Calories in Protein Shakes: 8 Recipes (100-800 cals)

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I’ve been a powerlifter for years and my baseline protein intake is over 250g a day. That’s just the norm… When I’m trying to build muscle, I’ll be hitting 300-350g of protein a day.

Smoothies are the only way I can hit that every day without spending a fortune on meat or eating all day long.

The number of calories in protein shakes depends on the ingredients you put in them! I regular make protein shakes that are 100 cals and others up to 800 cals when I’m bulking.

I’ll share everything I know to help you figure out how many calories are in a protein shake.

Be sure to check out our list of the best protein shake recipes!

Factors in Calculating How Many Calories Are in Protein Shakes

If you’re trying to calculate calories in protein shakes, the only guaranteed method is to calculate yourself by adding up the calories for each ingredient.

There are three major factors that will determine how many calories are in your protein shakes.

1. Type of protein powder
2. Type of liquid
3. Additional ingredients

Let’s do a deep dive on each one to help you estimate the number of calories in your protein shake.

1. Type of Protein Powder

There are a million different protein powders out there. I love Optimum Nutrition’s gold standard whey protein because it is almost purely protein. It doesn’t have a bunch of added calories from carbs or fats.

If you are trying to bulk up, you can go with a weight gainer protein powder. If you’re on a budget, check out this list of the cheapest protein powders. Some people need diet specific options like vegan protein powder or dairy free powder.

Here’s a list of some of the most popular protein powders and the calorie breakdown in each serving.

2. Type of Liquid

There are a bunch of different liquids you can use for protein shakes but the most common are water, milk, almond milk, and whole milk. You can make protein shake with water or milk or other options as well!

The best milk to mix with protein powder is 2% or almond milk in our opinion!

Here’s a breakdown of how many calories are in a serving of each kind of liquid per 1 cup or 240 ml.

If you want to make a protein shake thicker, use whole milk or almond milk.

3. Additional Ingredients

Depending on which ingredients you choose, adding more to your protein shake may only increase the calorie count slightly, or it could add hundreds of calories per ingredient.

If you want to experiment with what to mix with protein powder, the table below shows the calorie count per serving of several popular smoothie ingredients. These ingredients are also a great way to make protein shakes taste better!

Typically, adding a few of these ingredients to your protein powder and milk will increase the total calorie count to between 400 and 700 calories.

8 Protein Shake Recipes Ranging from 100 to 800 Calories

I’ve tested tons of protein shake recipes and I’m a huge fan of meal prepping them. I’ll make a big batch on Sunday night and drink them throughout the week. Depending on what ingredients you use, protein shakes last in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze protein shakes for 2-3 months.

We have a whole list of weight loss protein shakes you can try out!

Here are 8 recipes we’ve used over the years depending on our calorie goals.

100 calorie protein shake

• 1 cup of water
• 25g of pure whey protein (gold standard whey)

200 calorie protein shake

• 1.25 cup skim milk
• 25g of pure whey protein (gold standard whey)

300 calorie protein shake

• 1.33 cup whole milk
• 25g of pure whey protein (gold standard whey)

400 calorie protein shake

• 1.5 cup skim milk
• 25g of pure whey protein (gold standard whey)
• 1/2 banana
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 1/4 cup greek yogurt

500 calorie protein shake

• 1.5 cup 2% milk
• 1/4 cup greek yogurt
• 1 banana
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 25g of pure whey protein (gold standard whey)

600 calorie protein shake

• 2 cups 2% milk
• 1 banana
• 1.5 tbsp peanut butter
• 30g of pure whey protein (gold standard whey)

700 calorie protein shake

• 2 cups 2% milk
• 1 banana
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 25g of pure whey protein (gold standard whey)

800 calorie protein shake

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 banana
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 35g of pure whey protein (gold standard whey)

Common Questions About Calories in Protein Shakes

Final Verdict: How Many Calories in a Protein Shake?

The calorie count of a protein shake can vary from 100 calories to 800+ calories, depending on the ingredients included and the portion size.

A shake made from only protein powder and water usually contains 110 calories. 

Swapping water for milk will increase the total calories to 240. 

And adding other ingredients will increase the calorie count even further, depending on which ingredients you choose. Usually, a protein shake made from protein powder, milk, and one or two additional ingredients will contain around 400 to 700 calories.

Of course, there’s no limit to how high you can go if you make a large protein shake containing lots of high-calorie ingredients. That’s why it’s essential to understand what you’re putting into your shake, particularly when you’re on a calorie-controlled diet.