How to Find the Best 100 Calorie Protein Shakes

📌 Overview and Key Takeaways

This is a Dietitian’s guide on how to find 100 calorie protein shakes.

Discover how to supplement your protein intake with fewer than 100 calories.

Last Updated
Feb 1, 2026

Author and Medical Reviewer

Written by Jack, CNC

Jack is a National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Nutrition Coach.

100 Calorie Protein Shakes

What Are 100 Calorie Protein Shakes?

A 100 calorie protein shake is a protein supplement that contains 100 calories (or less) per serving.

You can buy ready-to-drink 100 calorie protein shakes, or make them yourself using low-calorie protein powder.

Note that although many unflavored protein powders contain less than 100 calories per serving, most unflavored protein powders have to be mixed with other ingredients to make a protein shake.

So you are going to use unflavored protein powder to make a 100 calorie protein shake, you have to be mindful of the ingredients that you use.

As mentioned, you can buy ready-to-drink 100 calorie protein shakes.

Products like these almost contain a cocktail of additives known to cause painful side effects and even long-term health problems, however.

If I were you, I would make my own 100 calorie protein shakes using low calorie protein powder.

How Do I Make 100 Calorie Protein Shakes?

In order to make a 100 calorie protein shake yourself, you need to use a really concentrated form of dietary protein.

It follows that making a 100 calorie protein shake from scratch is virtually impossible.

Protein sources like peanut butter simply do not contain enough protein per gram to allow you to make a high protein, low calorie protein shake.

The only way to make a 100 calorie protein shake, it follows, is to mix protein powder with water or a low calorie milk alternative.

1 serving of most low calorie protein powders contain 80-100 calories, so if you are going to mix them with anything but water, it must be very low in calories (like almond milk).

Our Vanilla Collagen Protein Powder, for example, contains 80 calories per serving.

So mixing it with 1/2 cup of almond milk, which contains 20 calories, and 1/2 cup water will bring you right to the 100 calorie mark.

Again, if you would like to use unflavored protein powder to make a 100 calorie protein shake, you will have to be very mindful of what you mix it with.

Here is a simple recipe that you could try:

100 Calorie Peanut Butter Banana Protein Shake Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp Unflavored Collagen Protein Powder (50 calories)
• 1/4 small banana (20 calories)
• 1 tbsp powdered peanut butter (20 calories)
• 1/4 cup plain almond milk (10 calories)
• 1 cup water
• 1 handful ice cubes

Instructions:

Blend all the ingredients until smooth and creamy.

How Should I Use 100 Calorie Protein Shakes?

A 100 calorie protein shake makes a great high protein snack.

It can also be added to a meal to make it more filling.

Keep in mind that protein is the most satiating nutrient, meaning it keeps you feeling full for longer than fats or carbs.

And by increasing the percentage of your calories that come from protein, you can reduce cravings and overeating.

A 100 calorie protein shake, although filling, should not be used to replace a meal, however.

100 calories is simply not enough to meet your nutritional needs.

A 100 calorie shake is also a great option for someone who wants to increase his or her protein intake while eating as few calories as possible.

People who use 100 calorie protein shakes, it follows, are often on low calorie diets designed to help them lose weight.

100 calorie protein shakes can help with weight loss too because they contain a lot of protein per calorie.

And as you just learned, increasing the percentage of your calories that come from protein can prevent cravings and overeating, which, in turn, helps you eat fewer calories.

Keep in mind that you have to burn 3,500 more calories than you eat to lose a pound of body weight, and to lose weight at a safe rate (0.5 pound per week) you need to create a daily calorie deficit of 250 calories.

This is where replacing part of a meal with a 100 calorie protein shake can make a big difference.

What Are the Best 100 Calorie Protein Shakes?

Many 100 calorie protein supplements contain ingredients that are not good for you.

To keep the calories down, companies use artificial sweeteners instead of sugar.

They also use thickeners like gums instead of relying on high calorie, healthy fats for texture,

Ingredients like these can cause painful side effects and even long-term health problems.

🚫 Avoid Food Additives

Regularly eating thickeners, artificial sweeteners, and other ultra-processed additives can alter the composition and function of your gut microbiome (North Clin Istanb, 2019).

These shifts, known gut dysbiosis, contribute to a wide range of chronic diseases, including diabetes and even certain cancers (J Exp Med, 2019).

Gut dysbiosis is so problematic because it causes a cascade of problems, including intestinal permeability, systemic inflammation, impaired nutrient absorption, and reduced short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production.

⚠️ Here is a list of the most common food additives in protein supplements:

• acacia fiber
• acacia gum
• acesulfame potassium
• artificial flavors
• ascorbic acid
• aspartame
• calcium carbonate
• carrageenan
• cellulose gum
• dextrin
• dicalcium phosphate
• dipotassium phosphate
• erythritol
• gellan gum
• guar gum
• gum arabic
• inulin
• locust bean gum
• maltitol
• maltodextrin
• mono- and diglycerides
• ‘natural’ flavors
• rice bran extract
• rice dextrin
• rice hulls
• rosemary extract
• silica
• silicon dioxide
• sodium alginate
• soluble corn fiber
• sorbitol
• soy lecithin
• sucralose
• sunflower lecithin
• tocopherols
• tricalcium phosphate
• xanthan gum
• xylitol
• zinc oxide

As a rule of thumb, if you could not find an ingredient in nature or make it at home, it is a food additive.

🚫 Avoid Protein Concentrates and Isolates

You should also consider avoiding protein concentrates and isolates.

Most protein powders are made from one or both of these protein sources, which have been mechanically and/or chemically stripped of everything but the protein.

This includes the enzymes, fiber, and other natural digestive aids that help you break them down.

You therefore do not digest them in the same way that you do whole foods, which can affect your gut health.

In fact, studies show that regularly eating protein concentrates and isolates can disrupt your gut microbiome and cause the formation of toxic byproducts in your gut (Nutrients, 2018; Mol Nutr Food Res, 2024).

As you just learned, what happens in your gut impacts your overall health, so instead of ultra-processed protein concentrates or isolates, look for whole food protein sources like egg whites.

They are easier to digest and absorb.

Order Samples to see for yourself.

Sources

1. Northern Clinics of Istanbul (North Clin Istanb). Food additives and microbiota. 2019.
2. The Journal of Experimental Medicine (J Exp Med). The gut microbiome: Relationships with disease and opportunities for therapy. 2019.
3. Nutrients (Nutrients). Effect of a Protein Supplement on the Gut Microbiota of Endurance Athletes: A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Pilot Study. 2018.
4. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research (Mol Nutr Food Res). In Vitro Fermentation of Animal and Plant Protein Isolates by the Human Gut Microbiota Under High and Low Carbohydrate Conditions.. 2024.

Editorial Guidelines

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This article was written by a Registered Dietitian and reviewed by a Physician Assistant. We rely on peer-reviewed research and trusted medical sources, and regularly update our content to ensure accuracy and clarity.