19 Natural High Protein Smoothies (No Protein Powder)
High protein smoothie recipes are a great way to up the grams of protein in your diet, in an easy, tasty, drinkable package. I like to whip up a high protein smoothie in the morning and know that I am starting my day off right!
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We have only included protein smoothies without powder in this compilation, preferring to stick to all natural protein sources – avoid the nasty chemicals in commercial protein shakes!
Yoghurt is a good example of a natural protein source. Greek yogurt contains 10g protein per 100g, plus it helps make your smoothie all creamy-dreamy. This mango coconut smoothie is one of my fave yogurt-based smoothies.
Why are we so fussed on protein? It is important for general health and wellbeing, but can also help specifically with weight loss and muscle gain. Check out our High Protein Meal Plan to learn more!
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Time to whizz through my top high protein smoothies!
With flavours from strawberry, to mango, to almond to kiwi, you will definitely find a healthy smoothie you like here. Give them a go now!
1. Vegan Blackberry Smoothie
Bonus: vegan, fruity
A fruity vegan smoothie, packed with protein to fuel your day ahead. Love fruit and nuts? Then you’ll love this!
2. Mint Pineapple & Spinach Smoothie
Bonus: high in iron, refreshing
After a cool and refreshing summer drink that is healthy too? Try our pineapple and spinach smoothie with fresh mint!
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3. Avocado Spinach Smoothie
Bonus: super foods, vegan
This avocado spinach smoothie is a high protein vegan breakfast inspired by Ben Greenfield – a nutrition and fitness expert, triathlon and Spartan Race competitor, as well as New York Times Bestseller! So I think we can trust that it’s going to be pretty darn healthy!
4. Strawberry Mango Smoothie
Protein: 24g
Calories: 368 kcal
Ready in: 5 minutes
Recipe by: Alwaysusebutter
Bonus: creamy, naturally sweet
Make this Banana Strawberry Mango Smoothie with Yogurt in under 5 minutes using fresh & frozen fruit. Loaded with flavor and super creamy , this healthy smoothie is naturally sweetened by fruit – but don’t worry, it’s definitely sweet enough as is.
5. Skin Saving Mango Lassi
Bonus: quick, simple
Mango Lassi. One of the best tasting smoothies around. Simply delicious, and simply quick.
6. Spinach Banana Smoothie
Bonus: filling, high iron
A super healthy yet tasty summer smoothie. You won’t even realise that you’re eating spinach (or drinking it, smart arse).
7. Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie
Protein: 23g
Calories: 513 kcal
Ready in: 5 minutes
Recipe by: Sally’sBakingAddiction
Bonus: nutty, super high protein
There’s a whopping 28 grams of protein in this chocolate peanut butter cup smoothie– no protein powders either!
8. Banana & Almond Smoothie
Protein: 10g
Calories: 292 kcal
Ready in: 2 minutes
Recipe by: Charlotte’sLivelyKitchen
Bonus: simple, flavourful
A quick, healthy, filling breakfast smoothie recipe – ideal for the morning rush. Can be served warm or cold, so perfect in any weather.
9. Mango & Coconut Smoothie
Protein: 13.4g
Calories: 341 kcal
Ready in: 5 minutes
Recipe by: EatGood4Life
Bonus: tropical, flavourful
A delicious tropical smoothie, full of goodness and plenty of protein.
10. Kiwi Banana Smoothie
Bonus: vitamin C, fiber
Spicy Kiwi Banana Smoothie. A super simple and super healthy green and white spicy kiwi banana breakfast smoothie. High in vitamin C, fiber and potassium. Delicious and tasty.
11. Peanut Butter Jelly Smoothie
Protein: 23g
Calories: 431 kcal
Ready in: 5 minutes
Recipe by: Sally’sBakingAddiction
Bonus: naturally sweet, comforting
A thick, creamy, healthy smoothie reminiscent of your favorite childhood sandwich. With 23 grams of pure protein, it will keep you full for hours.
12. Chocolate Cashew Milkshake
Bonus: creamy, chocolatey
This deliciously smooth cashew milkshake can be made any way you like – just follow the simple instructions and you’ll be drinking a mega shake in five minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 cup soy milk (other milk is fine as well – use gluten-free if needed) (1 cup = 250ml)
- 1 medium, ripe banana
- 3 tsp cacao powder (real cacao, not the nesquik type of stuff)
- 3 tbsp cashews
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Add the milk, banana, powder, cashews and salt to a blender and blend for about three minutes until the cashews are nice and smooth.
- Let chill in refrigerator or drink right away! Easy, done!
Nutrition
13. Turmeric Mint Protein Smoothie
Protein: 23g
Calories: 277kcal
Ready in: 7 minutes
Recipe by: KiipFit
Bonus: refreshing, anti-inflammatory properties
Turmeric Mint Protein Smoothie is a perfect post workout recovery smoothie (as are these vegetarian post-workout meals!). Its the creamiest anti – inflammatory beverage for the entire family and for all ages.
14. Green Smoothie
Protein: 16g
Calories: 365 kcal
Ready in: 5 minutes
Recipe by: FitAsAMamaBear
Bonus: no banana, creamy
A creamy, tangy, no-banana green smoothie recipe perfect to perk up your system. This easy green smoothie is protein powder-free and contains only real food ingredients (check out these other protein-packed breakfasts without protein powder if you like the sound of this).
15. Vegan Green Smoothie
Protein: 17g
Calories: 403
Ready in: 6 minutes
Recipe by: AVirtualVegan
Bonus: vegan, delicious
Do you love the idea of packing the green stuff into your smoothie but always dislike the taste? Then you need to try this Vegan Green Smoothie! It’s stuffed full of healthy ingredients including spinach but is creamy, sweet & delicious!
16. Strawberry Protein Smoothie
Protein: 16g
Calories: 213kcal
Ready in: 20 minutes
Recipe by: SkinnyTaste
Bonus: naturally sweet, low calorie
Roasted strawberries in this protein packed smoothie brings out their amazing natural flavor, made with creamy cottage cheese and added chia seeds – what a great way to start the day!
17. Sunrise Smoothie
Protein: 15g
Calories: 350kcal
Ready in: 5 minutes
Recipe by: IowaGirlEats
Bonus: colourful, fun
Sunrise Smoothie is a fresh and healthy smoothie recipe to get any morning off to a good start!
18. Healthy Eggnog
Protein: 9.2g
Calories: 80kcal
Ready in: 5 minutes
Recipe by: ChocolateCoveredKatie
Bonus: festive, creamy
How to make the best thick, smooth, and creamy vegan eggnog recipe at home, with absolutely NO eggs or dairy required!
19. Delicious Kale Smoothie
Protein: 8g
Calories: 203 kcal
Ready in: 5 minutes
Recipe by: HappyKitchen
Bonus: delicious, colourful
Delicious Kale Smoothie. A superior kale smoothie tastes amazingly refreshing and only takes 5 minutes to make! Try it, love it.
Protein smoothie FAQs
These high protein smoothies can contain anything from 250 calories to 500! The higher calorie ones are a great option for breakfast, the lower calorie ones make a good drink to up your energy levels and give you a nice boost of protein between meals.
However, high-protein smoothie recipes can massively vary in calorie content. Don’t aim for low calorie content, because it’s not realistic (or desirable) to get enough protein with very few calories.
Yeah! You’re unlikely to find any non-veggie ingredients in a smoothie . Chicken smoothie? No thank you.
You’re going to be working with simple ingredients like whole fruit, dairy or non-dairy milk, yogurt, natural peanut butter or almond butter, maybe even some leafy greens!
In fact, I would actively recommend these smoothies to vegetarians as they are a great way to up your protein content when meat is off the table.
So many things! You can add yogurt, silken tofu, nut butters – these all provide an ample amount of protein to a shake.
You could also opt for protein powder but these are often quite processed and can end up being bad for you. We prefer real ingredients, for more natural high quality protein.
Yes – but drink them wisely. They can be a good source of fiber and protein, and therefore keep you full for a long time, which can help you stick to your weight loss meal plan.
However, make sure you are making your smoothies with filling, natural ingredients, like fruit, oats, yogurt etc.
There is many a protein drink that is full of sugar instead of healthy fats and protein, and therefore doesn’t fill you up. They just pile on empty calories that can lead to weight gain, as you will inevitably need to eat more to actually feel satisfied.
This varies: it is estimated that the minimum amount to prevent deficiency should be 0.8grams per kilogram of body weight. This works out as the average amount for a man being 55g and for a woman being 45g.
Reminder: upping your protein levels a bit to help you build muscle is a good idea, but, as with anything, you only need so much and too much protein is bad for you.
We hope you have enjoyed whizzing up some high protein smoothies. Let us know which were your favourites in the comments.
Hauke Fox
I’m always on the lookout for these damn smart recipes. You know, those that only take a few minutes to put together and taste delicious. Vegetarian Cooking at home is a way to take back control over what I eat. I don’t like what many companies do to animals and the environment with their products.
This article has been medically reviewed by James LeBaigue MSc Learn More
James LeBaigue MSc
James has a Masters Degree in Sport and Exercise Nutrition, as well as an Advanced Diploma in Human Nutrition.
He loves combining his scientific knowledge along with food in the real world, and these recipes are the result.
He’s on top of all the latest evidence and guidelines to make sure our nutrition advice on the website is as accurate as it can be.
By day he works as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner in a busy NHS GP Practice.
Each recipe is tested and then eaten (much to James’ delight), many times before it is deemed worthy to be published. Bon appetit!
Comments
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48 comments
The very first recipe I checked out includes protein powder.
Well spotted Jennifer! The protein powder is optional in that one but we’ve decided to replace it with another smoothie. Thank you for writing!
Love this one ❤️
Happy to know! Looking forward to hearing which one you liked the most!
I am 59 years old it seems like I’ve lost my muscle tone any high protein drinks that you can recommend? Also I know need other vitamins as well in my smoothies what’s your thoughts.
Hi Dennis. Good question. To be honest, the big thing I would ask is do you do any form of strength training? For example weight lifting, strength yoga, that sort of thing. If you don’t then this would probably be the primary reason for losing your muscle tone and no high protein drink will stop that or bring it back. To keep muscle tone you have to exercise and actively work to keep it – otherwise it will go.
If you are doing strength training (2-3 times a week) then the next most important thing is eating sufficient amounts of protein throughout the day. It seems we need more protein as we get older too, so proportionately you need more than when you were younger. Unless you have a medical reason not to then at least 25g of protein per meal is a good starting point for most people.