Raise your hand if you don’t drink coffee 🙋🏻♀️ …okay, just me? Haha! While I don’t drink coffee, I do love coffee-flavored things so today we are talking all about my new favorite smoothie – a coffee protein smoothie!
But even though I don’t drink coffee, I love coffee-flavored things. Ice cream, overnight oats, smoothies, milkshakes, nut blends…
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And this coffee protein smoothie recipe makes a perfect start to your day – you get your coffee flavor and a caffeine boost from the cold brew, healthy fats and protein to keep you full from the protein powder and nut butter, fiber from the chia seeds, and banana for some carbs.
Make it as a post-workout shake after your morning workouts for an easy on-the-go breakfast!
Coffee protein smoothie highlights
- 7 simple ingredients
- high protein – 32 grams of protein in one smoothie!
- macro-balanced – it has a good ratio of carbohydrates, protein, and fat for balanced blood sugar and to avoid those spikes and crashes that some smoothies can do
- loaded with vitamins and minerals – 76% of your daily vitamin C, 56% of your daily vitamin B6, 37% of your daily potassium, 48% of your daily magnesium, and 59% of your daily manganese needs to name a few.
- quick and easy to make – ready in 5 minutes!
Coffee banana protein smoothie ingredients
- cold brew coffee
- frozen banana – natural sweetness and makes it thick and creamy
- frozen cauliflower rice – promise you can’t taste it but adds some bulk and micronutrients
- cashew butter – adds some healthy fats and a little more protein. You can use your favorite nut butter.
- vanilla protein powder – for our protein source and adds a hint of vanilla flavor
- chia seeds – for some fiber
- cinnamon
How to make a coffee protein smoothie
- Freeze bananas if needed. To do this, I just cut up a few bananas, place them on a cutting board or baking sheet, and pop them in the freezer overnight. I always have some on hand for smoothies, snacking, or giving to Cashew (my dog), haha. Pro tip – line the baking sheet with parchment paper so they pop right off. Then I just put them in a bag in the freezer for easy use.
- Blend your smoothie. Add all the ingredients to a high-powered blender (I used my Vitamix) and blend until smoothie and creamy.
- Enjoy! Drink or top with some toppings and enjoy!
Add-ins
You can customize this smoothie to your liking and add in more protein or veggies depending on how you like your smoothies. Here are some things I think would be delicious:
- cocoa powder – to add a little mocha vibe. Yum!
- maca – would add a nice caramel flavor and is great for your hormones
- greek yogurt – dairy or non-dairy to add in some more protein or healthy fats
- avocado – for a little more healthy fat and really makes the smoothie creamy
- greens – this will change the color of the smoothie, but add some more micronutrients. I would suggest spinach for a neutral taste.
- sweetener – maple syrup, honey, or dates will work if you like your smoothies a little sweeter
Cold brew vs iced coffee
While I’m definitely not a coffee connoisseur, I choose to use cold brew coffee over iced coffee (or chilled coffee) for this coffee protein smoothie.
First of all, due to how it is brewed, cold brew is less bitter and acidic than regular brewed coffee. I prefer the flavor of cold brew since it isn’t as strong tasting.
Iced coffee is basically regular brewed coffee that is chilled or served with ice, so it has the same flavor as the coffee you make at home.
If you want to get into the nitty gritty, you can find out more about cold brew and iced coffee. You can make both at home but cold brew is easily found at most grocery stores.
If you like a strong coffee, feel free to use cold coffee. You can even put home brewed coffee in an ice cube tray to make coffee ice cubes for an extra thick smoothie, but you will probably need some liquid to blend.
Substitutions
- cold brew coffee – cold coffee or iced coffee will work instead of cold brew. You can also make coffee ice cubes with leftover coffee and use them. You will need to add a little more liquid if doing the latter.
- frozen banana – if you don’t like bananas, you can use frozen sweet potato instead!
- protein powder – I used whey protein powder, but any kind of protein powder should work (collagen or plant-based). Chocolate protein powder or even peanut butter would be great substitutes for vanilla too.
- cashew butter – use your preferred nut butter or seed butter. Almond butter, peanut butter, or tahini (sesame seed butter) are all great subs.
- chia seeds – these can be left out if you don’t have them
More protein smoothie recipes
- orange creamsicle protein smoothie
- favorite chocolate protein smoothie
- chocolate beet smoothie
- pineapple avocado green smoothie
Coffee Protein Smoothie
ingredients
- 1 medium frozen banana (100 grams)
- 1 cup frozen cauliflower rice (100 grams)
- 1 serving vanilla protein powder (I used whey protein)
- 1 tablespoon cashew butter
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup cold brew coffee (or more depending on desired thickness of smoothie)
instructions
- Blend your smoothie. Add all the ingredients to a high-powered blender (I used my Vitamix) and blend until smoothie and creamy.
- Enjoy! Drink or top with some toppings and enjoy!
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As a lover of coffee, I enjoyed this smoothie a lot. I subbed tahini and regular coffee and it worked out super!! Definitely a morning pick me up!! i recommend this for anyone who is a coffee drinker!
Love those subs! So glad you enjoyed it, Nancy!
This was what I’ve been searching for. I didn’t have cold brew so I used a shot of espresso + water in its place. I also used chocolate whey protein instead of vanilla but added a tsp of vanilla. Can’t wait to make this again.
That sounds so good with the chocolate and vanilla! Glad you enjoyed it Dora and thanks for trying it!
Quick, easy and delicious. I used chocolate protein powder because that is what I had on hand. I also used 1 cup of cold brew because I wanted more coffee flavor and with the frozen banana and frozen cauliflower, the texture was delightful.
Yum, the chocolate and coffee were probably just as good of a combo! Glad you enjoyed Carolyn and thanks for trying!
Love anything coffee
Yes! I think you would love this with some chocolate in it too!
Loved the coffee smoothie!! Great morning pick me up with the necessary am protein!!
Agree! It’s the perfect combo!
This is so yummy! I made it this morning and it was such a treat! A hint of coffee, but not overpowering. I only had unflavored vital proteins on hand and it still worked well. Can’t wait to make it again!
So glad you liked it! And yes, any kind of protein powder should work! Thanks Katie An!