10 High-Protein Smoothie Recipes You Need to Try

There’s no arguing that sufficient protein is required to build muscle. Protein shakes can help boost your intake, but those chalky water-and-powder concoctions get less and less appetising the more you have. By adding a few simple ingredients, you can turn them into nutrient dense high-protein smoothies.

Research has found that you need to consume at least 1 gram of protein per pound of your target body weight to build or maintain muscle mass (that’s 185 grams of protein or more for someone who’s 84 kgs). That’s tough to accomplish, even for the biggest meat enthusiasts. Many turn to protein powders to supplement.

Protein shakes are pretty easy to get bored of, though—especially if you’re reaching for the same tub of the same flavour over and over again. But, they’re the perfect canvass to jazz up by blending in fruits, vegetables, nut butters, and whatever else you fancy to enhance their appeal. Plus, all that stuff increases the shakes nutrient content, too.

“Most people aren’t getting enough produce or fibre in their diet, so smoothies can be a fun and delicious way to make up for that,” says nutrition expert Frances Largeman-Roth, R.D.N., author of Smoothies & Juices: Prevention Healing Kitchen.

What Should I Put in My Smoothies?

Before you start loading up your blender, there are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to building the best high-protein, high-fibre smoothie.

One, always use whole fruits and vegetables as part of your base. Put another way: Don’t use juice.

While juices, like orange juice, do contain nutrients like vitamin C and, in many cases, are fortified with vitamin D and calcium, they also tend to be more concentrated when it comes to sugar and lack that fibre, which is oh-so-important to feeling full.

Two, consider greens. Spinach or kale offer lots of fibre, but they’re mild in flavour and blend really well.

Third, use dairy milk, if your GI system will allow it. One cup of dairy milk contains eight grams of complete protein. Plant-based milks often don’t contain enough protein to matter and the flavoured ones can come with added sugars. If plant-based is your only option, stick with soy milk, which is roughly equivalent to dairy milk in terms of protein.

READ MORE: Try This Breakfast Smoothie The Next Time You Need A Quick Energy-Boosting Drink

Fourth, always add a healthy fat, and is crucial for heart health. Healthy fats—think unsaturated—are found in avocados, nuts and seeds, and nut butter, for example. Serendipitously, these all work well in a smoothie, both in terms of taste and texture.

Fifth, try to avoid adding extra sugar, but if you think you need a little extra sweetness, it’s totally okay to mix in a ½ teaspoon of honey or pure maple syrup.

And speaking of sugar: Try to avoid store-bought smoothies, from the grocery store and a shop. They can be incredibly high in added sugar. “A store needs to make sure their customers come back again, so they’re more focused on the flavour of their smoothies, instead of avoiding added sugars, or keeping them super balanced,” Largeman-Roth says.

READ MORE: Kickstart Your Day with Alan Aragon’s Ultimate Mocha Breakfast Shake

Try one of these 10 protein-rich smoothie recipes for a tasty, nutrient-packed drinkable snack.

For each recipe, place the ingredients in the order listed and blend until smooth.

The 10 Best High-Protein Smoothies

1. Workout Recovery Smoothie

“The ingredients in this cherry-vanilla smoothie can help you feel your best after a tough workout,” says Largeman-Roth. “Cherry juice has been shown to relieve post-exercise pain in athletes, while pomegranate juice can help accelerate muscle recovery.”

2. Banana Almond Protein Smoothie

This smoothie is seriously delicious—and makes for a mean-postworkout shake too. Delivering 21 grams of protein, it helps to repair micro-tears in your muscles to get you ready for your next gym session.

3. Very Berry Super Shake

“This shake is packed with protein, fibre, healthy fats, phytonutrients, and probiotics,” says Brian St. Pierre, M.S., R.D., C.S.C.S., sports dietician and nutrition coach at Precision Nutrition. “It can be breakfast, lunch, or dinner.”

4. Chocolate, Peanut Butter, and Banana Shake

You’d never guess that a cup of spinach is hiding in this delicious chocolate and peanut butter shake.

5. Vanilla Pumpkin Pie Shake

Are you tired of the same old fruit smoothies? Try one that tastes like pumpkin pie. The pumpkin is a great source of Vitamin A, which is good for your eyes, skin, and immune system, St. Pierre says.

6. Baked Apple Shake

The sesame seeds in this shake add unexpected flavour, plus a helping of magnesium and selenium, says St. Pierre.

7. Blueberry Breakfast Smoothie

This shake may be the definition of a perfectly balanced breakfast. It has a healthy 42-gram dose of protein, which will help you feel fuller the rest of the day, Roussell says.

8. The Green Monster

Research from Ohio State University shows that avocados can unlock the full nutrition potential of certain vegetables and improve the absorption of antioxidants. It’s delicious, too.

9. Matcha Madness Smoothie

Worthy of its Instagram fame, matcha green tea powder contains more antioxidant firepower than regular green tea. Blend it into this muscle-making smoothie that tastes like a vacation in a glass.

10. Berry Blast with Greens

If you have trouble eating your greens, drink them. In this berry-forward shake, you won’t even taste the spinach.

This article was originally published on menshealth.com