This Banana Protein Shake recipe is made with clean, nourishing ingredients like banana, natural protein powder, milk and honey. It makes an ideal breakfast smoothie or post-workout shake, because it is energizing, refined sugar-free and super easy to make. Learn how to make a healthy homemade protein shake with this quick and simple recipe!

You are going to love this banana protein smoothie recipe, because it is so easy to make and is made entirely with nutritious ingredients. It makes a fast, portable breakfast that will kick-start your day and will keep you feeling full all morning. It is also an ideal post-workout shake that will refuel your energy and help your muscles to heal after exercising.

Does a Banana Go Well in a Protein Shake?

Absolutely! Bananas are a great source of energy for the body and are perfect for eating before or after a workout. Bananas also add a good dose of potassium and dietary fiber to a protein shake. In addition, the mild flavor of a banana pairs well with any flavor protein powder.

Are Protein Shakes Good For You?

Yes! Protein shakes are an excellent choice for breakfast, a snack, or meal replacement. All adults require between 46-56 grams of protein each day (source). Protein shakes are an effortless way to meet that need. In my opinion, the best protein shake recipes rely on protein powder to provide protein. Protein powder has many benefits, including the following:

Aids with weight loss
Repairs muscles from exercise
Functions as a appetite suppressant
Boosts metabolism
Helps build muscle and strength

You can use a plant-based protein powder (pea, chia, or brown rice) or an animal protein powder (whey, casein, or collagen), depending on your preferences. Just make sure the protein powder you use is free from additives, artificial sweeteners, and fillers. Lastly, always remember that organic is best.

Is it Better to Drink a Protein Shake Before or After a Workout?

Many studies show that protein helps your muscles to repair and rebuild after exercise. For that reason, many people drink protein shakes after their workouts to aid this process.

Interestingly, new research suggests that how much protein you consume per day is of more importance than the time you consume it, in order to gain muscle mass (source). For that reason, you can choose which time you prefer or is most convenient for you. Personally, I always drink have a protein shake after a good workout.

Are Protein Shakes Good for Weight Loss?

Yes! As long as protein shakes are made with clean, junk-free ingredients, they are great for weight loss. Protein shakes are a rich source of protein (hence the name) and protein is an important nutrient for weight loss. As I stated earlier, getting an adequate amount of protein in your diet reduces your appetite and boosts your metabolism. Consuming a healthy dose of protein daily also helps you lose body fat without losing muscle.

Banana Protein Shake Ingredients

Alright, so let’s talk ingredients. To make this banana protein smoothie recipe, you will need:

Protein Powder: This boosts the protein content of your smoothie immensely. If you can, use an organic and natural protein powder that contains no additives, fillers, artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, or preservatives.
Banana: This gives your smoothie a rich and creamy consistency. It is also a great source of potassium and dietary fiber.
Milk: This serves as the liquid base for the smoothie. I usually use low-fat dairy milk.
Honey: This adds natural and unrefined sweetness. Not all packaged honey is created equal, so I recommend using one that is 100% pure, raw, and unfiltered for optimal health benefits.
Ice: This helps thicken the shake. Although, if I don’t have any ice in the freezer, I just make my protein shake without it.

Now that your ingredients are ready to go, you can create a banana protein shake at home. As always, exact ingredient amounts are included in the full recipe below.

How to Make a Banana Protein Shake

To make this homemade banana protein shake recipe, simply:

Add all of the ingredients – milk, banana, ice, honey, and protein powder – to a blender.
Blend until smooth and serve it right away.

That’s it! A smoothie is quite possibly the easiest healthy meal to make at home. 🙂

How to Make this Recipe with Vanilla Protein Powder

If you want to use vanilla protein powder instead of plain protein powder in this recipe, you definitely can. I recommend using a high-quality vanilla protein powder that is naturally flavored and sweetened.

To make your shake, simply make the recipe as written below (using a scoop of vanilla protein powder instead of unflavored protein powder), but omit the honey. If your protein shake is not sweet enough after you’ve blended it, then feel free to sweeten it to taste with honey or another natural sweetener.

Tips for Making Homemade Protein Shakes

Here are some things I have learned over the years about making protein shakes:

When adding your ingredients to your blender, always add the liquid first near the blades. This will help your blender to run a bit more easily whenever you are making a shake.
Use a good-quality, high-powered blender that will easily break up frozen fruit, vegetables, ice, and any other dense ingredients into oblivion.
If you don’t think you need a high-powered blender, an individual-sized blender is a great alternative. The biggest benefits of using a small blender are that it will help you save time on clean-up, it takes up less counter space, and it’s much less expensive than a big fancy countertop blender.

Using the simple tips above will make sure that your protein smoothies turn out great, every time!

Possible Recipe Variations

This homemade protein shake recipe is very flexible with regards to variations. For example, feel free to…

Swap in non-dairy milk: I generally use dairy milk when making shakes, but you can use any kind of milk you like. Unsweetened almond, coconut, soy, hemp, oat, or any other type of plant-based milk are all fabulous options.
Add some spice: A dash of cinnamon, nutmeg, or vanilla all taste delicious in smoothies.
Use a different sweetener: Instead of honey, you can substitute another natural and unrefined sweetener, such as maple syrup or agave nectar. Alternatively, you can throw in one or two pitted dates instead of a liquid sweetener.
Stir in some collagen: Adding collagen peptides to shakes and smoothies boosts their protein content even further. Collagen is also known to improve the condition of skin, hair, nails, joints, ligaments, and is great for gut health. I recommend using one that is all-natural, unflavored, and unsweetened.

Those are just a few suggestions, so feel free to experiment with whatever ingredient swaps or additions that sound good to you. 🙂

More Protein Shake Recipes

Looking for more protein shake inspiration? Here are some of my favorite recipes on the blog:

All of the drink recipes above are nutritious, flavorful, and packed with protein and fiber.

The Easiest Way to Make Protein Shakes

If drinking a protein shake is a part of your daily routine, you have to try using a protein shake delivery service. Once you sign up for one online, everything you need to make nourishing smoothies gets sent to your front door. If you want to learn more about my favorite smoothie and protein shake delivery services, check out these posts on blog:

Alright, now you know why you should drink protein shakes and my favorite hack for making them at home. Without further delay, here is the recipe! If you make this Banana Protein Shake recipe, let me know. Leave a comment with a star rating ★ below, because I love hearing from you! ♡