Written byMatthew Magnante, ACE
Last Updated onSeptember 1st, 2021
These are the best organic pre-workouts that use ingredients derived from food sources that are produced without the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and other agents.
While some aren’t as concerned about how ingredients make it to their supplements, many prefer to avoid anything that’s not as chemical-free as possible.
You might be thinking, what organic ingredients are used in pre-workouts? The products use a variety of food-based organic ingredients such as coffee beans, green tea, beets, fruits, and vegetables, mushrooms, herbs, roots, coconut water, and flavors and sweeteners.
Top 5 GMO-Free Organic Pre-Workout Supplements
Check out our favorite organic pre-workout formulas.
- Organic Muscle Pre-Workout – Buy here Editor’s Choice
- Orgain Sport Energy Pre-Workout – Buy here
- Ora Renewable Energy Organic Pre-Workout – Buy here
- Garden of Life Sport Organic Pre-Workout – Buy here
- MRM Nutrition Organic Pre-Workout – Buy here
Organic Muscle Pre-Workout – Editor’s Choice
When it comes to organic pre-workouts, Organic Muscle comes to mind. It’s an all-natural product loaded with food ingredients that help with pumps, performance, and burning more calories which is necessary to drop fat lbs. There is 125mg of caffeine per serving.
The formula uses adaptogenic herbs that have properties shown to help the body resist mental, physical, chemical, and biological stressors.
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These are the ingredients categorized as they are on the supplement label.
Vascularity and pumps
Pomegranate, beet root, goji berry, blueberry
Energy, focus, and stamina
Macan root, coconut water, ginseng, eleuthero root, yerba mate, green coffee bean, cordyceps, rhodiola rosea, aloe vera
Metabolic boost
Matcha green tea, green tea extract, acai, cranberry, strawberry, raspberry
The product uses organic Strawberry, natural triple berry, and natural lemon for flavoring.
Other ingredients: Organic rice syrup solids, organic coconut palm sugar, organic lo han berry extract, l-,malic acid, organic arabic, organic guar, xanthan
Pros
- All-natural
- Gluten-free
- Vegan
- No preservatives
- GMO-free
Cons
- Several complaints about taste
- Not ideal for hardcore caffeine users
- Uses proprietary blends
About the brand
Organic Muscle was founded by James B after landing in the ER from taking a dangerous, “stimulant-ridden” supplement. This led him to want to create safe, organic, and natural ingredients that work.
Orgain Sport Energy Pre-Workout
Orgain makes some of the best organic and vegan supplements that we’ve included in many of our product reviews.
We think their pre-workout isn’t much different. Although, it’s important to note that it is rather low in caffeine at 80mg per serving.
But not everyone needs or can tolerate a ton of caffeine. Therefore, it could be a great option to get a light, but still decent energy boost.
Orgain pre-workout also includes a 50% daily serving of vitamin C which is important for immune health, collagen production, helping to protect the body against sickness due to its antioxidant properties, and more.
There’s also a “plant power blend” and a “real energy blend” consisting of real food ingredients and adaptogens that help with prolonged physical activity, resilience against stressors, hydration, and recovery.
These are the ingredients categorized as they are on the supplement label.
Orgain plant power blend
Organic apple powder, organic red beet powder, organic lemon juice powder, organic amla fruit extract, organic tart cherry powder
Organic real energy blend
Organic cordyceps mushroom, organic green coffee bean, organic panax ginseng
Other ingredients: Organic erythritol. organic natural flavor, organic rice fiber. citric acid, organic Reb A stevia extract, sea salt, organic monk fruit
Pros
- Provides 50% vitamin C
- Includes health-supporting ingredients
- Helps with hydration
- Vegan
- Non-GMO
- Gluten-free
Cons
- Not ideal for those who need lots of caffeine
- Flavor takes getting used too for some
About the brand
Orgain was founded by a doctor and cancer survivor who “saw a need for a nutritional shake made from all-natural, food-based ingredients and took it upon himself to be the first to make it.”
Related: Best Vegan Protein Powders Reviewed In 2020
Ora Renewable Energy Organic Pre-Workout
Ora isn’t a brand we often include in our product reviews however, Renewable Energy does seem to be an organic pre-workout worth taking a look at.
It contains ingredients that boost energy, improve blood flow, supports hydration, enhances physical performance, and helps the body resist stress.
It too does not contain loads of caffeine but that’s not necessarily ideal for anyone anyhow. It has plenty of beneficial ingredients that make it a great pre-workout option.
Organic nitric oxide blend
Apple, beet root juice, spinach, kale
Organic energy and electrolyte blend
Tapioca syrup solids, coconut water, green coffee bean, matcha tea, yerba mate
Organic focus and endurance adaptogens
Ashwagandha, rhodiola root, ginseng, maca root, cordycep mushroom, and eleuthero root
Other ingredients: Organic pomegranate, natural berry flavor, raspberry, cranberry, monk fruit, stevia
Caffeine: 90mg caffeine
Pros
- All-natural formula
- Helps with blood flow
- Potentially beneficial ingredients for increasing strength
- May help to increase endurance
- Good for hydration
- Gluten-free
- Vegan
Cons
- Few complaints about taste
- Not great if you need a big serving of caffeine
- Uses proprietary blend
About the brand
Ora products are sustainably sourced and use ingredients from plant-based foods. They offer supplements with clean ingredients that support overall good health.
Garden of Life Sport Organic Pre-Workout
Garden of Life pre-workout isn’t going to win any awards for most hardcore pre-workouts at 85mg of caffeine per serving. However, it contains an antioxidant energy blend and nitric oxide blend that can enhance the performance effects.
Not to mention, there’s a huge dose of vitamin B12 and a good serving of vitamin C.
The ingredients for energy support include baobab and coffeeberry whole coffee fruit extract.
The nitric oxide blend includes spinach, kale, and beet.
While it’s not the most hardcore option, there are a lot of health-promoting ingredients and you’ll still notice improvements in physical and mental performance.
Organic antioxidant energy blend
Organic baobab, coffeeberry whole coffee fruit extract (std. to 70% caffeine), organic emblic extract
Organic nitric oxide blend
Organic spinach, organic beet, organic kale
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Expect expert-backed workouts, nutrition advice, the latest in strength sports, and a whole lot of motivation heading your way.
Other ingredients: Organic erythritol, organic dark cherry flavor, organic stevia extract, Non-GMO citric acid
Pros
- Vegan
- USDA organic
- Big dose of B12 for energy and helping fatigue
- Sugar-free
- Low-calorie
- Certified for Sport
- Non-GMO
- Soy and gluten-free
Cons
- Many don’t like the taste
- May not be ideal for those who need more caffeine
About the brand
Garden of Life is a well-known brand that starts every formula with real foods. They aren’t about including synthetic ingredients in their products and are focused on the health of customers.
MRM Nutrition Organic Pre-Workout
MRM is another good option from a reputable brand and it’s made its way on our list of best organic pre-workouts.
It contains several superfoods and adaptogens that include organic maca root and rhodiola rosea that can help with stress and fatigue. Red beetroot and cordyceps support blood flow, and green tea leaf, guayusa tea leaves, schizandra berries, green coffee bean extract, and coffee fruit increase energy and focus.
It’s packed with beneficial compounds!
Overall, MRM organic pre-workout looks like a solid option that does more than just provide energy to break through personal records and perform longer.
Ingredients
Organic maca root, organic red beet root, organic cordyceps, organic schizandra berry, organic rhodiola rosea, organic matcha green tea leaf, organic green coffee bean extract, organic guayusa tea powder, organic red reishi mycelium, organic coffeeberry whole coffee fruit
Other ingredients: Organic acacia fiber, organic flavors, organic stevia leaf (natural sweetener), citric acid, and organic monk fruit extract (natural sweetener)
Pros
- Vegan
- Organic
- Holistic ingredient profile
- Natural sweeteners
- No artificial flavors
- Soy and gluten-free
Cons
- Some don’t like taste
- Some may feel it’s not strong enough
About the brand
MRM was founded by a variety of professionals such as nutritionists, researchers, food specialists, and more. They value both modern extraction processes and ancient wisdom to craft top-notch products for everyone.
How We Chose The Best Organic Pre-Workout Supplements
The product selections on our list were based on certain criteria to ensure we recommend only the best quality options currently available on the market.
Here are the main factors we took into consideration…
Ingredients – All pre-workouts don’t necessarily need to contain the same exact ingredients but they should have a healthy and effective dose of ingredients that have been scientifically proven to provide some sort of benefit.
Effectiveness – This will depend entirely on the ingredients contained in the product and sometimes, how your body reacts to specific substances. But that’s why it’s important to choose quality products from reputable companies.
Manufacturing Standards – Ideally, products are produced and stored in a cGMP facility which ensures quality.
Side Effects – Side effects are sometimes inevitable when it comes to supplementation which doesn’t always mean there’s something wrong with the product as one person may experience side effects and someone else may not.
However, products should only contain ingredients that are considered safe to use and ingredients should be included in safe amounts. User feedback is also sometimes a good way to determine the overall quality of a product.
If we could single out one common ingredient in pre-workouts to be especially careful with, it would be the nervous system stimulant caffeine. If you’ve not built up a solid tolerance relative to the dose, you may experience serious side effects such as jitters, anxiety, heart palpitations, etc.
Always read the product label and start off with a small dose if you’re new to taking similar products.
How Is an Organic Pre-Workout Different Than A Non-Organic One?
Organic pre-workouts primarily use food-based ingredients, and therefore, the nutrition label is going to look a lot different than most other pre-workouts.
That means you won’t find common pre-workout ingredients such as l-citrulline, beta-alanine, creatine, and betaine in organic pre-workout formulas.
Additionally, organic pre-workouts typically don’t contain lots of caffeine compared to other options.
This isn’t necessarily a drawback especially for those who cannot handle or do not want 200+mg of caffeine in their pre-workouts.
However, we totally understand that many hardcore pre-workout users won’t get the same pumped-up feeling with low caffeine doses.
11 Strongest Pre Workout Supplements for Hardcore Pump (Updated 2021)
But there are still many compounds that will elicit performance-supporting effects.
Let’s discuss them…
Common Organic Pre-Workout Ingredients
While it would be too much to list and talk about every single ingredient included in organic pre-workouts, we’ve provided some information about the most common ones.
Caffeine
Caffeine is a nervous system stimulant included to boost energy levels and increase both physical and mental performance.
No ingredient can compare hence why the potency of a product is typically determined by the caffeine content. You must be cautious though, however, as not building up a tolerance or taking too much can have extremely unpleasant consequences.
Green tea and coffee beans are common caffeine sources.
Green tea matcha
Green tea matcha is a powder form of green tea used in many different food products and recipes. Because matcha contains nutrients from the full tea leaf, it contains more caffeine and beneficial nutrients such as antioxidants and amino acids.
It’s been shown to enhance various factors of health.
Yerba mate
Yerba mate would definitely win the funky name award if there was one.
Sure, but what is it?
It’s an herbal tea that comes from twigs and leaves of the Ilex paraguariensis plant.
Yerba mate is rich in nutrients and antioxidants such as beneficial plant compounds. These include xanthines (stimulant similar to caffeine), caffeoyl derivatives (antioxidant), saponins (anti-inflammatory), and polyphenols (antioxidants), which are good for health and staving off sickness.
It also contains 85mg of caffeine per cup which is a pretty decent amount. In fact, that’s less caffeine than coffee although more than a cup of tea. Therefore, it can enhance physical and mental performance and burn a few extra calories.
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In fact, one study found that taking yerba mate before exercise enhances the body’s ability to use fat for energy during light and moderate-intensity activity (1).
Moreover, it was found to not negatively affect maximal performance and may also have glycogen sparing effects.
There was a 12-week study that found 3g/day of yerba mate to reduce body fat, and waist-hip ratio (2).
On the other hand, the placebo group gained several pounds and their waist-hip ratio increased by 1%.
Yerba mate may also help to improve blood sugar health, however, this was shown in animal research (3).
There’s some research to show it could improve cholesterol levels as well (4).
It’s important to note though, that yerba mate may not be safe in high amounts and when consumed for prolonged periods. However, in the above-supplements, yerba mate is included as part of a proprietary blend so the amounts are not disclosed.
But we’d assume taking these pre-workouts as recommended will reduce any concerns.
More about pre-workout supplements:
If you want to learn more about pre-workout supplements, we have an entire pre-workout section that we recommend you check out!
- Best Pre-Workout Supplements
- Best Pre-Workouts for Weight Loss
- Best Pre-Workouts Without Creatine
- Best Tasting Pre-Workout Supplements
- Strongest Pre Workout Supplements
- Best Caffeine-Free Pre-Workout Supplements
Enhance Your Workouts Organically
There aren’t a lot of organic pre-workout choices so we had to ensure we chose the best ones. As you noticed, each one is unique but they all include food ingredients and effective blends that assist with performance and improving your body composition, and how it handles various stressors.
Additionally, many of these formulas use all-natural ingredients. So, if you’re in the market for a quality organic pre-workout supplement, you may just find what you need here.
If you have any questions about this article, please feel free to contact Matthew Magnante by leaving a comment below.