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Want some protein shakes you'll actually ENJOY drinking? I've made a list of all theBest Low Carb Protein Shake recipes just for you. These are all perfect for Keto and low-carb diets and are SO good!
Why do I call these the Best Low carb Protein Shakes? Well, not only are they yummy, but I show you how to make low carb or keto protein shakes that you can customize by doing a mix and match with some basic ingredients. So don't just follow a recipe, learn how to make your own low carb protein shakes.
Don't limit these to just breakfast time. I often have one of these for any meal. Just watch the carb counts by entering a recipe into your tracker BEFORE you make it! Otherwise, you may be in for an unpleasant surprise.
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Best Smoothie Recipes
Eating low-carb can be frustrating. If you're new to eating Keto or low carb, you can struggle with all the foods you're "missing out" on and feel deprived. Feeling deprived can lead to cravings and cheating and you don't want to go down that road. The way you can avoid all those things is by being prepared and having a plan.
One big way I shake off cravings and a sweet tooth is by utilizing this list of theBest Low Carb Smoothie recipes. They're filling, high in protein, and perfect if you're on a full liquid diet. They will satisfy that sweet tooth in a healthy way. Outside of that, they're so easy to just throw in the blender and make!
How To Make theBest Low Carb Protein ShakeFor You
Making a low carb protein shake is a lot easier than you think. You start by selecting a liquid, a source of protein, a source of fat, and some flavorings. So let's talk about each of these, and what choices you have available to you.
You may want to play around with these meal replacement shakes to suit your taste buds. But as a starting point:
Proportions For These Protein Shakes
- Add Protein
1/4 cup protein such as cottage cheese, yogurt, etc.
- Pour In Liquid
1 cup liquid such as hemp milk, almond milk, etc.
- Add Fat
1 tablespoon fat such as peanut butter, coconut oil, etc.
- Season Well
1/2 teaspoons of seasonings such as cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.
- Add Ice To Your Liking
1 cup ice.
- Mix In A High Powered Blender
Put all this into a high power blender ( I use this one) and whirl away!
Liquids For Making The Best Low Carb Protein Shake Recipes For You
There is no reason at all why you should not use plain water. If you have enough flavors in the rest of your ingredients, then water may be your best option. If you'd rather use something else, here are a few things to consider:
- Almond milk, hemp milk, or coconut milk in cartons (low carb, unsweetened, good taste). Do not use rice milk as it tends to be high in carbs.
- Heavy Whipping cream (lots of calories so use sparingly)
- Half and half (a little heavier on carbs)
- High protein lactose-free milk like Fairlife (higher carbs so monitor carefully)
- Canned coconut milk (lots of calories so use sparingly)
Sources of Protein for the Best Keto Protein Shakes
I've used protein powders for 5 years now and love Syntrax protein. But there are some other sources of protein that you should also consider in your low carb protein shake recipes.
- Greek yogurt (watch the carb count)
- Tofu (no you won't be able to taste tofu in there)
- Cottage cheese
- Variety of protein powders that you like. This is the best way to add a lot of flavors. Take for example banana protein powder. Bananas are not low carb. But if you really want a banana strawberry smoothie, you can have one--as long as you use banana protein powder.
The Best Sources Of Fat
The easiest ones here for me are various nut butter. Not only do they make the protein drinks thicker and tastier, but they're an easy way to add some fat to your diet. Here are a few options to consider.
- All types of nut butter such as almond butter, and peanut butter (no sugar added, watch the carbs)
- Avocado. This is actually a very creamy addition to your shake. I know we think of Avocado as savory in the United States, but I've had some amazing sweet avocado shakes in Vietnam, and I highly recommend this.
- Straight up butter, MCT oil, or coconut oil. I've not had the best luck with butter and coconut oil as they tend to clump in a cold shake, but MCT oil in small quantities works well for me.
- Whole nuts. If you don't want to worry about the added sugar and salt in store-bought nut butter, just had nuts directly into your healthy smoothie recipe or protein shake and let the blender do the job for you.
Flavorings For The Best Protein Shake
You have a few categories of choices here.
- Spices. My favorite way to add flavor to shakes and to make the same combination of ingredients taste different from day to day. I often use cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, small amounts of cloves, or ready mixes like pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice to add sweetness to my low carb protein shakes. These are the easiest since you're adding no carbs, protein, fat, etc., just yummy flavor. You will soon learn what type of spiced low carb protein shake you like best.
- Fruits. Here's an area you really need to be careful about. While fruit has its place in a low carb protein shake, only certain types of fruits will work, and even then, only in small quantities. You can use all types of berries, but I would urge you to never use more than 1/3 of a cup of berries at most. I often use frozen berries as they not only cool the drink immediately, but they're also easier to store. If you're only going to be using a few berries here and there, it's hard to do this with fresh berries.
- Sugar-free Flavored Syrups. A quick search for sugar-free flavored syrups will show you the various options at your disposal including chocolate syrup, peppermint, hazelnut, caramel, etc. I haven't included these in the shakes above because I prefer to get the flavor from real food, but these sugar-free syrups are a very popular option for flavoring low carb protein shakes.
Looking for more great low carb dessert options?
- Keto French Silk Pudding
- Keto Chocolate Cheesecake Brownies
- Keto Scones
- Keto Cheesecake Brownies
- No Bake Peanut Butter Bars
- Coconut Macaroons
- Green Keto Smoothie Bowl
Don't forget to check out my other Keto cookbooks.
Keto Instant Pot, Keto Fat Bombs, Sweets, & Treats, and Easy keto in 30 minutes.
Just remember, the Best Low Carb Protein Shake is one that YOU like. So start with these protein shake recipes and play around until you get what you have your own best low carb protein shake. Also, don't limit these to just breakfast time. I often have one of these for a meal replacement. Just watch the carb counts by entering a recipe into your tracker BEFORE you make it! Otherwise, you may be in for an unpleasant surprise.
