How to Use Huel
Using Huel for the first time? Read on for everything you need to know, or take a look at our Quick Start Guide. Enjoy the ride!
How to prepare the perfect Huel
Add cold water to your shaker’s 500ml fill line, then:
- Add 2 level scoops of Huel Powder
- Place the internal grid in your shaker
- Screw the lid and cap on tightly
- Shake hard for 10 seconds
Once you’re happy, get creative! Our top tips:
- If you want to be precise, use scales to weigh your Huel
- Add ice cubes, or even try chilling overnight
- Too thick? Add more water
- Too thin? Use less next time
- Try milk (or milk alternative) instead of water for a creamier end result
What percentage of your diet should be Huel?
This is entirely up to you. We've found that the most popular approach is to replace time-pressured weekday meals like breakfast and lunch, then sit down for a traditional meal in the evening. The best of both worlds!
But you can also use Huel as a snack, so make sure you check out our Huel Bars.
Whatever you do, make sure to gradually build up your Huel intake. Your body needs time to adjust to change in your diet, so start with 1 Huel meal a day, and add 1 more every 3-5 days until you reach your ideal balance.
How many calories do you need?
We’re all different and all have slightly different calorie requirements. Below are two broad examples, but work your own out at calculator.net/calorie-calculator.
Seth
2,454kcal per day
Seth, 25, male. 6ft (1m 83cm) and 12st 0lbs (76kg). Exercises 3x per week. Maintaining weight needs 2,454kcal. To lose it, we recommend a deficit of 500kcal per day. To gain weight, a 500kcal daily surplus.
Goal | Breakfast | AM Snack | Lunch | PM Snack | Evening Meal | Evening Snack |
Lose Fat (-500kcal) | Huel 2 scoops | - | Huel 2 scoops | Huel Bar | 744kcal | 210kcal |
Maintain Weight | Huel 2 scoops | Huel Bar | Huel 2 scoops | Huel Bar | 1,004kcal | 250kcal |
Gain Weight (+500kcal) | Huel 2 scoops | Huel 2 scoops | Huel 2 scoops | Huel 2 scoops | 1,104kcal | 250kcal |
Melanie, 1,908kcal per day
Melanie, 25, female. 5ft7inches (1m 70cm) and 10st 0lbs (65.5kg). Exercises 3x per week. Maintaining weight needs 1,908kcal. To lose it, we recommend a deficit of 400kcal per day. To gain weight, a 400kcal daily surplus.
Goal | Breakfast | AM Snack | Lunch | PM Snack | Evening Meal | Evening Snack |
Lose Fat (-400kcal) | Huel 2 scoops | - | Huel 2 scoops | - | 708kcal | - |
Maintain Weight | Huel 2 scoops | Huel Bar | Huel 2 scoops | Huel Bar | 708kcal | - |
Gain Weight (+400kcal) | Huel 2 scoops | Huel Bar | Huel 2 scoops | Huel Bar | 958kcal | 150kcal |
If you want to learn more about how to gain weight or lose fat, read our guides, written by our Nutritionist James Collier:
How to measure and weigh Huel
No need to get the scales out – a level scoop of Huel holds roughly 50g which is about 200 calories. A scoop is provided in the box with your initial order, instead of inside every pouch, to cut down on waste.
Huel Black Edition weighs slightly less compared to Huel Powder - with one level scoop of Black Edition holding roughly 45g rather than 50g. This is due to a difference in density between the two powders. Although weighing slightly different amounts, calorie count is the same for both, with one level scoop containing roughly 200 calories.
If you want to weigh your Huel more accurately, we recommend using some simple kitchen scales. For example, add water to your shaker's fill line, then place on the scales and zero them. Then add your Huel for a precise measurement.
See below our charts indicating the amount of calories in Huel by scoop and by weight to help you with your calculations:
Calories by scoop
Number of Level Scoops | Weight | Huel Powder |
1 | 50g | 200kcal |
2 | 100g | 400kcal |
3 | 150g | 600kcal |
4 | 200g | 800kcal |
Powder Hacks
Blend
Not satisfied with the texture and consistency of your Huel? Try blending it! If you want your Huel to be smoother and creamier, there's no better way to ensure this than using a blender.
Chill Out
The temperature of your Huel can also affect its sweetness and texture. Adding ice, or leaving your Huel to chill in the fridge, can reduce the sweetness and improve the texture, according to some of our customers.
Change Your liquid
Replacing water with milk can also affect how thick and smooth your Huel is, and it can also make your Huel much creamier. However, with milk come more calories, so make sure you take these into account. Need some inspiration? Check out our guide to plant-based milk alternatives.
Mix Your Huel
Mix Vanilla and Unflavoured & Unsweetened. The usual amount that is combined is 2 parts Vanilla to 1 part Unflavoured & Unsweetened. But you can mix as much or as little as you like, for example adding a little Vanilla Huel to slightly change the taste of Unflavoured & Unsweetened Huel.
Get Cooking
Believe it or not, Huel can be a great substitute for flour. Of course, Huel is 100% complete nutrition in itself, but it also works great as an ingredient for sweet and savoury recipes, bakes, and more! Find out more about cooking with Huel.
Consume or store?
Both! You can drink your Huel immediately, or if you prefer, you can store it in the fridge for up to 24 hours. If you want to have it on the go, you can keep it at room temperature for a couple of hours, or longer if you use a thermos flask. Your Huel may separate after a while, but don’t worry, this is completely normal. Just give it a nice shake and you’re good to go.
Clean
The new Huel Shaker is easy to clean and dishwasher safe due to its durable, stylish and stain resistant design. Either wash by hand or put in the dishwasher to save time on the washing up!
To avoid Huel setting in your shaker once you're done, we advise you to clean it as soon as you can. If this isn't possible, leave some water in it to stop it drying out or rinse it out with water before placing in the dishwasher.
New Huel Shaker FAQs
How is the new Huel Shaker different from the old shaker?
It's ours! Our old shaker was off-the-shelf, so many different brands used it. It just didn't really feel like us and it wasn't designed for Huel or Hueligans. So we took matters into our own hands, we tried to design something iconic our Hueligans would be proud to carry!
The Huel Shaker has a sleek new design with many additional features that make it (in our unbiased opinion) the best shaker yet! Below we’ve listed the main design differences:
- New lockable cap and hard-wearing Tritan™ body provide extra spill and dent protection. So you can lock it, loop it or just chuck it in your bag - it’s even more ‘on-the-go’ friendly.
- Stamp your authority, with a place to personalise your shaker on the base.
- Pour and go—the simple fill line makes it easy to get the perfect Huel every time.
Where is the new Huel Shaker made?
Our new shaker was designed in the UK and is produced in a world class factory in China. Like with all Huel suppliers we only choose the best and our supplier is a member of Sedex and regularly undergoes the SMETA audit to ensure they meet our expectations. This is an audit process which means members conform to the highest social standards, specifically around safety and human rights of workers. In addition to that the Huel team have visited this site to ensure these standards are upheld.
Is the new Huel Shaker recyclable?
The new shaker is not recyclable but, like many similar quality water bottles you may already use, this shaker is not single-use. Not even close.
We have designed this shaker for durability, the longest possible usage time which incorporates both the quality of material after extensive use and washing, and also avoiding staining of the material which may encourage early disposal. We intend this to be the only shaker you will ever need.
If you have more questions, checkout our FAQ page, or visit Huel's forum where you can search for similar questions or post your own.