5 Homemade Mass Gainer Recipes for Weight Gain

Mass gainer shakes can be expensive – and they’re just food. Can you make mass gainer shakes at home, instead? What are the benefits of homemade mass gainer?

Today we’re going through how to make mass gainer shakes at home, some mass gainer recipes and what rules you should follow to get the best results from them. We’ll also look at 5 of the easiest and most effective bases for shakes, which you can use to start your journey and begin experimenting with.

Let’s get right into it and see what homemade mass gainer shakes are up against on the supplement market…

What Are Mass Gainer Shakes?

Mass gainer shakes are high-calorie powders that can be used to make high-calorie drinks. They’re often rich in protein and carbs to help you build more muscle with increased energy and protein intake.

Typically, the combination of carbs and protein together should be found in meals (1). They’re the main driving force behind higher calorie intake, while the protein itself is used to build the muscles. 

By providing your body with more calories and more protein, you spur greater muscle growth – that’s how mass gainers work (2).

Specifically, mass gainers make this easier through the mass gainer shake ingredients. Many people want to gain weight but can’t reliably eat enough to make that happen. 

Mass gainer shakes also tend to have a hit-and-miss reputation. Some are great, while the bottom of the market is made up of poor-quality fodder that often contains too much sugar or heavy metals, and there’s a complete range between these two extremes.

This has led many people to ask if there’s a better way to make mass gainer shakes. And there is…

Can You Make Mass Gainer Shakes At Home?

Yes – you can make mass gainers at home and get the added benefits of saving money, choosing your own ingredients, and experimenting with flavors.

Homemade mass gainer shakes are a great way to exercise more control over your diet, and can be used to save money and improve nutrition compared to pre-packaged mass gainers.

Sometimes, this will involve blending a carb powder and protein powder, in a very similar way to the supplement manufacturers.

However, making mass gainer shakes at home also gives you the added advantage of including a wider range of ingredients. 

You can blend wet ingredients, you can add fruit, and you can experiment with other options that just wouldn’t be possible in a powder. This makes them fresher, more versatile, and even healthier if you make the right choices.

Mass gainers made at home have more versatility, can have better nutrient values, and are often just going to taste better. So what are the drawbacks? Let’s look at the main ones briefly before looking at how to get the most from your homemade mass gainer:

• It’s messy: homemade mass gainers actually require you to wash things
• It’s slower: homemade mass gainer shakes require prep – as may the ingredients
• Expensive ingredients: adding Nutella is fine until you have to buy another jar every few days 
• Prep demands: you can’t just blend a shake in the office or during a lecture
• You might also miss out on some of the more advanced performance boosting ingredients

These shouldn’t make too much difference to your plans.

The goal is still to use homemade mass gainers when you have access to them – even if you have to buy a mass gainer for more convenience. The trade-offs are excellent and being able to do both is always the best situation to be in.

What Makes A Good Mass Gainer Shake?

A good mass gainer shake has a few simple factors: it’s calorie-rich, high in protein, and contains plenty of carbs.

Then, extra vitamins and minerals can really help boost the quality of results you get from your weight gain diet.

Mass gainers need high calorie content, which means adding plenty of carbs and protein.

Fats are even more calorie-dense, but they’re also going to slow down absorption, which you need to keep in mind if you’re trying to use a mass gainer after workouts, which should be fast-absorbing.

Protein is the main ingredient for muscle growth and that means focusing on adding protein powder or another high-quality protein source to your mass gainer (3).

This could even include a high-protein mass gainer being blended in with items like ice cream (for example).

You can get extra carbs from things like oat powder, blending oats, using a rice flour, or even a dedicated maltodextrin or cyclic dextrose powder.

These add the main calorie source and can be blended into liquids more easily than protein, for example.

The Best Homemade Mass Gainer Shakes

These are 5 of the best base recipes that you should start with in order to improve your mass gainer performance. They’re simple and effective bases that don’t go too far into the details.

You should take them and start playing with them once you’ve given each one a test run, as most of the fun in this kind of nutrition is in finding out what you like best, and experimenting with new ingredients.

1. Simple Banana-Oat Mass Gainer Shake

This is about the simplest homemade mass gainer recipe for beginners. Put these items in a blender (at your own preferred quantities) and blend them:

• Banana
• Oats
• Whey or Plan Protein
• Milk

It’s a simple one – and it works. This is one of the best ways to get 1000 calories in a cup with very little effort and cost.

You can add almost anything to this base set of ingredients and get a great result – even if it’s a little simple.

2. Honey-Avocado Shake

It sounds savory, but it’s not. The added Avocado gives this mass gainer recipe a much higher calorie content without much flavor change. It just leaves a fresh, creamy shake as well as a much-needed boost of calories.

• Oat flour or rolled oats
• Whey or plan protein
• Diced avocado to taste (start small – 1/8 to ¼ avocado)
• Vanilla Ice cream (or vegan alternative)
• A spoonful of honey

This is a good shake throughout the day and doesn’t work as well after workouts.

The added fats slow down digestion, which can make it a better choice for keeping you fueled up in the daytime, rather than after a workout when protein and carbs are most important.

3. The Fitzgerald

This shake is simple and easy, but comes with a great taste and tons of calories.

It is luxurious, easy to make, and guaranteed to help with weight gain. It’s not the healthiest choice, but it’s great fun and can be a real helping hand after a long day of under-eating.

• Chopped banana
• Nutella
• Cream
• Vanilla or chocolate protein powder
• Ice Cubes

This is another simple one that comes out delicious. You can play around with your own alternatives, perhaps using coconut milk instead of cream – but only the thick kind that is blended with the flesh of the fruit.

The idea is a smooth, creamy result but with enough liquids (from cream and your choice of milk) to get a good consistency.

This one, in particular, requires a good balance of solids and liquids to prevent over-thickening and unpleasant drinking.

4. Mocha Mass Gainer Shake

I love coffee and protein. Put them together? That’s a good time and a great way to build more muscle mass using things you might already have around.

• Vanilla ice cream (a personal favorite)
• Chocolate or vanilla protein powder
• Ice cubes (a small amount)
• 1-2 shots of espresso or dark-brewed coffee
• Optional: Nutella, cocoa, or another chocolate source

If you’re not using a chocolate protein powder, go heavier on the cocoa or Nutella. It’s a good way to keep the consistency of the shake thick while reducing over-reliance on any one ingredient.

You can also optionally add avocado if you like it in the honey-avocado shake, but it does have a distinctive flavor that might not go well with coffee.

If you can froth milk to throw on top of this, you’re in business.

5. Peanut Butter Mass Gainer (or Peanut Butter Cup)

This is a mass gainer recipe that can either capture the best flavors and nutrient value of peanut butter, or opt into the peanut butter cup flavors we all love.

It’s another simple recipe but still forms the basis for a wider range of experiments and iterations you can build on.

• Vanilla ice cream
• Small amount of chopped banana
• Ice (1 handful per 330-500ml)
• Honey, maple syrup, or other nutritive sweeteners
• 1-2 scoop smooth peanut butter
• Optional: 1 scoop Nutella (again)

The Nutella here is optional because it doubles up as a way to both add more calories and change the taste profile to the classic peanut butter cup.

These are both great, and the base of this shake is an easy way to choose your own flavors while getting an excellent boost of calorie content. 

The peanut butter is high in fats and offers a simple and delicious way to ratchet up the calorie content while providing a semi-liquid texture and keeping things smooth.

Homemade Mass Gainer – Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion: Our Final Thoughts

Homemade mass gainer shakes offer a huge boost to the versatility, control, and health benefits of a mass gainer shake. They come with all the same benefits as a bought product, but without the same cost and with more options for better choices.

Make sure you’re experimenting with a wide range of ingredients and always look to the internet for inspiration to create your own mass gainer. 

You can make huge gains using simple ingredients if you’re willing to blend and sieve ahead of time, preparing a homemade weight gain shake for maximum results.

If you’re ready to save yourself some money and experiment with the nutrients of a mass gainer shake, it’s a great way to improve your whole diet with very little extra money or effort!

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