New Huel drinker here. I got the chocolate and vanilla 34-meal powder starter pack as a transition from drinking Muscle Milk Pro Series for a few months because Huel looked healthier, had more calories, and less protein (I felt like 50mg per serving of protein was overkill for me). What I would do with Muscle Milk is pre-mix it in a shaker bottle the night before then drink it after coming back from my daily morning run after a quick shake. I tried this with Huel and I am sorely disappointed. I got one massive clump about 1.5” in. diameter at the bottom of the shaker and it wasn’t so much the taste that got to me - but the texture. Sort of felt like… “goop” to put it in one word. Muscle Milk had a much more intense chocolate-y flavor, whereas I didn’t really taste any significant amount of chocolate in Huel, the oat taste overpowered everything else. I can overlook the taste - but I want something efficient and quick that I can make and consume within a 10 minute window. I do have a nutri-bullet, but I feel like it would defeat the purpose of efficiency if I have to make it in a blender and clean the blender on top of cleaning the bottle instead of just grabbing the bottle, shaking, and going. Maybe I’m being too critical of the flavor too, I mixed 2 spoons (400 cal) with 14oz, but most of the powder clumped together and didn’t integrate well with the water. I mixed it as I would mix Muscle Milk, 8oz water, 1 spoon, shake, 1 spoon, 6 oz, shake, and done.
I really want Huel to work for me, any tips on mixing it properly and quickly without a blender? I’m on a strict 1,300 calorie diet with protein shakes making up 1,200 of those calories and I don’t want to put in any additions to the shake that would make the shake pointless in regard to calories. No chocolate chips, no blueberries, no bananas. I just want a simple shake I can make quickly and drink then and there.
A few suggestions:
- Mix less Huel for each shake. I just started doing Huel today and I noticed the recommended 3 scoops per shaker serving is far too many. It get’s like…oily or something. I found one scoop and the rest water for the Huel official mixer is best for my taste.
- If you’re using the Huel official shaker I’ve heard the little strainer is important to mix the product, make sure that’s in there.
Other than that maybe try shaking it for at least 10 seconds. I haven’t had any issues with clumping so far.
Remember, to avoid clumping, liquid in the shaker first, powder on top. Personally, I haven’t had any clumping issues using the Huel shaker and find it works very well.
Haven’t had issues with clumps in the shaker. Liquid first, then powder. If you don’t like the texture, perhaps more or less water would work for you. More water makes it less thick. Less water makes it thicker. It took me a few days to find out how I liked my huel. Once you figure it out, it’s quicker and you won’t have to think as much about it. I made mine in a blender today super quick cause I just made it how I’ve found I liked it. You could also add some ice cubes to aid in the mixing process and it makes it colder.
What works for me (in the standard Huel shaker) is to use three or so ice cubes and I measure the water 14oz or 15oz with the ice in the shaker so it has the same overall volume. Then I add my two scoops. Then (after I’m SURE the lid is screwed on properly, and the spout is capped) I do a side-to-side shake:
- Hold the bottle vertically with your grip around the sides of the bottle.
- Rotate your wrist in a “rolling” motion. Gently at first, then vigorously.
Then I do a regular up-down shake, like in the Huel video, really vigorously and count to ten. This has been clump-free for me. Even eliminated the part of the Huel that gets into the spout-cap.
I should clarify, I do add water first, then the powder (in increments) and shake. I made a fresh batch today and got no clumps when I used the Huel shaker with the screen and mixed with crushed ice, previously I’d used a blender bottle with a shaker ball and let it sit for 4 hours instead of adding ice. Drinking it fresh, it’s not “goopy” anymore, but does have a somewhat gritty texture. Which I can deal with, still a bit lax on the flavor - but you can’t win them all, eh?
Yeah, you can’t mix it and let it sit for too long. It is like mixing concrete - the longer it sits the thicker it becomes!
I know you don’t want to use a blender BUT I use an immersion blender and it’s extremely quick to clean. You pop the attachment off and it’s just like cleaning a spoon it’s so easy. So I just put everything in my Huel mixer, immersion blend for like 20 seconds if that, pop the attachment off and hot water and soap rinse (like you don’t scrub it all comes right off ) and boom done. Then clean the Huel mixer cup like you normally do at the end. Better than clumps!
Would you mind sharing a link to a recommendable immersion blender? So far I’ve been mixing it as suggested with ice, but the grittiness and coldness combined have given me the worst sore throat. There’s nothing I can do about the grittiness, but maybe being able to drink it at room temperature would help something.
Really any immersion blender will do. I got mine as a gift so I am not sure which one it is but here is one I found online that looks similar : https://www.amazon.com/Ovente-HS560B-Multi-Purpose-Immersion-Detachable/dp/B076MJSRRC
It’s extremely easy to clean - have been blending then putting some ice cubes in after to keep it cool but the blending takes the clumps out and it’s smooth and easy to drink that way.
I couldn’t agree more. The immersion blender really helps a lot, and it’s very easy to clean!
I’d recommend using your Nutri Bullet. That’s what I use, and as long as you rinse it right away it doesn’t take more than 30 seconds to clean up. Note that I have a dish rack next to the sink, so I just rinse the blade section and the top in hot (warm, really – I don’t wait for it to get really hot) water and stick them on the rack to dry. It makes a world of difference in the texture. Originally I found the flax seed to be very scratchy on my throat when drinking, but once I started using the blender that went away.
VERY new user…VERY optimistic, but I have found the clumping to be a big turn off.
I started with 2scoops/17oz: absolutely not possible
Went to 1 scoop/170z: OK but not perfered
Went to .5scoop/17oz: still have more clumps than I want.
I put the water in first, stirred; added more water; stirred
I even used HOT water first and stirred FAR more than I would like and still ended up with this.
The container on the left is half scoop.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/KKMnmBUNcMHJVmRm6.
And now it is a bit watery to the taste. I hate to be fussy, but it is tough enough getting used to this product WITHOUT clumps of powder in my mouth.
I use a blender. Sometimes a milk frother takes a few seconds to clean.
Another new user here, I had my second shaker of strawberry shortcake clump up badly in the Huel shaker cause I believe I used too much powder. I kind of packed in the scoop, cause my first batch seemed thin.
So my third try I weighed out 80g on my kitchen scale, bagged it and took it to work with a shaker full (17 oz) of almond milk. When lunchtime rolled around I added the powder, gave a 15 second shake and it turned out perfect.
I have also now tried it with an immersion blender, but honestly it doesn’t save anytime… I think the more critical issue is a proper amount to blend/mix as too much powder (or not enough liquid) created clumps.
I having been a HUEL user daily for about 6 months now, I always blend my shakes at home with a blender/nutribullet. If I travel I buy the HUEL pre-made shakes. I am also considering buying a portable electric blender for travel. If I can’t access my blender during the day I simply make it ahead of time and drink later. I only like my shakes well blended with a blender, 14oz water, 2 ice cubes, and 2 well packed HUEL scoops.