Whey is the best nutritional ally not only for bodybuilding enthusiasts, but also for athletes in general. This protein powder derived from milk provides all the essential amino acids for ideal muscle recovery.
But can whey be combined with other ingredients? Can whey be cooked to make desserts, smoothies, muffins and protein cakes? The answer is yes!
But you still need to know what precautions to take to cook this protein properly and make a healthy recipe a success.
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Cooking with whey: a good idea?
Whey protein is derived from milk whey, a natural substance usually obtained by mechanical filtration. As such, there's nothing to stop you from cooking with it. A sweet treat or pancakes containing whey are therefore perfectly safe. In fact, this "cooking" is a major trend that is even attracting top-level athletes.
You can mix the protein powder with the classic ingredients of your choice: chocolate, nuts, milk, and why not cinnamon? Here, the aim is to combine the useful with the pleasurable, and so indulge yourself with a high-protein preparation with a gourmet flavour.
Can whey be cooked without denaturing the proteins?
While the idea of cooking with protein powder is convincing to sportsmen and women from all walks of life, many are concerned that heat or cold will "denature" protein powders, and whey in particular. So we regularly receive questions from consumers asking whether it's possible to cook whey, and whether cooking risks damaging the molecules.
Technically speaking, to a certain extent, "denaturation" does occur. Cooking and freezing transform protein folding. As in the case of eggs, where the white coagulates on cooking, temperature changes alter the molecular configuration of proteins. However, protein powders are not therapeutic proteins, so they retain their full nutritional value. Even after conventional cooking or a long stay in your fridge, a dish containing whey will still be beneficial for body-builders or fitness enthusiasts.
Please note: having said this, it's important to note that it's absolutely inadvisable to heat wheys containing additives. Some of these components, such as sucralose (an organochlorine present in most protein wheys on the market), can lead to the formation of highly toxic compounds1 when heated. We therefore continue to advise you to consume only certified wheys free from processed ingredients, additives and sweeteners. We go into more detail on this point in our article entitled Why choose a sweetener-free whey.
Remember that mixing whey protein with other carbohydrate-containing foods (banana, oatmeal, nuts, truffles, flour...) reduces its absorption rate.
The resulting preparation, while still very interesting, will not necessarily be as beneficial as a shaker for post-workout supplementation. On the other hand, it does help to ensure an adequate basal protein intake throughout the day, which is essential for sportsmen and women. It also helps body-builders prevent catabolism resulting from long fasting.
These "healthy" recipes with whey can be eaten before bedtime or at breakfast, or as snacks throughout the day. So don't hesitate to prepare desserts, smoothies, waffles, protein muffins or even soup. Avoid boiling whey, which can coagulate and form non-homogeneous mixtures.
Generally speaking, don't lose sight of your target calorie intake, keep your diet balanced and varied, and hydrate properly.
Our whey recipes
If you want to prepare healthy dishes with whey, we invite you to discover these few recipes. You can find many recipes using whey on the internet. That said, we've selected a few that are very easy to prepare:
Protein pancakes for about 10 pancakes:
Ingredients
- 2 bananas
- 60 g flour
- 2 eggs
- 40 g whey (your choice of flavour - we personally like this recipe with whey cocoa or whey cocoa-red fruit)
- 25 ml milk or vegetable milk
Preparation
- Blend the flour, two eggs, whey and milk. Add the sliced banana.
- Quickly cook the pancakes on both sides in a small, hot pancake pan.
- Garnish with maple syrup, fruit coulis, chocolate...
Protein chocolate brownie serves 4:
- 110 g flour
- 80 g whey cocoa or whey vanilla
- 200 g applesauce
- 3.5 tablespoons cocoa powder
- A dose of baker's yeast
- 60 g sugar
- 1 whole egg
- 2 egg whites
- 1 pinch salt
- Whisk the egg whites until stiff, using an electric or hand whisk.
- In a separate bowl, pour in the flour, cocoa whey protein, cocoa powder, wholemeal sugar, compote and 1 whole egg. Mix well to obtain an even, homogeneous paste. Add a pinch of salt.
- Using a spatula, fold the egg whites into the mixture.
- Pour into a rectangular brownie tin.
- Bake for 20 minutes at 180°C in a conventional oven.
Fresh protein flank
Ingredients
- 560 ml unsweetened plant milk
- 80 g whey
- 20-30 g liquid honey
- 2 g agar agar
Preparation
- Start by gently heating the milk in a saucepan.
- As soon as it starts to boil, reduce the heat and pour in the proteins and honey, whisking by hand.
- Add the agar-agar, continuing to whisk for about 3 minutes.
- Pour the liquid into bowls or ramekins and chill outdoors or in the fridge.
Iced coffee vanille - protein ice cream
Ingredients
- 100ml ice water
- 100 ml fresh plant milk
- Half a teaspoon of instant coffee
- 1 portion vanilla whey
Options: ice cubes, whipped cream or chantilly, cocoa powder and cinnamon
Preparation
- Pour 100 ml ice-cold water and 100 ml fresh plant milk into a shaker. Add half a teaspoon of instant coffee and 1 portion of vanilla whey.
- Add the marble to the shaker, then shake.
- Wait a few moments for the foam to settle a little, then pour into a tall glass. Add a few ice cubes, top with whipped cream and sprinkle with cocoa and cinnamon.
Delicious whey-based pancakes for a snack
An ultra-simple recipe for protein pancakes! These delicate pancakes are almost too pretty to eat, but they're easy to prepare.
Ingredients for 1 portion
- 2 organic or free-range eggs
- 100 g flour
- 200 ml almond milk
- 1 scoop no-sugar-added whey
Preparation
- Mix the milk and whey in a shaker and pour into a bowl.
- Whisk in the eggs.
- Pour the batter into a non-stick frying pan with a little coconut oil. Cook until bubbles form. Turn over and cook for a further 10 seconds. Repeat with remaining batter.
Serve with sweet pumpkin purée, ricotta cream, fruit compote, etc. Garnish with maple syrup, fruit coulis, fresh berries, Greek yoghurt with vanilla...
To find out more, read these 3 complementary articles or check out our 14 recipes for protein shakers for mass gain:
- Can you make your own homemade whey?
- Is whey environmentally friendly?
- Is our Protéalpes whey organic?
