Cottage Cheese Banana Shake (No Protein Powder)

One cup of cottage cheese carries about 25g of protein, which is more than most single scoops, and it blends into something genuinely thick. Add milk and a frozen banana and you have a 40g shake with no powder involved. The order you load the blender matters more than the ingredients. Milk first, cottage cheese alone until smooth, everything else after.

Ingredients

• 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
• 1 cup cold skim or 1 percent milk
• 1 medium banana, peeled, sliced, and frozen
• 2 tablespoons powdered peanut butter (about 12g)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of fine sea salt
• 3 or 4 ice cubes

Instructions

1. Pour the milk into the blender first, then add the cottage cheese, so the blades have liquid to grab and the curds do not stall the motor.
2. Blend the milk and cottage cheese alone on high for 45 seconds until completely smooth. Do not skip this. Blending everything at once leaves grainy white specks.
3. Add the frozen banana, powdered peanut butter, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and ice, then blend another 45 seconds until thick and creamy.
4. Taste and adjust with another quarter of a frozen banana for sweetness or a splash of milk if it is too thick to drink through a straw.
5. Pour into a tall glass and drink right away. To make it ahead, seal it in a jar in the fridge for up to 12 hours and shake hard before drinking, since it separates.

Tips

• The frozen banana is doing the work of ice cream here. A fresh banana plus extra ice gives you a thinner, waterier shake with the same calories.
• Low-fat cottage cheese blends smoother than full-fat because there is less fat to emulsify, and it tastes less tangy in the finished shake.
• If your blender is not high powered, let the cottage cheese and milk sit blended for 2 minutes and then blend again. The rest breaks the curds down without heating anything.

FAQ

Does this taste like cottage cheese?

There is a faint tang the banana and cinnamon mostly cover. A tablespoon of cocoa powder erases it completely if you are sensitive.

How is it 40g of protein with no protein powder?

A cup of cottage cheese is about 25g, a cup of skim milk about 8g, and the powdered peanut butter adds 6g. The banana rounds it out.

Can I use Greek yogurt instead?

Yes. One cup of nonfat Greek yogurt runs about 23g of protein and blends smoother, but the shake comes out tangier and a little thinner.

Can I make this dairy free?

Not with a comparable protein number. Silken tofu blended with soy milk is the closest whole-food swap and lands near 25g.

More Shakes & Smoothies

Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Shake

A thick chocolate peanut butter protein shake with 40 grams of protein.

5 min40g protein1 large shake

Strawberry Banana Protein Smoothie

A creamy strawberry banana protein smoothie with 30 grams of protein from Greek yogurt and cottage cheese.

5 min30g protein1 large smoothie

Green Protein Smoothie That Does Not Taste Like Grass

A green protein smoothie with 28 grams of protein and two cups of spinach you genuinely cannot taste.

5 min28g protein1 large smoothie