6 High Protein Breakfast Smoothies That Actually Keep You Full Till Lunch

Arroe Murphy
May 30
4 min read

I'll be honest, I'm not a morning person. For years my breakfast was a cup of tea and whatever I could grab on the way out the door, which usually meant I was starving by half ten and reaching for the biscuit tin. High Protein Breakfast Smoothies were supposed to fix that. They didn't, at first. The problem was I was making them wrong.

A smoothie made of fruit and juice tastes lovely and then leaves you hungry an hour later. You've basically had pudding for breakfast. It wasn't until I started getting proper protein into them that they actually did the job and held me through the morning.

So these are the six healthy breakfast smoothies I keep coming back to. They're quick, they don't need anything fancy, and most of them use stuff you've probably already got in the cupboard. I've put rough protein amounts next to each one because I know that's the bit people care about. And if your mornings are anything like mine, make them the night before and keep them in the fridge.

protein smoothies all colours bohemian candid photo not perfect

A quick word on why protein matters here

This is the part nobody really explains. Protein is what makes a drink feel like a meal. It's slower to digest than fruit sugar, so it keeps you full and stops the mid-morning slump.

That's the whole difference between a smoothie that's just a treat and one that works as a proper meal replacement. Aim for somewhere around 20 to 30g per glass and you'll feel it.

Right, the recipes.

High Protein Breakfast Smoothies!

Peanut Butter and Banana: A tall glass of creamy beige peanut butter banana smoothie on a pale wooden kitchen worktop, a paper straw, a halved banana and an open jar of peanut butter beside it, soft natural morning light from a window, white background, food photography.

1. Peanut Butter and Banana

Honestly the one I make most. It tastes like a milkshake and keeps me going for hours, so I forgive it the peanut butter all over the worktop.

One banana, a heaped tablespoon of peanut butter, 200ml of milk or oat milk, a scoop of vanilla protein powder, a small handful of oats, and a few ice cubes.

That's around 30g of protein.

Blend it till smooth.

The oats thicken it up and turn it into something that actually feels like breakfast rather than a drink.

2. The Green One

The Green One: A glass of bright green spinach and banana smoothie on a cream marble surface, fresh spinach leaves and a banana scattered nearby, soft daylight, clean minimal styling, food photography.

(not as grim as it sounds)

I resisted green smoothies for ages. They always looked like pond water to me.

Then I realised you can't really taste the spinach once there's a banana in there, and I felt a bit daft for holding out so long.

A big handful of spinach, one banana, 200ml of milk, a scoop of vanilla protein, and a tablespoon of nut butter. Around 28g of protein.

The spinach gives you a serving of greens without changing the taste much at all. You get a colour out of it that looks far healthier than it tastes, which I think is the whole appeal.

Mixed Berry and Greek Yoghurt: A glass of deep pinkish-purple berry smoothie with a thick yoghurt texture, scattered fresh raspberries and blueberries on a white surface, a small bowl of Greek yoghurt to the side, bright natural light, food photography.

3. Mixed Berry and Greek Yoghurt

Good for when you fancy something a bit sharper and less sweet.

This is one of my favourite healthy smoothie recipes because the yoghurt does so much of the work for you.

150g of frozen mixed berries, three heaped tablespoons of Greek yoghurt, 200ml of milk, and a scoop of protein if you want it, though the yoghurt already gives you a fair bit. Around 25g of protein.

Frozen berries mean you don't need ice, and this one's far lower in sugar than the fruit-juice smoothies you buy in a bottle.

Chocolate: A glass of rich chocolate brown smoothie that looks like a milkshake, a dusting of cocoa powder, a banana and a small bowl of cocoa nearby, warm soft lighting, cream background, food photography.

4. Chocolate (for when you want pudding for breakfast)

No notes really.

Sometimes you just want chocolate at 8am and that's allowed.

One banana, a tablespoon of cocoa powder, a scoop of chocolate protein, 200ml of milk, and a splash of water to loosen it.

Around 30g of protein.

It tastes like a treat. It doesn't drink like one, which is the bit that matters.

Mango and Coconut: A glass of golden-yellow mango coconut smoothie, a wedge of lime on the rim, fresh mango slices on a light wooden board, bright airy summer light, white background, food photography.

5. Mango and Coconut

For the mornings you want to pretend you're somewhere a bit warmer than Scotland.

I make this one a lot in summer, the two weeks of it we get.

150g of frozen mango, 200ml of coconut milk (the carton kind, not the tin), a scoop of vanilla protein, and a squeeze of lime if you've got one.

Around 24g of protein.

The lime is optional but it lifts the whole thing.

Worth keeping one in the fruit bowl.

Coffee and Oats: A glass of pale coffee-coloured oat smoothie over ice, a few coffee beans and a small scoop of oats scattered on a cream linen surface, soft morning light, cosy minimal styling, food photography.

6. Coffee and Oats (the proper meal replacement one)

This is the one I reach for when I genuinely haven't got time to sit and eat.

It's breakfast and a coffee in one glass, which on a bad morning feels like cheating.

A shot of cold coffee or 100ml of cold brew, one banana, a handful of oats, 200ml of milk, a scoop of protein, and ice. Around 28g of protein.

It's basically an iced latte that actually fills you up.

The oats give it body and the caffeine sorts the rest of you out.

A few honest notes before you go

You don't need an expensive blender for any of this. Mine cost about £30 and it does the lot, it's just a bit loud. You don't need posh protein powder either, whatever's on offer that week does the job fine.

If you're after something lower in carbs, swap the banana for half an avocado. It sounds odd, I know, but it keeps things creamy and you can't really taste it. And if you want it lighter, use water instead of some of the milk.

The main thing, the thing that took me far too long to work out, is the protein. That's what turns a nice drink into something that holds you till lunch. Try one this week and see if you can make it past half ten without raiding the biscuit tin. I'm rooting for you.