Updated in 2018! We continuously update this post on dairy-free meal replacement shakes and substitutes for Ensure. Please do comment if you have a favorite or a new one to recommend.
Q: Wendy – I am wondering if there are dairy-free meal replacement shakes available that are similar to nutritional beverages like Ensure and GNC powders?
A: Alisa Fleming – Ensure is a unique since it has quite a few sugars and processed ingredients. I don’t know of any dairy-free meal replacement shakes that attempt a similar recipe. But there are several fantastic dairy-free and vegan nutritional beverage options, which I address below. To give you an idea of what you are trying to replace, this is the ingredient list for Ensure:
Ensure Ingredients (Original, Vanilla Flavor) – Water, Corn Maltodextrin, Sugar, Milk Protein Concentrate, Soy Oil, Soy Protein Isolate, Sucromalt, Canola Oil. Less than 0.5% of the Following: Corn Oil, Magnesium Phosphate, Potassium Citrate, Cellulose Gel, Natural & Artificial Flavor, Salt, Calcium Phosphate, Sodium Citrate, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Ascorbic Acid, Cellulose Gum, Monoglycerides, Soy Lecithin, Carrageenan, Potassium Hydroxide, Liquid Sucralose, Ferrous Sulfate, dl-Alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate, Acesulfame Potassium, Zinc Sulfate, Niacinamide, Manganese Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Cupric Sulfate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Thiamine Chloride Hydrochloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Chromium Chloride, Biotin, Sodium Molybdate, Potassium Iodide, Sodium Selenate, Phylloquinone, Vitamin D3, and Cyanocobalamin.
As you can see, it is basically corn, sugar, milk and soy protein concentrates, oil, preservatives, and a multivitamin. Healthy proteins and fats added to your diet may suit your needs better, whether via solids or liquids. Nonetheless, there are several dairy-free meal replacement shakes and nutrient-dense drink options (most with far more virtuous ingredients than this!) that I can share with you today.
Ready-to-Drink Dairy-Free Meal Replacement Shakes
AdvantEDGE Carb Control Protein Shake (Select Flavors) – There isn’t any obvious dairy in these shakes, which are soy and pea protein-based, but several flavors do have a “contains milk” note. This leads me to believe that the milk is in the Natural & Artificial Flavors. That said, it appears the Cafe Caramel and Chocolate Fudge flavors are made without milk ingredients (at last check).
Bright Beginnings Pediatric Nutritional Drink – This is a soy-based, kid-friendly, heavily fortified option that is a bit more like Pediasure, but without the dairy.
Evolve Protein Shakes – These are on the lighter side, but a great option for high protein, high fiber, modest fat, and relatively low sugar sustenance. They’re also fortified with calcium and have some pre-biotic power. They come in several flavors, all dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan and soy-free. But check on nuts – they all appear to be made without nuts, even the Toasted Almond, but we aren’t sure on the “natural flavors.”
Komplete Ultimate Meal Replacement Shakes – Now available in both regular and Kids Komplete varieties, these beverages from Kate Farms are high in protein (rice and pea proteins), labeled as “hypoallergenic” (made without top allergens), gluten-free, vegan, packed with 21 “superfoods”, and rich in supplemental ingredients. See my Full Review.
Orgain Organic Vegan Nutritional Shakes – Do not confuse the vegan varieties with Orgain’s milk-containing beverages. At last check, the high protein (blend of rice, hemp, flax, and chia proteins) vegan shake packages were highlighted with blue (rather than green). These are packed with fruits, veggies, and supplemental ingredients.
Owyn Plant-Based Protein Shakes – These aren’t as high in vitamins and minerals as many “meal replacement” shakes. But they do boast a high dose of allergy-friendly protein (from pea and pumpkin), and have a decent amount of fiber and plant-based fats with relatively low sugars. See my Full Review.
PlantFusion Complete Plant Protein – Peas, artichokes, sprouted amaranth, and sprouted quinoa infuse this beverage with protein. It’s also fortified with a nice blend of vitamins and minerals.
Soylent Ready-to-Drink Meal – At 400 calories, this is a true meal replacement. It’s dairy-free, gluten-free, and high in both fat and protein. It is soy-based.
Svelte Organic Protein Shakes (Discontinued) – These soy-based, vegan drinks from CalNaturale have just enough protein, fiber, and supplemental nutrition to eek onto the meal replacement shake radar. However, they are much lower in calories, and lower in sugars, too. See my Full Review.
True Solution Allergen Free Nutrition Shakes (Temporarily Discontinued)– These dairy-free meal replacement shakes are vegan, gluten-free, and made without any of the top 8 allergens. They are high in protein (pea protein concentrate), fiber, and supplemental ingredients. See my Full Review.
Vega Protein Nutrition Shakes – Launched not long ago in chocolate and vanilla, these have already had a makeover. They’re high protein, have a small hit of fiber, are low fat, not too high in sugars, and have a good dose of vitamins and minerals. They are gluten-free and made without top allergens. See my Full Review.
Powdered Dairy-Free Meal Replacement Shakes
Ambronite Supermeal – This is another whole food option, but with a shorter, interesting ingredient list. It’s vegan and the meal-sized serving contains 5 servings of veggies and fruits.
Complete Start Breakfast Shakes – This is another whole food meal replacement. We like the Super Greens variety best for packing in more essential vitamins and minerals. But they all have a good dose of protein and fiber with relatively low sugars. See my Full Review.
Essential 10 Meal Replacement – This complete protein blend (organic sprouted brown rice & pea protein) is certified vegan and gluten-free and stocked with 21 vitamins and minerals per serving.
Garden of Life RAW Meal – This is a “whole food”, vegan, gluten-free, soy-free blend that packs in protein (brown rice) and tons of nutrients without a bunch of supplementation. They use sprouted grains, fruits, and vegetables, but also spike it with a probiotic and enzyme combo.
Genisoy Soy Protein Shakes – For you low-carbers out there, this is packed with protein (25 grams per serving), but the label says zero grams of carbs. Consequently, it is much lower in calories than most dairy-free meal replacement shakes.
Gnarly Nutrition Vegan Plant Based Meal Replacement – For a unique twist, this blend is made with pea protein, chia protein, and cranberry protein. It’s also a wee bit heftier than some of these brands.
Herbalife Formula 1 Healthy Meal Allergen-Free – I couldn’t find much information on this line, but it is made without soy, dairy and gluten. It also contains 20 vitamins and minerals, but is lighter on protein than many brands.
Invia Organic Plant-Based Balanced Meal – The protein blend in this one is pea, cranberry, hemp, and sacha inchi. It also contains fermented sprouts, probiotics, and more.
Isagenix IsaLean Dairy-Free Shakes – This is a dense, high protein, high carb, high fiber, low fat and relatively low sugar options packed with pea and hemp protein. One reader says, “filling and tastes so awesome.” Note that Amazon says this product has almond flour, but we’ve heard report that it no longer has almond flour in the formulation.
Keto Feast by Ancient Nutrition – This brand isn’t vegan, but it is dairy free. They use a low sugar, keto blend that includes an interesting array of paleo-style foods. It does contain egg.
Lyfefuel All-in-One Daily Essentials Shake – This powerhouse blend is keto, plant-based, and made without any top allergens. But it does contain pea protein. It’s also stocked with greens, probiotics, and digestive enzymes.
MRM Veggie Meal Replacement – Labeled as soy-free, gluten-free, allergen-free and vegan-friendly, this little known option packs in a very high protein blend of pea, brown rice, black rice and flax seed, along with enzymes, probiotics and no funny business.
Nature’s Food All-In-One Meal – We’ve hit the motherload of protein (primarily from rice) with 34 grams per serving. Yet, it’s relatively low in sugars, high in fiber, and made with mostly organic ingredients. They market it as free of dairy, soy, gluten and pea protein.
Nature’s Way Alive! Ultra-Shake – Packed with pea protein or non-GMO soy protein (they have different lines), this product is boasted as a “whole food energizer”, but note that it’s quite low in calories and thus not a sustainable “meal” option.
Neocate Junior – Like Ensure, this one has very questionable ingredients, but it’s an amino acid-based formula that’s used often in infants and older (particularly for clinical settings) as a meal replacement or supplement – though it isn’t particularly high calorie or high protein.
Now Foods Tru-Food Vegan – This is a whole food meal supplement that isn’t particularly high in calories, but does have notable protein (pea, hemp and flax) and an admired energy ratio, as well as loads of other nutrient goodies. It’s labeled as allergy-friendly, and is free of soy protein, but does contain a very small amount of soy oil.
NutraBlendz Vegan Plant Whole Food Meal – This is another rice and pea protein blend with probiotics and micronutrients from whole foods.
Nutrimeal Free – The global giant USANA focuses mostly on whey, but they offer this one meal replacement option that is made without dairy, gluten or soy, but with a unique protein blend of pea and potato. Don’t let the “free” name fool you though – this may not be a safe option for severe allergies.
Phood 100% Plant-Based Whole Food Meal Shake – Made without gluten or top allergens, this vegan mix has an interesting protein blend – including pea, artichoke, amaranth, quinoa and more. It also contains greens, EFA’s, and probiotics.
Pure Vegan Complete Meal Replacement – This isn’t a brand I’d heard of prior, but it has an impressive amino acid blend with a high protein ratio from rice and pea protein, and is quite low in sugars and relatively low in carbohydrates.
Shakeology Vegan Meal Replacement – Again, they have both milk-based and vegan varities, so don’t confuse the two. At last check, their dairy-free meal replacement shake mixes were in white packaging, rather than black. These are lower calorie than many, but still high in soy-free protein (oat, pea, chia, flax, rice and quinoa blend). See my Full Review.
Sunwarrior Illumin8 – This option from a very popular protein powder company has “The Core 8” nutritional components: protein, good carbs, healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, minerals, probiotics, and digestive enzymes. It’s a blend of pea protein, flax, coconut and other healthy goodies. See my Full Post.
True Vitality Plant Protein Shake – Made by Green Foods, this powder is spiked with ample protein (mostly pea, rice and hemp), greens, probiotics, enzymes, fiber, vitamins and minerals. It’s stated to be vegan, soy-free, and gluten-free, but does contain barley grass.
Ultra-Shake Vegan & Paleo Power Shakes – Ultra-Shake originally partenered with BadAss Vegan to make a VeganLife Shake and they also have paleo varieties that appear to be dairy-free and hemp protein dense. But note that they do have flavors made with whey, and though it comes in a bottle, it’s a mix that you “just add water to” right in the bottle.
Vaxxen Labs Leftovers Meal Replacement – Launched in Loaded Sweet Potato, they claim “It’s like throwing a plate of last night’s leftovers into the microwave for a quick and easy breakfast or lunch – only better.” It’s made with pea protein, brown rice protein, and a host of superfoods and supplements.
Vega One All In One Nutritional Shake – Last, but certainly not least (falling victim to alphabetical order!), Vega’s broad, all-vegan, soy-free, gluten-free product range includes this tasty range that is constantly being tweaked to perfection. Loads of protein, probiotics, antioxidants and other goodies in this very popular powder. See my Full Review.
Vegan Smart All-in-One Nutritional Shakes – From Naturade, the makers of a broad range of protein powders, this shake is high in protein (pea, hemp, chia, potato and chlorella), gluten-free and soy-free, and it’s stocked with vitamins, minerals, prebiotics, and digestive enzymes. It’s relatively low calorie.
Yuve Plant-Based All-in-One Nutrition Shakes – Surprise! Another pea protein and brown rice protein blend. But this one is stocked with superfoods like goji berries, maca root, and chia seeds.
Beyond the above dairy-free meal replacement shakes, there are many other brands of superfood mixes and protein powders that can also be used and blended to create your own nutritional beverages, depending on your needs. See our Beverage & Protein Product Reviews for more options.
Product Availability: All of the above dairy-free meal replacement shakes and nutrition beverages can be purchased online, and many in stores in the United States. I’ve directly linked each title to a place for purchase and/or product information. I cannot confirm, which are available in Canada or globally; please feel free to comment with availability notes and let us know if we’ve missed any in your country. Also, please note that this post does not endorse any products specifically, but rather offers a helpful guide to the options.
About Ensure: To note, most Ensure beverages are labeled as “suitable for lactose intolerance” or “lactose-free” and “gluten-free”. But it also states on their website that they are not safe for galactosemia, and they do not seem to actively promote it as a lactose-free product. I’ve read many reports (both online and emailed to me) of lactose intolerant people who are not tolerating Ensure well. If this is the case for you, I would consult your physician. It could merely be any of those “upsetting” ingredients in Ensure (shown above), or you may have another food intolerance or condition that your doctor can assist with.
Allergen Note: Always read the label carefully to decide which options are best for you, and contact the manufacturer directly where severe allergies are a concern. Ingredients and manufacturing processes are subject to change at any time. At the time of our review, the above products were made without milk ingredients, but that does not guarantee their allergen safety for you. If you see a product listed that is no longer available or that is now manufactured with any milk-based ingredients, please contact us.
100 Comments
Ensure has a plant based shake now that is dairy free!
Indeed! I need to update! Will be doing it soon 🙂 Thanks Melanie!
Excellent post. My friend needs a high nutrition shake to help her gain weight while fighting lung cancer. We were giving her Ensure and she started getting very nauseous. We found out she has dairy intolerance and so can’t tolerate drinks with any dairy in them. Well, it has been a FRUSTRATING process as even drinks that are advertised as “dairy free” still have whey in them and other milk ingredients. Then there are products labeled as “gluten free” that are also advertised as good for people who are dairy intolerant, but they are not as they contain many dairy ingredients. Some think because they are gluten free, they are dairy free also which is not correct. They don’t realize that a sick person who is dairy allergic will get sicker if they drink a product that is labeled “dairy free” but really isn’t. And whey is a big problem for lots of people who are dairy allergic. Thanks for the list. We were able to pick from that list for a product that is truly dairy free.
I’m happy to hear this list is of help, and my best wishes to your friend for a full recovery.
My father is 94 and has a lot of mucus , we decided to try no dairy including ensure . My question he is losing weight meeds more protein to keep weight om . What can We give him instead of ensure that has protein and weight gain without Dairy? Please help. This is my first time asking this question . I would very much like an answer . Thank you
Hi Lily, see the full post above! That is my complete answer to dairy-free Ensure replacements and includes dozens of brands.
Is there a clear high protein drink with vitamins and minerals? My sister has short gut syndrom doesn’t tolerate dairy products…doesn’t like the thickness of shakes. She is on ensure clear now but we are looking for a better alternative….
Unfortunately, I don’t know of one Patricia.
Hey Alisa, thanks for sharing the products. Would love to try them.
I think you missed out Huel. WHich is a powder for shakes (though it also comes in bars, granola) and it is vegan, affordable and available via Amazon. They have a great community forum and a lot of transparency.
Thank you for sharing this one Karen!
Thank You and God bless you for your knowledge and effort!
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Looking for low fibre but high nutritional, lactose free supplement. Any advice really welcomed
Hi Angela, this list includes all of the options that I know of. They all dairy-free, so they are lactose-free, too. As for the fibre content, I’ve includes links to each one so you can check the nutritional content. I couldn’t tell you which ones are low fibre off hand.
Hello, I am inquiring for my wife. She is losing weight and has been prescribed Ensure by her doctor. She is lactose intolerant so we are looking for another option. Is there any high carb and protien (carb>protien) drink or powder that would help her restore a healthy weight? Thank you very much!
Hi Steve, I couldn’t tell you off hand which ones are high carb and protein, but all of the above are lactose-free and dairy-free, and I’ve included links so that you can check the nutrition facts to see which one works for your needs.
I have been looking for ready-to-drink dairy-free protein meal-replacements for EVER! So glad I found this post on Google. Thank you SO MUCH!
Happy to help Jola!
Is there anything out there that would be a suitable meal replacement drink for someone suffering from MND that needs a ‘medically sound’ liquid food supplement? I don’t feel comfortable with the ones that have hydrolysed milk proteins in them, but need one that has everything else she’ll need.
Hi Nadia, the list above is a pretty complete list of what is available in terms of dairy-free meal replacement options (no milk proteins or dairy of any kind). But I can’t legally way in on what is “medically sound”. That is something you would have to discuss with your physician.
I’m having such a hard time finding a very simple meal replacement shake for my mom who not only needs to rebuild after surgery but also has fiber restrictions due to a temporary ileostomy. We want vitamins and nutrients without bells and whistles and NOT SWEET. Everything seems to have sugar or stevia or agave, as if adults are sugar crazed kids. It is so frustrating. Are any of these free of sugar AND free of sugar substitutes?
Hi Julia, to the best of my knowledge, there aren’t any full shakes that are completely unsweetened. What you might want to do is make your own mix starting with an unsweetened protein powder (pea protein works well) and then add the vitamins and minerals you are looking for. Most are available powdered so you can simply stir them right in.
Really? Dairy free nutritional drink that contains milk protein? DUH DUH and again DUH !!!
Bethlyn, which one are you referring to? At the time of adding, none contained any milk protein – otherwise I would not have added them to our dairy-free listings. This is a dairy-free website. Are you talking about the Ensure at the top – you may want to read the post a little more carefully if so.
Hi, my grandfather is at the hospital right now, they feed him from his nose or with a syringe orally. He has diabetes and he needs a meal substitute beverage. I read about “neocate junior” but, it has oils and corn syrup in it. I dont want him to consume any oil or high sugar content food. I am looking for a product that is suitable for meal replacement,for elderly people, non gmo, vegan(raw preffered), oil free and high in carbs. He is taking nestle’s “resource diabet” beverage, which is not good. Please help me. Thank you for your post tho it was very helpful and detailed
Hi Asya, all of the above options are dairy-free and I believe vegan – it would be best to click through them and see which ones may work for your grandfather, as I can’t medically advise on which ones would be suitable. I also don’t know the specifics on which ones are oil-free, high in carbs, etc. But that information should be on their nutrition facts. Good luck – I hope that your grandfather recovers quickly.