Premier Protein and Ensure often sit side by side on store shelves, but they’re not made for the same purpose. One is designed to deliver high protein with fewer calories, while the other focuses on overall nutrition and meal support.
If you’re trying to figure out which one fits your lifestyle — whether that’s staying active, managing weight, or supporting health and recovery — this quick comparison will help you choose the right option without the confusion.
What Is Premier Protein?
Premier Protein is a nutrition brand known for its ready-to-drink protein shakes and protein powders designed to make it easy to increase daily protein intake. The products are especially popular with people who want high protein without a lot of calories or sugar.
Most Premier Protein shakes contain around 30 grams of protein per serving, typically from whey protein, along with about 150–160 calories and very low sugar. They also include added vitamins and minerals, which helps support overall nutrition in addition to protein needs.
Premier Protein is commonly used as a post-workout drink, quick breakfast, or high-protein snack, particularly by those focused on fitness, weight management, or maintaining muscle.
What Is Ensure?
Ensure is a nutritional supplement brand designed to provide complete and balanced nutrition, especially for people who may not be getting enough nutrients from regular meals. It’s widely used by older adults, people recovering from illness, and those with reduced appetite.
Ensure products come in several varieties, including Ensure Original, Ensure High Protein, and Ensure Max Protein. Depending on the type, they provide a mix of protein, calories, vitamins, and minerals to help support energy, strength, and overall health. Some versions are higher in calories to work as a meal replacement, while others focus more on protein support.
Overall, Ensure is commonly recommended as a daily nutrition drink to help maintain weight, support recovery, and fill nutritional gaps when eating enough solid food is difficult.
Purpose of Premier Protein and Ensure
Premier Protein is mainly designed to help people increase their protein intake in a convenient way. Its purpose is to support muscle maintenance, fitness goals, weight management, and satiety while keeping calories and sugar low. It’s commonly used as a post-workout drink, high-protein snack, or quick breakfast for active individuals or those tracking protein closely.
Ensure, on the other hand, is created to provide overall nutritional support, not just protein. Its purpose is to help people meet daily calorie, vitamin, and mineral needs, especially when regular meals aren’t enough. Ensure is often used as a meal replacement or supplement for older adults, people recovering from illness or surgery, and anyone with a low appetite or increased nutritional needs.
Key Claims for Each Product
Premier Protein – Key Claims
- High Protein Content: Provides around 30 g of protein per serving to support muscle maintenance and recovery.
- Low Calories: Most shakes are about 150–160 calories, helping fit protein into calorie-controlled diets.
- Low Sugar: Usually contains very little sugar (often ~1 g), appealing to people watching sugar intake.
- Added Vitamins & Minerals: Includes multiple essential nutrients to support overall health.
- Convenient Nutrition: Ready-to-drink format makes it easy to use as a quick snack or post-workout drink.
What this means: Premier Protein markets itself as a high-protein, low-calorie shake that fits into active lifestyles, fitness goals, and weight-management plans.
Ensure – Key Claims
- Complete Nutrition: Designed to deliver balanced calories, protein, vitamins, and minerals to support overall health.
- Supports Energy & Strength: Formulated to help maintain energy levels and strength, especially for older adults or people with limited appetites.
- Meal Replacement Option: Some Ensure products provide enough calories and nutrients to replace a meal when needed.
- Digestive Support: Certain formulas include fiber or prebiotics to support digestion.
- Trusted Nutrition Brand: Often recommended by healthcare professionals for people with increased nutritional needs.
What this means: Ensure is positioned as a nutritionally complete supplement aimed at supporting overall health, weight maintenance, and recovery, rather than just protein intake.
Which Is Better for Diet?
When it comes to dieting, Premier Protein is usually the better option, especially for people focused on weight loss or calorie control.
Premier Protein delivers high protein with fewer calories and very low sugar, helping you feel full while keeping your calorie intake in check. With around 30 grams of protein per serving and roughly 150–160 calories, it fits well into most diet and weight-management plans.
Ensure, by comparison, is designed more for overall nutrition than dieting. Many Ensure products contain more calories and carbohydrates because they are meant to replace meals or support people who need extra nourishment. While Ensure Max Protein can work for dieting due to its higher protein and lower calorie profile, standard Ensure shakes are generally less diet-friendly.
Which Helps With Muscle Gain?
For muscle gain, Premier Protein is generally the better choice for most people, especially those who are working out or doing strength training.
Premier Protein provides around 30 grams of high-quality protein per serving, usually from whey protein. Whey is fast-digesting and rich in essential amino acids, which helps support muscle repair and growth after exercise. Because it’s also low in sugar and unnecessary calories, it’s easy to include in a muscle-building diet without throwing off overall nutrition goals.
Ensure can also support muscle gain, but it depends on the type. Standard Ensure products focus more on overall nutrition and calories rather than muscle building. However, Ensure Max Protein contains higher protein levels and can help meet daily protein needs, especially for people who need extra calories along with protein.
Which Has More Nutrients?
When comparing overall nutrients, Ensure generally contains a wider range of calories, vitamins, and minerals than most Premier Protein shakes — because it’s designed as a complete nutrition supplement, not just a protein boost.
Ensure products (especially the original or meal-replacement varieties) are formulated to provide a broader mix of:
- Calories for energy
- Carbohydrates and fats
- Vitamins and minerals (often more than 20 essential nutrients)
- Some versions also include fiber and special blends to support digestion and immune health
This makes Ensure better suited for people who need balanced nutrition, such as older adults, people recovering from illness, or anyone struggling to get enough nutrients from regular food.
Premier Protein also includes added vitamins and minerals, but its main focus is protein first. Its nutrient profile typically emphasizes:
- High protein
- Low sugar
- Lower calories
- A moderate set of vitamins and minerals compared to Ensure
So, if you’re looking for a shake that provides more overall nutrients and calories, Ensure usually has the edge. But if your priority is high protein with fewer calories, Premier Protein is stronger in that specific area.
Who Has Lower Calories?
When it comes to calories, Premier Protein typically has fewer calories per serving than most Ensure products.
Most Premier Protein shakes are designed to be high in protein but low in calories, with around 150–160 calories per serving. This makes them easy to include in a calorie-controlled diet while still giving you a substantial amount of protein.
Many Ensure products—especially the original formulas—contain more calories because they are intended to be complete nutrition or meal replacements, not just protein supplements. While Ensure Max Protein is closer to Premier Protein in calories and protein content, it’s still usually slightly higher or similar depending on the flavor and formulation.
Which Is More Affordable (in Dollars)?
When comparing prices in U.S. dollars, Ensure is generally the more affordable option, especially for everyday use.
Standard Ensure Original shakes are usually sold in larger multipacks and cost less per bottle, making them a budget-friendly choice for people who drink them daily. These products are designed for overall nutrition rather than just protein, which helps keep the price lower.
Premier Protein shakes tend to be more expensive per serving because they offer a higher protein content and are marketed as premium, ready-to-drink protein shakes. While sales and bulk purchases can lower the cost, Premier Protein is still usually priced higher than basic Ensure products.
Taste Preference
When it comes to taste, both Premier Protein and Ensure have loyal fans — but they’re different experiences, and personal preference plays a big role.
Premier Protein
Many people enjoy Premier Protein for its smooth, milkshake-like taste and wide range of flavors (like chocolate, vanilla, caramel, and seasonal varieties). Because it’s designed more like a fitness drink, the sweetness and texture tend to be closer to a protein smoothie than a medical supplement. For many, its flavor is more enjoyable as a daily drink or post-workout treat.
Ensure
Ensure’s flavor profile leans toward a nutritionally balanced drink, which some people describe as less sweet and more “nutritional shake”-like. It comes in classic flavors like chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. While many find it pleasant, others feel Ensure is less tasty than Premier Protein, especially if they’re used to protein shakes that feel more like a dessert.
Best For
Here’s a simple breakdown of who each product is best suited for:
Premier Protein — Best For:
- People focused on muscle maintenance or gain
- Those following weight-loss or calorie-controlled diets
- Fitness enthusiasts and gym-goers
- Anyone who wants a high-protein, low-calorie snack
- People who enjoy a smooth, milkshake-style taste
In short: Choose Premier Protein if your main goal is boosting protein while keeping calories and sugar low.
Ensure — Best For:
- Older adults needing balanced nutrition
- People recovering from illness, surgery, or reduced appetite
- Anyone who needs extra calories, vitamins, and minerals
- Those using a shake as a meal replacement
- People who prefer a nutritionally complete drink over a high-protein snack
Personal Favorite
When I think about everyday use, taste, and value for fitness goals, Premier Protein is my personal favorite — especially if your main priorities are high protein, lower calories, and a satisfying taste.
Here’s why:
- The 30 g of protein per serving helps support muscle maintenance and fullness, which is great whether you’re working out or just trying to stay on top of your protein goals.
- The low sugar and moderate calories make it easy to fit into a balanced diet without extra calories sneaking in.
- Many people find the flavor and texture more enjoyable compared with traditional nutrition shakes — it feels closer to a milkshake than a medical drink.
- It’s super convenient for busy days when you need a quick protein boost without a full meal.
That said, if your focus were overall nutrition or you needed a drink to help with recovery, appetite loss, or balanced calories, then Ensure would be a strong second pick.
But for most people looking for a tasty, protein-packed boost to their daily routine, Premier Protein wins my vote.