Want to up your morning game? Are you a coffee drinker? Do you wake up craving that smell or that yummy taste? For many years I resisted the temptation of having a cup of coffee every morning. I didn’t even realize that I could make a protein coffee that would be a great start to the morning at this point either.’
I Didn’t Even Like Coffee, Let Alone A Protein Shake With Coffee
My mom had opened a cafe when I was in high school and even then, I was not a fan. Might have had something to do with the strong coffee smell that seemed to cover everything at the cafe and then would follow us home. Let alone the fact that, at this time, protein coffees or iced coffee with protein powder wasn’t something that was popular. I don’t think I jumped on the coffee train till I was in my mid thirties. Guess I can thank my sister in law for that! She introduced me to a drink at Starbucks one day that made me question why I had been denying myself that liquid gold. Can you guess what drink it was? Here’s a hint; it is one of their sweet seasonal drinks.
My sister in law knows that I am a lover of all things sweet. I had left it up to her to order me something she thought I would like, since I had really never ordered anything with coffee from Starbucks. The minute I tasted the drink she handed me, I knew I was going to be a lifer. That sweet rich goodness….mmmmmm! Imagine my frustration when I realized it was only offered during the winter season. Nonsense! Anyway, that day I became addicted to the chestnut praline latte. I would even order it with extra pumps of that delicious syrup. Yep … no shame in my game!
How Did My Iced Protein Coffee Recipe Come to Be?
Well, fast forward to now and I realized I had a problem. One was the fact that I could only get this drink a few months out of the year, and so I had to find an alternative. It’s ok, don’t fret. I just seamlessly moved to the vanilla latte with a handful of extra pumps of the vanilla … all good 🙂 Another problem was the price. Starbucks is not cheap and is surely not lowering their prices any time soon. In fact, they are probably raising them. I was feeling pretty guilty for my Bucks budget!
And after we moved to a new area, I realized I did not have the convenient Starbucks just around the corner. I had to go into the grocery store instead of just a drive through (the audacity!) unless I drove quite aways into town to use the drive through. I was not impressed. Plus, we moved to a much colder winter climate and I was a scaredy cat for driving in the snow. That meant I had to start making my own coffee. Ughhhhh!
My husband and I started relying on this inexpensive latte mix. It was super easy. Just heat up some milk, mix in some powder and bam, coffee served. It worked! As I began consistently putting weight on after my hysterectomy I absolutely knew I had to start making some real changes. That latte mix we were drinking was full of sugar. I mean a lot of sugar! So, I made a new routine for my coffee fix. Whether you are black coffee fan or load it up with cream and sugar, there are protein coffee recipes for both.
Trying to find coffee that tastes good (because I really need the caffeine) but isn’t packed with tons of sugar was tough. I ended up going a completely different route and making a drink that not only gave me my caffeine fix but also a ton of nutrients and protein. It’s always been hard for me to get enough protein in each day so this has been a huge help! Ready to check it out?
So How Do You Make The Best Protein Coffee You Ask?
Here Are My Protein Coffee Recipe Ingredients
- Starbucks Cold Brew Medium Roast UNSWEETENED. You can also use the Starbucks coffee concentrate.
- Premier Protein Caffe Latte
- Half and Half
- Torani Syrup French Vanilla SUGAR FREE
- Ice
- This is super easy to turn into a delicious protein shake with coffee! It really reminds me of the Cafe Vanilla Frap you can get at Starbucks (another one of my all time faves!). Imagine my surprise when I put all this together and took that first drink. It was just yummmmmyummmyummm.
Here is How I Put it Together
I use a pretty old Nutribullet Blender but I am sure you can use whatever you have that works for you.
- First, I add about a cup of the cold brew to the cup I blend in.
- Then I pour 1 Premier Protein Caffe Latte shake into the cup. I keep my Premier Protein in the fridge so its cold.
- Next, I put a pretty large splash of the half and half in it. If you use more, it will be more creamy and airy.
- Now I put a small pour of the Torani French Vanilla Sugar Free syrup. I have the smaller bottles so there is not a pump top but I would imagine it is the equivalent of one pump.
- Next put a little ice. I don’t use a ton of ice. I have a scooper in my freezer and I also use “bar” sized cubes for my coffee shake. Probably like a half a cup (the measurement, not the size of the cup you are using).
- Lastly blend!
“Drum roll”…. pop your fave straw in there and enjoy! Feel good that you saved some cash by making a delish drink at home AND it’s a healthy drink too! You will be consuming 30 grams of protein and less than 3 grams of sugar.
Other Ways Protein Coffee Recipes
That is the way I make my protein coffee but there are other ways it can be made based on each persons individual preference. Here are a few different protein coffee recipes.
Protein Iced Coffee
I do like my coffee blended so it has a Frappuccino like consistency. However, you could simply follow the steps and not blend it at the end. This would make it more of an iced coffee with protein.
Protein Shake with Coffee
If you are short on time, or simply don’t want additional steps. You could really take an protein shake and add it to either a hot coffee or an iced cold brew. I happen to use the Premier Protein brand. They have many different flavors to choose from.
This would still give be a protein coffee recipe but with less steps and customization. Essentially it would be just adding a protein shake with coffee to your morning routine.
Iced Coffee with Protein Powder
Another idea would be to use a protein powder instead of a premade protein shake. The steps would be the same but instead of adding a premade protein shake, you just add scoops of protein powder. You would probably have to add more actually iced coffee to the recipe to get the right consistency.
The main benefit this recipe for iced coffee with protein powder would be that it is more cost effective. The big tubs of protein powder are cheaper than buying the individual premade protein drinks. In fact, the Premier Protein Cafe Latte premade shake I use does come in powder form.
Is There Anything I Should Know About This Protein Coffee Recipe?
I do want to make you aware that the Premier Protein Cafe Latte flavor does have caffeine in it. It is the equivalent of one cup of coffee. So, if that amount of caffeine plus the caffeine from the cold brew is too much, just swap the cafe latte flavor for another flavor of the Premier Protein.
In fact, you could really get crazy and make any flavor that makes you happy by changing up the syrup and the protein shake flavor. Just remember to keep things as sugar free and low sugar as possible to give yourself the best benefit!
Have I Seen Any Benefit From Drinking My Daily Protein Coffee?
I began making myself a coffee protein shake about 4 months ago on a regular basis and am so glad I did! Consuming less sugar is a win-win. Then adding in a decent amount of protein intake at the start of the day has really helped with my energy and consistency in my body. Besides, it is so easy and tastes so good. I have not even missed that sugary coffee I used to have each morning!
In fact, I believe it is one of the key factors in helping me drop the recent weight I have shed! Hope you give this shake a try and please share with me if you do. If you end up changing it up, definitely keep me posted, I would love to hear what you come up with!
Talk to you soon!
Sarah … Wife at Midlife