Millville Elevation Vanilla Protein Powder

Last Updated on July 9, 2023

This is a guest post by Claire.

This post contains affiliate links.

One surprising find at Aldi that has become a repeat buy for me is protein powder. Even with Amazon being a factor, I haven’t found a better deal for the price, flavor, and macronutrients.

Millville’s Elevation Protein Powder can be bought in vanilla or chocolate flavors. I have bought the chocolate before and enjoyed it, but I usually buy the vanilla since I get bored easily and like to experiment with adding different ingredients to my shake.

This Regular Buy is $15.39 on Instacart and may be cheaper in-store. In my location, I think this is around $13.99. The container is 2 pounds and contains about 18 servings.

Each serving contains 170 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 80mg of cholesterol, 8 grams of carbs, 2 grams of sugar, 30 grams of protein, 160mg of calcium, 85mg of sodium, 250mg of potassium, and 4.5 grams of a creatine-amino acid blend.

Nutrition. (Click to enlarge.)

The ingredients consist of whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate, maltodextrin, cellulose gum, soy lecithin, natural and artificial flavors, sugar, dextrose, modified food starch, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, propylene glycol, cornstarch, tricalcium phosphate, and silicon dioxide. It contains milk and soy and is manufactured in a facility that also processes wheat and egg.

Ingredients. Click to enlarge.

I’ll start with the price. I’ve bought protein powders for around this price point before on Amazon, but they were usually running large promotions or were just gross. They typically run anywhere from $15-$25. If you shop in supplement or fitness shops, those prices easily creep over $30. I will say that most other protein powders do come with more servings than 18. Even factoring that in however, Aldi’s choice is very competitive.

Now consider the cost with the macronutrients. If you’re consuming protein shakes on a regular basis, it’s a fair bet that you’re interested in how these compare to other brands. While all protein powders will increase your protein levels, the goal (unless you’re trying to bulk) is typically to find a powder that increases your protein as much as possible without adding too many calories.

Millville’s Elevation Vanilla Protein Powder contains 170 calories per serving and 30 grams of protein. That’s 5.7 calories per every gram of protein. A comparable brand — indeed it’s listed on Millville’s packaging as being similar — is Body Fortress. Their vanilla Super Advanced Whey Protein is 190 calories per serving and 30 grams of protein, or 6.3 calories per gram of protein.

Not only does Millville’s calorie-to-protein ratio “win,” it’s also a few dollars cheaper.

Finally, the taste of this vanilla protein powder is very similar to that of a milkshake and isn’t chalky like some other brands. While I like it, I would warn that it is very sweet. Given the extensive ingredient list, it’s obvious that this is not a natural sweetness, but I enjoy it regardless.

When I’m in a pinch, I can blend the powder with milk or water on its own in the blender or a shaker bottle and still enjoy the taste. Usually however, I try to shoot for more of a milkshake and will throw in fruit or more dessert-like options.

Here’s one recipe I enjoy making:

• 1 serving of the Elevation Vanilla Protein Powder (2 scoops)
• 1 handful of Aldi’s Little Salad Bar pre-packaged Spinach
• 2T of PBfit or 1T of regular peanut butter
• 4-6 ice cubes
• 1 cup of almond milk or water
• ½ banana
• 1 pinch – 2t cinnamon

Blend until smooth and keep adding liquid for desired consistency.

Clearly, I like to add in a lot of extras, but at the end of the day you really just need the powder, liquid, and likely ice.

The Verdict:

While I wish that Aldi offered a bit more of an inventory in protein powders, Millville’s Elevation Vanilla Protein Powder is typically my first choice when I want to be cost-conscious without sacrificing taste or protein content. I think the only drawback to some health aficionados would be their less-than-all-natural ingredient list.

Claire Tadokoro works in publishing in New York City. Her writing can be found at www.clairetadokoro.com. She’s on Twitter and Instagram @ClaireTadokoro.