Written byMatthew Magnante, ACE
Last Updated onJuly 27th, 2021
Stimulants such as caffeine, in particular, elicit a powerful effect on the central nervous system to increase energy and alertness. Not to mention, it can help to burn fat through thermogenesis and fat oxidation, and is, consequently, a key ingredient in many fat-burner supplements.
But is caffeine and other stimulants necessary for a fat burner to be effective or worthwhile? Well… no, not at all actually. Otherwise, why would we have put together a list of best stim-free fat burners.
You’d be surprised at how ingredients such as cayenne peppers, forskolin, glucomannan, Garcinia Cambogia, and more can effectively aid your fat loss efforts and help you reach your goals.
Stim-Free Fat Burners Ranked:
1. Editor’s Choice – Transparent Labs Stim-Free Fat Burner
2. Best for Women – Leanbean
3. Best for Muscle Preservation – Burn Lab Pro
4. Best for Calm – Innoshred Stim-Free Fat Burner
5. Best for Ingredient Variety – Legion Phoenix Stim-Free Fat Burner
6. Best for Exercise Performance – Iron Brothers Thermo Burn
7. Best for Blood Sugar Support – Leanmode Stim-Free Weight Loss Support
Editor’s Choice – Transparent Labs Stim-Free Fat Burner
Transparent Labs stim-free fat burner is a top choice for us due to many reasons. The brand takes pride in label transparency (hence the name) so there are no proprietary blends or junk ingredients.
But not only that; they’ve become a go-to option for workout supplements that actually work very well.
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Their stim-free fat burner contains a few key ingredients such as Forslean (forskolin), 5-HTP Rhodiola Rosea, cayenne pepper, and fucoxanthin; all of which have shown to help burn fat whether through appetite suppression, fat oxidation, thermogenesis, or a combination.
In addition, the formula is also supposed to help with cognitive performance that can have a direct effect on calorie-burning efforts.
We highly recommend this fat burner from Transparent Labs if you’re looking for an effective fat-torching aid!
Check out our full review of this stim-free fat burner here. and if you are interested in the stim version? See what we think about it in this fat burner review.
9 Best Appetite Suppressants Reviewed for 2024
Best for Women – Leanbean
Leanbean is the “Powerful, natural supplement for women” that’s supposed to help target
stubborn body fat through various mechanisms.
A key ingredient is glucomannan; a fiber that soaks up a lot of water creating a feeling of fullness. It also helps to delay stomach emptying and is supported by the European Union for its use.
Another ingredient is Garcinia Cambogia that contains hydroxy citric acid (HCA); a chemical supposedly responsible for the many supposed benefits of this ingredient.
While it may not have dramatic effects on weight loss (no supplement will without a calorie deficit), it inhibits the enzyme citrate lyase that could prevent the accumulation of fat in the blood.
Other ingredients in Leanbean that can also contribute to fat loss include green coffee that has shown to speed up the metabolism, and possibly acai berry.
Then, because Leanbean was formulated for women, it also has beneficial nutrients such as B vitamins, choline, zinc, and chromium that help to support good health.
See our full breakdown of Leanbean fat burner in this review. and Best Fat Burners for Women (Reviewed and Ranked)
Best for Muscle Preservation During Weight Cutting – Burn Lab Pro
Burn Lab Pro is another excellent pick that enables thermogenesis to heat up your body temperature and get to burning those calories!
As you probably guessed, it does not have caffeine and other stimulants. Instead, you get the effective trio of Capsimax, BioPerine, and Forslean, which are mild and don’t trigger severe side effects.
Capsimax is essentially a potent fat-burning specific version of red chili peppers that helps to speed the metabolism and oxidize fat through a process called lipolysis. This form of pepper is made to have calorie-burning benefits without stomach discomfort.
Bioperine can act as a thermogenic substance by raising body heat which helps burn fat stores. But it’s also popular for enhancing the bioavailability of nutrients to improve ingredient absorption.
Forslean or coleus forskohlii, known as forskolin; has shown in few studies to be potentially effective for causing fat loss. One study of thirty overweight and obese men who took 250mg of 10% forskolin extract for 12 weeks saw a significant decrease in body fat. (1).
That wasn’t all though; they also experienced increase bone mass, testosterone levels, and subsequently, more muscle growth (we hope that got your attention).
But it’s important to note that some research isn’t as favorable (2) and a few studies were done using rats (3).
There’s also a dose of HMB that is an amino acid metabolite shown to help with fat loss and muscle maintenance during a caloric deficit.
They use plant-based and easy-to-absorb gel capsules.
What we like
- Burn Lab Pro Fat Burner augments lipolysis (conversion of fats to energy) by energizing particular hormones and enzymes involved in the process
- Capsaicin, an active cayenne pepper ingredient, contributes to lipolysis by interacting with an active hormone called ‘kinase’
- Helps preserve muscle during weight cuts
- Vegan
What we don’t like
- Coleus forskohlii could trigger bleeding, low blood pressure, and fast heart rate when mixed with certain medications.
- HMB has no known side effects but could still cause reactions.
About the brand
The Sport Fat Burner is manufactured by Performance Lab, a highly-reputable health supplement company that adheres to FDA and GMP standards. The company prides itself on being the world’s most advanced nutrition supplement manufacturer.
Read: Cutting Diet Plan To Shred Fat Fast
Best for Calm – Innosupps Innoshred Stim-Free Fat Burner
Ending our list is Innoshred stim-free fat burner. They also have a stimulant version too but that doesn’t apply because we want the performance without the heavy caffeine… right?
The ingredient cocktail includes 100mg Capsimax cayenne pepper, 25mg grains of paradise, 300mg green tea extract, and 300mg CLA.
According to the product info, taking 100mg of Capsimax can help you to burn an additional 116 calories without a change to diet or exercise. While we can’t say this is true for a fact, cayenne has shown to help boost metabolic rate and thereby increase the number of calories burned.
Then you have grains of paradise that supposedly increase brown adipose tissue (b.a.t) which could enhance weight loss results.
Research shows that grains of paradise increases energy expenditure via the activation of brown adipose tissue (4).
While it may not impact subcutaneous (jiggly fat visible below the skin) or total fat according to the study, it could be effective at preventing the accumulation of visceral body fat (wraps around abdominal organs and not as visible).
30mg was used in the study but 25mg in Innoshred should be able to elicit similar effects.
There are no artificial sweeteners, fillers, or harmful additives used in this product.
What we like
- Cayenne, green tea, and grain of paradise are may be a potent fat-burning threesome
- Grains of paradise could prevent visceral fat accumulation
- Vegan-friendly
What we don’t like
- CLA seems to have mixed evidence behind its efficacy
About the brand
Innosupps has a fascinating history with the owners having bought their first tubs of protein at age 10, which stemmed a passion to pursue and offer the very best products.
“We leave no stone unturned when it comes to formulating our products”
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Their products are manufactured in GMP and Informed Choice certified facilities and there are no artificial sweeteners, fillers, or harmful additives in their formulas.
Innosupps also regularly donates to charity having partnered with Vitamin Angels.
Related: 12 Best Green Tea Extract Products Reviewed for 2024
Best for Ingredient Variety – Legion Phoenix Stim-Free Fat Burner
Legion Phoenix has risen to bring you a popular and worthwhile stim-free option that’ll help you get in shape.
First and foremost, it contains 100mg of Thai ginseng that is believed to contribute to energy expenditure. Then there’s 150mg 5-HTP that may reduce hunger and stop you from overindulging. 5-HTP helps to produce serotonin which is an important chemical that regulates mood and helps with weight management (5, 6).
In one study, people with diabetes consumed 435 fewer calories per day compared to a placebo group after supplementing with 750mg/day of 5-HTP (7).
Other compounds include grains of paradise, forskolin, fucoxanthin, Caralluma fimbriata (may reduce appetite and stress), and L-dopa for enhanced brain performance.
What we like
- All-natural ingredients
- Contains unique compounds that support fat loss
- 5-HTP can help with cognitive performance and fullness
- No proprietary blends
- 3rd party tested
- GMP certified
What we don’t like
- Formula could cause stomach discomfort for some
- Not ideal for vegans
About the brand
Legion was founded by #1 best-selling fitness author Mike Matthews.
Here’s a quote from his site:
“I created Legion to bring something unique to the sports supplement space, because the last thing we needed is yet another line of flashy, hyped-up bogus pills, powders, and potions.”
The brand is committed to bringing quality and transparency which is a big part of its success.
Best for Exercise Performance – Iron Brothers Supplements Thermo Burn
With a name like Iron Brothers, it’s hard to not think you’re getting something that works… we think it will.
You get acetyl L carnitine, olive extract, forskolin, cayenne, grains of paradise, and Bioperine… so far, so good.
L-carnitine supports energy production by transporting fat to cell mitochondria where it’s used for fuel. In theory, it may help to burn fat.
Then you have olive extract which is an interesting compound.
It’s shown to have heart-healthy and blood sugar health-supporting benefits due to containing the ingredient oleuropein. This, in turn, can certainly help with weight loss because better health means improved ability to maintain a healthy weight.
A study on mice found that olive leaf extract can help to prevent high-fat diet-induced obesity (8). This could be due to olive having an effect on gene expression that affects weight but it could also reduce food intake.
What we like
- Olive extract has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that supports heart health and weight management
- Cayenne can suppress appetite and ramp up calorie burning
- Grains of paradise
What we don’t like
- Some reported feeling hungrier
- L-carnitine research is mixed and it could cause stomach discomfort for some
- Not vegan-friendly
About the brand
Iron Brothers was founded by CEO Marc Burton who describes himself as “just a regular guy who loves supplements and working out”. But make no mistake, he’s passionate about offering the best quality supplements to workout enthusiasts just like him.
Best for Blood Sugar Support – Evlution Nutrition Leanmode Stim-Free Weight Loss Support
If your goal is to be in “lean mode” then you’ve probably found the right product to help you get there. But no seriously, this stim-free fat burner from Evlution Nutrition is a powerhouse of five key ingredients.
These include green tea leaf extract, green coffee bean extract, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) acetyl-L-carnitine, and garcinia cambogia extract (std. min. 60% HCA) (fruit rind).
The green tea and green coffee bean extract ramp up the metabolism to burn through calories. The green coffee bean extract contains a compound called chlorogenic acid that is believed to help with blood sugar health but it may also be good for heart health, and cancer.
Not to mention, it’s shown to help burn body fat.
Acetyl-L-carnitine can increase energy for physical activity and also transport fatty acids to mitochondria where it’s then used for fuel
Garcinia Cambogia also helps with metabolism function but it contains the chemical hydroxycitric acid that can prevent the accumulation of fat in the blood. Plus, it may actually help to preserve muscle tissue during the fat loss process which is very important if you want to look good in clothes too.
What we like
- Green tea leaf, coffee bean, and garcinia cambogia are a potent trifecta of ingredients
- Great combination of ingredients for energy and performance
- Garcinia Cambogia can help to preserve muscle tissue during a caloric deficit
- Good for burning glucose and blood sugar support
- Vegan-friendly
What we don’t like
- Some may get no effect from CLA
- No info on EGCG content in the green tea
About the brand
LEANMODE is made by EVLution Nutrition, which manufactures it in a GMP-certified, and FDA-approved facility that sets the most stringent quality criteria.
How Do Stim-Free Fat Burners Work?
There are typically three mechanisms that allow a quality fat burner to work and that’s via a metabolism boost (increase calorie burning), fat oxidation (direct fat burning), and appetite suppression (helps to prevent overeating).
Also read: The Metabolic Confusion Diet: Is It the Right Diet for You?
Most of the best stim-free fat burners in this review contain ingredients that contribute to all three mechanisms, although some may do a better job at one or the other. That’s why we included key information on each one and you can choose which sounds best for you based on how each one is categorized.
However, we did like Transparent Labs stim-free fat burner best but you can’t go wrong with any of our top-notch picks. After all, if we didn’t think they were beneficial, we wouldn’t have included them.
In addition, we also made sure we picked quality and safe supplements but if there was a concern, we made sure to let you know under the potential cons of each product.
How To Get The Best Results From A Stim-Free Fat Burner
One very important thing to remember about using any type of supplement is that your habits will determine how successful you are in making progress and reaching your goals.
If you are to burn fat you need to have the right diet, exercise regime, and an overall lifestyle conducive to being healthy (less stress).
Build muscle and lose fat with these workouts from our top experts.
The ingredients in these quality stim-free fat burners can certainly give you that little push but there are different components that dictate how much fat you ultimately lose.
You will hit roadblocks but when it happens, we have a lot of very helpful content that’ll help you to break plateaus and achieve the body you envision having.
Here are 20 weight loss tips to help you reach your goals.
Wrapping Up
When it comes to supplements that can help you to achieve your fat loss goals minus the stimulants, we believe these are the best options on the market right now.
Supplement brands are stepping their game up with innovative research-backed formulas that include the best ingredients and we hope they can help you reach your goals.
If you have any questions about this article, please feel free to contact Matthew Magnante by leaving a comment below.