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Mass gainer supplements offer you a simple, pre-formulated, and instant way of getting in a high number of protein and calories in one serving. Hence, many people choose them over preparing their own high-calorie shake.
If you enjoy being in the kitchen and have a bit of time on your hands, why not create a mass gainer at home with your own choice of ingredients.
Is there an added benefit to making your own versus buying one in powder form? Well, there can be. It depends on the ingredients you choose to use.
For homemade mass gainer shakes, you can use natural ingredients. This will not only pack your shake with calories but also have it jam-packed with nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.
Micronutrients are often stripped away from your commercial mass gainers due to the various processes they undergo during production.
Most mass gainer recipes you would find online include highly processed carbohydrate sources like sugar or processed fats like whipped cream. While consuming them is not inherently bad, having them in high amounts often is the problem.
They might make you gain weight but they will also reinforce bad eating habits by triggering your cravings. These can derail you from a disciplined nutrition protocol and, ultimately, from achieving your goal physique.
Make Sure You Have the Essentials
Before you start making your all-natural mass gainers at home, you need 3 things: a blender, a protein powder, and a liquid base.
The blender is a no-brainer, that makes it effortless to mix 4-5 ingredients. Unless you want to burn the calories you work hard to get, you can opt to mix them with your hands. I know you won’t do that, so either order one or get it out of the cupboard and clean them now.
The next mass gainer essential is the protein powder. Without it, it really won’t be a mass gainer, more like a weight gainer. You must have this in every recipe to have the basics of muscle-building covered, at least nutrition-wise.
If you can, buy a flavorless or vanilla-flavored powder; these will work best as they give you a “blank canvas” to work with.
Protein powders are not the most flavorful despite manufacturers’ efforts. So, it is up to you to add ingredients to make them more palatable.
On a side note, the natural ingredients added would not only be responsible for flavor. They have a more important role to play in your homemade mass-adding drink.
Lastly, we need a liquid base. Without it, your homemade mass gainer would be closer to baby food or porridge rather than a shake.
We’d want a healthy liquid base with a nice proportion of macros. Whole milk is the best choice for this. If you are lactose-intolerant, you can opt for nut milk like almond or cashew.
However, keep in mind that these alternatives will be lower in calories.
The ingredients you add will be responsible for making your drink a legit mass gainer through their calorie content. Be it from carbs or fats, what you blend in with your choice of protein powder will determine how many calories you get from your mass gainer.
Depending on what you add to your protein-and-liquid base, you can make your mass gainer sweet and delectable or tangy and fruity.
It can be hard to create recipes from scratch. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Read through our list below for gourmet recipes that will truly help you bulk up and gain that much-coveted mass.
For homemade mass gainers that deliver a one-two punch of high protein and high calories, consider giving these mass gainer recipes a try:
Breakfast Mass Gainer
This is a great mass gainer for people who do not have much time in the morning to prepare a hearty cooked meal. If you want to get as much sleep in as you can or if you workout very early in the morning before working your 9-5, then this recipe is for you.
| Ingredient | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole Milk (2 cups) | 296 | 14 g | 22 g | 4 g |
| Protein Powder (2 servings) | 240 | 50 g | 2 g | 4 g |
| Instant Oats (50 g) | 194 | 4 g | 35 g | 3.5 g |
| Banana (large) | 120 | 1.5 g | 31.1 g | 0.4 g |
Pre-Bed Casein Mass Gainer
If you have trouble getting some zzzz’s in at night, this sleep-inducing recipe is sure to knock you out faster than a powerlifter slamming down the barbell after a 1RM (repetition maximum) on the deadlift.
Cocoa powder gives you a good amount of tryptophan, a hormone that helps you relax and fall asleep faster. In addition to that, olive oil reduces inflammation and free radicals helping you achieve a much more relaxing slumber.
| Ingredient | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole Milk (1 cup) | 148 | 7 g | 11 g | 2 g |
| Casein Protein Powder (2 servings) | 240 | 50 g | 2 g | 4 g |
| Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (2 tablespoons) | 24 | 2 g | 6 g | 0 g |
| Olive Oil | 74 | 1 g | 17 g | 0 g |
| Chocolate Syrup | 90 | 1 g | 22 g | 0 g |
Nutty High-Fat Mass Gainer
Most mass gainers have their high number of calories coming from carbohydrates. Since you may have consumed a good amount of it from your meals already, this recipe will provide you with the good type of fats rich in Omega-3.
| Ingredient | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole Milk (1 cup) | 148 | 7 g | 11 g | 2 g |
| Vanilla Protein Powder (2 servings) | 240 | 50 g | 2 g | 4 g |
| Walnuts (¼ cup) | 185 | 4.3 g | 3.9 g | 18.5 g |
| Natural Peanut Butter (2 tablespoons) | 180 | 16 g | 7 g | 8 g |
| Honey (1 tablespoon) | 63 | 0 g | 17 g | 0 g |
Very Berry Mass Gainer
If you want a refreshing shake to cool you down on a hot day, this mass gainer recipe will definitely do the job.
Its tangy and fruity flavors are sure to keep you wanting more. Instead of regular yogurt, we chose greek yogurt because of its significantly higher protein content.
| Ingredient | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole Milk (2 cups) | 296 | 14 g | 22 g | 4 g |
| Protein Powder (2 servings) | 240 | 50 g | 2 g | 4 g |
| Strawberry (1 cup, pureed) | 74 | 1 g | 17 g | 0 g |
| Blueberry (1 cup) | 84 | 1 g | 21 g | 0 g |
| Greek Yogurt (1 cup) | 220 | 22 g | 9 g | 11 g |
Latte Mass Gainer
If you like drinking coffee to power you through the day, this would be a nice recipe to try. It can work as a mid-morning shake or early in the afternoon to give you the much-needed energy boost to keep you awake.
You can also drink this pre-workout for the same reason. We suggest using a dark roast to get the most coffee flavor into your mass gainer.
| Ingredient | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole Milk (2 cups) | 296 | 14 g | 22 g | 4 g |
| Protein Powder (2 servings) | 240 | 50 g | 2 g | 4 g |
| Brewed Coffee, dark roast (1 cup) | 1 | 0.1 | 0 g | 0 g |
| Caramel Syrup (2 tablespoons) | 96 | 0 g | 24 g | 0 g |
Boba Milk Tea Mass Gainer
Maybe switching to a healthier lifestyle has forced you to give up your favorite high-sugar drinks that provide you little to no nutrition aka empty calories. This recipe might be the answer you have been looking for.
This milk tea mass gainer will give you several servings of that boba tea you miss drinking with all the important muscle-building nutrients you can get.
| Ingredient | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole Milk (2 cups) | 296 | 14 g | 22 g | 4 g |
| Protein Powder (2 servings) | 240 | 50 g | 2 g | 4 g |
| Brewed Tea (8 ounces) | 2 | 0 g | 0.1 g | 0 g |
| Unsweetened Boba/Tapioca Pearl (½ cup) | 272 | 0.1 g | 67.5 g | 0 g |
| Brown Sugar (4 teaspoons) | 90 | 1 g | 22 g | 0 g |
Pro-tips:
1) Add a tablespoon or two of olive oil to easily add 120-240 calories, without affecting the consistency or flavor of each recipe too much. Olive oil reduces blood pressure and inflammation and has a very high content of Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids.
2) Add water or ice if the consistency is too thick for your liking.
The Bottom Line
With all the recipes, mix them in and blend them until you get a smooth consistency. If you can’t consume them as one serving, you can always refrigerate them and have more saved for later.
While they do not reach the 1000-calories threshold most commercial mass gainers do, you can be sure that most, if not all, of the ingredients of each recipe are natural and, therefore, more nutritious.
Now go on and give the recipes above a try and add a new spectrum to your nutrition master plan. These mass gainer concoctions make following a strict diet fun and easy. And, the less stressful your diet is, the more likely you are to stick to them and achieve your fitness goals quicker.
