The biggest thing going on right now with food is meal prepping and why does it have to be any different with your protein shakes? If you go to an grocery store like a Walmart in the supplements aisle they always have those pre-shakes sitting there not refrigerated. So when it comes to Shakeology why should it be much different.
So can you make your Shakeology the night before?
You can make Shakeology the night before even though it says to drink within 30 minutes. The trick is to put it in the freezer and take it out in the morning to naturally defrost before you actually drink it. If you are doing smoothies this is where it gets tough the only other option is to mix up everything but the Shakeology and quickly mix that in during the morning.
I would say if you can to just do it in the morning then take to work and put in the fridge if it needs to sit there for awhile. This is mainly if you are doing a smoothie. If you are simply doing something like milk or water and shakeology there is really no reason to pre-mix since they make great Shakeology Shaker bottles that mix it up very well.
If you like to add ICE (I do too) then you can make it up earlier in the morning and it will be fine for awhile since it is still nearly frozen. I have tried mixing with extra ice overnight with it in the fridge and that actually wasn't that bad either. Mixing with ice definitely extends beyond that drink within 30 minute mark.
Can You make Shakeology Ahead Of Time?
We live busy lifestyles this day in age and that is why prepping has become such a big part of most of our lives. Why not do something when you have the time instead of waiting until the last minute to get it ready. It is less stressful and can even be a group effort with your spouse, fam or friends.
You can make Shakeology ahead of time. So if you make earlier in the morning then put in the fridge at work or something like that for 3-4 hours you should be good. There are a couple of ways to make it last long and taste better:
- ICE – make your Shakeology with ice. Doesn't matter if you are using only water or with milk add ice and blender and you will be thankful you did. If you are adding fruits use frozen fruits with some ice and that will work as well. You will need to still mix up a bit since it will settle just before you drink.
- Freeze it – you can freeze your Shakeology overnight and it will taste good. The biggest thing is let it NATURALLY DEFROST DO NOT MICROWAVE. You will kill enzymes and ingredients that you benefit from. So let's say you make it at 9pm for your mid day snack get it out of the freezer early and let it defrost for a few hours at room temp it will taste just as good or it does in our experience.
Letting Shakeology Sit Overnight
If you are letting Shakeology sit overnight you definitely need to at least refrigerate and even maybe put in the freezer. You can also put in the freezer for like an hour before you put in the freezer just to get it to a certain temperature where it is less likely to separate.
Make sure to at least let it sit less then 24 hours after that time a lot can change with the texture and the nutritional value.
Can You Pre-Make Shakeology?
Pre-making Shakeology is fine as long as you consume it within a 24 hour span and it doesn't sit in room temp for longer than 30 minutes. The 30 minute window is just if you don't have ice in it or at least mixed it with ice.
How Long Can Shakeology Sit?
Do not lake Shakeology sit for much longer then 30 minutes at room temperature as it will change in texture and nutritional value over time. If you mixed with ice or froze it can sit there longer of course.
Can You Freeze Shakeology?
You can freeze Shakeology. If you freeze make sure to give it time to naturally defrost before consuming. Absolutely do not put it in the microwave as it is not meant for that and will lose lots of nutrients. Your best bet is to freeze for a short time so you can bring with you anywhere while it defrosts.
Pre-Made Shakeology (Opinions Of Real Shakeology Users)
We went out and gather information from different forums from actual Shakeology users so you don't have to take our word on this. We curated this information and only changed spelling/grammar where need.
Real Shakeology User Opinions
1. Vanessa “Don't Do It” – No. It should be consumed within 30 minutes of preparation.
2. Patrick “Try Freezing” – Maybe freeze it and thaw it out while you work out?
3. Samantha “Freeze it” – I freeze mine
4. Carol-Ann “Drink in same day should be fine” – I do it in the morning and drink it within the day always been good
5. Kimberly “Took forever to thaw after freezing” – I've froze it before and it took forever to thaw out… what did i do wrong lol
6. Robyn “I make it at night in the fridge” – I don’t have time in the mornings, so I make mine the night before. I have never thought to freeze it.
7. Erin “You can but…” – You can but it doesn't really taste as good
8. Lauren “Disgusting” – It’ll be so disgusting. If you have everything prepped and portioned it should take you like 90 seconds in the morning.
9. Barbara “Not impressed” – I thought it was much better and thicker the next day, but you can only improve on that stuff so much. I was not impressed, especially considering the price.
10. Sharon “Do the rest then add” – Blend your base the night before…. then when you are ready to drink… dump your shakeology in…. shake and drink.
11. Kristen “Drink within 30 to get the best benefits” – You're paying for a lot more then a protein shake 😉 that's all thats left after a night in the fridge. Drink within 30 mins to get your best benefit.
12. Jennifer “Freeze for an hour” – I make mine early, freeze it for an hour and have it later in the day. It’s thick and delicious. No reason why you can’t do it the night before. FYI it is absolutely untrue that it loses its nutrients if not drank with 30 minutes. You can make it ahead and drink it whenever it is still holds all its nutritional value.
13. Jenny “Separates” – I wouldn’t! You’re supposed to drink right away plus it separates and gets gross
14. Leslie “Designed to drink in 30 minutes” – It’s designed to be consumed within 30 minutes. It takes like 5 minutes to make so maybe just get up 5 minutes earlier and make it in the morning
15. Lisa “Just like ice cream” – I will freeze mine if I make too much blended shako. Kinda like an ice cream treat.
16. Jennifer “Misconception that you have to drink right away” – There is a misconception that shakeology has to be consumed within a half hour of being prepared, that’s untrue. The shakeology doesn’t lose any nutrients. I actually make mine in the morning, freeze for an hour (minimum) and drink around 3-4pm. It stays thick like a shake and I love it. Having said that, I wouldn’t put yogurt in as yogurt tends to separate and might compromise the texture.
17. Tessa “Good for 24 hours” – Shakeology is good up to 24hrs frozen. I make in the morning put in the freezer, get ready for work. 1hr later I'm drinking it.
18. Rachael “Taste good” – I don’t know but I use a steel 32oz cup from Walmart and fridge it. Stays super shakey!
19. Amy “Put in fridge overnight” – I have always made mine the night before then refrigerate it (due to a loud blender and sleeping people in the morning) and its been fine. Though not sure what that does to the nutritional value. Its what I have to do to not wake people.I put it in the refrigerator. Sometimes, depending on what's in it, it does separate a little but I just give it a good shake and its good to go. It doesn't seem to affect taste at least.
20. Jessica “Frozen and fridge work good” – I have both frozen and refrigerated mine overnight. The nutrition content does NOT change after 30 minutes, but the texture might. I put it in a Blender Bottle and shake it back up, no issues.
21. Tesla “Will lose nutritional value?” – My Team had a call with Isabel and she said Shakeology can be frozen for 24hr but it will lose nutritional value.
I make my Shake Freeze it, get ready for work and leave so it's frozen from 45min – 60mins and then I drink. I'm a Transit Operator, the hours I work I need for the road.
Thoughts
So with all those opinions it is probably going to be more of a trial and error kind of thing based on your preference. The taste doesn't seem to change just the texture a bit. If you are using a blender just swap over to a shaker bottle so when the ingredients separate you can simply shake really quick before you consume.
I think freezing it at least a little bit is your best bet to keep the taste and texture about the same. I think it will keep it a bit fresher then just refrigerating. I have known people who just stick one in the freezer at work so they have it there when needed this is mostly people in the healthcare profession, but can work for anybody.
Just make sure you stay away from that microwave and let it defrost naturally. Once you get the timing down you can make your routine around it to make it easier on consuming when you want to.
Frozen fruit is definitely the best way to go. We have a blueberry u-pick just down the road from here. So we even get fresh blueberries and freeze them before putting in our shakes and they taste great. So fresh fruit or pre-frozen fruit is fine just make your choice based on personal preference. You can always add in more ice as you are making it up or even after if you want to re-use the blender.
Related Questions
What time of day is best to drink Shakeology?
The best time of day to drink your Shakeology will be based on your lifestyle. If you are busy in the morning, but don't have time for breakfast a shake in the morning might be your best bet. If you are busy during lunch or maybe go for a walk you can bring your shake with you too consume. There is no one best time to drink your Shakeology since it is normally used as a meal replacement I would base it around that firstly.
Why Do You Have to Drink Shakeology Within 30 Minutes?
You don't have to drink Shakeology in the first 30 minutes, but it is advised to do so because the flavor, taste and texture changed slightly after that point. We a lot of times will make ours up before a workout and not have it until after the workout while it is sitting at room temp and tastes just fine. Just experiment a bit with it.
Can I Put Coffee In My Shakeology?
You can put coffee in your Shakeology just don't put hot coffee in. You would want to have at least room temp coffee if not colder coffee. The way you can do this is by putting in fridge for an hour maybe even adding an ice cube or a few of them too the coffee. Making coffee up the night before can be an option just mix it up after you take it out of fridge in case you have any sentiment.
