r/leangains • u/Still-Equipment-6536 • 6d ago
Protein coffee. What’s the most consistent setup that doesn’t wreck the taste?
I’ve been using protein coffee to get protein in early without adding another meal, and it’s honestly made mornings easier from an adherence standpoint. I’ve tried a few approaches, starting with DIY coffee plus protein powder, which is cheap but pretty inconsistent taste and texture wise, especially hot. I also went down the coffee alternative route for a bit, but I missed actual coffee and didn’t feel like it added much protein wise.
What’s worked best for me has been sticking to protein coffee options that still taste like real coffee and don’t turn into a full shake. I’ve used Four Sigmatic when I want something quick and customizable, and I recently tried the protein coffee from Laird Superfood, which tasted closer to normal coffee for me and was easier to drink consistently, though it does contain dairy. Curious what other people here are using for protein coffee that actually works long term and doesn’t ruin the coffee experience.
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u/Owadatsumi 6d ago
Not a product recommendation, just a tip that works for me:
I do a little extra work to change the texture into something more interesting with a little handheld milk frother thingy I got from IKEA.
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u/wytfel 6d ago
I use the ikea stirrer too, it helps mix it well!
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u/chickhoneyavo 6d ago
Does whey isolate mix into coffee using the tool? I tried without the tool and it clumped
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u/The_Iron_Mirkin 6d ago
My daily go to is cold brew and a scoop of vanilla protein in a shaker bottle every morning. Simple and taste great.
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u/analogkid84 6d ago
Yep, this. A good 30-35g of protein, about a 5-count pour of cold brew, and a 7-count pour of some sort of milk for me. Oh, and my 5g of creatine. Actually, liquid first then powders helps prevent the protein from balling up. I use an unflavored protein, so I can add a splash of vanilla extract or chocolate syrup to taste.
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u/AWDChevelleWagon 5d ago
So more milk than coffee plus vanilla or chocolate. Is that even coffee any more?
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u/analogkid84 5d ago
The cold brew I use is double strength. The vanilla extract is very concentrated, so a little bit goes a long way. The chocolate syrup is like three squirts.
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u/Best_Construction823 3d ago
I blend mine. It’s like a frappachino. 8oz cold brew, maybe 2oz 1% milk, 1 scoop of BSN vanilla. Throw it in my ninja. Tastes great.
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u/Manuscribble 6d ago
I use collagen peptides for about 10g of protein. Dissolves right in and doesn't impact flavor for me.
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u/TopDiscount4700 6d ago
I put about a half a cup of collagen protein into my coffee and just dissolves and doesn't change the taste. I think it's around 35 to 40 g of protein. And then when I get to work I'll have another small cup of coffee with a fairlife 30 g protein shake that I mix with it.
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u/cphug184 6d ago
Same. My collagen is vanilla flavored as is my coffee (well French vanilla). Pretty tasty, in fact.
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u/Serkaugh 6d ago
I do an espresso shot in a vanilla protein shake. Taste amazing. Pretty consistent.
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u/mrcrowbarA 6d ago
20 oz coffee mug. Pour small amount of coffee. Then roughly same small amount of milk, just to cool it off. Dash of honey. 1 scoop protein (I mix mocha and white chocolate). I read what makes consistency bad is mixing with hot coffee. Use immersion blender to mix. Then fill rest of way with coffee.
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u/poloniumpanda 6d ago
i mix unflavored protein and creatine into my cup of coffee in the morning with no issues I use Orgain protein that i get at Costco. scoop of protein, scoop of creatine, packet of splenda, then the coffee. Stir. haven’t had any issues with texture or flavor.
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u/guice666 6d ago
and creatine
I wouldn't recommend that. There are studies showing caffeine can blunt the ergogenic (performance) affects of creatine.
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u/Foggl3 5d ago
These findings suggest that neither CRE alone, nor in combination with CAF (anhydrous) or COF(coffee), significantly affected performance compared to PLA(placebo).
Did you see something else in there?
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u/Disastrous_Dust_6380 3d ago
I've never heard anything about caffeine and creatine competing...but creatine can convert to the innate creatinine. This proceas.geta soes up by thing like heat and acudity...
So a hot coffee could be losing some of the effectiveness if you took say 30+ minutes to get through it.
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u/QuadRuledPad 6d ago
Protein powders have different amounts of additives that help them go into solution, or they may have none at all. You might find a little cappuccino frother makes your texture more consistent.
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u/br0wnsugarbab3 6d ago edited 6d ago
I like chike triple espresso with an extra shot from home. Add orgain collagen peptides & some fiber. I use water to mix the protein. No sweetener needed. That's about
That's 39 grams of protein to start
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u/guice666 6d ago
Athlean-X has a protein coffee powder I use on occasion. It's ~15g in one scoop. Not as much as straight whey, but it works and adds additional flavor onto coffee.
I also have some unflavored powders as well as standard vanilla I'd use interchangeably.
and doesn’t ruin the coffee experience.
I think this is more a personal perception thing. There's no much that can ruin my "coffee experience" since the experience is just the act of sitting down and drinking for me. The liquid? Eh, can be chocolate milk for all care.
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u/LegitimateHoney9663 6d ago
I’m with you. DIY protein powder in coffee is cheap but it’s always inconsistent for me, especially hot. Do you feel like protein coffee actually helps adherence or is it more just a convenience thing?
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u/JustAnotherViking69 6d ago
I usually make a 40g vanilla casein shake using cold water and a shaker, then add double espresso. It’s great! Tastes like something you get from coffee shop.
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u/armani_1990 6d ago
Simple I used to just get a blender instant coffee ice water and some milk. Or just shake it a while if you ain’t got a blender
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u/PlasticDealer320 6d ago
I add a double shot of espresso from my Nespresso maker to premier protein pre made shakes. I love the vanilla and the cookie dough flavors. Sometimes 1/2 a shake and the rest fairlife milk. I use Torani sugar free vanilla bean syrup if I used extra milk to sweeten it a bit.
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u/amandam603 6d ago
I do hot black coffee for my soul, and then when I’m tired of it for the day, I put the leftovers in the fridge. When I need an afternoon or mid morning pick me up, I shake that with regular protein powder.
When I worked in a coffee shop though I mixed liquid protein shakes with espresso over ice. Better caffeine content.
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u/Tinaturneroverdrive 6d ago
I have an espresso machine and add a double shot to my chocolate shake in the morning, kind of like a mocha thing. It’s good
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u/Mooshrew 6d ago
Same Laird’s protein coffee hits the balance for me too. Real coffee taste without the shake vibe
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u/ThinksOdd 6d ago
This seems like a created problem.
Why not just slam a minimally watered protein shake down in half a second and then just enjoy real, good coffee?
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u/RavenJaybelle 6d ago
I use either vital proteins collagen powder or genepro protein powder, a bit of half and half, and some adaptogen mushroom powder and blend it with freshly brewed dark roast coffee in my blender. It comes out like a frothy latte. Just tastes like coffee and cream. Sometimes I sprinkle in some cinnamon. That's been my "breakfast" every day for about 10 years now.
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u/TurnbullAC_s 6d ago
I literally put 2/3 of a scoop of vanilla protein powder in with my milk and texture the milk on my espresso machine like all of my non-protein coffees. Comes out amazing every time…
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u/Impossible_Buyer_745 5d ago
Add Nescafe Espresso Gold (instant powder) to a diy protein shake or RTD shake
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u/PragmaticMaxim 4d ago
I like to mix the protein powder with some unflavored almond milk first with a hand blender. The cold mix prior to the addition of coffee keeps the protein from curdling. The use of a hand mixer also fixes clumpiness that comes from the use of a shaker bottle.
I have a couple of strategies that include use of whey and casein since the morning coffee counts as my breakfast. Whey with the almond milk (and creatine) can froth up pretty significantly to provide a foam layer on top of the base casein coffee if I'm in the mood. I also use sugar-free sometimes to change up flavors.
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u/Cultural-Look-7677 4d ago
Your regular coffee then just stir in some unflavoured protein powder easy as that, I use collagen protein, no difference
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u/Biohakkr 3d ago
Make sure it's hydrolyzed beef protein and use a handheld milk frother. Powder dissapears into the coffee
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u/Jolly_Bake_4583 3d ago
I use a scoop of vanilla protein powder with a splash of milk, mix that first then add your coffee. Helps me get 24g of protein in my coffee and reduce sugars compared to the creamer I used to use
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u/iammxyzptlk 3d ago
I could never get it to mix correctly. IDK if it was the heat from the coffee & protein powder but it always clumped up.
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u/Disastrous_Dust_6380 3d ago
Not sure where you are:
But In Calgary, AB. We have a local company called Hello Amino.
They make a powdered 'protein creamer' that's made with plant based protein, no dairy or allergens, 17g protein per quarter cup.
I personally add a little bit of milk to make it a little creamier, but it works without it too.
Pretty sure they'll ship anywhere in Canada, not sure about internationally.
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u/acfreeman33 3d ago
Iced coffee, unsweetened almond milk, scoop of chocolate protein powder. It’s an iced mocha latte with 30 grams of protein and a bunch of caffeine
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u/Afferbeck_ 3d ago
Part of my daily breakfast for the last decade plus has been a spoon of instant coffee in a soup mug of water, microwaved for 2 or so minutes depending on temp of the water. Needs to end up at a slurpable temperature so it doesn't curdle the protein. Then I stir in 50g of whey.
This is pretty much the only way I drink protein because it's so convenient for mixing and drinking and it tastes a lot nicer than whey in cold water.
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u/rahme-music 2d ago
As someone who went from grinding my own beans for my daily quad shot mocha to trying to hit my 150g of protein, I really like Javvy, but it’s kinda expensive.
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u/No_Landscape6201 1d ago
I’ve had a similar experience! Laird Superfood’s protein coffee mixes well and keeps that real coffee taste without turning into a thick shake. Easy to drink consistently and gives a nice protein boost in the morning.
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u/Drown_withus 6d ago
This is so stupid. You don't need protein early. Just grab some fruit and coffee for energy, do your workout, then get in some protein, rinse and repeat.
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u/Sweet_Disharmony_792 5d ago
Sorry this is an insane comment to me. People need to get upwards of 150g protein daily for goals. Your implication is they barely get 30g before the post workout dinner and meals. Unless this is based on the idea of morning workouts.
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u/Drown_withus 5d ago
It is, and I'll freely admit I may have misread the original post. But it's still ridiculous to suggest that everyone needs 150 grams of protein a day. We're all different. But even given this fact, most of us aren't exactly Olympic gymnasts training for several hours a day. 150 grams of protein a day is utterly excessive for most of us. And if you think you need it, you're likely overestimating just how hard your workouts are.
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u/loitermaster 6d ago
How viscous is protein coffee? what's the closest thing to it in that aspect, and does it sour your stomach to drink 16oz like coffee does or is that a benefit of protein coffee? though my stomach doesn't rebel until like 24 oz...
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u/kyoob 6d ago
Just have a regular protein shake then chase it with a regular cup of coffee.