Huel: Powder

KULT_Vitka
"Salty caramel is not so great"
^{November 25, 2022 @ 17:25}

Weird aftertaste on that version, my stomach does not like this powder. It is still one of the cheapest one without soy. Compare to saturo vegan 5.0 with the same price, it is bad

babefunky
"A classic and one of the best powders overall"
^{January 8, 2021 @ 20:07}

Huel was my first love and while the 3.0 flavours are somewhat worse than 2.3 (except Banana, which is still awesome) I still love it for its unique texture. Most other powders I’ve tried have a much more fine-grained texture and are easier to drink in a way (with the possible exception of Bertrand Bio). But if you want complete foods to feel more like foods, Huel gives you that feeling in my view.

It’s also relatively inexpensive and quite filling. Mixing is quite easy (and got easier now compared to the past versions) because you just mix two scoops into half a litre of water.

London
"Excellent - I definitely recommend it"
^{February 13, 2020 @ 20:07}

I started using Huel in mid-2019 when I was working overseas somewhere where it was difficult to get healthy food at decent prices. I then started using it regularly when travelling, as it’s (a) healthy; (b) convenient; and (c) cheap.

I’m now having Huel for breakfast and dinner during the week, and buying normal food just for lunch. At weekends, I reverse the ratio: one meal of Huel, and the rest normal food. I’m very impressed and I thoroughly recommend it. I do suggest however that you get a cheap electric blender, and leave the Huel in the fridge overnight. It’s nicer when it’s both properly blended, and chilled.

nwolc
"Very filling and enjoyable"
^{December 6, 2019 @ 22:16}

Only minus from mixability which is improved a lot if you leave it in the fridge for a couple of hours. Consuming immediately after mixing often leads to a lumpy experience. Blender helps with mixing.

DirtyUnderwear
"OK-ish"
^{November 23, 2019 @ 17:16}

Taste is certainly better than unflavored variant, however not much. Vanilla is the best, others taste artificial. Very thick and unpleasantly heavy in stomach. They give out the best shakers though. I also like the Huel’s large packages.

Quevlahr
"Good nutrition but we get tired of the taste"
^{September 9, 2019 @ 09:14}

Huel is my first real brand in which I ordered in large quantities (after a few bottles of feed that I did not appreciate at all). I was convinced by the price per meal quite low. In addition I liked the distribution of protein, carbohydrates and fats.
After drunk a shaker I was not hungry for long enough but it mixed rather badly (mix with hands not with a blender). But quickly the taste very sweet and artificial disgusted me a little. The original taste is less artificial but the different flavors to add are not super good.
Today I only buy vitalin but I do not exclude to buy a bag U & U to test.

yann.shukor
"I first tested Feed which is quite tasty..."
^{January 28, 2019 @ 14:56}

I first tested Feed which is quite tasty and offers ‘real food’ flavours not just desert shake flavours
With Huel I had no choice but to purchase, online, two packs minimum

I chose the ‘new’ vanilla flavor: the taste is primarily that of the artificial sweetener (sucralose & stevia) and less of the actual vanilla.

I didn’t like it one bit, sorry;

They don’t refund any open packets which is quite disappointing since there is no other way to taste before you order; and you have to pay for the return (back to Germany, from France: 22? !)
Not recommended at all

laurenmcg
"Favourite complete food brand"
^{December 22, 2018 @ 00:50}

Favourite complete food brand for several reasons, especially superior in nutritional value, taste and price.
Used in several ways: to create drink, to create soup, as a flour substitute etc.
Tested several of the websites recipes, including low-carb hacks.
Not a negative thing to say about the brand!

DarrellW
"Great product overall. Will buy again."
^{November 15, 2018 @ 21:26}

My first step into lents, but I’m reviewing Huel after having tried others. I’m now replacing 1-2 meals a day with lents as a result, but Huel is always one of them. After 2 days on Huel, I started feeling amazing, with more energy and flatulence. There were other benefits too…
What I like:
-The packaging: you don’t always want a full meal, so individual portions like Jake seem wasteful to me
-Nutritionally, it feels better to me. I’ve not analysed it, but I feel better when eating it than other lents or meals
-Easy to mix. Any man can mix this with a shaker
-They sell flavour boosts. They’re interesting.

What I don’t like:
I got the unflavoured version, and it’s well dull. Mixing it with coffee helps. I’ll buy coffee and vanilla Huel next time.

Overall, a great product.

BinarySplit
"A safe choice"
^{May 31, 2018 @ 13:15}

The flavour is pretty neutral, I have no trouble drinking it. It took several days before it started filling me up, but when that started working it was good. It’s usually a bit lumpy as it doesn’t fully mix, even in the provided shaker bottle. It has only a minor effect on the experience though.

The coffee flavour is decent, though as a caffeine junkie it isn’t enough caffeine to fully replace coffee for me. I was also happy with the Vanilla flavour. I didn’t try the Original flavour. The flavor boosters all tasted very artificial and overly sweet, so I wouldn’t recommend them.

Unfortunately I had to stop because I’m intolerant to oats, so it was causing me some discomfort. If it weren’t for that problem, I would happily continue with Huel.

Huel isn’t perfect in any category, but it’s good enough in all categories. If you have lots of time and money, I’m sure you could find a better food. But let’s face it, nobody comes to this site because they have time and money. Just choose Huel. It will make your life much easier.

morsontologica
"Good nutrition, bad taste/texture"
^{March 30, 2018 @ 14:35}

The texture is not great and mixing takes some time. I like it’s nutrional value, but dislike the taste.

Levitas
"Great Value For Money / Great Nutritional Values"
^{October 26, 2017 @ 09:35}

I’m using Huel for quite some time now, as it is really a great meal replacement for continuous use.

I really like their choice of ingredients and their nutritional values are exceptional. Especially the pea and rice protein make this one of my favorite powders.

Flavour: That’s the one thing I don’t like about Huel – the flavor. In particular, the unflavored version tastes really boring on its own. Hence, I mostly use it to mix with other ingredients or in combination with a flavor pack.

Texture: Really fine texture of the powder

Aftertaste: Nothing noteworthy, but not really great on its own (see flavor)

Ease of mixing: It’s easy to mix with the free shaker they deliver

Serving fills you up: I like to add a bit more powder than recommended and feel full for multiple hours.

Value for money: This should get 11/10. Huel is a really high-quality product for an extremely competitive price.

All in all, a really good product for the price it’s offered
:

fernly
"My video review of Huel"
^{August 26, 2017 @ 20:16}

View my tasting and description of Huel here

RichardWilliams
"Very cost effective"
^{January 3, 2017 @ 13:35}

I discovered Huel after a year of trying various supplements, protein shakes and other powder based food replacements or additives. Though using the unflavoured and unsweetened variant for nearly a year now, I initially started with V1 of the Vanilla flavour which I found too sweet.

I’ve had all the versions of the unflavoured variety. The current version 2.1 is a little too thick when mixed as recommended so I add a further 250 ml of fluid and it makes for a pleasant thickness. The taste itself is mildly oaty and light, which suits me as I like to be able to consume the drink reasonably fast. I’ve not tried any of the flavour pouches and have been 100% Huel since May 2016 except for one meal a week (and Christmas). Huel is best when left in a fridge for a couple of hours as it ‘softens’ slightly and can be a little gritty if drunk immediately after being mixed. From the forum it appears that mixing seems to be harder for some than others, I can only assume this is down to water type as I find a couple of seconds of shaking vigorously does the job easily. It does settle in the fridge and normally needs another good shake to even out the mix.

I found it the ideal way to diet as you can measure your calories very accurately. The proportion of carbs to fat and fibre suits me and it doesn’t contain any milk products (which I can suffer from). It has a low glycemic index (27) which at my age (and previous life style) is a very good thing.

Using Huel I shed around 3 stone in around 5 months with very little effort and have saved over ?1000 on lunches, snacking etc. Probably the most remarkable thing is the overall effect Huel has had on my health. Skin, hair, nails and bowels are all improved as are my energy levels which are far more consistent.

The forum is a very friendly place with lots of advice and information and the team behind Huel really seem to be in it for all the right reasons. They react to suggestions and criticism with the recipe being modified as science and feedback dictates. Delivery is extremely reliable and if you buy a couple of months worth at a time it becomes a really cheap way of living.

I have no trouble in recommending Huel to anyone, my wife is now using the Gluten free variety to replace her Breakfast and Lunch

215n
"Mostly quality ingredients"
^{November 28, 2016 @ 18:19}

As part of my journey through European *lents, I’ve had the chance to try several versions of Huel.

While the vanilla flavor always was too artificial and way too sweet for me, I’ve been a huge fan of the unflavored and unsweetened version until the recent changes.

First and foremost, Huel uses quality ingredients and nearly every item on the list is backed up by research. The Huel community is a very kind, friendly bunch of people and the founders are actively involved in the discussions.

That said, I’ve come to experience that I just cannot stomach the new 2.0/2.1 formula. While 1.2 had a really nice texture and taste (without any flavoring), the new one has bad mixability and grows into a jelly-like paste after a few minutes which actually makes it kind of difficult to get anything out of your shaker.

I really look forward to using this again if they should decide to offer a version without the new thickeners.

If you can tolerate the consistency and fillers, give it a try. The ingredients and the committed team behind it really make for a nice *lent.

Arno
"Great texture - thick and filling"
^{November 22, 2016 @ 21:27}

I love Huel! Used to have it when I lived in the UK, but devastated that I can’t get it anymore since relocating to Canada 🙁

Everything about Huel is just right in my opinion. The texture is good, like a thick, slightly oaty milkshake, and the vanilla flavour is subtle enough that you can add other flavourings to it and have a different flavour every meal.

I had a bit of trouble mixing it to begin with when using a shaker with blender ball – it was often very lumpy; however, when I started using the shaker that they provide with the first order (which has a mesh grille that breaks up lumps), that worked like a dream. It was also best when left in the refrigerator for a few hours, as that allowed it to really thicken up into a delicious, filling shake.

They use low GI ingredients too, which helps avoid blood sugar spikes.

I also like the big pouches they use (recently redesigned so they stand up well, seal easily and are less messy than the old ones) – they contain several meals worth, rather than the smaller 3-4 meal pouches that people like Soylent use. Makes it much easier to manage if you’re only having the odd shake here or there, and also feels less wasteful in terms of the amount of packaging.

Icy-Elemental
"Great quality ingredients"
^{November 21, 2016 @ 18:16}

I tried Huel because I wanted to see how it would compare to Joylent, and my own DIY mixes. I ordered a single sample (100g) pack of their vanilla flavour, and was pleasantly surprised to see it arrive just two days later (I live in the UK, but had placed the order late in the evening, so next day delivery was out of the question).

When it arrived, I mixed it with 500 millilitres of water as per the instructions. I used a shaker for this, and upon shaking, I found that the texture was somewhat inconsistent, but for an option using so much vegan protein, I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn’t as smooth as my own mixes which have used a whey as the protein source, but it wasn’t too bad. The actual ease of mixing was pretty good, as all it took was shaking, and as I ordered a sample pack, no weighing was needed. I would imagine in their larger, more bulky bags, I would score this down somewhat, but purely from my sample experience, it was pretty good.

However, I found the taste to be somewhat lacking. I am not keen on mild flavours, preferring a stronger, more obvious taste. I have since browsed Huel’s forums and seen that they toned down the sweetness before I trialled it, but unfortunately this made it less palatable to me. I found the vanilla flavour to be very weak, and there was inadequate flavour to mask the unmistakable presence of pea protein in the mix. This pea protein taste also lingered a little, creating a very slightly unpleasant aftertaste, but this quickly faded.

As I was testing the product for multiple reasons, I wanted to know how long it would keep me satiated, so forced myself to finish it. From a satiation standpoint, it did not disappoint – I didn’t feel at all hungry for 3-4 hours after the meal. There were no energy spikes or crashes (likely due to Huel’s very low GI), and I did not feel overly full either. For this reason, from a satiation standpoint, Huel scores full marks for me.

One thing that I can’t get across from the categories for rating in this review but that I want to mention is the quality of the nutrition of Huel. Whilst I am not so keen on the taste or texture, the quality of the ingredients used is very good. I like that Huel has a lot of protein (I’d argue it may have a little too much), and they don’t rely on ingredients like maltodextrin to provide cheap carbs, instead opting for the healthier option of oats (contributing to the low GI). My one criticism from a macronutrient perspective is the level of polyunsaturated fat. My personal belief is that the levels in Huel are somewhat pro-inflammatory, as there is far too much omega 6 and a little too much omega 3 for my liking. From a micronutrient standpoint, Huel is good in most areas, though I’d argue a little low in the likes of potassium. From a nutritional standpoint though, other than the mixes I’ve created for myself, I would say I like Huel’s nutritional composition the most of any European -lent product. As such, despite not being a fan of the taste at all, I feel compelled to give Huel a very high score for ‘value for money’.

tppp
"Nice high quality ingredients"
^{November 19, 2016 @ 22:28}

I’m in the UK so expected quick delivery and Huel don’t disappoint. I got a dispatch email the same day I ordered and the box arrived by courier the next day. Couriers can be a pain at times but this one sends out a realistic delivery timeframe and you can track how close they are on their website.

Branding is simple, but aesthetic, and the bags were pretty big with (I think) about a week’s worth in each. I had loads of trouble with the reseal strip at first and thankfully the huel team have gone through a few new bag revisions to something that works a lot better. As powder bags go, they use my favourite.

The powder itself is very finely ground, way more so than other brands I’ve tried, and lots easier to mix. I get the best results with a blender but it’s easy enough to mix up by hand as well. They only sell unflavoured, which to me tastes kind of like unsweetened cake batter, but they also sell flavour packs that let you add a teaspoons worth of flavouring to totally change the taste, very clever (the rhubard and custard is A-MAZING, but I wish the coffee flavouring had more caffeine).

It doesn’t thicken overnight in the fridge and I feel really full after drinking it. Looking through the ingredients list they’ve taken a really different route compared to other powdered meals. Pea protein means it’s vegan, they don’t use any maltodextrin, so the GI is lower and there’s no energy spike after drinking it, just a nicely satisfied feeling – and they get the carbs from oats instead of soy – yep, no soy at all.

Huel has replaced my meals more-so than the other types of ‘lent I’ve tried. The flavour packs are a really clever idea and whilst other ‘lents definitely sate my hunger Huel; does it in a different way, I genuinely feel better on Huel with more energy and better sleep than I’ve had in ages.