein is best for building muscle?

The trials above measure a blood amino acid response over hours, not muscle gained over weeks, for the fava-vs-pea comparison specifically. Pea protein has a separate 12-week muscle trial showing it performs similarly to whey; we don't have an equivalent training study for fava bean protein isolate alone.

Related reading: plant protein vs whey: what actually differs and how to choose a good plant protein.