Can You Freeze Protein Shakes?: Protein shakes are a convenient way of ensuring you get all of your essential nutrients, reach your daily protein intake, and hit all of your macro targets without lots of preparation. You can get ready-made protein shakes, but many people opt to make their own, using a protein powder or nutritious base like our WHOLE vegan meal replacement, fruits, veggies, a liquid, and toppings to create a healthy, balanced meal replacement smoothie.
While having these protein shakes in your bag might be convenient, sometimes the process of actually having to whip them up first thing in the morning is quite the opposite. Many of us don’t have the time or energy to faff around with fruit, powder, and a blender when we’re in a rush, so freezing your homemade protein shake can be an easy alternative. Read on to find out the best protein shake freezing instructions, along with interesting details on its shelf life, defrosting, spoilage, and much more.
- Can You Freeze Protein Shakes?
- How To Freeze Protein Shakes?
- How Long Can You Freeze Protein Shakes?
- Tips For Freezing Protein Shakes
- How Do You Correctly Thaw A Protein Shake?
- Can You Refreeze Protein Shakes?
- Do Protein Shakes Freeze Well?
- FAQs On Freezing Protein Shakes
Can You Freeze Protein Shakes?
Yes, you can absolutely freeze protein shakes. The good news is that you can put any shake with protein in it in the freezer without affecting the protein’s nutrients, digestibility, or absorption. If you’re happy to sacrifice some of the freshness, there’s nothing harmful about pre-mixing your shake and freezing it for later use.
However, before freezing a protein shake, you must ensure it’s as fresh as possible. Also, we recommend using either your shaker, an immersion blender, or a more conventional blender to create the protein shake in one go. In the next section, we’ll provide a step-by-step process for correctly freezing your protein shake, so stay tuned!
How To Freeze Protein Shakes?
Once you’ve made your protein shake, make sure that there are no clumps in it; this will ensure that you can freeze the shake properly, as the shake will freeze solid, with no thawed sections in it. You can now get to freezing it by following the below given steps:
Step 1: Divide into small Portion
Divide the protein shakes into containers of the required size. The best way to do this is to use a set of identically sized containers so that you can be sure that the portions you create can precisely meet your requirements.
Step 2: Leave Room for Expansion
Always make sure to leave around an inch of headroom between the top of the protein shake and the lid of the container. Water-based liquids like protein shakes expand once they’re frozen. Therefore, maintaining headspace is vital to avoid the containers bursting or spilling.
Seal the containers tightly, allowing some excess air in there; that space will be used for the shake to expand into. Make sure to pack it in a tightly sealed container to avoid any spillage.
Lastly, place the containers into the freezer, and allow them to freeze solid. Once frozen, they can be preserved for up to 3 months.
How Long Can You Freeze Protein Shakes?
You can safely freeze protein shakes for about three months. It’s not recommended to freeze your protein shake for any longer than three days at a time since anything frozen for that long loses a lot of flavors, color, and texture to the ice in your freezer and oxidizes over time.
Now you may wonder how long protein shakes last in the fridge. Well, homemade protein shakes can be kept in the fridge for around 72 hours. However, remember that separation will occur even when stored in the fridge, so they will need to be reshaken or blended before use.
| Protein Shake | Shelf life |
| In the refrigerator | About 72 hours |
| In the freezer | Around 3 months |
Tips For Freezing Protein Shakes
Now that you know how to freeze protein shakes, we’ve got some tips on how to do it in the best way possible. We strongly recommend following the below-given tips when freezing protein shakes to have the best results:
Leave No Clumps
If you ensure that there are no clumps in your protein shakes, they will freeze more evenly. Any clumps of powder will form clumps of air, which can lead to the uneven freezing of your protein shake and thus causing spillage.
Leave Room for Expansion
Leaving headspace is a must to ensure there’s no spillage in your freezer, which can lead to a sticky, messy, and frustrating situation. Anywhere from half an inch to an inch of headspace is the best rule of thumb to follow.
Label Clearly
Be aware that protein shakes can look like a range of other dishes once frozen. If you don’t want to find yourself thawing the wrong dish in the future, make sure you put a clear label on the freezing container.
How Do You Correctly Thaw A Protein Shake?
You can either thaw your protein shake in the fridge overnight or for a few hours during the day, or you can just leave it out at room temperature for a couple of hours before consuming it. There are two main ways to thaw a protein shake. It is interesting to point out that the two methods will result in different consistencies for your drinks. Selecting what works for you depends on how you like your protein shake. If you like a runny consistency, letting your drink thaw in the fridge is the best option.
To avoid any issues and preserve taste and texture to the best level, move your drink to the fridge a couple of hours before you decide to consume it. If you’d like to have your protein shake in the morning, place it in the refrigerator the night before. You must be informed that you’ll never have the same texture with a thawed protein shake as you’ll have with one made on the spot.
Still, some people like thawed drinks better because of their long shelf life. An alternative way to consume your frozen protein shake is to let it thaw at room temperature while working out at the gym or commuting. This way, you’ll be able to enjoy your cold drink. Preparing your protein drinks on a Sunday afternoon will ensure you’ll have your breakfast every day of the week without even having to think about prepping anything in the early morning.
Find More:
Ingredients:
Milk Solids (54.7%), Sugar, Peanut Oil, Maltodextrin, Caramel (INS 150c), Minerals, Beet Red (INS 162), Vitamins, Inositol, Taurine, L-Carnitine.
Contains Permitted Natural Colour (Caramel) and Added Flavours (Natural Flavour – Cocoa; Artificial Flavour – Chocolate).
Allergens: Contains Milk and Nut (Peanut Oil). May Contain Traces of Soy and Nuts (Almond and Pistachio).
Nutritional Information (Approximate composition per 100 g)
15 Servings per pack
Serve size: 33 g
Supports Height and Weight Gain
| Nutrients | Per Serve |
| Energy (kcal) | 419 |
| Protein (g) | 18 |
| Carbohydrate (g) | 62 |
| Total Sugars (g) | 45.5 |
| Added Sugars (g) | 21.8 |
| Total Fat (g) | 11 |
| Cholesterol (mg) | 0 |
| Calcium (mg) | 800 |
| Phosphorus (mg) | 780 |
| Vitamin D2 (µg) | 3.75 |
| Vitamin K (µg) | 45 |
| Magnesium (mg) | 70 |
| Manganese (mg) | 1.5 |
| Vitamin B1 (mg) | 0.45 |
| Vitamin B2 (mg) | 0.57 |
| Vitamin B3 (mg) | 6 |
| Vitamin B6 (mg) | 0.76 |
| Calcium Pantothenate (mg) | 3 |
| Biotin (µg) | 12 |
Supports Brain Development and its Functioning
| Iodine (µg) | 110 |
| Iron (mg) | 13.5 |
| Vitamin B12 (µg) | 0.76 |
| Folic Acid (µg) | 75 |
Supports Immune Function
| Vitamin A (µg) | 318 |
| Vitamin E (mg) | 3 |
| Vitamin C (mg) | 30 |
| Copper (µg) | 540 |
| Zinc (mg) | 4.5 |
| Selenium (µg) | 15 |
Other Nutrients
| Sodium (mg) | 400 |
| Potassium (mg) | 920 |
| Chloride (mg) | 500 |
| Chromium (µg) | 7.5 |
| Molybdenum (µg) | 11 |
| Carnitine (mg) | 7 |
| Choline (mg) | 58 |
| Inositol (mg) | 30 |
| Taurine (mg) | 15 |
%RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) per serve (33 g):
Energy 7%; Total Fat 5.4%; Saturated Fat 3.8%; Trans Fat 1.7%; Added Sugars 14.4%; Sodium 6.6%.
Saturated Fat not more than 2.5 g per 100 g.
Trans Fat not more than 0.1 g per 100 g.
Can You Refreeze Protein Shakes?
Yes, you can even refreeze protein shakes. Since there is no meat content in the shakes, and there is no texture to be lost to freezer burn, refreezing your protein shakes is entirely fine, and will not place you in danger.
Do Protein Shakes Freeze Well?
Yes, protein shakes do freeze well. Protein shakes do not lose much, if any, texture and flavor during the freezing process. Instead, the ice crystals form and thaw, leaving the protein shake largely unaffected. We talked about the healthy aspect of consuming protein shakes, but is their nutritional content affected when you freeze them? Well, if you mix your protein powder with fruits and/or veggies and some liquids and freeze the smoothie, you’ll have the same nutrients that you’ll get from a freshly made drink.
Freezing protein powder on its own might affect its consistency and protein content, as it tends not to respond well to moisture. For this reason, prepare your shakes in advance and freeze them to enjoy your shakes at any time of the day, whenever you feel like having a healthy snack.
Explore more of drinks like Whiskey by referring to our guide on Can you Freeze Whiskey and resolve your doubts instantly.
FAQs On Freezing Protein Shakes
1. Can You Freeze Nutritional Shakes?
Yes, nutritional shakes can surely be frozen for around 3 months in freezer safe containers with a tight-fitting lid. They just need to be clump-free when frozen.
2. Can You Freeze Dry Protein Powder?
There is literally no point in freezing dry protein powder, as it has a long shelf life when kept in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight.
3. Can you make a protein shake the night before you freeze it?
Yes, you can whip up your shake the night before using plenty of frozen fruit, so that it’ll keep in the fridge overnight and still taste fresh once you get to your desk the following morning! Alternatively, simply bag up your ingredients and have them ready, pre-portioned, in the freezer.
4. Is it okay to freeze whey protein?
Did you know consuming whey protein may help prevent heart disease, diabetes, and genetic disorders such as allergies? Yes, you can even freeze whey to use later and to prolong its shelf life. Just pour the whey into an airtight container and freeze it.
5. Should you drink a protein shake cold or warm?
For optimal results, protein powder can be mixed with either cold water or milk. However, based on the season or preference, some people also mix it with hot milk, so feel free to use it the way you like.
Wrapping Up
We have seen that you have nothing to worry about making protein shakes ahead of time and freezing them. If you’d rather not have to prepare your shakes on the spot and enjoy your pre-made protein shakes even on your busy days, you can try freezing them without a doubt.
Not only that, freezing keeps the protein and content intact, so you can rest assured that you won’t affect your planned nutrition intake. We hope this article was helpful. Thanks for stopping by! For more such informative articles like Can you Freeze Kombucha, keep following our website.