Plenny Drink was a product first created during the ready-to-drink (RTD) craze (late 2018). All companies jumped aboard this format that offered convenient, smooth and likeable meals. Consequently, Plenny Drink v1.0 felt like a rushed product. In fact, it was unchanged for over a year, it didn’t even get a second flavour. Now, I come back to review Plenny Drink with the release of v2.0. Jimmyjoy has added some protein, changed the formula slightly and even added a second flavour.

So, how does their RTD fare vs the best in the market? Is it worth buying? Let’s find out in this Plenny Drink review!

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Flavours: Vanilla and Chocolate.

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My initial thoughts on the old v1.0 Plenny Drink were that it was average. A solid RTD, without much flare and at a very reasonable price. I wished to see more. That was 1.5 years ago.

Therefore, I was excited when they sent me the v.2.0. The formula remained pretty much the same; offering only 2 flavours but at an extremely competitive price (probably the cheapest). Great to see when RTDs come at a premium.

Besides the incredible price, I was hoping for a tasty shake, as well as, some more flavour variety. Regarding the first, I think Plenny Drink 2.0 is OK, but slightly less flavourful than 1.0. As for the second, I welcome the addition of Chocolate. Nonetheless, after two years, I expected at least 3 different flavours.

All in all, Plenny Drink is an average RTD (positively) at an unbeatable price.

What I like

1. Price. Ready-to-drink shakes are expensive (often 2-3x what powders cost). They are not easy to develop and produce, thus the consumer has to pay premium. But at €2.13/400kcal, Plenny Drink is the cheapest RTD you can buy in both US and EU.

2. Everything is average. I mean this positively. Nutrition is good, taste is OK, 2 flavour options and the experience is overall positive. You won’t be disappointed, neither positively surprised.

3. Higher carbohydrate content. Many RTDs are loaded with fats. Plenny Drink is on the rich end; but within the ESFA limits.

4. Vegan, low in sugars, high in fibre and balanced. Nutritionally, Plenny Drink will provide you with all you need. In fact, it’s more complete than other competitors like Soylent.

5. Available in Europe and the USA. Updates will be delayed in the US, since the product is shipped from Europe.

What I dislike

1. Average taste. There will be better tasting shakes in the market. I can name a few. Personally, I even liked the 1.0 version better.

2. No mixed pack. Arguably, the initial commitment is smaller than in some competitors, but a mixed 8-pack would be great to try them out.

3. You will need to drink some water. With only 330ml per 400kcal; I think you will have to drink some water to hydrate yourself a little more.

Improvements

1. More flavours. I know it’s expensive to develop, but I feel like I would get bored by Vanilla and Chocolate.

2. Make the taste more exciting.

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In short, Plenny Drink is an easy meal replacement to drink. Not particularly thick, somewhat watery perhaps and without any strong flavours. Almost like drinking soy milk. Personally, I think that this v2.0 is a slight downgrade; since I enjoyed the sweeter and stronger vanilla flavour the old one had.

With that said, I had other people try it, and they liked it more than I did, Partially because it’s milder and not as sweet;thus, you can drink it without it feeling sickening. It goes down easily and pleasantly.

Perhaps too easily. With only 330ml for 400kcal; I find it to be “small”. For a man that’s used to drink a lot (over 3L a day), it’s a small portion (I usually enjoy shakes with larger liquid volumes).

Nevertheless, to my surprise, it did well keeping me full for 3h. I do recommend drinking it slowly, though.

One thing worth mentioning is that I enjoyed my Plenny Drink more cold. I refrigerated it overnight (there’s no need to store them in the fridge), and I felt it was more refreshing that way.

Unfortunately, at the time of the review they only Vanilla was available. Thus, I have not tried Plenny Drink chocolate.

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Jimmyjoy has evolved towards a fully-plant based meal replacement offering. As such, Plenny Drinks are vegan and dairy-free. Besides that, the RTD is fairly similar to others that you can find on the market; just slightly higher in carbs than the average meal drink.

At A Glance

Macronutrient distribution (% of energy from):

Nutritional label based on Plenny Drink Vanilla:

per serving 100g	Vanilla	% of RI
Energy (kcal)	400.0	20
Total fat (g)	14.5	21
Saturated (g)	1.0	5
Carbs (g)	44.6	17
Sugars (g)	6.9	8
Protein (g)	20.0	40
Salt (g)	0.5	8
Fibre (g)	5.9	30

Ingredients (Vanilla): water, soy protein isolate (6.3%), oats (5%), maltodextrin, modified starch, rapeseed oil (3.7%), oat-fibre (2%), emulsifier (soy), thickener: microcrystalline cellulose, carboxymethilcellulose, guar gum, acidity regulator: citric acid, vitamin- and mineral- mix, aroma, vanilla seeds, sweetener: sucralose.

Carbohydrates

Regarding the carbohydrate content, in RTD products usually maltodextrin or ultra-processed sources are king. Thus, it is surprising to see that Plenny Drink contains some oats, as well as maltodextrin.

Oats are an amazing source of complex carbohydrates, fibre, and other nutrients (protein, phytonutrients…). Not only that, but thanks to their composition they have slower impact in blood glucose.

On the other hand, maltodextrin is a complex carbohydrate with a high glycemic index (85). It is easy to break down and it is rapidly converted in to glucose. Thus, it’s great to see in moderation.

Talking about moderation, Plenny Drink doesn’t have any added sugars, and it’s fairly low in them.

Protein

When looking for vegan protein sources; most meal replacement brands choose between soy, pea or rice (there’s more). Among them, soy protein isolate is arguably the best single plant-based protein source. It has a complete amino acid profile and it’s easily absorbed by the body.

With 20g per 400kcal serving, you will get 40% of the recommended intake per serving.

Fats

When looking at fats, it’s important to get a balanced fatty acid profile with the right amount of monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and saturated fatty acids. Plus, some essential omega-3 fatty acids.

Plenny Drink uses rapeseed oil to provide you with most of the fats. This is a commonly used oil for multiple reasons:

• 1:2 omega-3 to omega-6 ratio; which is linked with reduced risk of CVD.
• Good balance of MUFA, PUFA and SFA. A higher MUFA and PUFA content can also reduce CHD.
• Rich in both vitamin E and vitamin K.

Micronutrients

Jimmyjoy uses a synthetic vitamin and mineral mix to reach the recommended intakes. In the new Plenny Drink 2.0 they have removed fluoride and included more absorbable micronutrients.

Vitamin & mineral mix: potassium chloride, magnesium salts of orthophosphoric acid, calcium carbonate, potassium salts of orthophosphoric acid, vitamin C, vitamin B12, zinc gluconate, ferric pyrophosphate, DL-alpha-tocopheryl acetate, vitamin K2-MK7, chromium (III) chloride, vitamin B3, potassium iodide, manganese gluconate, sodium selenite, vitamin A, vitamin B5, vitamin D3, sodium molybdate, D-biotin, vitamin B9, cupric sulphate, vitamin B6, vitamin B2 – riboflavin, vitamin B1 – thiamine mononitrate.

Allergens

Plenny Drinks have both oats and soy.

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Plenny Drink v2.0 is the second iteration of Plenny Drink. The first was launched in August 2018 and only included the vanilla flavour.

Pricing & Packaging

One of the most competitive aspects of Plenny Drink is the price. Starting at €2.5 per 400kcal bottle is one of the most affordable RTDs you can buy. Plus, you can further reduce the price to €2.13 with the 15% subscription discount.

	Plenny Drink	YFood V	Huel
Per 400kcal (expensive)	€2.50	€3.19	€3.96
Per 400kcal (cheapest)	€2.13	€3.19	€3.29

In the US, the price is relatively more expensive, but still competitive. The RTD is manufactured in Europe and then shipped to the US, which explains the extra cost. This might also cause delays on getting the newest flavours and updates.

	Plenny Drink	Huel	Soylent
Per 400kcal (expensive)	$3.00	$4.13	$3.50
Per 400kcal (cheapest)	$2.55	$3.19	$3.09

As for the packaging, Plenny Drinks are sold in 8-packs. Each bottle contains 330ml or a serving of 400kcal. These bottles are made of tetra-brick, which is widely recycled in Europe. The bottles, themselves, are not made from recycled materials, though.

When it comes to storing Plenny Drink, there’s no need to keep them refrigerated. They can last up to 1 year in a cool, dry place.

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Plenny Drinks are sold in both US and EU. The RTD competition has different players in the two continents, with YFood being one of my favourites in Europe; whereas, Soylent takes its place in the US (neither is sold across the Atlantic). Nevertheless, let’s see how Plenny Drink compares with some of the best ready to drink meal replacements:

Plenny Drink vs YFood RTD

The German brand YFood does amazingly tasty shakes. Their original formula was based on milk; but they have recently developed a plant-based shake. Unfortunately, this is slightly more expensive, but still a referent.

Flavours

Plenny Drink: Vanilla, and Chocolate.

YFood Vegan: Vanilla, and Chocolate.

Price

Price	Plenny Drink	YFood RTD Vegan
EU (€)
per 400 (expensive)	2.50	3.19
per 400 (cheapest)	2.13	3.19

Note that milk-based YFood RTDs are cheaper and also offer a 15% subscription discount. On the other hand, the vegan versions do not currently have that, even though I suspect they soon will.

Taste

YFood’s RTDs are less concentrated (500kcal per 500ml vs 400kcal per 330ml). That can be noticed in the thinner texture of the shakes. Taste wise, I think that both are similar, just YFood being slightly sweeter.

Personally, if you are not bothered about being plant-based, I would recommend buying YFood’s milk RTDs.

Nutrition

YFood RTD vegan and Plenny Drink share many ingredients, including, soy protein, maltodextrin, oat fibre… However, the German RTD is richer in fats than Plenny Drink and lower in carbs.

What Should I Buy?

If getting an affordable meal is your top priority, then Plenny Drink will be a much more affordable option. Neither has a vastly superior taste, thus Plenny Drink is also better in this regard. It is only if you don’t care about the shake being vegan, that I would recommend YFood. The original version is much higher in protein and there’re more flavours to choose from.

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Plenny Drink vs Soylent Drink

Soylent is the original brand born in the US. It is also the most popular, and one that has the biggest offering of vegan ready to drink meal replacements.

Flavours

Plenny Drink: Vanilla, and Chocolate.

Soylent Drink: Creamy Chocolate, Strawberry, Vanilla, Mint-Chocolate, Original, and Banana. Soylent Cafe Mocha, Cafe Chai and Cafe Latte.

Price

Price	Plenny Drink	Soylent Drink
US ($)
per 400 (expensive)	3.00	3.50
per 400 (cheapest)	2.55	3.09

Prices for Plenny Drink could vary slightly.

Taste

Despite the fact that I enjoyed Plenny Drink, I think most of Soylent’s RTDs taste better. I love the Cacao and Vanilla Soylent, they are sweeter and stronger in flavour. Soylent Drink is also creamier and has a more enjoyable texture.

Nutrition

Soylent is show as % of Daily Value (US measurement); whereas Plenny Drink as % of Recommended Intake (EU). Soylent falls a little short in fibre and it’s much richer in fats than Plenny Drink.

What Should I Buy?

When it comes to taste, Soylent is the clear winner; they taste better, and they offer more variety. However, if we take nutrition and budget into account Plenny Drink is a very solid Soylent alternative.

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All the following RTD products are also vegan. Most of them rely on soy protein isolate and have close to 20g per 400kcal.

• vs Mana Drink. Mana only offers one flavour for their RTD: Origin. It’s a more creamy vanilla taste, more neutral. Very easy to like. Nutritionally it’s very interesting since they offer a more complex protein source (soy, pea, oat, hemp, rice plus algae). It is more expensive than Plenny Drink.
• vs Saturo. Saturo is another soy-based RTD. They have a wider range of flavours, and some of them are better tasting than Plenny Drink (like Saturo Coffee). However, they are slightly more expensive. As far as nutrition is concerned, Saturo also offers 20g of protein; but it’s higher in fats and lower in carbs.
• vs Huel RTD. Huel Ready to Drink is a soy free, gluten-free, vegan RTD, thus the perfect alternative if you are allergic to it. They also use tapioca starch instead of maltodextrin. Nutritionally is very well-rounded; and the taste is pretty good, too.
• vs Sated RTD. This is one of the few keto RTD shakes in the market; thus it offers a nutritionally different meal replacement. Sated will be ideal for those looking to minimize the amount of carbs they drink, with just 1.3g of net carbs.

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Verdict

Plenny Drinks are the ideal ready to drink product for those who are on a budget. They offer the perfect blend between affordable and quality nutrition.

When it comes to the taste, I’ve certainly tried better tasting RTDs. Nonetheless, Plenny Drinks are enjoyable enough and really easy to drink. I just wish they offered more flavour variety, though.

Nutritionally, they offer a well-founded vegan RTD; with all the nutrients you need, following the ESFA guidelines. Among other things, Jimmyjoy has reduced maltodextrin content; added some more complex carbohydrates; and improved their micronutrients. Consequently, Plenny Drinks are less fatty than the alternatives, while providing you 20g of protein per serving.

Taking everything to consideration, I would say that Plenny Drinks are a great meal to have on the go. However, I would probably prefer their powder-based meals (Plenny Shake) if I didn’t care about the convenience factor.