It depends on your goal. Whey is the better pick for building muscle after lifting, because it digests fast and is high in leucine. Bone broth protein is dairy-free and collagen-rich, and a lot of women find it easier on the stomach, so if whey leaves you bloated it's the gentler everyday option.
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I get this question a lot, usually from women with a tub of whey in the pantry they stopped using because it didn't sit well. Here's a fair side-by-side, including where whey wins.
Bone broth protein vs whey at a glance
| Whey protein | Bone Broth Protein Mix | |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Milk (the liquid left after cheesemaking) | Grass-fed beef bone broth |
| Dairy | Yes | No (creaminess from organic coconut and oat milk) |
| Lactose | Some; isolate has less than concentrate | None |
| Protein per serving | About 23g in a 30g scoop (USDA average for whey-based powders) | 14g per 21g scoop |
| Collagen | Essentially none | 10g+ naturally occurring |
| All nine essential amino acids | Yes | No: collagen-rich protein is very low in tryptophan |
| Leucine | High | Lower |
| Sugar | Varies by brand | 0g |
| Typical taste | Milky, usually a cold shake | Like hot chocolate, hot or iced |
| Best use | Post-lift shake | Warm daily drink or coffee swap |
| Price per serving | Varies by brand | About $2.31 ($59.99 for 26 servings) |
Whey numbers vary a lot by product, so check your own label. Ours come from the Nutrition Facts panel on every bag, and they're all on our Rae Basics at a glance page.
Which is easier to digest: bone broth protein or whey?
For a lot of women, bone broth protein. Whey comes from milk, so it carries some lactose. When your body doesn't make enough lactase to break that sugar down, the NIH notes you can end up with bloating, gas, stomach pain or loose stools after dairy. Whey isolate is filtered to remove most of the lactose, which is why some people do fine on isolate but not concentrate. Other people react to the milk proteins themselves, or just to a big cold shake on an empty stomach.
Bone broth protein has no milk in it at all. I can't promise a specific result for your stomach, because everyone's gut is different, but "whey makes me feel awful" is one of the most common things women tell us when they switch. If you're making the change, start with a half scoop for a few days and work up. Our guide to bone broth protein and bloating has more on easing in.
Which builds muscle better?
Whey. I'd rather say that plainly than hedge. Whey is rich in leucine, the amino acid that acts like a switch for muscle protein synthesis, and it digests quickly. Devries and Phillips, in their review, describe whey as one of the highest-quality proteins for exactly those reasons.
Collagen-rich protein works differently. In one analysis, a 20g serving of dairy protein supplied about 1,780mg of leucine, while the same amount of collagen peptides supplied about 580mg (Alcock and colleagues, 2019). And in a randomized trial in healthy older women, 30g of whey twice a day raised muscle protein synthesis more than the same amount of collagen (Oikawa and colleagues, 2020).
So if building muscle is your main goal and dairy agrees with you, whey is the more efficient choice after a workout. Bone broth protein still counts toward your daily total, though, and total intake plus how you spread it across the day matter most. Our guide to how much protein you need in perimenopause walks through the numbers.
Covering leucine without tracking it
You don't need to count leucine. Just make sure most meals include a food that's naturally rich in it: eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, fish, chicken, beef, tofu or lentils. A cup of Bone Broth Protein Mix with two eggs, or a cup made with dairy milk, covers your morning. If you want the full picture, I broke down the amino acids in every scoop.
What bone broth protein gives you that whey doesn't
Collagen. Whey has essentially none. Each scoop of our Mix has 10g+ of naturally occurring collagen from the broth itself. Collagen is the main structural protein in skin, tendons, ligaments and connective tissue, and it's unusually rich in glycine, proline and hydroxyproline, which most protein shakes barely contain.
Researchers have modeled that collagen can make up about a third of your daily protein while your overall diet still meets essential amino acid needs (Paul and colleagues, 2019). I won't promise skin or joint results from a drink. What I will say is that the amino acid profile is very different from whey's, and the two fill in each other's gaps. If you're weighing collagen on its own, see bone broth vs collagen peptides.
Who should choose which?
Choose whey if
- You lift three or four times a week and want a fast post-workout shake.
- Dairy agrees with you.
- You want the most protein per scoop for the lowest cost.
Choose bone broth protein if
- Whey or milk-based drinks leave you bloated or uncomfortable.
- You'd rather have a warm drink than another cold shake.
- You're replacing a sugary coffee-shop drink or cutting back on coffee.
- You're in perimenopause and just trying to get more protein in before noon.
“I've used whey before, but I personally prefer bone broth protein because it feels like a better fit for what I want from my everyday protein routine.”
Skotie Rae, RN, founder
Can you use both?
Yes, and plenty of women do. A common setup is a warm cup of bone broth protein in the morning and a whey shake after lifting. Or blend a scoop of Classic Chocolate into a post-workout smoothie with milk or Greek yogurt, like our Peanut Butter Chocolate Smoothie. The dairy covers leucine and the scoop adds collagen.
Nutrition per scoop of Bone Broth Protein Mix
One 21g scoop of grass-fed Bone Broth Protein Mix has 80 calories (90 for Chai), 14g of protein, 10g+ of naturally occurring collagen and 0g sugar. Carbs are 3g in Classic Chocolate, Mocha and Caffeinated Chocolate, and 4g in Chai. It's sweetened with monk fruit, dairy-free and gluten-free, and it contains coconut. A 26-serving bag is $59.99 and a 12-serving bag is $32.99, and you can subscribe and save.
Quick answers
Is bone broth protein better than whey?
Not across the board. Whey is better for building muscle after workouts. Bone broth protein is dairy-free, adds collagen and is often easier on the stomach. Pick the one that fits your goal and your gut.
Is bone broth protein good for building muscle?
It helps you reach your daily protein, which matters for muscle. It's lower in leucine than whey, so pair it with eggs, yogurt or milk, and eat protein at every meal.
Is bone broth protein dairy free?
Bone broth protein itself isn't dairy. Rae Basics Bone Broth Protein Mix is dairy-free, with creaminess from organic coconut and oat milk. It contains coconut.
Which has more protein per scoop?
Usually whey. A typical whey scoop gives more than 20g of protein. One scoop of Bone Broth Protein Mix gives 14g, or about 22g whisked into 1 cup (8 oz) of dairy milk.
Can I take whey and bone broth protein on the same day?
Yes. Lots of women drink bone broth protein in the morning and have whey after training. Count both toward your daily total.
Sources
- Devries MC, Phillips SM. Supplemental protein in support of muscle mass and health: advantage whey. J Food Sci. 2015;80 Suppl 1:A8-A15.
- Oikawa SY, Kamal MJ, Webb EK, et al. Whey protein but not collagen peptides stimulate acute and longer-term muscle protein synthesis with and without resistance exercise in healthy older women: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2020;111(3):708-718.
- 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.
- Paul C, Leser S, Oesser S. Significant amounts of functional collagen peptides can be incorporated in the diet while maintaining indispensable amino acid balance. Nutrients. 2019;11(5):1079.
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIH). Lactose Intolerance.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, FoodData Central. Beverages, protein powder whey based (FDC ID 173180). About 78g protein per 100g.
