Protein shakes have come a long way over the last several decades. There was a time when they were almost unbearable to drink without adding a ton of sugar to mask the awful taste. And in fact, many supplement brands did just that. They added a bunch of sugar to the mix and called them “mass gainers” in order to make them seem like a healthy choice.
Today’s protein shakes are much higher in quality than those of the past, and both the taste and texture have improved somewhat. But many protein shakes on the market could use a little help in the flavor department.
So if you’re having trouble keeping up with your daily protein shake regimen, here are some tips to help you make your protein shakes taste better.
Use Milk Instead of Water
The most common place to start improving the taste of your protein shake is to mix it with milk instead of water. Not only does milk add some extra flavor to your protein powder, but it also gives you a creamier texture. This makes it seem more like a luxurious dessert than a chalky diet supplement that you have to force down your throat. And since milk is a good source of protein, you can squeeze a little more protein into your shake without having to use additional protein powder.
If your macro split includes room for a few carbs, then you can go ahead and have any dairy milk. Yes, regular whole milk is naturally high in protein and fat, but it also has a few simple carbs. So it won’t fit well into a low carb or keto diet.
If you’re going low carb or keto – or if you are vegetarian or vegan – then you have a variety of plant milks out there to suit your needs. Most soy and nut-based milks are low in carbs and are keto-friendly.
And if you’re going for a low-fat diet, you can opt for nonfat milk, skim milk or a low-fat plant-based milk such as rice milk, oat milk or almond milk. Just check the nutrition labels to be sure your milk fits your macros.
Mix with Ice or Frozen Fruit
Protein shakes also taste a lot better when you drink them cold.
Technically, temperature is different from taste, but there’s just something about an ice-cold, creamy milkshake or smoothie that makes the entire experience more enjoyable. And that’s what this is all about – how to make your daily protein shakes more enjoyable so that you keep up the habit of drinking them.
Protein shakes are best when you drink them immediately after making them in the blender. But if you are blending up your shake at home and then drinking it later at the gym, at school or at work, then invest in a shaker that will keep your drink cold. Generic plastic shaker bottles aren’t going to cut it in this situation. Instead, get some kind of insulated stainless steel shaker.
Another option would be to get a small ice chest or insulated cooler bag with an ice pack. A cheap plastic shaker bottle will work just fine if it’s on ice. This option works great if you have not only your protein shake but also have food that you want to keep cold such as a tuna sandwich or a microwavable lunch.
Add Fresh Fruit
Fresh fruit is a great way to make protein shakes taste better. You have tons of options, and the good news is that there are many types of fresh fruit that are low in calories, high in nutrients and full of flavor. Just drop a couple handfuls of fruit into the blender as you mix your shake, and you’ve got yourself a protein-packed fruit smoothie.
You can start with one fruit at a time or try different fruit combos. Bananas pair well with just about any fruit and add a creamy texture to every shake. And have you ever tried a vanilla shake made with milk and honeydew melon? Don’t knock it til you try it!
If you’re not sure where to start, here are just some of the many fresh fruit options that work well in protein shakes.
- Banana
- Strawberry
- Blueberry
- Pineapple
- Mango
- Peach
- Kiwi
- Date
- Honeydew melon
Use Fruit Juice Instead of Water
Another way to sweeten up your protein shake is to mix it with fruit juice instead of water. This simple switch will add an intense burst of flavor and sweetness to your shake along with boosting its nutritional value. Though the specific combination of vitamins that you get will depend on the type of juice you use.
Just keep an eye on the calorie increase, especially if you are trying to lose weight. But if you are in a mass-building phase, adding fruit juice is a great option. And you can still add milk to your shake if you want to go for a sweet and creamy shake.
Milk and acidic fruits will separate when sitting for a while. But when it comes to taste, milk pairs well with citrus fruits and citrus fruit juice. A popular combo is to use orange juice and milk with a vanilla protein powder or even an unflavored powder. This will give you a shake similar in taste and texture to the Orange Dream smoothie from Jamba Juice.
Mango juice is another good choice here. Or you can combine pineapple juice and coconut milk with vanilla protein to create a pina colada protein shake.
Play around with different fruit juices and see how many interesting combinations you can come up with.
Add Yogurt
Many of us will mix up our protein shakes with milk to add a little more flavor, create a nice creamy texture and also boost protein content. But you can also add yogurt to your shake to take it a step further.
If you use a yogurt that is both fat free and sugar free, you can get a significant bump in protein without adding too many calories. The yogurt will also add some nice flavor and give your shake a super creamy texture. Try different flavors of yogurt to give your protein routine a little more variety.
Don’t forget that taste is just one aspect of what goes into a good protein shake. The temperature and texture can also make the difference between truly enjoying your daily protein shake and just barely choking it down.
Add Some Type of Nut Butter or Seed Butter
Next to milk and bananas, peanut butter is probably the ingredient most people add to their protein shakes to improve the flavor. You can’t go wrong with peanut butter and chocolate or peanut butter, banana and chocolate.
But you don’t have to stop there. Many health food stores will have a variety of spreads made from nuts and seeds. You can get almond butter, cashew butter and even sunflower seed butter. These are high in fat and calories, but they are also high in flavor. So a little bit goes a long way.
If you are limiting fats to hit a certain macro split, then you could try adding a scoop of peanut butter powder instead of straight peanut butter to your protein shake. Peanut butter powder typically contains less than half the amount of fat compared to regular peanut butter while boosting protein content and improving taste.
Add Sweeteners
One final ingredient that you might want to consider adding to your protein shake to make it taste better is some sort of sweetener. If additional calories or carbs is not a concern, then you could add some plain white sugar, brown sugar or honey to your shake. Maple syrup is another good option to sweeten it up.
But if you need to keep your calories down, or if you are doing a low-carb diet, then you might try a zero calorie sweetener like the ones you see at coffee houses. There are a number of them out on the market, and they all have different tastes to them. So you’ll want to try different ones to find the one you want. And it won’t take much – a single packet or half a teaspoon might be all you need to jazz up your protein shake.
Here are the most popular ones:
- Zevia
- Splenda
- Equal
- Sweet’N Low
- Stevia
Switch to a Higher Quality Protein Powder
Last on the list we come to simply changing out your old protein shake powder for a better one.
As with many other things in life, you get what you pay for. So if you went cheap and bought a low-priced protein shake, only to regret your purchase the minute you took your first sip, then try these protein shake flavor tips above to make the best of it.
Once you get to the bottom of that tub of protein powder, then you can make sure to try a different protein shake next time. Either switch flavors or just switch brands entirely.
Just understand that there is no best protein shake supplement out there. Don’t be afraid to include other ingredients like the ones above to improve your shake’s taste, texture and temperature and make it easier to hit your nutritional targets day after day.
