Can You Put Protein Powder in Smoothies?

Smoothies can be an amazing post workout drink. And smoothies are also an excellent way to get protein into your body.

If you hit the gym and notice the serious weight lifters, then you’ll pick up on the fact that a lot of them carry blender bottles with either a electrolyte mixture in them, or something like a smoothie.

And you will certainly see people hitting the smoothie bar or blending up protein shakes if you hang around with them post-workout.

What I’m looking to cover here is a basic question that people used to ask me all the time when I was doing personal training.

You see, smoothies are popular, but they sometimes don’t have much protein. And that’s what you want when you’ve just finished a heavy workout. You want something that has a lot of protein to help repair and build and tone your muscles.

What I’m going to do here is to review how to best use protein powder in smoothies (hint, you can and should use protein powder in all types of smoothies).

Table of Contents

What Type of Protein Powder Is Best For Smoothies?

I have a complete blog post covering the three types of protein powders.

Basically, the type of protein powder that you choose will depend on two things:

The type of smoothie you’re making
Your personal reaction to whey, soy, and vegan protein.

I know that a lot of people who read my blog are vegan. And for them, there is really only a couple of choices. As a rule, I would always recommend using vegan protein made from vegetables sources such as pea protein.

Now, if you’re not a vegan, and you want a smoothie that is super smooth and silky, then you should opt for whey protein. I like NakedWhey because it doesn’t have any additives.

Whey protein powder is best for smoothies that have fewer ingredients and also is best for people who don’t have a strong blender.

Vegan protein (pea protein is my favorite) is best for vegans who want to max out their protein goals without adding a ton of nut butters and oats to the smoothie.

Can You Put Protein Powder in Fruit Smoothies?

Yes, of course you can put protein powder in fruit smoothies. I make berry smoothies all the time and I add protein powder.

When I’m making a berry smoothie, my standard recipe includes a scoop of vegan protein powder. I will mix either a chocolate flavored Vega protein or a plain from NorCal. It depends on what I have on hand.

I like the mixture of chocolate and berries, but if you don’t like that, you can certainly opt for a plain whey.

Also, if you’re the type who is fine with using whey, then you can certainly use a whey protein powder as well.

The great thing about berries and other fruit smoothies is that they mix so well with flavored protein powders.

Personally, I like to use chocolate or plain protein powder. But if you are someone who has a birthday cake flavored protein powder, or something else that has a unique flavor, it’s going to probably taste fine in a fruit smoothie.

Can You Put Protein Powder in Green Smoothies?

Here is where it gets a bit tricky. The kinds of protein powders that you can put into green smoothies are not as varied as the type of protein powders you can put into green smoothies.

The reason that you have to be more picky when it comes to mixing protein powders and green smoothies is that the flavors don’t always match well.

Remember, when you’re mixing green leafy vegetables you are not going to want a sweet protein powder.

So, I would only mix in an unflavored protein powder with your green smoothies.

However, a kale or spinach smoothie with some lemon and almond butter plus unflavored protein powder is super popular.

You’ll even see these smoothies for sale at retail locations. They oftentimes add blueberries to give the drink a nice flavor.

I would advise, though, that you not use a flavored protein powder, even if the flavor matches blueberries. You don’t want to have a funky sweet flavor make the green smoothie taste off.

Is Vegetable Protein Powder Better Than Whey?

This has a complicated answer. And it comes down to what you mean when you ask the question.

Is vegetable protein better tasting in a smoothie?

Is vegetable protein easier to blend in a smoothie?

Is vegetable protein better than whey as far as muscle building?

See, all different questions.

First, let’s say that vegan protein doesn’t blend as easy as whey protein. But that’s not a big issue when you are using a blender. The bigger problem when it comes to mixing protein powder is when you are only blending it using a blender bottle shaker.

As long as you’re blending your protein powder in a smoothie blender like a Ninja or NutriBullet, then it’s not an issue.

How about taste?

Well, that’s a personal preference. I think that some of the vegan protein powders taste great. And that’s one of the reasons I drink them. They are “thicker” than whey protein, but that’s more of an issue if you are only mixing them with water in a shaker bottle.

As long as you’re making a smoothie it won’t come up.

Now, as far as building muscle. That’s a hotly contested argument. Some people are strong advocates for whey because it’s faster absorbing. However, all you have to do is search for vegan athletes and you will see how many millions of people are building strong, lean bodies using vegan protein.

My opinion, as someone who has worked as a personal trainer for years and coached people who used both whey and vegan protein powders, is that all things being equal –the training, the diet and macros, the rest–the two protein powders will both allow you to hit your goals.

Protien, remember, is simply amino acids that help build muscle. Vegan protein powders are complete and contain as many amino acids as regular protein powders.

Pros & Cons of Vegan/Whey

Vegan / Vegetable Protein Powders for Smoothies

Great for Lactose Intolerant

Ethical

Only suitable for Blender Smoothies

Whey Protein Powders for Smoothies

Cheaper

Easier to Mix without a Blender

Not Ethical

Do You Need A Blender To Put Protein Powder In A Smoothie?

Can you put protein powder in smoothies with a shaker bottle?

Well, it’s an odd question but let’s slow it down.

First, you can’t make a smoothie without a blender. Some folks try and make a smoothie with a juicer, but that’s not something I advise doing.

But once you’ve made your smoothie and you have it in the fridge, perhaps you want to add protein powder to it later. Can you?

Yes. Once you’ve made your smoothie and cleaned your blender, there is no reason to add the entire drink back into the blender just to add protein powder.

You can add protein powder to a smoothie just by mixing the entire thing together in a blender bottle.

How to Use Protein Powder Smoothies

Most people who use protein powder are looking to lose weight and gain muscle. And that’s no different when talking about smoothies and protein powder.

Smoothies with protein powder can help you lose weight and gain muscle if used right.

What does right mean here? It means post workout and in place of a meal.

You want to reduce your calories when losing fat, and you need to increase your total protein when building muscle.

Now, the only hitch when using a smoothie is that it takes more time to make than a regular protein shake. So a lot of people are hesitant about making them and bringing them to the gym.

But, if your gym has a fridge you can use, then you can certainly do that. Or, you can make your smoothie at home and leave it in the fridge. Smoothies will keep in the fridge for a day and still be good to drink, but if you are adding protein to the mix, I would not let it sit for more than half a day.

My Favorite Protein Powders for Smoothies