In the last year or two, social media users – particularly on TikTok – have fallen in love with “proffee,” the mixture of protein supplements with coffee.

What would be the reason to mix the two? As we’ve mentioned, coffee is an ideal medium for additional ingredients.

Some like cream, sugar, or the extra goodies in mochas and lattes, provide flavor. Bulletproof coffee ingredients like MCT oil, and grass-fed butter or ghee, contribute the extra “oomph” that low-carb dieters need.

So what better way is there to get more protein than mixing it into your morning coffee?

Proponents also say that protein coffee provides even more health benefits than a simple cup of joe. The caffeine in coffee, of course, delivers a temporary energy boost, blocks the neurotransmitter that makes the body feel tired, and stimulates the release of dopamine (the “happy hormone”).

But coffee is also rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals like potassium and magnesium. It seems to protect against everything from neurological diseases and type 2 diabetes to heart disease and depression. It may help dieters burn body fat, and even increase longevity.

Finally, coffee appears to help improve athletic performance and endurance. Add some of the similar benefits that protein supplements arguably provide, and protein coffee would seem to be a natural choice.

Coffee can cause acid reflux in some people. But protein can counteract that effect, making the mix of coffee and protein a great idea for some coffee drinkers.

Making protein coffee isn’t quite as easy as it might seem, though.

Proffee advocates commonly mix three types of supplements into their coffee.

Protein Powder

The easiest approach is adding protein powder to coffee, but the process can be problematic. Whey is the only protein that dissolves relatively easily in water; the others, particularly collagen, don’t mix in well and are likely to leave coffee lumpy and unpleasant to drink.

Mixing whey and hot coffee, or adding whey to espresso coffee drinks, are the easiest combos to pull off. But trying to stir whey protein into iced coffee or cold brew coffee is difficult, and other forms of protein just don’t easily mix with coffee.

The best approach is to blend the two ingredients together. A countertop blender, a hand mixer, or a coffee frother is must-have equipment when preparing proffee with protein powder.

Protein Shakes

There are some very tasty protein shakes on the market, and you can choose between products made with whey, casein, collagen, or soy protein. That’s one reason why many proffee devotees prefer to mix one of these shakes into their coffee.

Other good reasons:

• Protein shakes create a richer texture than protein powder.
• Many shakes contain added nutrients like vitamins A and B2, calcium and potassium.
• They’re easier to combine with any type of coffee; a blender is great, but you can even use a cocktail shaker to mix protein shakes and coffee.
• Some high-protein shakes provide 50+ grams of protein per serving (that’s around the total amount that adults need daily). Some contain additional protein-rich ingredients like peanut butter, for those looking to boost protein intake even further.

There are drawbacks to making proffee with protein shakes, though.

The biggest issue is that many are loaded with added sugar or other less-healthy ingredients, dramatically boosting the total fat, calorie and cholesterol content of healthy coffee. Some of those additives may also not be gluten-free.

Here’s another problem. When you dilute coffee with a protein shake, you’re only getting “half a cup” of coffee – along with only half of its benefits.

There’s another method of adding protein to coffee that solves that problem and is gaining popularity.

Protein Creamers

A growing number of companies have created products that blend healthy coffee creamer with protein powder.

The best ones include natural sweeteners like stevia and monk fruit extract, making them low in carbohydrates and calories. Many contain natural flavors that add more taste to any ordinary coffee or coffee recipe.

And these creamers eliminate any prep time that’s otherwise required to make protein coffee. The total time it takes to make proffee with a protein creamer is just a few seconds.

The best choice is Super Creamer, which is a delicious, keto-friendly, zero-carb, low-fat, low-carb coffee creamer that lets coffee drinkers easily add non-dairy whey protein isolate or dairy-free pea protein to their brew. Other alternatives to check out include LevelUp Grass-Fed Coffee Creamer and Catching Ketones Creamer.