Cold Brew Protein Smoothie

This cold brew protein smoothie recipe uses simply ingredients like cold brew coffee and protein powder for a delicious post-workout and/or breakfast smoothie. 

If you love coffee smoothies, be sure to check out my post with 10 coffee smoothie recipes!

Something I majorly crave after a workout is a protein smoothie, and lately I’ve been loving this coffee protein smoothie because you fit in fruit, coffee and protein all in one smoothie recipe. It’s basically like killing three birds with one stone, as they say. 

When do you prefer to workout? Mornings, afternoons or evening? I was an afternoon exerciser—between 2-4 pm—up until a couple of weeks ago, when I decided that I wanted to become a morning exerciser again. You see, I like working out in the afternoons because I find that I have a good amount of energy and it’s a nice way to kind of “end” the work day. However, it’s hard to stay consistent and it’s easy to make excuses (oh, but I have to do the dishes, walk the dog…). So now, I’m a morning exerciser and it feels SO good. 

Lately, I’ve been waking up between 6-7 am, going straight to the gym, then coming home and making breakfast. This cold brew protein smoothie has been on rotation for awhile, so I figured I’d share it with you. It’s quite similar to my peanut butter espresso smoothie recipe, which you guys LOVE. 

COLD BREW PROTEIN SMOOTHIE RECIPE

Fruit: Bananas are the most common fruit used in smoothies, so I opted to use banana in this recipe because it’s easy and pairs well with cold brew. However, if you can’t tolerate or don’t like bananas, try using strawberries. Yes really! I think they pair well with nut butter and coffee. The third alternative is to use raw cashews—start with 1/2 cup and go from there. 

Cold brew: Mmmmm cold brew, I love you so much. My favorite cold brew is Bulletproof cold brew coffee, followed by Chameleon cold brew. The Bulletproof is a good option because it includes ghee, collagen and MCT oil, so you’re getting a lot of health benefits. Alternatively, you can make your own homemade cold brew coffee. Combine 1 cup coffee grounds with 4 1/2 cups filtered water and then let it sit at room temperature for at least 8 hours. Then, strain the coffee and refrigerate it overnight. Easy peasy! 

Nut butter: Peanut butter is the most affordable nut butter, so I opted to use that in this recipe. But, any nut butter will work—almond, cashew, hazelnut—so use whatever you have on hand. 

Protein: You need protein in a protein smoothie. I don’t consume protein powder on a regular basis because I tend to have a negative opinion on it simply based on the taste, but recently I’ve started using vanilla-flavored grass-fed whey protein powder, and it’s SO good. And by “so good” I mean that you can’t really taste the protein powder, which is ideal if you ask me. One scoop and you’re good to go! 

MORE SMOOTHIE RECIPES:

• peanut butter espresso smoothie
• cinnamon roll protein smoothie
• green banana bread smoothie