The nastiest thing ever? Protein shake clumps. They’re small, gooey blobs of protein powder. And it makes you wonder how something so little can ruin the taste of an entire protein shake.

But yet, they still do.

It’s annoying.

Although I rarely experience it (I’ll tell you how later), protein shake clumps still happen to sneak up on me from time to time.

There’s many reasons for this. And in this post, I’m going to show you all of them. Plus, how to keep protein powder from clumping (for GOOD).

It’s simple. So simple it baffles me that people have this problem. But don’t worry, it’s not all your fault…

Most Bad (Cheap) Protein Powders Clump

You know this already. Not every protein powder is the same. And one of the main things that separate a good brand from a bad one, is its mixability.

Or in other words, how well the protein powder mixes without forming clumps.

Unfortunately, but expected, cheap protein powders tend to clump the most. Ever since, I’ve avoided them entirely. Some cheap brands off the top of my head are Muscle Milk, EAS, and Body Fortress.

Clumps of vegan protein (used for emphasis)

Now, this doesn’t mean you can’t make a smooth protein shake from these brands. You can. You’ll just have to put in a bit more effort.

But what do you expect, you get what you pay for.

This is one of the few reasons why I stick with Optimum Nutrition. Try mixing a shake with one of their protein powders, and you won’t believe how fast and easy it is.

So before you do anything else, if you want to avoid protein shake clumps, you might want to get a quality protein powder (or at least, not a cheap one).

Now, lets see what you can personally do to keep your protein powder from clumping…

Get A Blender Or Blender Bottle

Are they mandatory? Not really. But they sure make everything simple and delicious.

If you don’t want to get either, I’ll show you a different way to mix protein powder without using either of these things in a second.

First, if you’re constantly dealing with protein shake clumps, it’s probably because you don’t have a blender or blender bottle. Or, like I said earlier, your protein powder is cheap.

Classic blender bottle gets rid of lumps

Chances are, you’re probably stirring your protein powder in a glass cup with a spoon. If so, I want to take a second and make this clear: never try to mix protein powder with a spoon. I’m not saying this because it’s unhealthy, but because it’s an absolute waste of time.

You know this. I know this. And we can both agree it almost never gets rid of clumps. Unless of course, you’re there vigorously smashing your spoon in your cup.

Don’t waste your time.

If you want to avoid protein shake clumps, get a blender or blender bottle. With a blender, it’s practically impossible to get them. With a blender bottle, there’s still a slight chance depending on the liquid and brand. But it’s sure as hell better than cranking a spoon.

My recommended blender is the Nutribullet. You can read why here. As for blender bottles, I don’t think you can ever go wrong with the classic ones.

How To Keep Protein Powder From Clumping

Let’s say you can’t (or don’t want to) buy a blender or blender bottle. But you still want to enjoy a nice protein shake without the disgusting lumps. What can you do?

As mentioned before, a glass and spoon isn’t a good option. In fact, I prohibit you from trying it. Especially when this way is much, much easier. And effective.

It’s nothing special, but it seems people are still lost.

So here’s how to mix protein powder without a blender bottle or blender (and still avoid protein shake clumps)…

Grab a water bottle. Any generic plastic water bottle. This is what you’ll drink out of. Now, create a funnel out of a sheet of paper. Or if you have one already, that’s even better. Then, stick it into the mouth of the bottle, pour in your protein powder, screw on the cap, and SHAKE.

Simple right?

Good protein powders can be mixed in a water bottle

And this isn’t just for a water bottle. Anything that has a lid or cap works. I only chose that because I’m sure everyone has one.

But again, this probably won’t work unless you have a good quality protein powder. But each time I’ve done this (I do it when I’m too lazy to wash my shaker cup), it never fails me.

How NOT To Get Rid Of Protein Shake Clumps

Before writing this, I looked at what other people suggested on how to keep protein powder from clumping. And for the most part, it was silly.

Some suggested putting protein powder in your cup first, then water.

Others said to put water first, then add your protein powder.

While a few created a multi-step tutorial on how to get the most clump-less protein shake ever.

Now, I don’t think any of them are wrong. Except the ones saying to add protein powder or water first. That’s just silly. What some said are sure to get rid of protein shake clumps, but it’s all unnecessary.

Look: you don’t have to do anything else but either use a blender, or shake (never stir) your protein powder aggressively to avoid clumping. And remember, always buy a good brand.

Hope this helped!

P.S. Read this post to find out the 5 best flavors.If you want a protein powder you can drink all the time without clumps, then you might want to get Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard.