First off, let me tell you, if you haven’t had a protein shake that tastes like a straight-up milkshake, then you haven’t lived. And this recipe may just be your gateway drug into the land of pumped-up protein shake bliss.
A couple of years ago, while my husband and I were living in Portland, OR, our friends had us over for dinner and topped off the meal with walnut, honey, cardamom, and coriander milkshakes. And while I was skeptical at first, the flavor combination was so rich and adventurous I haven’t been able to shake it from my mind since.
I intended to make this into an actual ice cream shake but didn’t have the heart.
One, because it’s just not the healthiest recipe I could share. And two, I don’t have ice cream around the house nearly as often as I intend to as I lack what some people call self control. Envision me, a sad minimalist baker hovering over a pint of Ben & Jerry’s taking man-sized bites straight from the container, moaning “Ohsogood,” at every taste.
May sound gratifying, but it’s really just sad.
So instead? I present you with a Walnut and Honey Spiced Protein Shake, because protein shakes are healthier for you than ice cream and give you a perfectly good excuse to have a ‘milkshake’ for breakfast. If this idea doesn’t titillate your lady tastes, I don’t know what will.
Honey and Walnut Spiced Protein Shake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese or yogurt*
- 2 Tbsp walnuts (toasted or raw)
- 10-15 ice cubes
- 1/3 cup cold water
- 3 Tbsp vanilla protein powder*
- Stevia (or sweetener of choice) to taste*
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch each ground cardamom and coriander*
- 1-2 tsp honey or maple syrup (optional)
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Add more ice to make thicker, and more water to thin out.
- Pour into a glass drizzled with honey and garnish with more walnuts (optional).
Notes
*Sub other sweeteners, such as honey, maple syrup, agave, splenda, or truvia.
*Coriander and cardamom have a strong taste, so add a little at first, sample, and then add more to taste.
*Questions about substitutions, equipment, or troubleshooting? Check out our Recipe FAQ page.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional stevia or honey.
Nutrition (1 of 1 servings)
inspired by dashing dish
I can’t even begin to tell you how delicious this shake is. Thick and creamy, slightly spicy and plenty sweet, with lots of warm heartiness from the walnuts. This is byfar one of the best protein shakes I’ve ever had and will be a regular staple in my breakfast cycle.
Enjoy,
Dana
Darren says
Really enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Yay! Thanks for the lovely review, Darren! xo
Dana says
Using honey and yogurt is not vegan.
This is not a vegan recipe – we amended the label. Thanks!
Mary says
I tried this for an afternoon snack and it was awesome! I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk and Bob’s unflavored protein powder (they were out of vanilla). I sprinkled cardamom on top after I heated it. It was very soothing. Thank you, Dana!
Jessica Shook says
This looks absolutely incredible! I’m always excited to find smoothie ideas that are a little different–this will be awesome for the winter months! I use Cricket Protein in my smoothies and think the malty flavor will blend really well into this as well. Thank You!
Anna Powell says
What a great mix of ingredients. I’ve never seen a smoothie with cardamom and coriander and Xanthm gum. thanks for the recipe.
April says
Unfortunately I no longer have my blender, so I made this by grinding the walnuts up in a food processor, then mixing everything together in a cocktail shaker. As a result I couldn’t use the ice in the recipe. I also opted for cashew milk instead of water. I didn’t take these things into account when adding the xantham gum, I probably didn’t need as much as the recipe called for with those adjustments. My shake had a mouthfeel that was a bit too gummy. Next time I will probably just add little pinches of the gum until I hit a sweet spot. I also used brown sugar in place of stevia. I didn’t have any honey, so I used maple syrup. Other than the weird gumminess it turned out well though!
Faux Leather says
I have made this recipe before and am looking forward to making it again! I used vanilla almond milk and agave instead of the yogurt and honey, and it had a great taste.
kity says
I love walnuts and enjoyed this for breakfast this morning!
Great! Thanks for sharing Kity!
Stacy says
So good! I was skeptical of putting nuts in, but they little chunks are great. Definitely a flavor combination I wouldn’t have come up with, but it’s delicious.
Lisa says
This was delicious! I made it late at night with the intention to drink it in the am for breakfast but ended up drinking half of it right then and there – it was like dessert! I made some tweaks and used almond milk instead of the yogurt/cottage cheese as I’m avoiding dairy right now. Didn’t have any xanthan gum and am also avoiding honey/sweeteners etc. but the addition of 2 bananas added some sweetness. I also added cinnamon. Thank you Minimalist Baker!
Teresa says
OMG… This is REALLY good! I’m not much of a smoothie person but was looking for something to ease my upset stomach while giving me some protein. Did the trick and I will be making it again just because!
Holly @ EatGreatBEGreat says
I love protein shakes after my workout. This would be perfect and looks so yummy!
Kimberly says
If I dont put the cardamom and the coriander is that ok or it really must be in the shake.
Katie says
I can’t wait to try this.
Oh, and I’m absolutelyinlove with your new site!
megan @ whatmegansmaking says
This sounds so good, and healthy too! I’ve never gotten into protein powder, but my mom just gave me a container she had and didn’t want, so maybe I will have to try this one. It looks amazing!
Mica says
Hi Dana! I love the idea behind the Minimalist Baker. I hope you’ll keep posting new things. Unfortunately, I’m in Korea right now, and I don’t have access to a lot of ingredients. I guess I’ll have to wait until I get back to the US to try out your recipes!
Hi Mica! Glad you like my site so far. I’m only two posts in but have a TON of recipes to publish in the future. When you get back to the states, I hope you’ll dig in and give some of them a try!
Sally @ Spontaneous Hausfrau says
This looks so ding dang good – I’m looking at today’s afternoon snack right here!
good call!