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You’ve just completed a workout, and you’re ready for a protein shake to aid muscle recovery and boost muscle growth, but then you realize that you don’t have a shaker! Can you mix protein powder without a shaker?
Fortunately, the answer is yes. We’ve tested it and there are 7 easy ways to mix protein powder without a shaker. It really just depends what ingredients you have.
Quick Answer!
If you’re only doing protein powder + liquid I’d just use a spoon. If you’re adding other ingredients like oats or peanut butter then I’d recommend going with a blender!
7 Ways to Mix Protein Powder Without a Shaker
We have a list of protein shakes for building muscle if you need recommendations! If you’re on a diet, we also have a list of weight loss protein shakes.
You can still enjoy a protein shake even if you don’t have a shaker. Simply use one of these seven alternative tools to mix your protein powder.
Here are our 3 go-to methods to mix protein powder without a shaker:
- Blender – Best for making a big batch with lots of ingredients and frozen fruit or vegetables.
- Immersion blender – Great for mixing thicker shakes with peanut butter if you don’t want to break out the big blender
- Spoon or whisk – Best for mixing powder & liquid. Skip the mess and keep it simple.
1. Blender
Blenders are designed to mix ingredients with protein powder together, which makes them the perfect substitute for a shaker.
To mix protein powder using a blender, simply add the protein powder to the blender’s container along with your chosen liquid (such as water, milk, or fruit juice), then add any other ingredients you may want to include and blend for 30-60 seconds.
Be careful not to blend for too long because it’ll make your protein shake warmer than you want.
We did a ton of testing and research and came up with our massive guide on the best blenders for protein shakes! Check it out if you need a new blender for your kitchen.
As protein shakes don’t always taste great and can sometimes have a chalky texture, we highly recommend adding fruit, vegetables, and other ingredients to improve the flavor and consistency of your shake. It’s a total game changer to make your protein drink into a smoothie shake. Adding more stuff will change how many calories are in a protein shake.
A blender will help get perfectly smooth shakes which is one of the best ways to make protein shakes taste better!
2. Mason Jar
A mason jar is a simple alternative to a shaker. All you need to do is add the protein powder to the jar along with some liquid and any other ingredients, close the lid, then shake vigorously for a few minutes.
After a few minutes of shaking, the protein shake should be well mixed with a frothy texture. Just take care to ensure that the lid is closed properly, or you could end up with protein shake all over your kitchen!
This is great if you think you might save some of your shake for later. You can make the protein shake the night before and stick it in the fridge.
One benefit to mason jars is that it makes it super easy to freeze protein shakes. Protein shakes usually last 3-4 days in the fridge so that’s an option as well!
3. Whisk
This method takes a bit more time and effort, but if you’re willing to put in the work to mix your protein shake properly, then a simple whisk can do a perfectly good job.
To use a whisk to mix protein powder, simply add the protein powder liquid into a glass and thoroughly whisk until all of the protein powder is dissolved.
4. Shaker Bottle Ball
You may have noticed that shakers usually contain a small metal whisk ball that rattles around inside the shaker. The purpose of this ball is to break up clumps of protein powder so that they dissolve, giving you a smoother shake.
If you don’t have a shaker, then you probably don’t have a shaker bottle ball. But the good news is, you can actually make your own!
First, pour the protein powder and other ingredients into a plastic bottle. Then, find a small, clean rubber ball and add them to the bottle. Finally, shake vigorously for a few minutes.
The balls will help to stop the protein powder from clumping, just like the ball in a real protein shaker.
5. Hand Mixer
Like a blender, a hand mixer is a power tool that is designed to mix ingredients together. It’s, therefore, a great tool for mixing protein powder when you don’t have a shaker.
To mix protein powder with a hand mixer, simply add all of the ingredients to a bowl and use the hand mixer on the mixture until it becomes smooth and creamy.
6. Immersion Blender
Like a hand mixer, an immersion blender can also be used to mix protein powder. The advantage of using an immersion blender is that it can chop and blend ingredients as well as mixing them.
Using an immersion blender to mix your protein shake is a great choice if you also want to add ingredients that need chopping, such as pieces of fruit or vegetables.
7. Fork or spoon
If all else fails, a last resort for mixing protein powder without a shaker is simply to use a fork or spoon.
This really only works for liquid + powder shakes. As long as you aren’t trying to make a thicker protein shake, you’ll be good to go!
Mixing protein powder with a fork will take longer than any of the other methods, and you might be left with a sore arm afterward! However, if you’re willing to put in the effort, it is certainly possible to mix protein powder using nothing but a cup and a fork.
4 Tips & Tricks to Help Mix Protein Powder Without a Shaker
It’s important to find an alternative tool to mix protein powder when you don’t have a shaker, but the tool you use isn’t everything. The technique you use to mix the protein powder matters too.
These are my top 6 tips for getting a good protein powder mix, even when you don’t have a shaker.
- Room temperature liquid – Mixing your protein powder at room temperature will help it to dissolve more easily than if you use a chilled liquid.
- Mix a small bit at a time – If you are using a manual tool to mix your protein powder, such as a whisk or a fork, then I recommend adding a small bit of protein powder at a time. Mixing in stages, rather than all at once, will help the powder dissolve and avoid clumping.
- Add liquid before powder – Adding the liquid ingredients before the protein powder can help to prevent clumps from forming. This is particularly important when using a blender or immersion blender. You can make protein shakes with milk or water even if you don’t have a shaker! Be sure to check out our guide on the best milk for protein shakes!
- Shake and stir often – The alternative to letting your protein powder sit is to shake and stir it frequently, even after you have started drinking. Rather than accepting that some powder may settle at the bottom of the cup, this method aims to ensure that all of the powder dissolves. The downside is that you have to keep stopping drinking to give your shake another stir.
FAQs About Mixing Protein Powder Without a Shaker
If you don’t have a blender or shaker, then you can mix protein powder using a mason jar, a whisk, a bottle and ball, a hand mixer, or even just a spoon.
You can mix protein powder without a blender! Blenders are great, but you can also use a mason jar or a spoon to mix powder with liquid. If you’re using other ingredients than you’d probably want a hand mixer or immersion blender.
It is possible to mix protein powder with a spoon. However, if you have to manually mix protein powder, then a whisk would help the powder to dissolve much more quickly and easily.
To mix protein powder without clumps, sift the powder into the liquid slowly and stir a little bit as you go. You should also mix your protein powder at room temperature rather than using a chilled liquid.
When mixing protein powder using a mason jar, you should shake the jar for at least 60 seconds. This should be enough time for all of the powder to dissolve. After a minute, check the protein shake and continue to shake vigorously if there are still any visible clumps of powder.
Our Verdict: The Best Way to Mix Protein Powder Without a Shaker
I’ve been powerlifting for years and have probably had a protein shake almost every day for the last 8 years. Sometimes it’s just protein powder mixed in with water and other times I’m loading it up with oats, peanut butter, chia seeds, and spinach.
I hope I was able to help you learn how to mix protein powder without a shaker!
