Can You Mix Collagen Powder With Orange Juice? (Pros & Cons)

Some links in this article are affiliate links, which means we earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more.

Collagen powder has many hair, nail, and joint benefits, but the taste of collagen is something that people aren’t fond of, so mixing it with orange juice is a solution that many are considering.

Can collagen powder be mixed with orange juice? Yes, collagen powder can be mixed with orange juice without negatively affecting the absorption of collagen. In fact, orange juice may actually provide additional benefits to those of collagen itself such as increased vitamin C consumption and improved immune function.

To determine if it’s worth mixing orange juice with collagen, you first need to understand the benefits and potential drawbacks of combining orange juice and collagen.

After reading this article, you’ll learn:

• The benefits of mixing collagen with orange juice
• The drawbacks of mixing collagen with orange juice
• When to consume collagen and orange juice
• Who should and should not mix collagen powder with orange juice

Want to learn all the ways to mix collagen? Check out our complete guide How To Mix Collagen Powder + Tips On Making It Taste Better

Benefits of Mixing Collagen Powder With Orange Juice

The benefits of mixing collagen powder with orange juice are that it:

• Could improve skin health
• Can improve immune health
• Enhances the taste

Could Improve Skin Health

Mixing collagen powder with orange juice may enhance skin health because orange juice contains vitamin C, which plays an important role in maintaining and repairing skin health.

Additionally, collagen itself has the potential to improve the quality of your skin by improving elasticity and hydration, which is especially important for reducing the appearance of wrinkles as you age.

The combination of orange juice and collagen could be a gamechanger in the health and appearance of your skin. 

Can Improve Immune Health

Consuming orange juice regularly, especially freshly-squeezed orange juice, can help to improve immune health because of its high levels of vitamin C.

Studies show that vitamin C is one of the best nutrients for encouraging better immune health by supporting cellular function along with aiding in the defenses against pathogens (organisms that cause diseases).

Enhances the Taste

Mixing collagen powder with orange juice is beneficial because orange juice can enhance the taste of the collagen powder.

Collagen powder on its own isn’t the best flavor or texture, so most collagen users are finding that they need to mix the powder with something else for it to be more tolerable.

Orange juice has a very distinct flavor that can disguise the taste of collagen without affecting its composition. Therefore, it is an excellent option for improving your collagen drinking experience.

This is important because if you’re enjoying the taste of your collagen mixture, you’re much more likely to be consistent with taking it.

Drawbacks of Mixing Collagen Powder With Orange Juice

.The drawbacks of mixing collagen powder with orange juice are that it:

• Increases caloric intake
• Is not keto-friendly

Increases Caloric Intake

A drawback of mixing collagen powder with orange juice is that it increases your caloric intake. If you’re trying to keep your intake low to lose weight, orange juice won’t be the best thing to mix it with.

Orange juice has 110 calories per serving (8 fl oz), which may not seem like many calories, but collagen itself has between 40-70 calories per serving depending on the brand. 

In combination, orange juice and collagen have 160 calories. If you’re having the mixture daily, this adds up to 1,120 per week calories that you would probably rather eat.

If you’re not dieting, this isn’t a big deal. But if you are dieting, these calories matter because they’re calories that you’re having that aren’t even going to keep you full.

Is Not Keto-Friendly

Another potential drawback of mixing collagen with orange juice is that it isn’t keto-friendly, so it may not be a great option for those on the keto diet.

With the keto diet, generally, carb intake should be kept to 25 grams per day. If you were to mix your collagen powder with your bottled orange juice, you would be having around 25 grams of net carbs (the amount of carbs left when you subtract fiber and sugar alcohols) per 8 fluid ounces, which wouldn’t leave you with any carbs for the rest of the day.

This is made worse by the fact that the liquid calories from orange juice won’t help keep you full. Consuming these carbs and still being hungry isn’t ideal while dieting.

• Related Article: Are Oranges Good or Bad For Bodybuilding?

Collagen & Orange Juice: When To Consume It

Collagen and orange juice can be consumed together most of the time, but there are instances when it may not be helpful because of the natural sugars in orange juice.

Is Collagen Mixed With Orange Juice Good For Pre-Workout?

Collagen mixed with orange juice is a great option pre-workout because the natural sugars in orange juice will provide you with carbs to fuel your workout.

Carbs are the body’s preferred source of energy while working out, so having them before a workout is necessary for optimal performance. 

The sugars in orange juice will digest quickly so that you’re getting energy from its carbs more readily, and it won’t weigh you down while you’re working out.

Orange juice mixed with collagen is the perfect option to consume about an hour or less before your workout. If you’re further out from your workout, you may need to add a source of protein to hold you over for the workout because collagen itself isn’t a complete source of protein.

Collagen isn’t considered “complete” because it doesn’t contain all of the 9 essential amino acids that your body requires in sufficient amounts. In particular, it lacks the amino acid tryptophan, which helps regulate serotonin and melatonin, the hormones responsible for your mood and sleep cycle.

As such, it should be paired with other proteins that are complete or else that have tryptophan to provide a more well-rounded pre-workout beverage.

Is Collagen Mixed With Orange Juice Good For Post-Workout?

Collagen mixed with orange juice is a good option post-workout because the sugars from the orange juice will replenish the energy stores that you depleted while working out.

However, as I discussed above, collagen isn’t a complete source of protein, which is really important to consume after a workout because it helps to repair the muscle damage that occurred while you were working out. Repairing this damage is necessary so that you can build additional muscle and/or become stronger.

If you’re not consuming enough protein following a workout, you may not recover as well or stimulate muscle protein synthesis, which is a precursor for muscle growth.

Adding a protein source to the orange juice and collagen mixture would give you all the nutrients you need post-workout to recover efficiently. I would add a scoop of vanilla whey protein to the orange juice and collagen mixture to make a creamsicle-inspired protein shake.

• To learn more about mixing orange juice and whey, check out our other article Can You Mix Whey Protein With Orange Juice?

Is Collagen Mixed With Orange Juice Good Before Bed?

Collagen mixed with orange juice may not be the best option before bed because the sugars from the orange juice will probably keep you awake. They will digest quickly to give you the energy that you don’t need when you’re going to sleep.

Before bed, you should be focused on winding down and preparing for a restful sleep. But if you’re consuming too much sugar, you will probably find it difficult to do so.

You may experience a “sugar crash” once the sugars from the orange juice are digested, but this could make it harder to stay asleep rather than helping with sleep quality.

Who Should Mix Collagen Powder With Orange Juice?

Those who don’t like the taste of collagen by itself, those who aren’t on a diet, and those who like orange juice are the ones who should mix orange juice with collagen.

If you’re someone who doesn’t enjoy the taste of collagen and you like orange juice, it’s a no-brainer to mix orange juice with collagen to make it a more pleasurable experience.

Taste preferences aside, mixing orange juice and collagen is appropriate for everyone as long you’re not trying to limit your calorie intake or go over your carb macros.

Who Should Not Mix Collagen Powder With Orange Juice?

Those who are trying to keep their calories low to lose weight or those on the keto diet who are limiting their carb intake should not mix collagen with orange juice.

If you’re trying to limit your calorie intake, mixing collagen with orange juice isn’t the best option because it increases the calories you’re consuming. These calories may not feel worth it because they’re liquid calories that don’t keep you full.

Additionally, if you’re on the keto diet where carbs are limited, mixing collagen with orange juice won’t be a good option for you because it could put you over your daily carb allotment.

Will Collagen Dissolve in Orange Juice?

Collagen will dissolve in orange juice as long as you’re mixing it with a shaker ball, a frother, or in a blender.

Using a mixing tool is the best option when combining collagen and orange juice. If you’re only using a spoon to stir, you may end up with some clumps. This is normal no matter what liquid you’re mixing your collagen with.

Related Articles:

• Lumps In Protein Powder? 4 Ways To Fix Lumpy Protein Shakes
• How To Mix Collagen Powder Without Clumping (6 Tips)

Best Types of Collagen Powder To Mix With Orange Juice

The mixability of collagen is similar amongst all collagen products. However, not all collagen powders are created equal with the quality of their formulations.

The best collagen products on the market are:

• Momentous Collagen Peptides
• CB Supplements Multi Collagen Protein Powder

Momentous Collagen Peptides

My favorite collagen powder on the market is Momentous Collagen Peptides because it provides 10 grams of high-quality collagen per serving, and it’s paired with FORTIGEL.

FORTIGEL is a really exciting addition to this collagen powder because it’s a blend of collagen peptides that have been proven to promote collagen synthesis in tendons and ligaments.

I also love that this product is third-party tested to ensure that its ingredients are pure and the label is accurate. This helps to give me more security about what I’m putting into my body.

CB Supplements Multi Collagen Protein Powder

My second favorite collagen powder is the CB Supplements Multi Collagen Protein Powder because its quality is top of the line and free of common allergens like dairy, soy, gluten, and artificial sweeteners.

I love how intentional CB Supplements was when creating this product, which is demonstrated by the inclusion of five different collagen sources and the addition of a protein source. 

Adding albumin protein (egg white protein) to the collagen was smart because as I mentioned above, collagen itself isn’t a complete protein. But adding the albumin protein makes this product a complete protein.

My only complaint about this product is that despite the addition of the protein to the collagen peptides, it only contains 7 grams of protein per serving, which is still fairly low.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is It Ok To Mix Collagen Powder With Orange Juice?

Yes, it’s okay to mix collagen powder with orange juice. The acidity in orange juice does not affect the absorption of collagen, so mixing orange juice and collagen is a great option for making collagen powder more tolerable.

Can You Mix Collagen Powder and Orange Juice Without Clumps?

You can mix collagen and orange juice without it clumping if you’re agitating it enough with a frother, a shaker ball, or in a blender. It will probably clump if you’re only using a spoon to mix it with the orange juice.

Final Thoughts

Mixing collagen powder with orange juice is an excellent option as long as you like the taste of orange juice, you’re not on a diet, and you’re not taking it right before bed.

Other Ways to Mix Collagen

• Can You Take MCT Oil & Collagen Together? (Pros & Cons)
• Can You Mix Whey Protein With Collagen? (Yes, Here’s How)
• Can You Mix Collagen Powder With Milk? (Pros & Cons)
• Can You Mix Collagen Powder With Yogurt? (Pros & Cons)
• Can You Mix Collagen Powder With Soda? (Pros & Cons)
• Can You Mix Collagen Powder With Gatorade? (Pros & Cons)
• Can You Mix Collagen Powder With Oatmeal? (Pros & Cons)
• Can You Mix Collagen Powder With Eggs? (Pros & Cons)
• Can You Mix Collagen Powder With Kombucha? (Pros & Cons)
• Can You Mix Collagen Powder With Tea? (Pros & Cons)