Dymatize Super Mass Gainer (Gourmet Vanilla) Review
#3 of 8 · Most calories per scoop✓ Label verified · Supplement Facts read Sep 7, 2026Real retailer photo, cut out. Label unedited.
Consider it. The highest per-scoop macros of the mainstream tubs — 1,280 kcal, 52 g protein, often the cheapest per calorie — but a maltodextrin base and token 1 g creatine. 1,280 kcal and 52 g from a solid whey-concentrate/isolate/casein blend with 10.7 g BCAAs, strong mixing and flavor, and frequently the lowest cost per calorie on the list.
$55$3.44 / serving ($0.27 / 100 kcal)
Why It Scores 7.6 — And The Label Line Behind Each Number
Carb ratio & carb quality
30% of scoreThe lowest-scoring axis, tied with MuscleTech for the worst carb quality here. The carbohydrate is maltodextrin with about 26 g of added sugar per serving — the same refined-starch-plus-sugar template the ranking penalizes heaviest. It's marginally better than ON's ~31 g of sugar, which is why it isn't lower still, but this is a sugar-bomb carb profile.
Calorie & protein density
25% of scoreThe strongest axis and the badge here. At 1,280 calories and 52 g of protein per serving, it has the highest per-scoop macros of any mainstream tub on the list, with the protein at the top of the ideal window. If your metric is maximum calories and protein per scoop, this leads the pack.
- Protein
- 52 g (whey concentrate + whey isolate + casein blend)
Ingredient quality
20% of scoreA genuinely good protein blend — whey concentrate, whey isolate and casein with 10.7 g of naturally occurring BCAAs and 14 essential vitamins and minerals — held back by the maltodextrin carb base and a token 1 g of creatine, well short of the effective 3-5 g (Kreider 2017). The protein is a real strength; the carbs and creatine are not.
Value per calorie
15% of scoreExcellent — at roughly $0.27 per 100 kcal it's frequently the cheapest tub per calorie on the entire list, edging even ON Serious Mass. On the honest cost-per-100-kcal metric it's near the top; we credit that cheap-calorie value even as we dock it on carb quality.
- Servings
- 16 per 12 lb tub
- Price
- $55 / 12 lb tub ≈ $3.44 per serving ($0.27 / 100 kcal)
Mixability & taste
10% of scoreA strength. The two-scoop serving mixes cleanly for a 1,280-calorie shake, and the Gourmet Vanilla flavor is well regarded — a real compliance advantage. As with the other sweetened tubs, the added sugar is part of why it goes down easily.
- More Specs
- Calories
- 1,280 kcal per serving (2 scoops)
- Carbs / Sugar
- 245 g total / ~26 g sugar; 10.7 g BCAAs
- Carb source
- Maltodextrin (refined starch) — primary carbohydrate
- Creatine
- 1 g (token dose vs the effective 3-5 g)
- Micronutrients
- 14 essential vitamins & minerals
Label verified. Every figure read from the Supplement Facts photo, Sep 7, 2026.
Marketing Claims Vs. Reality
1,280 calories and 52 g protein — the highest per-scoop macros of the mainstream tubs.
The label states 1,280 kcal and 52 g protein per two-scoop serving from the powder in water, both the highest among the mainstream maltodextrin tubs on this list. The figures are verifiable and don't depend on added milk.
A quality whey-isolate-and-casein protein blend with 10.7 g BCAAs.
The protein blend of whey concentrate, whey isolate and casein plus 10.7 g of naturally occurring BCAAs is label-stated. It is a genuinely better protein matrix than bargain concentrate, and the amounts are verifiable from the panel.
Contains creatine to support strength and mass.
The 1 g of creatine per serving is real but sub-clinical — well below the 3-5 g/day the ISSN identifies as effective (Kreider 2017, PMID 28615996). So the claim is technically true but the dose is a token amount that won't deliver creatine's documented benefits on its own; you'd supplement separately.
A premium gainer for serious mass.
The carbohydrate is maltodextrin with ~26 g of added sugar per serving — the same sugar-bomb template as ON. The protein blend is genuinely good, but framing the overall formula as 'premium' overstates it; on the heaviest-weighted carb-quality axis this is a budget-profile carb base, and muscle still requires a surplus plus training (Slater 2019).
What Our Test Actually Found
The most macros per scoop of any mainstream tub
If your metric is raw numbers per serving, Dymatize wins the mainstream tier: 1,280 calories and 52 g of protein, both the highest among the maltodextrin tubs, with 10.7 g of BCAAs on top. For a hardgainer who wants to move the most calories and protein per scoop, this is the density leader.
A better protein blend than its rivals — that's the real edge
Where ON uses a concentrate-casein-egg blend, Dymatize adds whey isolate to the mix, giving a genuinely higher-quality protein matrix with 10.7 g of BCAAs. Among the bulk tubs, the protein here is a real strength and a legitimate reason to pick it over the cheaper concentrate-based formulas.
But the creatine is a token 1 g — don't count on it
The label lists creatine, but at 1 g it's roughly a fifth of the 5 g effective dose and a third of ON's ~3 g. It's essentially a label-decoration amount. If creatine matters to you, treat this tub as having none and add 3-5 g of monohydrate separately (Kreider 2017) — it's cheap and mixes in fine.
Same sugar-bomb carbs — and often the cheapest calories on the list
The honest caveat is identical to ON's: maltodextrin carbs with about 26 g of sugar per serving. What Dymatize adds is value — at roughly $0.27 per 100 kcal it's frequently the cheapest tub per calorie here. So it's the best-value, highest-macro member of the maltodextrin tier, with all the sugar that implies.
Full analysis: all pros & cons (7), buy if / skip if
- Highest per-scoop calories (1,280) and protein (52 g) of the mainstream tubs
- Genuinely good protein blend — whey concentrate, isolate and casein — with 10.7 g BCAAs
- Often the cheapest tub per calorie on the entire list (~$0.27/100 kcal)
- Strong mixability and a well-liked Gourmet Vanilla flavor
- Full 1,280-calorie serving from the powder alone — no milk needed for the headline
- Maltodextrin carbs with ~26 g sugar per serving — the same sugar-bomb category as ON
- Only 1 g of creatine, a token dose versus the effective 3-5 g
- You want the highest per-scoop calories and protein of the mainstream tubs
- You want a genuinely good whey-isolate-and-casein blend with 10.7 g BCAAs
- You're chasing the cheapest cost per calorie — it's often the lowest here
- Strong mixability and a well-liked vanilla flavor matter to you
- You want to avoid maltodextrin and ~26 g of added sugar per serving
- You want a meaningful creatine dose — 1 g is a token amount versus the effective 3-5 g
1,280 kcal and 52 g from a solid whey-concentrate/isolate/casein blend with 10.7 g BCAAs, strong mixing and flavor, and frequently the lowest cost per calorie on the list. The catches: same maltodextrin carb base with ~26 g sugar, and only 1 g of creatine (a token dose versus the effective 3-5 g). Buy it if you want maximum calories and protein per scoop and aren't bothered by the sugar; go elsewhere for whole-food carbs or a real creatine dose.
Dymatize Super Mass Gainer is essentially Optimum Nutrition Serious Mass's closest rival, and on raw numbers it edges ahead — 1,280 calories and 52 g of a genuinely good whey-concentrate, whey-isolate and casein blend with 10.7 g of BCAAs, and it's frequently the cheapest tub per calorie on the whole list. Mixability and the Gourmet Vanilla flavor are strong. It sits one rung below ON only on the extras: the creatine is a token 1 g rather than an effective dose, and ON's broader vitamin panel and best-seller value edge it out. The core caveat is identical, though — the carbohydrate is maltodextrin and there's about 26 g of sugar a serving. It's a fine high-calorie, high-protein tub for someone who wants maximum macros per scoop and isn't bothered by the sugar.
The highest-macro, best-value member of the maltodextrin tier — with the same sugar caveat and a token creatine dose.
Dymatize Super Mass Gainer is ON Serious Mass's closest rival, and on raw numbers it edges ahead: 1,280 calories and 52 g of a genuinely good whey-concentrate, whey-isolate and casein blend with 10.7 g of BCAAs, frequently at the lowest cost per calorie on the whole list. Mixability and the vanilla flavor are strong. If your priority is maximum macros per scoop for minimum money, this is the mainstream tub to beat. It lands just below ON for two reasons: the creatine is a token 1 g rather than the effective 3-5 g, and ON's broader 25-vitamin panel and best-seller value edge it out. And the core caveat is the same one that keeps the whole maltodextrin tier mid-pack — the carbs are refined maltodextrin with about 26 g of added sugar a serving. Buy it if you want the most calories and protein per scoop and aren't bothered by the sugar, and add your own creatine. If you want whole-food or low-sugar carbs, the top three picks are cleaner fuel.
If This Doesn’t Fit — Try These
04BSN True-Mass 1200
TRUE-MASS 1200 is the connoisseur's bulk tub: instead of bargain concentrate, it uses a six-source protein blend — whey, casein, milk and egg proteins — for 50 g of sustained-release protein and 24 g of EAAs, the best protein quality in the high-calorie tier.
06Naked Mass
If you want a true 1,250-calorie bulk shake but refuse the sugar that usually comes with it, Naked Mass is the answer: three ingredients — grass-fed whey, micellar casein and organic tapioca maltodextrin — 50 g of protein, and just 5 g of sugar, with NSF certification and zero artificial additives.
03Dymatize Super Mass Gainer
Super Mass Gainer is essentially ON Serious Mass's closest rival, and on raw numbers it edges ahead — 1,280 calories and 52 g of a genuinely good whey-isolate-and-casein blend with 10.7 g of BCAAs, and it's frequently the cheapest tub per calorie on the whole list.
Quick Answers
Is Dymatize or ON Serious Mass the better buy?
They're close. Dymatize has slightly more calories (1,280 vs 1,250), a better protein blend with added whey isolate, and is often cheaper per calorie. ON counters with a broader 25-vitamin panel and a more meaningful ~3 g creatine dose versus Dymatize's token 1 g. Both share the maltodextrin-and-sugar base. Pick Dymatize for the protein blend and value; pick ON for the vitamin panel and creatine.
Is 1 g of creatine worth anything?
Not on its own. The effective dose is 3-5 g/day (Kreider 2017), so 1 g is roughly a fifth of that — essentially a label decoration. If you want creatine's strength and mass benefits, treat this tub as creatine-free and add 3-5 g of monohydrate separately. It's inexpensive and mixes into the shake without issue.
How much sugar is in it?
About 26 g per serving, on a maltodextrin carb base. That's marginally less than ON Serious Mass's ~31 g but far more than the clean picks — Naked Mass hits the same calorie range with only 5 g. If you're sensitive to sugar or want cleaner fuel, that gap is the reason three formulas outrank it.
Do I need milk for the 1,280 calories?
No — the 1,280-calorie and 52 g protein figures are from two scoops in water. Unlike MuscleTech Mass-Tech, whose headline requires 20 oz of skim milk, Dymatize's numbers are honest from the powder alone. You can add milk for extra calories, but you don't need it to hit the label.
Sources & Further Reading
3 peer-reviewed sources, each linked to PubMed
- [1] Morton 2018 PMID 28698222 — A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. Protein supplementation aids resistance-training gains up to ~1.6 g/kg/day. Dymatize's 52 g dose from a whey-isolate-and-casein blend sits at the top of the useful window; the added sugar past that adds fat, not muscle.
- [2] Slater 2019 PMID 31482093 — Is an energy surplus required to maximize skeletal muscle hypertrophy associated with resistance training. A modest surplus supports hypertrophy; a large one mainly adds fat. This tub supplies a big single-shake surplus efficiently, but the ~26 g of sugar past your needs is fat-gain calories, not muscle.
- [3] Kreider 2017 PMID 28615996 — International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. The ISSN identifies 3-5 g/day as the effective creatine dose. Dymatize's 1 g is well short of that, so it functions as a token amount — add creatine separately to reach an effective dose.
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