How to Make the BEST Protein Shake - Super Thick!

Learning How to Make the Best Protein Shake is not difficult at all. With just a few simple tips and tricks, you can take an ordinary protein powder and turn it into the most delicious and nutritious milkshake while still creating a keto shake!

Keto Protein Shake

Have you tried making a keto protein shake only to be sadly disappointed with the taste and texture? Having made millions of shakes over the past 2 decades, I have finally mastered the tricks to creating the best protein shake ever!

Welcome to protein shake 101! This post is going to show you just how to thicken a protein shake and turn it into the most delicious keto shake. Whether you want to learn how to thicken a protein shake so it tastes like a milkshake or how to turn a a regular protein powder and turn it into a keto protein shake, you need to keep reading and you too will end up making the world's best protein shakes.

Recently, there has been quite the buzz regarding protein. Protein shakes have come a long way from their lack-luster days of putting protein powder and water into a blender bottle and shaking it up.

Now, with a couple of key ingredients and some tips and tricks, you will easily take any milkshake flavour you are craving and turn that unhealthy shake into a protein shake recipe.

Protein Sources for making a Keto Protein Shake

While you are all thinking “protein powder”, there are actually multiple ways to add protein to your shake! All of the ideas listed below are all keto friendly to ensure that you end up wtih a keto protein shake.

• Protein powder – I have several different types of protein powder that I use. If you are looking for a minimal and super clean protein powder, your best bet is Naked. For an organic pea protein powder which is really easy to find, I use Orgain. For a super low carb protein powder that combines different types of protein, including whey, casein and egg white protein, my favourite brand is Quattro.
• Greek yogurt – Make sure that you pick low carb or zero carb Greek yogurt. My favourite brand is Two Good which only contains 2 grams of carbs and 1 gram of sugar for ½ cup of yogurt.
• Nuts – add nuts or nut butter to your shake for added protein and fat. Add macadamia nuts, pecans, walnuts, or almonds for the best protein and fat ratios.
• Seeds – Adding pumpkin seeds, hemp, flax seeds or chia seeds to your smoothie for an extra protein boost. Just make sure that you do not leave your keto shake sitting too long if you use chia seeds as the shake will get way to thick!

Liquids for making the Best Protein Shake

There are virtually unlimited liquids that you can add to your protein shake recipe. Different liquids will lend themselves to a varietly and flavours but also different thicknesses.

Water - Obviously, water is an easy liquid to add to any shake. I almost never just add water as I find my keto protein shakes lack flavour. I do however usually add half water along with another liquid for the best texture, taste and macros.

Unsweetened Almond Milk - I always use unsweetened almond milk in my keto shakes. The almond milk contains so few calories and gives the keto shake a nice and creamy texture.

Coffee - Just like my Homemade Keto Iced Cappuccino adding either some cold brew or leftover coffee adds not only a nice boost of caffeine but also makes your protein shake recipe feel very "mature"!

Sugar-free juice - There are so many different types of sugar-free juices on the market. Just make sure that you check the nutritional label to be able to calculate your macros properly.

Canned Coconut Milk - Adding some canned coconut milk will give your keto protein shake not only some great added fats but also will thicken your shake more so then almond milk

Heavy Cream - For the most indulgent keto shake, you can always add some heavy cream to your shake. However, I would not suggest using more than 2-3 tablespoons per shake as the cream can make the shake too light (thick whipped cream!) once the shake has been whipped in the highspeed blender.

How to Thicken a Protein Shake

Now that we have covered the protein and liquid parts of creating the best protein shake, now it is time to get to the best part - thickening your keto protein shake! In the past, I have never enjoyed protein shake recipes due to their inability to thicken like a milkshake. But, thousands of shakes later, I have mastered the art of thickening a protein shake!

Ice - The best protein shake will always include some ice to create a nice and cold shake. Do not use crushed ice as for whatever reason, the high speed blender will not fully blend in the crushed ice so you end up with bits of ice and not a nice and smooth keto shake.

Greens - Adding some spinach or kale (about 1 handful) will help to thicken your shake while adding some very good vitamins and minerals to your diet. Plus, I can promise you that eventhough your keto protein shake will take on a green hue, you will not be able to taste the greens at all.

Liquids - This one is sort of a no-brainer. The more fat in your liquid, think canned coconut milk or heavy cream, the thicker the shake. The more water-based your liquid, which is usually lower calorie alternatives, the thinner the shake.

Xanthan gum - The best protein shake will require some xanthan gum. This is a key ingredient on how to thicken a protein shake. You can buy xanthan gum online and it is very cheap. You will only want to start with about ⅛ teaspoon of xanthan gum. If your shake is still not as thick as you would like it, add an additional ⅛ teaspoon until your desired consistency is reached. Make sure that you let your high speed blender run for 30 seconds before adding additional xanthan gum as the xanthan gum needs a little time processing to create the thickness of the shake.

How to adjust the macros of a protein shake recipe

You can take any protein shake flavour and create any number of macro combination to suit any diet or to fill in the gaps at the end of a day.

For a Keto Shake - Use some heavy cream or canned coconut milk with some added nut or seed butter. Do not try to add coconut oil to a cold protein shake as the oil will separate and form into hard pieces.

For a High Protein Shake - If you want a shake for a protein-sparing modified fast (PSMF) day, use water, almond milk and ice. Add a little extra xantham gum to thicken your shake. Making a protein shake recipe with these ingredients will allow you to end up with 25-30 grams of protein and only a couple of grams of both carbs and fast.

Low Calorie Shake - IF you want to make a lower calorie shake, use less protein powder, stick with using half water and almond milk and add the xantham gum. To keep the flavour good, you will want to add some flavoured sugar-free syrups ( like this Sugar-Free Lemon Simple Syrup or this homemade Sugar-free Vanilla Syrup), or use flavoured Monk Fruit Extracts.

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