You Can Make Protein Powder at Home with 4 Ingredients

Protein powder can be an easy way to add more protein into your diet. But you might not know that it can be easy to make at home—even if you need a plant-based version.

Meet PlantYou’s Carleigh Bodrug’s viral Homemade Protein Powder recipe. With just four main ingredients, a spice grinder and a dream, you can whip up this easy, self-stable powder in just 10 minutes. Here’s how to make it, how it tastes and how it compares to name-brand protein powders on the market.

How to Make Homemade Protein Powder

To make this recipe, separately blend 1 ½ cups of raw pumpkin seeds and ½ cup of chia seeds until they are ground into powders. In a bowl, add your ground pumpkin seeds and ground chia seeds with 1 cup of almond flour and ¼ cup of ground flax. For a mild chocolate flavor, add 3 tablespoons of cocoa and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon before mixing your protein powder together until well combined. This will make 10 servings, each of which packs 13 grams of protein.

This protein powder lasts in the fridge in a sealed container for one month. You can easily blend it into your smoothies or protein shakes—but how does it taste? Our associate social media editor Alysia Bebel gave it a try, and here are her thoughts.

“I love this homemade plant-based protein powder for its simple, wholesome ingredients,” Bebel says. “Its nutty flavor is so good—I love sprinkling it on smoothies and oatmeal for an extra protein boost!”

Is Homemade Protein Powder Healthy?

Before you try whipping up this protein powder for yourself, we asked our nutrition editor and dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD for her thoughts.

“For those who don’t have nut or seed allergies and have access to the ingredients, I think this homemade protein powder could be a nice alternative. Store-bought protein powders can be high in added sugar or contain nonnutritive sweeteners, so making it yourself would be a way to better control that,” shares Ball. “However, it is lower in protein than most storebought varieties. Most people in the U.S. meet their protein needs with their typical eating pattern, so consider how it fits into the rest of your diet. Both homemade and store-bought protein powders can be good options for those looking to up their intake.”

The Bottom Line

Making your own protein powder can be a healthy, easy way to eat more protein, especially if you already have the seeds and nuts on hand that are used in Bodrug’s recipe. But if you prefer buying your protein powder from the store, there’s nothing wrong with that—check out our editor and dietitian picks for the best protein powders to buy.