Alani Nu Plant Protein Review & Vegan Fruity Cereal Protein Ice Cream Recipe

Hey there! This week, I’m talking all about Alani Nu Plant Protein. And I’m including a recipe for VEGAN fruity cereal ice cream using this protein powder. It’s so good!

Alani Nu is a popular, relatively new nutritional supplements brand owned and operated by Katy Hearn. Katy Hearn is a popular fitness trainer/coach with over 1.8 million followers on Instagram (myself included). On top of holding several highly successful virtual fitness challenges each year, Katy and her husband Haydn own several businesses beyond Alani Nu. They own a gym in Indiana, a meal delivery service called Bite Meals, Onyx & Rose CBD Products, and the Fit by Katy weight training app.

Alani Nu products are sold at GNC and online. One of the line’s newest product releases was a vegan, plant-based protein. Given how popular the whey protein is, I wanted to give the plant-based protein a try! I’ve been on the hunt for a pleasant-tasting vegan protein option. While I’m not 100% vegan, I try to stay away from dairy and dairy-based products. Because I drink protein so often, I like to stick to plant-based options. Unfortunately, all of the vegan proteins I had tried tasted awful! People really seemed to really love the Alani Nu Whey Protein Powder. So, when I saw that they came out with a vegan option I jumped right on it.

Cost, ordering, and shipping.

The protein was $44.99 plus a flat shipping fee of $5, which brought the total to $49.99 for 752 grams (25 servings). The cost comes out to $2 a serving, meaning it’s on the higher end of price per serving. I ordered my protein on the Alani Nu website on July 30th and it arrived August 1st. I was super happy with how quick the shipping was and the packaging was nice.

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The box the protein came in.

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The packaging!

Initial thoughts.

Although I don’t typically drink my protein like this, I decided to just shake it up with some almond milk at first. I usually use my VitaMix and blend my protein with a couple of other ingredients, but I know that some people only use a shaker and would appreciate knowing how it tastes when consumed that way.

To be honest, I hated it. It mixed well with the almond milk and wasn’t very clumpy. But the taste was awful. It was just as bad, if not worse, than other vegan proteins I’ve tried. There was a weird, chalky aftertaste and I didn’t really get the taste of fruity cereal at all - it was just bad. I struggled to even finish the small cup I had.

Discovering how to make it taste great.

The next day, I decided to try it blended with some almond milk, ice, and a banana. I figured the banana would add some sweetness and possibly make it easier to stomach. When I tried it, I was shocked at how delicious it was!

The cold temperature plus the sweetness from the banana brought out all the good flavors in the protein, and it was seriously like drinking a Fruity Pebbles flavored milkshake! I actually look forward to drinking it when I do this because it feels like a treat even though the ingredients are very clean. There’s almost no sugar, sodium is low, and you get 21.7 g of protein in each serving. The protein comes from a blend of pumpkin, watermelon, and pea protein. I usually have bad digestion with pea protein, but I didn’t have any noticeable issues after drinking this. I’m super impressed that the pea protein taste isn’t detectable.

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After blending with a banana, ice, and almond milk. Seriously so delicious!

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Vegan ice cream recipe:

My favorite thing to do with this protein is to make vegan protein ice cream. It’s so quick and easy. And ice cream is one of the things I miss most while eating a plant-based diet. The fact that you get almost 22g of protein per serving makes it even better!

Although I used a regular ripe banana, you can freeze yours the night before and use it to make your ice cream a little creamier. Or, feel free to just add a little extra ice and continue blending until you get the consistency you want. I used about 2 cups of ice, but feel free to use more or less depending on your preference. Your banana may be a different size than mine and your milk may be a different thickness, so play around with the amount of ice until you get the consistency you want. If you want to make it a “milkshake”, go for it!

I used original unsweetened almond milk. I felt like the banana added enough sweetness. But if you have a sweet tooth, feel free to go for the sweetened or vanilla version. If you want creamier ice cream, you may want to opt for oat milk or cashew milk.

Ingredients:

• 1 large banana
• 2 cups of ice
• 1 heaping scoop of Alani Nu Fruity Cereal Plant-Based Protein Powder
• 1 cup of dairy-free milk

Directions:

1. Combine all your ingredients in a high-power blender or food processor until smooth. I used a Vitamix.
2. Pour the mixture into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze for 1 hour (or longer, if desired).
3. Thaw and enjoy!

It’s that simple! I really love this protein and can’t wait to see what kind of baked goods I can create with it. While I wouldn’t drink it with just water or almond milk, it tastes delicious when paired with something sweet like a banana. The ingredients are super clean, and I love the fact that it’s vegan. Alani Nu really created an awesome product with this!

If you use this protein to make vegan ice cream or any other recipes, let me know! Do you have any plant-based protein powders that you enjoy?