The Best BCAA Supplements, Recommended by Experts

We also love this product because it's Informed Choice certified. These products are tested monthly on an undisclosed schedule to ensure they're free of contaminants and banned substances.

Transparent Labs BCAA Glutamine comes in four flavors: Strawberry Lemonade, Tropical Punch, Blue Raspberry, and Sour Green Apple. While there's no unflavored option, the variety of flavors should appeal to a wide range of taste preferences. It's sweetened naturally with stevia, so those avoiding artificial sweeteners can use it, and it’s free of artificial colors.

Since it contains coconut (a type of tree nut), this product is not suitable for people with a tree nut allergy. But it's gluten-free, and the BCAAs come from fermented microbial cultures, making it a vegan-friendly product that people with many different dietary needs can use.

This supplement was the priciest one on our list, at $1.33 per serving, but we feel that because it was also the supplement with the highest BCAA content on our list (at 8 g of BCAAs per serving), it's worth the additional cost.

NOW Sports Branched Chain Amino Acids Capsules is our pick for best BCAA capsules for several reasons. First, they contain a higher dose of BCAAs per serving than many other BCAA capsules (2.6 g versus 1 g found in many other capsules). Also, unlike many other BCAA capsules on the market, they don't contain gelatin, which makes them vegan-friendly. They're also Informed Sport certified, meaning that every batch is tested for contaminants and banned substances before being sold.

These capsules are also manufactured in a facility that is compliant with current good manufacturing practices (CGMP). This means they adhere to regulations set forth by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), ensuring that the supplement is consistently produced according to high-quality standards. It's also produced separately from wheat, gluten, soy, milk, egg, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, and sesame ingredients, making it a good choice for people with allergies or sensitivities.

Still, it’s worth noting that there are some downsides to taking BCAAs as capsules. First, the regular dose is four capsules twice daily. For people who don't like taking pills, this could be problematic. The capsules are also quite large, at almost one inch long. But large capsules were common among the BCAA capsules we reviewed and wasn't specific to this supplement. In general, BCAAs in capsule form will require you to take several large capsules to reach an effective dose. If that doesn't sound appealing, you may wish to choose a powdered BCAA supplement instead.

We also liked that this product is third-party tested and Informed Sport certified, meaning that each batch is tested for contaminants and banned substances. It's also vegan, halal, and kosher, so people with a wide range of dietary requirements can use it.

One downside of this product is that it only has two flavors — Watermelon and Grape. If you're looking for more variety of flavors, you may wish to try a different product. The product label also doesn't specify the ratio of amino acids, so it's impossible to tell whether it contains the recommended 2:1:1 ratio of leucine to isoleucine to valine. But it does contain an effective dose of 5 g of BCAAs, so we still feel it's a supplement worth recommending.

When it comes to the best pre-workout BCAA supplement, Optimum Nutrition Essential Amino Energy was a clear winner because, in addition to 5 g of a blend of amino acids (not just BCAAs), it also contains 100 mg of caffeine from green tea leaf extract and green coffee bean extract. We also like that this product packs about the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee (unlike other pre-workout supplements that contain up to 300 mg of caffeine per serving), to provide a gentle energy boost before exercise.

We also love that this company is third-party tested by Informed Choice, which means its products are tested on a monthly blind schedule to ensure they're free of contaminants and banned substances.

One downside of this product is that there's no unflavored option. But with 14 different flavors to choose from, we feel most people should be able to find a flavor they enjoy. It also contains artificial sweeteners (sucralose) and colors, so if you're trying to avoid those ingredients, you may want to choose a different product.

Naked Nutrition Naked BCAAs were chosen as the best budget BCAAs because they were the most affordable option we could find and were still third-party tested to ensure purity and potency. Also, unlike some other budget-friendly BCAAs, Naked BCAAs contain an effective dose of 5 g of BCAAs in a 2:1:1 ratio per scoop.

We also liked that this supplement is vegan, as well as soy and gluten-free, making it suitable for a wide variety of people. Additionally, unlike some other lower-cost BCAAs, this product contains no additives besides a minimal amount of sunflower lecithin, which is added to make the product dissolve better in liquid.

One downside to this product is that, despite being unflavored, some reviewers reported that the flavor was unpleasant. This can be overcome by mixing the product with juice or a sports drink, which may mask the flavor. Alternatively, Naked Nutrition also has comparable BCAA products in Cherry Lime or Strawberry Lemonade flavors.

Another downside of this product is that although it's third-party tested, it's not Informed Sport certified. This means that it may not meet the strict requirements set out by Informed Sport, which tests every batch of product before it hits the shelves.

While there isn’t an unflavored option, we love that Cellucor XTEND comes in 12 different flavors including Blue Raspberry Ice, Lemon Lime Squeeze, and Watermelon Explosion. There's likely a flavor for every palate.

This product is also third-party tested and Informed Choice certified, meaning that products are tested monthly for contaminants and banned substances. But it is formulated with artificial sweeteners sucralose and acesulfame potassium. If you're trying to avoid these ingredients, you may want to choose a product that uses a natural sweetener, like stevia.

We selected Kaged BCAA 2:1:1 as the best vegan BCAA because it's made from fermented plant-based ingredients, and, as a bonus, at 42 cents per serving, it’s also more affordable than some of the other vegan BCAA supplements we reviewed. Besides the BCAAs, this supplement is formulated with only sunflower lecithin, which helps the product mix better in liquid.

Kaged BCAA 2:1:1 is third-party tested and certified by Informed Sport, meaning that each batch is tested before being sold. This ensures that the product is free of contaminants and banned substances.

While this product is unflavored, making it easy to incorporate into your supplement routine, some may still experience an unpleasant taste or aftertaste. You can mask the flavor by mixing it with juice or a sports drink. Our research found that this supplement doesn't always mix well with water, but this was a common theme among the unflavored BCAAs that we reviewed.

We appreciate that this product is third-party tested and produced in an FDA-registered, CGMP-compliant facility, ensuring the product is of the highest quality. It's also vegetarian-friendly, so people who choose to avoid animal products can use this supplement. It's not Informed Sport certified, though, so that's something to keep in mind if you're a competitive athlete.

While there's no unflavored option, Nutricost BCAA for Women comes in six flavors: Watermelon, Peach Mango, Strawberry Lemonade, Grape, Green Apple, and Pink Drink. This supplement is sugar-free but does contain the artificial sweeteners sucralose and acesulfame potassium.

Pure Encapsulations BCAA Powder is our top pick for the best unflavored BCAA supplement because our research has shown that it's the least likely to have an unpleasant taste compared to other unflavored products. It contains a ratio of 2:1:1 of BCAAs, which sports dietitians generally recommend. It's also hypoallergenic and free from several common allergens, including wheat, soy, dairy, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, and gluten, making it suitable for a wide range of dietary needs. Finally, it's free from artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, coatings, and shellacs, as well as unnecessary binders, fillers, and preservatives.

All Pure Encapsulations products are third-party tested and produced in a CGMP-compliant facility, ensuring that the product you receive matches what is listed on the nutrition label. It's not Informed Sport certified, though, so if you're a professional athlete, you may want to choose an unflavored BCAA supplement that is.

One downside of this supplement is that a dose contains just 3 g of BCAAs per serving, slightly less than the recommended 4 to 20 g. However, the dose is easily adjustable thanks to the powder format. If you're working with a sports dietitian, follow their guidance regarding the appropriate BCAA dose.