In this paper, the destabilization inhibition potentials and mechanisms of Alanine, Arginine, and Proline on montmorillonite clay were investigated. A swelling test was done using an M4600 HPHT Linear swell meter at 1000 psi, 25 °C, and 2 wt inhibitor solutions. Shear rates and temperatures in the range of 0.01 s�1 to 1000 s�1 and 25 °C � 50 °C, respectively, were applied on a high-precision Discovery Hybrid Rheometer to investigate the effect of the amino acids on the suspension's rheology. Also, the inhibitors' neutralization and surface modification properties were determined via zeta potential, wettability alteration, and FTIR analyses using the nano zeta sizer, goniometer, and the spectrometer respectively. Furthermore, COSMO-RS was employed to study the hydrogen bonding interactions of amino acids and water. Upon completion, Proline displayed the best inhibition performance reducing the swelling of the montmorillonite by 22.5, whiles KCl only showed a 17.8 reduction. Also, the rheological tests confirmed that the amino acids positively enhanced the base fluid properties. In addition, Proline, Alanine, and Arginine altered the surface of the clay mineral by 89, 64, and 38, respectively, when compared to the base fluid. This made their clay surfaces less hydrophilic and thus, reduced the attraction between water molecules and the clay mineral. Furthermore, the simulation results showed that amino acids easily form hydrogen bonds with water, thus preventing high amounts of water from saturating the clay mineral, resulting in a significant reduction of swelling in the clay during fracturing. The superior performance of amino acids especially Proline in stabilizing montmorillonite clays, over KCl, makes them suitable candidates to consider in the development of low cost, and eco-friendly clay stabilizers. © 2020 Elsevier B.V.