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 for protein shakes
- Almond milk – or another milk of your choice like skim milk, soy milk or oat milk.
- Protein powder – I like using whey protein powder, but you can use any milk-based protein powder of your choice.
- Fruit – try adding in some frozen berries, frozen pineapple or a mashed banana to give your shake a sweeter taste.
- Add-ins – add a bit of extra flavour with cocoa powder, nut butter like peanut butter, shredded coconut or another flavour add-in of your choice.
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 under nutrition facts, 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, making it a better protein source.
- If you need a plant-based protein option, go for an orgain protein powder or pea protein powder.
It’s also best to choose powders that are not flavoured. A vanilla protein powder is typically fine, but other flavours could risk clashing with the other ingredients. Here is the protein powder I use if you're looking for a clean one with a great taste.
Frequently Asked Questions
The unsurprising answer is yes, protein shakes are definitely good for you. All adults need a minimum of 46-56 grams of protein each day to meet their daily protein intake, and these shake recipes are a great way to meet that goal. Plus, all of these recipes use whey protein powder which promotes muscle growth, 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 protein shakes within two hours of exercising, which is when your body will absorb the most nutrients from the protein shake. You could also enjoy it as a morning or afternoon snack for an added boost of protein!
If you want your shake to have even more protein, you can add in some Greek yogurt or nut/seed butter like peanut butter.
As long as you're still enjoying a balanced diet (and not using a protein shake as a meal substitute), it's perfectly fine to have one protein smoothie a day. Just make sure you're enjoying a healthy diet outside of the shakes that includes lots of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
How to incorporate protein shakes into a healthy diet
Protein shakes can be a great addition to your diet and overall health regime – as long as you're incorporating them properly! Here are some tips on how to incorporate them into your diet:
- Don't use them as a meal substitute: These protein shakes are meant to be a way to add extra protein to your diet and are not meant to be a meal substitute.
- Add them in as a snack: I typically like to enjoy my protein shake as a mid-morning or afternoon snack. It's a great way to get a boost of protein and keep you feeling full in between meals!
- Combine your shake with a healthy meal plan: Your shake shouldn't be the only healthy part of your day! Add it into your daily meal plan with a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The Best Protein Shakes
I rounded up five of my favourite protein shake recipes! All these shakes are packed full of protein, are full of delicious flavors and are a healthy snack. Feel free to customize the ingredients until you find a combo you love.
- Vanilla protein shake
- Strawberry cheesecake protein shake
- Tropical protein shake
- Chocolate 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 protein shakes 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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Meal Prep Tools
- 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.
- My Vitamix is a must have for shakes, sauces, soups and purees.
- **Get my full list of tools here**
The Best Protein Shakes {5 Flavours}
Ingredients
Strawberry cheesecake protein shake
- 1 cup almond milk or another dairy or dairy-free milk
- 1/2 cup frozen strawberries or another frozen fruit like raspberries
- 1/3 cup whey protein powder (about 1/3 cup) or another milk-based protein
- 1 tbsp light fat cream cheese or regular cream cheese
Chocolate protein shake
- 1 cup almond milk or another dairy or dairy-free milk
- 1 scoop whey protein powder (about 1/3 cup) or chocolate whey protein powder
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder or chocolate protein powder
Vanilla protein shake
- 1 cup almond milk or another dairy or dairy-free milk
- 1 scoop whey protein powder (about 1/3 cup) or another protein powder of your choice
- 1/3 cup vanilla Greek yogurt or a bit more almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or almond extract or maple syrup
Peanut butter banana protein shake
- 1 cup almond milk or another dairy or dairy-free milk
- 1 scoop whey protein powder (about 1/3 cup) or another protein powder of your choice
- 1 tbsp peanut butter or almond or sunflower butter
- 1 banana, mashed or applesauce
Tropical protein shake
- 1 cup almond milk or another dairy or dairy-free milk
- 1 scoop whey protein powder (about 1/3 cup) or another protein powder of your choice
- 1/2 cup frozen pineapple or frozen mango
- 1 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut leave this out if you don't like 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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