High protein, low sugar protein shake is a coffee lover’s dream. Gluten free, vegan coffee shake recipe. Only 4 ingredients- no cream!! Easy to make for an afternoon pick me up.
Coffee Lovers Protein Shake
Breakfast smoothies and coffee are my jam which means this coffee lover’s protein shake is my ultimate fave! So coffee protein shake… umm yes please. And this one tastes like a straight up milkshake.
On a rainy day, there’s nothing I like more than sitting by the window and writing with a delicious treat nearby to sip or snack on. But as the rain falls, sometimes my energy falls, too!
So a quick caffeine boost definitely helps.
But I don’t always want a latte or even just brewed coffee. So, I came up with this breakfast smoothie that comes with a kick of cold coffee and some cacao nibs for a pretty finish. Yay for healthy protein shake!
How to make a protein shake with coffee?
This coffee breakfast smoothie is super easy to make. Literally, toss all ingredients into a blender, top with cacao nibs and sip all the frothy goodness with a straw. We even added a how to video to this post! Here’s what we have in this baby.
Banana
Vanilla protein powder
Unsweetened vanilla almond milk
Cold brewed coffee
Cacao nibs
What type of coffee to use for this protein shake?
Any chilled coffee will work in this recipe! So pick your favorite coffee. I actually created this recipe with room temp coffee from my morning pot of coffee, but now that I use a Keurig for single brew– I often will just toss in cold brew or unsweetened iced coffee from the jug.
BTW, I LOVE Starbucks Blonde Roast and that I can buy this at the grocery for a fraction of what it would cost me if I were to go to Starbucks for an iced coffee.
Let’s call this babe Coffee Lovers Protein Shake.
For the love of a breakfast smoothie… I hope you love this gem of a recipe as much as I do. Make sure to look at the notes — I included some options for toppings (I like cacoa nibs!) and also a tip for making this shake more or less sweet, depending on what you prefer.
How to make a vegan protein shake?
This shake is easy to make vegan and dairy free! Just sub in a vegan protein powder. I’m pretty obsessed with Vega sport. I’ve linked to it in my Amazon store below too.
You can use vanilla or chocolate flavor in this recipe so take your pick! Just opt for an unsweetened version to keep sugars low. [amazon_link asins=’B016D9IHZG’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’lovea0fd-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’a206106d-c80d-4053-9d83-8fa4d6799e94′]
Vegan coffee protein shakes for the win!
Are protein shakes good for weight loss?
If you are trying to lose weight, you need this low sugar coffee shake!
Because, yo this breakfast smoothie is under 200 calories, 19g carbs and 25 grams of protein! Protein is super important when trying to lose weight!
Amino acids, specifically leucine help with stimulating muscle protein synthesis! Leucine has also been found to help with fat loss, and protein powder is rich in branch chain amino acid leucine.
While more research is need as to how much leucine the athlete needs, much has been discovered that it’s somewhere between 2-3g per meal, with bigger and aging athletes on the higher end. Let me explain.
We know that as we age our metabolism slows, as a result of losing muscle mass… good news is this is largely preventable! Research is showing that nutrition can affect the quality of our muscle mass.
After age thirty something {and earlier for some}, high quality proteins that are rich in leucine become even more important to the body and are needed in larger quantities.
Do you need a little pick me up? Go on you coffee lover, grab your favorite glass and the blender and get your coffee on.
Best high protein breakfast smoothies:
Peaches n Cream Protein Shake
Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Smoothie
Coconut Cream Pie Protein Shake
Almond Joy Protein Shake
Almond Butter Date Shake
Peanut Butter Mocha Protein Shake
Other coffee recipes:
Coffee Cashew Ice Cream
Coffee Brownies
Honey & Orange Coffee Cake
Double Chocolate Cherry Skillet Brownie
Almond Butter Banana Bread Muffins
Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino
Eggnog Frappuccino
DIY Pumpkin Spice Latte
Coffee Lovers Protein Shake
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 0 mins
- Total Time: 5 mins
- Yield: 1 shake 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
This high protein and low sugar coffee protein shake is a coffee lover’s dream. Dairy free and vegan too. No cream and 100% healthy and only 4 ingredients!! Blend to frothy deliciousness, top with cacao for an afternoon pick me up.
Ingredients
- 1/2 ripe banana
- 1 scoop no sugar added vanilla protein powder
- 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1/2 cup cold or room temperature brewed coffee
- 1 1/2 cups cubed ice
- sprinkle of cacao nibs, for topping if desired
- 1–3 drops stevia extract, if desired
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except ice to a high powered blender. and blend until mixed together.
- Slowly add ice to blender and process until creamy.
- Top with cacao nibs, if desired.
- Note: If you desire a bit of a sweeter shake, stir in 1-3 drops stevia extract.
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 recipe
- Calories: 193
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 161mg
- Fat: 2g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1g
- Trans Fat: 0mg
- Carbohydrates: 19g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 25g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
Keywords: coffee protein shake, coffee shake, coffee smoothie, java shake, low sugar, high protein
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Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links to products we believe in, which means that even though it doesn’t cost you anything extra, Love & Zest will receive a small amount of money from the sale of these items.
Hi I’m Kristina LaRue, registered dietitian and millennial mom of two active and hungry boys. Here on Love & Zest, you’ll find (mostly) healthy recipes to fuel the whole family and real life stories of modern motherhood. I’m all about veggie-filled breakfast meal prep recipes, healthier sweets, and easy weeknight dinners made in the Instant Pot or sheet pan.
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as good as a protein shake can be without the chocolate nibs!
★★★★
Glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Hello Kristina, I’ve been having some trouble getting the vanilla protein powder to properly grind/dissolve into the liquid. I can taste it, you can feel the little bits. I use my mum’s thermomix – maybe it’s not the right machine for it. I think I leave it to blend long enough also. Be glad to hear any feedback. Many thanks!
One thing you might try is to add ice after you’ve blended up the rest of the ingredients. In my blender I can add all of the ingredients together and don’t experience any grittiness… but if I want to really blend it, I will add ice after all other ingredients are fully incorporated.
This is perfect. I love coffee and I need my protein shakes especially after a workout. Awesome idea.
★★★★★
I love that I can get my coffee fix in such a healthy and filling way. This looks refreshing and like a perfect drink to start the day with!
★★★★★
This looks so refreshing, and I love that it’s packed with protein! This would be perfect after my morning tennis matches-trying it next week! Cheers
★★★★★
Looks so frothy and delicious! Never tried coffee in my protein shakes (and I love coffee), thanks for this amazing idea! Trying it this evening!
Oooh this looks delightfully creamy!! I’m so curious now to try bananas and coffee…this sounds so good!
★★★★★
Heya, I love the look of this recipe, and can’t wait to try it out! Is it a good idea to make this the night before and then take it to work with me in the morning? Or should it be made and drank straight away?
Hey! I suggest making this when you’re ready to drink it. What you could do is measure out all the ingredients and put them in a glass in the fridge and then add ice + blend in the AM.
Hey, this looks super yum recipe, especially for afternoon cravings. Can we replace vanilla powder with our favourite flavoured powder? Just in case if you have tried so let me know if that does taste good? Thank you.
I’ve tried with chocolate flavored!
So yummy, or it sounds delicious: I have not tried it yet 🙂 But protein is hard for me to actually eat enuogh of.
★★★★★
Coffee is favourite drink of many people, when it is blended with more ingredients to make more tasty drink it becomes best coffee drink. I like the recipe you mentioned. Will try it soon. Thanks for sharing.
★★★★
OMG I love this recipe!!!!! Super yummy, thank you for this post.