These are the best Protein Shakes on the internet! They’re super healthy and are so easy to make with just four ingredients or less.
Ingredients and substitutions
Strawberry cheesecake protein shake
- Almond milk – or your favourite dairy or dairy-free milk (like soy milk, skim milk or cashew milk).
- Frozen strawberries – you can try using another frozen fruit like raspberries.
- Whey protein powder – a milk-based protein like whey protein is good here as it lends to the cheesecake flavour.
- Light fat cream cheese – whole fat cream cheese will work but has a higher calorie count.
Chocolate protein shake
- Almond milk – or your favourite dairy or dairy-free milk (like soy milk, skim milk or cashew milk).
- Whey protein powder – try using a chocolate whey protein powder.
- Cocoa powder – use chocolate protein powder instead.
Vanilla protein shake
- Almond milk – or your favourite dairy or dairy-free milk (like soy milk, skim milk or cashew milk).
- Whey protein powder – whey protein is best but feel free to swap out for another protein powder of your choice.
- Vanilla Greek yogurt – leave this out altogether or add in a bit more almond milk instead.
- Vanilla extract – you can also use a bit of almond extract or maple syrup for a different flavoured protein shake.
Peanut butter banana protein shake
- Almond milk – or your favourite dairy or dairy-free milk (like soy milk, skim milk or cashew milk).
- Whey protein powder – whey protein is best but feel free to swap out for another protein powder of your choice.
- Peanut butter – almond butter or sunflower butter would also work but will taste different.
- Banana – applesauce is the best substitute for banana.
Tropical protein shake
- Almond milk – or your favourite dairy or dairy-free milk (like soy milk, skim milk or cashew milk).
- Whey protein powder – whey protein is best but feel free to swap out for another protein powder of your choice.
- Frozen pineapple – frozen mango would also give this smoothie a nice tropical flavour.
- Unsweetened shredded coconut – leave this out altogether if you don’t like coconut.
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How to make a protein shake
Step 1: Assemble your ingredients.
Step 2: Pour in the milk.
Add ingredients of choice to a high speed blender, making sure to add almond milk in the bottom of the blender first.
Step 3: Add in the protein powder.
Step 4: Dump in the fruit.
Step 5: Blend until smooth.
Mix until fully blended and smooth.
Step 6: Serve and enjoy!
Choosing a protein powder
With the rising popularity of whey protein powder, there are a lot of options on the market. It can be overwhelming if you don’t know what to look for. Use the tips below to find a good powder so you can make the best protein shakes!
- Choose a whey protein that has the fewest ingredients possible and make sure that protein is the first listed ingredient.
- Select a powder that has at least 25 grams of protein per serving. Also, make sure it’s not high in carbs – preferably less than 5 grams. Many of my protein shake recipes use fruit, so you will be adding carbs, but at least they are healthy carbs.
- Choose one that doesn’t have any artificial sweeteners or added sugar. Keep in mind that the sugar per serving also increases when you add in fruit.
- On the label, you will see either protein isolate or protein concentrate. If you have the choice, always choose the protein isolate. This means that it contains more than 90% protein.
It’s also best to choose a powder that is not flavoured. Not only does flavouring possibly increase the amount of sugar and artificial flavours, but you won’t want to mix a flavourful powder with other ingredients in the protein shake recipes. Here is the protein powder I use if you're looking for a clean one.
Frequently Asked Questions
The unsurprising answer is yes, protein shakes are definitely good for you. Of course, an extra dose of protein is a great choice for a snack or meal replacement. Many athletes use protein shakes as a way to refuel after exercise. All adults need a minimum of 46-56 grams of protein each day and these shake recipes are a great way to meet that goal. Plus, all of these protein shake recipes use whey protein powder which builds muscle, assists with weight loss and boosts metabolism amongst other benefits.
On average, the protein shake recipes you see below are 200 calories per serving. My protein shakes do keep the calorie count to a minimum and use fresh ingredients such as fruit to boost the nutritional content. In terms of a healthy lifestyle, 200 calories still make an ideal snack between meals but it is higher than your typical 100 calorie snack, so just be aware that the extra protein requires a trade-off in calories.
Ideally, you should drink your protein shake within two hours of exercising, which is when your body will absorb the most nutrients from the protein shake.
The Best Protein Shakes
You can find plenty of protein shake recipes online, but the five varieties here are full of nutritious protein and taste amazing. The recipes make one shake each, but you can make them in advance because they will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to three days.
These protein shakes not only offer a quick boost of necessary protein, but they have additional benefits as well. Strawberries have lots of vitamin C, B9 and potassium. Pineapple is a great source of riboflavin, magnesium and folate. Bananas are packed with potassium, fibre and B6. And peanut butter has the healthy fats that are essential for heart health.
Strawberry cheesecake protein shake
Tropical protein shake
Chocolate protein shake
Vanilla protein shake
Peanut butter banana protein shake
Meal prepping protein shakes
Because the protein powder will lose its consistency after being blended, it's recommended that you do not blend these up ahead of time but rather meal prep the ingredients to pour into the blender. I'll usually store my add-ins (fruit, yogurt, etc.) with almond milk in mason jars in the fridge and then add my protein powder at the last minute before blending.
You can use an individual-sized blender to whip these up such as a Magic Bullet instead of using a full-sized blender to save time on clean up too!
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More protein-packed breakfast ideas
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some mason jars for meal prepping the ingredients ahead and for serving these shakes.
- Here is the protein powder I use.
- I like to use a Magic Bullet blender to save time on clean up.
The Best Protein Shakes 5 Ways
Ingredients
Strawberry cheesecake protein shake
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
- 1/3 cup whey protein powder (about 1/3 cup)
- 1 tbsp light fat cream cheese
Chocolate protein shake
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 scoop whey protein powder (about 1/3 cup)
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
Vanilla protein shake
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 scoop whey protein powder (about 1/3 cup)
- 1/3 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Peanut butter banana protein shake
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 scoop whey protein powder (about 1/3 cup)
- 1 tbsp peanut butter
- 1 banana, mashed
Tropical protein shake
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 scoop whey protein powder (about 1/3 cup)
- 1/2 cup frozen pineapple
- 1 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
- Add ingredients of choice to a high speed blender, making sure to add almond milk in the bottom of the blender first. Mix until fully blended and smooth.
- Serve and enjoy! Please note the above makes one shake each. Protein shakes can be made up 3 days in advance – keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Sierra says
Can these be used as meal replacement twice a day? Or are these recipes specifically only for a snack?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Sierra – I would not advise that these be used as a meal replacement. I would say a light breakfast or snack would work!
Joni Feldman says
Why would you use whey protein instead of whey isolate for your shakes?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Joni! I’m not an expert on protein powder by any means, but typically I recommend a whey isolate as that will have lower carbs, fat and lower lactose content, as well as more protein. However, the differences tend to be minimal so you can use either type as an option. The important part is that you try to use a protein powder with a shorter list of ingredients and little to no sugar.
Here’s an article explaining isolate vs whey concentrate for more info: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/whey-protein-isolate-vs-concentrate
Hope that helps 🙂