Optimum Nutrition Serious Mass (Chocolate) Review
#2 of 8 · Best value✓ Label verified · Supplement Facts read Sep 7, 2026Real retailer photo, cut out. Label unedited.
Consider it. The cheapest serious calories on the list from a trusted brand — but it's a maltodextrin-and-sugar tub, ~31 g sugar per serving. 1,250 kcal, 50 g protein, 25 vitamins and minerals and ~3 g creatine for roughly $0.38 per 100 kcal — the value benchmark, and it mixes and tastes like people actually finish it.
$75$4.69 / serving ($0.38 / 100 kcal)
Why It Scores 7.8 — And The Label Line Behind Each Number
Carb ratio & carb quality
30% of scoreThe weakest axis and the reason it isn't higher. The carbohydrate is maltodextrin — a cheap, high-glycemic refined starch — plus roughly 31 g of added sugar per serving. That's the sugar-bomb profile the ranking penalizes on its heaviest axis, no matter how big the calorie number it produces. It clears a passing score only because 31 g, while high, is not the worst on the list.
Calorie & protein density
25% of scoreA genuine strength. 1,250 label-stated calories and 50 g of protein in one serving is a real bulk dose, with the protein squarely in the ideal 40-55 g window. This is the axis Serious Mass was built to win — enough calories in a single shake to create a surplus for almost anyone.
- Protein
- 50 g protein blend (whey concentrate, casein, egg albumen)
Ingredient quality
20% of scoreMixed. On the plus side: 25 vitamins and minerals and ~3 g of creatine (an effective dose per Kreider 2017), from a multi-source whey-casein-egg-albumen protein blend. On the minus side: the carb base is maltodextrin, the sweetening leans on added sugar, and there's documented formula drift on the vitamin and creatine counts across versions. A solid mainstream formula, not a clean one.
Value per calorie
15% of scoreThe benchmark on this axis — roughly $0.38 per 100 kcal, among the cheapest calories on the entire list. This is the honest tension in the ranking: the maltodextrin tubs are genuinely the cheapest way to buy calories, and we credit that even while docking them on carb quality. If value per calorie is your metric, this is close to the top.
- Servings
- 16 per 12 lb tub
- Price
- $75 / 12 lb tub ≈ $4.69 per serving ($0.38 / 100 kcal)
Mixability & taste
10% of scoreReliable. Two heaping scoops mix without excessive clumping for a 1,250-calorie shake, and the Chocolate flavor is one people actually finish — a real compliance advantage over the blander bulk tubs. The added sugar is part of why it tastes good, which is the double-edged nature of this pick.
- More Specs
- Calories
- 1,250 kcal per serving (2 heaping scoops)
- Carbs / Sugar
- 252 g total / ~31 g sugar
- Carb source
- Maltodextrin (refined starch) — primary carbohydrate
- Micronutrients
- 25 vitamins & minerals
- Creatine
- ~3 g (formula version varies)
Label verified. Every figure read from the Supplement Facts photo, Sep 7, 2026.
Marketing Claims Vs. Reality
1,250 calories and 50 g of protein per serving.
The label states 1,250 kcal and 50 g protein per two-scoop serving, and these figures are from the powder itself (mixed with water), not inflated with milk. Both are verifiable and accurate, and 50 g sits in the ideal protein window.
25 vitamins and minerals plus creatine per serving.
The 25-micronutrient panel is label-stated and verifiable. The creatine content (~3 g) and some vitamin counts show documented drift across formula versions, so treat the ~3 g creatine as approximate-by-version rather than a fixed guaranteed figure — check the specific tub's panel.
The cheapest / best-value serious calories.
At roughly $0.38 per 100 kcal, Serious Mass is among the cheapest calories on this list, consistent with its value positioning and best-seller status. The value-per-calorie claim holds up on the honest cost-per-100-kcal metric this ranking uses.
Supports serious mass and muscle gains.
It supplies a large surplus and 50 g of protein, but no gainer builds muscle without a sustained surplus plus resistance training (Slater 2019, PMID 31482093; Morton 2018, PMID 28698222). Roughly 31 g of that serving is added sugar, which past the protein-and-surplus need adds fat, not muscle — so 'serious mass' is accurate only inside the training-and-surplus context.
A clean or premium bulk formula.
The carbohydrate is maltodextrin with ~31 g of added sugar per serving — the sugar-bomb profile this category's framing warns about. Any implication of a clean or premium formula would be misleading; Serious Mass is an honest value product, and its value comes precisely from cheap maltodextrin calories, not clean ones.
What Our Test Actually Found
The cheapest calories on the list — that's the entire case for it
At roughly $0.38 per 100 kcal, nothing here delivers calories cheaper from a brand this trusted. If your only goal is to add a large surplus for minimum money, Serious Mass is the value benchmark and has been for years. The 12 lb tub, 25-vitamin panel and built-in creatine round out a lot of product for the price.
But ~31 g of sugar per serving is the category's compromise in one number
This is exactly the profile the page's framing warns about: maltodextrin carbs plus about 31 g of added sugar in every serving. That's a genuine sugar load — for context it's more than six times the sugar of Naked Mass at the identical 1,250 calories. The value is real, but so is the sugar, and it's why three cleaner picks outrank it.
Creatine and vitamins are included — but the count drifts by version
Serious Mass includes ~3 g of creatine (an effective dose per Kreider 2017) and 25 vitamins and minerals, which is genuinely useful. Be aware there's documented formula drift on the exact vitamin and creatine numbers across versions, so check the panel on the specific tub you buy rather than assuming a fixed figure.
It tastes good and mixes reliably — which is why people finish it
A gainer you dread is a gainer you quit, and Serious Mass wins on compliance: the Chocolate flavor is well-liked and it mixes without turning to paste. Part of why it's palatable is the added sugar, which is the double edge of this pick — the thing that makes it easy to drink is also the thing that drops its carb-quality score.
Full analysis: all pros & cons (7), buy if / skip if
- Cheapest calories on the list at roughly $0.38 per 100 kcal — the value benchmark
- Trusted best-selling brand with a proven, reliably mixable formula
- 50 g protein plus 25 vitamins and minerals and ~3 g creatine built in
- A flavor people actually finish — real compliance advantage
- Full 1,250-calorie single-shake surplus from the powder alone (no milk needed)
- Roughly 31 g of added sugar per serving — a genuine sugar load on a maltodextrin base
- Carbs are refined maltodextrin, not whole food; minor formula drift on vitamin/creatine counts across versions
- Your top priority is the cheapest possible calories from a brand you can trust
- You want a proven, reliably mixable formula with a flavor you'll actually finish
- You value the built-in 25 vitamins and minerals plus ~3 g creatine
- You can manage the ~31 g of sugar within the rest of your diet
- You want to avoid a maltodextrin base and ~31 g of added sugar per serving
- You'd rather pay more for whole-food or low-sugar carbs — the top three picks deliver that
1,250 kcal, 50 g protein, 25 vitamins and minerals and ~3 g creatine for roughly $0.38 per 100 kcal — the value benchmark, and it mixes and tastes like people actually finish it. The honest catch is the sugar: ~31 g per serving on a maltodextrin carb base, the sugar-bomb profile this page warns about. Buy it if cheap calories are the priority and you'll manage the sugar elsewhere; if you want clean fuel, the top three picks cost more but deliver whole-food or low-sugar carbs.
Optimum Nutrition Serious Mass is the category's default for a reason: it's the cheapest way to add real calories, at roughly six cents per 100, from a brand people trust, with 50 g of protein, 25 vitamins and minerals and about 3 g of creatine in the tub. If your single goal is maximum calories for minimum money, nothing on this list beats it on value per calorie. But it's also the clearest picture of the category's compromise — the carbohydrate is maltodextrin and there's roughly 31 g of added sugar in every serving, exactly the sugar-bomb profile this page's framing warns about. Buy it if value per calorie is your top priority and you'll manage the sugar elsewhere in your diet, but know the three picks above it are cleaner fuel for the same job.
The honest value pick — the cheapest serious calories on the list, with the sugar stated out loud.
Serious Mass earns its best-value badge honestly: at roughly six cents per 100 calories, it's the cheapest way on this list to add a real surplus, from a brand you can trust, with 50 g of protein, 25 vitamins and minerals and about 3 g of creatine in the tub. If maximum calories for minimum money is your single priority, nothing here beats it, and its reliable mixing and finish-able flavor mean you'll actually drink it. But it's also the clearest example of the category's compromise. The carbohydrate is maltodextrin and there's roughly 31 g of added sugar in every serving — the sugar-bomb profile this page's framing exists to warn about, and more than six times the sugar of Naked Mass at the same 1,250 calories. That's why three cleaner formulas outrank it. Buy Serious Mass if value per calorie is genuinely your top priority and you'll manage the sugar elsewhere in your diet. If you'd rather pay more for whole-food or low-sugar carbs, move up the list.
If This Doesn’t Fit — Try These
05Crazy Nutrition Mass Gainer
Crazy Nutrition Mass Gainer is the 'lean gainer' of the group: at ~488 calories it's built for adding a controlled surplus rather than dumping 1,200 calories at once, and its carbs lead with gluten-free oat flour for a cleaner base and only ~8 g of sugar.
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.
015% Nutrition Real Carbs + Protein
Real Carbs + Protein is the honest hardgainer's pick: instead of chasing a giant calorie headline with maltodextrin and sugar, it's a clean whole-food meal you control the size of.
Quick Answers
Is the 31 g of sugar a dealbreaker?
Not necessarily, but it's a real load you have to account for. If you're a hardgainer struggling to eat enough and you're training hard, the calories will still support a bulk. But 31 g of added sugar per serving is more than six times what Naked Mass carries at the same 1,250 calories, so if you can manage the extra cost, a cleaner carb source is better fuel. If you buy Serious Mass, keep added sugar low elsewhere in your day.
How does it compare to Dymatize Super Mass Gainer?
They're close rivals. Dymatize has slightly more calories (1,280 vs 1,250) and a better whey-isolate-and-casein protein blend, and it's often even cheaper per calorie. Serious Mass counters with a broader 25-vitamin panel and a more effective ~3 g creatine dose versus Dymatize's token 1 g. Both share the same maltodextrin-and-sugar profile, so pick on protein blend versus vitamin panel and creatine.
Do I need to add milk to hit 1,250 calories?
No. The 1,250-calorie and 50 g protein figures are from two scoops in water, so you get the full label numbers without adding anything — unlike MuscleTech Mass-Tech, whose headline depends on 20 oz of skim milk. You can add milk for even more calories if you want, but the label number is honest as-is.
Is the creatine dose enough, or do I still need to supplement?
The ~3 g in Serious Mass lands at the low end of the effective 3-5 g/day range from the ISSN position stand (Kreider 2017), so on days you take a full serving it's a real dose. Because the exact amount drifts by formula version, check your tub's panel — and if you want to be sure you're at 5 g daily, top up with a cheap separate creatine monohydrate.
Sources & Further Reading
3 peer-reviewed sources, each linked to PubMed
- [1] 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. Serious Mass supplies cheap surplus calories efficiently, but the ~31 g of added sugar past your protein and surplus needs contributes to fat gain, not muscle.
- [2] 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 gains up to ~1.6 g/kg/day. The 50 g dose is useful, but calories beyond the protein target — including this tub's added sugar — don't add muscle past the ceiling.
- [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 of creatine as the effective dose. Serious Mass's ~3 g (where the version delivers it) lands at the low end of that range — a genuinely useful inclusion, though the exact amount drifts by formula version.
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