Once upon a time, I was all about making protein shakes after my workouts. However, once I started to get serious about making smoothies on a regular basis, I quickly realized how much I prefer a good protein smoothie instead. Watermelon is actually a great ingredient to use when making protein smoothies, as you’ll see in today’s recipe for making this tasty watermelon protein smoothie. Made with a great mix of frozen fruit, this smoothie is incredibly rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It’s a perfect choice to make for either a pre or post-workout drink, or it can even just be enjoyed as a healthy and satisfying snack at any time of day.

Refuel Your Body With a Delicious Protein Smoothie

I mentioned above how great watermelon is when used as an ingredient for making protein smoothies. One of the main reasons for that is because of its ability to increase nitric oxide bioavailability in your body. (1) While this increase isn’t enough to have a significant impact on your workouts on its own, it’s still an interesting perk nonetheless that makes it useful for making this recipe. On top of that, watermelon is a great source of antioxidants in general, and thanks to its high water content, helps with staying hydrated as well.

The actual protein content in this recipe is provided by two main ingredients — yogurt and hemp seeds. Yogurt makes for a fantastic smoothie ingredient in general, and we’ve included it in countless recipes that we’ve shared. I love how it adds a healthy mix of protein and gut healthy probiotics into your smoothies. On top of that, studies have also found that regular yogurt consumption has been associated with a healthier overall diet. (2) In addition to the protein from the yogurt, using two tablespoons of hemp seeds adds an additional seven grams of protein along with a solid amount of heart healthy essential fatty acids as well.

While watermelon is a great fruit option to use when making smoothies, this recipe also uses a few other great ingredients — a banana, orange, and mixed frozen berries. All three of these ingredients help to further fortify the smoothie with an abundance of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. That’s one of the main reasons that I love making smoothies so much — too many people these days are just taking multivitamins and other supplements while neglecting real fruits and veggies in their diet. A high fruit and vegetable intake has been linked with increased cellular antioxidant activity, making real food options a much better option than synthetic supplements. (3)

In order to finish off this recipe, you’ll have to add in two tablespoons of honey (or more or less to your preferred taste) and some ice. However, the last few times that I’ve made this smoothie, I’ve also been adding in a single scoop of vanilla flavored whey protein as well to up the protein content a bit. I like to use a zero carb whey isolate made by Isopure (you can get some by clicking here) but any protein powder will work. It’s a quick, easy, and tasty way to get an extra 25 grams of protein into this smoothie so feel free to give it a try!