What We Look for in Meal Replacement Shake Powders

Calculating value

There’s a lot to take in with meal replacement shakes, but fundamentally it’s a product category like any other: it’s only worth if for the right price. 

The simplest and we think best way to calculate value is on a cost per serving basis—the total cost divided by the number of servings per delivery. To that end, you’ll find that 99 percent of meal replacement shake powders offer significant savings on any traditional meal, though typically won’t hold you over for quite as long as a balanced meal might. You can expect to pay between $2 and $5 a meal when shopping for MRE shakes, with most options sitting right at $4 per. If you’re spending over that number, it should be for a specialized product of some kind (one that adheres to a food allergy, includes added supplements, etc.)

Taste & texture

To be blunt, we tried a lot of meal replacement shakes and many were unpleasant. Without writing a dissertation on solubility, let’s just say texture is the most common source of a less-than-stellar MRE shake. Some are grainy no matter how hard you shake them, some clump up far too easily, and some are able resist the blades of even the most powerful blenders to maintain their sandy quality. After testing, we reckon at least one in three MRE powders could be described as suspect regarding texture. 

Taste is another matter. Most are serviceable, but we recommend keeping it simple as a matter of course. Your chocolates, your vanillas, and your strawberries are more consistently palatable than sour birthday cake funfetti flavor.

Goals, goals, goals

No one MRE shake is fit for all people. Our top pick, Soylent’s Original blend, included. Gander at nutritional labels of a few brands and you’ll find some high-calorie protein bombs while others more closely resemble a traditional meal in their macronutrient makeup. The lesson is simple: don’t just take our word (or anyone else’s) for it. Finding the right product for your diet and lifestyle is absolutely necessary.

Identifiable ingredients

This one is simple: if there are ingredients that you don’t recognize (and can’t easily understand after a quick Google), approach with caution. Most companies in the nutrition and wellness space act responsibly and reasonably, but if you dig deep enough you’ll find products with an ingredient list that reads like something from a sci-fi novel. Know what you’re eating (or drinking, in this case).