Guys, I bought a Vitamix and I’m so damn excited about the amazing smoothies and shakes I can make so easily now! Like this Strawberry Cheesecake Protein Shake. Honestly it tastes like cheesecake in a glass and I am in love with it. You gotta try this one…

This recipe comes out on the thicker side of things, so once it’s blended, see how you like the texture and add more almond milk to the blender if you prefer something that’s easier to sip from a straw right away. I personally like using a spoon and straw combo, with lots of straw action happening as things get melty. I included a link below the recipe to some awesome wide metal straws (perfect for smoothies) as well as the cute little paper straws you see here. No need for the plastic kind, ya’ll.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Name: Strawberry Cheesecake Protein Shake
Prep time: 7 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups frozen strawberries ((210 grams)); 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk ((8 oz)); 1/2 cup Dannon Light and Fit Vanilla Greek Yogurt ((4 oz)); 1 scoop Cellucor Vanilla Casein Protein powder ((32 grams)); 2 tbsp 1/3 Less Fat Philadelphia Cream Cheese ((31 grams))

Frozen strawberries – I love buying up a bunch of strawberries when they’re in peak season, pre-chopping them for things like smoothies or muffins, freezing them on a baking sheet so they don’t clump up, then vacuum sealing them to make sure they don’t get all icy in the freezer. Of course you can buy frozen halved strawberries in the freezer section at your grocery store too! As long as you have a powerful blender, you can use frozen whole strawberries if you’d like.

Milk – Use whatever neutral tasting milk you prefer! I used almond milk, which doesn’t have a strong flavor. Some non-dairy milks have a really strong flavor or are overly sweet – I’d stay away from those in this recipe.

Vanilla Greek yogurt – This helps make the smoothie nice and creamy while adding a boost of protein. I prefer Dannon Light and Fit Vanilla Greek yogurt, but use your favorite! The tanginess of the Greek yogurt also helps lend to that cheesecake flavor without overdoing it with the cream cheese. If you want to use a dairy free yogurt, check out my recommendations here.

Casein protein powder – The key to getting a fluffy, creamy protein shake is the type of protein powder you use. Casein is key here – whey just won’t give you the same volume and texture. If you don’t have casein protein powder or don’t want to use it, you can sub it out with vanilla pudding mix. You could also try out a whey/casein blend, but I can’t promise it will turn out thick and creamy like the shake you see here.

Cream cheese – I used the 1/3 fat version of cream cheese to keep things lighter, but you could of course use full fat cream cheese for a richer flavor. Obviously the cream cheese is the key to achieving that real cheesecake flavor! I don’t recommend skipping it, but if you must – go for more Greek yogurt.