Low-Calorie High-Protein Shake

Cutting calories out of a shake usually means cutting the things that make it feel like a shake. This one keeps the volume and the body by using frozen riced cauliflower and a xanthan gum slurry instead of banana, nut butter, or whole milk. What you taste is raspberry and vanilla, not vegetable.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, cold
• 1 scoop (30 g) vanilla whey protein isolate
• 1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup frozen riced cauliflower
• 1/3 cup frozen raspberries
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 3 or 4 ice cubes
• Liquid stevia or monk fruit sweetener to taste

Instructions

1. Pour the almond milk into the blender, start it on low, and sprinkle the xanthan gum across the moving surface. Dumping xanthan into still liquid makes gel beads you can never blend out.
2. Add the Greek yogurt, protein isolate, vanilla, and sweetener and blend on low for 10 seconds so the powder hydrates before anything frozen goes in.
3. Add the frozen cauliflower, raspberries, and ice, then blend on high for 40 seconds until no white flecks remain.
4. Taste and adjust the sweetener before you reach for more fruit. Fruit is where the calories quietly creep back in.
5. Pour and drink cold. For meal prep, portion the frozen cauliflower and raspberries into single-serve bags and blend fresh, since this shake goes flat and watery after about 30 minutes.

Tips

• Frozen riced cauliflower is the whole trick. Half a cup adds bulk and cold for 13 calories, and once it is blended with fruit and vanilla you cannot detect it. Buy it already frozen, since home-frozen fresh cauliflower stays fibrous.
• Use whey isolate, not concentrate. Isolate runs about 110 calories per 25g of protein where concentrate runs closer to 150, and that gap is most of a serving of berries.
• If the shake tastes thin rather than sweet, add a pinch of salt before you add more sweetener. Salt makes low-calorie shakes taste fuller without costing anything.

FAQ

Will a low-calorie shake actually keep me full?

For about two hours, and only if you drink all 20 ounces slowly. Volume matters as much as protein for satiety, which is why this recipe pads it out with frozen cauliflower and ice instead of concentrating it.

Can I use water instead of almond milk?

Yes, and it saves 30 calories, but add an extra tablespoon of Greek yogurt or the shake tastes hollow. Water gives the flavor nothing to ride on.

Why does my protein shake taste chalky?

Usually undissolved isolate. Blend the powder into the liquid first, because powder hitting ice-cold slush clumps instead of dissolving and those clumps are what you taste.

Can I use frozen zucchini instead of cauliflower?

Yes, peeled and chopped, and it blends even smoother. Avoid frozen avocado here, which adds about 80 calories for the same amount of body.

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