My Huel Instant Meal Cups Review

Updated: Mar 12

This will be my 4th review of a Huel Product. Here are the previous Huel Products that I gave a try.

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The Huel original white bag meal replacement is my go-to when a whole foods meal isn't convenient. It's got protein (plant-based), slow-release carbs, and 27 vitamins and minerals. I'm a big fan of their no-frills stripped-down approach to nutrition. While the OG white bag is what I have on my Huel subscription I do like to sample their other healthy offerings. This time the Instant Meal Cups caught my eye and I decided to add it to this month's shipment. They are a new product with not a whole lot of reviews on them yet so I decided to buy the variety pack which includes all 3 flavors: Korean BBQ Noodles, Chick'n Alfredo Pasta (Vegan), and Spicy Gochujang Noodles.

What Are Huel Instant Meal Cups?

Do you remember that cheap cup of noodles you can buy at the grocery store for less than a buck? They are full of sodium but not much of anything else. Now imagine a cup of noodles that isn't void of nutrition but you can still microwave and be eating in minutes. That's the idea behind the Huel Instant Cups. The directions are pretty simple to follow:

Add cold water to the fill line marked on the cup.
Microwave for 1 minute
Stir
Microwave for 30 seconds
Let sit for 5 minutes
Eat!

That's it! I'm going to save my critique of the directions for the Cons section below but it's super portable and easy to make even with adjustments.

Nutritional Value

Like the Huel Powder and Huel Complete Bars the Instant Cups are nutritionally dense and plant-based. I will provide a nutritional breakdown of the Korean BBQ Noodles but all 3 varieties are in the same ballpark from a calorie/fat/carbs/protein perspective.

Huel Instant Cup Nutritional Breakdown - Korean BBQ Noodles

Calories	400 Calories
Fat	8 Grams
Carbs	64 Grams
Fiber	6 Grams
Protein	22 Grams

Nutritional Analysis- The instant cups come in at 400 calories similar to the Huel white bag meal replacement powder. The difference is the powder has only 47 grams of carbs whereas the cup of noodles has 64. Protein is lower in the cup at 22 grams whereas the powder has 30.

Taste

I tasted all three and each one has a distinct flavor that might be delicious to one person and crap to another. Here is a breakdown of all 3:

Korean BBQ Noodles.

The Huel website says the Korean BBQ noodles taste sweet and smoky with a mild chili kick. I agree with that description. The noodles were surprisingly a little spicy but not overkill. This was the very first cup I tried in the variety pack. It has a great complex flavor profile. I wasn't expecting a cup of noodles I microwaved to have that much flavor but it did.

Spicy Gochujang Noodles

The Huel website says it's tangy and spicy with garlic and sesame flavors included. I'm going to agree with that with a huge emphasis on the spicy part! I tried this one at the office and it brought more heat than I was expecting. The heat hits your mouth immediately. 5 minutes later and my mouth was still warm. The flavor is great if you like spicy things which I do. The difference between this one and Alfredo is night and day.

Chick'n Alfredo Pasta

The Huel website said this one is creamy, with notes of parmesan, black pepper, and garlic. On the flavor spectrum, this one is the most tame. The chicken flavor in the sauce is subtle. My wife who sampled one for lunch said you could taste the protein powder coming through on this one. I couldn't taste it but I understand her point that the chicken alfredo flavor needs to be ratcheted up a few notches. If you do not like spice though this would be the one you'd want to try.

Taste Analysis- Bottom line all 3 were at least solid to eat. My favorite was the Korean BBQ and my least favorite was the Alfredo. If I had to buy again I would order a box of the Korean BBQ for sure but I would encourage everyone to buy the variety pack and make that choice yourself.

Pros

Super Portable- These are great because I don't have to put them in a cooler. The convenience factor on these is through the roof. I put one of these in my work bag with a spoon and I'm set. I made them at work or home but this would be a great meal for someone traveling on the road as well. As long as your hotel has a microwave you are all set.

Nutrient-Packed- This cup of noodles is loaded with nutrients. Not only do they have a solid nutritional breakdown that I put in the chart above, but they also have 27 essential vitamins and minerals. They claim that the instant meal cups have 158 health benefits. I'm not sure about that but I do know all those ingredients can only help!

Cons

Price- This one is obvious when you go to order some cups on the Huel website. The Huel white bag meal replacement powder that I consume daily is about $ 2.21 per 400-calorie meal. The Huel Complete Nutrition Bar that I reviewed is $2.71 per 190-calorie bar. The Instant Meal Cups come in at $4.95 per 400-calorie serving! That is substantially more than the meal replacement but you are paying for the portable quick meal aspect of the product. Personally, my budget wouldn't allow me to eat these every day. Instead, I could see ordering a box of Korean BBQ noodles and taking a couple with me when I'm in a pinch and don't have access to a whole foods meal (like a road trip). Strategically using these would be a smart plan to keep your budget down but keep your flexibility up!

Cooking instructions need improvement- When I had my first cup of noodles I knew right away the instructions needed tweaking. I followed the instructions 100% and the noodles were underdone and gummy. The next cup was perfect after I made some changes. I added a little more water, then instead of the second time in the microwave being 30 seconds I went to 45 seconds. Lastly, I let the cup sit for 7 minutes instead of 5. Don't worry about your meal getting cold. It was steaming and more importantly well cooked!

Would I Buy It Again?

I would absolutely buy them again specifically the Korean BBQ. Like I said above it will be cost prohibitive for me to buy them and eat them daily. What I would like to do is have some in the pantry that I can go to when it makes sense. Maybe a road trip, or for work on that day when I didn't have time to meal prep. And if you want to try them and save some money I have a referral code you can use for first-timers. Save $15 by clicking this link. Enjoy!

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