These Weight Gain Supplements Will Pack On Mass For Skinny Guys (2024)

While a huge amount of fitness and health advice everywhere is how to lose weight and reduce fat, skinny guys also have a problem that is equally hard to solve.

This may seem like a made-up problem, but putting on mass as a hard gainer can be a real pain, and having a pencil neck and stick arms as a grown man is not a condition one must accept.

A specific category of supplements that can be very helpful is mass gainers. They will not make you buff alone, but they can be an invaluable way of getting in the extra calories and the protein you need to gain those pounds that will take you out of the skinny guy category.

• Best Weight Gain Supplement For Skinny Guys: Crazy Nutrition Mass Gainer
• Best Budget Weight Gain Supplement For Skinny Guys: Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Pro Gainer
• Best Weight Gain Supplement For Skinny Athletes: Transparent Labs Mass Gainer
• Best Vegan Weight Gain Supplement For Skinny Guys: Transparent Labs Vegan Mass Gainer
• Best Animal-Based Weight Gain Supplement For Skinny Guys: REDCON1 MRE Meal Replacement

Best Weight Gain Supplement For Skinny Guys

Crazy Nutrition Mass Gainer

Pros

• Uses whole food carbohydrate sources rather than inexpensive carbohydrate fillers.
• Excellent carbohydrate/protein ratio.
• Digestive enzymes help to reduce bloating and stomach pain.

Cons

• On the more expensive side at $4.5 per serving.

Price per Serving

• $4.50 one-off purchase
• $3.15 subscription

Macro	Dose
Calories	488
Protein	40 g
Carbohydrates	55 g (7.5 g from sugar)
Fat	10 g

Crazy Nutrition is a relatively new supplement brand, but it’s already made a solid impression on the market. With its mass gainer, Crazy Nutrition has done something unique no other company has done: introducing digestive enzymes.

The most common complaint about weight gain supplements is stomach issues and bloating, which is often caused by large serving amounts and low-quality ingredients. Crazy Nutrition Mass Gainer does not create these adverse effects. 

My personal experience with the product also confirms the absence of unpleasant side effects, which are all too common for other products.

Furthermore, they use whole food alternatives rather than inexpensive carbohydrate fillers such as maltodextrin. Here are the food sources used in Crazy Nutrition Mass Gainer:

• Gluten-free oats
• Pea starch
• Whey protein blend of whey isolate and concentrate
• Sweet potato flour

This also means it’s a perfect meal replacement on non-training days or when you’re in a hurry and need to eat something.

The macros of this supplement also reinforce its first place as the best weight gainer in this list.

They employ a 2:1 carbohydrate-to-protein ratio, ideal for anyone tracking their macros on a heavy carbohydrate diet, which a skinny guy trying to gain weight should be on.

As you can see by the macro breakdown, sugar accounts for only 7.5 g of carbohydrates, with the remainder coming from whole food sources. The taste of the chocolate flavor is tremendous, and I strongly recommend it.

Overall, this is my personal favorite weight-gain supplement. You can see why in my Crazy Nutrition Mass Gainer review.

Best Budget Weight Gain Supplement For Skinny Guys

Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Pro Gainer

Pros

• The highest protein amount in weight gainers.
• Much cheaper per serving than the premium whole food options.
• Third-party tested for banned substances.

Cons

• Don’t use whole food carbohydrate sources.

Price per Serving

• $3.93 per serving

Macro	Dose
Calories	650
Protein	60 g
Carbohydrates	81 g
Fat	9 g

Optimum Nutrition is an old brand known for producing high-quality supplements. While not made from whole foods, their Gold Standard Pro Gainer is worth looking into, especially if you struggle to meet your protein goals.

It contains 60 g each serving, the biggest amount I’ve seen in a bulk gainer.

The product also contains 29 vitamins and minerals, making it a great supplement overall. Despite the extensive ingredients list, the Gold Standard Pro Gainer is tested for impurities and banned substances and carries the Informed Choice mark, making it safe for athletes.

The downside of this product is that it doesn’t use whole foods for carbohydrate sources, only maltodextrin.

But at $3.22, it is a more budget-friendly option than the whole-food options offered by Crazy Nutrition and Transparent Labs.

There are cheaper mass gainers on the market, but they use lower-quality ingredients and are full of artificial substances.

I strongly recommend sticking to proven brands like Optimum Nutrition, which should be affordable enough for most people. 

Best Weight Gain Supplement For Skinny Athletes

Transparent Labs Mass Gainer

Pros

• Made only from natural, high-quality ingredients.
• Third-party tested and carrying the Informed Choice mark.
• Great macronutrient profile.
• Contains 3 g of creatine monohydrate.

Cons

• Only two available flavors.

Price per Serving

• $5.33 per serving

Macro	Dose
Calories	750
Protein	53 g
Carbohydrates	110 g
Fat	14 g

Transparent Labs consistently delivers premium products, whether it’s protein, creatine, a pre-workout, or a mass gainer.

Their products, including the Mass Gainer, are always a prime choice for athletes because they carry the Informed-Choice mark, which signifies each batch was tested for banned substances or impurities.

Similar to their protein powder, the protein in this product is derived from grass-fed whey, which is better than conventional dairy. Its carbohydrates are also derived from organic tapioca, oats, and sweet potato, which are excellent sources of complex carbohydrates.

There are only two flavor options- chocolate and vanilla. Depending on the flavor (chocolate has the higher numbers), each serving contains 51-53g of protein, 106-110g of carbohydrates, 4-6g of fiber, and 12g of sugar. Each serving will be approximately 730-750 calories.

One serving also contains 3 g of creatine monohydrate.

The Transparent Labs Mass Gainer is on the expensive side, at $5.13 per serving, but when you consider the company’s approach of always delivering all-natural, clean, and third-party tested products, you get what you pay for.

Transparent Labs is your best choice if you are a competitive athlete who wants to put on some mass.

Best Vegan Weight Gain Supplement For Skinny Guys

Transparent Labs Vegan Mass Gainer

Pros

• Only natural ingredients, favorers and sweeteners.
• High protein content from peas.
• Complex carbohydrates profile.
• 3 g of creatine is great for vegans.

Cons

• The taste is underwhelming.
• Most expensive weight gain supplement per serving.

Price per Serving

• $5.33 per serving

Macro	Dose
Calories	730
Protein	52 g
Carbohydrates	115 g
Fat	10 g

Vegan diets can easily lead to a caloric surplus, but the macronutrient profile is usually not very good, and it’s harder to get enough high-quality protein.

Additionally, there aren’t many high-quality vegan mass gainers on the market to help you gain weight without touching animal products.

Thankfully for vegans, one of the best supplement companies on the market released their first product of this kind not so long ago- the Transparent Labs Vegan Mass Gainer.

With 750 calories, 110 g of carbs, 53 protein (50 for the vanilla flavor), 9 g of fat, and 10 g of sugar, the numbers are almost identical to those of the company’s non-vegan mass gainer.

The sole protein source is pea protein isolate, while the carbs come from various sources, including tapioca maltodextrin, oat flower, and sweet potato powder. The 3 grams of creatine monohydrate is another excellent addition, especially beneficial for vegans.

This vegan mass gainer has a well-balanced blend of plant-based proteins, carbs, and essential nutrients that promote muscle building and weight gain without the need for animal products. 

Best Animal-Based Weight Gain Supplement For Skinny Guys

REDCON1 MRE Meal Replacement

Pros

• 47 g of protein coming from a range of meat, fish, and vegetable whole food sources.
• An excellent macro and caloric profile matching a solid and well-balanced meal.
• At $2.87, it provides great value both as a meal replacement and when compared to high-quality mass gainers.

Cons

• The four-scoop dose may make you feel bloated.

Price per Serving

• $3.20 per serving.

Macro	Dose
Calories	530
Protein	47 g
Carbohydrates	75 g
Fat	4 g

Meal replacement supplements and mass gainers largely coincide because of the number of calories they have. But the Redcon1 MRE is not your typical whey + maltodextrin mass gainer.

Instead, it contains a whole food protein blend containing powdered beef, salmon, chicken, eggs, brown rice, and pea proteins. The carbohydrates are also from whole food sources such as rolled oats, yams, and sweet potatoes.

With 530 calories, 47 g of protein, 75 g of carbs, and 4 g of fat, the macros are similar to a typical well-balanced meal. When you consider the sources, you can see why this is not simply a mass gainer but a healthy meal replacement.

I want to quickly calm you that despite the meat and fish protein sources inside the MRE, it doesn’t taste anything like meat or fish.

The taste is whatever you choose—chocolate, vanilla, banana, or any of the remaining typical protein supplement tastes.

If you struggle to get a meal during the day, the Redcon1 MRE is an excellent animal-based meal replacement. Of course, you can also use this as a mass gainer and gulp it in addition to a full day of eating.

Weight Gain Supplements To Avoid

Dymatize Super Mass Gainer

Macro	Dose
Calories	1280
Protein	52 g
Carbohydrates	245 g
Fat	10 g

I recommend avoiding these mass gainers due to the insane serving amounts. One serving contains 2 & ½ cups of powder and 1280 calories, which is overkill, to say the least.

This leaves only 8 servings in the entire tub, which can be used for just over a week. If you take one serving per day, you’ll need four tubs.

I usually don’t recommend following the serving guidelines for mass gainers. My typical advice is consuming ½ servings, which results in 250-350 additional calories. However, even half a portion has over 600 calories and only 25 grams of protein.

With just 50 g of protein in a full serving, you’re paying more than $50 for 245 g of flavored maltodextrin. It’s not worth the money, and the protein-to-carbohydrate is nowhere near the good quality mass gainers.

Optimum Nutrition Serious Mass

Macro	Dose
Calories	1260
Protein	50 g
Carbohydrates	252 g
Fat	6 g

Optimum Nutrition Serious Mass is sometimes the first weight gainer that springs to mind when considering mass gainer supplements. But it has the same issues as Dymatize Super Mass Gainer.

The same serving size of 2 & ½ cups contains 1250 calories, 50 g of protein, and 254 g of carbs. Again, you are paying for flavored maltodextrin.

As a skinny guy, drinking a whole serving of this daily would leave little room for other carbohydrate sources with a higher nutritional profile and fiber.

Serious Mass also contains creatine, which would ordinarily be beneficial, but here, it’s just 1 g per serving. Creatine is most effective when taken at least 3 g per day.

Naked Mass

Macro	Dose
Calories	1260
Protein	50 g
Carbohydrates	251 g
Fat	2.5 g

Naked Mass is a popular product that follows the same recipe as Dymatize and ON. A gigantic 333 grams of powder per serving contains 251 grams of carbs from maltodextrin and only 50 grams of protein.

While the protein is grass-fed whey, the maltodextrin is from organic tapioca, and the remaining ingredients are also organic, the protein-to-carbohydrate ratio and the absurd amount of calories per serving are simply not worth it.

How To Pick Weight Gainer For Skinny Guys

Ingredients

My two recommended mass gainers primarily use whole food sources in their ingredients. This is essential since it helps with the unpleasant side effects of taking large, potentially bloating mass gainer servings.

Furthermore, you want to know if your bulk gainer can be used as a meal replacement on off days without relying on simple sugars for the majority of your carbohydrate consumption.

The better products, such as Crazy Nutrition and Transparent Labs, use different complex carbs like oats and sweet potatoes instead of only maltodextrin.

Most mass gainers rely on whey protein as their main protein source, which is great for building muscle, but if you are looking for a meal replacement, the various animal and plant protein sources in the Redcon1 MRE are a better choice.

Serving Size

Serving size is another important thing to consider. As you can see in the list of mass gainers to avoid, each serving size contains more than 300 g of powder. 2 & ½ cups, to be exact.

Take your measuring cup out of the cupboard and visualize how much powder there is. That will not fit in a shaker bottle filled with water to mix.

My mass gainers of choice contain 300-750 calories per serving, which is within the range of a regular meal. Of course, you can always opt not to take a full serving, but the macros on the labels and packaging are for one serving, so do your math if you want to split a serving.

Macronutrient Breakdown

This is the most critical factor in mass gainers. The good gainers have approximately a 2:1 carbohydrate-to-protein ratio, which works well.

Some of these mass gainers have a 5:1 ratio, which is not optimal. These are also the products with gigantic 1000+ calorie plus servings. If you split the serving to take less carbs and calories, you also reduce the protein intake too much, which essentially beats the purpose.

Furthermore, eating five times more carbohydrates than protein requires limiting your whole-food carbohydrate intake, which leads to less fiber and vitamin intake.

The amount of fat in a mass gainer is usually low, so you needn’t worry about it.

Third-Party Testing

Third-party testing is assuring for all users, but it’s crucial for athletes who are subjected to drug tests.

A few of the options on the list, such as the Transparent Labs gainers and the Optimum Nutrition Gold standard gainer, have the Informed Choice ticks, which guarantee purity.

Frequently Asked Weight Gain Supplement Questions

How Can a Skinny Guy Gain Weight Fast?

As a skinny guy, you are blessed with low fat and lean physique. Don’t ruin this by gaining weight too fast, which will result in adding a lot more fat than muscle to your frame.

Skinny guys (and people in general) gain weight by consuming more calories than they expend, using the simple calorie in/calorie out formula. If you do this long enough, you’ll have a weight-gaining recipe. However, there is a distinction between building muscle and gaining fat.

You should try to gain weight steadily. If you gain 10 pounds of body weight in a month, it’s too quick, and continuing at that rate suggests you’re gaining mostly fat mass rather than muscle. Second, you need to consume enough protein.

This ranges from 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. When bulking, you may get away with protein at around 0.8 g per pound of body weight because the increased calories from carbs and fats are protein-sparing.

What Supplements Should a Skinny Guy Take To Gain Weight?

Skinny guys can gain weight and build muscle without the help of supplements by eating enough high-quality food. But this can be tiresome, inconvenient, and expensive. The best supplement for this purpose is mass gainers.

A good-quality mass gainer can serve as a high-calorie, high-protein meal replacement or as the extra push you need to go into caloric surplus when you can’t chew any more food.

Are Weight Gainers Good For Skinny Guys?

Weight-gainer supplements work best for skinny guys. They’re not going to make you gain weight by themselves, but they are a convenient and cost-effective way to consume more calories and protein.

Summary

I always prefer mass gainers and meal replacements to have around 2:1 carbs to protein ratio and calories roughly matching a dense meal, and this is all you’ll find on this list.

My number one choice is the Crazy Nutrition Mass gainer because the macros are in an excellent ratio, it uses whole food rouses, and the digestive enzymes remove one of the main issues with mass gainers- bloating.

 If you are an athlete, you should go with the third-party tested Transparent Labs Mass Gainer, and if you are a vegan, the same company is again your best bet.

For a complete meal replacement containing various protein sources, turn to Redcon1 MRE.

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