Smoothies made with protein powder are a great post-workout snack or breakfast on the go, but many commercial powders are loaded with artificial flavorings and other weird additives. Here's an economical and less processed alternative: make your own tasty, vegan protein powder!
There are high-quality plant-based protein powders with straightforward ingredient lists out there, but they are often quite expensive, and plant protein powder can be hard to choke to down plain. Instead, try this idea from The First Mess: mix hemp protein with dry ingredients that add flavor and nutrients, such as cocoa powder, chia seeds, sesame seeds or ground almonds, and store the mixture in a jar in the refrigerator.
And it's easy to personalize this tasty vegan protein powder mixture with your favorite dry add-ins. Personally, I'm thinking about cacao nibs and kinako. How about you?
→ Get the recipe: Tasty, Whole & Vegan Protein Mix at The First Mess
Have you ever tried making your own protein powder?
Related: 20 Smoothie Tips, Hints, and Recipes
(Image: The First Mess)
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This is a fantastic idea! I was just telling my boyfriend how much I hate protein powders because they always alter the flavour of my smoothies.
Oh! What a good idea. Thanks!
I have a related question. I sometimes make ricotta at home. When the whey is drained off, is it full of protein and good for making into protein smoothies? I always assumed, but can someone confirm this?
This is interesting, but I hesitate after seeing the word "vegan."
Absolutely love this! I wanted this but had no idea where to start! Thank you!
Excellent idea, and grinding it yourself means everything is much fresher. And I'm thrilled that it's vegan.
This is perfect! I only use plant-based proteins in my green smoothies, and I love hemp and chia seeds. Lots of vegan-friendly green smoothie recipes and a 30-Day Challenge here: http://www.simplegreensmoothies.com
Yes, the whey from ricotta is great for making smoothies (for the commenter above who asked). Also consider adding it instead of water to baked goods, pancakes, etc.
This is such a great idea. Thanks for sharing the post!
Whey is also excellent for making lacto-fermented pickles, adding to the water for pre-soaking beans, and stirring into soups and batters.
@elicenter: Why would the mere word "vegan" make you hesitant? It only means there are no animal products in the mix – it doesn't mean you have to adopt a whole new life policy. Your green salad with vinaigrette is also entirely VEGAN, but that's never bothered you, has it? This protein mix has no milk or egg proteins (common in commercial protein powders), along with – as is the whole point of this blog post – no artificial flavours or additives, that's all there is to it. If you really loathe the idea of ever consuming anything vegan, you could always do what sarah9876 suggested: Stir in some whey when you blend. And never eat salad without cheese or bacon again. ;D
This looks pretty cool. I'm a meat eater that eats a lot of vegan foods. It's nice to be flexible.
I'm excited to have this in my pantry! I don't use the commercial protein powders because of the exact reasons stated above. This however, I will use. Thank you kitchn.com
@Herzleid, for a while, it was very trendy for some commenters here to absolutely revile vegetarians or vegans. Since elicenter isn't providing any actual information, I think it's safe to assume that he/she is a holdover from those times.
My vegan protein shake I wake up every morning to:
- 2 scoops of Sunwarrior vanilla protein powder (the fermented rice type)
- 1 tablespoon of bee pollen
- 2 tablespoons of hemp seeds
- 1 tablespoon of cacao powder
- pinch of salt
If this doesnt give you instant energy, feel free to ream me out ;)
Oh, neat! Definitely giving this a shot.
Re: comment above. Why bee pollen? Just curious of the benefits b/c I have not seen that before.