The main component of health and longevity is a good diet. The best case scenario is a nutritionally complete and balanced whole-food plant-based diet.
However, meal replacements can be a very useful tool in achieving specific health and fitness goals. This can include using them to control the calories you consume in your day, adding extra calories to your daily intake, or simply saving time on meal preparation.
If you’re searching for the best vegan meal replacement then look no further. We have gathered together and tried some of the leading vegan meal replacements to help you understand what each of them offers and find which one is right for you.
Taking a more detailed look at these Vegan Meal Replacements
Lyfefuel’s Daily Essential is our favorite due to its adaptability to any lifestyle. It is a low-calorie, nutritionally complete powder. It is designed to be consumed as a shake with the option to use any other ingredients you desire as an additive. Our favorite combo is the vanilla option with oat milk, blended with some fresh strawberries.
The Daily Essential shake comes in at 110 calories and 18g of protein per serving. All of the nutrients come from real dehydrated food as opposed to synthetic vitamins, to ensure the best absorption and closest possible emulation of a whole-food meal.
The Daily Essentials shake is fundamentally an all-in-one, food-based solution to vitamin and protein supplementation. It works best in addition to your main meals as opposed to replacing a full meal due to its low-calorie count, helping you to achieve proper nutrition when time may be a limiting factor or as a long-term support to fill the gaps in your diet.
Instant Knock Out is a meal replacement designed with weight loss or maintenance in mind. With their focus on the market for combat athletes who have to maintain specific weights but stay nourished, it’s clear why it’s our favorite for weight loss.
At 400 calories per serving, it is designed to fully replace a meal, either to achieve a controlled daily calorie intake or to save time on preparing a nutritionally complete, high-protein meal.
It packs not only 35g of protein but also 35g of carbs and 13 g of fiber, the latter two of which ensure the slow release of energy to avoid any hunger pangs felt with other shakes. Complete with 26 essential vitamins and minerals, this is the perfect choice for your weight loss goals.
Our only gripe is the lack of variety in flavors, but we can’t wait to see more options
Rootana’s shake is one of the cheapest options available. Each meal costs only $2.45 at 400 calories each, a large enough amount of calories to replace a full meal. These are not just empty calories either, as the Rootana shake has a complete nutritional profile.
For 400 calories you get 20g of protein, 42g of carbs, and 6.7 g of fibre as balanced macros to ensure you are satiated and do not get hungry too early in between meals.
A current downside is the lack of choices in flavors that other meal replacements offer. Both the original and cacao taste great, but if Rootana becomes a long-term feature of your diet some variety would be appreciated.
If you’re looking for guaranteed organic selection, Orgain is one the biggest organic nutrition companies in the US. All their products are USDA certified, including their Perfect Meal Powder.
Their vegan option uses a combination of rice, pea, and chia protein to give you a total of 25g of protein in just 250 calories. They pack the shake with 21 essential vitamins, minerals, superfoods, and probiotics to ensure your health across the board. The shake acts as a great way to supplement your daily protein and fiber, whilst helping you hit all your daily requirements of micronutrients.
We are big fans of their chocolate flavor, but they do not offer much in the way of flavor variety, with vanilla being the only other option.
The reality is that Ka’Chava shakes are delicious. Many other meal replacements on our list are nice by nutrition shake standards, but this one stands head and shoulder above them all. They have a good variety of flavors, from classics like Vanilla and Chocolate to a slightly more adventurous Acai Coconut, and they all taste as good as each other (although our favorite is chocolate).
Ka’Chava is less calorie dense than other meal replacements at 240 calories per serving but still manages to get in a massive 24g of protein as well as a balanced vitamin profile. They also squeeze in an organic superfood blend which is too long to even begin listing here.
Ka’Chava listens to its customer base and makes changes in response, for example cutting out stevia from its products, so expect great things from them if they’ve achieved such a great flavor already.
Huel has seen lots of success with its nutritionally complete meal replacement powder. They are one of the most realized and established brands in the meal replacement market, offering over 10 options of flavors, a selection of premade shakes, solid foods, and savory meals, a selection that is always growing.
One serving of a standard Huel shake delivers 30g of complete protein from a combination of pea, flaxseed, and brown rice. They also pack in 45g of carbs mainly from oats, which makes for a very satiating shake that slowly releases energy throughout the day.
If you are looking for a low-prep, daytime meal for a hectic schedule then this is your choice. The complete nutritional profile, largely provided by whole foods, means your health does not have to take a hit in the name of quick food.
Soylent is another great brand with a whole host of different varieties. Despite only featuring two flavors of their powders, which taste great, they have options of premade bottles in various flavors which are their more popular products. However, we enjoy the neutral taste of the powders so that we can mix them into a smoothie to fill out its nutritional value.
As you would come to expect from all these high-quality meal replacements, Soylent delivers a full package of essential vitamins and minerals, packing 20g of protein into 400 calories. Soylent also has an incredible subscription and pre-payment option that will save you a considerable amount of money per meal.
This low-calorie protein powder sits somewhere in between a meal replacement and a regular protein shake. Delivering 20g of protein in 110 calories, it also packs in a large number of probiotics and prebiotics to help with gut health, as well as a digestive enzyme blend to aid general digestion.
Although it could not replace a full meal, it certainly does more than the average protein powder and is perfect for those who are limiting their carbohydrate intake.
Huel Black provides all the same micronutrients that their regular powder provides but cuts some of the carb content in favor of a higher protein count. This makes for a great option if you find that you are still struggling to hit your protein requirements for the day whilst using a meal replacement. A serving of Huel Black manages to provide a massive 40g of protein for every 400 calories. This is also ideal for those trying to gain muscle mass with a calorie surplus and high protein
Although the calories are the same and can be used the same as Huel’s regular powder, a lower carbohydrate content can lead to hunger pangs starting earlier than a high-carb meal replacement.
Things to look for and what to avoid
The meal replacement industry can be quite confusing sometimes, with companies promising that their product will help you lose weight, or that they are healthier than regular food. Most of these promises are not true.
Meal replacements simply provide a controlled and balanced amount of calories and nutrients with a low prep time. You must make sure you are in a calorie deficit to lose weight and the controlled calories of a meal replacement simply help you consume fewer calories.
Make sure to look out for added sugars and oils that are unnecessary to your meal. These empty calories will leave you feeling hungry and reaching for the snacks.
What are the advantages of taking plant-based meal replacements?
The main advantages of plant-based meal replacements include:
- Speed – Meal replacements take no time at all to prepare. They normally involve simply shaking a powder with a cold liquid, and sometimes a period of refrigeration.
- Controlled Calories – Meal replacements are normally advertised as a tool for weight loss. Losing weight involves eating fewer calories, and meal replacements allow you to know precisely how many calories you had for lunch.
- A Source of Nutrients – When cutting calories, it can be harder to get all of your nutrients. Meal replacements make sure you are not at risk of deficiency by fortifying their products
Are meal replacement shakes different from protein shakes?
Generally, protein shakes are used to gain lean muscle, whilst meal replacements are associated with trying to lose weight.
Meal replacement shakes aim to provide a balanced nutritional profile rather than focusing on protein alone. They will often contain more calories than protein shakes in the form of carbohydrates, as well as often being a balanced source of essential vitamins, to provide the full benefits of a nutritious meal.
How many vegan meal replacement shakes should I drink per day?
You should aim to only drink one meal replacement shake per day. Although it would not necessarily be unhealthy to drink more, solid food is essential to a healthy digestive system. Meal replacements are designed to help supplement your diet, but not being the only source of nutrition. Although relying on shakes for nutrition in the short term maybe be useful to reach specific health goals, the most healthy diet will always consist of primarily plant-based whole food.
Is it okay to use meal replacement shakes every day?
Depending on your goals and how meal replacement shakes fit into your diet, it is okay to use a shake every day. Products such as Lyfefule’s Daily Essential shake can fit into an otherwise whole-food, plant-based diet. If it is used as a supplemental snack to fill in the nutritional gaps in your diet, this shake could definitely be used every day. However, you should not be relying primarily on meal replacements for nutrition and calories in a long-term context. The human body needs solid and nutrient-rich food to maintain a healthy digestive system.
Are vegan meal replacement shakes a good source of protein?
Most vegan replacement meals are high in protein, as not only is it important to maintain protein intake if you are restricting your calories, but protein helps you feel full and satiated for longer. This is important if you are using a meal replacement to lose weight.
Most shakes will also feature a blend of plant-based protein sources, to provide a balanced profile of amino acids.
Meal replacements are often associated with and used by fitness enthusiasts. Their protein needs as a result of exercise and working will have to be fulfilled by their meal replacement or else it would not be of service to them.
Summary
Meal Replacement shakes can be a very useful tool for a variety of goals, and our picks cover the board of the various utilities. Whether you are trying to lose weight, gain weight, or supplement your current diet you cannot go wrong with any of our picks.
Be sure to understand your health and fitness goals before stocking up on all these shakes and powders. If attempting to lose weight with one of our products, make sure you follow the producer’s guidance on how to effectively use their shake. If you are looking for a nutritious snack to supplement your diet, be sure to pick a low-calorie option. If you are trying to gain weight, you must choose a flavor that you can truly enjoy.