Protein Smoothie
Posted Aug 17, 2022, Updated Feb 16, 2024
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This protein smoothie recipe is made with 6 ingredients in 5 minutes! It’s is an easy, delicious, and healthy way to increase your daily protein intake.
There have been many seasons of my life (especially while I was pregnant and nursing), that my body desperately needed more protein but I didn’t have the energy to cook.
So, I created this protein smoothie recipe as an easy and nutritious way to give my body what it needed without spending hours in the kitchen (also try this green smoothie and spinach smoothie).
This protein smoothie is made with six healthy, high-protein ingredients and only takes 5 minutes to make. Enjoy it as a nutritious breakfast or snack.
Protein Smoothie Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Milk. Any milk variety works well. 2%, almond milk, coconut milk, etc.
- Greek yogurt. I suggest a full-fat yogurt such as a plain or vanilla Greek yogurt, or a plain or vanilla Icelandic yogurt.
- Frozen mixed berries. I suggest using frozen berries for a thick, creamy, cold smoothie. However, you can substitute your favorite fruit: strawberries, blueberries, cherries, etc.
- Frozen Banana. Adding frozen banana sweetens smoothies and imparts a creamy texture. Using frozen banana means that you don’t need to add ice to make it thick and cold.
- Vanilla protein powder. Use a high-quality protein powder like this one.
- Almond butter. cashew butter, peanut butter, sunflower seed butter, etc. are all great substitutes.
- Honey. maple syrup is a good substitute for honey.
How to Make a Protein Smoothie
Let’s walk through how to make a protein smoothie recipe, and don’t forget to watch the video.
Use a Vitamix Blender
For thick & creamy smoothies I recommend using a Vitamix blender. If you’ve been around my blog for a while then you know my love for my blender runs deep. Check out this Vitamix Buying Guide to learn why I chose Vitamix 10+ years ago and never looked back!
Add Ingredients to Blending Container
Begin by adding all the ingredients in the order listed in the protein smoothie recipe to the container of a Vitamix blender (or another high-powered blender).
It’s important to add the milk & yogurt first, then add the frozen fruit, for easy blending. I like to add the honey on top of the frozen fruit to ensure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the blending container.
Protein Smoothie Recipe: Optional Add-Ins
If you’d like to add some nutrition boosters to this protein smoothie, here are some suggestions that you can add before you begin blending:
- Greens. Adding 1 cup of spinach or power greens, won’t effect the taste or texture of this smoothie at all. It will change the color, but it’ll taste great and have a bonus serving of veggies!
- Collagen. For even more protein without changing the flavor, add a scoop of collagen.
- Chia seeds. a nutritional powerhouse that can be added to this tropical smoothie. I recommend adding 1-2 TBS and drinking the smoothie immediately.
Blend
Next, secure the lid and blend the protein smoothie until it’s smooth and uniform throughout. Use the tamper to press the ingredients to the blades (if using a Vitamix).
You may need to pause, scrape down the sides and continue blending to ensure your smoothie is thick and frozen and avoid over-blending. The mixture should be smooth but thick.
Serve
Once blended, pour the protein smoothie into 2-4 glasses and serve immediately.
Store/Freeze
You can store this protein smoothie recipe in a glass jar with a lid for up to 1 day in the refrigerator or 1 month in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Protein Smoothie Recipe FAQS
Yes! You can double the ingredients to make more smoothie! Just be sure to use a large blending container.
Yes, add 1-2 cups of fresh or fresh-then-frozen spinach on top of the frozen fruit before blending. Just note that adding greens will change the color of this smoothie. Check out my Green Smoothie post for tips about freezing spinach.
Here are some great protein boosters to add to smoothies, many of which are already included in this recipe:
Greek yogurt
Cottage cheese
Chia seeds
Collagen
Protein powder
Nut or seed butter
Hemp or pumpkin seeds
Flaxseed (whole or ground)
Tofu (silken)
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Protein Smoothie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups milk (12 g protein)
- ½ cup Greek yogurt (12 g protein)
- 1 ½ cup mixed berries frozen (1 g protein)
- 1 banana frozen (2 g protein)
- 1 Tablespoon almond butter (4 g protein)
- 1 scoop Vanilla protein powder (24 g protein)
- Optional: 1 Tablespoon honey
- Optional: 1 cup frozen spinach
Instructions
- Add ingredients to the blender in the order listed.
- Blend, starting on low speed and increasing to high until the mixture is smooth and there are no lumps.
- Pour into 2-4 glasses and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Milk. Any milk variety works well. 2%, almond milk, coconut milk, etc. Whole milk is what we use, and it has a higher protein content than non-dairy milks.
- Greek yogurt. I suggest a full-fat yogurt such as a plain or vanilla Greek yogurt, or a plain or vanilla Icelandic yogurt.
- Frozen mixed berries. I suggest using frozen berries for a thick, creamy, cold smoothie. However, you can substitute your favorite fruit: strawberries, blueberries, cherries, etc.
- Frozen Banana. Adding frozen banana sweetens smoothies and imparts a creamy texture. Using frozen banana means that you don’t need to add ice to make it thick and cold.
- Vanilla protein powder. Use a high-quality protein powder like this one.
- Almond butter. cashew butter, peanut butter, sunflower seed butter, etc. are all great substitutes.
- Honey. maple syrup is a good substitute for honey.
- Greens. Adding 1 cup of spinach or power greens, won’t effect the taste or texture of this smoothie at all. It will change the color, but it’ll taste great and have a bonus serving of veggies!
- Collagen. For even more protein without changing the flavor, add a scoop of collagen.
- Chia seeds. a nutritional powerhouse that can be added to this tropical smoothie. I recommend adding 1-2 TBS and drinking the smoothie immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Excellent. As a vegan,I used unsweetened coconut-based yogurt alternative. For fruit, I found frozen strawberries and bananas mixed, added my own frozen banana, soy milk and peanut butter and was very pleased. I was worried it might not be sweet enough but it was perfect!
Love this smoothie! I changed this slightly and really enjoyed it. Here were my changes:
Added 1 cup of milk and 1/2 cup of water
Used peanut butter
Added 1 cup (not 1.5 cups) of frozen berries
This smoothie was so tasty and I thought it was sweet enough without the honey so I’m glad I didn’t add it. I chose to add spinach as I love that in smoothies. I had some leftover and my husband had it several hours later and still thought it was so good! We both can’t wait to make it again!! Thank you for a great recipe!!
I made this with fresh fruits and it is one of the best tasting protein smoothies I have made. The addition of the almond butter was great!
Absolutely delish
Thank you Jentree!