Hello all - Just thought I’d share some feedback on my experiences of using blenders with Huel. I use a mix of RTD and powdered Huel in my normal daily routines – the RTD filling gaps when time is short if I have to miss lunch for meetings etc. As I like to mix the powdered Huel with frozen fruit or vegetables – I always use a blender.
I already had a regular 600W machine that worked fine initially but after a couple of months it’s struggling badly – as others have mentioned in threads, the blades can get dulled pretty quickly and the motor sounds less than healthy so I decided to upgrade to something a little more industrial
After looking around a little I decided on the Tefal Ultrablend Cook BL962 as it can also work as a soup maker. The much more powerful motor and triple blade system really makes short work of anything I put in there and the jug capacity is big enough (just) to make 2 batches of Huel including extra ingredients and easily with powder/liquid alone. This is a big bonus and time saver for me. Using the preset for smoothies makes a super creamy mix.
There are a few downsides – it’s industrial in scale as well as performance and is not the stealthiest of machines. As it’s also a cooker, extra care has to be taken cleaning the heavy glass jug which cannot be immersed in water (there is a non-cooking model with a regular, larger, poly-carbonate jug (BL935)). Overall though, for anyone who struggles with the powdered drink because of its texture – this (or a similar spec machine) would be transformative.
Pros:
Mixes drinks as smooth as RTD – even with added ingredients
Large capacity – can make two drinks at the same time
Excellent build quality
Can double up as a hot soup maker
Presets for making your own Soy or Almond milk without the need for straining
Auto clean function
Easy to use
Cons:
Large and Loud!
Heavy thermo-resistant glass jar has integrated cooking elements, so care is needed cleaning.
The fast (45,000RPM) triple blades tend to warm up the liquid a little due to friction at high speeds.
I use a nutri ninja and find it perfect for my needs. The reason I use a blender is because I like to use ice. The reason it works for me is it has a large cup and it’s simply a case of adding my ingredients, screwing the cap on and putting on the base and pressing a button. 15 seconds later I’m enjoying my perfectly blended, icy cold Huel after unscrewing the top and drinking straight from the cup. A little rinse after for cup and lid and left to drain until next use.
I use a Kenwood blender in the house but have recently ordered a Blendjet - a handheld, USB chargeable travel blender - for when I’m travelling / away from home / want to blend on the go.
It hasn’t arrived yet but I’ll let you know when it does and I’ve tested it!
I use my trusty NutriBullet which I’ve had since they first came out (I reckon 6 years+) and it’s as perfect as the day I got it. I use it nearly every day and haven’t had to replace any parts. It gets all the ice blended nicely and any other ingredients you add get properly combined. It hardly takes any space and it’s so easy to clean, and you can just swap the blade for a lid and don’t even have to pour it into another cup. I think they do make a version now that does hot soups too.
I agree that using a blender is worth the seeming bother; it’s less bother really as you don’t have to shake the mixture yourself. I use my old Vitamix – overkill really but it does the job speedily.
I still use my old trusty Kenwood blender it does the job, I was going to buy a new one a bit ago but decided not to and wait until this one packs up. But I would like a bigger one next time as this old one just manages to hold the one Huel, I would want one that holds two or even three Huels.
I used the Breville active for years to make our Huel but a few months ago I bought Nutri Ninja with 2 x 900ml bottles and it is amazing, very smooth and very powerful. Breakfast chocolate and lunch banana 130g each on pulse for 3-5 seconds.
I always made my Huel in the shaker and never had any complaints about lumps etc., but I must confess that the texture was indeed super smooth. I used berry premix and added blueberries (frozen) and water. It was very nice!
So, overall, I liked the texture more when blended. But… I didn’t like the fact that there was an added step where you lost some of the Huel (it inevitably sticks to the blender) and an extra wash-up step (although this model has an auto-clean which definetely worked very well). I’m not going to do it every day, but it’s very nice if I want to add some fresh fruits
That’s strange as I always use a blender but I don’t lose any Huel I just have to rinse it out like a shaker. Maybe because yours is new or are you blending for long enough? I blend for maybe 5-10 seconds on full speed.
No it’s ok I know what you meant, that’s why we have a lid on it . As I said mine doesn’t stick to the sides, actually it occasionally does if it’s still damp inside before I use it as I hadn’t dried it properly.
I get the same issue but basically just use a teaspoon after a quick whiz to dislodge it then finish blending. I also make two batches at the same time (the blender has a large jug) to cut down on the cleaning chores
. As I said mine doesn’t stick to the sides, actually it occasionally does if it’s still damp inside before I use it as I hadn’t dried it properly.