When making a protein smoothie recipe, it should be about more than just drinking a huge dose of protein. A good protein smoothie should be well rounded nutritionally as well. With that in mind, I’ve got good news — this 5-minute apple protein smoothie recipe manages that effortlessly. It’s made with a fantastic mix of ingredients that gives you more than just a large amount of protein — it’s a delicious all-in-one smoothie that also provides vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and healthy fats as well. And the best part of all? It also tastes amazingly good which means that you’ll really be looking forward to downing this smoothie after a hard workout session.

You’ll Feel Like a Million Bucks

There are two solid fruit choices that go into making this apple protein smoothie. Obviously, the first is a single medium apple. Along with that you’ll be adding ½ cup of chopped and frozen peaches. Both of these ingredients offer a wide range of excellent health benefits. They’re both fantastic sources of vitamin C and other helpful disease-fighting antioxidants. As a matter of fact, the peels and flesh from peaches are known to be particularly potent sources of antioxidant activity. (1) With both of these fruits providing an abundance of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in a low carb package, this smoothie recipe is already off to a great start.

The next ingredient to add is one tablespoon of cashew butter (or your preferred choice of nut butter) for a great source of high quality fat. When I make this recipe, I prefer to use cashew butter because it has some fantastic benefits for your heart health like reducing total and the ‘bad’ type of LDL cholesterol. (2) Of course, you could also get many of the same heart healthy benefits from using an option like almond butter instead — the choice is entirely up to you.

With your carbs and healthy fat bases covered, all that remains is to add in the protein. Simply add one scoop of vanilla flavored whey protein along with one cup of milk (I like to use 2% milk for the added protein and saturated fat content). As far as the protein powder goes, I highly recommend a whey isolate made by Optimum Nutrition which you can purchase online by clicking here. While I prefer the vanilla flavor, it does come in a variety of other options as well.

After adding your scoop of protein powder, the only thing left to do to finish the recipe off is to add some ice and bit of ground cinnamon for added flavoring. On top of giving your protein smoothie a slightly spicy aftertaste, adding ground cinnamon is also a good idea because of it’s great anti-inflammatory properties. (3) Blend it all together and you’ll be all set with a fantastic smoothie that’s perfect as either your pre or post-workout drink. Enjoy!