Whether you want to lose weight, gain weight or are just short on time to cook healthy plant-based meals, vegan meal replacement shakes can be a real saviour.
But, as I’ve tried meal replacement shakes from all of the major brands, I’ve found that they’re not all created equally. Not only are some much healthier than others, but some of them taste much better too!
So, if you want to know which is the best vegan meal replacement shake for you, read on for my detailed findings…
To help find the best meal replacement shake for vegans, I’ve spent over 40 hours researching all the options, making and tasting the shakes and analysing the ingredients in great detail.
In this guide, I report on the taste, texture and whether they actually kept me full until the next meal.
Of course, not everyone has that much time to devote to research. If you don’t have time to read all of my findings and just want links to the best vegan meal replacement shakes, those are here for you…
The Best Vegan Meal Replacement Shakes – Reviews
Read on for reviews of each of the top meal replacement shakes, including nutritional info and the pros and cons of each. I’ve also included links to the best places to buy them online
1. Rootana
✅Calories: 400 ✅Fat: 16g ✅Carbs: 44g ✅Sugar: 13g ✅Protein: 21g
Unlike the vast majority of vegan meal replacement shakes, Rootana contains enough calories to replace a meal properly! With 400 calories of high-quality plant-based ingredients, Rootana provides you with all of the necessary macro and micronutrients to lead a healthy lifestyle.
Rootana is committed to providing its customers with a low-carbon product, avoiding the use of high-carbon ingredients such as soy and instead electing to use pea protein. It also avoids genetically modified ingredients and additives that affect flavour and colour. It also avoids the use of artificial sweeteners.
This means that instead of sugar alcohols such as xylitol, or zero-calorie sweeteners such as sucralose, stevia, and aspartame, Rootana relies on a small amount of naturally occurring coconut sugar to sweeten its formula.
This appeals to many vegans as well as omnivores who prefer their food to be as natural as possible. But Rootana also offers a significant number of health benefits.
It is high in plant protein thanks to the use of pea protein, oats, and flaxseed. These same ingredients ensure that it is high in natural fibre and low GI carbohydrates. Rootana avoids using cheap carbohydrates such as maltodextrin, preferring oats that have a multitude of proven health benefits.
I really enjoyed the cacao flavour, and I have heard a lot of great things about the original flavour, which offers a delicious oaty taste without the artificial sweetness that most vegan meal replacements provide.
The consistency of my shake was excellent, and it is easy to manipulate by adding more or less water. It would be nice to see a few more flavour options in the future, however, as this would provide some variety.
Rootana is perfect for replacing low-quality meals with a healthy vegan meal shake. It provides you with 400 calories and is high in fibre and protein. This will keep you feeling full for much longer than lower-calorie shakes. Reducing your likelihood of snacking and making it easier to stick to your calorie target (if you have one).
Pros
- High in natural fibre
- A complete amino acid profile
- 400 calories per serving
- High in plant protein
- No artificial sweeteners, flavours, or colours
Cons
- Only two flavours are currently available
- Only available from Rootana website
2. Feel
⭐ Best For Weight Loss
✅Calories: 210 ✅ Fat: 3.9g ✅Carbs: 17.4g ✅Sugar: 0.5g ✅Protein: 22.8g
The best vegan meal replacement shake for weight loss is Feel Meal Replacement. I lost 3lb with no effort at all while using this shake.
Feel is a trusted company that’s best known for its vitamin supplements – you’ve probably seen the ads featuring TV personality, Cheryl. The company uses clean, highest quality plant-based ingredients.
Feel shakes are so smooth and creamy, they’re really easy to drink. There is, however, only one flavour available. So if you’re not keen on vanilla, then this might not be for you.
You do have to sign up for a delivery at least every nine weeks, but this is easy to pause or cancel. If you don’t like the shakes, you can get a refund, no questions asked.
Read my full Feel Meal Replacement review.
Pros
- Smooth and creamy
- High-quality ingredients
- Gluten-free
- Plastic-free packaging
- 30-day money-back guarantee.
Cons
- Only one flavour
- Have to subscribe to a regular delivery
Use discount code CHOOSEVEGAN to get 10% OFF your order
⭐ Best Tasting
✅Calories: 230 ✅Fat: 4.9g ✅Carbs: 25.5g ✅Sugar: 10.7g ✅Protein: 18.2g
Free Soul Dual-Use shakes can be used as a protein shake or as a complete meal replacement. They have been formulated especially for the female body with optimum proportions of nutrients that women need to stay healthy.
This shake is available in several flavours. I tried the strawberries and cream and the vanilla and found them both to be really light and creamy, just like a milkshake.
These shakes are really easy to mix with just a shaker and no blender is needed. I really noticed an improvement in my hair, skin and nails with this one too.
Read my full Free Soul review.
Pros
- Formulated for women
- Low price
- Contains 3 kinds of protein
- Gluten-free
- Made in the UK
Cons
- Plastic packaging
Get 10% OFF with discount code ChooseVeganism
4. abnormal
⭐ Free Sample
✅Calories: Tailored to your needs ✅ Macros: Tailored to your needs
If you want a choice of delicious flavours, then I’d recommend that you try abnormal. All four of the flavours taste amazing but my favourite is the chocolate swirl.
abnormal is different from the other meal replacement shakes because it’s tailored to your individual nutrition needs and goals. When you order your shakes, you’ll complete a 3-minute questionnaire about your lifestyle, health and diet. Then, the nutritionists at abnormal use this info to create your perfect shake.
Here’s what mine looks like…
Each shake comes in a paper sachet that can be recycled with your normal collection so it’s easy to make in seconds with no scooping, measuring or mess. abnormal shakes are ideal to make when you’re at work or on the go.
You don’t need a blender or even to shake it for very long as the powder easily mixes into a perfectly smooth shake that tastes as good as a milkshake.
Free trial
Currently, abnormal is offering free trials so you get seven personalised meal replacement shakes and a shaker for free! This box is worth £23.99 but you only need to pay the £4.99 delivery fee.
Unlike some other monthly meal replacement shake subscriptions, abnormal subscriptions are super easy to pause or cancel online. But I’m sure you won’t want to, in my opinion, abnormal is the best tasting meal replacement shake in the UK today.
Pros
- Tastes delicious!
- Four flavours
- Personalised to your needs
- Paper sachets
- FREE trial box
Cons
- Have to subscribe to a regular delivery
- Made in a factory that handles gluten
Use discount code FREE to get your first 7 meals and a shaker for free!
⭐ No Subscription Needed
✅Calories: 200 ✅Fat: 3.5g ✅Carbs: 18g ✅Sugar: 1.4g ✅Protein: 24g
This vegan meal replacement shake from The Protein Works is low in calories as it’s designed to help with weight loss as part of a calorie-controlled diet. That said, you could choose to add some plant milk and fruit to create a smoothie for a more substantial meal.
High in protein, it contains five different types of plant-based protein – pea, soy, brown rice, hemp and sunflower. This means that you can be sure that you’re getting the benefit of all of the different amino acids.
This shake comes in six flavours – Banana Smooth, Choc Hazelnut Heaven, Chocolate Silk, Salted Caramel, Strawberries ‘n’ Cream and Vanilla Cream. The Chocolate Silk has the best reviews but I love the Salted Caramel.
The Protein Works Vegan Diet Meal Extreme has lower calories yet more protein than most shakes. Plus, it has some added ingredients like Green Tea Extract, L-Carnitine and MCT Powder which will give you an energy boost.
I love how thick and creamy these shakes are. There are no chalky or gritty bits and they keep me full for hours.
If you don’t want to subscribe to a regular delivery and prefer to just order when you want to, The Protein Works Vegan Diet Meal Extreme is the best option.
Pros
- Comes in 6 flavours
- Comes in 4 sizes
- Contains 5 kinds of protein
- Tastes great
- Good value
- No subscriptions
Cons
- Contains artificial sweetener (sucralose)
✅Calories: 139 ✅Fat: 0.8g ✅Carbs: 5.7g ✅Sugar: 0.2g ✅Protein: 21g
I was thrilled to find a vegan meal replacement shakes that tastes as good as a meal!
The Double Chocolate Brownie flavour BOXD shakes are absolutely delicious, silky smooth and with no weird smell or aftertaste. The Madagascan Vanilla flavour isn’t bad, but the chocolate flavour wins for me.
Each shake has a decent serving of pea and hemp protein. No scooping or measuring is needed, as each shake comes in its own paper sachet which is perfect for mixing on the go. I also love that the plastic-free packaging is so eco-friendly.
These shakes are low in calories to be considered as a substantial meal, so you’ll want to be sure that you’re eating plenty of healthy snacks as well.
You can read my full BOXD review here.
Pros
- Tastes incredible
- Great value
- Gluten-free
- Plastic-free packaging
Cons
- Only two flavours
- Very low in calories
7. NGX BodyFuel
✅Calories: 140 ✅ Fat: 1.9g ✅Carbs: 3.1g ✅Sugar: 0.2g ✅Protein: 27g
When it comes to meal replacement shakes, if you want the best of the best, NGX is it. But, it comes at a high price as you’ll need to pay for a DNA test before your shake can be tailor-made for you!
Developed by world-leading experts in nutrigenetics, NXG uses your DNA profile to develop a shake that’s tailor-made, not just to your goals, but to your own unique genetics.
You’ll take a simple cheek swab, send it off, and receive a personal nutrition report revealing simple, actionable insights that will enable you to get the best results. Then, expert nutritionists will use the results to develop your tailor-made shake.
NGX shakes are easy to prepare and taste delicious with no chalky texture. The entire range is vegan-friendly, made with pea protein, brown rice protein, flaxseed powder and 30 essential vitamins and minerals.
If you want to improve muscle gain while minimising fat gain like a pro athlete, NGX is for you.
Pros
- Personalised based on your DNA
- Tastes delicious
- High in protein
- Sustainably-sourced UK ingredients
Cons
- Expensive
- Delivery is slow as you need to wait for DNA test results
The best vegan meal replacement shakes in USA
A quick note: If you want to find out the best vegan meal replacement shakes in the USA, then check out this great list from LatestFuels!
8. Purition
✅Calories: 184 ✅Fat: 11g ✅Carbs: 5.7g ✅Sugar: 2.4g ✅Protein: 14.5g
If you’re looking for a low-calorie, low-fat vegan diet shake, then Purition is one of the best vegan meal replacement shake for weight loss.
Available in a huge choice of 14 tempting flavours including blackcurrant, pistachio and coconut, these meal replacement shakes contain only natural wholefood plant-based ingredients from real food.
High in fibre and very low in carbs, these gluten-free vegan meal replacement shakes will leave you feeling full without raising blood sugar levels so you won’t be tempted by sugary treats.
As Puriton vegan meal replacement shakes are made with only real food, they do not dissolve easily so it’s best to use a blender to mix them to avoid lumps.
Pros
- 100% natural ingredients
- Freshly made in the UK
- Comes in 14 flavours
- Gluten-free
Cons
- Best to use a blender
- Some flavours have only one kind of protein
✅Calories: 120 ✅Fat: 2g ✅Carbs: 8g ✅Sugar: <1g ✅Protein: 20g
Garden of Life RAW Organic shake is a nutritious vegan meal replacement shake that comes in three flavours – chocolate, vanilla and lightly sweetened.
Made with high-quality, USDA-certified organic ingredients, this meal replacement powder has no added sugars, fillers or artificial colours, flavours, sweeteners or preservatives. Online reviews say that this shake tastes sweet and milky, despite having very low sugar and no artificial sweeteners.
This shake has only 120 calories, which is very low to be considered as a meal. You may wish to use this between meals as a snack to ensure that you’re getting enough calories.
One major downside is that this product is made in the USA, so it has a rather heavy carbon footprint. Garden of Life was also acquired by Nestle in 2017, which may be a reason for some ethically conscious people to avoid it.
Pros
- 100% organic ingredients
- Comes in 3 flavours
- Contains live probiotics
- Gluten-free
Cons
- Ships from the US
- Owned by Nestle
- Very low in calories
10. Form Peakblend
✅Calories: 355 ✅Fat: 6.5g ✅Carbs: 37g ✅Sugar: 7g ✅Protein: 34g
I tried the chocolate peanut flavour Peakblend Vegan Meal Replacement and was so impressed – it tastes just like a Snickers!
This shake has everything you could want, with pea, brown rice and pumpkin seed protein, plenty of fibre, omega 3 fatty acids and 26 vitamins and minerals.
On top of that, there are antioxidant-rich flavonoids to improve your gut health, ashwagandha to reduce stress and anxiety, beta glucans for immune health and MCTs from coconut oil to help you feel full for longer. It really does have everything!
Form Nutrition is a certified B Corporation, which means that they meet the highest standards for social and environmental performance. The packaging is biodegradable and all of the ingredients are sustainably sourced.
Pros
- Tastes delicious
- Can have as meal or snack
- 100% plastic free
- Certified B-Corp
Cons
- Only two flavours
⭐ Best for weight gain
✅Calories: 423 ✅Fat: 15g ✅Carbs: 40g ✅Sugar: 3.9g ✅Protein: 30g
MyVegan Whole Fuel Blend is a nutritionally rich powdered supplement that has the perfect ratio of macro- and micro-nutrients that your body needs. It comes in three flavours – chocolate, vanilla and vanilla raspberry.
This meal replacement shake contains pea and brown rice protein and each serving contains 20 to 40% of the essential vitamins and minerals that you need each day. It’s higher in calories than the others, making it ideal for those who want to increase their muscle mass and body weight.
Reviewers are raving about the chocolate flavour, whereas the vanilla has mixed reviews with some people saying that it tastes too sickly for them
Pros
- Contains 30g of protein
- Comes in 3 flavours
- Contains pea and rice protein
- Good value
Cons
- Vanilla flavour is very sweet
✅Calories: 210 ✅Fat: 3.2g ✅Carbs: 19g ✅Sugar: 3.1g ✅Protein: 26g
USN Vegan Diet Fuel is an excellent choice for vegans looking for the best meal replacement shake for weight loss. This product has excellent reviews on Amazon with reviewers commenting that it mixes well, tastes great and keeps them feeling full for five hours.
Each of the three flavoured shakes – chocolate, strawberry and vanilla – contain a hefty 26g of protein. As the protein is a mix of pea, rice and soya, it’s sure to meet the demands of hard training athletes.
This is the lowest priced shake and the pack size is quite small at 880g. So, if you’ve never tried a meal replacement shake before and aren’t sure if they’re for you, this would be a solid option to go with.
Cons
- Only 16 servings per pack
✅Calories: 220 ✅Fat: 7g ✅Carbs: 15.3g ✅Sugar: 0.7g ✅Protein: 21.2g
Popular weight-loss shake brand SlimFast has two vegan-friendly SlimFast shakes in the Vitality range – Strawberry & Blueberry Burst and Intense Mint Chocolate. Vegans should be aware that the other SlimFast Vitality flavours contain milk.
SlimFast vegan shakes are packed with protein, fibre and a third of your recommended vitamins and minerals. They’re gluten-free, dairy-free and low in calories.
The ingredients in SlimFast aren’t the best, with the protein coming only from soya and lots of artificial ingredients like soy lecithin, sodium carboxy methyl cellulose and sucralose.
Pros
- Gluten-free
- Approved by The Vegan Society
Cons
- Only 2 flavours
- Contains artificial ingredients
- Tastes artificial
- Protein comes from soya
14. BeNu
✅Calories: 400 ✅Fat: 13g ✅Carbs: 32g ✅Sugar: 0.8g ✅Protein: 35g
I’ve found that BeNu Complete Nutrition Shakes fill me up more than any other as they’re so thick and creamy. I actually add a little more water than the instructions say – otherwise, you could eat it with a spoon!
The instructions suggest 2 scoops for a snack and 4 for a meal. As these shakes are so filling, I find that 4 scoops is too big of a portion for me. However, as each scoop is 100 calories, you can easily measure any number of scoops, depending on how hungry you are. I love how versatile these shakes are!
I usually enjoy the coffee flavour at breakfast time, while the chocolate flavour is perfect to satisfy my mid-afternoon cravings.
BeNu contains a generous serving of pea and soya protein as well as at least a third of your recommended daily amount of a whole host of vitamins and minerals.
Pros
- Very thick and creamy
- Most filling
- Can have as meal or snack
- Sample sizes available
Cons
- Only three flavours
- Plastic packaging
How To Choose The Best Vegan Meal Replacement shake
Cooking well-balanced vegan meals can take a lot of thought and planning, so substituting some of your meals with shakes can be a quick and easy way to make sure that you’re getting all of the nutrients that your body needs to thrive.
Most traditional meal replacement shakes contain whey protein (which is made from cows’ milk). However, there are lots of vegan meal replacement shakes to choose from. Too many, if anything!
All meal replacement shakes are not equal. In fact, they vary hugely in terms of the ingredients, the taste and the price.
You’ll certainly want to make sure that you’re making a healthy choice when choosing your shake, so here’s what you need to look out for…
Calories – Shakes to help you lose weight typically have under 200 calories per serving, while those that are designed to help you bulk up will have 400 or more. The calories are based on mixing with water, although you may choose to mix with plant milk or add some fruit such as banana to increase the calories.
Vitamins and minerals – The best meal replacement shakes pack in more nutrients than you would get from a balanced meal, meaning that you might not need to take a separate vitamin supplement.
Protein – High-protein shakes are ideal for those who work out, as they will help to build muscle, or to prevent muscle loss if you burn more calories than you consume. Brown rice protein is a great option, as is pea protein. Having more than one type of plant protein is preferred as your body will benefit from a greater profile of amino acids.
Fibre – This will help keep you fuller for longer, maintain good digestive function and reduce bloating
What To Avoid In A Meal Replacement Shake
Artificial ingredients – Some meal replacement shakes naturally taste terrible so they’re loaded up with artificial sweeteners and flavours. Studies have shown that artificial sweeteners can cause sugar cravings which will lead to weight gain if you end up snacking on sugary treats.
Sugar – Meal replacement shakes that are packed with sugar is the last thing that you want. Ideally, you’ll want the sugar to be less than half of the total carbohydrate content.
The Pros And Cons Of Meal Replacement Shakes
Advantages
- Save time – Cooking healthy meals can take a lot of time so meal replacement shakes can be helpful during times when we know we’ll be busier than usual
- Eat well while away from home – When vegan options are limited, it can be hard to find healthy, affordable meals to eat on the go
- Know exactly what you’re eating – Tracking your diet is easy when you know exactly what’s in every serving
- Can be healthier than food – It’s hard to achieve a perfectly balanced diet without putting a lot of effort into meal prep
- A quick way to lose weight – Meal replacement shakes can be lower in calories than meals, yet keep you fuller for longer
Disadvantages
- Not as exciting as real food – Having the same shake every day can be boring, so it’s good to have different flavours and to eat normal food as well
- Can be more expensive than food – Some brands of vegan meal replacement shakes are quite expensive
- Some brands use unhealthy ingredients – Check the ingredients to make sure that your shake doesn’t contain a lot of sugar or artificial ingredients
How To Use Vegan Meal Replacement Shakes
You can use meal replacement shakes to replace either your breakfast, lunch or dinner. You may wish to replace two meals per day, but in most cases, you would benefit from eating solid food for eat least one meal per day.
You can mix your vegan meal replacement shake with water or your choice of plant milk such as soy, oat, coconut or rice milk. Adding plant milk rather than water is a good way to increase calories for those who are looking to bulk up.
For those wishing to increase body mass, a meal replacement shake can be a good alternative to a protein shake to aid recovery post-workout.
You can adjust the amount of liquid that you add to make a shake that’s thicker or thinner to suit your personal taste.
What’s the difference between meal replacement shakes and protein powder?
Meal replacement shakes and protein powders are not the same thing.
Protein powders contain a large dose of protein which is of benefit to people who follow strict workout regimes to repair damaged muscles. They should be consumed in addition to meals.
Meal replacement shakes contain everything you need for a balanced meal including carbohydrates, protein, fat, fibre, vitamins and minerals. They can be used as a substitute for a meal to encourage weight loss or weight gain.
If you just need a protein shake, I have a guide to the best vegan protein shakes here.
Are vegan meal replacement shakes only for weight loss?
Vegan meal replacement shakes aren’t just for weight loss. While they can be great for weight loss, they’re also used by people with busy schedules, who might not always have access to healthy vegan food or who want to make sure that they’re getting a healthy diet.
Can you use vegan meal replacement shakes for every meal?
Vegan meal replacement shakes contain all of the essential nutrition that you need. So in theory, you could survive on shakes alone, but this isn’t recommended. It’s best to consume plant-based food as well and limit your meal replacement shakes to once or twice per day.
It’s good to start your day with a healthy vegan breakfast cereal and even if your focus is weight loss you should allow yourself occasional treats such as vegan biscuits or cakes.
Do meal vegan replacement shakes work?
Whether you’re looking to lose weight or gain weight, it all comes down to the calories that you consume and burn each day as to whether you will be successful in reaching your goals.
The best vegan meal replacement shakes for weight loss are much lower in calories than an average meal. So provided that you keep up the same level of energy expenditure, you will lose weight.
With high-calorie meal replacement shakes, if you want to bulk up you should ensure that your total calorie intake each day is greater than the energy that you burn. It’s recommended that you work out in order to build healthy lean muscle, rather than just extra fat.
Are began meal replacement shakes as effective as dairy-based shakes?
Vegan protein shakes are the only option for vegans, plant-based people and those with lactose intolerance or a cows’ milk allergy. But are they for everyone?
Well, you may be surprised to learn that vegan meal replacement shakes are just as effective as non-vegan ones, and in some cases, they’re actually better.
Most standard meal replacement shakes are made from whey protein, which is made from cows’ milk. Whey protein is a complete protein with a complete amino acid profile, whereas plant-based proteins tend to be deficient in some amino acids.
It’s easy to get around that by choosing a vegan meal replacement shake that’s made from several different plant proteins. If you combine brown rice protein and pea protein, you’ll get all the same amino acids that are found in whey.
Of course, by choosing the vegan option, you’re also helping to lower your carbon footprint and prevent cows from the welfare issues surrounding dairy farming.
Which is the best vegan meal replacement shake?
If weight loss is your focus, I recommend Feel Meal Replacement. This great-tasting plant-based shake low in calories, fat and sugar, and offers all of the nutrients you need to replace a healthy, balanced meal.
If you want a premium-quality meal replacement shake that tastes amazing, then I recommend that you try abnormal. With the free trial, you’ve really got nothing to lose! Plus, it’s tailored to your nutrition needs and health goals.
Another great, although more expensive, option is NGX BodyFuel. Made by Nutri-Genetix, it uses groundbreaking technology to create a shake that’s tailored to your unique genetic profile. But, this doesn’t come up at the top of my list because you must first pay for the DNA test. This is pricey, although the report is very interesting.
The Bottom Line
Vegan meal replacement shakes can be a great way to lose weight, build muscle or ensure an adequate intake of nutrients at times when it’s not easy to eat healthily.
Diet shakes are designed to be used once or twice per day, in addition to healthy, calorie-controlled meals for maximum effectiveness.