Protein Shake
intro
A thick, creamy, macro-balanced protein shake ideal for post-workout recovery or fast on-the-go fuel, with no refined sugar and 30g of protein per serving.
Ingredients
Steps
Gather and prep ingredients
First, set out all pre-measured ingredients: confirm your frozen banana slices are fully solid (frozen for at least 4 hours prior), and arrange 60g vanilla whey protein, 150g non-fat Greek yogurt, 360ml unsweetened almond milk, 32g no-added-sugar peanut butter, 15g chia seeds, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, and 120g ice cubes within reach. Ensure your countertop blender is plugged in and its carafe is clean and completely dry.
Add liquid base first
Pour the full 360ml of cold, refrigerated unsweetened almond milk into the bottom of the blender carafe first. Adding liquid before any thick or dry ingredients prevents protein powder and dense add-ins from getting trapped under the blender blades, which causes lumpy, unevenly blended shakes. Do not add thick or frozen ingredients before the liquid.
Layer soft, dry ingredients
Next, add the 150g non-fat plain Greek yogurt, 32g no-added-sugar peanut butter, 15g chia seeds, and 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon on top of the almond milk. Scoop the full 60g of vanilla whey protein powder directly into the center of the liquid pool to avoid powder sticking to the dry upper sides of the carafe, which causes unblended dry clumps.
Top with frozen ingredients
Place all 118g of frozen pre-sliced banana and 120g of large ice cubes on the very top of the ingredient stack. The weight of the frozen ingredients will gently push softer ingredients down toward the spinning blades as the blender runs, creating a smoother, more even texture without requiring long over-blending.
Blend in staged intervals
Secure the blender lid tightly, holding it down with a folded cotton kitchen towel to prevent cold shake splatters. Run the blender on low speed for 10 seconds to initially break up ice and banana chunks, then increase to medium-high speed for 30 seconds. Stop the blender, scrape down the sides of the carafe with a rubber spatula to dislodge any stuck protein powder, then blend for another 20 seconds on high speed until completely smooth, with no visible lumps or ice chunks.
Check consistency and serve
Remove the blender lid, and dip a metal spoon into the shake to check thickness: it should coat the back of the spoon evenly without running off too quickly. If too thick, stir in 30ml extra cold almond milk and blend for 5 seconds; if too thin, add 1 extra large ice cube and blend for 5 seconds. Pour immediately into two tall 16-oz glasses, and serve cold, as the shake will thicken and separate if left to sit for more than 10 minutes.
Tips
2.Avoid over-blending for more than 1 minute total, as excessive blending breaks down whey protein and chia seeds, leading to a thin, watery texture instead of the desired thick, creamy consistency.
3.For a vegan version, swap whey protein for vanilla pea protein, replace Greek yogurt with unsweetened coconut yogurt, and use oat milk for an equally creamy, plant-based result.
OMG this vanilla protein shake is a total game changer for my post-workout rush! I throw in a handful of frozen spinach sometimes and you can’t even taste it, my 7 year old begs for it every morning before school. SO creamy, no weird chalky aftertaste like most protein shake recipes I’ve tried. 10/10
Perfect for my 5 minute morning meal prep! I make three of these on Sunday night for me and my two teens to grab on the way to school and practice, it holds up great in the fridge for a couple days. Only note is I used oat milk instead of almond because that’s what we had, still came out amazing.
Literally saved my breakfast routine. I don’t have time to cook between 8am lectures and gym sessions, this takes 2 minutes to throw together in my dorm blender and keeps me full until lunch. Way cheaper than buying those $8 protein shakes from the campus coffee shop too!
I was so skeptical because my kids turn their nose up at every “healthy” thing I make, but they went crazy for this! I topped theirs with a little whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles and they thought it was a milkshake. Will absolutely be adding this to our weekly rotation.
Solid protein shake, great macros for post-lift. I added a tablespoon of peanut butter and a dash of cinnamon to mine, hit every single craving I had after deadlift day. Only thing is I wish it was a little thicker? Next time I’ll add more ice I guess.
I’ve tried probably a hundred vanilla protein shake recipes over the years and this is easily top 3. The vanilla extract plus a tiny bit of Greek yogurt is what makes it so creamy, no chalky protein powder taste at all. Brought a batch to my weekend trail run group and everyone asked for the recipe!
Made this for my book club potluck last week as a light drink option alongside all the cookies and brownies, and people were raving! A couple people asked if I put ice cream in it because it was so rich and creamy, they couldn’t believe it was high protein. 10/10, will make again.
Bro this shake is insane. I used vanilla whey protein, added a frozen banana, and it tasted exactly like the vanilla milkshakes I used to get after little league games as a kid. No grit, no weird artificial aftertaste, 10/10 for gains and for flavor.
Staple for my weekly meal prep! I portion out the protein powder, vanilla, and dry ingredients into little mason jars on Sunday so all I have to do in the morning is dump it in the blender with milk and ice, takes literally 2 minutes. Stays frothy and creamy even when I drink it on my commute. Obsessed.
Great easy recipe! I made this for myself after my morning walks, it’s gentle on my stomach which I love because a lot of protein shakes upset my digestion. I swapped the regular milk for lactose-free whole milk and it came out perfect.