Social media platform TikTok offers a rich seam for viral coffee recipes, and one is for proffee. But what is this strange-sounding coffee drink?
The name “proffee” is a combination of “protein” and “coffee,” and, unsurprisingly, it contains those two elements, making it simple to brew at home.
This guide explains in detail what proffee coffee is and offers step-by-step instructions on how to brew it.
Protein Coffee Recipe (Proffee Recipe)
Equipment
- A coffee maker
- A large cup to mix coffee and protein shake
- A bowl and spoon to mix protein powder and water (If you use powder)
Ingredients
- 1 scoop protein powder
- 6 fl. oz water or milk
- 2 shots espresso or strong coffee
- Ice cubes optional
- Sweetener optional
Instructions
- Brew coffee. We use two shots of espresso for this recipe. You can use other brew method to prepare your coffee, make it stronger than the usual strength.
- Mix the protein powder with water or any milk you like with a spoon or a shaker. (Skip this if you are using ready-to-drink protein shake.)
- Add as many ice cubes to a big cup as you like.
- Pour the protaein shake over the ice.
- Pour double shot espresso into the cup.
- Stir the mixture to combine the coffee and protein drink.
- Add sweetener if you like.
Notes
- Regular brewed coffee or espresso contains less than 5 calories and no fat. So read the nutrition facts label on your protein shake or powder, you’ll know how much protein and calories are in your proffee.
- If you prefer a hot drink, you can make Proffee with hot water and hot coffee. However, depending on the protein powders you use, some may clump or produce a foamy drink when mixing with hot water.
- There’s no fixed ratio for brewing the best protein coffee at home, feel free to add your preferred amount of coffee and protein shake.
Nutrition
What Is Proffee? Protein + Coffee = Proffee
Proffee, also called protein coffee, is a beverage that combines coffee and a protein shake. The drink is a viral hit on TikTok, with many users of the platform sharing their recipes.
Typically, you make proffee by adding either one or two espresso shots, or a cold brew coffee, to a protein shake. Then, you turn it into a refreshing iced drink with ice cubes. You can also add sweetener, but this is optional.
Combining coffee with protein powder offers many benefits, so proffee is an attractive option for many people. For example, many coffee lovers think the protein drink assists with muscle growth and pre and post-workout recovery. Meanwhile, others consider it a benefit in managing their body weight while following a low-carb diet.
It’s also delicious and looks great, tasting like a coffee-flavored protein shake and resembling a latte.
Proffee Ingredients
Even though there are only two ingredients in proffee, it’s still important to know which works best, so let’s go into more detail.
Which Coffee Is Best For Proffee (Protein Coffee)?
- Cold brew coffee (Concentrate is better)
- Espresso shots
- Drip coffee
- French press coffee
- Instant coffee
Many Tiktok protein coffee recipes are iced coffee, so it’s logical to use cold brew coffee. Cold brew is also easy to make at home without expensive equipment and lasts up to two weeks. You can make a big batch and pour cold brew concentrated into your protein shake whenever you what. On the downside, cold brew needs to steep for a long time before you can drink it.
Frankly, any brewing method will work. For example, French press coffee and standard drip coffee are perfectly acceptable. However, we recommend brewing your coffee stronger than you normally because you’ll dilute the coffee with the protein shake and ice cubes, diminishing the coffee taste.
The easiest way to guarantee a stronger coffee flavor is to brew proffee using espresso shots from an espresso machine. Alternatively, you can make espresso-style shots with an AeroPress or Moka pot. If you can’t brew espresso at home, you can order it at your local coffee shop and use that. However, as we mentioned earlier, you can use any brewing method, and even instant coffee!
Which Protein Is Best For Proffee – Protein Shake or Protein Powder?
If you’re already following a protein-rich diet, there’s a good chance you have a supply of protein powder or protein shakes. You can also use your favorite brands and flavors for proffee.
Some of the most popular protein shake coffee recipes shared on TikTok use ready-to-drink protein shakes. That’s because they have an appropriate balance of protein, vitamins, and minerals, making them the most convenient, hassle-free option. Not only that, but they are available in many flavors.
Protein powder is another option. The biggest advantage is you can control how much protein goes in your proffee, but you’ll need to add it to water to mix it first, which creates a little more complexity in the process.
There are vanilla, chocolate protein powder, or other flavors, which you are free to use in proffee. However, if you use unflavored protein powders, you can add sweeteners such as maple syrup to enhance the drink’s flavor.
The protein coffee recipe in the next section uses whey protein powder.
What Do You Need To Make Protein Coffee Drink?
The first task is to brew the coffee in whichever way you choose. So, depending on the type of coffee you are using, you can use an espresso machine, French press, drip coffee maker, AeroPress, Moka pot, or whichever other brewer you have in your home.
Once you’re brewing the coffee, it’s onto the protein element of the proffee. If you’re using a protein shake, you’ll need a spoon and a large cup. However, our recipe uses protein powder, so we need a shaker or bowl for mixing the protein powder with the water. Let’s summarize the items you’ll need:
- A coffee maker
- A large cup for mixing the coffee and protein shake
- A spoon and a bowl for mixing water with protein powder
As you can see, you don’t need much equipment to make proffee at home, and the process is straightforward.
Simple Protein Coffee Recipe (Proffee Recipe)
Ingredients
- One scoop of whey protein powder
- 6 oz of water for protein shake (Or use whole milk, skim milk, almond milk, whatever you like)
- Two espresso shots (you can use other brewed coffee)
- A few ice cubes
- Syrup or sweetener
Step-By-Step Instructions
1. Brew the coffee. For this proffee recipe, we pulled double espresso shots. However, if you’re using another brewing method, brew your coffee a little stronger than you typically would for a more prominent coffee flavor in the finished beverage.
2. Use a spoon or shaker to mix the protein powder with the water. This will produce a base similar to a ready-to-drink protein shake (you can skip this step if you’re using a ready-to-drink protein shake).
3. Add some ice cubes – you can use as many as you like.
4. Pour the protein mixture into your large cup.
5. Add your double espresso shot (or equivalent of whichever brewed coffee you’re using).
6. Stir the mixture so that the coffee combines with the protein mixture.
7. If you prefer, feel free to add some sweetener or syrup.
Note:
There’s no set ratio for brewing protein coffee. If you usually prefer a more robust coffee flavor for your caffeine f, use more coffee. However, if you prefer more protein, add some extra protein powder.
Final Thoughts
Following the Dalgona (or whipped) coffee craze that also went viral on TikTok, proffee is another new coffee recipe with the popular social media platform to thank for its rise. However, while Dalgona coffee is loved for its beautiful appearance and indulgent flavor, proffee is catching the attention of coffee lovers because it’s so easy to make at home and has numerous health benefits. Not only that, but it also tastes and looks appealing.
Overall, proffee is one of the most enjoyable and beneficial coffee drinks for fitness enthusiasts or coffee lovers who want to increase their protein intake. You can have both your protein and coffee consumed in your morning coffee.
Proffee is so popular that new recipes and imaginative twists on the original are appearing all the time. We’ll share more coffee recipes and healthy recipes in future articles.
In the meantime, we highly recommend giving proffee a try at home. Why? Because it’s easy to make, needs very little equipment, works with most ratios and coffee brewing methods, and has health benefits. Finally, it looks and tastes great!
Proffee (Protein Coffee) FAQs
Espresso and regular brewed coffee are extremely low in calories. It has less than five calories and is fat-free. Therefore, to determine the calorie content of proffee, you should read the nutrition information on the protein shake or powder you’re using. That way, you’ll understand how much protein and calories your proffee contains.
For example, if you use double espresso shots per pack of Premier protein shake, you’ll have a drink with approximately 165 calories, 30g of protein, and 1g of sugar.
Different protein shakes and powders come in different sizes with different nutrition content. For example, there is 30g of protein per pack of Premier protein shake. Meanwhile, you’ll need two scoops of protein powder for the same level of protein. To determine the protein amount in proffee, refer to the nutrition information on the packet of the protein powder or shake you’re using.
If you’d rather not make proffee at home, you can buy either ready-to-drink protein coffee or pre-made protein shakes.
For example, take a look at Chike High protein iced coffee. This product is pre-made powder similar to instant coffee. That means you’ll only need to add two scoops of the powder to 10oz of water and give it a shake. This offers 150mg of caffeine (the equivalent of two espresso shots) and 20g of why protein per serving.
If you have a soft spot for cold brew coffee, we recommend trying Stok cold brew coffee protein, with 120mg of caffeine and 16g of protein per serving.
Finally, another option on our radar is Lean Body ready-to-drink caffe mocha protein shake. This is a good choice for people who like to try different flavors, as there are eight varieties. The shake has 240mg of caffeine and 40g of protein per serving.
Typically, you would make proffee using ice cubes because it is easier to mix protein powder with cold coffee. A refreshing cold beverage is also preferable for those looking for a post-workout protein hit. However, if you’d rather make a hot proffee using hot water and hot coffee, you can.
This might be slightly more difficult to achieve, though, as depending on the type of protein powder you use, it may become clumpy or lead to a foamy drink in hot water.
