Plain, unflavored bone broth protein tastes mild and savory, a lot like a light beef stock. A good chocolate bone broth protein should taste like rich hot chocolate, not soup, because the broth is just the protein base and the flavor comes from cocoa, coconut milk and the sweetener. If you stir it into a paste first, it drinks smooth instead of chalky.
In this article
"Does it taste like soup?" is a question we hear a lot, and I get why. "Bone broth" and "hot chocolate" don't sound like they belong in the same mug. Below is what each flavor actually tastes like and how to make any cup better.
What does unflavored bone broth protein taste like?
Unflavored bone broth protein tastes like what it is: dried broth. Expect something mild, savory and slightly meaty, closer to a light stock than a hearty soup. Some brands are saltier than others.
That savory edge is why plain broth protein gets mixed reviews. In one study, athletes rated a plain, chef-made bone broth alongside other unflavored protein sources, and the taste and texture scores were mixed (Alcock and colleagues, 2019). Plain protein of any kind is rarely delicious. Making it taste good is a formulation job.
If you already have an unflavored bag at home, keep it savory. Whisk it into soup, gravy, pasta sauce or the water you cook rice in. Stirring unflavored broth protein into a sweet drink is where most bad first impressions come from, and it's why so many people assume every bone broth protein tastes like soup.
Does bone broth protein taste like soup?
A good flavored one shouldn't. Once bone broth is simmered, strained, concentrated and dried, you're left with a fairly neutral protein. What you taste in the finished drink depends on everything around it: the cocoa, the fat that gives it body, the sweetener and the salt.
My husband Josh is a food scientist, and he made the very first batch of our Mix in our kitchen, just for me. Taste was the one thing neither of us would compromise on. If a drink tastes even faintly like soup, you won't want it every morning, and a mug you don't finish doesn't do anything for you.
What does bone broth hot chocolate taste like?
Hot chocolate. Rich, chocolatey, a little creamy, and not too sweet. The creaminess comes from organic coconut and oat milk instead of dairy. The sweetness comes from monk fruit, whose extract contains natural compounds called mogrosides. The FDA notes monk fruit extract is 100 to 250 times sweeter than sugar, so a small amount goes a long way, and there's 0g sugar in the scoop. For comparison, a cup of homemade hot cocoa has about 24g of sugar, according to USDA data.
One customer put it better than I can:
"I love, love my Rae mix. I have it in my coffee and shakes daily. Tastes like hot chocolate! Best flavor!" Atousa H., verified buyer
If you want to know whether it's good for you and not just good-tasting, I wrote a separate guide: is bone broth hot chocolate good for you?
What each Rae Basics flavor tastes like
| Flavor | What it tastes like | Caffeine |
|---|---|---|
| Classic Chocolate | Nostalgic, rich hot chocolate | 0mg |
| Mocha | A coffee-shop mocha: coffee flavor with chocolate | 0mg |
| Caffeinated Chocolate | Classic hot chocolate with a gentle lift | 60mg per scoop, from green coffee beans |
| Chai | Warm chai spice and vanilla, no tea | 0mg |
Classic is the caffeine-free family favorite and a nice evening wind-down. Mocha is for coffee lovers who want the flavor without any caffeine. Caffeinated Chocolate is the one to swap in for your morning coffee. Chai, our newest flavor, is warm spice and vanilla with no tea and no caffeine.
“Classic Chocolate is the flavor I reach for most, especially in the morning when I want something warm that feels a little more like a treat than a protein drink.”
Skotie Rae, RN, founder
Is it chalky or clumpy?
It shouldn't be, but technique matters. Collagen-rich protein can clump if you dump it into a full mug of very hot liquid. The fix takes ten seconds:
- Put one scoop in your mug.
- Add about 2 tablespoons of warm liquid and stir into a smooth paste.
- Pour in the rest (8 to 12 oz) while stirring, or run a handheld frother for 10 seconds.
Heat your liquid until it steams, not until it boils. That's the whole method in our Protein Hot Chocolate recipe. You don't need a blender.
How to make it taste the way you like
If your first mug wasn't quite right, don't give up on the bag yet. When people tell us it's "too sweet," "too thin" or "too strong," it usually comes down to how much liquid went in and which liquid it was. A couple of small changes tend to fix it.
Start with the basics
- Use 8 to 12 oz of liquid per scoop. That's the range on the bag. 8 oz makes a rich, thick mug, and 12 oz makes a lighter, less sweet one.
- Water or milk. Water gives you a cleaner, lighter cup. Milk makes it creamier and rounder. Dairy milk, oat milk, almond milk and coconut milk all work, so use the one you like in your coffee.
- Hot, not boiling. Heat your liquid until it steams, then stop. Boiling can leave the chocolate tasting cooked instead of like chocolate.
- Whisk or froth it. Stir the scoop into 2 tablespoons of the hot liquid to make a paste, then add the rest while you stir. A handheld frother for 10 seconds gives you a smooth, latte-style cup.
- Try it iced. Shake a scoop with cold milk in a lidded jar, then pour it over ice. If it feels too rich hot, it may suit you better cold.
Quick fixes
| If it tastes | Try this |
|---|---|
| Too sweet | Add more liquid, up to 12 oz. Use unsweetened milk instead of a sweetened or vanilla one. The chocolate flavors already have a little Redmond's pink salt in them, but one more tiny pinch takes the edge off the sweetness. |
| Too thick or too strong | Add more liquid, or start with half a scoop and work up. |
| Thin or watery | Use less liquid, closer to 8 oz, and switch from water to milk. Froth it for more body. |
| Flat or a little plain | Add a pinch of salt to a chocolate flavor, or a shake of cinnamon to Mocha or Chai. |
| Clumpy or chalky | Do the paste step first, and keep the liquid below a boil. If it's cold, shake it in a lidded jar instead of stirring. |
New to it? Start with half a scoop
If you're not used to protein drinks, or you're sensitive to sweetness, half a scoop in 8 oz of milk is a gentle way to start. It still gives you 7g of protein. Once you like the taste, move up to a full scoop and adjust the liquid from there.
And if you've tried all of this and the flavor still isn't for you, email us at hello@raebasics.com within 30 days of delivery. We'll look at it and do our best to make it right. Here's how our guarantee works, and our flavor guide can help you pick a better match.
Two more ideas
- Add vanilla or cinnamon. A drop of vanilla softens the cocoa. Cinnamon is great with Mocha and Chai.
- Put it in coffee. A scoop of Mocha turns plain coffee into a mocha. Here's how to put bone broth protein in coffee.
Why taste matters for a daily habit
A lot of good intentions end up in the back of the pantry. The protein drink that works is the one you actually want at 7 a.m. If you like how it tastes, you'll keep drinking it, and that's when the 14g of protein, 10g+ of naturally occurring collagen and 0g sugar in each scoop of Bone Broth Protein Mix start to add up. Every nutrition number is on Rae Basics at a glance.
Quick answers
Does bone broth protein taste like broth?
Unflavored versions taste mildly savory, like a light stock. A well-made chocolate mix tastes like hot chocolate, because the flavor comes from cocoa, coconut milk and a natural sweetener.
What does bone broth hot chocolate taste like?
Rich, creamy hot chocolate that isn't overly sweet. The broth is there for protein, not flavor.
Is bone broth protein chalky?
It shouldn't be. Stir the scoop into 2 tablespoons of warm liquid to make a paste, then add the rest, and it drinks smooth.
What is the best way to drink bone broth protein?
Hot with steamed milk is the classic way. It's also good iced, frothed into a latte, blended into a smoothie or stirred into coffee.
What is Bone Broth Protein Mix sweetened with?
Organic monk fruit. There's 0g sugar per scoop.
Why does my Bone Broth Protein Mix taste too sweet?
Usually it's too little liquid or a sweetened milk. Use up to 12 oz of unsweetened milk or water per scoop, or try half a scoop.
How much liquid should I use per scoop?
8 to 12 oz. Use 8 oz for a rich, thick mug and 12 oz for a lighter, less sweet one.
Sources
- Alcock RD, Shaw GC, Tee N, Burke LM. Plasma amino acid concentrations after the ingestion of dairy and collagen proteins, in healthy active males. Front Nutr. 2019;6:163. (Includes palatability ratings for plain protein sources, including bone broth.)
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Aspartame and Other Sweeteners in Food (section on Siraitia grosvenorii Swingle fruit extract, monk fruit).
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, FoodData Central. Milk, chocolate beverage, hot cocoa, homemade (FDC ID 171277). Per cup: about 24g total sugars, 9g protein.
