Protein in the Blender Without a Scoop of Powder
Protein powder is optional. The foods below already have protein listed in USDA FoodData Central, and the Nutrition Facts label uses 50 grams as the Daily Value for protein. A smoothie does not have to hit 50 grams. It has to be honest about how many grams the ingredients you chose actually hold.
Dietary supplements, including protein powders, are not approved by the FDA before they are sold, in the way drugs are. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health states that distinction in its overview of supplement regulation. If you would rather build the drink from grocery items with ordinary food labels, use the portions below and read the tub you bought, because a strawberry yogurt with added sugar is not the plain nonfat Greek yogurt in the database.
Plain nonfat Greek yogurt
FDC 330137, "Yogurt, Greek, plain, nonfat," lists 61 kilocalories, 10.3 grams of protein, 3.64 grams of carbohydrate, and 111 milligrams of calcium per 100 grams. One listed portion is 170 grams. That portion is about 104 kilocalories, 17.5 grams of protein, and 6.2 grams of carbohydrate.
Seventeen and a half grams is 35% of the 50-gram Daily Value. The FDA calls 20% of the Daily Value or more a high amount. This portion clears that bar for protein. It is still one food in one day.
Flavored yogurts can cut the protein and raise the sugars. Compare the panel. The database row is plain and nonfat. A 5% milkfat cup will not match these calories.
Milk, 2% and whole
FDC 171267 is 2% milk with added vitamin A and vitamin D: 50 kilocalories, 3.3 grams of protein, 4.8 grams of carbohydrate, and 120 milligrams of calcium per 100 grams. The cup is 244 grams, about 122 kilocalories, 8.1 grams of protein, 11.7 grams of carbohydrate, and 293 milligrams of calcium.
FDC 746782 is whole milk with added vitamin D: 60 kilocalories, 3.27 grams of protein, and 3.2 grams of fat per 100 grams. A listed portion of 249 grams is about 149 kilocalories, 8.1 grams of protein, and 8 grams of fat. Protein matches the 2% cup. Calories and fat do not. Choose on purpose.
Eight grams of protein is 16% of the 50-gram Daily Value. Useful, and not a full meal by itself.
Lactose is a real issue for some people. The NIDDK page on gas in the digestive tract lists dairy foods, including milk and yogurt, among items that leave some people with more gas symptoms. If milk does that to you, yogurt might too, or it might not. A food diary of the sort NIDDK describes, shared with a clinician, is more informative than swapping products at random. This sentence is about gas symptoms, not a claim that avoiding milk fixes a disease.
Cottage cheese, and the sodium that comes with it
FDC 328841, "Cheese, cottage, lowfat, 2% milkfat," lists 84 kilocalories, 11.0 grams of protein, 4.31 grams of carbohydrate, and 321 milligrams of sodium per 100 grams.
Eleven grams of protein per 100 grams is a lot for the calories. The sodium is the part people miss. The FDA Daily Value for sodium is 2,300 milligrams. One hundred grams of this cottage cheese is about 14% of that Daily Value before the rest of the day. If you have been told to limit sodium, weigh this ingredient instead of dumping "half a tub."
Blend it with strawberries, not with a second salty food. Strawberries (FDC 167762) are 32 kilocalories and 0.67 grams of protein per 100 grams, with 1 milligram of sodium. A cup of slices is 166 grams: about 53 kilocalories and about 1 gram of protein. They change the flavor. They barely change the protein. The cottage cheese is doing that work.
Soft tofu
FDC 172449 is soft tofu prepared with calcium sulfate and magnesium chloride: 61 kilocalories, 7.17 grams of protein, 1.18 grams of carbohydrate, and 111 milligrams of calcium per 100 grams. A cup of 1/2-inch cubes is listed at 248 grams, so half of that cup is 124 grams: about 76 kilocalories and 8.9 grams of protein.
Soy is a common allergen. It is also one of the foods the NIH iodine fact sheet mentions when it discusses goitrogens, in the same breath as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts. The fact sheet says that for most people in the United States who get enough iodine, reasonable amounts of those foods are not a concern. A tofu smoothie is a reasonable kitchen amount for many people and the wrong choice for someone who has been told to limit soy. Ask if you are unsure. Details of iodine itself are on the thyroid-notes article; this paragraph is only here so soy is not silent.
Peanut butter
FDC 172470, smooth peanut butter without salt, lists a tablespoon portion at 32 grams. Per 100 grams the entry is 598 kilocalories, 22.21 grams of protein, 22.31 grams of carbohydrate, and 51.36 grams of fat. The 32-gram portion is about 191 kilocalories, 7.1 grams of protein, 7.1 grams of carbohydrate, and 16 grams of fat.
Seven grams of protein cost 191 kilocalories. Greek yogurt's 170-gram portion delivers about 17.5 grams of protein at about 104 kilocalories. If protein per calorie is what you are comparing, the yogurt wins. If you need the drink to stay free of dairy and you tolerate peanuts, the peanut butter portion is a reasonable tool and a poor tool for someone counting every kilocalorie. Peanut allergy is a hard stop. Do not substitute a "similar" butter without checking the allergen statement.
Hulled hemp seed
FDC 170148 lists 553 kilocalories, 31.56 grams of protein, 8.67 grams of carbohydrate, and 4.0 grams of fiber per 100 grams. The tablespoon portion on that entry is 30 grams, which is about 166 kilocalories and 9.5 grams of protein. A weighed 10-gram sprinkle is about 55 kilocalories and 3.2 grams of protein. Use a scale once. Hemp hearts look light and pack densely.
Two stacks, with the arithmetic visible
Stack one, dairy. 170 grams plain nonfat Greek yogurt (about 17.5 grams protein) plus 244 grams 2% milk (about 8.1 grams) plus 166 grams sliced strawberries (about 1 gram). Protein is about 26.5 grams, a bit over half of the 50-gram Daily Value. Calories are about 104 + 122 + 53 = 279, before any honey.
Stack two, no dairy. 124 grams soft tofu (about 8.9 grams protein) plus 32 grams peanut butter (about 7.1 grams) plus 10 grams hemp (about 3.2 grams) plus 136 grams large banana (FDC 173944, about 1.5 grams protein and 121 kilocalories). Protein is about 21 grams. Calories are about 76 + 191 + 55 + 121 = 443. Carbohydrate jumps because of the banana (about 31 grams) and the peanut butter (about 7 grams).
Both stacks are illustrations. Brand labels override the database when they disagree.
Texture, because protein foods can taste chalky or sharp
Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are tart. A ripe banana or mango softens that. Mango, one cup of pieces, is 165 grams on FDC 169910, about 99 kilocalories and 25 grams of carbohydrate, with only 1.4 grams of protein (0.82 grams per 100 grams). It is a flavor tool. Count it as carbohydrate.
Frozen fruit makes a thin milk base thicker. Oats do the same and add a little protein: 40 grams of dry oats (FDC 173904) is about 5.3 grams of protein and 152 kilocalories. Blend oats with liquid before the fruit if grit bothers you.
A pinch of salt in a peanut-butter drink makes the roast taste louder. If the peanut butter is the unsalted USDA style and the rest of the day is already high in sodium, skip the pinch. Cottage cheese does not need help on sodium.
People who should not freelance protein targets
The 50-gram Daily Value is a label number. It is not an instruction to eat 50 grams if a clinician has set a different ceiling, which happens with some kidney conditions. Allergies to milk, soy, and peanut eliminate whole rows of this page. Bring the remaining rows to a registered dietitian if your allowed-food list is short.
Children's portions are not miniature copies of the 170-gram yogurt stack. If you are feeding a child, use the amounts a pediatric clinician is comfortable with, and use the separate notes on this site about family smoothies rather than scaling an adult stack down by guesswork.
Documents used for the gram counts
- USDA FoodData Central: FDC 330137, 171267, 746782, 328841, 167762, 172449, 172470, 170148, 173944, 169910, 173904.
- U.S. FDA Daily Values for protein (50 g), sodium (2,300 mg), and the 20% "high" guide.
- NIDDK, "Eating, Diet, & Nutrition for Gas in the Digestive Tract" (reviewed June 2021), on dairy foods and gas symptoms.
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Iodine consumer fact sheet (updated May 1, 2024), on soy and cruciferous vegetables.
- NCCIH statement that dietary supplements are not approved by the FDA before sale the way drugs are.
Free PDF
Free recipe notes: 8 fruit smoothies
A short sampler of fruit smoothie recipes, plus kitchen notes on thickness, greens and prep.
You'll also get occasional recipe emails. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy Policy.