What to mix collagen with
Both our bovine and marine collagen powders are unflavoured and hydrolysed. That combination means they dissolve cleanly in most things and survive heat without any special handling. This page works through the options in plain terms.
Coffee and tea
Heat does not degrade hydrolysed collagen peptides. The hydrolysis process has already broken the protein chains down into short peptides — there is nothing for boiling water to undo. You can stir a 10g scoop directly into a hot drink.
The practical note: add the powder to the cup first, pour a small amount of liquid and stir into a loose paste, then top up. If you pour a full cup and drop the powder on top, it will sit on the surface and clump. The paste-first method takes ten seconds and avoids the problem entirely.
Neither powder has a detectable taste in coffee or tea. Marine collagen in particular tends to raise an eyebrow — people expect a fish flavour. There is none.
Smoothies and juice
Cold liquid works just as well. In a blender the powder disperses completely. In a shaker or a glass with a spoon, the same paste-first approach applies: a small splash of juice, stir to dissolve, then add the rest.
Orange juice, pineapple juice or any fruit-based smoothie is a reasonable choice here because it brings vitamin C alongside the collagen. Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of skin, gums, bones, teeth, cartilage and blood vessels. If you are not already eating fruit or vegetables at the same meal, adding a vitamin C source to the same drink is straightforward.
Shop bovine collagen | Shop marine collagen
Porridge, yoghurt, soup and sauces
Anything with enough moisture to dissolve the powder works. In practice:
- Porridge: Stir in during cooking or immediately after. The oats provide enough liquid. No flavour change.
- Yoghurt: Mix thoroughly — Greek yoghurt is thick enough that a quick stir leaves dry pockets. Thirty seconds with a spoon is enough.
- Soup: Add to a hot bowl and stir. The powder dissolves readily in warm broth. It does not thicken the soup noticeably at a 10g serving.
- Sauces and gravies: Stir in off the heat or during a low simmer. Works in tomato-based sauces, stock reductions and similar. Higher heat over a longer period is fine — again, the peptides are already hydrolysed.
Baking
Collagen powder can go into baked goods. It is used most straightforwardly in recipes that are already wet before cooking — pancakes, muffins, banana bread, energy balls. Stir it into the wet ingredients before combining.
A few practical points:
- 10g per serving is a modest amount relative to the total weight of most recipes. It does not materially change the taste or colour.
- Collagen behaves differently from whey protein in baking. Whey can turn rubbery at high heat. Collagen does not have the same effect.
- In no-bake recipes — bliss balls, raw bars — it mixes in with the other dry ingredients without any issue.
What it does to texture, honestly
At a 10g serving in 250ml of liquid, the texture change is minimal. The drink is very slightly more viscous than water but not noticeably so in coffee, juice or a smoothie.
Where texture becomes relevant is if you dissolve collagen in a small amount of liquid and refrigerate it — it can set to a soft gel. This is the same property that makes gelatine useful in cooking. Hydrolysed collagen sets less firmly than gelatine and at a much lower concentration, but if you dissolve a scoop in 50ml of water and leave it overnight, you will see it. In a normal serving size in a normal drink, this does not happen.
If you find the powder does not fully dissolve, the most likely cause is insufficient stirring rather than the liquid type. The paste method described above resolves it in almost every case.
Not sure which collagen to start with? Bovine comes in a 300g tub (30 servings) and marine in a 250g tub (25 servings). Both are 10g per scoop, unflavoured, and packed in the UK.
See the range — Everything we make is unflavoured and packed in the UK.
Bovine or marine? — Neither is better. They suit different people.
Do not exceed the recommended daily dose. Food supplements are not a substitute for a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.
Marine collagen is derived from fish. If you have a fish allergy, use bovine collagen instead.