Protein Coffee: How to Add Protein to Your Morning Coffee
Protein powder clumping in your coffee? Meet the Broffee: one tablespoon of Pure Beef bone broth powder, 9.6g protein, no sweeteners, and your coffee still tastes like coffee.
In this guide
You make your coffee. You tip in a scoop of protein powder. You stir. And stir. And there it is: little beige islands bobbing on top, a gritty sludge at the bottom, and a flat white that suddenly tastes like vanilla birthday cake. Sound familiar?
Protein coffee is a brilliant idea. Most of us already have a coffee every morning, and most of us could do with a bit more protein before lunch. Putting the two together just makes sense.
The problem isn’t the idea. It’s the powder. Here’s how to add protein to your morning coffee without the clumps, the sweeteners or the chalky aftertaste – and the simple swap we call the Broffee.
Can you put protein powder in coffee?
You can, but regular protein powders don’t make it easy. Most are designed to be shaken into cold water or milk. Pour them into a hot drink and the heat makes the proteins set and stick together, which is why you get those stubborn lumps. Food writers have whole guides on making slurries, cooling your coffee to room temperature first and adding the powder a spoonful at a time. That’s a lot of faff before 8am.
Then there’s the flavour. Regular protein shakes are usually sweetened and flavoured – chocolate, vanilla, salted caramel, cookies and cream. Fine in a shake. Not so fine when your carefully chosen coffee beans now taste of a milkshake. Ever looked at the ingredients list on your tub? Sweeteners, thickeners, flavourings, sometimes a dozen things you can’t pronounce. In your coffee. Every day.
The Broffee: protein coffee that actually tastes like coffee
Our Pure Beef Bone Broth Powder is 99.8% grass-fed British beef bone broth and 0.2% sunflower lecithin. That’s it. No sweeteners, no flavourings, no added salt. It’s neutral in flavour, it stirs into hot liquid, and one 10g tablespoon gives you 9.6g of protein, including 8,500mg of collagen.
Stir it into your coffee and your coffee still tastes like coffee. Nobody in the office will know. Apart from you, and your extra 9.6g of protein. We named it the Broffee, and it might be the easiest protein upgrade you’ll ever make.
Regular protein powder vs Pure Beef in your coffee
| Regular protein powder in coffee | Pure Beef in coffee | |
|---|---|---|
| Clumping | Often clumps in hot coffee; needs slurries, cooling or a frother | Made to stir into hot liquid – a quick stir or froth and you’re done |
| Sweeteners | Usually sweetened and flavoured | None. No flavourings, no added salt |
| Taste | Vanilla, chocolate or caramel – and sometimes chalky | Neutral. Your coffee still tastes like your coffee |
| Protein per spoon | Varies by brand and scoop size | 9.6g per 10g tablespoon, including 8,500mg collagen |
| Ingredients | Often a long list: sweeteners, thickeners, flavourings | Two: grass-fed British beef bone broth (99.8%) and sunflower lecithin (0.2%) |
How to make protein coffee (the Broffee)
No shaker, no blender, no special kit. Just your usual coffee and a tablespoon.
Brew it however you like it – cafetière, espresso, pods or instant.
Spoon 10g of Pure Beef Bone Broth Powder into the hot coffee.
Give it a good stir, or whizz it with a handheld frother for a silky, slightly foamy finish.
That’s 9.6g of protein in your morning coffee, and it still tastes like coffee.
Three easy ways to drink it
- The protein latte: stir a tablespoon of Pure Beef into a shot of espresso, then top up with steamed or frothed milk (dairy or oat both work). Creamy, comforting and quietly high in protein.
- The iced Broffee: stir a tablespoon of Pure Beef into a shot of hot espresso or a splash of hot coffee until it’s fully mixed in, then pour over ice and top up with cold milk. Mixing it into the hot coffee first is the trick.
- The double: having a big day, a workout or a late lunch? Use two tablespoons for 19.2g of protein in one mug.
Not a coffee person? The same trick works with matcha. Try our protein matcha latte – it works hot, and it works over ice.
How much protein does a Broffee give you?
The UK reference intake for protein is 50g a day for an average adult. Here’s how far your morning coffee can take you.
Nearly a fifth of your daily reference intake before you’ve even opened your laptop. Not bad for something you were drinking anyway. Protein contributes to the growth and maintenance of muscle mass and to the maintenance of normal bones, so it’s worth getting some in early. Want to know your own number? Our guide to how much protein you need walks you through it.
What’s in a tablespoon of Pure Beef?
9.6g protein8,500mg collagen19 amino acidsNo sweetenersNo added saltDairy-free
And because every batch of our broth is tested, you can see exactly what’s going into your mug on our test results page.
Questions people ask
Can you put protein powder in hot coffee?
You can, but many regular protein powders clump when they hit hot liquid, because heat makes the proteins set and stick together. Pure Beef Bone Broth Powder is made to stir into hot drinks, so a tablespoon goes straight into your coffee with a quick stir or froth.
What is proffee?
Proffee is protein coffee – coffee with protein added, usually from a protein shake or powder. Our version is the Broffee: a tablespoon of Pure Beef stirred into your coffee for 9.6g of protein, with no sweeteners and no change to the taste.
Does bone broth in coffee taste of beef?
Not with Pure Beef. It has no seasoning and a neutral flavour, so your coffee still tastes like coffee. If you want a savoury mug instead, that’s where our Beef Marrow Bone Broth Powder comes in, seasoned with rosemary, thyme and sea salt.
Can you make iced protein coffee?
Yes. Stir a tablespoon of Pure Beef into a shot of hot espresso or a splash of hot coffee first, then pour it over ice and top up with cold milk.
Can you add collagen to coffee?
Yes, and Pure Beef already does it for you. Each 10g tablespoon contains 8,500mg of collagen as part of its 9.6g of protein, from grass-fed British beef bones.
How much protein is in a protein coffee?
It depends on what you add. One tablespoon of Pure Beef gives you 9.6g, and two tablespoons give you 19.2g – that’s 38% of the 50g UK reference intake in a single mug.
Can I drink protein coffee when pregnant?
The protein isn’t the thing to watch – the caffeine is. The NHS advises no more than 200mg of caffeine a day in pregnancy, and a cup of instant coffee has around 100mg. If you have questions about your diet in pregnancy, speak to your GP or midwife.
Our pick
For protein coffee that doesn’t clump, doesn’t taste of vanilla and doesn’t come with a list of sweeteners, it has to be Pure Beef Bone Broth Powder. Two ingredients. 9.6g of protein per tablespoon. 30 servings in a 300g pouch – that’s a month of Broffees.
Shop Pure Beef Bone Broth Powder →
Related Reading
- The Broffee
- Protein matcha latte
- High-protein breakfasts without eggs
- How to increase your protein intake
- 7 easy ways to use bone broth powder
Sources & Further Reading
