I was placing an online Walmart order recently when I spotted Equate’s protein shakes and decided to throw a few in my cart. I had never heard of them, but they’re ultra-filtered milk protein shakes at just over $2 each, so the risk was low.
If you’re not familiar, Equate is Walmart’s store brand, and these shakes are basically their version of Fairlife Nutrition Plan. They’re made with ultra-filtered milk, like many other shakes on the market now, and come in at 150 calories and 30 grams of protein per bottle, which is the same as Fairlife Nutrition Plan, Nurri, and some others.
No offense to Walmart, but I had the lowest of expectations going in. Store brands can be hit or miss, and this is a category where the bar is really high thanks to Fairlife.
Plus, the branding of these shakes makes them seem… kind of terrible.
Ultra-filtered milk shakes are everywhere right now, and Fairlife does such a good job that it almost creates unrealistic expectations for everyone else. Some brands like Spylt, Quest, and Oikos have absolutely nailed it, but others like Barebells and Slate left me really disappointed.
So I was fully expecting Equate to land in that second group. Spoiler alert: I was wrong.
I’ll just come out and say it: I think Equate’s vanilla might be better than Fairlife. I’ve only had one bottle of Equate, so I definitely want to try more, but I was really, really surprised by this one.
It drinks very much like a milkshake. The flavor is similar to Fairlife, but the vanilla is smoother, and it honestly reminds me a lot of a Hershey’s vanilla milkshake.
It’s not thick like a real milkshake, of course. But in terms of texture and drinkability, it’s right in the same ballpark as Fairlife and Nurri, which is exactly where you want it to be.
There’s no weird aftertaste, no chalkiness, and no protein flavor to speak of. It just tastes like a really good vanilla milk.
The chocolate has a little more of that protein taste than the vanilla. But I want to be clear that it’s only very slight, and you really have to be looking for it. I don’t want to come out and say that these drinks are perfect, so that would be my criticism.
Otherwise, this drinks just like chocolate milk. In a blind taste test, I genuinely think most people wouldn’t know it wasn’t regular chocolate milk. I actually did a blind taste test of chocolate protein shakes and chocolate milk a while back, and I didn’t ace the test, so I believe this one could genuinely fool me.
It’s smooth, it’s not overly sweet, and it gives you the flavor of chocolate milk without tasting watered down. Between the two, I’d give the slight edge to vanilla, but this one was also great.
Look At The Price, Not the Packaging
This price is where Equate goes from “surprisingly good” to “must-buy.”
You can get a 12-pack for just under $20 at Walmart. For comparison, a 12-pack of Fairlife Nutrition Plan at the Walmart near me is over $40 right now.
That’s less than half the price for a shake that tastes just as good, if not better. That’s an absolute screaming value.
And if you just want to try one before committing, you can grab a single bottle for just over $2. When most protein shakes are running around $4 a bottle these days, that’s insane.
But if there’s one knock on these shakes, it’s the branding. And as someone who spends a lot of time thinking about, and talking about, packaging, I have to say something.
These look like baby formula or those old-school meal replacement shakes you’d find in the pharmacy aisle. There’s no way you’d pick one up and think “this is a solid Fairlife replacement.”
That’s a real shame, because the product inside deserves so much better. Equate is in desperate need of a rebrand here.
Luckily, I know a guy.
Equate Protein Shakes: Final Thoughts
I went into these expecting a budget protein shake that I’d drink once and write off. Instead, I found one of the best ultra-filtered milk shakes I’ve tried. There are a lot out there, but I would honestly rank these right at the top alongside Fairlife.
The vanilla is smooth and tastes like a Hershey’s milkshake, and the chocolate drinks like regular chocolate milk. And for 150 calories and 30 grams of protein, they match some of the best options out there.
But what really makes these a must-buy is the price. Paying less than half of what you’d pay for Fairlife, for a shake that’s arguably just as good, is a no-brainer.
If you’re a Fairlife fan, or you’re just looking for an easy way to get quality protein without breaking the bank, these are absolutely worth a try.
Just don’t judge them by the bottle, or else you’d never try them.
