Peanut Butter Protein Shake (No Protein Powder) – Fitnessnacks

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Inside: Get a recipe for a filling, naturally sweet peanut butter protein shake that’s full of healthy ingredients and nutrients like calcium.

A glass of Peanut Butter Protein Shake with a red striped straw sits on a wood table.

One shake has almost as much protein as three eggs.

Wish you and your kids had a filling, protein-rich drink for the morning–that didn’t require protein powder?

I did too. So I blended together this Peanut Butter Protein Shake that uses just a few basic ingredients and delivers 17 grams of protein per glass.

That’s almost as much protein as three eggs!

This shake also involves a clever hack to make it naturally sweet.

Ingredients for the Peanut Butter Protein Shake sit on a wood table: Milk, Peanut butter powder, dates, banana, and cinnamon

Just a few simple ingredients needed–and no protein powder.

Ingredients You Need

Banana: I keep a bag of frozen, peeled bananas in my freezer all the time
Milk: Use your milk of choice, either dairy or non-dairy milk such as soy milk
Powdered Peanut Butter: You can also use 1-2 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter, either natural peanut butter or regular peanut butter
Date: If yours aren’t pitted, remove the pit first
Cinnamon: You’ll just need a dash for a flavor boost

A glass dish of milk and dates sits on a wood table. A green lid sits alongside the dish.

Soaking dates in milk makes them easier to blend.

A Sweet Smoothie Hack

One of my favorite ways to naturally sweeten a smoothie is with dates. They provide a lot of natural sweetness, no added sugar needed. But they can be tough to pulverize completely in the blender.

I got this great tip from a reader: Soak them in a small, covered dish of milk overnight. They’ll blend up so much more easily. You can keep several in milk (in an airtight container) in your fridge for the week.

A glass of Peanut Butter Smoothie (No Protein Powder) sits on a wood table.

This shake is best enjoyed right after blending.

How to Make This Peanut Butter Protein Shake

Add all ingredients to blender and process until smooth. (Be sure to blend it long enough for a smooth, creamy texture–you don’t want any banana chunks or date chunks left!) For best results, drink right away. If you need to store it in the fridge for later, give it a shake or good stir before serving.

Swaps & Substitutions You Can Make

Swap the dates for 2 teaspoons maple syrup
Add a tablespoon of cocoa powder to make a chocolate peanut butter shake
Use 1-2 tablespoons of peanut butter in place of the powdered peanut butter
Add a handful of fresh baby spinach
Add a serving of collagen peptides, a scoop of plain greek yogurt, or even a dollop of silken tofu for a thicker smoothie
Substitute sunflower seed butter (SunButter), almond butter, cashew butter, or another favorite nut or seed butter for the peanut powder

Two versions of the Peanut Butter Protein Smoothie sit on a wood table. One is brown and has cocoa in it, one is green and has spinach in it.

Cocoa powder and fresh spinach make yummy variations.

FAQs About This Peanut Butter Protein Shake

How much protein does this shake have?

This peanut butter protein smoothie contains 17 grams of protein per serving.

What is powdered peanut butter?

Peanut butter powder like PBfit is made from roasted peanuts that are pressed to remove most of the fat and then ground into a powder. Peanut butter powder can have a little bit of added sugar and salt. Pure peanut powder, like the one below from Crazy Richard’s, has just one ingredient–pressed, ground peanuts. These powders are typically stocked right along regular peanut butter in the grocery store.

Is powdered peanut butter healthy?

Yes! Peanut powder has had most of the fat removed, so the calories are lower per ounce than peanuts or peanut butter. So while it doesn’t have all the benefits of those healthy unsaturated fats, it does contain higher concentrations of protein and fiber, plus the same vitamins and minerals in peanuts and peanut butter, according to the National Peanut Board.

A container of PBfit Peanut Butter Protein Powder and a container of Crazy Richard's 100% Pure Peanut Powder sit on a wood table.

Powdered peanut butter (and pure peanut powder) can be found alongside regular peanut butter.

Is this peanut butter protein shake recipe vegan?

No. But you can make it vegan by swapping the dairy milk for non-dairy, such as soy milk, oat milk, or almond milk.

What’s the best non-dairy milk to use?

If you don’t want to (or can’t) drink regular milk, I’m partial to soy milk because it’s naturally rich in protein, with as much protein per glass as dairy milk. You can use unsweetened almond milk, but keep in mind that it contains very little protein–just 1 gram per serving. Ditto for most oat milk.

How much protein do kids need?

Below are the minimum recommended amount of protein for different ages. Remember, these are just minimums for health. Most kids get higher levels than this, and that’s fine! See Here’s How Much Protein Your Child Needs for age-by-age illustrations and 50 Meat-Free Protein Foods For Lunch Boxes for ideas.

Ages 1-2: 13 grams
Ages 4-8: 19 grams
Ages 9-13: 34 grams
Ages 14-18 (girls): 46 grams
Ages 14-18 (boys): 52 grams

Is protein powder okay for kids?

Yes, but it may not be necessary. Most kids (and adults) get plenty of protein on a daily basis. And protein powder can be expensive and contain a lot of additional ingredients with questionable benefit, like herbal supplements.

But protein powder is definitely an easy way to up protein intake, especially for picky eaters. If you want to add a scoop of protein powder to this smoothie in place of the peanut powder, you can certainly do that.

More Protein-Rich Recipes

Peanut Butter Protein Shake

Yield:
1 serving

Prep Time:
3 minutes

Additional Time:
3 minutes

Total Time:
6 minutes

Frothy and sweet, this Peanut Butter Protein Shake delivers 17 grams of protein per glass.

Ingredients

1 frozen banana (peeled and broken in half)
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons peanut butter powder (such as PBfit)
1 date (remove the pit)
1 dash cinnamon

Instructions

Put all ingredients in blender and process until smooth.
Serve!