I’ve been using powdered Huel on and off since 2015.
I like the taste of powdered Huel, especially when blended with frozen berries. However, I personally couldn’t handle having it replace lunch every day.
I’ve concluded that the main reason is the texture of it.
I’ve tried mixing it in a bottle, blending it, and a few different Huel-to-water ratios. Blending with frozen berries is the better option, especially if left in the fridge overnight.
Huel RTD
When I found out Huel had released a Ready-To-Drink version, I had to try it.
My thoughts on the two variants after drinking them at least once a day for a week.
Berry
Taste +++++
Texture +++++
value ++
Vanilla
Taste ++++
Texture +++++
value ++
Pros:
Tastes very good
Excellent texture
Regardless of plastic, still minimal environmental impact
Even more convenient than regular Huel
Excellent nutritional profile
Bottle feels nice to hold and drink from (Good ergonomics)
Cons:
Only 500ml bottles available (400kcal). I’d love to see a 600kcal bottle
Not very cost-efficient, even when buying larger quantities.
– Although it’s probably not possible, it would be great to see £2/bottle or the same price and a larger qty
Vanilla is ever so slightly too sweet for me.
Conclusion
The texture and flavour is, in my opinion, better than original Huel.
The product feels very professional, and meets my expectations of Huel.
I’d love to see a higher calorie count in the bottles.
This is a meal replacement I could easily have once a day.
I believe there is a bright future in Huel RTD, and I can’t wait to see what they do next.
Thank you, Huel, for using DPD. I’ve always had an excellent experience with them.
Also, does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can replicate the texture and flavour of the berry RTD using powered Huel?
This is the reason Huel RTD is not going to work for me, as it is (far too) convenient already.
As the flavour (only had mint/choc and coffee so far) doesn’t bother me at all and the texture
isn’t too much of an issue to me either (especially now I’m using a blender).
Here I really have to agree, but I think the potential of Huel RTD is mostly found in attracting new
Huelers. Either that or being sold as overpriced RTD’s at a gas station along the highway.
Definitely! I imagine people that currently use powdered Huel would have very little incentive to switch to RTD.
However, it’s quite likely that people who discovered Huel through the RTD range, would have an incentive to switch to the powdered range as a cost-saving measure.
Although one of my cons was that they aren’t cost-efficient, I think a lot of that is made up by the fact that they’re nutritionally complete, convenient, and actually taste good. For me it would be great if the bottles contained 600kcal, then I’d be able more easily justify the current pricing.
Regardless of this, Huel RTD is still competitive with other RTD products out there. As this is only v1, I can only imagine that over time, the process with become more efficient.
What I said about it being overpriced was partly a joke.
Here in The Netherlands if you go to a shop at a gas station, especially along the high way,
everything is insanely overpriced. So, a pricey RTD product would fit in.
But for a RTD product, especially considering the pro’s, it’s one of the better choices regardless.
Completely agree about the calories, 500-600kcal should be the perfect amount, 400 is meh. The berry RTD has a great flavour and the texture is silky but the Berry powder… I dont like to drink it…
Price definitely could improve a lot, 3,5€ in Spain is too much, specially knowing that the huel powder would cost me 1,4€ for 400 kcal… I am sure that the profit marging in the RTD version is quite high, I would like someone of the Huel team to clarify us if the price has a similar profit margin as the rest of the products. (which they are not going to explain us ofc hahah)
Regarding the packaging it has some flaws. The lid is too big and Huel should use a very small one to reduce the plastic in it. The design style of the bottle is beautiful but it doesnt optimise the space, it should be sqrounded like the soylent ones, much better for logistics and transport. Also it could be shorter with the reduced lid and the sqround shape
But i am very happy with the RTD for a first version
Most the cost is probably due to water-weight when transporting. I agree 400 calories to way too little. I myself would love to try it if they could release them with 500-600 calories. They are a meal replacement, not a snack, and based on the standard 2000 calorie diet, 400 calories is basically half a meal. So it’s a 1/2 meal replacement.
I’m all in for the bigger bottle too. I was kind of hoping a brand would release something bigger (like milk) that you can keep in the fridge and use for refils.
Bigger bottle would be great, and I echo what others have said here. Whilst the size of a meal is very individual, I think it would be useful to do some “market research” with regards to finding out what size people would prefer. The market currently seems very heavily dominated by RTDs with fewer calories. Larger bottles essentially means less waste, and isn’t it better to leave some left over in a bigger bottle if you’re not that hungry as opposed to having to carry two bottles in case you want a bigger portion?
