No rest for the weary! We’re right back at you, this time with the Huel Ready to Drink review.

Launching in late 2018, Huel Ready to Drink was the long-awaited and expected bottled offering of the popular meal replacement powder. It was also Huel’s answer to at the time industry leader Soylent, and its popular Soylent Drink RTD.

Initially, it was only offered in Vanilla & Berry, but Huel RTD now has eight flavors and it’s available worldwide. However, it has not been the outstanding success Huel had hoped for, with products launched at a later date (Huel Black) being more important for the brand.

That’s why Huel recently released Ready to Drink v2.0. According to most user reviews, a huge improvement over the predecessor.

So is Huel RTD v2.0 the answer? Does this make a Huel Ready to Drink a contender to be the best? Should you buy it? Or should you look at other Huel alternatives?

I will try to answer all these questions and more in this Huel RTD review!

Flavors: Vanilla, Chocolate, Banana & Berry

Flavors v2.0: Salted Caramel, Iced Coffee Caramel, Cinnamon Roll, and Strawberry Shortcake. Names are slightly different in the UK and US, but the product is the same.

Huel RTD contains 20g of protein, it’s high in fiber with 7g, and low in sugar at only 5g or less. Also contained therein are 41g of carbs, 19g of total fat, and contains 20% or greater of 27 vitamins and minerals.

We have the variety box in-house today (recommended way to start with the RTD), so I’m glad we’ll be able to bring you guys a full review of all flavors.

It came alongside Huel Black (Powder) in the same box, and I’m happy to report they used minimal, but effective packaging for the product. No cramming too much into a box too small, or defaulting to a box that is far too big, in line with its eco-centric approach.

Speaking of eco-centric, Huel RTD has a very low carbon footprint. A primary goal within their overall mission.

First Impression

Huel RTD comes in its own recyclable box, with a tasteful design and the nutritional information and ingredients of every flavor printed directly on it. It also has short but informative descriptions of what it is, what is in it, and why it’s good for you. 

Before getting started on this, I’m very curious about the mouthfeel. Huel Powder & Huel Black Edition have a very thick, textural mouthfeel, one that you either like, or absolutely hate. So it will be interesting to see if Huel RTD was made to be smooth, or doubled down on making it like the powder.

What I like

1. Very smooth & not too sweet.

2. Well-packaged and recyclable bottles. Not too much, but not too little. Recycling friendly.

3. Huel Ready to Drink v2.0 is significantly better. This is the version I would happily consume on a regular basis.

4. Proper variety pack. All flavors included, and many of each.

5. Gluten-free, plant-based, and soy-free. There aren’t many soy-free RTDs around.

6. v2.0 is naturally sweetened. A good alternative for those who don’t want sucralose in their shakes.

7. Ice Coffee Caramel is one of the best-tasting RTDs.

What I dislike

1. Frequent bits of solidified pieces (v1.0). Made it that much harder to drink.

2. Feels like I should have been full longer (v1.0). At 500ml I was expecting more.

3. Price. Huel RTD is above average in price for most markets (except UK). Risks being not competitive with competing products.

4. Short consumption window. Once opened it is recommended that it is finished in 12hrs. Much shorter than competing products. Average is 2-3 days.

5. Protein content is lower than the usual for Huel. 20g/400kcal is not bad, but I was hoping for at least 25g.

6. Taste is not good enough (v1.0). At the end of the day, I was reaching out for the powder, despite the extra effort it required, and I struggled to finish some of the RTDs. V2.0 solves this problem.

Improvements

1. Tinker with flavors and volumes. Not the worst, but feels like there is room for improvement.

2. More protein.

3. Be a bit more flexible with price. Even with free shipping, its higher than others.

Nutritionally speaking, Huel Ready to Drink is a very interesting product.

As all Huel complete meals, it is 100% plant-based, and soy free. Furthermore, it’s also gluten free, and without any of the most common allergens.

However, unlike the powder products, it’s not as protein-rich as Huel would like you to believe, and in fact, it sits on par with the most direct competition.

That aside, it will provide you with all the nutrients and a nice meal in a very convenient fashion. It is a very nutritious meal for a RTD. Huel Ready to Drink is a healthy meal option that can replace and enhance your diet on the go.

On top of that, there are currently 2 different formulas. Here are the main differences:

• Huel v1.0 uses artificial sweeteners (sucralose); while v2.0 is sweetened with stevia.
• Huel v2.0 has slightly more protein (22g vs 20g), and it uses different protein sources (shown below)

Huel RTD Nutrition Overview

	Huel Ready to Drink v1.0	Huel RTD v2.0
Kcal/meal	400	400
Macros (C/P/F)	38/20/42	37/22/41
Vegan	Yes	Yes
Keto	No	No
Features	Soy Free, Nut Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free	Soy Free, GF, NF, DF
Non-GMO	Yes	Yes
Organic	No	No
Includes Probiotics	No	No
Artificial Sweeteners	Yes	No
Synthetic Additives	Yes	Yes
Contains All Micronutrients	Yes	Yes
Controversial Ingredients	Sucralose	None

Note: Both versions largely use the same ingredients and have similar macros. Thus, I will only highlight the differences where relevant.

Carbohydrates

Based on a 400kcal serving (exact numbers might vary):

• Total: 41g, 15% of DV.
• Sugars: 5g.
• of which Added: 1g, 2% of DV.
• Fibers: 8g, 29% of DV.

The main source of carbohydrates are tapioca starch, gluten-free oat powder and brown rice powder. All three are complex carbohydrates that are harder for the body to digest, thus they have lower impact in blood glucose levels. In fact, the overall GI of Huel Ready to Drink is only 25, which is really low.

All three ingredients have been finely powdered in order to become soluble. Of these, brown rice flour and tapioca starch are new ingredients for Huel. To be more precise, brown rice is used for both, the bars and the powder, but as a protein source and sugar source.

Tapioca starch comes from the South American vegetable cassava and it is similar to corn starch. It acts as thickener as well as a carbohydrate source.

Perhaps, it is worth noting what is not in Huel Ready to drink: maltodextrin or isomaltulose. A pair of carbohydrates very common in RTDs.

Note: Huel 2.0 has coconut sugar to help with the sweetness. However, the total sugar per drink is still 5g.

Fats

Per serving:

Huel RTDs main fat sources are rapeseed oil, flaxseed and MCT powder (from coconut). Rapeseed oil is higher in mononusaturated fatty acids (mostly omega-9), than flaxseed which is high in polyunsaturated fatty acids (mostly omega-3 in form of alpha-linolenic acid). Lastly,  the MCT powder from coconut is high in saturated fatty acids.

MCTs Are a Nice Addition

In fact, the medium chain triglycerides (MCT) from coconut are often seen as lower quality, since it is mostly lauric acid (C12:0). Lauric acid is the longest of all, and it does not behave as the other shorter chains, which are more rapidly consumed and might have beneficial cardiovascular effects.

However, James Collier (Huel Nutritionist) stated that most MCTs in Huel are caprylic acid (C8:0) and capric acid (C10:0). Less than 2% is lauric acid.

See what Huel’s Nutritionist James has to say about MCTs.

Despite the addition of MCTs, increasing the amount of saturated fats, the levels are below the upper boundaries.

Plenty of Omega-3, as Usual for Huel Products.

Huel chooses to load their products with high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, to counteract the lack of it in the western diet. While 2.1g of ALA might seem high, ALA conversion to EPA and DHA is really low (8-20% and 1-9%, respectively). The conversion rates can be dependent in many factors including:

• Age.
• Gender.
• Amount of omega-3 fatty acids in the system.
• Saturated fat intake.
• Insulin levels.
• Genetic factors.
• Availability of enzymes and other components.

0.25g to 0.5g of combined DHA plus EPA is recommended. Thus, Huel RTD ensures you will have enough omega-3s with one or two servings!

Protein

Per serving:

The biggest source of protein in Huel RTD is pea protein. Also included is flaxseed and brown rice protein. This allows Huel to remain vegan and soy free, which is a unique combination for a ready-to-drink meal replacement.

These two work very well in combination with each other, because they balance out the amino acid deficiencies of their counterparts. This is, pea protein is low in methionine (when compared to other protein sources), but rice has plenty.

Huel v2.0 Is Different

As you can see above, Huel’s new formula does not use rice protein and instead uses hemp seed protein. Hemp protein is a very solid alternative that’s gaining momentum in the nutrition world.

However, it’s worth noting that this is one of the last ingredients (on the ingredient list), so I am not sure how much hemp protein is used (this is, it’s not a 50/50 split).

20g of Protein Is Plenty, but Not as Much as Your Usual Huel

When comparing to other Huel products, the RTD is not as rich in protein. Therefore, if you want more protein in your meals, I recommend you the Huel powder:

	Protein (g)/400kcal
Huel RTD	20/22
Soylent Drink	20
Mana Drink	20
YFood	26
Plenny Drink	20

Similarly, when compared to the other Huel products, Huel RTD is not as rich:

	Protein (g)/400kcal
Huel RTD	20
Huel Black	40
Huel Original	30
Huel Hot & Savoury	24
Huel Bar	24

Micronutrients

Every bottle of Huel RTD provides you with at least 20% of your daily recommended vitamins and minerals (27).

Allergens

Huel RTD contains no major allergens, but it contains coconut.

With this updated Huel Ready to Drink review, I’ve covered both Huel RTD v1.0 and v2.0 in this tasting test.

	Johnny’s Rating	Editor’s Rating
Ice Coffee Caramel *	A+	S+
Salted Caramel*	A+	A
Strawberries & Cream*	C	C
Cinnamon Roll*	B	A+
Chocolate	C	B
Vanilla	C	B
Berry	A	C
Banana	C	B

In short, I think that Huel RTD v2.0 is a much-improved product in this aspect. Both the texture and the taste have taken a leap forward, and it’s now a very enjoyable RTD. Warning, they can be a little sweet! Nonetheless, I think this is what makes them more palatable.

Best flavour	Salted Caramel
Taste	Huel v1: They were ok. Berry was decent, Banana & Vanilla were palatable, and Chocolate was tolerable. Huel v2: was much better, stronger and sweeter.
Texture	Huel v.1: Pretty thick, but very smooth. Also, had solidified bits at the top and bottom even after vigorous shake, which was quite annoying. Huel v2: More viscous, easier to drink.
Satiety	Underwhelming honestly. Drinking more than other RTDs to only end with similar satiety. You can expect around 2 hours.
Afterthoughts	Most of the v2s are good or great. They leave you with a much better aftertaste in your mouth. As for v1, Berry is worth your time, the rest get a C grade at best.

Huel RTD Taste Review

As mentioned, we have four flavors, all at 400kcal and 500ml. With the extra 100 or so milliliters of volume, I’m hoping for top-notch satiety.

If the taste is your main concern, I strongly recommend you opt for the Huel RTD v2.0; which has improved texture and taste, in my opinion.

Huel RTD v2.0 Taste

Salted Caramel – A+ Tier

It smelled great, and upon first sip, I could tell this was going to be way better than before. Felt like it was a bit thinner than v1, which is a good thing, but still a bit thicker than I’d prefer. You can taste the pea protein base, but the sweet caramel really did shine through!

I will say that it tasted more like caramel with salt in the first half, and more like salt with caramel in the latter half. Maybe I just need to shake it better. Also, no solid bits in it, which is a huge score. Smooth, tasty and easy to drink. So far Huel has come out swinging!

Iced Coffee Caramel – A+ Tier

Editor’s note: I’ve tried dozens of RTDs and this is in my top 3, without a doubt. Absolutely delicious.

Stout coffee smell, with hints of caramel. This one was also pretty good, much like other coffee flavored drinks. I do have one complaint. Outside of the coffee flavor, it feels too similar to Salted Caramel. Maybe this should be more of a mocha flavor just to differentiate it somewhat. Outside of that, no issues finishing it. And again, no little chunks in it! We’re 2 for 2 so far!

Cinnamon Roll – B Tier

Was a bit let down by this one. Is it bad? Well, no….but it was kind of bland. I expected a much punchier flavor than what I got. You can smell, and taste the cinnamon, but only like a hint of it. Bottom line, being in a variety pack, I’d drink them, but wouldn’t order an entire box of them.

Strawberry Shortcake – C Tier

Smells promising, but not very good. The flavor of the protein is just too overpowering for this product. I noticed there is nothing strawberry related in the ingredients, and maybe there should be. At any rate, this is by a mile the worst one and the only one I didn’t finish.

Huel v1.0 Taste

Vanilla – C Tier

First thing out of the way, the drink is very smooth, unlike Huel & Huel Black. This one has a very medicine-like smell to it. I have a bad feeling about this.

Anyway, after giving it a go, its definitely not the best vanilla I’ve had, but ok I guess.

Also, there were hair-like strands at the top and bottom. Seems these are settled parts of the liquid that solidified. I’ll have to shake much better next time.

Banana – C Tier

Not a fan of banana drinks, they all taste like banana candy which I don’t particularly like.

Thankfully, they did not overdo it, but it’s still that same kind of taste. It’s palatable, and not too sweet, but I’m not crazy about this one either.

Once again, there seemed to be these solid pieces in there as well, this time not strands, but flake like pieces. I swear I shook it even harder than Vanilla, too.

Chocolate – C Tier

The chocolate smells ok, we’ll see if the taste matches, though I’m not optimistic.

So, it’s not terrible, but it has a different taste to it. It definitely smells better. It takes some getting used to, and once I adjusted, it was ok, not my favorite for sure. It does have an aftertaste that wasn’t great.

Same deal with the solid bits in it. It may just be natural settling but it’s still very off-putting.

Berry – A Tier

Last we have Berry, which smells pretty good. Surprisingly, it tastes decent too! It’s a mixed berry flavor, with hints of strawberry and others. I really have no flavor-related complaints here.

Hands down the best of the bunch, and the only one I’d have again.

Huel RTD Taste vs The Best

I will compare Huel’s Ready to Drink to the best RTDs further below, but I wanted to make a quick comment on the taste.

Simply put, Huel Ready to Drink is not the best-tasting RTD, and it’s not even close. In the US, Soylent Drink, Mana or OWYN are much better alternatives.

In Europe, I would go for YFood (especially if you don’t mind it not being vegan). Otherwise, Mana, Plenny Drink or YFood vegan will be much better.

About Huel

Huel is the leading brand in the industry. They specialize in plant-based meal replacements, without soy, and are nutritionally very rich.

Besides the RTD, Huel also offers 2 powder-based meals, a Hot & Savoury complete meal, bars, and even a Complete Protein. You can find all the reviews by using the search bar above.

Besides the great product offering, Huel is also renowned for their excellent customer service, company ethics and their push for a sustainable future.

Huel RTD Packaging

Huel RTD can be found on their website and in some stores (Sainsbury’s and Tesco, for instance) in the UK. However, for the best prices is better to buy online.

Packaging

The Ready to Drink meal replacement can be bought in 2 ways:

• 12 packs (this is the standard way). You will be able to buy it on subscription and enjoy a discount.
• Single servings when ordering other Huel products. At checkout, you’ll be given the option to order single bottles, so that you can try them out without having to commit $90/£76.

Otherwise, you can start with the variety pack, as shown below:

As for the bottles, they are currently made with 51% recycled plastic. This is up from 25% (when launched) and is in line to achieve their goal of using 100% recycled plastic.

It is, however, 100% recyclable, including the lid. The plastic is PET.  They hope to increase the amount of recycled plastic to 65% in the next two years (2018) and include 15% bioplastic (bio-PET).

Reminder: The Issue with Plastic Bottles

One of the main issues with RTDs is that they come in plastic bottles. Plastic bottles are costly to produce, often not recycled,  populate the world oceans, and have a negative effect on fish according to The Guardian.

The amount of plastic produced and consumed it is on the rise; and it is threatening to become as big of an issue as climate change.

While this might be a topic to discuss another time, it is worth having a thought over it and considering Huel Powder as an alternative.

If you are interested in the topic, read Huel’s statement on the matter.

Pricing

Regarding the price, there are 3 factors that will affect it:

• Location. Prices will vary depending on where you live (US, EU or UK)
• Order size. There’s a bulk discount available
• Subscription. 10% discount when subscribing

Note: v2 is currently more expensive than v1.

Subscription delivery intervals are as short as once a week, to once every ten weeks. Also, there are volume discounts to be had the more boxes purchased. You’ll have a limit of eight boxes per order. Check out the delta between the minimum order, and the maximum order.

Prices in the US are as follows:

Quantity	Total Price (Non-Sub/Sub)	Serving Price (Non-sub/sub)
1 Box (12 servings)	$56.11/$50.50	$4.68/$4.21
8 Boxes (96 servings)	$379.46/$341.50	$3.56/$3.18

However, in the UK prices are a bit cheaper:

Quantity	Total Price (Non-Sub/Sub)	Serving Price (Non-sub/sub)
1 Box (12 servings)	£40.56/£36.50	£3.38/£3.04
8 Boxes (96 servings)	£253.36/£228.00	£2.64/£2.38

As for the rest of Europe:

Quantity	Total Price (Non-Sub/Sub)	Serving Price (Non-sub/sub)
1 Box (12 servings)	€55/€49.50	€4.58/€4.13
8 Boxes (96 servings)	€364.48/€328.00	€3.42/€3.28

Check out the full break-down:

Is Huel RTD Cheap?

In short, it is not the cheapest, but it’s competitive, particularly in the UK.

I believe Huel RTD falls somewhere in the middle in pricing if you buy enough. Smaller orders can be pricey, but if you order in bulk you can get some good prices.

For instance, in the US, a bottle of Soylent Drink will cost you $3.25 without discounts (for 400kcal serving).

Alternatively, if you live in Europe, you can get a bottle of Plenny Drink for €2.5/400kcal.

Shipping

In the UK, delivery is free for orders over £15, and they offer free next-day delivery for orders over £20.

In the US, Huel provides free shipping on all orders over $25, and orders usually arrive in 3-7 days. The primary courier used is FedEx, but some orders may be shipped via USPS.

Orders to Alaska, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands do not qualify for free shipping and costs will vary depending on the weight.

Huel also ships internationally. You’ll be charged depending on location an order weight. Below is a chart outlining costs.

Delivery zone	1kg	1 – 5kg	5 – 10kg	10 – 15kg	15 – 30kg	Country
Zone B	£15.00	£29.00	£44.00	£60.00	£105.00	Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan
Zone C	£15.00	£28.00	£46.00	£59.00	£97.00	India, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates
Zone D	£19.00	£35.00	£53.00	£69.00	£119.00	Bermuda, Brazil, South Africa
Zone E	£19.00	£35.00	£52.00	£69.00	£120.00	Maldives
Zone T, U & V	£13.00	£24.00	£34.00	£43.00	£71.00	Iceland, Switzerland, Malta, Cyprus

There are quite a few RTDs in the market, currently. The offering differs from Europe to the US, so be aware that you won’t find all products everywhere. For that, we’ve covered the best ready to drink meal replacements elsewhere, so please check that out if you are looking for an RTD.

Huel RTD Alternatives in the US

Here in the US, Huel RTD faces fairly limited, but stiff competition, excluding many off-the-shelf products as oftentimes they are incomplete and or packed with sugar.

Soylent is easy to buy at so many local stores, and have had three-year head start (October 2015) with bottled meal replacement drinks. So they’ve had time to refine their formula over time, with Soylent Optimized being their current offering.

OWYN’s meal replacement launched around six months after Huel in July 2019, and also offers a complete meal while catering to the vocal “no soy” audience. In addition, it’s comparable to Huel RTD in that it’s GMO free.

Sated is from the keto segment and was also released around the same timeframe. While specifically designed as a low carb option, it still is complete and compares favorably to the others, though it relies on whey protein alongside higher fat content.

So how does Huel RTD compare to other players in this space?

Overview

	Huel RTD	Soylent	OWYN	Sated
serving price	$4.50 (USD)	$3.50 (USD)	$3 (USD)	$5 (USD)
serving size	1 Bottle 500ml	1 Bottle 400ml	1 Bottle 355ml	1 Bottle 325ml
Packaging (servings per)	12 Bottles	12 Bottles	12 Bottles	12 Bottles
Flavors	4	8	2	2
kcal/serving	400	400	300	400
Carbs (g)	41	36	31	17
Protein (g)	20	20	20	18
Sugar (g)	3	1	5	<1
Fiber (g)	8	3	3	6
Fats (g)	19	24	10	35
Micronutrients	27	28	24	26
Vegan	Y	Y	Y	N
Organic	N	N	N	N
Artificial Sweeteners	Y	Y	N	N
Synthetic Additives	Y	Y	N	N
GMOs	N	Y	N	N
Protein Source	Pea/Rice/Flax	Soy	Pea/Pumpkin	Whey

Which is Best for You?

As with many comparisons of similar products, there is a lot to consider.

The most established brand, Soylent is the best tasting by a mile, has a ton of variety, and is easy to get your hands on quickly. But it also has additives that some may be turned off by. And if you don’t care for soy, it’s already a no-go.

The fairly new OWYN is super affordable, but offers the fewest calories, so you may find yourself hungry again sooner than you’d planned. They only have two flavors as of now, and while chai was good, their chocolate offering was pretty bland as I recall.

Then, there is Sated, the most expensive of the bunch. While complete, it occupies a different category being a keto-targeted product. With only two flavors, the lowest total volume, and deriving its protein from animal product (whey), it may or may not be for you. Both flavors were tasty though.

Last but certainly not least, the star of the show, Huel RTD. It has a reasonable amount of flavors, provides the most volume of all the shakes and has a pretty good nutritional profile. With the new upgraded formula, I can feel confident recommending them.

Which to pick? Ultimately, only you know what’s best for you.

Huel RTD Alternatives in Europe

Similarly to the US, there are plenty of ready-to-drink meals in Europe: Saturo, Mana, Plenny Drink, Feed, YFood… just to name a few. Most of them are plant-based or offer a vegan option.

	Huel RTD	YFood	Mana	Plenny
serving price	€4.42	€3.49	€2.63	€2.50
serving size	1 Bottle 500ml	1 Bottle 500ml	1 Bottle 330ml	1 Bottle 325ml
Packaging (servings per)	12 Bottles	6 Bottles	12 Bottles	12 Bottles
Flavors	4	6	2	2
kcal/serving	400	500	330	400
Carbs (g)	41	38	28	45
Protein (g)	20	34	17	20
Sugar (g)	3	22	7	7
Fiber (g)	8	6	4	6
Fats (g)	19	22	16	15
Micronutrients	27	26	27	24
Vegan	Y	N*	Y	Y
Organic	N	N	N	N
Artificial Sweeteners	Y	Y	Y	Y
Synthetic Additives	Y	Y	Y	Y
GMOs	N	N	N	N
Protein Source	Pea/Rice/Flax	Milk	Soy	Soy

Besides the numbers, I would say that if you are looking for an affordable alternative, Plenny Drink is your best choice.

As for the taste, I love YFood’s milk-based RTDs, they are simply delicious.

Otherwise, I think that Mana Drink is a lovely shake too. The Origin is a neutral shake that is hard to get tired of, and the Choco is a huge improvement over Huel’s Chocolate.

Verdict – Huel RTD Review, Wait for V2

In my previous Huel Ready to Drink review I was rather harsh.

“Let’s not mince words, Huel RTD was not my cup of tea. I’d literally rather just forget the convenience, an take extra time and opt for a powdered mix (like Huel Black), which tastes much better and provides up to double the protein of RTD.”

In fact, “Wait for v2” was my recommendation.

Well, v2.0 is here and I must say it has improved considerably. I would go as far as to say that they are now in contention with the best ready-to-drink shakes.

While the issues with v1.0 remain (medicine-like taste; solid bits; not very filling; generally not enjoyable); the new and upgraded version solves most of these.

They provide all this with improved nutrition: no artificial sweeteners, and some extra protein. As usual, fully plant-based, soy free and complete. Huel RTD is still one of the most nutritious in the market.

So should you buy Huel Ready to Drink? I would say yes, buy the v2.0. The new RTDs are a HUGE improvement, and actually, super tasty.