The Huel Complete Protein Formula Explained
Huel Complete Protein is the world’s first nutritionally complete vegan protein powder that is high in protein with 20g per 105kcal serve. It’s also a source of fibre, low in sugar and supplies all 26 essential vitamins and minerals.
Additionally, it contains no animal-derived products and is non-GMO.
Huel Complete Protein meets the UK and EU Reference Nutrient Intake (RNI), Reference Intake (RI) and Nutrient Reference Value (NRV) for macro- and all micronutrients [1,2,3]. Unlike Huel Powder and Huel Black Edition, it is not designed to be used as a meal, but rather a high-protein snack or supplement.
Continue reading to find out more about Huel Complete Protein.
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Huel Complete Protein is 11:10:76:3 Macro Split
Huel Complete Protein is High in Protein
Huel Complete Protein is a Source of Fibre
Vitamins & Minerals in Huel Complete Protein
Ingredients & Nutritional Information
Huel Complete Protein Cautions & Allergen Advice
Huel Complete Protein is 11:10:76:3 Macro Split
The principal macronutrients that we obtain energy from food are carbohydrate, fat, protein, and fibre. Unlike Huel Powder and Black Edition, Complete Protein is not a meal – as such, we’ve set the ratio at 11:10:76:3 respectively; i.e. only 11% of the energy comes from carbohydrates, 10% from fat, a whopping 76% from protein and 3% from fibre.
Amino acids are the most basic units of protein, and several amino acids are essential for life, with others being crucial for good health, so any diet should include a significant amount of protein, especially if you’re an active individual.
There are also fatty acids that are essential for life and good health, so including sources of fat is crucial too. Even though Huel Complete Protein has been formulated primarily to provide protein and thereby has very little fat, we’ve incorporated additional essential fatty acids omega-3 and omega-6, ensuring that it’s nutritionally complete.
Carbohydrates, however, are not as essential per se. Although carbs have significant benefits to sustaining even energy levels, some people prefer to have a lower intake of carbs for some meals and snacks. We’ve designed Huel Complete Protein at ratios to suit people who are looking for a high protein, lower carb snack.
Huel Complete Protein is High in Protein
The RI for protein is 50g per day, but this only covers our very basic needs and prevents protein deficiency [1,2,3]. If you’re an active individual or someone who frequently participates in exercise, it’s likely this 50g RI for protein will not be sufficient to meet your increased demands for protein.
When we exercise, regardless of the type i.e. endurance or strength-based exercise, we experience an increased rate of muscle protein breakdown. For the body to recover from exercise and adapt, it needs to be provided with the building blocks of protein - amino acids.
The ‘optimal’ amount of protein in a meal to maximally stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS), in other words, the process of building new muscle, falls somewhere between 20-40g protein for healthy individuals. The range is dependent upon the individual’s lean mass (the amount of muscle someone has), height, the type of exercise you do, metabolic rate and other factors [4]. Huel Complete Protein provides 20g protein per serve.
Huel Complete Protein is suitable for vegans, made from a unique blend of three plant protein sources - pea, faba bean, and rice, providing adequate amounts of all the essential amino acids.
Amino Acid Profile of Huel Complete Protein
Protein is made up of amino acids. There are over 500 amino acids in nature, 20 of which are known as the standard amino acids, as these are the ones that are coded for genetically and are subsequently involved in primary protein synthesis in animals. Of these 20, nine are essential as they cannot be synthesised from other amino acids.
The nine essential amino acids are:
Histidine
Isoleucine
Leucine
Lysine
Methionine
Phenylalanine
Threonine
Tryptophan
Valine
The other 11 are:
Alanine
Arginine
Asparagine
Aspartic acid
Cysteine
Glutamine
Glutamic acid
Glycine
Proline
Serine
Tyrosine
All protein sources are not equal: some are classed as ‘complete proteins’ and some are not. A complete protein is one that contains sufficient quantities of all nine essential amino acids. Generally, proteins derived from animal foods are complete. Indeed, some proteins derived from plant foods are often complete as well; examples include quinoa, buckwheat and soya. Many plant foods have insufficient amounts or one or more of the essential amino acids.
Rice protein is high in the sulphur-containing amino acids cysteine and methionine, plus it contains good amounts of all the others, but is very low in lysine. Pea and faba bean proteins are low in cysteine and methionine but high in lysine. Combining ingredients ensures everything is covered whilst keeping Huel Complete Protein plant-based.
Huel Complete Protein is a Source of Fibre
The fibre in Huel Complete Protein is a mixture of soluble and insoluble forms. The fibre content helps to ensure the formation of normal, solid stools, keeping everything running smoothly in healthy individuals.
Vitamins and Minerals in Huel Complete Protein
Many of the vitamins and minerals – also known as micronutrients – in Huel Complete Protein are from natural ingredients. There have been numerous studies in the past 20 years demonstrating that, for many micronutrients, levels higher than the daily reference intakes (RIs) may have beneficial effects to health.
For example, it’s widely considered that the amount of vitamin C we’re recommended to consume is too low [5,6,7], so we’ve added a high inclusion in the Huel Complete Protein formula. The benefits of consuming more vitamin C include a healthy immune system, healthy skin and antioxidant properties, and it also helps the absorption of some minerals like iron and zinc [7].
Choline is a conditionally essential vitamin, and although, strictly speaking, it can be synthesised in our bodies, it’s more efficient to obtain it from our diets [8]. It’s of particular importance post menopause [9,10]. As Huel is all about optimum health, the inclusion of choline was felt to be fundamental.
Ingredients & Nutritional Information
Huel Complete Protein Cautions and Allergen Advice
Huel Complete Protein is suitable for people with most conditions. However, as some conditions require dietary intervention, like with any supplement, please heed the notes below for the following conditions:
Diabetes mellitus: For those with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, please review the carbohydrate, sugar and other nutrition facts for Complete Protein to see if it is suitable for your needs.
Coeliac disease and other gluten sensitivities: Complete Protein is gluten-free and is made with no gluten-containing ingredients. As it is not made with oats, it is also avenin-free.
Inborn errors of metabolism: if you have a glycogen storage disorder (GSD) or other inborn error of metabolism where you require dietary manipulation, you should consult your doctor or specialist clinician before using Complete Protein.
Phenylketonuria: Huel Complete Protein is not suitable for those who suffer from PKU.
IBS, IBD and related conditions: Huel Complete Protein is not low-FODMAP.
Pregnancy & breastfeeding: Huel Complete Protein can be included during pregnancy and breastfeeding, but should be limited to one serving per day as there are different nutritional requirements during this period.
Children: Huel Complete Protein is not suitable for children under 4 years of age. However, older children may include Complete Protein as part of a balanced diet that includes a variety of other foods; Huel should not be their sole source of nutrition as they have different nutritional requirements to adults. For more information, see our Children, Adolescents and Huel article.
Eating disorders: Complete Protein may be consumed by individuals with eating disorders as a useful source of complete nutrition if it is an appropriate fit for their current meal plan. However, we recommend that individuals with eating disorders only use Huel after discussing it with their doctor or relevant clinician.
Medication: There may be specific drug-nutrient interactions relating to a particular medicine you're using, so we recommend you read the drug information provided with your prescription, and if you have any further concerns, please discuss them with your doctor.
Allergen Advice
All Huel products are vegan. We thoroughly assess our ingredients and the processes we use to make Huel and whenever we identify potential routes of allergen contamination we will first take steps to eliminate the possibility of any contamination of our product. However, where it is not possible to remove the risk we will clearly highlight any allergens that might be present on our product packaging in line with current UK and EU food safety guidelines.
However, we recognise that individuals can have allergies to any protein in any ingredient therefore if you have a specific allergy that is outside of the remit above, please contact us directly and we will do our best to guide you on which products are suitable.
References
Dietary reference values for food energy and nutrients for the United Kingdom. Report of the Panel on Dietary Reference Values of the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy. Reports on health and social subjects. 1991; 41:1-210.
Europe F. Guidance on the Provision of Food Information to Consumers 2013. Available from: https://www.fooddrinkeurope.eu/publication/guidance-on-the-provision-of-food-information-to-consumers/.
England PH. Government Dietary Recommendations. In: Health Do, editor. 2016.
Burd; N, et al. Protein-Containing Food Is More Than The Sum Of Its Constituent Amino Acids For Post-Exercise Muscle Anabolic Potential. Date Accessed: 24/03/25. [Available from: https://www.gssiweb.org/sports-science-exchange/article/protein-containing-food-is-more-than-the-sum-of-its-constituent-amino-acids-for-post-exercise-muscle-anabolic-potential]
Deruelle F, et al. Vitamin C: is supplementation necessary for optimal health? Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, NY). 2008; 14(10):1291-8.
Combs J, et al. The Vitamins. 4th ed. Burlington: Elsevier Science; 2012. Hathcock JN, et al. Vitamins E and C are safe across a broad range of intakes. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2005; 81(4):736-45.
Institute LP. Oregon State University. Vitamin C. Date Accessed: 24/03/25. [Available from: https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/vitamin-C] Administration USFaD. Nutrition Labeling of Food. 2018.
Zeisel SH, et al. Choline: an essential nutrient for public health. Nutr Rev. 2009; 67(11):615-23.
Fischer LM, et al. Dietary choline requirements of women: effects of estrogen and genetic variation. The American journal of clinical nutrition. 2010; 92(5):1113-9.
Fischer LM, et al. Sex and menopausal status influence human dietary requirements for the nutrient choline. The American journal of clinical nutrition. 2007; 85(5):1275-85.
