Whether you’re vegan or not, choosing cruelty-free products usually means an ingredients list packed full of essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.
They can be as great for losing some weight as it is for the planet.
Plant-based protein is an excellent choice for people looking to bulk up or cut down.
So, whatever your goal is, here’s our pick for the best vegan meal replacement shakes.
PRODUCT | HIGHLIGHTS & BENEFITS |
|---|---|
Best Overall OUR #1 RATED  Ample V | |
OUR #2 RATED  Complete Start | |
OUR #3 RATED  Orgain |
1. Ample V Plant-Based Complete Meal Shake (Editor's Choice)
Ample V is a bit of a game-changer, and I have to admit I’m completely smitten.
It’s packed to the brim with all the good stuff and stripped bare of all the filler, sugar, sweeteners, and garbage.
If you look through the ingredients, you’ll see that it’s all organic whole foods all the way for this plant-based protein shake.
It’s perfect for those on the go as it comes pre-portioned in BPA-free recyclable bottles.
Pros
CONS
They have a selection of flavors and sizes to choose from and contain only 4 grams of sugar in the 400 calorie portion. They have focused on fibers and whole foods as well as the protein and prebiotics to keep you feeling fuller for longer.
2. Complete Start Meal Replacement Shake
It may be anecdotal, but the founder of Complete Start managed to treat his Crohn’s disease by switching to a plant-based diet.
The evidence that a vegan or vegetarian diet can be massively beneficial to your gut health is fairly well documented, with studies showing it promotes diverse and stable microbial systems. [1]
Complete Start has three flavors for you to try all focused on being a great protein-packed way to start the day.
Pros
CONS
Whether you want something fresh and green, coffee rich mocha, or peanut butter banana, you’ll find something to suit your taste. Whilst the ingredients list is obviously very clean, they do use stevia to give the flavors a little boost.
3. Orgain Organic Vegan Nutritional Shake
Orgain isn’t going to win any prizes for creative flavor choice, but there is certainly something to be said for their super simple and straightforward vanilla and chocolate plant-protein meal replacement shakes.
The company’s focus has always been on organic ingredients, and they refuse to compromise and include anything artificial.
Orgain claim that nutritious and delicious don’t have to be opposites; they’ve put a lot of work into creating a natural formula that serves as much to the taste bud as it does to the body.
Pros
CONS
This meal replacement shake offers up 16g of protein from pea and seed sources, 2g of essential dietary fibers, 21 vitamins and minerals, and 10 different types of fruits and vegetables. Morning, noon, or night, it’s a healthy choice and ideal as a meal replacement.
4. Garden Of Life Raw Organic Protein
Garden Of Life is the first product on the list to come in bulk instead of individual portions.
This is less convenient but means it is much more environmentally friendly and can usually save you a bit of money too.
Like the other vegan meal replacement shakes, the ingredients are organic, the nutrition is plant-based, the flavors are natural, and the product is soy and GMO-free. It’s a great choice for those looking to lose some weight and keep it off long term in a healthy and cost-effective way.
Being able to portion out the meal replacement shake yourself also means you have a bit more control on potency, flavoring, and consistency.
Pros
CONS
5. Oxyfresh Vegan Protein and Greens Meal Replacement Shake
Oxyfresh matches its competitors in terms of organic whole food ingredients but has made sure to include a full amino acid profile and a full serving of vegetables in their meal replacement shake.
On top of this, they have absolutely nailed the taste, and this may be the best tasting shake on the market when mixed with just water.
A great meal replacement shake needs to keep you feeling full, serve up a healthy dose of nutrition, and be convenient to have on the go.
Pros
CONS
With their patented probiotic blend, pea protein, and focus on fiber dense greens, Oxyfresh leaves you feeling fuller for longer than other meal replacements, meaning it’s easier to build the routine and get to losing weight.
6. Nuzest Clean Lean Protein
Let’s start with the elephant in the room; Nuzest is not technically a meal replacement and doesn’t market itself as such.
However, it can be used as a vegan protein powder, and with a few additional ingredients added to the mix makes a fine base for a meal replacement shake.
This protein powder is too low in calories to count as a meal replacement proper and is also lacking in other nutritional benefits added into those products, but if you mix it with some fruit, veggies, and maybe probiotic plant-based milk, it works and tastes great.
Pros
CONS
The ingredients list for Nuzest’s Clean Lean vegan protein powder is as simple and straightforward as possible. The company prides itself on not adding anything nasty to their products. It’s one of the best protein powders out there and provides everything your body needs to lose weight or make gains.
7. ALOHA Organic Plant-Based Protein Powder
I love the ALOHA product -- they have some of the greatest variety of flavors if you’re looking to try something new and mix it up a little.
As we’ve seen from these best vegan meal replacement shakes time and time again, the ingredients and nutrition are all derived from plant sources and entirely organic.
It has enough calories per serving and serves up enough vitamins and minerals to work as a low calorie meal replacement, but it excels as a post or pre workout powder.
Pros
CONS
The mixed berry flavor is my favorite as it’s an uncommon one and means I can add some variety into my routine if I’ve got bored of vanilla and chocolate. Although I could never use it as my always product as the cost per serving is a little steep with only 15 servings per tub. Again one to mix with some fresh fruit and veg to eek it out a little.
8. Soylent Meal Replacement Drink
We had to do a little research before we could safely deduce that it isn’t made from people, and then we had to ask ourselves even if it was, would it still be technically vegan?
But after we got around the questionable decision to name their product after a film that focused on the effects of overpopulation, we were able to enjoy the product.
Soylent is once again prepackaged and portioned for you, making it incredibly convenient for those of us on the go, not so much for the environment, though.
Pros
CONS
Soylent tastes great and keeps you feeling full, but it is proudly full of GMO and artificial ingredients and leaves your wallet feeling empty.
It contains a whopping 400 calories per serving, which is more than any other on the list and so is more of a meal, but makes it a little trickier if you’re looking to lose weight.
What To Look For In A Vegan Meal Replacement Shake?
So to work as an effective meal replacement shake, you need to tick a few different boxes, but the first and most important is to feel full.
If you’re going to be craving food even after you’ve finished your shake, it’s pointless.
What you want to look for are shakes that serve up a decent amount of calories and protein per serving.
The next important factor is if it’s healthy. A clear indicator for this will be the quality and type of ingredients used, which is why looking for those that use organic whole foods is usually best.
Finally, too much sugar is bad [2], and you will want to avoid meal replacement shakes that use too much or artificial sweeteners like sucralose in its stead.
The difference between a simple protein shake and meal replacement is that meal replacement shakes are intended to provide the nutrition of a full meal
Peter Tzemis
Health Professional
Benefits Of Vegan Meal Replacement Shakes
The benefits of a vegan meal replacement shake are the same as those of any meal replacement shake.
It will help to speed up weight loss, work as a healthy nutritional supplement packed full of vitamins and minerals, and be lower in sugar, carbs, and calories than regular meals would be.
Most meal replacement shakes focus on fiber and protein to help keep you fuller for longer, but it can also have a positive impact on reducing your cholesterol. [3]
Meal replacement shakes will often supplement themselves with probiotics to aid and benefit your digestion as well as being a rich source of a wide range of other nutritional benefits.
They work as a health supplement just as well as they do a calorie and protein source.
Since meal replacement shakes provide all the nutrients you should be consuming in a meal, they can help you meet your nutrient needs while cutting calories.
Becky Bell
Dietician, and Health and Fitness Writer
FAQ
Can you survive only by consuming vegan meal replacement shakes?
How many vegan meal replacement shakes should you take in a day?
Are vegan meal replacement shakes only meant for weight loss?
Our Favorite Vegan Meal Replacement Shake
Ample V is definitely one of the best vegan meal replacement shakes on the market, but it’s our favorite in the office too.
It does what every other shake does but a little bit better, serving up more nutrition from more clean sources. It comes pre-portioned and is super portable and convenient on the go.
It leaves you feeling full and not craving food.
Whether for it benefits down the gym or if you’re just looking to lose weight, we’d recommend giving this meal replacement a try.
Ample V
Our #1 Vegan Meal Replacement Shake
References:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6478664/
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/too-much-sugar
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28653586
