Matching It With Your Goals
While the idea with a protein powder is always to boost your daily protein intake, the use case can vary tremendously.
Some of us buy protein powder to lose weight while some do it to bulk up and build muscle. Therefore, you must always ensure that the product you buy matches your goals in terms of nutrition.
Less Naked Vanilla Pea Protein
NAKED protein could not have a more fitting nameits the most minimalist flavored protein that exists. Their vanilla protein powder contains pea protein, organic coconut sugar, natural vanilla flavor. Thats it. The amino acid profile is impressive, to say the least, plus it has 25 grams of protein per serving. Combine with a banana, some plant-based milk, and maybe a touch of something sweet, and the result is a banana whip thats protein-packed and tastes enough like ice cream that you wont go out and buy any. If youre feeling really wild, use the chocolate. Also, 5 pounds might seem like a lot of protein , but the price per pound if you buy in bulk is unbeatable for a product of this quality. Now I sound like a salesman. Just try it youll thank me.
When To Drink Your Smoothie
I usually drink this as my post-workout shake, because it has all the protein and healthy carbs I need to rebuild muscle fibers and restore my energy reserves after a hard workout.
However, there is absolutely no law stating that you cannot drink it while lying on a pool chair in the sun and working on your tan instead. Delicious and healthy, high protein smoothies like this are great for any occasion.
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Optional: Add A Protein Source
Adding protein to your smoothie ensures youre getting a well rounded meal. Its not necessary, but it does add bulk and depth.
If you decide to use plant-based protein powders, look for one that doesnt have added sugar. I also stay steer clear of stevia. I personally, dont like the flavor.
My favorite protein powders include a simple pea protein, Nutiva Plant-Protein Powder, Truvani Plant-Based Protein Powder, and Your Super Skinny Protein Mix.
Add one scoop of protein powder, or the recommended serving size on the package.
Other protein sources include chia seeds, flax seeds, or nut butters. These also double as healthy fats as mentioned in step 5. I recommend 1-2 tablespoons when adding for both a protein and a fat.
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Best Protein For Smoothies
After years of trying to find a powder that I enjoyed adding to my smoothies, I gave up. It didn’t exist. There was either too much junk in it, or not enough of the right stuff. I went on a quest to create my own powder that I could use every day and love how it tasted, what was in it and the results I got. And I couldn’t be happier with the outcome.
Protein Smoothie Boost is the best sourced plant based protein powder that isn’t gritty, tastes good in a fruit smoothie and is good for you. I think youll be pretty impressed with the results. Protein Smoothie Boost is a certified organic blend that contains all 9 essential amino acids.
I used 100% organic ingredients, packed in 10 grams protein boost per serving, with no sweeteners of ANY kind. No stevia, no monk fruit, no artificial sweeteners, no sugars at all.
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Top Tips For Making The Best Plant Based Smoothies Every Time
- Use unsweetened plant-milk or water as your liquid to reduce calories and sugar.
- Freeze your fruit in advance. When those bananas start to brown, peel, and store them in the freezer in an air tight container to have at the ready.
- Keep some frozen veggies in your freezer just for smoothies.
- Make smoothie bags in advance to save time! Pack your fruit and veggies into a freezer safe baggie, labeled with the type of smoothie, then add your liquid and baggie, and youre ready to go!
How To Make A Dairy Free Green Protein Smoothie
1. Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender
2. Blend for 30 seconds or until desired consistency is reached
3. Enjoy!
Tackle the day by tailoring this smoothie to whatever you need.
- For more veggies add in an extra handful or two of greens
- For more fruit swap out the cauliflower for a pear
Want a sweeter smoothie? Add in a few dates, a tablespoon of maple syrup, and/or a handful of strawberries .
- Peanut butter: substitute for almond, cashew, granola, or sunflower butter.
- Protein powder: I don’t recommend substituting it or leaving it out, as it adds to the overall flavor, however if you don’t have any on hand I highly recommend adding in an extra tablespoon of peanut butter and an extra half of a banana to help give the smoothie more depth. Additionally, you can also add a pear as well to help bring some sweetness that the protein powder typically gives.
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Vegan Strawberry Banana Smoothie
At the top of our vegan smoothie recipes: the Strawberry Banana Smoothie! All you need is 2 ingredients . Blend up bananas and frozen strawberries and youve impossibly got the perfect smoothie texture and flavor: its creamy, sweet and fruity, with just enough banana essence. No yogurt, milk or sweetener needed! Add almond, cashew or peanut butter for a hit of protein.
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The Best Vegan Green Smoothie Perfectly sweetened, chock full of greens with a healthy dose of plant protein. Green smoothies are great for busy mornings, afternoon pick-me-ups or when you want to get some greens in but youre too busy to sit down to a salad!
This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.
Pineapple Avocado Smoothie Recipe
This pineapple avocado smoothie recipe is a delicious tropical drink, great for a filling and protein packed breakfast. This smoothie is made with fresh or frozen pineapple and avocado, along with other fruits, for a healthy and delicious breakfast.
This 5 minute blender breakfast recipe is a great high protein fiber option, and is also in high protein by adding a scoop of your favorite protein powder. A healthy and nutritious breakfast recipe that you can take on the go.
If you havent added avocado to a smoothie before its an absolute must! This delicious tropical pineapple avocado smoothie will give you all the benefits of avocado in a tall glass. And the avocado has a super subtle flavor, so lots of bright fresh fruits will combine together into a delicious and healthy drink!
I love the beautiful color of this drink, which is so perfect loaded with a handful spinach and sweet tropical fruits this is one of the best green smoothie recipes, and we make it a few times a week! This is a great refreshing morning smoothie, or great after a workout. Its sweet, tangy, and loaded with good-for-you ingredients.
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What Makes Protein Powder Vegan
Protein powders most commonly start from whey protein, casein, or soy. Whey protein as well as casein comes from dairy. If you have any kind of dairy intolerance, then be sure to check the label on your protein powder! These are not naturally occurring ingredients, so I lean toward plant based protein powder.
Youre Getting An Added Hit Of Antioxidants And Phytochemicals
Plant-based and vegan protein powders are loaded with vitamins and minerals that are essential to optimum health and are abound with phytochemicals compounds produced by plants that can boost your health. On the flipside, some whey proteins can contain added hormones and antibiotics. Time to go natural, perhaps.
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Tools For The Best Vegan Protein Shake Recipe
- My Favorite Vanilla Vegan Protein Powder: this is my personal fave, go-to brand of vegan protein powder for all of my vegan protein shakes. Its creamy, just the right amount of sweet, and completely lacking in weird tastes/flavors. Whoop! Its also low carb, no sugar and packed with a ton of protein.
- Ninja Auto IQ: Ever since I invested in this personal blender, its been the only blender I use to make my daily vegan protein shake. Get thisyou can set it and forget it. As in: load up the blender with all of your shake ingredients, press the button and walk away. The blender is timed to perfectly blend, then stop, then blend until you get the smoothest smoothie. How cool is that?
- Extra Blender Cups: Lets be real here, you always need extra blender cups. Like, we dont all have time to do the dishes 3x a day, so these come in handy when I just need to make a quick vegan protein shake and the blender cup I used already is still dirty!
A Most Shareable Dairy Free Protein Shake Recipe
Tell me, how pumped are you to make your very own dairy free protein shake recipe? Once you get the hang of this base recipe, itll be so easy to customize it to your liking. For some pointers, scroll back up on flavor variations Ive already created. In the meantime, be sure to comment below or visit me over on IG. I love hearing from you. Til our next blended adventure
Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter
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Vegan Cream Of Broccoli Soup
We achieved ultimate creaminess without the cream by adding a Yukon gold potato to this low-fat, heart-healthy soup. The nutritional yeast, with its satisfying nuttiness, does a great job standing in for cheese look for it in health and specialty foods stores.
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How Does Spirulina Taste
Green spirulina is purely algae, so it tastes a bit like seaweeds. So if you prefer a light, neutral flavor in your spirulina smoothie, try blue spirulina.
Its an extract and doesnt have the fishy algae flavor that some people dont like in green spirulina.
Blue spirulina has the same nutrient profile. Its rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals without the unpleasant marine flavor.
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Pumpkin Chia Smoothie Bowl
Lets keep this fall-theme going for a bit because you dont want to miss out on this pumpkin chia smoothie! Almost like a liquid cake, this smoothie is a creamy, starchy, naturally sweetened plant-based breakfast idea thats infused with all the cozy spices you could want. Top with nutrient-dense nuts, dried fruit or some granola!
How Protein Powders Work And Common Misconceptions
Protein, along with carbohydrates and fat, are one of the three main macronutrients that make up everything we eat. Proteins are amino acids which help maintain, build and repair damaged muscle tissue. The more you exercise, and the more you work your muscles, the more protein its thought you need.
When we exercise, the reason our muscles get sore is that we create small tears in our muscle fibres. Proteins, which are comprised of amino acids, help mend and repair those tears. Over time, this causes muscles to build up and swell as theyre repeatedly used, torn and come back stronger.
Protein powders are entirely unrelated to steroids: theyre not chemicals, but derived from food, whether thats animal products such as whey or a vegetarian alternative such as pea protein. We get protein every day from sources such as meat, eggs, dairy, pulses, legumes, nuts and seeds: protein powder is just a concentrated form of that.
Why do we need protein powders, if we can get everything from food? The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that people who lift weights or does endurance training regularly, such as running or cycling, need between 1.2 or 1.7g of protein per pound of body weight. every day, in order to build muscle and get stronger. Thats a lot, and hard to get from three square meals a day. Protein shakes offer a convenient, affordable way to get more protein into our diets.
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The Best Vanilla Vegan Protein Shake Recipe
But why is this the BEST vanilla vegan protein shake recipe ever? Because: its simple, easy to make, vegan, dairy-free, packed with tons of protein , and made with very few ingredients. What could be better right?
Oh right. It actually tastes good! And its super, duper easy to customize. If youre looking for all the deets on how to customize your vanilla vegan protein shake recipe, check it out further down in the post.
How To Add More Protein To Your Smoothie
Do you ever find that you have a smoothie in the morning and then a few hours later you’re hungry again? This is likely due to the fact that your smoothie isn’t balanced.
Most smoothies are fruit-based so they’re high in sugar and full of carbs. Our body burns through carbohydrates the quickest and if we don’t balance our meals out with healthy fats, fiber, and protein, we end up getting hungry.
My favorite way to bulk up my smoothies is to add protein. Protein keeps us full, is great if you’re using your smoothie as a pre- or post-workout shake, but can also be a little tricky if you’re plant-based.
Here are my favorite ways to add vegan protein to my smoothies:
- hemp seeds: 3T = 10g
- nut butter : 1T = 4g
- protein powder: 1 scoop = 10 20g
- plant protein milk: 1 cup = 10g
I highly recommend finding Bolthouse Farms’® Plant Protein Milk at your local grocery store. Their unsweetened variety is made with pea protein, they’re all non-GMO, vegan, gluten-free and delicious. They also have some flavored ones if you want to try!
And just for reference, I aim to get at least 15g of protein in each of my smoothies. So adding this milk is key! And guess what? They last me all morning long!
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Nutritionists Favorite Weight Loss Smoothies
For this selection, I asked the countrys top nutritionists to share with me their favorite weight loss smoothies, keeping the best weight loss foods in mind, and the results are all delicious and nutritious. Pay attention to the protein countsâif its under 25 grams, you dont want them as a meal replacement, but rather paired with a meal.
All recipes serve one unless otherwise indicated.
I really love this weight loss smoothie because it tastes super-decadent, but in reality is just loaded with a ton of natural, unprocessed, and healthful ingredients. The cocoa powder is a good source of flavonoids that are both brain and heart-healthy, and also makes the smoothie taste like Ive added a ton of chocolate. In addition to the healthy cocoa, this smoothie also has other healthy ingredients like raspberries that are a source of immune-boosting vitamin C, and the spinach thats a source of energizing B vitamins. If I have this smoothie post-workout, Ill also add a plant-based protein like sprouted rice or pea protein to help my muscles recover more quickly.
by Kristin Reisinger, MS, RD, CSSD, founder and owner of IronPlate Studios
- ½ cup frozen mixed berries
- Handful of spinach
- 8 oz unsweetened Silk almond milk
- 1 scoop plant-based vanilla protein powder
NUTRITION: 230 calories / 2.5 g fat / 20 g carbs / 5 g fiber / 7 g sugar / 26 g protein
Apple Banana Strawberry Smoothie
This one is a real crowd-pleaser. Its a classic mix of some of the most beloved fruit with just a little dash of almond milk to help make them richer and creamier.
It’s bound to be a hit among young and old alike. Plus the gorgeous pink colours made it very Instagram friendly, right?
Despite being made up of staple fruit, it also has its own surprise ingredient – peanut butter. This adds a touch of rich creaminess and a lovely kick of flavour.
Wondering what youll need to make this apple banana strawberry smoothie?
Once you’ve got all these, it’s time to blend!
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Best Plant Based Smoothie Recipes
These 10 Best Vegan Smoothie Recipes are the perfect way to pack in tons of nutrients into a delicious meal for any of the four seasons of the year.
I dont know about you, but I love smoothies for so many reasons. They are so versatile, delicious, healthy, and easy.
Smoothies make a great meal for any time of the day. If youre always on the go, make a smoothie to take with you. If you dont feel like cooking, make a smoothie in under 5 minutes with minimal clean-up and from ingredients in your freezer.
One of the best things about smoothies is that you can shove tons of fruit and vegetables into them, and you can still make them taste however you want! So bring on the nutrients.
Ive been enjoying my smoothies in the morning to make sure to start my day off right, and I dont have to spend time cooking a big breakfast.
These Are All 1 Portion Smoothies
No need to make a smoothie for the whole neighbourhood. All these recipes are perfect for just one portion of your favourite smoothie.
Alternatively, if you’re making these with a friend or relative, you can simply adjust the portion size in the recipe card below. This way you won’t have to add anything up or calculate the ingredients yourself. Ain’t nobody got time for that, right?
Without further ado, here they come.
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