Evidence-based
This article is based on scientific evidence because it has been written, fact-checked, reviewed, and regularly updated by experts that follow our strict editorial process.
The sources used by our editorial team are trustworthy, experienced, and authoritative, such as peer-reviewed journals and governmental information.
All the pieces of evidence are clearly highlighted in the articles as sources in the form of clickable endnotes ([1],[2],[3]) or simple in-text links.
Learn more about our editorial process.
Medically Reviewed
Unfold Today articles that require additional medical expertise are reviewed by a qualified member of our Expert Review Network, a group inside Unfold Today's team that verifies content to guarantee that the information delivered to our readers is thorough, authoritative, accurate, and fact-based.
Dora Okos-Rigo, is a registered dietitian nutritionist with a Bachelor's degree in Nutrition and Dietetics, and a Master's degree in Nutrition and Quality of Life, both from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iuliu Hatieganu.
If you focus only on solid high-calorie foods and don't take advantage of nutritious drinks such as calorie-dense smoothies and especially weight gain shakes, you'll not only spend more time eating but also find it harder to consume enough calories to meet your daily protein, carb, and fat needs.
Therefore, including healthy high-calorie shakes in your diet will help you gain weight easier and in a more convenient way, whether you're an underweight female looking to get thicker, a skinny male trying to add muscle, or a normal person trying to add a few pounds.
To make high-calorie shakes that will help you gain weight, you need to follow a few simple steps, as described below.
First, before you begin making a high-calorie shake, you need to determine how many calories your drink should have. This way, you will know how many ingredients and the quantities you should add to your shake.
To figure out how many calories should your weight gain shake have, think about how many calories you usually miss toward the end of the day. Chances are a nutritious shake can cover that deficit.
But, if the deficit is small, in the range of 0-200 calories, you don't need to limit your shake to so few calories.
Instead, consume shake with more calories to eliminate the deficit and also reduce the amount of food you need to eat during the day.
The above being said, don't waste the nutritional power of shakes. They are especially useful if they have at least a few hundred calories.
Now, you can't label any 100-calorie or 200-calorie shake as high-calorie.
First, take into account that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers packaged food that has 400 calories or more per serving to be high-calorie food.[1]
As a result, a high-calorie shake is a shake that has a minimum of 400 calories.
Action step: decide how many calories you want from your shake, but try to go for at least 400 calories.
Depending on their diet and needs, different people may need more or less protein from their high-calorie shakes. The same goes for the other macronutrients, namely carbs and fat.
Therefore, if you need more proteins on a certain day, prepare yourself a high-calorie protein shake. Otherwise, you may want to go for an energy shake or a meal replacement shake.
Here are the three main types of high-calorie shakes for weight gain:
High-calorie protein shakes are nutritional shakes that have over 400 calories and contain at least 20 grams of protein, much of it coming from protein powder. A study from the University of Birmingham showed that 20 g of protein is enough to help muscle growth.[2]
“Before making a high-calorie protein shake, don’t forget to estimate your daily protein needs,” says registered dietitian nutritionist Dora Okos-Rigo.
High-calorie energy shakes are nutritional shakes with at least 400 calories that contain mostly carbs and fat while featuring less than 20 g of protein.
Meal replacement shakes are weight gain shakes that have at least 400 calories and a minimum of 20 g of proteins while containing mostly carbs and fat.
One of the best things about adding high-calorie shakes to your diet is that they are very easy to prepare.
You just need a knife to cut some ingredients, a peeler to get rid of the skin of fruits and vegetables, and a blender to mix all the elements of your shake.
Pro tip: pour the liquid base of your chosen weight gain shake into the blender before mixing the solid ingredients to prevent the blender's blade from getting damaged.
One of the main advantages of making weight gain shakes at home is that you can decide the ingredients. This way, you can ensure that you gain weight by consuming 100% natural high-calorie shakes while meeting your dietary needs.
The best ingredients to add to your high-calorie shake for weight gain are:
But, don’t forget that a shake is based on dairy. Thus, focus on ingredients belonging to this food group when you prepare your next shake. Otherwise, you may get a different drink.
Learn the difference between smoothies and shakes by checking the smoothie vs shake comparison.
To make sure you get the highest possible number of calories from your shake, blend whole dairy products, calorie-dense nuts and seeds, high-calorie vegetables and fruits, nutritious grains, and healthy add-ins.
Dairy products, which are often high in fat and protein, add a significant number of calories to your weight gain shakes.
Yet, if you want to get a high-calorie shake, make sure to use full fat or whole dairy items rather than their leaner counterparts.
Here are some of the dairy products with the most calories that you can add to your shakes:
Full-fat Greek yogurt is the dairy product that will add the most proteins to your shake.
Yet, you will find that whole milk is the most useful shake base since it gives your shakes a thinner, more drinkable texture.
Soy milk and coconut milk are some vegan alternatives to whole milk but with a lower number of calories. Still, you need to make sure they don't have added sugars, according to RDN Dora Okos-Rigo.
Coconut milk has 31 calories/100 ml, per FoodData Central.[31]
Soy milk has 41 calories/100 ml, per FoodData Central.[32]
For a higher carb intake, ice cream is your go-to dairy.
On the other hand, if you want to boost the fat levels in your shake, you can’t go wrong with some heavy whipping cream.
When you plan to make an energizing high-calorie shake, you should think about adding nuts or seeds because they are high in healthy fats and allow you to easily increase the number of calories in your weight gain mix.
However, adding too many nuts and seeds can quickly overload your shake with fat, so be measured when sprinkling them in the blender.
The world of nuts and seeds contains a wide range of high-calorie ingredients that are ideal for shakes. Pumpkin seeds are one of the types of seeds with the most proteins while macadamia nuts are a treasure of fats.
To find the nuts and nut butters that work best in a weight gain shake, check the list of nuts and nut butters with the highest calories.
Here are the top 3 seeds with the most calories that you can add to your shakes:
“Chia and flax seeds are popular and have good quality fats,” says RDN Dora Okos-Rigo.
Find more seeds to add to your weight gain shakes in our list of high-calorie snacks.
Although fruits are commonly used to make high-calorie smoothies, they can bring extra flavor and more calories to your weight gain shake, if you pick high-calorie ones.
Here are some of the fruits with the most calories that you can add to your shakes:
High-calorie fruits are filled with carbs, which will help you fuel up your energy reservoirs. In addition, some fruits, like avocados, are rich in healthy fats and can take your shake’s calories to the next level.
On the other hand, although coconut is high in calories, you should stay away from it because the oil in this fruit is full of saturated fats. The saturated fats in coconut oil may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease because they boost cholesterol levels.[33]
Head over to our comprehensive article about high-calorie fruits to find much more nutritious fruits that you can add to your shakes. And while you are there, why don't you choose some whole high-calorie fruits to snack on daily.
“Don’t forget to introduce whole fruits to your daily diet, as they are important sources of fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants, which are destroyed while processing,” says RDN Dora Okos-Rigo.
Vegetables should be part of your daily diet and your shake mainly because of their beneficial effects on your health. Veggies are important sources of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber.
And even though they are usually low in calories, there are some vegetables that contain significantly more.
Here are some of the vegetables and sea vegetables with the most calories that you can add to your shakes:
High-calorie vegetables are usually rich in carbs and some of them, like dried spirulina, are a treasure of proteins, which will help you build muscle.
Find out more vegetables for your high-calorie shakes in our list of vegetables for gaining weight.
Because whole grains are abundant in healthy nutrients like carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals, they can significantly boost the energy offered by your high-calorie shakes.
The downside of using whole grains in your shakes is that once you blend them, the complex carbs in them get turned into simple ones.
Simple carbohydrates release energy much faster into your body while complex carbs release it slower across a larger period of time.
Yet, there's a way to keep the carbs in whole grains complex and still use them in your shakes:
“Add whole grains after the shake is done, so they are not processed,” says RDN Dora Okos-Rigo.
Here are some of the whole grains with the most calories that work well in shakes:
If you're gluten intolerant, you can use some gluten-free options, like quinoa or gluten-free cornflakes.
Whether you need extra calories in your weight shake or want it to have a better taste, you can solve your problems by putting some add-ins in the blender.
Here are some add-ins that you can put in your shakes:
Make sure that high-sugar add-ins like honey and maple syrup aren't playing major roles in your shake. Therefore, add just a tiny amount of these types of sugary ingredients to your weight gain drink.
Protein-rich add-ins, such as eggs and protein powder, can help you build stronger muscles and, as a result, gain healthier weight.
“Eggs are the number one protein source in quality,” says RDN Dora Okos-Rigo.
Furthermore, if you want to help your brain's neurons operate better, add some dark chocolate to your shake. Dark chocolate has been shown to enhance blood flow to the brain, according to a study conducted at the University of Nottingham.[27]
In general, you don't want to include water or ice cubes in a high-calorie shake because water has no calories and will only take up space, which could have otherwise been filled with precious calories.
After all, a shake is made mainly of milk or yogurt, so you don’t need water.
When it comes to ice cubes, you may replace them in your shake by adding frozen fruits or filling your ice tray with milk or half-and-half.
After you have finished blending the ingredients of your high-calorie shake, you can either serve your weight gain drink right away or put it in the refrigerator for consumption in the next couple of days.
In between meals is the best time to drink high-calorie shakes. This timing strategy allows you to avoid calorie overload while maximizing your daily calorie consumption.
Alternatively, weight gain shakes make for great snack replacements before or after your workouts because liquid calories are absorbed faster by your body than solid calories. Shortly said, shakes will fuel you up pre-workout and replenish the lost energy post-workout.
Tip: if you use high-calorie shakes to replace muscle-building pre-workout meals, make sure you prepare a low-fat shake that is rich in proteins and carbs because fat is harder to digest while proteins and carbs boost muscle growth.
When it comes to deciding how many shakes to consume a day, you should drink as many as you have to, depending on your protein, carb, fat, and calorie needs.
For example, if your goal is to eat 3500 calories per day, one 1000-calorie shake is enough, since you should get at least 2000 calories from solid food.
To meet your macronutrient needs, go for shakes that help you reach them.
For instance, if you're on a low-carb diet, choose a low-carb shake that has more proteins and fats. A good technique to make sure your shake doesn't have too many carbs is to ensure high-calorie low-carb foods, like nuts and seeds, are predominant on the list of ingredients.
Given you learned how to make a high-calorie protein, energy, or meal replacement shake, you can go on and either blend your favorite ingredients or follow some healthy recipes designed for weight gain.
However, remember that homemade weight gain shakes are healthier than store-bought ones because they contain only natural ingredients and you get to choose them. This way, you can stay away from any potentially harmful additives.
Here are the 14 best homemade high-calorie shakes that will help you gain weight:
Do you want to learn how to make each of the above shakes at home?
Here are the recipes for the 14 high-calorie shakes for weight gain:
Nickname: White Gorilla Shake
Calories: 1830
The Banana Peanut Butter Shake is the high-calorie shake with the most calories, so it’s one of the best choices for people looking to gain weight.
However, while this shake is both energizing, due to its content full of carbs and fat, and good for building muscle, due to the over 100 g of proteins in its composition, it is best served in two equal portions.
This way, your body will make better use of the sheer number of macronutrients found in the Banana PB Shake.
Talking about the ingredients in this high-protein shake recipe, whole milk and Greek yogurt form the base of this homemade drink while being responsible for the largest part of proteins.
However, peanut butter is the second most caloric ingredient in this shake, offering a solid number of proteins and plenty of fats along with its classic flavor.
Because they are rich in carbs, bananas, oats, and maple syrup are the ingredients that make the Banana Peanut Butter weight gain drink one of the most energizing high-calorie milkshakes.
Nickname: Dark Honeycomb Shake
Calories: 1542
Featuring many carbs, fats, and proteins, the Almond Dark Chocolate Shake is a tasty high-calorie shake designed for helping you gain weight.
While almond milk makes for the liquid base of this shake, coconut oil and dark chocolate are the most caloric ingredients in its composition. The latter two are also the fattiest elements.
On the other hand, whey protein powder provides almost all of the weight gain drink’s impressive protein content, which makes the shake great for building muscle.
Bananas and honey bring the lion’s share of carbs into the shake. Besides, they bring plenty of vitamins and antioxidants.
Yet, you should consider drinking this shake in two servings to let your body absorb its macronutrients more efficiently.
Nickname: Classic Bulking Shake
Calories: 1101
The Oat Peanut Butter Shake completes the podium of high-calorie shakes for weight gain.
Having whole milk as its liquid base and many nutritious ingredients, this shake could easily replace a meal.
Most of the protein in this high-calorie Oat PB Shake comes from three ingredients found in the recipe: whole milk, oats, and protein powder.
Carb-wise, the most energizing ingredients in this shake’s composition are oats, bananas, and milk.
To keep oats' nutritional profile, consider adding them to the shake after you have blended all the other ingredients. Or blend them lightly, just a few seconds.
The carb level is also elevated by the presence of honey and chocolate chips.
Peanut butter and milk are the ingredients that provide most of the fat offered by this shake.
Nickname: Sweet Nut Shake
Calories: 1075
Containing a treasure of macronutrients, the Chocolate Walnut Shake is a calorie-dense shake with a pleasant, addicting aroma.
Full-fat Greek yogurt, the shake’s liquid base, is also the ingredient with the most proteins in the drink’s composition.
In terms of carbs, bananas and chocolate chips bring the majority of them.
Walnuts are the fattiest ingredient while flax seeds bring a little boost to the fat level in this Chocolate Walnut Shake.
To not reduce the nutrients in walnuts, add them as toppings over the shake.
Calories: 979
The Nutty Goji Shake is a high-calorie drink with a whole milk base that is rich in all three macronutrients.
While whole milk is the ingredient with the most proteins in the shake, spirulina provides a welcomed boost.
Carb-wise, dried goji berries bring the majority of the carbohydrates.
In terms of fat content, walnuts and pumpkin seeds are the fattiest ingredients in the Nutty Goji Shake, besides the whole milk.
Goji berries, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds should be added as toppings to not alter their nutrients with the blending process. Or, don't blend them too much.
Nickname: Blue Bulking Shake
Calories: 973
The Blueberry Coconut Shake is the shake with the second-greatest number of proteins among the high-calorie shakes on this list, thus being an excellent choice for people looking to gain muscle or bodybuilders in their bulking phase.
Among its ingredients, whey protein powder and egg whites provide most of the proteins.
In terms of carbs, a banana, oats, and frozen blueberries contribute the most.
Fat-wise, coconut oil and peanut butter steal the show.
Moreover, the spinach in the shake contributes to leveraging your vitamin and mineral intake, while cinnamon and honey improve the taste.
The liquid base of this shake is almond milk.
Nickname: Berry Vanilla Shake
Calories: 915
The Fruity Ice Cream Shake is a delicious weight gain shake that is high in calories and filled with healthy macronutrients.
This shake’s liquid base is made of whole milk and vanilla ice cream, which are also the ingredients with the most fats and calories in the drink.
Ice cream, a large banana, and oats provide most of the shake’s carb content while whey protein powder makes for the majority of its protein content.
Blueberries and raspberries boost the vitamins in this shake, especially if you add them as toppings rather than blending them.
Nickname: Green Bulking Shake
Calories: 910
If you’re on a plant-based diet and want to gain weight easier, give it a try to the Vegan Avocado Protein Shake.
As its name suggests, this shake has a lot of proteins. The most prominent protein source in this drink’s composition is soy protein powder but oats contribute a fair share as well along with the 10 grams of dried spirulina.
When it comes to its carbohydrate content, this shake gets most of this type of macronutrient from oats and almond milk, which is also its liquid base.
Add oats as they are or blend them as little as possible to preserve the complex carbs in their composition.
Switching over, peanut butter and avocado are the main fatty ingredients.
Nickname: Tropical Paradise Shake
Calories: 909
Another colorful high-calorie drink for those looking to gain weight is the Fruity Coconut Shake.
This shake is especially high in carbs, rich in proteins, and has plenty of fats as well.
With a flavor that will send you to vacation destinations, the Fruity Coconut Shake has a liquid base made of coconut milk, which is also the fattiest ingredient in the weight gain drink.
In terms of proteins and carbs, whey protein powder brings most of the proteins while oats provide the lion’s share of carbs.
The fruits, mangoes, strawberries, and a banana, boost the carb intake.
To preserve the complex carbs in oats and fruits, don't blend them for too long or use them as toppings.
Nickname: Strawberry Storm Shake
Calories: 842
The Strawberry Oat Shake is a very energizing high-calorie shake that will fuel you up before workouts or recover afterward while helping you gain weight easier.
This shake also joined our list of high-calorie low-fat foods because less than 30% of its calories come from fatty acids.
Most of the carbs in this shake come from whole milk, a cup of oats, and fruits (bananas and strawberries). The two teaspoons of sugar contribute as well to the drink’s total carb intake.
The liquid base made of whole milk also leverages the number of fats in this weight gain drink.
The proteins in the Strawberry Oat Shake come mainly from whole milk and oats.
Vanilla extract’s role is to give a better taste and personality to the shake.
As a tip to keep the complex carbohydrates in oats and fruits, use them as a topping, or don't mix them for too long.
Nickname: Iced Chocolate Shake
Calories: 839
In case you prefer chocolate over vanilla flavor, you are set for a weight-gaining treat with the Chocolate Ice Cream Shake.
This shake is full of carbs and proteins while providing solid amounts of fat as well.
At its base, the Chocolate Ice Cream Shake has whole milk and chocolate ice cream, ingredients that significantly increase the shake’s fat content.
The carb content is ensured by the mix of oats, ice cream, and a large banana.
To avoid turning the complex carbs in oats and the banana into simple ones, use these ingredients as toppings or mix them just a little.
In terms of proteins, the majority of them are provided by the one and a half scoops of whey protein powder.
Nickname: Rocky Soy Shake
Calories: 734
The Egg Oat Peanut Butter Shake is a vegan high-calorie shake based on soy milk that has plenty of macronutrients, which will help sky-rocket your weight gain efforts.
Most of the proteins in this shake come from 3 whole eggs, oats, and soy milk.
The oats also bring the majority of carbs found in the Egg Oat PB Shake. However, to preserve the complex carbs in oats, you should blend them as little as possible. Otherwise, the complex carbs will be turned into simple ones, which can provoke energy spikes.
In terms of fat, eggs, soy milk, and peanut butter are the fattiest ingredients, with oats coming in close.
Spinach boosts the vitamins and minerals in this weight gain shake.
Nickname: Coconut Joy Shake
Calories: 543
The Coconut Energy Shake is a high-calorie drink that is low in carbs and proteins but high in fat. Given its ketogenic characteristics (high-fat, low-carb), this coconut shake counts among the high-calorie keto foods.
The increased amount of fat in this shake is owed to coconut milk and coconut oil, which also make for the liquid base of the drink.
Most of the protein in the Coconut Energy Shake comes from the whole egg found in its content.
Raw cocoa, stevia, and vanilla extract give a better taste to this milkshake while the teaspoon of chia seeds leverages the vitamin and minerals a bit.
Calories: 476
If you’re looking to surprise your taste buds, you should give a go to the high-calorie Cashew Raspberry Shake.
This energizing shake has mainly fats and carbs along with a fair share of proteins, the latter coming mainly from the whole egg on the ingredients list.
Avocado and cashew milk drive most of the fat content while the taste is improved by the mix of raw cocoa, sugar, and raspberry extract.
Note: we attributed labels like high-protein, high-carb, and high-fat to weight gain shakes that have at least 20% of a certain macronutrient.
We’ve chosen this threshold after adapting a paragraph from the FDA’s Code of Federal Regulations that says that terms like “high” can be labeled on products that contain 20% or more of the RDI (Recommended Dietary Intake) or the DRV (Daily Reference Value) per reference amount customarily consumed.[28]
Shakes that are high in proteins and calories are the best drinks for people who are looking both to gain weight and add muscle.
Here are the high-calorie shakes for weight gain with the most proteins:
Shakes that are high in carbohydrates and calories will not only fill up your energy reservoirs but also help you gain weight easier.
Here are the high-calorie shakes for weight gain with the most carbs:
Fat is the most caloric macronutrient in shakes and it’s also energizing, so drinking high-fat weight gain shakes is one of the smartest ways to increase your daily calorie intake.
Here are the high-calorie shakes for weight gain with the most fat:
Ready-to-drink high-calorie shakes are dairy-based nutrition drinks available in stores that can help you gain weight easier.
Most nutrition shakes on the shelf offer 150-250 calories per serving, many of these being marketed as protein shakes.
Protein shakes generally target people who want to lose weight, so you will find that the vast majority of them are not high-calorie despite offering a lot of protein.
Yet, there are still a few ready-to-drink shakes that surpass 400 calories.
Here are some of the high-calorie shakes with the most calories on the market:
Research methodology:
We studied the top shakes for weight gain according to the customers of Amazon, the largest online marketplace, and ranked the shakes by the number of calories offered per serving.
Note that not all the shakes above meet FDA’s high-calorie criteria. We chose to consider all the above as ready-to-drink high-calorie shakes because of the lack of shakes with 400+ calories on the market.
One of the main benefits of ready-to-drink high-calorie shakes is that you don’t have to prepare them.
For example, whenever you need some extra calories, you can stop by a convenience store and buy a high-calorie shake.
You can usually find ready-to-drink shakes for weight gain at Walmart, Tesco, and ASDA stores. Or, you can just order a pack of calorie-dense shakes online on sites like Amazon or the official websites of the shake manufacturers, like Ensure’s one.
Always check the nutrition label of every ready-to-drink high-calorie shake you want to buy.
Why?
Firstly, do check the nutrition label because FDA does not approve dietary supplements, so you could find dangerous ingredients in ready-to-drink weight gain shakes, protein-based or not.[29]
Many pre-workout supplement brands use "proprietary blends" that do not "disclose specific amounts of ingredients," according to a 2018 study.[30]
Secondly, if you are lactose intolerant and looking for dairy-free shakes for weight gain, you must ensure that the ready-made shakes include no dairy.
Likewise, if you are gluten intolerant or have any other allergies, it's very important to check the label for potentially harmful ingredients.
One of the main takeaways is that homemade high-calorie drinks are generally safer than commercial weight gain supplements.
You’re on a particular diet that excludes certain foods, so you don’t know which high-calorie shakes you can drink without a worry?
No problem.
With the following rearranged list of the 14 high-calorie shake recipes previously described in this article, it is very easy to pick the right shakes for your diet, whether you’re looking for vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free weight gain blends, or you just want to choose a shake with or without certain ingredients, like protein powder and peanut butter.
If you want to convert other high-calorie shakes for weight gain into dairy-free ones, replace animal milk and whey protein powder with other types of milk, like almond milk and rice milk, and plant-based protein powders, like the spirulina one.
Not all high-calorie shakes are gluten-free because whole cereals, like oats, are a popular ingredient for this type of weight gain drink.
Yet, you can replace whole cereals with their gluten-free version but don’t forget to check their calories since they will most probably have less.
However, here are the weight gain shakes that do not have gluten:
High-calorie shakes are one of the best weight gain foods for females. 91% of the women who successfully gain weight drink shakes or smoothies as part of their diets.
If you're a woman or a girl wanting to add shakes to your diet, you can do that by following or personalizing a weight gain meal plan for females.
High-calorie shakes can help a wide range of people who are trying to gain weight see progress, including:
If you have a disease, like diabetes or cancer, we recommend you talk to your doctor before adding high-calorie shakes for weight gain to your diet. This is because some weight gain shakes may actually prove harmful to you.
For example, if you drink a high-carb weight gain shake and you have diabetes, your blood sugar will spike and potentially reach unwanted levels.
Now that you know who should profit the most from the nutritional properties of high-calorie shakes, let's look at the advantages of consuming these weight gain drinks.
No matter if you’re a bodybuilder bulking up, a skinny female that wants to get thicker, or an underweight adult, you will discover that drinking high-calorie shakes is going to make your weight gain journey way easier.
Yet, only mixing and drinking shakes will not ensure you will gain healthy weight. You also need to be on a caloric surplus (eat more calories than you consume every day), eat healthy high-calorie foods, and exercise.
If you’re on a tighter budget and can’t afford to spend too much on your weight gain meals, get ideas from our list of cheap high-calorie foods.
To stay on a caloric surplus with even less effort, complement your shakes by adding high-calorie snacks and weight gain bars to your diet.
If you’re a skinny guy, you have to respect the same rules of weight gain as most people: be on a caloric surplus, avoid consuming empty calories, like the ones you get from junk food, and exercise to gain muscle instead of fat.
Of course, high-calorie foods and drinks, like weight gain shakes, will help you stay in a caloric surplus.
Weight gain tip: eat more regularly to avoid feeling full after digesting heavy calorie-dense meals.
Also, to combat the feeling of fullness, you can include some low-volume high-calorie foods in your diet.
Besides helping you gain weight easier, high-calorie shakes are useful if you’re having problems maintaining your weight due to increased caloric needs.
People who lose weight fast usually have medical problems, are receiving nausea-inducing medication, or have a high metabolic rate.
To maintain your weight, you must consume the same number of calories as you consume each day, and weight gain shakes can help you achieve this objective.
Mixing a few ingredients to make a weight gain shake is more convenient than cooking a bulky meal and is oftentimes better for your digestion too. Therefore, weight gain shakes also help you save valuable time.
But don’t forget, solid foods should be the basis of your diet.
For many more stomach-friendly ideas besides shakes, check our list of easy-to-digest foods.
Another advantage of consuming high-calorie shakes is that they replenish your energy. As a consequence, weight gain shakes are a brilliant option for athletes and an excellent pre-workout alternative for fitness enthusiasts.
Last but not the least, high-calorie shakes come in handy when you happen to miss meals because of your daily errands or work tasks. Since they are filled with healthy nutrients, weight gain shakes make for satisfying meal replacements.
“Just make sure that you don’t make a habit of replacing meals,” says RDN Dora Okos-Rigo.
Yes, weight gain shakes will help you increase your body mass more conveniently because they are high in calories and very easy to prepare while being great meal replacements.
In order to achieve results with high-calorie shakes and successfully include them in your diet, you have to be strategic. Otherwise, you may end up far from your daily calorie goal or feeling tired and bloated by all the food you have to eat.
But don’t worry. If you follow at least a few of the next simple weight-gaining tips, you will be on your way to achieving your ideal body mass.
You can gain weight even in one week by making sure you eat more calories than you burn every day. However, don’t expect to gain too much weight in 7 days.
As long as you exercise regularly, weight gain shakes will not make you fat. Otherwise, if you eat more calories than you burn daily and don’t have a training routine, then you will gain fat.
Since each high-calorie shake has different ingredients, nobody can say that all weight gain shakes are healthy.
However, homemade shakes are generally healthier than the ones you buy from the store because you know exactly what ingredients you put in them. Know that shakes can be exceptionally nutritious and can help you take in lots of vitamins and minerals.
Yet, what weight gain shakes miss is fiber. Fortunately, you can get fiber from many solid foods, like beans, whole grains, and more.
Weight gain shakes are the most effective beverage you can drink when you are trying to increase your body mass.
Explore other beverages tailored for weight gain in our list of high-calorie drinks.
Since proteins help you build muscle faster, adding protein shakes to your diet is one of the best ways to gain weight.
Yes, you can drink weight gain shakes even if you don’t work out. Yet, if you do this, you will likely gain weight by increasing your fat mass instead of your muscle mass.
Due to the numerous health benefits that high-calorie shakes provide to your body, these drinks are one of the greatest nutritional options for when you’re trying to gain weight and build muscle.
And, now that you know how to prepare both energizing and protein shakes, you'll be able to reach your daily calorie goals while getting closer to your desired body shape easier than ever.
If you don't want to make a weight gain shake from scratch, return to this article and try one of the 14 high-calorie shake recipes or buy a ready-to-drink one, picking from the best shakes on the market.
Unfold Today has rigorous sourcing principles adhering to the top journalistic standards, so our writers always look for official, experienced, and first-hand sources. Read more about how we keep our content trustworthy and updated by reading our editorial process.
MOST POPULAR
High-Calorie Drinks
Dora Okos-Rigo, RDN, is a registered dietitian nutritionist with a Bachelor's degree in Nutrition and Dietetics, and a Master's degree in Nutrition and Quality of Life, both from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iuliu Hatieganu.