Is Muscle Milk Gluten-free?

Find out what Muscle Milk is, what flavors it comes in, and if it’s safe for a gluten-free diet. Plus if this protein powder is dairy-free.

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If you have been looking for a protein powder or protein shake to help you boost your protein intake each day, you may have come across Muscle Milk. This brand is memorable, because the name is so silly. It is to me, at least – am I the only one??

The idea of Muscle Milk is that it provides loads of protein for athletes and folks who exercise a ton to help them recover for their workouts and keep their energy levels up throughout the day both pre and post workout.

If you’ve been looking into protein powders at all, you may have found that some of them contain hidden ingredients or are processed in the same facilitiesf as gluten. If you’re like me, you’re always looking for gluten-free options to help navigate food intolerances.

That’s why I’m dedicating this post to Muscle Milk. In this post, find out what Muscle Milk is, what products they make and what flavors they come in. We’ll then talk about if Muscle Milk’s products are gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan. Some of this information might surprise you – it did for me!

Let’s talk Muscle Milk!

What is Muscle Milk?

Muscle Milk is a type of protein drink that comes in both ready-to-drink options and protein powders that can be mixed with water or milk.

Muscle Milk is said to help with workout recovery, sustain energy during workouts, and help satisfy hunger. Many athletes, home workout enthusiasts, and people who are committed to increasing their protein intake drink Muscle Milk products.

What products does Muscle Milk make?

Muscle Milk comes in a few different options. Their ready-to-drink options are Muscle Milk Genuine Protein Shake, Muscle Milk Zero Protein Shake, Muscle Milk Pro Series Protein Shake, and Muscle Milk Coffee House.

Their protein powder options are Muscle Milk Genuine Protein Powder, Muscle Milk Pro Series Protein Powder, Muscle Milk Unflavored Protein Powder, Muscle Milk Zero Protein Powder, Muscle Milk 100% Whey Protein Powder, Muscle Milk 100% Whey with Probiotics Protein Powder, Muscle Milk Gainer Protein Powder, and Muscle Milk Coffee House Protein Powder.

What flavors does Muscle Milk come in?

Muscle Milk has all kinds of flavors of their protein powders and ready-to-drink options. Here is a list of flavors that you can currently expect to find from this brand.

Muscle Milk Zero Protein Shake

Chocolate
Vanilla Creme

Muscle Milk Genuine Protein Shake

Banana Creme
Chocolate
Cookies ‘n Creme
Strawberries ‘n Creme
Vanilla Creme

Muscle Milk Pro Series Protein Shake

Go Bananas
Intense Vanilla
Knockout Chocolate
Slammin’ Strawberry

Muscle Milk Genuine Coffee House Protein Shake

Caffe Latte
Mocha Latte
Vanilla Latte

Muscle Milk Unflavored Protein Powder

Unflavored

Muscle Milk Zero Protein Powder

Chocolate
Vanilla Creme

Muscle Milk 100% Whey Protein Powder

Chocolate
Vanilla

Muscle Milk 100% Whey with Probiotics Protein Powder

Chocolate
Vanilla

Muscle Milk Genuine Protein Powder

Banana Creme
Cake Batter
Chocolate
Cookies ‘n Creme
Peanut Butter Chocolate
Strawberries ‘n Creme
Strawberry Banana
Vanilla Creme

Muscle Milk Pro Series Protein Powder

Intense Vanilla
Knockout Chocolate

Muscle Milk Gainer Protein Powder

Chocolate
Vanilla Creme

Muscle Milk Coffee House Protein Powder

Cafe Latte
Mocha Latte

What is Muscle Milk made of?

While the ingredients in different types and flavors of Muscle Milk will vary, these are some ingredients that you can expect to find in most Muscle Milk varieties with slight variation.

Ingredients in Muscle Milk Genuine Non Dairy Protein Shake:

“Water, calcium caseinate (milk), milk protein isolate, sodium caseinate (milk), alkalized cocoa powder, less than 1% of: soluble vegetable fiber, sunflower oil, canola oil, natural and artificial flavors, dipotassium phosphate, magnesium phosphate, maltodextrin, cellulose gum and gel, sodium hexametaphosphate, potassium chloride, carrageenan, potassium citrate, salt, medium chain triglycerides, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, sodium phosphate, ascorbic acid (vitamin c), vitamin a palmitate, vitamin d3.”

What is gluten?

Gluten is a protein found in most wheat products, and acts as the “glue” that helps to hold wheat, barley, kamut, spelt, farro, durum, bulgur, rye, and semolina together to maintain their shape.

Gluten is naturally occurring, and therefore is impossible to strip away from the grain. If a grain naturally has gluten in it, there’s no way to make that food gluten-free.

Gluten is often added as a binding or thickening ingredient in many foods, particularly those that have been processed.

While reviewing ingredients in Muscle Milk, I wasn’t able to find any specific information on their website as to what ingredients they add to each of their products. After some looking around online, I found some ingredients lists from other websites that indicate that their products do not contain any gluten ingredients.

That said, the brand doesn’t go very far to ensure their customers that their products are gluten-free. There is no evidence of this on their website at all. Some products may have a small gluten-free note near the ingredient list, but it looks as though they aren’t really promoting this as a gluten-free product in an obvious way for consumers.

I’d recommend if you enjoy Muscle Milk to do your research while at the store. Look for a gluten-free label on the product you’re interested in buying to ensure it’s actually gluten-free. This is especially true if you are Celiac and even trace amounts of gluten can harm you.

Sometimes brands have no gluten containing ingredients and don’t put a gluten-free label on their products simply because they haven’t tested them for gluten.

Other times, it’s because they are aware there is gluten in some of their products and not others and don’t want to call out that there’s an opportunity for cross contamination. Be diligent about looking for gluten-free labels and aware of brands that don’t prominently display them.

Read on: 5 Best gluten-free dairy-free protein powders

Is Muscle Milk dairy-free?

Muscle Milk is promoted as “non dairy” on most of their products, which is a marketing strategy to get folks who buy them.

The truth about Muscle Milk is that they do contain dairy products in the form of milk protein isolate, milk protein concentrate, whey, and other names that dairy is hidden under.

Big brands can get away with calling something “non dairy” by not using the term “dairy-free.” Dairy-free means the complete absence of dairy ingredients, including lactose, whereas non dairy can mean that milk derivatives are present.

This can be confusing for folks on a dairy-free diet seeing terms like non-dairy on products and thinking it’s a good choice for them. However, the way the FDA regulations are set up, companies can claim products are non-dairy while still filling their products with ingredients that come from dairy and milk derivatives.

If you are following a dairy-free diet, you will want to avoid all Muscle Milk products – yes, even with those non-dairy labels on the front.

Read on: Is whey gluten-free? Is whey dairy?

Read on: What is the difference between dairy, lactose, casein, and whey?

Read on: Does Premier Protein have dairy?

Is Muscle Milk vegan?

Muscle Milk does not offer vegan products. All their protein powders and protein shakes contain milk derivatives, meaning they contain animal products.

If you are vegan and are looking for a protein powder or shake option, you might have better luck checking out my Best Dairy-free Protein Powders & Shakes blog post, as many of the options are also vegan.

If you’ve been thinking about adding Muscle Milk to your diet and you’re trying to steer clear of gluten for health reasons, I hope this post has helped you get the information you’ve been looking for.

Muscle Milk may or may not be gluten-free based on the varieties you choose and if the brand has decided to note this on the specific product you’re looking at.

They do not make big bold claims on their website and don’t make it especially easy to find this information, so I’d be careful about reviewing ingredients before purchasing anything from this brand on a gluten-free diet.

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Is Muscle Milk Gluten-free?

What is Muscle Milk?

What products does Muscle Milk make?