Our Top Picks for Vegan Meal Replacement Shakes

If you are in a hurry, check out our top options for a healthy vegan meal replacement shake:

1. LYFEfuel Daily Essentials –> Best Vegan Meal Replacement Shake
2. Rootana –> Best Value Meal Replacement & Best Without Artificial Sweeteners
3. Ka’chava –>Best Tasting Vegan Shake (US)
4. Complete 360 Meal Vegan –> Best Vegan Meal Shake in the UK
5. Instant Knockout –> Best Vegan Shake for Weight Loss
6. Soylent Drink –> Best Vegan Ready-to-Drink Meal Replacement Shake
7. Huel Black –> Most Popular.

Bonus, if you are looking for the best vegan protein shakes here are a few recommendations:

• Four Sigmatic. Best Vegan Protein without Artificial Sweeteners
• Wondershake. Best Tasting Vegan Protein
• LYFEfuel Recovery Shake. Most Complete Vegan Protein

Why Do You Need A Plant Based Meal Replacement Shake?

There are many positives to plant based meal replacement shakes, but they can be summarized in five factors:

1. Convenient. Nothing beats the convenience of having a healthy meal prepped in 2 minutes (and washed in 1 minute)!
2. Nutritional powerhouse. The best meal replacement shakes will offer you all the nutrients your body needs according to current scientific research. Eat healthily and feel more energized!
3. Easy. You don’t need to be a nutrition expert or a Masterchef. You can enjoy a delicious meal without having to think too much.
4. Budget-friendly. Many of these vegan meal shakes are very affordable, ideal for students or those who care about their expending.
5. Tasty.

There are multiple other benefits to having meal replacement shakes, but these are just some of the highlights.

For me, meal replacement shakes were a life-saving discovery. They have allowed me to get complete nutrition in a simple manner.

Not only that, but they help me to control what I eat, manage my weight better and avoid crappy nutrient-void meals (shitty takeaways).

It has been a great boost to my health.

Things To Look Out for When Choosing A Vegan Meal Replacement

Generally speaking, you will get a great variety of vegan meal replacement drinks in the market. Almost all of them go through rigorous testing and are very weary of what goes in their shakes.

However, you might find out that some shakes that claim to be 100% plant-based are not vegan-friendly. Similarly, not all dairy-free meal replacement shakes are safe for vegans.

Be Careful

What?

Yes, some brands use vitamins and minerals that come from animal origin, for instance. Examples of this include animal-derived collagen or gelatin.

Some brands even struggle to add certain vitamins, like vitamin D3, and then skip them completely.

As such, I have thoroughly checked the labels to ensure these are the best vegan meal replacement shakes you can buy without any nasty surprises.

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Highlights of the Best Plant-Based Meal Replacement Shakes

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The Best Vegan Meal Replacement Shakes

1. Lyfefuel Daily Essentials – Best Vegan Shake in the US

Lyfefuel Daily Essentials is a vegan shake I did not expect much of, but blew me out of the water.

In fact, there’s a lot to like about this vegan meal shake. For once, I love the fact that it has been built to provide you with nutrients you might lack. The founder was clear that he wanted to provide you with a shake packed with essential nutrients. As such, they include extra of vitamin D3, vitamin B12 (often lacking in vegan diets), and vitamin K2.

Not only do they provide you with vitamins and minerals other shakes miss, but they do it from real food ingredients. All natural and without artificial sweeteners to increase nutrient absorption.

Plus, you get 19g of plant-based protein per shake, which makes it ideal to fuel your workouts and a healthy lifestyle.

Personally, I find that 110kcal is not enough, so I would recommend adding some plant-based milk, like almond milk. This not only makes it more filling, but more tasty also.

You can make use of LATESTFUELS10 for a 10% discount on your first order, though.

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2. Rootana Real Food Shake – Best Value

Usually, vegan natural meal replacement shakes cost a premium, which means they are unobtainable for many.

That’s why I love Rootana. Because it offers the best value for money on a vegan shake.

Rootana offers a blend of natural ingredients, quality vegan protein, and the essential vitamins and minerals you need.

On top of that, they don’t use any artificial sweeteners – nor stevia – to sweeten their shakes. Instead, they use real sugar, which gives the shakes a much cleaner taste. I often find myself disliking the aftertaste of low-quality stevia or when excessive sucralose.

As such, Rootana’s meal replacement shakes are a breeze of fresh air. I truly enjoyed their Vanilla flavor, which is a little bit more bland than Chocolate, but great for regular consumption. I recommend getting one bag of each, as the Dark Cacao is better liked by men, whereas Vanilla is amazing to mix.

For instance, you can mix it with berries and a little bit of ice for an incredibly refreshing shake.

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3. Kachava – Best Tasting Shake

Kachava is simply one of the best-tasting vegan shakes we have tried in Latestfuels. However, it is more than that. It is also one of the healthiest shakes, and the one our US writer loves the most.

So what’s so marvelous about this vegan meal drink? For starters, there is no other meal replacement with the ingredient list Ka’chava has. 70+ superfoods, adaptogens and high-quality food sources. They use no artificial ingredients to provide you with all essential nutrients, and obviously have no artificial sweeteners.

Furthermore, it is high in protein, but still a soy-free shake. They use multiple protein sources to provide you with all essential amino acids. Kachava shakes also have digestive enzymes and probiotics, which sound like a gimmick, but I can definitely say they work.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, these shakes are just delicious. This is quite surprising, since natural shakes often fail to deliver a tasty drink.

Where is the catch? Well, it’s expensive. There are far cheaper alternatives out there, but if you want the best money can get for your health, then Kachava is your choice.

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4. Complete 360 Meal – Best Vegan Shake in EU

I love Complete 360 vegan meal replacement shake, and it’s one of my daily shakes when I’m not trying out new ones. There are a few reasons for that; like the excellent price/quality ratio, and superb nutrition.

Talking about nutrition, each 400kcal shake will give you 30g of high-quality protein. It comes from a custom blend of pea, brown rice, and hemp protein isolate. Therefore, it provides you with a balanced amino acid profile, but it’s also a soy-free shake.

Furthermore, Complete 360 is incredibly low in sugars and high in fibers. Thus, it will help you with satiety and reduce the risk of diabetes.

Most importantly, these are among the best-tasting shakes you can buy. Double Milk Chocolate is an absolute delight, one that I would drink every day.

All of this for less than $1.5 or £1.1 per meal; if you are lucky to get a discount!

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5. Instant Knockout – Best Vegan Shake for Weight Loss

Very few shakes take weight loss as seriously as Instant Knockout. Their meal replacement has been designed with the purpose of helping you maintain lean body mass, while helping you lose that stubborn fat.

The key is how filling these shakes are. Without a doubt some of the most satiating shakes on the market. The high protein formula helps with this as well as keeping your muscles.

Instant Knockout’s vegan shakes for weight loss are also low in sugars (1g), contain all essential nutrients, and have slow-releasing carbs to keep you fueled for longer.

Furthermore, you can use their fat burner, “CUT”, to try speeding up the weight loss process. When buying together, there’s a 25% discount, which is definitely worth it.

My only hope is that they add more flavors than Vanilla since even if this is really good, can get tiring in the long run.

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6. Soylent – Best Vegan RTD (US)

Soylent is the original vegan meal replacement shake. Although it started as a powder, it’s the ready-to-drinks (RTD) that have gained popularity. This is due to them being smoother, better mixed, and generally much better tasting.

On top of that, the range of flavors Soylent offers is unparalleled in the US: Banana, Creamy Cacao, Original, Vanilla, Strawberry, Cafe Mocha, Cafe Chai… There is a vegan shake for everybody. I love Creamy Cacao and Cafe Mocha.

Another great aspect of Soylent is that you can take it anywhere, and enjoy your healthy vegan meal no matter where you are. Great if you often have to opt for boring, unhealthy options. Get 20g of protein, less than 1g of sugar, 28 vitamins and minerals, all gluten-free and vegan.

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7. Huel Black – Best Low Carb Vegan Shake

Huel is one of the best complete food brands, and Huel Black powder is their start product. This vegan meal replacement drink is one of the (if not the) most successful shakes on the market. Why?

Well, it offers solid nutrition at an affordable price and the shakes taste good. Even if they might not be the best tasting, they are an easy shake to get used to and grows on you.

Nutritionally, Huel Black offers 40g of protein from pea (mainly) and a very low carb profile. This means that this shake has a really low GI, and helps you be energized for longer. It also comes with no artificial sweeteners (they use organic coconut sugar and stevia instead).

Of the many flavors Huel offers, my favorite is Salted Caramel, followed by Vanilla. You will, however, have the chance to choose between Chocolate, Strawberries and Cream, Unflavoured, and more.

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Vegan Protein Powders

If you were looking for vegan protein powders, you are lucky.

Unlike in the past, there are tons of great vegan protein shakes on the market right now.

Some of our favorites include:

• Wondershake – The Best Tasting Vegan Protein
• Recovery Shake – The Most Complete Vegan Protein Powder
• Four Sigmatic – The Best Vegan Protein Powder with Mushrooms
• Naked Mass Vegan – Best High Calorie Vegan Protein Shake

Other great alternatives include KOS Plant-Protein, Evolve, Orgain…

Why Go Vegan?

Plant-based diets might be the best way to reduce our personal CO2 impact. Furthermore, they are a great way to improve your health by refining your nutrition; since plants are an amazing source of essential nutrients and phytonutrients.

In fact, most Americans fail to reach the dietary guidelines and don’t eat enough vegetables on a daily basis. A habit that increases your chances for cardiovascular diseases, risk of cancer, and other major illnesses.

Thus, incorporating more plant-based meals is a win-win situation. Going vegan is taking this approach to an extreme, and make sure you minimize your environmental impact while keeping your diet in check. Or at least, that’s one of the reasons to do it. There’re plenty more.

In this regard, plant-based meal replacements offer you the best of two worlds: complete and balanced nutrition; and, a sustainable, environmentally friendly meal (minimal packaging, efficient transportation etc.). Plus, they can be a very handy tool to have a vegan meal no matter where you are.

4 Reasons Why Vegan Meal Replacements Are Awesome

Anyway, I suspect that you are already following a vegan diet; and that you have your own reasons to do so, already. You are just looking for the best vegan meal replacement you can buy. Perhaps, you have some doubts if vegan shakes are healthy or what you are looking for.

Here are 4 reasons to ensure you that plant-based shakes can make your life easier and better:

• Make sure you get all the necessary nutrients. Getting all your vitamins and minerals, a balanced set of nutrients, fats etc. can already be hard on a normal diet. In vegan diets, there are usual suspects like vitamin B12, omega-3 or even protein that might be hard to come by. With meal replacements you can be certain you will get a good dose of each; and thus, avoid common vegan deficiencies.
• Eat healthy and vegan anywhere. Convenience is a huge upside of meal replacement shakes. You can consume them almost anywhere, take them to the office, drink them at home or even travel with them, if you must. I’ve had vegan shakes on airports; where there was no good alternative. Stop having to worry about finding your meal, and eat what you want where you want
• Don’t need to overpay! Unfortunately, many restaurants and food manufacturers use the vegan tag to overprice their products. Even having to buy vegetables in the supermarket can get expensive. With each meal costing as little as $1.2, you will find that vegan shakes fit your budget.
• There’s a huge variety of vegan products; you’ll find what you’re looking for. Whether you want vegan gluten-free shakes; or perhaps soy-free; or organic… there’s a shake out there for you. Fit them to your diet (low-carb, keto, paleo…), get as much protein as you want (from 11g to 30g a meal) and choose the right ingredients for you. Plus, you can opt between shakes, bars and other formats!

Best Vegan Meal Replacement Shakes vs Top Vegan Protein Shakes

If you are new to the whole meal replacement shake industry, you might have some misconceptions or doubts. A very common one is mistaking plant-based protein shakes with meal replacements. At the end of the day, the protein industry is very keen on promoting its products as alternatives to meals.

Here are a few key points to look out for:

	Meal Replacements	Protein Powders
Complete Nutrition	Yes	No
Vitamins & Minerals	Yes	No (few exceptions)
Balanced Macros	Yes	No
Focus on protein	No	Yes
Calories/serving	~400kcal	~200kcal
Based on health guidelines	Yes	No
Aim	Replace a meal in a balanced way	Boost your protein intake

The main difference is that plant-based meal shakes will try to provide you with all the essential nutrients that your body needs; while the protein shakes will primarily boost your protein intake.

If the latter is what you are looking for, here are some suggestions of vegan protein shakes that I like:

Best Vegan Meal Replacement Bars and Powder Alternatives

Perhaps, you are looking for vegan meal replacements that are solid. I would recommend checking the best meal replacement bar list, where I mention a few of my favorites. Nonetheless, here are some vegan bars that you might like:

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How to Find the Top Vegan Shake

Every individual has different needs and preferences. Some of us prefer sweeter shakes; while others favor more natural-tasting shakes. Similarly, many will be looking for dairy-free shakes or gluten-free shakes; while others can choose to avoid soy. Because there are so many vegan meal shakes out there; you need to be sure to check the following before buying:

• Check out if it has the Vegan tag.
• Look at the calories. I like my meal replacements to have around 400kcal per serving (you can always tailor it to your needs). Despite this, there are many brands that will set their servings to 90-180kcal which are not enough for most adults.
• Decide a budget. There are meal replacement shakes like Ample and Ambronite that can cost you up to $6.5 per meal or more affordable options like Plenny Shake at $1.19 per meal. More expensive does not always mean better; but the quality of the ingredients is often linked with the price.
• Check the allergens. Is it a soy free vegan shake? Do you need a gluten-free option? Be alert and check what allergens the shakes have. The most common are soy, gluten, and nuts.
• Taste or nutrition? You don’t need to sacrifice one for the other. However, I would recommend staying away from vegan shakes high in added sugars, even though they might taste better. These are not meant to be healthy, and they are designed to be addictive.
• Protein sources. Most vegan protein sources are not complete (with the exclusion of soy protein), and lack one or more essential amino acid. When buying the vegan meal shake have a look to what the protein sources is. For instance, pea and rice protein are a good combo.

FAQ

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Conclusion: What is the Best Vegan Meal Replacement Shake?

The best vegan meal replacement shake is Lyfefuel Daily Essentials.

That said Complete 360 Meal is a great alternative in Europe, too.

While following a vegan or a plant-based diet has become increasingly popular, finding good quality and balanced vegan meals can still be a challenge. Proper nutrition, price, lack of tasty options… are among the issues that people face every day when going vegan.

That’s where the best meal replacement shakes can help you. They offer a complete and balanced plant-based meal at an affordable price. You can make sure you get all the vitamins (including B12) and minerals, all the essential fats, and good quality protein. All in a shake with minimal hassle and effort.

In fact, convenience and portability are two features that I love about meal replacements. Besides them, I love the fact that there’s a vegan shake for each diet and each person.

I strongly recommend you to start with a vegan meal replacement today if you haven’t already. It will change your life.

Just choose the right one from the list, and enjoy!

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Sources

1.2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

2. WHO Nutritional Guidelines.

3. EFSA Nutritional Guidelines.

4. More in: latestfuels.com/resources. A compilation with different governmental guidelines and references.

5. Ultimate Meal Replacement List. List all the brands.

6. Best Meal Replacement Shakes. Selection of the best RTDs, bars, organic shakes…

7. Game Changers. A documentary about the benefits of a plant-based diet.