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This energizing Mocha Coffee Protein Shake is thick, creamy, and packed with protein. It’s perfect for a quick energy-boosting breakfast or to help with recovery after a workout!
Looking for a protein-packed coffee that’s better than Starbucks? This mocha coffee protein shake is made with chocolate protein powder and coffee to give you a little caffeine and add protein to your morning. Protein helps regulate your blood sugar and helps repair your muscles after a workout, so this shake is nutritious and delicious!
If you like healthy chocolate recipes, you will love my healthy Greek yogurt brownies and healthy chocolate banana bread!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Plant-Based: This mocha protein shake recipe is vegan and only uses plant-based ingredients like bananas, almond milk, and protein powder.
- Only 5 Ingredients: There’s nothing complicated about this smoothie! It’s only 5 simple ingredients: chocolate protein powder, almond milk, coffee, banana, and vanilla extract.
- Quick and Easy Protein-Packed Breakfast: If you’re looking for a fast and nourishing breakfast, this mocha smoothie has enough protein to keep you full and energized.
Ingredients
- Banana: Keep a few peeled and chopped bananas in the freezer to use for protein shakes in the morning. The frozen banana gives this shake its frozen, smoothie-like consistency.
- Chocolate Protein Powder: Use your favorite chocolate protein powder to make this shake. The flavor of the protein powder makes or breaks a protein shake.
- Almond Milk: Thin out the smoothie and give it a rich, creamy texture with a plant-based milk. You can also use coconut milk if you don’t have almond milk on hand.
- Coffee: Be sure to chill your coffee or use cold brew coffee before adding it to the smoothie. Use decaf coffee if you don’t want the extra caffeine.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations & Dietary Modifications
- Add Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: If you want to enhance the chocolate flavor in this coffee protein shake recipe, add a little scoop of unsweetened cocoa powder. Especially great when paired with healthy cookie bars for a quick afternoon treat.
- Try It with Collagen: Add a little collagen to your morning protein smoothie to make it thicker, achieving a more milkshake-like consistency.
- Top with Whipped Cream: If you’re looking for more of a sweet treat versus breakfast, add a dollop of plant-based whipped cream on top to make a protein-packed dessert.
How to Make a Mocha Protein Shake
This chocolate coffee protein shake is the perfect way to get a quick energy boost in the mornings or to help your body recover after a workout. It’s simple, delicious, and full of protein.
Step 1: Add the Ingredients to the Blender. Pour the frozen banana, almond milk, protein powder, vanilla, and coffee into your blender.
Step 2: Blend, Blend, Blend. Blend the ingredients for 1-2 minutes until they reach a smooth consistency, then pour and enjoy. Add in a drizzle of healthy pumpkin spice coffee creamer to make a high-protein pumpkin spice coffee shake!
Expert Tips
- Make it Sweeter: The banana should provide plenty of natural sweetness to your protein mocha coffee but if you need more, add a bit of stevia or honey to your shake.
- Find the Perfect Protein Powder: The trick to finding a delicious protein powder is to find one you like to drink with just milk or water! If it’s delicious plain, it will taste even better in a flavorful smoothie.
- Use Cold Coffee: When combining coffee and protein powder, it’s important to use chilled coffee. Hot liquid causes the protein powder to clump, and it may affect the effectiveness of the protein.
Serving Suggestions
This protein shake with coffee is packed with protein and tastes delicious! Enjoy it for breakfast or as part of your recovery after a vigorous workout. Due to the protein content, this mocha smoothie is a meal in itself, but it also pairs well with a variety of other breakfast dishes.
- A muffin and a smoothie make the perfect pair for breakfast on the go! Try these chocolate raspberry muffins or healthy peanut butter and banana muffins.
- Sit down for a full breakfast with your protein smoothie and these flourless low carb pancakes or a tomato and cheese egg bake.
Recipe FAQs
The combination of coffee and chocolate makes this a cafe mocha protein shake, but if you don’t have chocolate, you can use vanilla or coffee-flavored protein. Just use a little unsweetened cocoa powder or chocolate almond milk to give it that mocha flavor.
Protein shakes are best enjoyed immediately after blending, and this recipe only makes one serving, so I don’t recommend saving any leftovers.
For a richer and more intense coffee flavor, you can use chilled espresso instead.
More Delicious Smoothie Recipes
Breakfast
Healthy Hot Chocolate Smoothie
Drinks
Cherry Smoothie
Breakfast
Strawberry Greek Yogurt Smoothie
If you tried this Mocha Coffee Protein Shake recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below.
Mocha Protein Shake
Ingredients
- ½ banana, ripe and frozen
- ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk, or milk of choice
- ½ cup coffee, chilled
- ½ cup chocolate protein powder
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Stevia, or sweetener of choice
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients in a blender together until smooth.
- Transfer to a glass and drink!
Notes
- If you need more natural sweetness, add a bit of stevia or honey.
- Find a protein powder you like to drink with just milk or water, so it always tastes great in a blended shake.
- Always use chilled coffee when combining coffee and protein powder. Hot coffee gives the protein powder an awful texture.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
That’s why I love my Growing Naturals stuff too – super clean, never bothers me at all. Having this smoothie right now wouldn’t bother me at all.
I should’ve named this a milkshake because that’s what it taste like. I didn’t think of it though until after I had the post up. Grr…
This looks delicious! It’s been so hot that I’m craving lots of smoothies!
Right? Smoothies are my dessert in the summer!
I too dealt with HA. It’s hard. I did the pills/vitamins/natural medicines and none of that works. As hard as this may be to hear, the only real way you can overcome HA would be to either 1) Gain weight and/or 2) Stop exercising so much. I know it’s a hard pill to swallow. You have to ask yourself – do I want to regain my health back.. or continue down the same path. Try to keep your head up though. Stress will only make things worse – as you know. If you ever need ANYTHING please don’t hesitate to send me an e-mail. I’m always here for you xo
I appreciate your love friend. I’m sorry to hear you’ve been through this. I sort of suspected with your issues getting pregnant. I have gained weight & cut way back of my workouts this year. I know the real cause is stress from work all these years. I will be emailing you, could use a friend!
Looks delicious! I think it is really amazing you shared your story. It could truly help people who are struggling with the same issues.
I hope so Lauren. I hope it helps me too.
I have all of these ingredients immediately on hand!! That never happens! I will be whipping it up for dessert tonight (if work lets me come home :/). How long do you usually keep your frozen bananas for? I noticed mine turning a little brown but they still taste fine!
I don’t know officially how long they’re good for, but I toss after two weeks. I feel they’re weird after that. Hope work lets you go home tonight so you can give it a whirl!
I hope you are feeling better soon! I Love making smoothies in the morning and often times I add espresso or cold brew coffee to them so get more bang for my buck! : ) Thanks for sharing your recipe! Hope you have a great Monday!!
Coffee is genius! You just gave me 3 new recipe ideas Jamie!
First off – your recipe here is basically what I craved all weekend. Something cool, milkshake like, but also healthy. So, thank you for solving my craving problem as I definitely plan to get some Vega and try this out! Your pictures are beautiful. Also – I plan to check out the post you wrote last week. I can imagine that it was scary to write it, but good for you for putting yourself out there. I think that sharing vulnerable things like this makes the world a better place and helps others feel like they’re not alone.
Thank you again for joining the link-up and I hope you have a great day and feel better soon!
Thanks Meghan! I really enjoyed your post today. It’s always nice meeting another “Meghan” there’s not many of us!
You’re right, you can’t go wrong with chocolate! This looks delicious! I love Vega!
Thanks Lisa! Have you tried the mocha Vega? If not, you really must!
This looks delicious 🙂 hope you start feeling better and you’re not getting sick! And I totally agree about doctors needing to take hormonal issues more seriously and consider the root causes rather than just pills/ more hormones for treatment. In the long run it makes it worse to ignore what’s underlying.
I don’t think I’m coming down with anything. I just feel off. It could be the foot pain messing with th rest of my body.
I am gonna check our your estrogen post now, that is brave of you for sharing, but I am not surprised you got positive results from it. By the way, did you listen to my podcast a few weeks ago about this? I think you will enjoy it as it is about all kinds of women’s issues: http://runnersconnect.net/rc60
Okay, so on to today, holy yummmmmmm! What a recipe, that sounds amazing!!!! Thanks for linking up 😀
No I didn’t hear your podcast thanks for sharing. I look forward to it!