Cinnamon Roll Protein Smoothie
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This cinnamon roll protein smoothie is made with banana, cinnamon and protein powder and is a delicious way to enjoy your post workout smoothie.
I asked you all on Instagram which recipe you wanted to see, and you chose this cinnamon roll protein smoothie.
I’ve been on a huge cinnamon kick lately. If a recipe needs a little something extra, I just add cinnamon (like this tequila sour). Rather than adding cinnamon to a smoothie, I wanted to make cinnamon the star of the show. So, I present to you this cinnamon protein smoothie. This smoothie legit tastes like Cinnabon, and I’m not just saying that. You know when people claim that their kale smoothie tastes like a brownie and you’re thinking that’s impossible? Yeah, well this LEGIT tastes like a cinnamon roll. Speaking of Cinnabon, how do they do it? You walk through the mall’s food court and, while there are several different restaurants, the smell of Cinnabon’s cinnamon rolls/sticks/deliciousness trumps them all. This smoothie is basically a cinnamon roll minus the dough plus a blender, and a little bit healthier too.
Cinnamon roll protein smoothie ingredients
There are a few key ingredients you need in order to whip up this banana cinnamon smoothie. However, the first thing you need is a quality blender. Up until two years ago, I always purchased low-quality, cheaper blenders because I didn’t want to splurge on something like a blender. Well friends, I’m here to say that it’s well worth it! I bought a KitchenAid blender and it’s held up so well and blends anything and everything so easily. Other things you’ll need in order to make this smoothie include:
Protein powder
If you have a favorite protein powder, feel free to use it in this recipe. I used vanilla-flavored protein powder and thought it worked perfectly.
Yogurt
You can go a few different routes with the yogurt in this recipe. You can use plain Greek yogurt if you want a thicker smoothie and/or if that’s what you have on hand. Alternatively, you can use dairy free yogurt if you’re looking to keep this smoothie vegan. Almond, coconut or soy-based should yogurts will all work well in this recipe.
Liquid
Personally, I prefer using milk over water because I think it A) makes the smoothie a little thicker and B) adds a little extra flavor. I tend to use unsweetened almond milk, however, you’re more than welcome to use water instead if that’s your style.
Banana, cinnamon, ice
Aka the good stuff! Substitution: if you want to keep this smoothie banana-less, you can use 1/2 cup raw cashews instead. Ideally, the cashews will be soaked, which makes them blend up more easily and easier to digest too, but if you’re in a pinch, regular raw cashews will be fine. The ice will make the smoothie extra cold and again, a little bit thicker. As for the cinnamon, play around with the amount you use. I found 1/2 teaspoon to be enough, but you can absolutely add more if you prefer.
I hope you love this cinnamon smoothie as much as I do!
Other healthy smoothie recipes
Cinnamon Roll Protein Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 banana
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup almond milk, or more as needed
- ice cubes, optional
Instructions
- Place ingredients into a blender and pulse until everything is smooth.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
*This recipe originally appeared in 2014, but has since been updated with new photos by Ellie.
I left out the ice, added a dash of nutmeg and vanilla extract, and added 1/4 cup rolled oats, and it came out creamy, delicious, and overall AMAZING. Thank you for the inspo.
Oh wow! This protein shake looks delicious with the addition of the yogurt, extracts, and cinnamon. Definitely perfect for a hot summer day.
Delicious!
This will help me to avoid buy a cinnamon rolls that is not gluten free. I do like cinnamon rolls but now will take the healthy one!
I have a 5 year old who is the pickiest eater on the planet. No joke! He will eat one thing one day and the next time I make it won’t for one reason or another. I’m trying anything to get him to eat. My question is, do you taste the banana? I’ve just realized he doesn’t like bananas. I made him a blueberry smoothie but he won’t drink it because He can taste the banana.
Hi! You can kind of taste the banana (to my memory–I haven’t made this exact smoothie in awhile). You could either add a little more cinnamon, or you could try using cashews as a base instead of banana if he’s not allergic to nuts. Let me know if you try it/if he likes it!
What is the calorie count?
I think her calorie count is WAY off. When I add the first two ingredients into myfitnesspal’s recipe builder, it already comes out to 255 calories, and that’s not even including the yogurt or the milk.
The ingredients you didn’t include have the lowest amount of fat. Unsweetened almond milk is around 30cal, and 1/4 cup of greek yogurt is 50cal. So I wouldn’t say WAY off, but probably around 310 as opposed to 238.
Do you know how many grams of protein this is?
Love this! Always looking for new delicious smoothie recipes. And I love that the protein content is so high! Perfect 🙂
Do you have to add the protein powder? How much would it affect the taste or consistency if you left it out?
Hi Donna! You don’t have to include the protein if you don’t want to… it wont change the consistency but ‘t will change the taste a bit, but only in a sense that it won’t taste AT ALL like protein powder. Try it and let me know what you think!
I just started using ceylon cinnamon. I use it in coffee, greek yogurt, on apple slices – I’m quite a fan as well!