How To Make Protein-Boosted Coffee At Home

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To add more protein to your diet without consuming premade shakes like Costco's high-protein coffee drink, there are a few easy ways you can give your morning cup of Joe a veritable boost all on your own. While you can increase the protein count of your daily coffee with a variety of ingredients including beef gelatin, protein powder, and collagen, for the most reliable no-fuss recipe, use your favorite protein powder.

While you can make both hot and iced protein-infused coffee recipes, iced variations seem to be the most simple and don't necessarily require the use of extra kitchen tools. All you need to do is add your preferred amount of brewed coffee along with any milk or cream of choice, sweetener, and a scoop of protein powder to a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake everything together. 

Alternatively, hot protein coffee takes a little more finesse. After all, to effectively add protein powder to coffee, you need to make sure the powder completely dissolves before drinking. While shaking hot coffee could lead to potential mishaps, you can carefully dissolve your protein powder in a small amount of hot water before adding in your hot coffee. This can easily be done with a spoon or another small kitchen tool like the GEPOR's mini whisks. Whether you enjoy your morning coffee hot or iced, incorporating protein powder is fairly straightforward. Nevertheless, there are many tasty ways to make this nutritious drink all the more enjoyable.

Besides using a spoon or whisk to dissolve protein powder, you can also use a different tool for a frothier end result. Simply blend together your milk or cream and protein powder using a mini electric mixer like the Zulay Kitchen milk frother wand. An electric whisk not only works to dissolve protein powder in a flash but gives the combination of milk and protein powder a thicker, more uniform consistency. Once these two ingredients have been sufficiently blended, pour the condensed mixture over your choice of hot or iced coffee.

Next to mixing, if you want to give your protein coffee a more flavorful twist, use protein powders with distinct flavors like chocolate or vanilla. You can also incorporate extras like honey, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Or, for a more pronounced flavor upgrade, swap out your choice of milk for a favorite flavored coffee creamer.

However, if your goal is to get the maximum amount of protein possible per cup, consider upgrading your milk of choice to a higher protein variety like Fairlife which contains five more grams of protein per cup than regular milk. Or, once you get the hang of making protein coffee, change up your mornings with coffee smoothies. After all, since you can easily add protein powder to a morning blender full of coffee ice cubes, milk, banana, and nut butter, coffee smoothies are the ultimate two-in-one morning beverage.