Coffee Protein Breakfast Shake – a healthy mocha frappuccino!

This healthy coffee protein breakfast shake is packed with protein to keep you full and caffeine to help kickstart your energy. 

Once the weather starts to get REALLY hot, I crave smoothies. Heck, I crave smoothies no matter what. They’re healthy, can easily be packed with fruit and veggies AND packed with protein and are really easy to take on the go. I also love how quick they are for breakfast or a post-run snack when I’m having a busy day. This coffee protein breakfast shake is my go-to when I’m not in the mood for acai bowls, mint smoothies and blueberry smoothies, and instead want something with a little more of a “milkshake” flavor.

Coffee Protein Breakfast Shake

If you’re really in a rush in the mornings, this is a great options since it combies your breakfast and coffee without needing to carry two cups out the door. It’s also great as an afternoon pick me up  since I typically like a cup of decaf in the afternoon anyway. While I prefer to drink coffee on its own, this recipe saves me if I’m in a pinch, and makes the BEST treat later in the afternoon.

Let’s get into this shake recipe, shall we?

Ingredients

This recipe is incredibly simple. You only need 5 ingredients and one of them is ice!

• Cooled brew coffee – If you don’t have cold brewed coffee, leftover, chilled coffee will work here.
• Milk – I use almond, but you can use whatever milk you like.
• Bananas – Extra ripe and then frozen is ideal!
• Protein Powder – I typically use vanilla or chocolate protein powder, but I keep imagining that this recipe would also work well with peanut butter protein.
• Ice – Want your smoothie extra strong? Use coffee ice cubes!

Instructions

Who loves easy instructions? I sure do and this is one of those easy recipes. All you have to do is combine all the ingredients in a blender and you’ve got yourself a protein-packed coffee shake! I do put them into a blender a particular order as outlined below, but really, you’ll be fine if you just toss them all in there and blend! You may just need to use your blender stick or a spatula to scrape down the sides if the protein powder doesn’t mix in.

1. Put the frozen bananas in the blender

I HIGHLY recommend using frozen bananas for this. When frozen bananas are blended, they get incredibly creamy and create a lovely texture for your smoothie. I freeze my over-ripe bananas every week and use them for smoothies. (And if you’ve never made banana “nice” cream, you have to just so you can see the wonder of a frozen banana in its pure form when pureed!)

2. Add your cooled brewed coffee and milk

Ideally you would use cold brew coffee or leftover coffee from the day before that you stuck in the fridge. Or, you could just let your morning coffee cool off it bit. You can make your coffee right when you get up, drink a hot cup, and then pour a second cup to cool while you shower and get ready.  If you really don’t have the time to let it cool, you can just use 1 teaspoon of finely ground coffee or instant coffee and it still works wonders. Just don’t pour hot coffee in with it unless you don’t mind a warm shake (ew).

I use almond milk because cow’s milk doesn’t sit well with my stomach.  Regarding the amount to use (since the recipe has a range): start with the lower end (i.e. ½ cup) and then add more depending on how thick you like your shakes. You’ll need to add even more milk if you didn’t use the brewed coffee and opted for the grounds. As a general rule, I’d start with less milk because you can always add more in but you can’t take any out. And I since we’re using milk, this drink feels more like a coffee protein shake, which I love since it sounds more like a dessert than a coffee smoothie does 😉

3. Add protein powder. 

Don’t put this in first since it can get stuck in the bottom and not blend. And just like the choice of milk, you also have a choice of protein powder. You can see my five go-to’s here (I usually try to get at least 20 grams of protein per a serving) Adding in the protein powder will help you stay full for longer and help thicken the shake too.

Looking for other protein smoothie recipes? Check here.

4. Add ice

Adding ice is optional. I usually leave it out since I don’t want it watered down. But if you’re using warm-ish coffee, then I recommend adding in ice and reducing the amount of milk. The frozen banana can also cool down the temperature. I recommend trying the mixture without the ice and seeing if you want to add it in after.

5. Pulse the blender to break up the banana and the ice.

6. Then, run the blender for 1-2 minutes until it’s very creamy!

If you’re going to make a lot of smoothies, do yourself a favor and invest in a Vitamix. I bought a refurbished one (which is about $200 cheaper), have used it multiple times a week for 6+ years, and have had no issues.

Variations

Add spinach

You could add spinach for additional nutrient boost. It will alter the color but if you only add a handful or two, you shouldn’t taste it!

Flavored coffee

Experiment with different flavored coffee. I bet a s’more flavored coffee protein smoothie would be awesome. (I LOVE these s’more energy balls!)

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