I am wondering if this is an issue with my batch, there’s no way I would consider it as extremely runny. I’ll make up a shake with 400ml + 3 scoops without the top up later for sake of argument. I’m not sure I’ll be able to stomach even half of it without having to chew.
The only way that I could recognise that kind of experience, is where I made up a batch that I didn’t drink immediately. Made it for lunch around 7-730am, took it into work and forgot about it till well after 3pm.
It was definitely too thick then. I added some more water - not sure how much though - shook it up and then drank it as normal.
We might just have different opinions about thickness - remembering you have experience of other shakes that I dont. Be good if a few other ‘non blender’ types could share their experience.
One other thing was I used some almond milk a week / 2 back - 200ml water and 200ml almond & that was noticeably thicker straight away.
Blending is always best I feel for huel as you never get all the little lumps just by shaking but the breville blend active I have at home is great for this , and there’s minimal washing up as you blend in a bottle you drink from, just the blade attachment to wash up, although when I take huel to work I shake it up and it’s deffinatly edible, as for the problem with having powder stuck at the bottom I find that adding abit of Water before any powder goes in helps no end! To me these are not big problems and deffinatly not big enough to put me off from buying more huel in the future. 
I don’t blend my shakes.
I have 3 scoops with 500ml of water and whilst I do have some lumps, it’s not unbearable. I appreciate it’s not going to be milkshake smooth, but with a shake between mouthfuls I haven’t found it that bad at all.
Compared to some supplements I have taken previously which felt ‘grainy’ the small lumps I get in here are more than manageable.
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I usually blend my shakes but have had to use the shake method occasionally and haven’t had any massive problems. Given, its not as smooth as it is if I blend it but its just as nice. If its a bit lumpy I add a bit more water and shake some more.
Hey there @RBM, I’m so sorry you’ve been having such problems with your Huel. I would echo what @rtrt has said, something doesn’t seem quite right here. Huel does have a tendency to clump, this is due the natural ingredients - particularly the oat flour - but we massively improved with a change to our calcium source in v2.2. However, I don’t believe you should be having so many lumps and having to chew threw your Huel.
- You should not have to blend your Huel. I’ve been using Huel for over 2 years and I reckon I could count on one hand the amount of times I have blended Huel for myself.
- Are you adding the powder after the water? Adding water on top of Huel will clump
- When we say shake and reshake, we been go to town on that shaker. None of this giving your shaker a little wobble, pretend you’re shaking a martini for a grumpy looking James Bond. Shake left, right as well as up and down
- Use your plastic mesh in the shaker to prevent you consuming any lumps if all this still doesn’t work
- If the consistency isn’t for you then do just add a little more water. We recommend 3 scoops to 570ml as a starting point, but feel free to just add more or adjust the ratio a little. N.B. leaving Huel for extended periods will thicken it, as will refrigeration.
It would be amazing to get you loving Huel, we can do this!
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This.
If you shake with the mesh lid and and then drink with the mesh lid on, you shouldn’t have any problems.
I normally get 1 small ball of huel in each shake and just toss it in the bin, shouldn’t be enough to cause any significant loss in nutrients.
Try sticking it in the fridge overnight, I know you said it doesn’t fit your lifestyle but this has considerably changed the texture for me.
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I’ve never blended it, I use it for 2 meals per day on weekdays and have no blender in the office.
I used the Huel shaker at first but found although the mesh’ filtered’ things well although the mixing wasn’t great.
What I use now is this https://www.phd-supplements.com/the-next-level-600ml-shaker.html
It has a bit more ‘room’ so it seems the shaking can mix things around more anyway, but the little wire spiral makes a massive difference to mixing. Not perfect, but hugely improved. Agree with the above that cold and mixing in advance make big differences too. I’ve just made up my lunch and it’ll sit in the fridge for 4 hours…
I bought a pack of metal balls like the below, as I have 6 or so shaker bottles of various design. I think they work pretty well, as one of the first bottles I ever bought came with a ball so assumed it was a standard thing. I found it a bit odd all shakers don’t come with them. I don’t use the ice-mesh, I removed it.
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As Tim says; you really do need to go to town shaking it as hard as you can, with 2 hands - like a cocktail shaker, to get it to fully mix with no lumps. Not sure what you’re doing but a gentil mix just won’t work at breaking down the clumps and as others have said - you need the waffle grid in the shaker too.
You also don’t want to add the Huel in to an empty shaker and add the liquid on top - as Tim also says the Huel will turn lumpy and clump together upon contact with moisture and if the Huel is in the bottom it will just stick and can be nigh on impossible to break up by shaking alone. What I do is add some liquid to the shaker first - I personally do 300ml as I add this amount of milk to my shake but anything over 100ml should suffice, then add the Huel on top. Where I would deviate from Tim’s advice is I would then add further liquid on top of the Huel up to the required amount. I’ve found this best to prevent the dry powder sticking to the top on the shaker after the first shake of the shaker - something I personally only find an issue when I add further lighter powdered ingredients. This should leave the Huel as a lumpy mix floating nearish to the top, but as it’s not stuck to the container it’s free to mix about and it gets fully broken up by the vigorous shaking through the waffle grid. Doing this, I never have any issues with clumping and have never used a blender.
Defo use the plastic mesh in the lid i put 500ml of water and three scoops then shake like mad for a minute and never had a problem i then fill it to the top with water i like mine runny lol
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Hi RBM
It does sound like something isn’t quite right as others have said. I am also a doctor with lots of on call commitments and long days. Have been on Huel for a year and have never blended (don’t even own a blender). I make it up just as you describe and have never had any issue with consistency. Make sure you’re using the mesh lid. You can also get little wire balls that go in shakers that I have found help (although since v2.2 I have not even needed these!). I hope you manage to get your Huel sorted as it really is excellent as a product and has completely changed how I go about my work day
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It’s nice to see doctors using the product. Trying to explain Huel use as a minor part of a seven minute (UK GP) appointment to someone who assumes you’re either talking about a Complan like mix or a muscle building protein powder is not simple. Any tips on how to describe a Huel diet to a medical doc in as brief & concise a way as possible? I hope the OP doesn’t mind my asking in their thread.
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That’s a good question, my GP and Consultants assume I’m on a weird diet or something despite how many times I say complete food lol
I use three scoops of Huel but don’t like it super thick so I add it to 700ml of cold water and I have never had an issue with lumps. I am using V2.3, the Gluten Free one - I don’t know is this makes a difference?..
I use the shaker with the mesh that came with my first order and so far so good. Only been using it a few weeks but had at least one ‘meal’ a day since it arrived with zero lumps.
I mix and manually whisk in a large mixing bowl and then pour into the Huel drinking bottle (without the mesh).
I find that it’s quicker than relying on the bottle & mesh technique. No lumps at all… but more washing-up each day.
I use three scoops and 450ml of water in the Huel shaker - shake like crazy for 30 seconds then drink. Occasionally I’ll add a couple of ice cubes. It’s milkshake consistency and easy to drink. It’s personal preference on the consistency side of things (400ml was too thick and over 500ml was too runny for me).
I’ll gladly taken them off you if you still have them 
Love Huel!
I blend mine. It takes 30 seconds and Then I put it in the fridge for lunch the next day. Super easy. Using a blender doesn’t take a lot of work and there’s a fridge or cooler pretty much everywhere so you don’t need to carry a blender with you. I’m using three scoops and 570 ml of almond milk.
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If you still don’t like it after trying again, or maybe using one of those little metal spiral balls, then don’t throw it away, please give anything unopened to a food bank, or give it to someone homeless, who may just live a bit longer or better with it. Even the opened bag could be given to someone in need.
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