8 Refreshing Drinks to Sip After Your Summer Workout

When summertime rolls around, you want to be outside hanging out with your friends and enjoying the sunshine. Who says you can't do this while enjoying a healthy and refreshing workout recovery drink? Learn how to make some delicious drinks that'll give you the nutrients you need after a workout.

8 Workout Recovery Drinks

In order to make most of these drinks, you'll need a blender, some frozen fruits, fresh veggies, and of course, protein powder. Whether it's a smoothie, green drink, or electrolyte drink, you'll want to try all of these recovery drink ideas.

1. Blueberry and Cherry Smoothie

If you work up a sweat, this drink will replenish your lost fluids. To make it, put the following in a blender and run until smooth: a cup of frozen blueberries, a half cup of frozen cherries, two wedges of fresh watermelon, the juice from half a lemon and half a lime, a few springs of fresh mint, and 4oz of coconut water. 

The watermelon and coconut water help replenish the electrolytes you lost during your workout. The frozen berries are loaded with antioxidants, which combat the free radicals that get released during a workout. 

2. Tropical Protein Smoothie

Nothing says summer like a tropical drink that'll make you feel like you're at the beach. Start by filling your blender with a cup each of frozen mango and pineapple. Next, add a fresh banana and top off the fruit with 3/4 cup of pineapple juice and 1/2 cup of coconut milk. Finally, top it with a scoop of your favorite protein powder and blend until smooth. If you need an extra protein boost, add some Greek yogurt before blending.

3. The Green Machine

This green drink gets its name from the color of all of the different vitamin-packed veggies you blend up to make it. Start by filling your blender with a couple of handfuls of baby spinach, a cup of fresh wheat grass, and half a cucumber. Next, add one cup of frozen pineapple, a banana, a one-inch piece of ginger, 1/2 cup of your favorite milk or Greek yogurt, and a 1/2 cup of coconut water. Sprinkle a tablespoon of chia seeds on top and blend. 

Your post-workout needs are easily met with one of these shakes. You get protein from the milk, spinach, and chia seeds and electrolytes from the coconut water. The ginger helps aid muscle soreness, and the banana and pineapple give you good complex carbs, sugar, and antioxidants. 

4. Iced Coffee Shake

It's too hot in the summer to sip on a steaming cup of coffee. To whip up one of these, take your empty blender and add in a frozen banana, one cup of cold coffee, 3/4 cup of almond milk, one cup of ice, and a scoop of protein powder. Blend until it is your favorite consistency. You can top it off with a squirt of agave if you need a little extra sweetness. The perfect protein powder flavors to pair with this shake are chocolate, vanilla, or coffee flavored. If you still love the flavor but want one late at night, use decaf coffee instead.

5. Dragon Fruit Smoothie

The bright purple color of this drink alone will make you crave one right after the gym. Combine one cup of frozen dragon fruit, 1/2 cup of frozen mango, a banana, one cup of coconut or almond milk, one tablespoon of lime juice, and ice. The coconut milk and fruit alone pack plenty of electrolytes and vitamins. But if you want to add some extra protein to fuel your muscles, you can add protein powder, Greek yogurt, or even a spoonful of peanut butter.

6. Vegan Green Drink

It's not too hard to make a green smoothie that's both protein-filled and vegan. All you have to do is make sure you use plant-based milk like almond, soy, or coconut and a plant-based protein powder. Just about everything else that you'd add in, like fruits and veggies, are already vegan. 

One delicious option is to blend together one or two cups of plant-based milk, a pint of blueberries, a zucchini, a handful of kale, 1/2 of a banana, three tablespoons of teff flakes, two tablespoons of hemp seeds, one tablespoon of vanilla extract, and two scoops of your favorite plant-based protein powder. 

7. Electrolyte Lemonade

Lemonade might be the first drink that comes to mind when you think of summertime. This drink takes your favorite lemonade recipes and amps up the hydration levels and flavors. Grab your juicer and fresh fruit to get 1/4 cup each of lemon, lime, orange, and pink grapefruit juice. Mix the fresh-squeezed juice with one or two cups of coconut water and two cups of cold water. Once mixed, stir in a pinch of sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon of grated ginger, and a squirt of agave syrup. For a little extra flavor, serve it with a sprig of thyme in the glass.

8. Raspberry White Chocolate

Another uniquely refreshing protein shake combines raspberries' tartness with white chocolate's sweetness. Simply blend 2/3 cup of fresh raspberries, an ounce of white chocolate, a cup of your favorite milk, and a scoop of vanilla protein powder together with a handful of ice. You'll have a cool, tasty treat loaded with the carbs and proteins you need after a hard workout.

Enjoy a Cool Post-Workout Recovery Drink this Summer

Now that you know how to make a few new post-workout drinks be sure to try some this summer. Your next go-to workout recovery drink might just be on this list. So stock up on some protein powders and supplements and start mixing today. You can get all of these and more at TigerFitness.com.