My go-to protein shake recipe is so yummy and keeps me satisfied for at least 3-4 hours, usually, sometimes longer. The only time I get hungry sooner is if I haven’t eaten enough the day before or I’ve had an extensive workout. This protein shake is packed full of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Just what the body ordered! Protein shakes won’t make you fat unless you are eating more calories than you burn. Therefore, it’s important that you put in enough to make you satisfied but not so much that your protein shake has 1,000 calories in it. Here are the ingredients and how you make one of the best protein shakes:
Milk
You can make your protein shakes with water if you are really watching your calories and you don’t mind the taste. I can drink my protein shakes with water but I prefer a type of milk. Since I personally can’t eat or drink dairy, I use almond milk. So, technically, this is a vegan protein shake but I am not a vegan.
However, almond milk isn’t really a “milk” (in fact, they are starting to call it a “beverage” instead) and it actually does NOT have a lot of nutrition. In addition, there is quite a bit of added sugar. So, I simply use unsweetened almond milk which only has 30 calories per 8 ounces and it improves the flavor of my protein shake. If you use regular milk or soy milk, you will get more protein but you will also get more calories and sugar so make sure you consider making other adjustments to reduce the calories and sugar intake if you need to. Otherwise, you might thwart your effort at losing weight if that’s your goal!
Protein Powder
You might ask what protein powders I use. Whey protein powders are considered “better” but since I can’t eat dairy (whey is dairy and upsets my stomach within 1/2 hour!), I stick to plant-based protein powders.
Nowadays, I drink one scoop of Vegan Shakeology plus one scoop of multi-collagen protein powder. However, my other favorite protein powder is the PlantFusion brand which is a lot less expensive than Shakeology. Shakeology does have more fiber but otherwise, I like the taste of them both.
I do encourage you to try different protein powders, however, since we all have different tastes and tolerance to texture. Just make sure you get a minimum of 10-15 grams of protein in one scoop and it isn’t high in added sugar. I like most of my meals to be at least 20-25 grams of protein.
Fruit
You certainly don’t have to add fruit to your protein shake. Milk plus protein powders can make a great quick meal! But, adding fruit can make the protein shake taste better and give you more health benefits with vitamins and minerals.
I love to add a banana to my protein shakes because it not only tastes good to me, it helps smooth the protein shake. And, if you only eat 1/2 banana, you can freeze the other half and put it in a Ziploc bag for another day. Frozen bananas are nice because they help make the protein shake cold without added ice.
I also like strawberries and blueberries (especially wild blueberries!) Mango, papaya, and pineapple are good, too! Pineapple tends to upset my stomach sometimes and it’s very sweet so I limit that but if you like different fruits, you can switch it up! You won’t get bored as quickly if you mix things up. Protein shakes almost taste like dessert to me so I don’t get bored at all, personally.
I like to use frozen fruit so I can use less ice and the protein shake has more flavor. It also saves me from fruit going bad in my fridge before I’ve had a chance to use it. I hate when that happens but I try to go to the grocery store only once a week since I’m a busy mom!
Peanut Butter
I also like to add unsweetened peanut butter to my protein shake but if you don’t like that in your shakes, you can simply eat a handful of nuts with your shake if you need/want a few more calories or micronutrients. Regular/sweetened peanut butter often adds salt and sugar to it which can add to your calories and sodium intake so be cautious about that. I only add one teaspoon since peanut butter is high in fat and calories. You only need a little to give your protein shake a little different flavor.
Consider omitting the peanut butter for fewer calories since the taste only changes a little bit and there is plenty of protein in this shake already!
Leafy Greens
Lastly, I often add spinach or kale to my protein shakes for more leafy greens which are very healthy for us and very low-calorie. You might think it sounds really bad but it only sounds that way. I honestly cannot taste it at all! It does change the color of your protein shake sometimes but I simply put it in a tall black cup and it doesn’t matter to me. Once you taste it, you will see a handful does not alter the flavor at all, in my opinion.
Ice
I typically add some ice to the protein shake as it tastes better but if you use frozen fruit, you don’t need much. It can make the blender get stuck if you put too much ice.
What Blender To Use
The blender can make a big difference, too, as to how the texture of your protein shake feels when you drink it. I use a Ninja Blender for that reason with an Auto IQ. I simply push a button and it blends in a stop-start fashion to make sure it gets smooth.
Healthy Protein Shake Recipe
Here’s my recipe but, again, you can add different fruit that you enjoy or mix it up so you don’t get bored! I didn’t specify the flavor of protein powder because I use chocolate or vanilla most of the time and just switch things up.
Fruity Chocolate or Vanilla Protein Shake (Spinach and Vegan Optional)
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 4 Strawberries Fresh or Frozen
- 1 Banana
- 0.5 cup Frozen Blueberries
- 2 Scoops Protein Powder
- 1 Handful Raw Spinach
- 0.5 cup Ice
- 12 oz Unsweetened Almond Milk
- 1 tsp Unsweetened Peanut Butter Optional
Instructions
- Pour milk in the blender
- Add the fruit
- Add the protein powders
- Add the peanut butter
- Add the spinach
- Add the ice
- Blend until smooth (approximately one minute)
I like this recipe because it includes so many foods that are packed full of nutrients that I may not get into my daily intake otherwise. Thanks for sharing!
@Diane I agree! It’s so easy to get so much nutrition in a quick protein shake that keeps me satisfied for hours. Thanks for your feedback!