Nitro cold brew.
Dalgona coffee.
Olive oil cold foam.
We’ve seen a ton of coffee trends come and go over the years, but one recent trend has coffee shops of all kinds paying attention:
Protein coffee.
In this blog, we’re exploring all things protein coffee, from why it’s popular and which brands are doing it, to three lessons you can learn from the protein coffee craze.
We’ve also got a free menu ideas cheat sheet to help you get the coffee ideas rolling (but more on that later).
Let’s dive in.
Why is protein coffee popular?
Protein coffee might be a relatively new invention… but consumers’ love of protein is not.
Back in 2022 (AKA during the height of the pandemic), Nutrisystem surveyed over 2,000 Americans about their health.
7 in 10 respondents said they felt the pandemic “taught them to be more observant of their health,” including becoming more aware of “how they treat their [bodies].” What’s more, 61% of respondents also reported a realization that “a healthy diet and lifestyle can better protect their long-term health — which is where protein comes into play.
Tons of health and wellness resources position high-protein diets as the go-to option for improving overall well-being, and tons of consumers have taken that to heart.
A 2025 report by food company Cargill found that “[protein] has never been more essential to consumers’ health and dietary choices” than it is right now, including for snack foods.
Cargill research states that 63% of consumers “specifically look for [snacks with] protein” in them, with 3 in 10 consumers saying that protein content is “a very important factor” in snack-related decision-making.
Online platforms definitely haven’t made people less focused on protein, either.
Over the past five years, Google search intent for “protein” has steadily increased, reaching an all-time high in 2025. Other social media platforms have a similarly high search interest for #protein, with the hashtag being used 30.3M times on Instagram and 2.4M times on TikTok, for example.
So, what do you get when you combine America’s obsession with protein and coffee shops’ desire to keep serving their customers things they love?
Easy — protein coffee.
How the big players are doing protein coffee
So, protein coffee is obviously a growing trend… but what does it actually look like in practice?
Here’s how the biggest players in the coffee shop game are tackling the protein coffee trend around the world.
Tim Hortons
In March 2025, select Tim Hortons locations in Canada launched their brand-new protein coffee line. Made with a “high protein dairy beverage,” the brand’s new protein coffee boasts up to 20g of protein in a medium-sized cup.
Tim Hortons’ protein coffee line includes:
- Protein Latte
- Protein Cappuccino
- Protein Vanilla Iced Latte
Starbucks
Starbucks UK was the first to launch protein coffee beverages in July 2024, launching three different Protein Drinks with Coffee (each with 20g of protein per bottle). As of June 2025, Starbucks US has started testing the protein waters too, trialing a banana-flavored cold foam with 15g of protein at select locations.
Starbucks UK’s protein coffee line includes:
- Starbucks® Protein Drink with Coffee — Caffe Latte
- Starbucks® Protein Drink with Coffee — Chocolate Mocha
- Starbucks® Protein Drink with Coffee — Caramel Hazelnut
Dunkin’
At the end of 2024, Dunkin’ UK released Strong Brew, a “velvety vanilla protein coffee packed with 20g of protein” in each drink. Although Dunkin’ only has one protein option, you can get it hot or iced and customize the add-ins to your taste.
Dunkin’s protein coffee line includes:
- Vanilla Strong Brew
Peet’s Coffee
Peet’s Coffee launched their protein coffee “Vitality Menu” in January 2025. Featuring three brand-new protein lattes made with Bob’s Red Mill Whey Protein Powder, every protein coffee delivers a minimum of 20g of protein.
Peet’s protein coffee line includes:
- Vanilla Latte
- Golden Latte
- Matcha Latte
Dutch Bros
Dutch Bros first launched protein coffee in January 2024, offering a Protein Latte and Protein Mocha with 20g of protein each. Since then, their protein coffee line has expanded to include crowd favorite drinks like the Golden Eagle (with protein).
Dutch Bros’ protein coffee line includes:
- Golden Eagle ProteinÂ
- Vanilla Protein Latte
- Vanilla Zero Sugar Added Protein Latte
- Hopscotch Protein Latte
- Hopscotch Zero Sugar Added Protein Latte
- Hopscotch Protein Mocha
- Hopscotch Zero Sugar Added Protein Mocha
- Protein Latte
- Protein Mocha
3 lessons from the protein coffee trend
Protein coffee has taken over coffee shops around the world, with no signs of slowing down.
But what does that mean for your coffee shop?
Here are three lessons you can take home from the latest protein coffee trends.
Lesson #1 — Small changes = big impact
Protein coffee shows that you don’t need to overhaul everything to start seeing results.
Adding protein to your existing coffee selection doesn’t require a huge lift from the business side of things. You don’t need to reinvent your menu, reconfigure your supply chain, or recreate your marketing and product photos to make it happen.
Protein coffee might be a relatively small lift, but that doesn’t mean it can’t have a huge impact!
Lesson #2 — Pay attention to what’s popular
Customer tastes are constantly changing, especially among the younger generations.
And, the reality of quick-changing preferences? If you’re not keeping up, you’re behind.
Customers won’t have any problem turning to whichever coffee shop is dishing out the season’s newest trend — and that’s less than great if you’re not one of them.
So, when you see protein-packed headlines pop up or big players dishing out protein drinks, it’s time to start paying attention.
Lesson #3 — Positioning matters
How you market your protein coffee is just as important as the protein coffee itself.
Highlight the benefits of protein coffee on your menu, create signage that encourages folks to try your new offering (especially if it’s limited-time), and feature it on your social media before it launches and while it’s out.
Sure, the protein coffee needs to be good… but nobody can try it if they don’t know it exists.
Wrap up
While the protein coffee creativity is rolling, why not look ahead to next season’s trends, too?
Craver’s Seasonal Cafe Menu Ideas Cheat Sheet has everything you need to plan your coffee shop’s next hottest trend, from each season’s top flavours and ingredients to food and drink ideas inspired by those trends.
