The Easiest Iced Protein Coffee Recipe

Isn’t it funny how something that you’ve been doing for years can go viral on social media and all of a sudden, it’s a “hack”? And you find yourself asking, “Isn’t everyone already doing that”? That’s how I feel about many food trends on TikTok, though there are probably just as many I’m learning about for the first time. But I digress from my main purpose. Proffee. Protein coffee. Do I think the kids could have come up with a catchier name than that? Yup. But I’ll go with it. The start of this trend was a hack to create an at-home version of a coffee flavored protein shake. I’m going to show you an easy recipe for iced coffee with a bit of protein. 

Full disclosure, I am not even a coffee drinker, but when you’re a dietitian, you do what you gotta do to help your coffee lovers out. This is the super-easy recipe I’ve been sharing with my coffee-loving athletes for years. It is low in sugar, without any artificial sweeteners, and rivals the taste of a pre-made protein drink. It’s a good substitute for a frothy cafe coffee drink and more fun than a regular hot cup of coffee at home. 

Jump to Recipe

What are the benefits of protein coffee?

In my humble opinion, this recipe isn’t really a protein hack. It’s less about getting in your gainz by making your coffee into a high-protein shake and more about finding a more nutritious solution to the milkshake that has become the modern-day venti iced coffee. A way to get your caffeine kick with a little extra protein and a couple fewer calories and a lot less dollars than going to a chain coffee shop. And while I do think pre-made protein drinks like Premier Protein are pretty good for on-the-go, it’s always cheaper to make them at home. 

While this can’t replace a protein shake after a workout since it doesn’t have a high enough protein content, it can be combined with a balanced breakfast to enhance your overall protein intake. Plus, protein helps to stabilize blood glucose (blood sugar) levels and can help reduce the jitteriness that often comes with caffeine plus sugar (think whipped cream and artificial sweeteners). It’s a fun way to get that iced latte flavor with less sugar and calories, and less money! 

I should note: if you are not a coffee drinker or take any medication that interacts with caffeine, there is no reason to start just to do this! But if you are not a habitual drinker and get coffee only every once in a while (like me), this recipe can be a good option to reduce the jitters that come with the occasional caffeine jolt. 

If you’re looking for a full recovery shake, check out my post on chocolate protein shake recipes. 

When is the optimal time to drink protein coffee?

Since it isn’t enough to recover from a workout, protein coffee should instead be drunk whenever you would typically drink normal coffee! It can be a way to start your day with a little protein boost, or an excellent midday caffeine + protein pick-me-up. Save money and a trip to a coffee shop and instead, invite a teammate over for a study sesh and whip up a batch of these! 

If you’re looking for a full recovery shake for after practice or training, check out my post for eleven chocolate protein shake recipes. 

Ingredients and equipment for making proffee

Blender

Any old blender will do! You could even get away with using a shaker bottle if you don’t have a blender, or don’t feel like taking it out and cleaning all the parts.

Black Coffee

First you need some good old fashioned black coffee. This can be as easy as whipping up some instant coffee, or you can prepare a cup of coffee any way you usually would. And it doesn’t have to be hot. This actually might be the perfect use for a couple of hours-old coffee that’s been sitting in the pot, and you haven’t had a chance to sit down and drink yet. This recipe uses about 6-8 fl oz but can easily be sized up if you want to make an at-home venti. 

Protein Powder

I like to use whey protein powder, but you could use a pea protein or other vegan protein, or whatever you typically have on hand. For this recipe, I like to use vanilla whey to sweeten the coffee, but you could use different flavors of protein powder as well. A chocolate protein powder might make a nice mocha-flavored drink, and an unflavored one could make a less-sweet cold-brew-type drink.

Ice Cubes

You’ll need ice cubes. This recipe is for iced coffee, as the protein powder will coagulate (clump) a bit in hot coffee, so the ice cubes will cool it down to a cold-brew setting. Yes, this is how they make iced coffee in a coffee shop. Good old-fashioned ice.

Customizations

Those are the big three ingredients. From here, you can customize your drink to suit your tastes. If you typically put milk or cream in your coffee, I suggest adding milk or a milk product to your iced protein coffee. Any type of milk will do, from oat milk to unsweetened almond milk to whole milk.

Flavor

Finally, this is where your traditional coffee shop adds different flavors of syrup. And while that is an option, most people don’t keep a flavored syrup at home, and it adds a lot of unnecessary sugar to your coffee. I promise, this recipe already has some sweetness from the protein powder, so you might not need the extra flavor. But if you do, I suggest a pure vanilla extract. It will enhance the vanilla flavor of the vanilla protein without all the added sugar.

You can use other pure extracts, such as almond, hazelnut, or peppermint, to adjust the flavor. I had an orange extract or orange peel in a coffee last year, and it was so yummy. You could also add in coffee-friendly spices like nutmeg or cardamom. You could even add in cinnamon or a cinnamon stick and get some anti-inflammatory benefits with your coffee!

How to make Protein Iced Coffee

Dietary Adjustments and Substitutions

Caffeine lover: Feel free to substitute espresso shots for the coffee in this recipe and create your own iced café latte.

Dairy Free: Use a splash of coconut milk, oat milk, or almond milk. Or skip the milk altogether – the protein powder will provide a bit of a creamy element on its own. 

Protein lover: As written, this recipe doesn’t have quite enough protein to qualify as a post-workout shake. And sometimes you need a more convenient way to get your protein in, and combining your morning coffee with post-workout recovery is necessary. You can increase the protein content of this coffee by adding more scoops of protein to the recipe. 1 scoop of protein should contain about 20 grams, and you should aim to consume about 20 grams post-exercise. 

Injured Athlete: For the habitual coffee drinker, adding collagen to your coffee is a great way to build the habit, especially if you are drinking it in the morning before a PT session. I suggest unflavored collagen or collagen in the same flavor as your protein powder, and add it to the coffee before mixing in the other ingredients and ice, as some brands of collagen mix better with warm liquids. You could even skip the protein and just use this recipe for a collagen coffee. 

Sweet tooth: For the frappe lover out there, you can try this with a fancy flavored protein powder (like cookies and cream), but note that these powders do tend to have more sugar added. You can also add in a sweetener like honey, stevia, coconut sugar, or a pinch of plain table sugar. But trust me and try out the recipe without the sweetener first and see how you like it!

The Perfect Protein Coffee

I’m a bit biased, but I think the ease of this recipe makes it the perfect protein coffee out there. And like any good morning beverage, it’s easy to customize it to your liking! Get creative! Let me know what you created and how you liked it in the comments.