Protein shake recipes aren’t only for bodybuilders. They have a variety of benefits that can help your wellness goals. Are you looking to shed a few pounds? Would you like to add different flavors to your protein smoothie diet?
Regardless of your goals, you’ll find several mouth-watering protein shake recipes on this list. However, let’s first understand what makes the best and healthiest protein smoothies.
Protein shake recipes can include any of the following high-protein sources:
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Let’s discover how to make protein shakes healthier with other additives and take a look at the benefits of protein shakes. We’ll also answer some common questions many people have before diving into the delicious selections.
Protein smoothie recipes can be bland if you aimlessly add the same powders and ingredients. Instead, you can add different protein sources instead of powder or add ingredients bursting with flavor or benefits. Here are some high-protein additives you’ll enjoy:
Tip: Use frozen, pre-cooked veggies for a nicer consistency. The fruit can be either fresh or frozen.
In addition, you should eat the necessary macronutrients to get the best out of your protein shake. Nutritionists suggest eating macronutrients such as carbs, protein, fat, and fiber together (12). Focus on complex carbs for slow energy conversion and to add healthy fats to your shakes.
However, fiber is an essential macronutrient that can keep you feeling fuller for longer and prevent glucose spikes. Here are some healthy fat, fiber, and complex carb ideas to add to protein shakes:
Parkview Health states that foods with anti-inflammatory benefits may help speed up muscle recovery and reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) following workouts (11). Cacao and turmeric are some of the nicest flavors, but ginger, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper also have anti-inflammatory benefits (4). In addition, cayenne pepper will add a new flavor.
Protein shake recipes containing fruit should be sweet enough. However, you may need some sugar alternatives to sweeten the deal with other smoothies. Fresh or frozen fruit is the healthiest option, but alternatively, the Cleveland Clinic recommends using limited amounts of the top natural sugars (24):
Protein shake recipes with milk may be better if you want to consume more protein. A cup of 2% skim milk adds 8 g of protein (18). Water doesn’t contain any protein, carbs, fat, or fiber, but it’s an essential macronutrient and it’s helpful for weight loss (12). However, milk provides the protein you need for muscle gain.
A good amount of milk is 6-12 ounces. However, the sweet spot is eight ounces of milk for each 25-gram scoop of protein powder. If you’d rather keep your calorie content down, substitute milk for water.
Dairy-free protein powder is an excellent alternative for vegans or anyone who wants to lose weight or gain muscle while limiting their animal product intake (9). Vegans have a variety of ways to add more protein to their shakes, but you could also use dairy-free powders.
Yes, as long as you don’t have any medical conditions where you need to limit protein intake. It is also recommended that you follow the serving instructions on the package (29). You should drink the shake after working out to help your muscles recover faster.
Grab one of our low-fat, high-protein snacks when you feel hungry between meals (2). The low-fat snack options will keep you on track when you’re losing weight. This helps if you struggle to stay feeling full between meals or simply want to promote muscle protein synthesis.
Finally, our 7-day protein diet plan for weight loss can help you get on the road to achieving your goals(1). It also helps you balance your meals with the other macronutrients to ensure you have everything you need to lose weight or build lean muscle mass.
Read more: 4 Healthy Crockpot Recipes Anyone Can Make.
Low-calorie protein shake recipes will do wonders for weight loss. Let’s stick to recipes with fewer than 300 calories. It is also helpful to follow a workout plan to aid weight loss when drinking protein shakes (28). The recipes and macros are courtesy of Women’s Health, Get Inspired Every Day, and Chocolate Covered Katie (27, 14, 6).
This protein-rich smoothie recipe uses kefir as a probiotic. At the same time, avocado and spinach are nutrient-dense ingredients, while lemon, cilantro, and ginger make it divine.
Macros: 4 servings, 259 calories, 43 g carbs, 6 g fat, 18 protein, and 6 g fiber
This smoothie is a simple delight with far fewer calories than most. It contains plenty of fruit and has Greek yogurt for protein.
Macros: 2 servings, 174 calories, 33 g carbs, 2 g fat, 8 g protein, and 6 g fiber
The pink energizer smoothie allows you to choose your preferred type of protein powder.
Macros (not including protein powder): 2 servings, 127 calories, 23.9 g carbs, 2.7 g fat, 3.3 g protein, and 4.2 g fiber
This smoothie is an excellent choice as it can be customized with added protein powder, chia seeds, or spirulina to increase your protein intake.
Optional:
Macros (including chia seeds and spirulina but not protein powder): 4 servings, 271 calories, 29.2 g carbs, 16.5 g fat, 6.2 g protein, and 7.6 g fiber
The vanilla frosty protein recipe has excellent macros, but it lacks fiber. You can add some buckwheat or oatmeal to get more fiber. However, the recipe is also suitable for vegans.
Macros: 2 servings, 84 calories, 3.3 g carbs, 4.3 g fat, 8 g protein, and 0.1 g fiber
Protein shake recipes containing whey or with high protein counts will do wonders for your muscles. Combining strength training exercises with increased protein intake can help you build muscle mass (28). The recipes and macros in this section are courtesy of Men’s Health (17).
Fortunately, you don’t need to bake the apple slices for this protein shake. However, you can add cinnamon to improve the flavor and make it taste just like baked apple pie.
Macros: 1 serving, 510 calories, 36 g carbs, 15 g fat, 57 g protein, and 10 g fiber
Peanut butter and spinach welcome nutrients into this shake, while the whey protein powder packs a powerful protein punch.
Macros: 1 serving, 585 calories, 38 g carbs, 22 g fat, 59 g protein, and 8 g fiber
Tropical flavors will blow you away as you enjoy a high-protein shake before or after your hardcore workout.
Macros: 1 serving, 525 calories, 46 g carbs, 12 g fat, 58 g protein, and 9 g fiber
Who said muscle-builders can’t enjoy vanilla and pumpkin flavors? Add some cinnamon as an optional extra to kick the flavors into overdrive.
Macros: 1 serving, 535 calories, 45 g carbs, 13 g fat, 60 g protein, and 13 g fiber
This protein shake is a massive hit as it blends a sweet treat with high protein content. You can further increase the protein by replacing the water with milk.
Macros: 1 serving, 500 calories, 54 g carbs, 11 g fat, 57 g protein, and 14 g fiber
Some recipes don’t use protein powder or its use is optional. Other ingredients in the recipes will satisfy your protein needs. The recipes and macros in this section are courtesy of Eat the Gains and Self Magazine (10, 20). Please note that the calorie counts in some of these shakes are high enough to make them complete meals.
Oh snap! The ginger will blow your mind in this protein smoothie recipe. It also contains rolled oats, almond butter, vanilla extract, and spinach to pack those macros.
Macros: 1 serving, 398 calories, 46 g carbs, 16 g fat, 23 g protein, and 8 g fiber
This smoothie uses cauliflower rice as a substitute for banana. It also replaces sugar with honey and uses Greek yogurt to add fiber.
Macros: 1 serving, 353 calories, 37 g carbs, 10 g fat, 30 g protein, and 9.1 g fiber
The pumpkin pie smoothie contains enough protein to shake things up with exciting flavors. It also uses almond milk, maple syrup, Greek yogurt, and oats as supplement ingredients.
Macros: 1 serving, 438 calories, 48 g carbs, 20 g fat, 22 g protein, and 9 g fiber
This smoothie packs a protein punch, which is impressive as it uses no powder. However, it’s high in calories. However, the almond milk, rolled oats, and peaches make a sweet delight.
Macros: 1 serving, 411 calories, 41 g carbs, 20 g fat, 21 g protein, and 7 g fiber
The cherry chia protein smoothie has a splash of fruity sweetness with supplement ingredients. It also uses almond milk, chia seeds, and avocado to meet the macros.
Macros: 1 serving, 396 calories, 42 g carbs, 20 g fat, 20 g protein, and 16 g fiber
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Let’s also cover more tasty and healthy chocolate protein shake recipes because they’re quite popular.
Let’s start with a simple chocolate protein shake that includes nutrient-dense ingredients.
Macros: 2 servings, 279 calories, 37 g carbs, 10 g fat, 17 g protein, and 6 g fiber
The addition of Dutch cacao powder will make the chocolate flavor pop with bold undertones.
Macros: 1 serving, 293 calories, 30 g carbs, 14 g fat, 22 g protein, and 10 g fiber
Let’s not forget to add some vanilla protein recipes to make sure you’ve got enough choices.
Adding dates to a protein shake also sweetens it, but they add carbs and fiber. However, their addition makes it taste incredible as a complete meal.
Macros: 1 serving, 556 calories, 92 g carbs, 14 g fat, 26 g protein, and 11 g fiber
Lowering the carbs and calories in flavored protein shakes requires a simplified recipe.
Macros: 2 servings, 183 calories, 26 g carbs, 2 g fat, 17 g protein, and 2 g fiber
Read more: Easy Homemade Recipes for Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies.
Whether you use milk or water is dependent on your goal. Protein shake recipes with milk are better for increasing your protein intake and increasing muscle gain. A cup of 2% skim milk adds 8 g of protein (18). Water is an essential macronutrient, and can be used when making lower-calorie shakes if you want to lose weight (12).
You should avoid mixing protein powder with hot liquids. The Times of India warns that protein powder reacts badly with hot drinks (5). It doesn’t mix well, releases gas, and may squirt from a blender. Instead, you should mix the powder with room-temperature water or milk before you add it to the blender with hot liquids.
Yes, as long as there is no medical reason for you to limit your protein intake. It’s also not recommended to replace meals of whole nutritious foods with shakes or smoothies. Protein shakes can be a helpful addition to your diet, particularly after a workout for helping provide extra nutrients for muscle building and recovery, but you should still eat regular balanced meals that include nutritious foods.
Livestrong doesn’t recommend drinking protein shakes without exercising (28). Protein shakes and smoothies often have high calorie counts and may result in rapid weight gain if you don’t exercise. It’s okay to drink a protein shake on a rest day between workouts, but it won’t provide any real benefits if you aren’t following a workout plan to build muscle or lose weight.
Protein shake recipes can vary according to your goals. You should choose recipes that are aligned with your goals before you blend any delicious ingredients together. It’s also important to remember to pack those macros more wherever possible.
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