Homemade Weight Gainer Shake: 6 Recipes, No Powder Needed
In this guide
Written by James, founder of Flaming Phoenix and the maker of Phoenix Bars. Updated October 2026.
A homemade weight gainer shake is milk, oats, nut butter and fruit blended into 500 to 1,000 calories. You do not need protein powder or a shop-bought mass gainer. Every recipe below is in grams and millilitres with the calories added up, including a vegan version and one that needs no blender.
The four parts of every shake
- A liquid base. Whole milk has about 66 calories per 100ml. Fortified soya milk has about 42.
- A carbohydrate. 50g of rolled oats is about 187 calories and blends smooth. A banana adds about 100.
- A fat. A tablespoon of peanut butter is about 92 calories. A tablespoon of mild oil is about 120.
- A sweetener or thickener. A tablespoon of honey is about 64, a Medjool date about 66, and 150g of full-fat Greek yoghurt about 145.
The six recipes
1. The classic, about 640 kcal. 300ml whole milk, 50g oats, 1 banana, 1 tablespoon peanut butter, 1 tablespoon honey.
2. Chocolate peanut butter, about 820 kcal. 400ml whole milk, 50g oats, 2 tablespoons peanut butter, 1 banana, 1 tablespoon cocoa, 1 tablespoon honey.
3. The big one, about 1,000 kcal. 400ml whole milk, 50g oats, 2 tablespoons peanut butter, 1 banana, 150g full-fat Greek yoghurt, 1 scoop of ice cream. Split it in two if it is too much at once.
4. Vegan, about 730 kcal. 300ml fortified soya milk, 50g oats, 2 tablespoons peanut butter, 1 banana, 2 Medjool dates.
5. Vegan and bigger, about 910 kcal. 400ml fortified soya milk, 50g oats, 2 tablespoons peanut butter, 1 banana, 2 Medjool dates, 1 tablespoon rapeseed oil, 1 tablespoon cocoa.
6. No blender, about 500 kcal. Whisk 2 tablespoons of dried skimmed milk powder into 300ml whole milk, then stir in 2 tablespoons of double cream and 1 tablespoon of honey. Add a milkshake powder if you want flavour.
Blend recipes 1 to 5 until smooth and add a splash of milk if too thick. Calories use standard UK food values, so your brands may differ slightly.
The fortified milk trick
Recipe 6 borrows a method NHS dietitians have used for years. One trust’s recipe whisks five tablespoons of dried skimmed milk powder into a pint of whole milk, which takes it from 386 to 595 calories and from 19g to 41g of protein. Use that fortified milk as the base of any shake above and you add about 110 calories per 300ml without changing the taste much.
How to use them
- Treat a shake as extra, not as a meal swap. Have it between meals.
- Sip, do not gulp. Half now and half in an hour works well for the 1,000 calorie version.
- Make it ahead if that helps. Keep it in the fridge and use it the same day.
- Start with the classic and build up.
Gaining weight comes from eating more than you use over time. A shake is one easy way to add to the total. The mechanism is explained in how to eat in a calorie surplus, and there are more drinks in high calorie drinks and smoothies.
Homemade or shop-bought?
Homemade wins on cost and on ingredients you recognise. A tub wins on speed, though weight gain bars are quicker still, with no shaker to wash. If you would still prefer a powder, I have compared the options by cost per calorie in best vegan mass gainer. If you are bulking, the best high calorie foods for bulking covers the food side.
When you have no blender and no time
Homemade needs five minutes and some washing up, and some days have neither. That is where Phoenix Bars come in. Each of our high calorie bars has up to 557 calories in a compact, lightweight 120g bar and needs no preparation. It can also be crumbled into milk to make porridge. “I made it into a porridge, easy to crumble, very tasty and filling,” wrote Eric in August 2025. “A really convenient way to consume a lot of calories when I don’t have time to have a meal,” wrote another customer the same month. The method is in how to use Phoenix Bars. Other brands are compared in the best energy bars for weight gain.
Common questions
What can I use instead of mass gainer? Milk, oats, nut butter and a banana. The classic recipe above gives about 640 calories, more than a serving of many shop-bought gainers.
How do I make a 1,000 calorie shake? Use recipe 3, or make recipe 2 with fortified milk and an extra tablespoon of peanut butter.
Do homemade shakes work without protein powder? Yes. The recipes above get their protein from milk, yoghurt, oats and peanut butter.
When should I drink it? Between meals, so it adds to your food. The exact time makes little difference as long as it comes on top of your usual meals.
For the wider picture, see how to gain weight and easy ways to eat more calories.
Sources: University Hospitals Sussex NHS, fortified milk. Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS, nourishing drinks.
Big calories. Small bar.
Up to 557 calories in a compact, lightweight bar of only 120g, with up to 66g of carbs and 19g of protein. Eat it whole, break it into pieces over a few hours, or mix it with water or milk for porridge.
Easy to eat, easy to digest and not sickly sweet. Customers have eaten them at -45°C and through the heat of the Marathon des Sables, and they keep for up to 2 years, so they work on a mountain, on a night shift, or at home on days when eating enough feels hard.
- 557 calories in only 120g (529 to 557 by flavour)
- 4.6 calories per gram
- 66g carbs per bar (up to)
- 19g protein per bar (up to)
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