A best-selling BCAA drink: 7 g BCAAs, glutamine and electrolytes with zero sugar, but BCAAs add little if you already eat enough protein.
Mixed
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Last reviewed September 29, 2026 by the Nutrition Reviews Editorial Team · How we review
Our verdict
Xtend Original is a well-made, NSF Contents Certified, zero-sugar drink with a fully disclosed label. The weak link is BCAAs themselves: for anyone eating enough protein, research shows little added muscle benefit, and an EAA product or a protein shake is a better use of money. Buy it for taste and hydration, not for gains.
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Our five-factor score out of 10. Factors are weighted by how much they matter to the outcome you’re paying for. Methodology
out of 10
Key ingredients at clinically studied doses, and how strong the evidence is.
Third-party testing and certifications, manufacturing standards, contaminant testing, recall history.
Cost per effective serving compared with category peers.
Taste, mixability, texture and tolerability from aggregated buyer and creator feedback.
Full label disclosure (no proprietary blends), available COAs, honest marketing.
Xtend Original is one of the best-known BCAA drinks: a sugar-free, brightly flavored powder sipped during or after training. Each 13.5 g scoop of the Blue Raspberry Ice version provides 7 g of branched-chain amino acids in a 2:1:1 ratio (3.5 g leucine and 1.75 g each of isoleucine and valine), plus 2.5 g of L-glutamine, 220 mg of sodium, 170 mg of potassium and vitamin B6. It is sweetened with sucralose and acesulfame potassium, and NSF lists the Original flavors in its Contents Certified database.
The label is honest; the premise is the problem. Building muscle protein requires all nine essential amino acids, and a 2017 review by amino acid researcher Robert Wolfe concluded that the claim that BCAAs alone stimulate muscle protein synthesis is unwarranted. The International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends 1.4–2.0 g of protein per kg of body weight daily, from sources supplying a balanced array of essential amino acids. If you already hit that target, a BCAA drink adds little beyond flavor, fluid and some electrolytes.
Buyers mostly like it: more than 7,500 buyer ratings average 4.5 stars, and reviewers describe it as refreshing and helpful for soreness, though taste is divisive (some find it too sweet) and some object to the artificial sweeteners. Xtend's own page now pitches the drink for 'GLP-1 support' and says its flavors contain no artificial colors, while the Blue Raspberry Ice ingredient list on Vitacost still includes FD&C Blue Lake #1.
At roughly $22 to $28 for 30 servings, it is a pleasant zero-sugar training drink rather than a muscle-building essential.
| Key ingredient | Per serving | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| L-Leucine Signals muscle protein synthesis, but the full set of essential amino acids is needed to build muscle. | 3,500 mg | Signals muscle protein synthesis, but the full set of essential amino acids is needed to build muscle. |
| L-Isoleucine and L-Valine The other two branched-chain amino acids, in the standard 2:1:1 ratio with leucine. | 1,750 mg each | The other two branched-chain amino acids, in the standard 2:1:1 ratio with leucine. |
| L-Glutamine A non-essential amino acid the body can make on its own. | 2,500 mg | A non-essential amino acid the body can make on its own. |
| Sodium and potassium Electrolytes that help replace a portion of sweat losses during long sessions. | 220 mg / 170 mg | Electrolytes that help replace a portion of sweat losses during long sessions. |
Supplement Facts
Serving Size 13.5 g (Approx. 1 Scoop)
Servings Per Container 30
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. † Daily Value not established.
Other ingredients: Citric acid, natural & artificial flavors, malic acid, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, silicon dioxide, fd&c blue lake #1.
Flavors & variants
Testing & quality
Xtend Original BCAA flavors are listed as NSF Contents Certified (NSF/ANSI 173) in NSF's database; retailer copy also cites Informed Choice, which we could not confirm.
Independent creators reviewing Original BCAA Powder on TikTok and YouTube.
What we like
Watch-outs
Similar products, ranked by our score.
Nutricost
A budget EAA powder at about $0.67 a serving that includes all nine essential amino acids, but 6 of its 8 g are BCAAs and several others are only token amounts.
Optimum Nutrition
A hugely popular caffeinated amino drink: 100 mg natural caffeine plus a 5 g proprietary amino blend led by taurine, glutamine and arginine, so EAA doses are unknown.
Thorne
A well-balanced, NSF Certified for Sport EAA formula with 1.25 g leucine per scoop, but only about 4 g of amino acids for roughly $1.73 a serving.
Transparent Labs
Clean-label BCAA drink with 8 g fermented BCAAs, 5 g glutamine and no artificial sweeteners, but about $1.33 a serving and 1,500 mg of vitamin C per scoop.
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