I’m a big fan of Huel. I have a Black Edition Vanilla Protein shake almost daily either for breakfast or lunch. I love the fact that it’s a nutritionally complete food, extremely filling and helps me get enough protein to sustain my level of strength training, something that can be difficult on my vegan diet.
So I was intrigued to try their Hot and Savoury range. It follows the same ethos as the protein shakes – that you can get all of your vital vitamins and minerals, adequate calories, and a generous offering of protein in a single, easy to prepare, extremely convenient meal.
But it is undeniably a weird concept. It’s basically dried food that you bring back to life with boiling water. But once you get your head around the fact it’s just the same as preparing couscous, then you’re good to go.
The details
Huel's Hot & Savoury range comes in three flavours – Thai Green Curry, Tomato & Herb and Mexican Chilli. Designed for speedy lunches, Huel prides itself on being a nutritionally complete meal with seriously cut down prep time. Packed with rice, quinoa, vegetables, herbs and spices, the 400 kcal pouches can be ready in under 5 mins. They also contain 24g of plant based protein each. Woof.
Each pouch (94g) contains:
- 40g carbohydrates
- 24g protein
- 13g fat
- 11g fibre
- 2g vitamins and minerals (incl. all 26 essential ones)
The verdict
I tried the Thai Green Curry option. You simply put two scoops of the powdery/grainy substance in a bowl, pour in boiling water, cover and leave for five minutes.
I have to be completely honest and say the result doesn’t look particularly appetising, but it's not off-putting. It looks sort of like a thick soup with lots of grains in.
The good news is it tastes much better than it looks. It’s quite spicy and full of different flavours and tastes like, well, Thai Green Curry.
At 400 calories a portion it is a sensible, calorie-controlled meal. And that’s the beauty of Huel for me. The products aren't super low calorie and they are packed with filling ingredients that stop you snacking. The protein shakes have magically stopped me reaching for the biscuit tin. They are also 400 calories for two scoops, so very much a meal in itself.
I’m not as sold on the savoury range as I am on the shakes. But they’re definitely a good, healthy option if you’re time poor and need to whip up lunch or dinner fast.
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