Healthy Lemon Cream Pie Protein Shake

This healthy Lemon Cream Pie Protein Shake is so creamy, zesty and sweet - you will feel like your drinking a slice of lemon cream pie or lemon meringue pie! The perfect healthy shake to fuel up with after a workout! 

Coming at you with a protein shake that screams spring. I went with lemon cream pie protein shake as a title but with the flavors going on here, you could also call this a lemon cheesecake protein smoothie, a lemon meringue pie smoothie, lemon cake or lemon bar protein shake - whatever favorite lemon dessert you have - this smoothie will taste like all of them.

Why? Because we combine the pretty hard-to-beat dessert trifecta of lemon, vanilla, and cream!

Obviously this smoothie has a hefty dose of lemon in it - the lemon is definitely the star of the show! I like a combination of zest, juice and lemon extract, but in the tips section, I provide you with some great substitutions, if lemon extract is something you don't have kicking around.

A mix of Greek yogurt, almond milk and frozen banana puts the cream into the lemon pie smoothie. To take this healthy protein shake to the next level, I serve it with a big old swirl of coconut whipped cream.  Drool Central, you guys!

To get those graham cracker crust flavors into our protein shake, we add some vanilla to the smoothie base plus sprinkle some graham crackers on top. The vanilla protein powder enhances that cookie crust flavor - highly recommended.

How to make Lemon Cream Pie Protein Shake

1. Add frozen banana, protein powder or yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract and lemon extract to a blender. Add milk, starting with ½ cup. Blend until smooth, adding some milk (up to 1 cup) until you reach your favorite consistency (I prefer my shake thick so added only ¾ cup). Taste for sweetness (see notes)
2. Pour into a glass and top with whipped cream and cookie crumbs, if desired.

Which Protein Powder to use?

I  make this recipe with either the plain or the vanilla-flavored Vital's Protein collagen peptides powder and really like it because it fluffs this shake up to the perfect milkshake consistency without adding too many interfering flavors at all so the lemon and vanilla still shines.

However, you can use any protein powder - whatever you are having. I have seen protein powders the flavor of cheesecake or even birthday cake and those would be undoubtedly delicious. However, those fancy flavors sometimes come with some added sugars and a lot of artificial flavors., so you want to read the label.

To make this protein shale vegan, use vanilla pea protein - it would taste delicious!

Tips:

• If serving this shake as is without the sweetened coconut whip like I did, you might want to add a tad more sweetener to the shake to make up for the lack of sweetness.
• Here's a good "how to" guide to make homemade coconut whipped cream.
• Lemon extract really brings out the lemon flavor in a natural tasting way so it's highly recommended but if you don't have lemon extract on hand you can use a bit of artificial lemon flavoring or a tiny drop of culinary lemon essential oil. Alternatively, up the zest to 1 ¼ - 1 ½ teaspoons and use ½ teaspoons vanilla extract.
• To make this protein smoothie vegan, you use your favorite brand of vegan protein powder and use coconut yogurt or a thick soy- based yogurt instead of Greek Yogurt.
• As we are using the zest of the lemon, make sure to use organic lemons.

5 from 5 votes

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Lemon Cream Pie Protein Shake

This healthy Lemon Cream Pie Protein Shake is so creamy, zesty and sweet - you will feel like your drinking a slice of lemon cream pie or lemon meringue pie! The perfect healthy shake to fuel up with after a workout! 

Course Breakfast, Drinks

Cuisine American

Keyword healthy lemon protein shake, lemon cheesecake smoothie, lemon protein shake

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 1

Calories 362 kcal

Ingredients

• ¾ cup almond milk or your favorite nut milk
• 1 cup frozen banana slices about 1 large banana
• 2 tablespoon protein powder - vanilla or plain I use Vital's Protein collagen peptides powder
• 3 tablespoons thick plain or vanilla Greek yogurt or cottage cheese or coconut yogurt for vegan
• 1 - 1 ¼ teaspoon lemon zest or bit less
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• ¼ - ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅛ teaspoon lemon extract highly recommended but see notes for substitutions
• ¼ cup or more sweetened coconut whipped cream homemade or store-bought (or classic whipped cream, for a treat!)
• crushed cookies graham cracker or pie crust crumbs – to serve, optional
• pinch of salt optional - brings out the sweetness some more

Instructions

1. Add frozen banana, protein powder or yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract and lemon extract to a blender. Add milk, starting with ½ cup. Blend until smooth, adding some milk (up to 1 cup) until you reach your favorite consistency (I prefer my shake thick so added only ¾ cup). Taste for sweetness (see notes)
2. Pour into a glass and top with whipped cream and cookie crumbs, if desired.

Recipe Notes

• If serving this shake as is without the sweetened coconut whip like I did, you might want to add a tad more sweetener to the shake to make up for the lack of sweetness.
• Here's a good "how to" guide to make homemade coconut whipped cream.
• Lemon extract really brings out the lemon flavor in a natural tasting way so it's highly recommended but if you don't have lemon extract on hand you can use a bit of artificial lemon flavoring or a tiny drop of culinary lemon essential oil. Alternatively, up the zest to 1 ¼ - 1 ½ teaspoons and use ½ teaspoons vanilla extract.
• To make this protein smoothie vegan, you use your favorite brand of vegan protein powder and use coconut yogurt or a thick soy- based yogurt instead of Greek Yogurt.
• crushed cookies, graham cracker or pie crust crumbs – to serve, optional

Nutrition Facts

Lemon Cream Pie Protein Shake

Amount Per Serving

Calories 362 Calories from Fat 90

% Daily Value*

Fat 10g15%

Saturated Fat 5g31%

Cholesterol 49mg16%

Sodium 305mg13%

Potassium 760mg22%

Carbohydrates 43g14%

Fiber 5g21%

Sugar 23g26%

Protein 31g62%

Vitamin A 176IU4%

Vitamin C 25mg30%

Calcium 382mg38%

Iron 3mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notes:

• If serving without the sweetened coconut whip, you might want to add some sweetener to the shake, to taste
• Here's a good "how to" guide to make homemade coconut whipped cream.
• Lemon extract really brings out the lemon flavor so it's highly recommended but if you don't have lemon extract on hand you can up the zest to 1 ¼ teaspoons and use ½ teaspoons vanilla extract.
• To make vegan: use a vegan protein powder, coconut yogurt and coconut whipped cream.

f you tried this healthy lemon cream pie smoothie recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!

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• Sunshine Smoothie with Turmeric and Vitamin C
• Blueberry Muffin Smoothie
• Raspberry Cinnamon Green Smoothie
• Gingerbread Smoothie
• Strawberry and Cantaloupe Smoothie