Nut-Free Cookies and Cream Protein Shake

Most cookies and cream shakes lean on cookie butter or a spoonful of peanut butter for body. This one does not, so it clears a nut-free house. Greek yogurt makes it thick enough to eat with a spoon, and two sandwich cookies carry the flavor across the whole glass. Forty-five grams of protein in about two minutes of work.

Ingredients

• 1 cup cold milk
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 scoop (30g) vanilla whey protein powder
• 2 nut-free chocolate sandwich cookies
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pinch fine salt
• 5 ice cubes

Instructions

1. Add the milk, Greek yogurt, protein powder, vanilla, and salt to a blender and blend for 20 seconds until completely smooth.
2. Add the frozen banana and ice and blend for another 30 seconds on high, until the shake is thick and no ice chips remain.
3. Drop in the sandwich cookies and pulse 4 or 5 times only, so you get visible black flecks instead of a grey drink.
4. Pour into a tall glass and crumble a little extra cookie on top if you want it to look like the version from a shop.
5. Drink within 20 minutes, or pour into a pre-chilled insulated thermos and refrigerate for up to 12 hours, shaking well before drinking.

Tips

• Pulsing the cookies at the end is the whole technique. Blend them from the start and you get a uniform grey drink that kids find suspicious.
• For a thicker spoonable version, cut the milk to 1/2 cup and add a second frozen banana half. It comes out closer to soft serve.
• Send it in a pre-chilled insulated thermos and it is still cold at noon. A regular water bottle will not hold it safely, since the shake contains yogurt and milk.

FAQ

Which sandwich cookies are nut-free?

Standard Oreos are made without nuts, but check the current package since formulations and facility statements change. Several dedicated allergen-free brands make a nut-free sandwich cookie if you want a firmer guarantee.

Can I make this dairy-free?

Use oat milk, a dairy-free yogurt, and a plant protein powder. Protein drops to roughly 30g per shake, since dairy-free yogurts have far less than Greek yogurt.

Can I make it the night before?

Yes. Blend it, pour it into a sealed bottle, and refrigerate. It separates slightly overnight, so shake hard before drinking.

How do I make it without protein powder?

Double the Greek yogurt to 1 cup and blend in 1/2 cup of cottage cheese until smooth. That lands around 35g of protein with no powder at all.

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