This weight gainer shake is perfect for people looking to gain weight healthily and fast! It’s a high-calorie shake packed with protein, good carbs, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals.
You can also easily use vegan weight gainer powder, making it vegan and lactose-free.
How to Gain Weight
The most important thing to gaining weight is creating a calorie surplus, which means eating more calories than your body burns.
- To increase your weight slowly, aim for 300 to 500 calories more than you burn each day. This should roughly translate to 0.7 to 1 pounds gained per week.
- To increase your weight fast, aim for 700 to 1000 calories more than you burn each day. This should roughly translate to 1.7 to 2 pounds gained per week.
It’s roughly a 500 daily calorie surplus to gain 1 pound per week.
To estimate your daily calorie maintenance levels, you can use a calorie calculator. If you have one or the other, a high metabolism rate or large muscle mass, you will need to increase the number of daily maintenance calories.
Note: Make sure to exercise regularly when on a weight gain diet to avoid putting on lots of fat.
High-protein weight gain or “bulking diets” are the best diets you can do to put on the maximum amount of muscle mass possible. Your body is in a calorie surplus, burning food as energy instead of breaking down fat or muscle for energy, so it’s a great time to take advantage of exercise.
What is Weight Gainer
Weight gainers are high-calorie protein supplements made especially to help with weight gain. They are very effective, and people can experience excellent results.
There is a mixture of healthy and unhealthy weight gainers, so it’s essential to check the nutrition.
Avoid buying weight gainers that add lots of additives and those with high amounts of sugar! They aren’t consumer-first products, and there is surprisingly a lot on the market!
I like using Naked mass because they literally use three ingredients. That way, I know what I’m putting in my body.
I thought they were a little expensive at first, but it’s high quality, and when I use 100 grams in this recipe, it works out to over 36 portions. That’s only around $1.5 a day!
How to get the most from this weight gainer shake
Add this weight gainer shake to your diet as an extra snack or meal. Try to avoid using it as a meal replacement. Otherwise, you are essentially just replacing the calories instead of adding them.
This weight gainer shake also works perfectly post-gym because it contains whey protein (the fastest absorbing protein) and BCAAs, which help your body build and repair muscle.
It also has a good amount of carbs and healthy fat to replenish your body’s glycogen levels. Which will help prevent your body from burning fat or muscle for energy.
Then thirdly, it contains many electrolytes and sodium, which rapidly get depleted during intense workouts.
Ingredients
Banana: Ripe bananas work best for this recipe, especially if you use an unflavoured weight gainer powder. They add a delicious sweetness to the smoothie.
Hemp Milk: It has excellent nutrition and is sugar-free. The best substitute for Hemp milk would be whole milk or oats milk.
Peanut Butter: Try using organic peanut butter if possible. It doesn’t matter if it’s chunky or smooth since it will get blended.
Weight Gainer Powder: Use a high-quality weight gainer powder that’s low in sugar and without additives. I like to use the chocolate version as it has the best combination in taste for me!
You can substitute a weight gainer powder for one 20 to 30 grams scoop of whey or casein protein powder, but you will miss out on the extra calories.
Don’t use 100 grams of a pure protein powder like whey or casein! Too much protein in one sitting can cause adverse effects. Your body will only absorb approximately 25 to 40 grams, so adding that much protein powder is only counterproductive.
Nutrition & Calories
To help with micro counting, you can find the nutrition and calories of the weight gainer smoothie without the use of a weight gainer powder.
You can add 100 grams of the branded weight gainer you use to the nutrition label on the left.
Without Weight Gainer Powder
With Weight Gainer Powder
Expert Tips & Tricks
Add milk first
Make sure to add in the milk first. It will stop the other ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the blender.
Use cold milk
Often, you’ll find non-dairy milk like hemp or oats on the shelf. This smoothie is much better cold, so make sure to refrigerate it first!
How to make a homemade Weight Gainer Shake
1) Add milk into a blender. Next, add weight gainer powder, peanut butter and a banana.
2) Blend the smoothie for 45 seconds, until smooth.
3) Serve in a large glass with a thick straw.
FAQs
Can I store this weight gainer shake?
You can store this shake in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or a couple of hours at room temperature. After some time, it may need remixing as the protein powder may start to split.
Can I use whole milk instead?
Yes, whole milk works too! It will actually add around 160 calories more to the shake too. However, it will add 25 grams of sugar because milk contains natural sugars at about 5 grams per 100ml.
How much protein should I eat at once time?
Studies have shown that 20 to 30 grams is about the amount of protein your body can absorb in one sitting. Your body can absorb fast-digesting proteins like whey at around 10 grams per hour, so if you consume 30+ grams of protein in one sitting, there is excess likely being wasted.
Why did I use Hemp Milk?
Hemp milk has excellent nutrition and health benefits. It’s high in omega-3s and 6s, calcium, iron, potassium and vitamin A. It has no cholesterol, next to no saturated fats and no sugar, which gives it the edge over whole milk and other dairy-free milks.
More Healthy Recipes You May Like
- Chicken Rogan Josh
- Chicken Stir-Fry with Noodles (5 Vegetables)
- Mixed Bean Chilli
- Slow Cooker Hungarian Goulash
- Vegan Keto Smoothie
Weight Gainer Protein Shake (800+ Calories)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 500 ml Unsweetened Hemp Milk whole milk works too!
- 1 Banana
- 2 tbsp Peanut Butter
- 100 g Weight Gainer Protein Powder
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients into a blender, milk being the first.
- Blend for 45 seconds, until smooth.
- Serve in a large glass.
jack
Monday 2nd of May 2022
Hi everyone,
I've updated this post on the 2nd of May 2022. The updated recipe adds an extra 150 calories and has 15 grams less sugar.
I hope you like it!
Jack
Aneesah
Monday 11th of April 2022
Jack, I have the PE protein powder. The label says 120g of powder per shake but I’m assuming that’s just with milk.
So my question is do I add the 120g or just the 50g?
Jack Slobodian
Friday 15th of April 2022
Hey Aneesah, you can go ahead and add just 50g. The shake would become overly thick and powdery if you were to add much more.
Britney
Monday 17th of January 2022
Beautiful
Jack Slobodian
Thursday 10th of February 2022
Thanks!
Kayli
Saturday 15th of January 2022
Hi Jack, I am trying to help my son gain weight, but he is lactose intolerant and has peanut allergies. I plan on using sunflower butter to substitute the peanut butter, but what can I use instead of whole milk?I know this recipe will help him tremendously and are looking forward to using it! We appreciate your time!
Boogeyman
Saturday 2nd of April 2022
@Kayli, there lactofree milk. I’m also lactose intolerant and this milk actually helps.
Jack Slobodian
Thursday 10th of February 2022
Hey Kayli,
It looks like you've had some great suggestions already!
Sunflower butter is an excellent substitute for peanut butter; it's packed with many energy-packed nutrients.
Oat milk and Soy milk are both great substitutes for whole milk too. Oat milk is higher in calories and carbs, and Soy milk is higher in proteins, fats, and calcium.
If you're planning on adding a weight gainer or protein powder, double-check that they are lactose-free because a lot of weight gain and protein powders use milk.
If you're struggling to find one, a safe bet is to use a vegan protein powder because lactose is only present in animals.
I hope this helps, Jack
Duncan
Saturday 5th of February 2022
@Kayli, Juat dont use the link to weight gain powder it contains milk
Gisele
Sunday 30th of January 2022
@Kayli, you can use Oatly full fat milk instead of cow’s milk! It has 160 calories per cup. Hope this helps!
Kelly
Wednesday 5th of January 2022
My son has always had a really high metabolism. I didn't worry and it too much because he was always a good eater. (He's got my build and appetite) He is a freshman in high school, had a weights class every day before school and wrestling practice/meets after school and on weekends. He just turned 14 years old, his height is 5' 4" weight is 106 pounds. His body fat is 3.2%! He is literally pure muscle. The last couple meets he hasn't done his best. Looked tired and sluggish after the first match. I kept telling him to eat in between matches but he says he'll eat after. I found out the wrestlers are all skipping lunch at school... I'm getting worried because he can't afford to lose any weight! He doesn't want to drink a weight gain drink or fat bombs because he thinks he'll go over his weight class. I think he'll burn off those extra calories in his sleep. What do you think? Is this safe for him?
Jack Slobodian
Wednesday 5th of January 2022
Hey Kelly,
Going off those statistics, it makes a lot of sense that your son looks tired and sluggish.
It might sound backwards, but you need a certain level of body fat to perform, especially when doing extensive training like your son.
There is a good reason why professional athletes don't look like bodybuilders (even when performing). You need a big enough stored energy source to compete and an even more significant source to train daily. It's also why athletes train at a higher weight than they compete because they need even more energy for their intensive training.
3.7% is around the level of essential bodily functions, which doesn't leave much room for performance: Healthline Link: https://www.healthline.com/health/exercise-fitness/ideal-body-fat-percentage#for-men. It's probably a good idea to get to a bare minimum of 6%+ (but speaking to a nutritionist recommended because of individuality).
It might be a good idea for you and your son to make a 'performance plan' and do some performance research on nutrition for athletes.
Have a look at when they eat, the types of foods they eat, their body fat percentages. It will provide good insight and might even motivate your son.
When I was his age, I know I thought leaner was always better, but it's a 'half truth'. Being lean is great, but you want to get to your optimal performance level of leanness.
General Nutrition Tips • Consume protein as soon as possible after training. • Consume an energy source (carb or healthy fats) after training but within 30-45 minutes of the training sessions. Otherwise, your risk your body burning muscle for energy. Unrefined sugars like fruit work great here, but a wholesome meal is better. • Drink plenty of water. • Consume plenty of vitamins and minerals. • Try to keep saturated fats on the lower side.
I hope this was helpful!
Jack