Proffee, or protein powder in coffee, is a trend that involves adding protein powder to coffee for a convenient daily protein boost. As a (mostly!) vegetarian who struggles to meet my daily protein needs, I decided this was a trend I could get behind for at least a month.

Ultimately, I was able to meet my protein goals but was frustrated with how the three different protein powders I tried affected the taste and consistency of my coffee.

Before You Start: Calculate Your Protein Requirements

My primary goal was to meet my daily protein requirements—which I calculated to be 66 grams—without significantly altering my routine. I typically drink two cups of black coffee a day: one in the morning and one in the afternoon when I start to feel an energy slump.

For this experiment, I tried three different kinds of protein powder:

• Pure pea protein
• Pure whey protein
• A plant protein that combined pea, brown rice, and chia seed protein

I alternated between including the protein in either my morning or afternoon coffee cup each week to see how the time of day I drank my proffee impacted my satiety and energy levels.

How To Calculate Your Daily Protein Needs

How much protein you need daily varies based on your weight, activity level, and goals:

• Minimum recommended dietary allowance (RDA): 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight (0.36 grams per pound).1
• If you’re physically active (150 minutes of moderate exercise and two days of strength training weekly): 1.2–2.0 grams per kilogram of body weight (0.54–0.9 grams per pound).23
• For muscle gain: About 1.5 grams per kilogram of bodyweight (0.68 grams per pound), paired with resistance training.4

Week 1: Morning Pea Protein Wasn’t Enough Prevent an Afternoon Slump

I started with Ritual’s Essential Protein Daily Shake 18+, a vanilla-flavored protein powder made primarily from pea protein. Each serving (⅓ cup scoop) contains 20 grams of protein and no added sugar.

Ritual recommends mixing it with a cold beverage. I normally drink my coffee hot, so I decided to see how well the powder would blend into hot coffee. 

On day 1, I made my morning coffee as usual and stirred a scoop of powder directly into it. But instead of blending smoothly, the powder formed clumps at the top of the cup.

It didn't exactly look appetizing.

A second attempt with a splash of cold water failed. On my third attempt, I committed to using a shaker bottle and metal whisk ball to mix the protein powder and cold water first, stirring it into my coffee second. This time, it blended more smoothly. I repeated this process every morning that week.

Key takeaways:

• Taste: The sweet, creamy shake masked the taste of the coffee, almost like a flavored creamer would. I usually drink my coffee black, so I really missed my normal routine.
• Hunger level: I noticed I wasn’t as hungry in the morning as I normally would be.
• Energy level: I typically experience energy crashes around lunchtime. During Week 1, I felt energized throughout the morning but still experienced a crash in the afternoon.

Choosing a Protein Powder

There is a wide variety of protein powders with different flavors and ingredients. Some types may be better for people with certain health conditions or dietary restrictions. For example, whey, a byproduct of curdled milk, contains lactose, which can cause digestive issues in some people.5 Certain powders may also contain sugars, artificial ingredients, heavy metals, and carcinogens.6 Consider consulting a healthcare provider to determine which protein powder is best for you.

Week 2: Afternoon Pea Protein Kept Me Full Longer

The Ritual powder blended much more smoothly when I used a shaker bottle.

During week 2, I experimented with adding protein to my afternoon cup of coffee to see if it would help with my afternoon energy crashes. I brought my protein and shaker to work and made my proffee between 12-1 p.m. each day.

Key takeaways:

• Hunger level: I felt much more satiated between meals. One day, I ate breakfast at 9:30 a.m., drank my proffee around 12:30, and planned to eat soon after. Instead, I forgot to eat until 2:30 p.m. Even then, I wasn’t hungry. This was surprising; I’m pretty regimented about meal times, and have never been one to forget to eat.
• Energy level: I didn’t notice a significant energy boost in the afternoon.

Week 3: Whey Was Easier to Mix But Harder to Drink

They whey powder had a rich, chocolatey taste.

In Week 3, I went back to adding protein to my morning coffee but switched to a whey powder: Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein Powder, Double Rich Chocolate, which provides 24 grams of protein per scoop (provided in the container).

Key takeaways:

• Blendability: The whey blended much more smoothly than the pea protein. I shook a scoop with just 50 mL of water, and it still blended smoothly—no clumps!
• Taste: This powder had a very sweet, chocolately flavor that overpowered the taste of my coffee.
• Hunger level: I didn’t notice any significant changes in my appetite.
• Energy level: No notable changes.
• Digestive discomfort: One morning, I felt nauseous after drinking my proffee. I felt better after eating breakfast. Otherwise, I didn’t experience any unpleasant side effects while using whey.

Week 4: Flavorless Plant Protein Made My Coffee Undrinkable

In Week 4, I switched back to drinking proffee in the afternoon. I was still missing the taste of my normal black coffee, so I decided to sample a protein powder with a more neutral flavor.

I chose Orgain Organic Unflavored Vegan Protein Powder, an unsweetened supplement that packs 21 grams of protein per serving. Its protein comes from a combination of pea, brown rice, and chia seed protein.7

The last powder I tried had a planty, savory taste.

Key takeaways:

• Blendability: The third powder blended smoothly when I shook it with 150 mL of water.
• Taste: I really didn’t like the taste of this one. Not only did it mask the coffee taste, but it had a strong, herbal, almost salty flavor. While it wasn’t as sweet as the others, I definitely wouldn’t call this flavor “neutral.”
• Hunger level: I didn't notice any significant changes in my appetite.
• Energy level: No notable changes.

My Verdict

I appreciated the convenience of this trend and found that proffee made it much easier to hit my protein goals, even on days when I was more physically active. But difficulty blending some powders made it more of a chore than I anticipated.

If you’re a coffee drinker and are looking for a simple, efficient way to boost your protein intake, I think proffee is worth trying. However, as someone who loves the taste of coffee, I really missed drinking it black. I’d be open to testing more protein powders to see if I can find one that has a more neutral flavor and still provides enough protein to meet my goals.

My pick: My favorite powder was the Ritual pea protein shake. While it took a bit more effort to blend it smoothly into my coffee, it had the most noticeable impact on my satiety. It also had the most subtle flavor of the three (though it was still quite sweet).