7 Best Meal Replacement Shakes in 2024 (By Sports Scientist)

I will look at the ingredients lists, the claims, the pros, the cons, and the value for money that each meal replacement shake provides.

Helping you to find the perfect meal replacement shake for your specific needs.

The Seven Best Meal Replacement Shakes in 2024

Finding a meal replacement shake that fits your needs is like finding a cheat code for life. You are saving time, effort, and money while improving your health and vitality.

After trying my fair share of meal replacement shakes, I've managed to whittle down my list to the seven best meal replacement shakes of 2024. Starting with my favorite…

#1 Rootana (Best Overall Meal Replacement)

Topping this list is a meal replacement shake that does more to provide a healthy and effective meal than any other. Rootana provides a free meal from artificial sweeteners, colorings, flavorings, and synthetic ingredients.

It provides you with healthy fats, fiber, lots of protein, low GI carbohydrates, and all of the vitamins and minerals you need to lead a healthy lifestyle.

The ingredients are fully plant-based and are each chosen due to their health benefits rather than how they can improve profit margins. This means you get golden-milled flaxseed, pea protein isolate, and top-quality oat flour powder rather than maltodextrin and soy flour.

This meal replacement shake is perfect for healthy weight loss, or it can be used to improve your nutrition and save you time and energy.

Safe in the knowledge that every ingredient can be found in nature.

Shop Rootana

#2 Instant Knockout Complete (Best Weight Loss Meal Replacement)

While Rootana focuses on improving your health without artificial ingredients, Instant Knockout Complete delivers the best weight loss results you can ask for. IK Complete contains 35 grams of protein per serving, 35 grams of carbohydrates, 13 grams of fiber, and 13 grams of healthy fats.

It is designed to provide satiety, helping you cut down on the calories you consume through snacks or from large breakfasts and lunches. It is an excellent source of vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, and nutrients such as chromium, vitamin A, and vitamin E.

Complete can be combined with Instant Knockout Cut, a powerful fat burner for the ultimate weight loss combo. But both products work incredibly well separately, so only go down this route if you want fast results.

Shop IK Meals

You can check out my full IK Complete review here.

#3 Huel

Huel is the most well-known meal replacement shake company, offering a great selection of products and flavors. You get more variety with Huel than with anyone else. Huel states that their product is not designed for weight loss, nor do they describe it as a meal replacement.

But marketing terms aside, Huel is a great meal replacement and can be used to lose weight. Like Rootana, it uses top-quality ingredients and has a well-balanced shake, decent protein and carbohydrate levels, and some healthy fats.

#4 Ka’Chava

Ka’Chava is a meal replacement shake with one of the largest ingredients lists you’ll ever see. There are 85+ ingredients, all real foods, and many described by Ka’Chava as superfoods. The plant-based protein blend uses five different plant proteins.

There is an adaptogen blend, an antioxidant/superfood blend, an omega EFA/fiber blend, a super greens blend, and a whole host of other ingredients. This may be the most nutritious meal replacement in town.

But there is, sadly, a catch. Ka’Chava is prohibitively expensive and only contains 240 calories per serving. This means it isn’t an effective meal replacement as the calories are too low. It also brings into question how much of each ingredient there is.

For example, the super greens blend is 500 mg, which sounds like a lot, but it is 0.5 grams per serving. A teaspoon contains 4.2 grams, so you are talking about 12.5% of a teaspoon.

Related: Best greens with protein powder.

#5 Abnormal

What’s cool about Abnormal is that they allow you to customize your meal replacement shakes to suit your goals. They may add more protein if you state that you are looking to build muscle. If you want to improve your sleep quality, they may add some natural ingredients that can lower stress and prevent insomnia.

It’s very clever in theory, but your number of options is surprisingly limited. Or perhaps it isn’t that surprising given the limitations of catering to many different people.

Abnormal uses top-quality ingredients and can be made to be vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free, or it can even contain whey protein if you prefer. But it does suffer from a similar issue to Ka’Chava, in that the calories contained in Abnormal are quite low (350 kcals) and cannot be adjusted for some reason. That sort of undermines the flexibility that Abnormal boasts.

#6 BeNu Complete Nutrition Shake

This new meal replacement shake comes from MyProtein, perhaps the most well-known supplements company in the world. As with all MyProtein products, it offers an incredible price and is efficient rather than luxurious.

The protein comes from whey and soya, so it is not a great option for people with allergies. There are many unappealing ingredients (modified tapioca starch does not scream delicious). But it will do a job.

There are 402 calories per serving and 33 grams of protein. The shakes are also high in fiber (9.2 grams per serving) and contain all the necessary vitamins and minerals. All of this is provided at a very low cost per serving.

#7 Jimmy Joy

The final meal replacement shake on our list is Jimmy Joy, which was created to emulate the American company Soylent (not available in Europe). Soylent is not a particularly good meal replacement shake with many low-quality ingredients, but Jimmy Joy has improved the formula while distancing itself from Soylent.

You get 20 grams of protein per serving, 400 calories, 43 grams of carbohydrates (8.2 grams of fiber), and 15 grams of fats. This is a well-balanced formula, but there are some downsides.

Jimmy Joy uses soy flour, soy protein isolate, and sucralose, making it a poorer version of Rootana. As both meal replacements have similar macros and price points, it feels like Jimmy Joy isn’t offering much. But it still deserves a spot on this list due to its great value for money and decent macros.

What Are Meal Replacement Shakes?

Meal replacement shakes are designed to replace certain meals to help with weight management, improve your nutrition, or save time. For example, if you only get 20 minutes for lunch and don’t have the time to prepare a healthy meal, you may struggle to eat properly.

Perhaps you eat a high-calorie meal from a local shop or skip lunch that day? This can leave you feeling low on energy in the afternoon, and buying ready-made meals daily can be very expensive.

A meal replacement powder can be made almost instantly. Add water to a shaker, scoop some powder, and shake vigorously. Suddenly you have a 400-calorie meal high in protein and nutrients and costs a fraction of what you would spend in your local shop.

But not all meal replacement shakes are created equally.

Some try to cut costs by using cheap ingredients and neglecting nutrition. Whereas others will prioritize the use of real food ingredients so that you can improve your diet.

Health Benefits of Meal Replacement Shakes

There are several health benefits associated with meal replacement shakes. But many of these health benefits require improving your overall diet and lifestyle. This is true of any supplement or diet plan.

#1 Weight Loss

Weight loss is about creating a calorie deficit, where the number of calories you consume (food and drink) is lower than the number of calories you burn (metabolism, exercise, walking). A meal replacement shake (average 400 calories) can help with weight loss, provided it is replacing a higher calorie meal (a 500-calorie lunch, for example).

Studies have shown that meal replacement shake diets are more effective than regular diets, both in the short-term and long-term (Source). You need to create a proper diet, though. There’s no point swapping one meal for a shake if your other meals are higher in calories than normal!

#2 Improved Gut Health

Meal replacement shakes often contain high amounts of dietary fiber, which is very low in the average Western diet. Fibre has many benefits, providing satiety, lowering cholesterol, and improving heart health. But it is very good at improving your digestion and gut health (Source).

Improved gut health can also be achieved by consuming the right vitamins and minerals, which meal replacement shakes are often packed with. The act of losing weight can also help to improve gut health, particularly if you are replacing unhealthy junk foods with your meal replacement shake.

#3 Improved Body Composition

We’ve already covered weight loss, but meal replacement shakes can help build muscle. This is due to their high protein content. Like fiber, protein is often under-consumed in the healthy Western diet. Increasing your protein intake with a meal replacement shake can increase muscle mass, boost metabolism, and lower body fat. Leading to improved body composition.

#4 Improved Immune System

Did you know that improving your gut health can help to improve your immune system?

Studies have shown that gut health and the immune system are heavily linked (Source). Other issues that can affect your immune system include nutritional deficiencies, being overweight, and poor health.

Meal replacement shakes that are high in fiber and contain all the vitamins and minerals you need can help to improve your gut health, lower your body fat levels, and address any nutritional deficiencies. Helping to strengthen your immune system.

#5 Better Heart Health

Meal replacement shakes can help improve your heart due to their high fiber content and ability to cause healthy weight loss when implemented into a diet. Many meal replacements use oats, which have been associated with lower cholesterol, reduced inflammation, and healthier hearts (Source).

Related: Best Reds Powders

How to Choose the Right Meal Replacement Shake?

Choosing the right meal replacement shake for you is relatively easy. First, you need to decide what your budget is. Check out the cost per meal. You also want to decide how many meals you are replacing. One meal per day is the most common, but many weight loss diets use two meal replacements per day.

If you have a smaller budget or are consuming more meal replacements per month, then the most expensive option may not be the right choice.

On the other hand, if you want to improve your diet and lead a healthier lifestyle, finding the cheapest product is probably a bad idea.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are meal replacement shakes good value for money?

This depends on what your current spending is like. If you batch cook large meals, a meal replacement shake will probably be more expensive per serving. However, if you eat a lot of convenience foods or go out to restaurants, a meal replacement will save you a fortune.

Can meal replacement shakes help you lose weight?

Yes, provided you integrate them into a proper calorie deficit. Having one meal replacement shake daily while eating 2000 calories in snacks will not lead to weight loss.

Do meal replacement shakes count as real food?

They should do.

They are just dehydrated and powdered real foods. But drinking a powdered shake is not the same as eating a home-cooked meal. It depends on your definition of real food.

Can meal replacement shakes help you gain weight?

Yes, if that is your goal.

You could consume a meal replacement shake as a snack on top of your regular diet, and you would gain weight. If you want to build muscle, adding a meal replacement shake to your diet could help.