Homemade Post-Workout Shake: Recipe and Real Cost per Serving
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A home-made post-workout shake takes three unflavoured powders: 30 g of whey protein isolate, 5 g of creatine monohydrate and 5 g of L-glutamine, shaken into 250 to 300 ml of cold water or milk. Bought as 1 kg bulk bags, that shake costs about $2.55 per serving at LiquidShop's September 2026 prices. The protein is roughly 85% of that cost. This guide gives the recipe, the cost calculation line by line, and how to flavour it.
Put the liquid in the shaker first, then the powders, and shake for 15 to 20 seconds. Creatine only partly dissolves in cold liquid, so a few fine particles are normal. See why creatine does not fully dissolve.
Cost per Serving, Line by Line
The formula for each ingredient is: price per kg ÷ 1,000 × grams per serving. With the 1 kg bag prices listed on LiquidShop in September 2026:
Whey protein isolate: $73.60 per kg × 30 g = $2.21
Creatine monohydrate: $40.13 per kg × 5 g = $0.20
L-glutamine: $29.48 per kg × 5 g = $0.15
Total: about $2.55 per shake, before the liquid
Prices change over time, so recalculate with the live per-kg prices on each product page. Two things lower the cost. The Post-Workout Kit bundles the three 1 kg bags for 5% less than buying them separately. The protein is the expensive line, and larger formats of whey protein isolate lower its price per kilogram.
How to Compare with a Store-Bought Tub
Commercial tubs print a price per serving, but servings are rarely the same size. To compare fairly, divide the tub price by the grams of protein it contains, then do the same for your shake. Unflavoured whey protein isolate is at least 90% protein, so 30 g gives about 27 g of protein. Flavoured products also contain sweeteners, flavours and thickeners, which take up part of each scoop. For the difference between isolate and concentrate, see whey protein isolate vs concentrate.
Flavouring Unflavoured Powders
Chocolate: 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa plus a sweetener of your choice.
Coffee: shake it into cold brew or a cooled espresso instead of water.
Fruit: blend it with a banana or frozen berries and milk.
Sweetness without sugar: a very small amount of sucralose or stevia goes a long way. Weigh it, since these sweeteners are hundreds of times sweeter than sugar.
Allergens and Storage
Whey protein isolate is a milk protein: it is not suitable for anyone with a milk allergy, even though it contains very little lactose. Keep each bag sealed in a cool, dry place and decant a week or two of supply into small jars, so the main bags are opened as little as possible.
Making It at Scale
If you plan to sell a pre-mixed version, note that a finished blended product sold as a natural health product in Canada generally requires a Natural Product Number (NPN) from Health Canada. Buying the three ingredients as separate food-grade bags and mixing them for your own use does not. For larger quantities or a Certificate of Analysis for each lot, contact us.
Everything in one order: the Post-Workout Kit (3 × 1 kg) contains the whey protein isolate, creatine monohydrate and L-glutamine used in this recipe.
