Coffee Smoothie (High Protein)

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Safeway. All opinions are 100% my own. 

Rise with the sun and start your day our right with this super high protein coffee smoothie recipe. Plus, the protein comes from real food, not vanilla protein powder!

Mornings are often the hardest part of the day because I always have so many things to do before my caffeine fix.  With this simple coffee smoothie recipe, I get protein and caffeine to help keep me energized all morning. 

Plus, with all the great ingredients that Safeway has for making mindful choices for you and your family it is so simple to make this smoothie.  The Open Nature® line is dedicated to clean and minimally processed foods.  While their O Organics® line is 100% USDA Certified Organic, GMO free, and a great value compared to leading national brands.  

And, to keep things simple, all of these are available at the same store.  No more shopping around to find everything you want.  

Plus, with the Grocery Delivery and DriveUp & Go™ options, buying groceries is so much simpler. I love that I can just pull up to the designated spot, make the call, and my pre-selected groceries are brought right to my car!

How Do I Add Coffee To Smoothies?

My two favorite ways to add coffee to smoothies are a really rich cold brewed coffee, or with ground espresso.  Both of these you don’t have to worry about impacting the texture of your smoothie because they are liquid. (Ground espresso is an instant coffee that dissolves immediately.)  

Make sure it is chilled coffee so you don’t warm up the smoothie.

If you have a powerful blender you can add ground coffee directly into the canister.  The blades will mostly pulverize the grounds enough for drinking without being crunchy.  Coffee grounds are totally okay to ingest, so this is a great way to have complete utilization of your ingredients.  Just do it in moderation so you don’t over-caffeinate yourself.

If you really want to increase the coffee flavor in this smoothie, you can also freeze leftover coffee into ice cubes.  This is great because it helps make sure your smoothie stays cold enough.  However, blenders don’t always get smoothies with ice cubes completely smooth.

What Makes This Smoothie High-Protein?

There are a few different ingredients that amp up the protein in this smoothie.  The first is almond butter.  I like the creamy honey or maple flavors from Open Nature because they help bring extra depth without additional ingredients. 

My favorite cashier from my local Safeway store, where Open Nature products are exclusively sold, told me at checkout that she loves this almond butter because it tastes just as good, if not better, than other name brand almond butters. And she was right! It is such a great product at an affordable price! She always gives the best recommendations for new products!

Each spoonful of nut butter adds in 3.5 grams of protein, so you can always add more. 

The second ingredient is one you may not be expecting: Open Nature Icelandic Yogurt. (Also known as skyr.) Icelandic yogurt is even higher in protein than greek yogurt and is so thick it is almost like cheese.  I like to use the mixed berry acai flavor in this smoothie because it complements the coffee nicely. 

Nothing goes together better than cocoa powder, coffee, and berries, right? 

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What Other Ingredients Make This Ultimate Breakfast Smoothie?

Even though the Icelandic yogurt keeps this from being exclusively plant based, this coffee smoothie tastes WAY better than a protein shake.  The flavors are authentic and real, plus it’s a healthy breakfast treat to enjoy on-the-go. 

Between the coffee and Icelandic yogurt, this smoothie can be a little thin.  To help boost the thickness, it also has some rolled oats and avocado.  You can also add in a tablespoon of chia seeds.

If you’ve never had a smoothie with avocado before, you may cringe at the thought. But trust me, it’s good. (You can replace the avocado with a frozen banana if you want.) It adds in some extra healthy fats to keep you full and the other flavors in the smoothie overpower it.

High Protein Coffee Smoothie Recipe

I don’t know about you, but I usually take my smoothies on-the-go.  I’m often rushing to get to one appointment or another, which is why I use Open Nature compostable straws. I hate cleaning smoothies out of reusable straws, but still want to protect the environment.  

The straws come in a box of 50, so they are a great value at around $0.03 each. Plus, they don’t harm the earth. (Psst…they also make compostable cups, too.)  Open Nature products are exclusively available in my area at Safeway and across the country through the Albertsons Companies family of stores, so make sure to pick up yours on your next visit!

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Make shopping easier with a printable grocery list for this coffee smoothie recipe. Everything is listed in standard grocery store amounts. If no size is specified, even the smallest package will provide more than enough.  

Thanks so much for stopping by

Don’t forget to try the minimally processed Open Nature products and USDA Certified Organic O Organics products exclusively at your neighborhood Safeway stores and online.  Whether you want plant-based, gluten-free, or environmentally conscious they have the quality products you want at a great price. Visit www.safeway.com/exclusivebrands to see the selections!

You can also find them exclusively at the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Albertsons, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Shaw’s, Star Market, United Supermarkets and Carrs/Safeway. Visit Safeway.com to find a store near you. Plus, they have a bunch of meal plan prep tips and recipe inspiration.

Happy Cooking! 🙂