This healthy coffee and banana smoothie is the perfect pre or post-workout fix. It’s packed with protein for muscle repair, potassium for electrolytes, and liquids for hydration. Perhaps best of all, you only need three ingredients!
In this article – we share a really easy coffee and banana protein smoothie that’ll fuel the body before or help it recover after a workout.
Coffee + Protein = Smoothie Heaven
We devised this vegan smoothie straight after a Joe Wicks PE session. Bananas are renowned for supporting the body pre and post-exercise. Plus, they give smoothies a creamy consistency and make even the blandest protein shakes a lot more palatable.
Thankfully we had a properly tasty protein powder on hand. Misfits coffee protein is one of our favs (no, we’re not on commission!) and packed with a variety of nutrients beyond simply protein.
We’ve tried more than a few protein powders over the years (and even wrote a master’s thesis on them!). The reason we like Misfits (and also Free Soul protein) is because of three key things…
- They contain good quality protein, particularly branched chain amino acids (BCAAs).
- Aren’t whey-based which means they’re suitable for vegans and those with dairy intolerances.
- Blend to a silky smooth and creamy consistency, even without almond milk (unlike others which can have a gritty texture).
Alternatively, you can make this as an instant coffee banana smoothie using a spoonful of everyday coffee granules. We suggest adding a scoop of plain or vanilla protein powder to ensure you’re still getting your macros.
You might also like… this Tasty Nutella Protein Smoothie or these Easy 3-Ingredient Banana Smoothie Recipes.
If you decide to just add coffee granules then it’ll still taste great but won’t provide any protein for your workout. However, you will get all the nutrition benefits that bananas provide (energy, fibre, vitamins, potassium, etc).
We like to blend the banana and coffee protein powder with almond milk or ice-cold water. But you can also use any other plant-based alternative that you prefer – coconut or oat milk would work just as well.
Banana Coffee Smoothie Benefits
Coffee banana smoothies provide energy (ideal pre-workout), fibre (which aids healthy digestion), potassium (electrolytes), and vitamins (C and B6).
- The combination of carbs and caffeine are what can boost your mental and physical energy, which is especially helpful before a gym training session.
- Electrolytes support healthy contraction of the heart and muscles, along with maintaining hydration levels (alongside water intake).
So as you can see, this smoothie has plenty of nutritional, health, and workout benefits.
Coffee Banana Smoothie Recipe
Here’s the recipe info for this delicious and nutritious smoothie…
Coffee Banana Smoothie Recipe
This 3-ingredient banana & coffee smoothie is packed with protein & suitable for vegans.
Ingredients
- 1 banana
- 1 scoop coffee protein powder
- 125ml (1/2 cup) almond milk or cold water
Instructions
- Peel the banana.
- Place all the ingredients into a blender.
- Blend until smooth.
What other ingredients can I use?
We’ve intentionally kept this recipe simple and used minimal ingredients so you don’t need to buy lots of stuff. However, you can experiment with whatever you have in your kitchen, here are a few ideas that work really well…
- Oats – to make it thicker and more filling, perfect as a breakfast smoothie.
- Peanut butter – because everything tastes better with PB.
- Chocolate – not an actual bar of chocco but a scoop of chocolate flavoured protein powder (banana mocha smoothie anyone?).
FAQs
Here are some of the most common questions we see on this recipe…
Absolutely, having this smoothie about 30mins before your workout will give you a quick energy boost. This allows you to work even harder during your training session!
However, if your goal is muscle gain or weight loss, then having it after your workout is probably a better option. Research shows that consuming protein after exercise is more effective for muscular repair and growth.
Yes! Caffeine makes a great addition to healthy workout smoothies as scientific studies have shown it to improve sports performance.
The best way to lose weight is by combining a balanced diet with regular exercise.
You’ll need to burn more calories than you consume, so we wouldn’t recommend pre or post-workout smoothies if that’s your goal. They add to your calorie intake and mean you’ll have to exercise even longer in order to create a calorie deficit. Skipping the smoothie is much less work ;)
Yes coffee makes a great addition to a banana shake and will dissolve completely into the liquid.
Yes you can put instant coffee granules, coffee-flavoured protein powder, or iced coffee into a smoothie.
Related Smoothie Recipes
Here are some other healthy smoothie recipes you might also like…
- 2-Ingredient Almond Milk Protein Shake
- Peach & Banana Protein Smoothie
- Healthy Blueberry Protein Smoothie
- Pre/Post Workout Pineapple Protein Smoothie
- Thermomix Banana Coconut Smoothie
- Protein-Packed Mango Smoothie
- 3-Ingredient Strawberry Banana Smoothie
