If you are looking for a way to improve your muscle growth, boost your energy, and assist your recovery process, then you have probably thought about using protein powder. Even though a lot of people prefer nutrition bars, protein powder is often easier to consume following a workout because it can be turned into a convenient shake. If you are anything like me, then you probably try to pack as much protein powder into your shake as possible. Unfortunately, this can also cause your protein powder to taste like chalk.
How can you make your protein powder easier to knock back? With a bit of effort, you will no longer have to worry about choking your protein powder down. You can actually enjoy it! What can you do to make your protein powder taste less like chalk?
First Option: Make a Less Chalky Protein Shake
If you use your protein powder in a shake, there are a few ways you can make it less chalky. The steps include:
Step 1: Select Your Liquid
First, select your liquid. You may prefer a thin liquid that you can drink quickly. Or, you may prefer a thicker liquid that has a bit more flavor. In general, you should use approximately eight ounces of liquid for every scoop of protein powder (half a pint). If you want to thin your protein shake, you may want to use a bit more water. Some tips you should keep in mind include:
- Using water will keep the calorie count down; however, it will not do anything to mask the taste of chalk.
- You may want to use a berry tea, which may add carbohydrates and calories but could help you mask the flavor.
- If you would like a thicker protein shake, consider using almond milk or soy milk as they have a slightly sweet taste that could mask the flavor.
Once you have selected the liquid for your protein shake, you can move forward.
Step 2: Add a Sweetener
Next, you should select a sweetener. There are unhealthy and unhealthy sugar sweetener options. First, let’s start with the unhealthy. Sugar does a great job at masking the chalky taste of protein powder. Think about adding a few teaspoons of honey, sugar, dextrose, or chocolate syrup to your shake.
If you are trying to keep your carbohydrate or calorie count as low as possible, there are a few healthy alternatives.
These include peanut butter, chopped berries, banana, stevia, or Splenda. Even though citrus fruits are delicious, you should try to stay away from them because they will cause your protein shake to curdle if you are using dairy.
Step 3: Reach for a Stronger Flavor, if Necessary
If you find that your protein powder still tastes like chalk, there are stronger flavors that you can use to substantially change the flavor. You could try using straight cocoa powder, vanilla, or spices such as nutmeg or cinnamon. You could also try adding a shot of espresso if you require.
Step 4: Consider a Nutrient Boost with a Vegetable or Some Yogurt
If you are willing to reach for a thicker protein shake, you could try adding Greek yogurt. A lot of people like adding Greek yogurt because it adds a significant amount of protein to their protein powder. If you are someone who is trying to put on a lot of lean muscle, you may want to use Greek yogurt in your protein shake. Keep in mind that this will make it thicker; however, you can also mask the chalky taste of protein powder if you use a Greek yogurt that has some fruit in it.
You could also add a vegetable to your protein shake. If the sweet taste isn’t doing it for you, you can use a vegetable that will make it taste savory. For example, a lot of people reach for a green vegetable such as spinach or spirulina. You can even add a tablespoon of Chia seeds if you would like to take in the protein and change the flavor. This may balance out the sweet flavor of chopped fruits.
Step 5: Toss it All in a Good Blender
Finally, you need to invest in a solid blender. Without a doubt, the worst type of protein shake is one that still has lumps of protein powder in it. If you find that your protein powder tastes like chalk, the problem may be with your blender. By investing in a solid blender, you can avoid having clumps of protein powder in your protein shake.
If you only use a blender to make protein shakes, then you may want to invest in a smaller, single-serve blender. If the blender is not as tall, the blades are going to have an easier time breaking up your protein powder. That way, you have a reduced chance of ending up with clumps of protein powder scattered throughout your drink. This is one of the easiest ways that you can remove the chalky taste from your protein powder.
Some of the additional tips that you should keep in mind when you are blending your protein shake include:
- Turn the blender up to the highest setting and leave it there until you can no longer see any clumps in your drink
- If you are using any solid ingredients in your protein shake, try to press the “grind” option if your blender has this option
- If your blender is having a lot of trouble getting your ingredients to mix, you may want to consider heating the liquid over the stove, as this will make it easier to get all the ingredients to mix together
- You can also invest in something called a shaker cup that has been designed specifically for protein shakes, as this will help you break up protein powder clumps for a consistent texture
If you are really having trouble removing the chalky taste from your protein powder, you may want to shake all the ingredients together in a shaker cup before you added to the blender. As long as you select the right ingredients and use a solid blender, you should be able to remove the chalky taste from your protein powder.
Second Option: Turn Your Protein Powder Into Food
If you do not want to turn your protein powder into a protein shake, you can also turn your protein powder into food. The steps include:
Step 1: Select Your Food Option
If you are someone who works out on a regular basis, you should reward yourself. Of course, you can also turn these sweet treats into healthier options by adding protein powder to them.
Think about replacing cocoa powder in your baked goods with protein powder.
If you are looking for a baked good that will work well with protein powder, some of the options include:
- Add protein powder to your blueberry muffins
- Turn your protein powder into peanut butter cookies
- Add some protein powder to blondies
- Use your protein powder to make peanut butter cups
- Swap out cocoa powder for protein powder in some brownies
In general, one scoop of protein powder is the equivalent of 1/4 cup of cocoa powder. If you would like a rich chocolate taste, you can also add a bit of cocoa powder in addition to your protein powder scoop.
Even if the recipe doesn’t require cocoa powder, you may be able to add a scoop of protein powder to the rest of the recipe without throwing off the taste. If you bake your protein powder into a baked good, this should remove the chalky taste of protein powder. You may not even notice a change in the taste of your baked good even though you have added protein powder to it.
Step 2: Add Protein Powder to the Icing
If you are really looking for a way to increase the amount of protein in your baked goods, you may want to consider adding protein powder to icing. That way, you have protein powder both in the base of the good and the icing.
Protein icing isn’t for everyone. At the same time, if you are willing to try something new, think about adding protein powder to the icing! For example, you can add some protein powder to your cream cheese icing. Or, you can even use yogurt as a topping for a baked good. Simply stir in some protein powder to the yogurt before you spread it on your baked good.
Cream cheese icing, yogurt, and even icing that is based on milk will be able to mask the chalky taste of protein powder.
Step 3: Dissolve Protein Powder in a Thicker Food
If you are looking for other ways to get some protein powder into your food, you may want to dissolve it in thicker food as well. For example, if you are making applesauce, put in, or oatmeal, you can pick some protein powder into these dishes. Because these foods are so thick, they are going to do a good job of masking your protein powder. They will moisten the powder, dissolve it, and remove the step of putting it in the blender.
Of course, you want to make sure the protein powder is completely dissolved. Make sure that you stir all of these dishes thoroughly to ensure the protein powder doesn’t form clumps when you are eating.
Step 4: Top it All Off With Some Protein Powder Ice Cream
Finally, you may want to simply mix a scoop of protein powder into a bowl of ice cream. Even though this might not be the healthiest option, it is the easiest way to mask the chalky taste of protein powder. First, you need to pick the right flavor of ice cream. Some flavors are going to do a better job of masking the taste of protein powder than others. Chocolate ice cream tends to do a very good job; however, mint ice cream may not mix well with the flavor of your protein powder.
Sometimes, you may simply need to mix and match the flavor of protein powder with the flavor of ice cream. You can also try looking for a sweeter flavor a protein powder that may not have a taste that is as chalky.
