1000 Calorie Shake Recipes: 4 Homemade Gainer Shakes

A homemade 1000 calorie shake is easy to make: blend about 500 mL of full cream milk with one scoop of whey, rolled oats, a banana and a spoonful of nut butter, and you land close to 1,000 Calories (about 4,200 kJ) with 55 to 60 g of protein. Below are four recipes with the Calories, protein, carbs and fat worked out from Australian food data, and how they stack up against a ready-made mass gainer in Australia.

These shakes suit people who struggle to eat enough to gain weight, such as hard gainers, busy shift workers and anyone with a small appetite. If you already eat plenty, you may not need one.

1000 calorie shakes at a glance

How we worked it out: food values come from the FSANZ Australian Food Composition Database (Release 3), using full cream milk, raw cavendish banana, uncooked rolled oats and peanut butter with no added sugar or salt. The whey is one 30.4 g scoop of Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey, which has 24 g of protein, 3 g of carbohydrate and 1 g of fat per scoop on the Double Rich Chocolate label. Gainer figures are for the powder from each brand label, before you add milk. Brands and flavours vary, so use every number as a close guide.

The four recipes

Each recipe makes one large shake of roughly 700 to 800 mL. Add everything to a blender, blend the oats first if you want a smoother drink, then blend for 30 to 60 seconds.

1. Peanut butter, banana and oat shake

• 500 mL full cream milk
• 1 scoop chocolate or vanilla whey
• 1 medium banana (about 120 g peeled)
• Half a cup of rolled oats (50 g)
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter (40 g)
• 1 tablespoon honey (20 g)

This is the one most people stick with. Peanut butter does a lot of the heavy lifting: 40 g (2 tablespoons) adds about 250 Calories.

2. Mocha, date and almond shake

• 500 mL full cream milk
• 1 scoop chocolate whey
• About 6 to 8 dried dates, pitted (60 g)
• Half a cup of rolled oats (50 g)
• About 30 raw almonds (40 g)
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee (2 g), optional

Dates sweeten the shake without honey. Soak them in a splash of hot water for five minutes if your blender struggles. The coffee adds caffeine, so skip it if you drink this late in the day.

3. Berry, yoghurt and oat shake

• 400 mL full cream milk
• 200 g natural yoghurt
• 1 scoop vanilla whey
• 1 cup frozen blueberries (150 g)
• Two thirds of a cup of rolled oats (70 g)
• 1 and a half tablespoons honey (30 g)
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds (15 g)

This one has the least fat and the most carbs, so it sits well a couple of hours before training. It is also the thickest, so add a little extra milk if needed.

4. Vanilla thickshake

• 400 mL full cream milk
• 2 generous scoops vanilla ice cream (120 g)
• 1 scoop vanilla whey
• 1 medium banana (about 120 g peeled)
• 1 and a half tablespoons peanut butter (30 g)
• A third of a cup of rolled oats (30 g)

If you find big shakes hard to finish, start here. It tastes like a milk bar thickshake and goes down quickly.

Any whey with about 24 g of protein per scoop works in these recipes. Rule 1 Whey Blend also gives 24 g of protein per scoop, with more than 15 flavours in the 2 lb size, and the 5 lb tub is $199.95 at the time of writing. Expect the totals to move by only a few Calories either way.

How to make a big shake easier to drink

• Split it. Drink half after training and half an hour or two later. Your daily total is what counts.
• Blend dry ingredients first. Blitz the oats, nuts or chia into a powder before adding the milk for a smooth texture.
• Go cold. Frozen banana or berries make the shake thick and cold without watering it down.
• Swap to suit you. Use lactose free milk if regular milk bothers you (whey still contains some lactose), or swap peanut butter for another nut or seed butter if you have an allergy.
• Prep the night before. Weigh the dry ingredients into a jar so you only add milk and blend in the morning.

Homemade shake vs a ready-made mass gainer

Both get you to around 1,000 Calories. The difference is what those Calories come from and how much effort you put in.

A homemade shake gives you more protein, fat and fibre from whole foods like oats, fruit, nuts and dairy. You control the sugar and you can change the recipe whenever you get bored. The trade off is that you need a blender, fresh ingredients and a few minutes each day.

A gainer is built for convenience. CBUM Mass Gainer gives 1,070 Calories and 53 g of protein per 275 g serve, mostly from carbohydrates, plus 2.5 g of creatine monohydrate per serve. At $139.95 for a 12 lb bag of 20 serves, that is about $7.00 a serve. Optimum Nutrition Serious Mass 12 lb gives about 1,252 Calories and 50 g of protein per 336 g serve. At $169.95 for 16 serves, it works out to about $10.62 a serve. You only need a shaker and water, which makes them handy at work, uni or the gym.

Many people use both: a homemade shake at home and a gainer in the gym bag. If a full gainer serve is too much, a half serve mixed into one of the recipes above is a simple middle ground. For a side by side look at the big three, read our CBUM Mass Gainer vs Serious Mass vs Mass Tech Extreme comparison.

Do you need 1,000 Calories in one shake?

Not always. Gaining muscle needs a steady energy surplus over weeks, not one giant drink. Sports Dietitians Australia notes that energy-dense drinks such as smoothies and milkshakes can help people with small appetites eat more, and that gains of about 0.25 to 0.5 kg a week are possible at first when training and diet are right. If you are worried about adding fat, increase your intake in small steps and track your progress.

Protein matters too. The ISSN protein position stand suggests 1.4 to 2.0 g of protein per kg of body weight a day for most people who exercise, spread across meals. Each of these shakes covers a good chunk of that. If 1,000 Calories at once is too much, halve any recipe and have it twice.

Which should you choose?

If you have a blender and a few minutes, start with recipe 1. It is cheap to make from supermarket staples plus one scoop of whey, and it gives about 59 g of protein. Choose the vanilla thickshake if you struggle to finish big shakes, or the berry and yoghurt shake if you want less fat.

If you need something you can shake and drink anywhere, a ready-made gainer like CBUM Mass Gainer is the simpler option. Compare more options in our best mass gainer guide and best protein powder guide, or browse all weight gainers.

How our price compares

Here is what the same products cost at other Australian supplement stores, so you can check the difference yourself.

Supps247 prices come from our website. Other prices were checked on the websites of Nutrition Warehouse, Australian Sports Nutrition (ASN), Elite Supps and Supplement Mart on 29 October 2026 (same product and size, price for one unit) and can change at any time. Sale means it was on sale that day. Out of stock means it was listed but not available that day. Not listed means we could not find that exact product on their site. Supps247 members can use our Price Match Guarantee against Nutrition Warehouse, ASN, Elite Supps and Supplement Mart: we beat their full price by 5% or match their sale price (conditions apply).

Shop the products in this guide

ON Gold Standard 100% Whey 5 lb$219.95Rule 1 Whey Blend 5 lb$199.95CBUM Mass Gainer 12 lb$139.95ON Serious Mass 12 lb$169.95

Browse all weight gainers and whey protein powders.

FAQs

How do I make a 1000 calorie shake at home?

Blend about 500 mL of full cream milk with one scoop of whey, half a cup of rolled oats, a banana, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and a tablespoon of honey. Using Australian food data, that comes to about 1,060 Calories and 59 g of protein. Blend the oats first for a smoother shake, and weigh the peanut butter, because it adds Calories quickly.

Is a homemade weight gain shake better than a mass gainer?

Neither is better for everyone. A homemade shake gives you more whole food, fibre and control over sugar, while a gainer is quicker and only needs a shaker and water. Both work if they help you eat more than you use each day and you train consistently. Many people use homemade shakes at home and a gainer when they are out.

When should I drink a 1000 calorie shake?

Any time that helps you reach your daily total. Many people have it after training or between meals so it does not spoil their appetite for dinner. If one big shake feels heavy, drink half after training and the rest later. The total energy and protein across the day matter more than the exact timing.

Will a 1000 calorie shake make me gain fat?

It can if it pushes you well past what your body needs. Sports Dietitians Australia suggests increasing intake in small steps and checking your progress. A gain of about 0.25 to 0.5 kg a week is a sensible early target for muscle gain. If you are gaining faster, try half a shake instead.

Can I make a 1000 calorie shake without milk?

Yes, but you will need more energy from other ingredients, because water and most plant milks have fewer Calories than full cream milk. Lactose free milk is the easiest swap and lands close to the same totals. With water or almond milk, add extra oats, nut butter or a scoop of gainer to make up the difference, and check the label of your plant milk.

Sources: FSANZ Australian Food Composition Database; Sports Dietitians Australia: Increasing muscle mass; ISSN protein position stand (2017); product labels and brand nutrition panels, checked October 2026.

Order online with Australia-wide delivery, free on orders of $99.99 or more, with Afterpay available at checkout. You can also use click and collect at a store that offers it, or visit a Supps247 store in Melbourne, regional Victoria or Brisbane to compare products in person. Members can use our member price match on full-priced items.

Prices and stock were checked on 29 October 2026 and can change at any time. Always read the label and follow the directions for use. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant or take regular medication, check with your doctor first.