Getting your protein right is essential for good health, exercise recovery and muscle building and maintenance. Whether you are trying to increase your muscle mass, lose body fat or tone up, making sure you get enough protein on board is key to achieving your fitness goals.
The recommended daily protein intake for those looking to build muscle mass is approximately 1.7g/kg/d.If you’re not quite sure how much protein suits your body and your goals, head over to our macro-calculator to find out.Protein shakes are a quick and easy way to boost your protein levels if you struggle to meet your protein needs through your meals alone.
To make sure your shakes don’t get boring, we've come up with some suggestions on how to be creative with your protein powder and help keep your daily diet interesting.High-Protein Breakfast Protein Smoothies
To maintain or build muscle, protein must be eaten at regular intervals, every 3-4 hours during the day. And after a good night’s sleep, it’s likely that it’s been a long time since your evening meal or snack. In other words, breakfast is the perfect opportunity to start hitting your protein goals for the day.
A high protein breakfast (approximately 20g+ of protein) will optimize your body’s muscle protein synthesis rate (the process in which your body builds and maintains muscle). A smoothie can be an easy, protein-packed way to start your day.
Coffee & Chocolate Breakfast Protein Smoothie
Ingredients- 200ml milk
- 100ml brewed coffee
- Latte or Chocolate flavoured Impact Whey Protein
- 1 tbsp. maple syrup
- 100g banana
- 1 tsp. cocoa powder
Wake-Me-Up Matcha Whey Protein, Peach & Ginger Smoothie
Ingredients- 1 Scoop (25g) Matcha Whey Protein
- 2 Medium-Sized Fresh Peaches
- ½ Thumb Root Ginger (grated)
- 75ml Milk (of your choice)
Soothing Turmeric Smoothie
Ingredients- 1-inch fresh turmeric root (grated) or 1 tbsp. turmeric powder
- 300 ml coconut water
- 150g frozen tropical fruit mix or 150g fresh or frozen pineapple
- 1 scoop Clear Whey Protein – Mango & Coconut
High-Protein Post-Workout Shakes
To repair your muscles after a workout, it is important to get enough protein to allow them to start recovering. On a long term basis, evidence has shown that those supplementing with post-workout protein may gain more muscle than those who don’t. Although it’s unclear whether this is just down to an increase in daily protein, a post-workout shake is an easy way to boost your daily protein intake and will help to repair damaged muscles and rehydrate you after your training session.
Post-Workout Protein Shake for Maximum Muscle Gain
Ingredients- 1 scoop (35g) Maltodextrin
- 5g L Leucine
- 1g HMB
- 1-2 scoops (30-60g) Whey Protein
- 1 ripe Banana
- 200ml skimmed milk or water
Raspberry Post-Workout Protein Shake
Ingredients- 100g frozen raspberries
- 250ml skimmed milk
- 2 tbsp. quark or Greek yogurt
- 1/2 banana
- 1 scoop Raspberry Impact Whey Protein
The Whey Post-Workout Strawberry-Mint Protein Smoothie
Ingredients- 1 scoop The Whey (Strawberry Milkshake Flavour)
- Handful fresh mint leaves
- 4 tbsp. Greek yoghurt
- 100ml milk
- Handful frozen berries
Mighty Peanut Caramel Shake
Ingredients- 1 scoop Impact Whey Protein (Salted Caramel)
- 1 scoop Instant Oats or blitzed rolled oats
- 1 small banana
- 1 tbsp. All-Natural Almond Butter
- 250 ml milk
Strawberry Whey Forward Isolate Smoothie
Ingredients- 1 scoop Whey Forward Isolate (Strawberry)
- 75 g Greek yoghurt
- 0.5 cup frozen strawberries
- 100 ml semi-skimmed milk (or your go-to milk)
- Handful ice
High-Protein Bulking Smoothies
Liquid calories can be a saviour when it comes to bulking. When you can’t face another plate of chicken and rice, a calorie filled shake is just what the nutritionist ordered.
Filled with calories and protein galore, you’ll be hitting your macro goals without any problems.
High-Protein Cookies & Cream Milkshake
Ingredients- 300 ml milk (any)
- 30g Impact Whey Protein in Cereal Milk (Or use a vegan alternative)
- 1 scoop vanilla ice cream
- 3-4 Oreos
- Squirt whipped cream
High-Protein Cookies & Cream Milkshake
And indulgent shake with 37g of protein.
Bodybuilder’s 1,800 kcal Shake Recipe
Ingredients- 80 g oats
- 300 ml full-fat milk
- 40 g organic honey
- 50 g triple nut butter
- 80 g mixed berries
- 2 scoops Impact Whey Protein (Chocolate Mint)
- 2 bananas
- 2 scoops cyclic dextrin
Protein: 89g Calories: 1,874
Mass Gainer Shake
Ingredients- 100g oats
- 1 banana
- 150g blueberries
- 20g peanut butter
- 1 cup egg whites (about eight egg whites)
- 240ml full fat milk or almond milk
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 handful spinach
- 50g crisped rice cereal
- 1 scoop Impact Whey Protein
Fruity High Protein Shakes & Smoothies
As well as providing a taste boost with some sweetness, adding fruit to your smoothie will increase the nutritional benefit by adding micronutrients and fibre that play an essential role in keeping us healthy. Certain micronutrients have also been shown to reduce the amount of muscle damage experienced after a training session. Vitamin C, found in kiwi fruit and strawberries is a great example of this.Kiwi and Strawberry Protein Smoothie
Ingredients- 2 kiwi fruit (peeled)
- ½ pint apple juice or water
- 5 large strawberries
- 1 scoop Impact Whey Protein
- ½ tablespoon Manuka Honey
- 1 cup of ice cubes
- ½ a squeeze of lime juice
Clear Protein Slushies
Ingredients- 1 scoop Clear Whey Isolate or Clear Vegan Protein
- 200ml water
- Handful crushed ice
- Fruit to garnish (optional)
Vegan High Protein Shakes
The health benefits of switching to an entirely vegan diet have been heavily debated. Although plant sources contain a range of highly beneficial micronutrients and fibre, completely cutting out meat may mean you could be missing out on important nutrients such as B12 and iron.However, including more vegan protein sources will make your diet more environmentally sustainable. The production of plant-based protein sources such as oats, wheat and potato results in considerably less greenhouse gas emission than the production of beef and pork. Therefore, switching an animal based protein source for a vegan smoothie can be a way for you to keep your protein intake high whilst doing your bit to look after the environment.
High-Protein Post-Workout Vegan Shake
Ingredients- 1 frozen banana
- 250ml milk of choice
- 1 handful ice
- 1 scoop Creatine Monohydrate
- ½ scoop Vegan Protein Blend (Chocolate)
- ½ scoop Soy Protein Isolate (Vanilla)
High Protein Vegan Breakfast Smoothie
Ingredients- 200ml almond milk or dairy-free milk of choice
- 1 tbsp. rolled oats
- 2 pitted dates
- 1 tbsp. hazelnuts
- 1 scoop Vegan Protein Blend (Coffee and Walnut flavour)
- 1 tsp. Chia Seeds
- Pinch sea salt
Vegan Protein Smoothie
Ingredients- 1 scoop Vegan Protein Blend
- 250ml almond milk
- ½ banana
- Handful ice
- Toppings of choice
Vegan Chocolate, Banana & Blueberry Post-Workout Smoothie
Ingredients- 1 scoop (25g) Vegan Protein Blend, Chocolate
- 250ml almond milk
- 50g blueberries
- 1 banana
- Handful of spinach or kale
Our tips for making a high-protein shake
Use protein powders
Protein powder is a quick, cost effective way to help you get enough high quality protein at regular intervals. You don’t have to cook anything and it makes your food prep easy; all you need is a scoop and a shaker handy.Swap out water for milk
Swapping milk for water can boost the protein content with half a pint of milk containing approximately 10g of protein. Milk contains both whey and casein and there is evidence to show that a combination of both whey and casein can have the best effect on building muscle.Use natural ingredients for added flavour and protein
Using additional natural ingredients can help add to the nutritional benefit of your smoothie. For example, adding chia seeds is a great way to boost the protein and fibre content as well as providing an extra dose of calcium and other important vitamins and minerals such as zinc, magnesium and iron. Including fat sources such as coconut oil and peanut butter can also add a big hit of flavour and boost the calorie content.Invest in a blender or food processor
A good blender or food processor makes mixing your ingredients really easy and will improve the consistency of your smoothie. Easy to operate and clean, a blender can be a great investment for improving the quality and convenience of your food prep.Take Home Message
Reaching your daily protein target doesn't have to be as boring as shaking up your protein powder with water. There are so many ways to make your protein shake so much more interesting and tasty so that you enjoy hitting your protein targets rather than it being a chore.
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Our articles should be used for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended to be taken as medical advice. If you're concerned, consult a health professional before taking dietary supplements or introducing any major changes to your diet.
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Liam is a certified sport nutritionist with the International Society of Sport Nutrition and is enrolled on the British Dietetics Association’s Sport and Exercise Nutrition register. He has a Bachelor’s of Science in Sport and Exercise Science and is graduate of the ISSN Diploma in Applied Sport and Exercise Nutrition.
Liam is an experienced personal trainer, helping clients reach their health and fitness goals with practical, evidence informed exercise and nutrition advice. In his spare time Liam has competed in numerous powerlifting competitions and enjoys hill walking, football and expanding his recipe repertoire in the kitchen.Find out more about Liam's experience here.
