Peanut Butter Protein Shake
on Sep 15, 2020, Updated Aug 30, 2024
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This creamy vegan peanut butter protein shake is perfectly sweet and salty, just like a peanut butter cup! Enjoy post-workout or for a quick snack or treat anytime of day.
About the Recipe
This protein smoothie is vegan and can be made peanut-free or nut-free if needed by using almond butter or sunflower seed butter in place of peanut butter.
Frozen banana makes it extra thick and creamy and it’s easy to customize with different swaps and add-ins to adjust to your preference or nutritional needs.
Ingredients
- Frozen Banana: Don’t skip the frozen banana, it’s the key to a silky smooth shakes!
- Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast is the secret ingredient in this shake, it adds the perfect salty, nutty flavour plus extra protein and B12 (if it’s fortified)!
- Peanut Butter – use your favourite natural peanut butter, for a peanut-free smoothie, swap it for almond butter or for a nut-free smoothie, swap it for sunflower seed butter.
- Milk: Any milk works here! Use your favourite nut, seed, soy or oat milk to keep it vegan. Water is also fine in a pinch.
- Protein Powder: Use any vanilla or chocolate protein powder. I prefer making this smoothie with vanilla protein.
- Turmeric: Totally optional but adds a little boost of colour and mild spiced flavour
This list is not complete. Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the complete ingredient list with measurements and detailed instructions.
Additions
- Ground Flax or Chia Seeds: Add up to 1 tbsp for thickening, fibre and healthy fats.
- Hemp Seeds: Add up to 2 tbsp for healthy fats and extra protein.
- Cocoa Powder: Add up to 2 tbsp for a chocolate peanut butter shake.
- Cacao Nibs or Chocolate Chips: Blend in up to 2 tbsp or sprinkle on top for chocolate chip smoothie.
- Cauliflower or Zucchini: Add up to 1 cup steamed and frozen chopped cauliflower or zucchini for additional volume and nutrition (see here for best vegetables to add to smoothies).
- Coconut Yogurt: Add up to 3/4 cup plain or vanilla for extra creaminess, probiotics and volume.
- Kale or Spinach: For a boost in nutrition, add a handful of fresh or frozen greens.
FAQs
Sure! There are two ways to prep this smoothie in advance.
1. Add sliced banana, peanut butter, protein powder and nutritional yeast to a bag or container and freeze. When you’re ready to make the smoothie, dump into a blender, add milk and blend.
2. Make in advance and store overnight in the fridge. It won’t be as thick as drinking it fresh but it will still be delicious!
Sure! I really love the flavour and creaminess protein powder adds but here are some ways to replace it if needed:
1. Swap for 1/4 cup chickpeas or white beans.
2. Omit and add 1-2 tbsp cocoa powder and an extra half a banana.
3. Omit and add 3-4 pitted dates for sweetness.
4. Omit and add 2 tbsp chia seeds to help thicken.
If you make it without protein powder and it’s not sweet enough for your, sweeten to taste with dates (or date paste), a touch of maple syrup or a sugar-free sweetener such as stevia or monk fruit.
You can! This shake is definitely best with frozen banana but if you have an allergy or dislike it, here’s how you can make the shake without banana:
1. Use steamed and frozen cauliflower or zucchini and an additional sweetener such as dates or stevia.
2. Use frozen peach slices (this is my favourite no banana option).
3. Freeze dairy-free vanilla yogurt in an ice cube tray and use 4-5 of them to replace the banana.
Recipe Notes
- To reduce the calories and fat in this smoothie, use peanut butter powder (up to 4 tbsp) instead of peanut butter.
- To increase calories for a weight gain shake, add an additional 1-2 tbsp of peanut butter, half a frozen banana and additional milk as needed to reach your desired consistency.
- For a thick ice cream-like smoothie bowl, reduce almond milk to 1/2 cup and blend slowly, using a tamper as needed until smooth and creamy.
More Protein Shakes
- Beet Orange Smoothie
- Vegan Carrot Cake Smoothie
- Sweet Potato Smoothie
- Chocolate Banana Smoothie
- Mixed Berry Smoothie
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to comment section below to leave your star rating and review.
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Peanut Butter Protein Shake
Ingredients
- 1 cup plant-based milk of choice, 250 mL
- 1 serving vegan vanilla protein powder, 30 g
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast, 14 g
- 2 tbsp natural peanut butter, 30 g
- 1 large frozen banana, 160 g, or 1.5 small to medium banana
- 1/4-1/2 tsp ground turmeric, optional
Instructions
- Add the milk to a high-speed blender.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and slowly start blending. Increase speed, blending until completely smooth and creamy.
- Pour into a glass and enjoy.
Notes
- To reduce the calories and fat in this smoothie, use peanut butter powder (up to 4 tbsp) instead of peanut butter.
- To increase calories for weight gain, add an additional 1-2 tbsp of peanut butter, half a frozen banana and additional milk as needed to reach your desired consistency.
- For a thick ice cream-like smoothie bowl, use just 1/2 cup of almond milk. Blend on low, using a tamper as needed until you have a thick, creamy consistency. Scoop into a bowl, add toppings and enjoy!
- Review post above for various substitutions, add-ins and options for making it without protein powder or banana.
- The turmeric adds colour and a very mild spiced flavour. It’s totally optional but was included in the original recipe. Some people love it but it’s not for everyone! If you want to try it, start with 1/4 tsp and increase if desired.
Nutrition
Originally published March 4, 2014.
Deryn,
OMG, WHERE did you get that mason mug?? It’s beautiful!
PS You should really refrain from the guessing game and get a comprehensive blood panel done to get some definitive answers. Fatigue can be caused by SO many things, your best bet would be to get tested to see if you’re actuallu deficient in anything.
I found a 4 pack at Winners for $10! A great find!!
I just found this via Finding Vegan and am so glad I did! This may just be my dinner tonight. I’ve always been more about getting my vitamins and such from whole foods instead of supplements, but I also read somewhere that provided they are good supplements a little added help isn’t a bad thing. I was thrown for a loop in talking to a nutritionist about my diet (because I’m pregnant and my mother had concerns about it with my mostly vegan diet) when his concern for me was protein. Generally that garners an eye roll from me, but he’d listened to everything, taken notes, looked at my prenatal supplement (which was loaded with B12 – Rainbow Light is the brand and is vegan) and suggested I take it with citrus juice to help my body absorb the calcuim and B12 in it… and then the protein comment. He pointed it all out to me and I was shocked at how much I needed because I’m pregnant (not pregnant I consumed just enough). I did a lot of research into powders because the thought of all those nuts and beans made me ill. In my research I came across this study: https://labs.naturalnews.com/heavy-metals-chart-Proteins-Vegan.html and was floored by how much we all take for granted ingredient labels. I decided to go with a pea protein powder based on my comparison of the information provided – unfortunately most of the brands that were low in metals were not readily available to me and pea protein seemed to have the lowest results in general. Just something to keep in mind when picking out a powder.
…and with this introduction to your site, I look forward to poking around some more!
Hey there I’m allergic to bananas and in most smoothies are bananas so I was wondering if you know any good replacement for it?! Could I like use avocado cause of the texture and add some marple syrup for sweetness? or what would you recommend?
thank you!
Hmmm, I don’t know about avocado and peanut butter, maybe cashew or almond butter would be better. An avocado would certainly replace the banana okay, but I don’t know about combining it with those other flavours?! And yes, I’d recommend adding a little sweetener along with it 🙂
Do you taste the banana in this? I really don’t like banana (weird, I know lol), but totally want to try this if the other ingredients mask the flavor.
so glad i came across your blog today! =) this sounds delicous!!! will definitely keep checking back often
Nutritional yeast in a peanut butter smoothie… oh my gosh! I am literally going to the kitchen as soon as I type this and trying that out. I never ever even thought about putting nutritional yeast into a smoothie. So awesome!
I don’t have any experience with supplementing. I used to take a multivitamin, but I stopped doing so and feel great without it as well. Everyone is different though and I feel that supplements are fine, especially when you eat as well balanced as you do! Good luck!!
I love smoothies with peanut butter! Thanks this looks awesome I have to try!
I am not vegan/vegetarian, but I am anaphylactic to dairy, chamomile, & walnuts, allergic to soy, oats, coffee, & melons, and have celiac, asthma, and adrenal fatigue. I eat a mostly whole foods, very very little grain and sugar free diet. Per my doctor after blood work, I am taking a whole food prenatal (b/c they seem to be better absorbed/utilized for me), calcium/magnesium/zinc, B complex, potassium (the albuterol & other asthma meds deplete my potassium very quickly), vitamin D, cod liver oil, dessicated liver, and iron. I’m also trying a tumeric supplement for joint pain, and so far it seems to be helping. 😀 I really love the look of this recipe, and will be trying it soon! We use nutritional yeast often in/on foods for my daughter (celiac/asthma/23 food allergies).
Hmmm, interesting! It sounds like you have a lot to think about, but seems like you’re making it work! I’m very lucky with no allergies or intolerances whatsoever. After looking at my diet more carefully I don’t think I have low iron, unless I’m not absorbing it…but I did decide to add a B50 complex vitamin and a multi-vitamin. I’ve heard a lot of good things about turmeric and joint pain, so glad to hear it’s helping. Let me know how you like the smoothie!
Fatigue?…Vitamin D! I was feeling very lethargic once I went from vegetarian to vegan. Started a 1500 iu vitamin d supplement. Energy went right up within a few days.
Hmm, thanks for the tip! I ended up adding a B50 and multi vit just to be sure. I’ve also just been paying closer attention to my diet and making sure I’m getting enough variety.
Wow, I never would have thought to add nutritional yeast to a smoothie – great idea! I have mixed thoughts on supplementation, which I talk a lot about – I believe that the “best case scenario” is to get all your nutrients from real food, as most people do. However, I also believe that most people (even those of us who care a lot about our nutritional balance) don’t eat a “perfect” diet and have some nutritional voids. So, in general, I’m pro-supplementation to have your bases covered. Like almost anything, it depends on the individual, though!
I agree with you about supplements, obviously getting as much as possible from whole foods. However since I don’t eat dairy or meat/fish as a personal choice, the B50 supplement is probably a good idea! I’d never thought about nooch for a smoothie either, but it turned out sooo yummy! Thanks for the comment 🙂
I usually have a smoothie every morning so I love finding new recipes to mix it up a bit. Thanks for the post–I look forward to trying this!
I’ve been more of an almond butter gal lately, but I specifically went out and bought some natural pb so I could make this smoothie along with your chocolate pb protein bars tonight. So the smoothie has been made….it’s amazing!! Love the extra bonus of adding nutritional yeast too! Never thought of that before, but I will be adding some to my green smoothies from now on. As for supplementation, unfortunately being low in iron and vitamin b12 can come along with the vegan lifestyle. I try to use nutritional yeast regularly in salads or pasta dishes. Also including super foods like chia seeds for some iron, raw maca powder (good for energy, hormone levels and post workout), and raw cacao is another source of some iron. I’m not too big on taking supplements, but for energy purposes I have been feeling like you are lately. Keep us posted if you end up getting some and what brands 🙂
Can’t wait to make your bars tonight!! 🙂