The routine of taking protein powder can get pretty monotonous, especially since most of us can only afford to buy one flavor at a time. However, there is no need to hold your nose every time you drink a protein shake. It just takes a little creativity to turn protein powder into a delicious treat. On this page you'll find plenty of recipes, as well as ingredient suggestions if you're vegetarian or want to make a healthy smoothie.
Protein Shake Recipes
Protein shake for breakfast
If you don't have time to sit down for breakfast, this high-protein smoothie, which also contains healthy fats, fiber, and a ton of vitamins and minerals, can keep you full until lunch. This fruity breakfast drink contains cashews and cinnamon, which can help stabilize blood sugar levels and prevent hunger pangs to give you a sustained release of energy throughout the morning. Yogurt and whey powder increase protein content, while pineapple and blueberries contain antioxidants and other health-promoting compounds.
- 200 g Greek yogurt;
- 50 g pineapple, coarsely chopped;
- 30 g blueberries;
- 1 scoop of whey protein;
- A handful of cashew nuts;
- A pinch of cinnamon;
- Water to taste.
Pre-workout protein shake
If you want to get the most out of your workout, make sure you're giving your muscles all the fuel they need to perform to their maximum potential during your workout. This smoothie is great for enhancing performance if you drink it an hour before your workout. Oats provide a constant supply of carbohydrates for fuel, and the protein powder contains amino acids that prevent excessive muscle breakdown and stimulate new muscle growth. The banana in this creamy smoothie is high in potassium, which helps maintain muscle function during exercise. Coconut water, which is high in other electrolytes, promotes hydration and muscle contraction.
- ½ banana;
- A handful of oatmeal;
- 1 scoop vanilla whey protein;
- 1 tablespoon flax seeds;
- 330 ml coconut water.
Chill all ingredients in the refrigerator, whisk until smooth, then sprinkle with desiccated coconut and drink immediately.
Revitalizing Protein Shake
After a hard workout, your body craves high-quality protein to repair damaged muscle tissue so it can grow bigger and stronger again. But your body needs more than just protein to recover quickly. In addition to being loaded with muscle-building protein, this citrusy and refreshing smoothie also contains vitamin A-rich carrots, which help support your immune system, which can be weakened by long, intense workouts.
- ½ carrots, peeled and chopped;
- ½ orange, peeled and chopped;
- ¼ melon, peeled and chopped;
- 1 scoop whey protein powder;
- 125 ml cashew milk;
- 50 ml water;
- A handful of ice.
Protein shake for muscle building
Want to build muscle? To do this, you need to eat more of the right calories from carbohydrates, fats and proteins, which will give your body the excess energy it needs to quickly increase muscle size. Increasing your calories with healthy ingredients is critical if you're trying to build muscle. To achieve this goal, the smoothie contains nutritious and calorie-dense ingredients like dark chocolate and coconut milk, as well as a good dose of fast-acting whey protein.
- 20 g dark chocolate (85% cocoa);
- 100 ml coconut milk;
- 25 g measured whey protein;
- A pinch of cinnamon;
- 1 banana;
- 50 g oatmeal, soaked in 100 ml water for five to ten minutes.
Vitamin
Cocktails in a blender, the recipes for which are published below, are called real vitamin bombs. They combine vegetables, fruits, and berries at once.
“Green” smoothie with apple and herbs
This vitamin smoothie turns out very tasty and helps strengthen the immune system. It is especially useful to drink it during the off-season to avoid colds.
Ingredients:
- green apples – 230-250 g;
- lemon/lime juice – 20-25 ml;
- fresh parsley (curly and regular) - 40 g each;
- cucumber – 1 pc.;
- fresh basil (green) – 30 g.
You need to squeeze the juice from a lemon or lime immediately before mixing the cocktail.
Preparation:
- First, all the apples need to be peeled, the center cut out and put into the juicer. The resulting fresh fruit juice can be poured into a blender bowl, and the remaining pulp can be thrown away.
- All greens must be thoroughly washed, dried and chopped and poured into juice. Large bases are best removed.
- Then you need to place pieces of cucumber, peeled from dark skin, into the bowl of the device.
- After mixing, blend the ingredients with a blender until smooth.
- Next, you should pour citrus juice into them and combine the components with a spoon without whisking.
The finished drink can be poured into small glasses and served as a healthy snack with bread. This cocktail is enriched with vitamins, minerals and fiber.
With pomegranate and soy cheese
This drink option is recommended as a vitamin drink for breakfast. You can compose the berry mixture for it yourself according to your taste. It is desirable that it contains blueberries, cranberries and black currants.
Ingredients:
- pomegranate juice (freshly squeezed) – ½ tbsp.;
- mixture of various berries - 1 tbsp.;
- silken tofu – 1/3 cup;
- honey – 1-2 tsp;
- ice cubes - ¼ tbsp.
Silken tofu is a very soft soy cheese. The berry mixture for this recipe can also be frozen.
Preparation:
- The first thing you need to do is put the berries into the blender bowl.
- Next, fill the ingredients in the container with freshly squeezed pomegranate juice. You can dissolve honey in it in advance.
- All that remains is to add ice cubes and soy cheese to the mixture.
- All components in the bowl must be thoroughly whisked until smooth.
The finished cocktail should be drunk immediately after preparation.
Vegetarian Protein Shake Recipes
If you're looking for a plant-based shake, you can simply swap out the whey protein used in most of the shakes on this page for vegan protein powder, although there are a few other ingredients you'll need to swap out as well. Or you can simply enjoy one of these two vegetarian smoothie recipes created by the good people at Starks Fitness. Recipes contain Starks Fitness's own vegetarian protein powder, but any plant-based vanilla protein powder will work.
Incredible mass
Blend these ingredients together to create a fruity, refreshing cocktail that's a bit like a Twister ice pop.
- 200 ml coconut milk;
- 1 scoop of protein;
- A handful of spinach;
- 50 g pineapple;
- ½ banana;
- ½ lime.
Miracle berries
This loaded shake uses almond milk as well as vegetarian protein powder to keep it plant-based, with the addition of blueberries and strawberries to add flavor and antioxidants.
- 200 ml almond milk;
- 1 scoop of protein;
- 20 g blueberries;
- 20 g strawberries;
- ½ banana;
- 1 teaspoon flax seeds.
Smoothie to increase hemoglobin
To really make the drink healthy, you should not take ice cream, jam, whole cow's milk, or sugar as additional ingredients. A sweet product can cause fermentation in the intestines.
List of ingredients
- 1 large beet;
- 2 stalks of celery;
- 1 bell pepper;
- 1 cucumber;
- 2 slices of lemon;
- 1 carrot.
Step-by-step cooking technology
- Beets and carrots need to be peeled and cut into thin slices.
- Bell peppers should be peeled and cut into small pieces.
- The cucumber needs to be cut into circles.
- Place all prepared ingredients into a blender bowl and add the lemon along with the skin. Next, mix well for 5 minutes to obtain a homogeneous mass.
What can I add?
To increase the value of the drink, you need to add enriching additives, up to 5% of the total volume. This could be lemon zest, goji berries, bee pollen, spirulina.
How to serve a dish
You can decorate the smoothie with pieces of vegetables or berries, but you need to take into account the calorie content of the product. A powder of nuts will help increase the energy component.
Ingredients for a Great Protein Shake
Blueberry. Fresh berries sweeten the smoothie, and their high fiber content suppresses hunger for a long time and, therefore, unnecessary snacking.
Strawberry. It is an excellent source of manganese, a mineral that controls blood sugar and reduces the desire to snack. This will help you avoid ruining all your hard work in the gym with poor food choices once you're out.
Nuts. Adding nuts to the blender will not only add a serving of protein. For example, Brazil nuts are rich in selenium and zinc, while cashews are rich in iron, which is vital for energy.
Oats. Not just for oatmeal. Oats are a low-GI carbohydrate source that helps replenish your muscles with glycogen so they recover faster and grow in size. They also contain a generous dose of zinc for healthy immune function, magnesium to help your muscles relax after a workout, and dietary fiber to aid digestion and help remove cholesterol.
4 Essential Ingredients for a Post-Workout Shake
1. Skim milk. If fat loss is your main fitness goal, mixing protein powder with water instead of milk will cut calories and reduce your intake of both sugar and fat. But if you want to increase both the size and strength of your muscles, add a little milk to the mixer. Research shows that eating protein with carbohydrates during the post-workout period speeds up muscle recovery by replenishing glycogen stores faster.
2. Medium sized banana. Adding a banana to a blender when making a post-workout smoothie can do wonders for your body because they are an excellent source of vitamin B6, which plays a central role in the metabolism of fats, carbohydrates and protein. A medium banana contains more than one-third of the daily recommended value of this essential B vitamin, which is also involved in neurotransmitter synthesis and gene expression.
3. Ground cinnamon. Adding this spice will keep your blood sugar levels stable, which is key when trying to build muscle and lose fat. In fact, a study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that cinnamaldehyde, a component of cinnamon, is involved in the metabolism of visceral fatty tissue (aka your beer belly). So more cinnamon can help reduce your waist size.
4. Peanut butter. Adding a spoonful of organic peanut butter (or other nut butter)—as long as it's low in salt or sugar—will (a) change the flavor of your post-workout smoothie and (b) increase your intake of the quality fats your body needs to produce better hormones , including testosterone for muscle building. Most nut butters also contain high levels of the antioxidant vitamin E, which fights cellular damage caused by exercise.
