The Plant-Based Protein That Actually Tastes Like the Real Deal

Core Nutritionals expands their vegan protein lineup after some time off with a rich, authentic Peanut Butter flavor!

Core VEGAN just dropped Peanut Butter flavor — and this isn’t your typical chalky plant protein. With 21g protein, added BCAAs for leucine content, digestive enzymes, and Core’s premium flavoring system, they’re making vegan protein actually taste good.

Core Nutritionals has added another flavor to their impressive Core VEGAN lineup with Peanut Butter — a flavor that’s notoriously difficult to perfectly nail in plant-based protein powders. While many vegan proteins struggle with overly chalky peanut butter attempts, Core’s commitment to premium flavoring and their unique formulation approach promises something different.

Core VEGAN isn’t your typical plant protein. This is a scientifically-enhanced vegan blend that bridges the gap between plant-based nutrition and athletic performance through added BCAAs (especially to boost that leucine number), digestive enzymes, and a creamer system that actually works.

Let’s dive into why this Peanut Butter flavor could be a game-changer for dairy-free athletes, but first check PricePlow for our coupons and deals:

Core VEGAN Peanut Butter Macros

The new Peanut Butter flavor should deliver similar macros to other Core VEGAN flavors:

Calories: 125
Protein: 21g
Fat: 3g (1 g saturated)
Carbohydrates: 2g (~0.5g fiber)

Core consistently delivers that extra gram of protein — 21g instead of the standard 20g — which may seem small but demonstrates their attention to maximizing protein content per serving.

What Makes Core VEGAN Different

The full details are in our main Core Vegan article, but where’s a quick synopsis:

The Protein Foundation: Pea + Rice = Complete

Core VEGAN combines pea protein isolate with brown rice protein to create a complete amino acid profile. This isn’t just marketing – it’s solid nutritional science.

Pea protein isolate brings excellent digestibility (PDCAAS of 92.8%) and is naturally high in lysine, but tends to be lower in methionine. Brown rice protein fills that methionine gap while contributing additional essential amino acids. Together, they provide all nine essential amino acids your body can’t produce on its own.

BCAA Enhancement: Closing the Leucine Gap

Here’s where Core VEGAN gets serious about performance. While the pea/rice blend is solid, it doesn’t naturally match whey protein’s leucine content, which is the key amino acid that triggers muscle protein synthesis through the mTOR pathway.

Core’s solution? Simply add 1g of vegan BCAAs in a 2:1:1 ratio:

500mg Leucine
250mg Isoleucine
250mg Valine

This brings total leucine content over 2g per serving, putting it closer to the range where muscle protein synthesis can get stimulated. A simple yet brilliant move!

DigeSEB: Making Plants Work Better

Plant proteins can be harder to digest than dairy proteins. Core addresses this with DigeSEB, a comprehensive enzyme blend containing:

Proteases – break down protein into absorbable amino acids
Amylases – help digest any carbohydrates
Cellulase – specifically breaks down plant fibers
Lipase – assists with fat digestion
Lactase – included for completeness (though not needed here)

The protease enzymes deserve special mention: research shows they can reduce exercise-induced muscle damage and improve recovery, making them valuable beyond just digestion. Cellulase will be helpful for those truly on plant-based diets here, as well… and amylase for the carbohydrates, because who doesn’t love carbs?

The Flavor System: Why It Actually Tastes Good

Core uses a vegan coconut oil creamer combined with xanthan gum for texture, plus sucralose and acesulfame potassium for sweetening.

Yes, this makes it vegan but not 100% plant-based due to the artificial sweeteners. But for athletes who want dairy-free performance nutrition that doesn’t taste like cardboard, this approach delivers significantly better flavor than stevia-sweetened alternatives.

For a Peanut Butter flavor specifically, this sweetening system should provide the rich, creamy mouthfeel that makes peanut butter so satisfying — something that’s incredibly difficult to achieve with natural sweeteners alone.

All Core VEGAN Flavors Available

Not feeling the peanut butter vibe? Core VEGAN comes in several other excellent flavors:

Performance-Focused Vegan Nutrition

Core Nutritionals has never positioned themselves as a “plant-based lifestyle” brand. They’re a performance supplement company that happens to make an exceptional vegan protein for athletes who can’t or won’t use dairy.

CORE Vegan Protein is perfect for CORE Nutritionals’ demographic, with added BCAAs, digestive enzymes, and full-on flavor to bring it home!

This approach shows in every aspect of Core VEGAN’s formulation:

Enhanced amino acid profile through BCAA fortification
Digestive optimization via enzyme inclusion
Flavor prioritization for daily use sustainability
Protein density maximization at 21g per serving

Whether you’re lactose intolerant, following a plant-based diet, or simply want to diversify your protein sources, Core VEGAN delivers the performance nutrition serious athletes demand.

For the complete breakdown of Core VEGAN’s science and formulation, check out our comprehensive article: Core Vegan: BCAA-Enhanced Vegan Protein.