This is a variation of our greek yogurt smoothie base recipe. A Greek yogurt smoothie is a great way to start your morning, recover from a workout, or satisfy a craving for something cold, creamy, and sweet! This Greek yogurt protein smoothie recipe is boosted with nut butter, flaxseeds, and chia seeds to give you even more protein power!
Must-Know Cooking Skill
For recipe success, learn how to:
Culinary Tips for the Best Greek Yogurt Protein Shake
“Should I add protein powder to my smoothie?” We don’t recommend it! By adding a few simple ingredients to your morning smoothie, you can satisfy your protein needs and avoid expensive protein powders with questionable ingredients!
If you want to make this smoothie for breakfast and are usually crunched for time in the morning, place all of the non-frozen ingredients in your blender’s jar and place it in the fridge the night before. Add the frozen ingredients in the morning and blend!
If your greek yogurt protein smoothie is too thick after blending, add more liquid. If it is too thin, add more fruit or ice.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Banana: substitute any fruit of your choosing. Creamy fruits such as bananas, avocados, mangos create creamy smoothies.
- Frozen Fruit: use any fruit of your choosing. Choose options without any added sugars. Make a greek yogurt berry smoothie with a triple berry blend, or mix up a tropical greek yogurt smoothie with mango and pineapple. For true green smoothies, don’t use dark berries, as these will mask the bright green color!
- Greek Yogurt: substitute any plain or dairy-free variety. Or substitute kefir as seen in our Kefir Smoothie Base Recipe.
- Milk or Milk Alternative: use cow’s milk or soy milk for a higher protein smoothie. Learn about plant-based milk vs cow’s milk in this article. You can also substitute 100% fruit juice, coconut milk, or even water.
- Nut Butter: use any natural variety. Make a greek yogurt smoothie with peanut butter, almond butter, sunflower butter, or whatever else sounds good to you!
- Ground Flax Seeds: add or substitute chia seeds, hemp hearts, or walnuts for a protein and healthy fat boost! If you have a high power blender, whole flax seeds will also work.
- Leafy Greens: use spinach or kale. If you are unsure about the flavor of greens in your smoothies, start with spinach. Spinach has a milder flavor than heartier greens like kale. Do not use arugula or mustard greens.
Greek Yogurt Protein Smoothie Variations
Add any other ingredients of your choice, such as spices, natural flavor extracts, oats, or coconut.
Need some smoothie recipe inspiration?
Use our greek yogurt smoothie base recipe as a guide to make it your own or try out these other variations!
Which Blender is Best for Smoothies?
Any blender will work! While a Vitamix probably makes the creamiest smoothies, any full-size blender, single-serve blender, immersion blender, or even food processor will do the job.
Are Greek Yogurt Smoothies Healthy?
While eating whole fruit is normally best, a smoothie can be a great way to get lots of fruits and/or vegetables in one easy serving. The featured ingredients in this smoothie recipe are fruit, Greek yogurt, nuts, and seeds!
Fresh & Frozen Fruit
Both fresh and frozen fruit is healthy. Fruit contains fiber, water, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. All of these nutrients help your body fight, prevent, and manage diseases. Aim to include a variety of colors throughout the week.
Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt is a great source of B vitamins, calcium, and probiotics. It is also higher in protein than regular yogurt, making this smoothie filling and satisfying.
We recommend buying plain varieties in order to avoid added sugars and organic, if you can afford it. Select a fat content that works with your overall diet. If you tend to consume a lot of foods high in saturated fat, a low-fat or fat-free variety is your best choice. If you limit saturated fat in your diet, full-fat varieties are okay.
Nut Butter & Flax Seeds
Nuts and seeds contain plant-based protein and healthy fats. These nutrients help you feel satisfied. Choose natural nut butters with as few ingredients as possible (i.e. just nuts and salt). Flaxseeds are great sources of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids. These fats promote brain and heart health. (1)
Leafy Greens
Leafy green veggies are rich in essential vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals that promote health and help fight diseases. Blending spinach into a greek yogurt smoothie is an easy way to help promote your health.
For more information about which ingredients are best, check out our ingredient guide.
Serving Suggestions
This smoothie with Greek yogurt and spinach can be a meal on its own or can be an accompaniment to a healthy breakfast! Pair with our overnight oats, energy bites, whole wheat muffins, or granola for a satisfying meal.
Will Smoothies Keep in the Fridge?
Keep leftovers in the fridge and enjoy the next day. They can hold for longer than a day in the fridge but often will start to separate. Simply shake before drinking!
Want more delicious breakfast recipes?
Try out these favorite base recipes, and as always, adjust to YOUR taste!
Dairy Free Smoothies Base Recipe
Baked Oatmeal Cups Base Recipe
Whole Grain Pancakes Base Recipe
Greek Yogurt Protein Smoothie
Ingredients
- ½ cup milk or milk alternative
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 large ripe banana (~1 cup)
- 1 cup frozen fruit
- 2 Tablespoons nut butter
- 1 Tablespoon ground flaxseeds
- 1 cup lightly packed leafy greens (optional)
- 6-8 ice cubes (optional)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a blender and puree. Enjoy!
This Post Has 12 Comments
This protein smoothie was very delectable to eat and it was made in a short time-length. I really enjoyed trying something different that still contained protein, besides the regular smoothies I had for breakfast. I also loved how everything added more flavor and texture, to form the perfect smoothie. I began having it for post-workouts, and I love it.
So great to hear! It’s great for a post-workout 🙂
I want to write a rave review for this smoothie recipe! My whole family loves them. They are the perfect consistency (not too runny!) and you can’t even taste the greens in them! That is huge for getting the males in my house to eat their veggies. Thank You!
Glad you were able to sneak in some veggies for your boys!
Made this with frozen mango and it was amazingly delicious. Do you know if adding matcha will change the flavor much?
Love it! That probably depends on how much matcha you use. I would suggest starting small (~1/4 teaspoon), and then adding more to your taste! 🙂
I was lloking for the nutrition facts, calories, carbs, protein…
Hi Danielle! Although that information may be helpful for some people who are trying to track their intake for weight or other health reasons, we intentionally don’t display that information on our website. Firstly, different ingredients can vary widely in their nutrient profiles, so recipe nutrition fact labels tend to be inaccurate. Secondly, as a company, we are more focused on promoting a whole food, plant-forward eating pattern and the skills that can sustain that eating pattern, rather than specific calorie counts, etc. We know from research that this lifestyle eating pattern naturally promotes satiety and can help with overall health and weight management. If you want to know the nutrition information for your own sake, you can input the individual ingredients in a tracking app, such as MyFitnessPal, to determine how these nutrients align with your body’s needs. Hope that helps!
Exceptionally great article for a healthier protein smoothie recipe.
Thank you! Have you tried the smoothie? If so, how did you make it to your taste? 🙂
It was literally amazing! It tasted so good while helping me stay healthy. I didn’t even notice the veggies in it! Thank you so much for the recipe!
So glad to hear that you liked this recipe!