Vegan Shakeology Review 2024: A Good Meal Substitute?

If you’ve ever done one of Beachbody’s best-selling home workout programs like Insanity or P90X, then you may remember the instructor promoting and chugging down a Shakeology shake at the end of the session. 

Other than their home workout programs, Beachbody offers formulated supplements and protein powders designed to help you get the best out of your new routine. One of Beachbody’s most popular products is their new Vegan Shakeology Meal Replacement Shake

It’s just like their original Shakeology shake, but it uses a plant-based protein mix in place of whey protein. Shakeology gets amazing reviews and is packed full of nutrients.

However, it’s also one of the most expensive vegan protein powders on the market. I’m here to give you my full Vegan Shakeology Review so you can decide if it’s worth it! 

What’s In Vegan Shakeology? 

What’s In Vegan Shakeology

Vegan Shakeology is an all-in-one protein shake, superfood supplement, vitamin, natural energy booster, and meal replacement shake. This is what sets it apart from most of the other vegan protein shakes on the market. Shakeology is a healthy, balanced, vegan meal in a bottle. 

Simply put, it’s not just your usual plant protein supplement with added vitamins and amino acids.

It was developed by a team of nutrition experts and a lot of research and development went into creating it. This is one of the reasons it’s so much more expensive than any other vegan protein supplement. 

Now that you have a little bit of background on the product, here’s a quick look at what’s inside:

Vegan Shakeology

I know, that’s a lot to read. 

So, I broke it down into a few helpful categories to help you understand what makes Vegan Shakeology special. 

Plant-Based Protein

Plant-Based Protein

Most of the vegan protein supplements I’ve tried have, at most, two or three different types of plant-based protein in them. Vegan Shakeology has six types of vegan protein, including:

  • Pea protein
  • Flax seed
  • Rice protein
  • Quinoa seed
  • Pea fiber seed
  • Rose hips

All of these are high-quality sources of vegan protein that have great bioavailability, allowing your body to make the most of each shake you drink. 

Each one-scoop serving (38 grams) of Vegan Shakeology contains 16 grams of plant protein. 

While this may not sound like a lot, it’s actually closer to what a balanced meal should look like. Remember Shakeology was designed as a meal replacement shake, so it’s not going to have the large 30 to 50-gram protein servings that you’d find in a pure protein shake. 

Probiotics & Prebiotics

Probiotics & Prebiotics

One of the really cool things about Vegan Shakeology is that it contains an awesome blend of probiotics, prebiotics, and digestive enzymes. These help keep your gut in optimal health, which allows you to get more nutrition out of your food, improve digestion, and limit bad bacteria. 

Vegan probiotics are healthy, plant-derived “good bacteria” that help your body fight off bad bacteria, and reduce the effect of inflammatory conditions like IBS. Taking vegan probiotics has been linked to improving mental health and skin health! 

Prebiotics are compounds that improve the condition of your gut to allow probiotic bacteria to flourish. The more prebiotics you take, the more you encourage good bacteria to stay in your stomach, resulting in longer-lasting effects and overall wellness. 

Digestive enzymes are special enzymes that help your body break food particles down further. This, in turn, allows your body to absorb more nutrients and get the most out of each bit of food (or sip of your shake). 

Vegan Shakeology’s probiotic, prebiotic, and digestive enzyme ingredients include:

  • Bacillus coagulans (a probiotic bacteria)
  • Yacon root
  • Chicory root
  • Amylase
  • Cellulase
  • Glucoamylase
  • Lactase 
  • Invertase
  • Alpha-Galactosidase

Vitamins & Minerals

Vegan Shakeology isn’t a concentrated vitamin and mineral supplement, but it does have a healthy serving of basic vitamins and minerals, including:

  • 25 mg of Vitamin C (28% DV)
  • 25 mg of Calcium (2% DV)
  • 4 mg of Iron (22% DV)
  • 90 mg of Potassium (2% DV)

You should still make sure that you’re getting more vitamins and minerals through your daily diet by eating raw vegetables and fruit. 

Superfoods

Vegan Shakeology has a potent superfood mixture that consists of super-fruits and super-greens.

Among other things, these are known for their strong antioxidant properties, which protect the cells from damage and can prevent the onset of disease

Super-fruits included in Vegan Shakeology include:

  • Pomegranate
  • Rose hips
  • Acerola cherries
  • Goji berries
  • Bilberry
  • Blueberry
  • Camu-camu
  • Luo Han Guo

The super-greens in Vegan Shakeology include:

  • Matcha 
  • Kale
  • Chlorella
  • Spinach

Adaptogenic Herbs

Adaptogenic Herbs

Adaptogenic herbs are natural herbs, mushrooms, roots, and plant extracts that have been shown to have a medicinal effect on the body. Many of them help counteract stress, increase focus, boost your immune system, lower blood pressure, and can even boost your mood! 

The adaptogenic herb blend in Vegan Shakeology includes:

  • Chaga mushrooms
  • Reishi mushrooms
  • Cordyceps mushrooms
  • Maitake mushrooms
  • Maca root
  • Ashwagandha root
  • Astragalus (a legume-derived herb)

Vegan Shakeology Nutrition Facts

So now that you have a good idea of what exactly is in each serving of Vegan Shakeology, here’s a quick look at that nutrition facts label:

Vegan Shakeology Nutrition Facts

As you can see, each serving only has 160 calories, which may not seem like enough to fill you up. However, due to the nutritional density of each serving of Vegan Shakeology, it’s just as filling as a small 200 to 300-calorie meal. 

Why Is Vegan Shakeology So Expensive? 

Why Is Vegan Shakeology So Expensive 

Vegan Shakeology is just under $130 for a one-month supply (if you’re drinking one per day), making it one of the most expensive vegan shakes I’ve ever had. That being said, it really is an excellent quality product, which is why it receives so many good reviews. 

The main reason why Vegan Shakeology is so expensive is due to the amount of time and testing that Beachbody put into developing their product.

Additionally, all of the ingredients are pure and are acquired from around the world, which can lead to higher product costs. 

Technically, if you treat it as a meal replacement, you’d otherwise be spending $5 on a small snack or meal every day. That would account for $150 per month you’d be spending anyways on food.

With Vegan Shakeology, your $130 goes towards a month of ultra-healthy meal replacements. 

If you become a Beachbody preferred customer or register as a trainer, then you can save up to $30 on each order. The rest of us have to pay full price. 

Vegan Shakeology vs. Other Vegan Protein Shakes

Here’s a quick table breaking down how Vegan Shakeology compares to most other vegan protein shakes, so you can compare the two:

Most Vegan Protein ShakesVegan Shakeology
Contain one or two different plant-based protein sources, such as pea protein, soy protein, flax protein, chickpea protein, and others. Contains six different forms of vegan protein. 
Contain a concentrated amount of protein. Each serving typically provides 20 to 30 grams of plant protein. Contains 16 grams of plant protein per serving. 
Designed as a post-workout shake to build muscle and recover. Designed as a meal replacement shake and an all-round superfood supplement. 
Other ingredients include added amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. Other ingredients include super-greens, super-fruits, adaptogenic herbs and mushrooms, and a probiotic blend to aid in digestion. 

2 Other Great Vegan Protein Shakes To Try

If you’re not a fan of the high price tag or you’re just looking for a great-tasting vegan protein shake, these are some of my go-to favorites for vegan protein powder. Plus, they’re pretty affordable and won’t break the bank! 

1) Ghost 100% Vegan Plant-Based Protein Powder (link)

I’m a huge fan of Ghost Vegan Protein, and I’ve been taking it steadily for the past two months. Ghost Vegan Protein contains a concentrated blend of three different vegan protein sources:

  • Pea protein
  • Pumpkin seed protein
  • Watermelon seed protein

It’s soy-free and contains no soy protein or other soy products. Soy is becoming a more common allergen and some people have problems digesting large amounts of soy protein. 

Each serving contains just 120 calories, 6 grams of total carbs, and 21 grams of protein. 

The thing I like the most about Ghost Vegan Protein is how good it tastes. The peanut butter cereal milk is my favorite flavor, but they also offer it in banana pancake batter and chocolate cereal milk as well. 

I wrote a full review of Ghost Protein last week if you’re interested in learning more. 

2) Vega Sport Premium Protein, Peanut Butter (link)

Vega Sport is another one of my favorites and I regularly substitute it for Ghost Protein when I want to change things up. Vega Sport Premium Protein is made with four different types of vegan protein, including:

  • Pea protein
  • Pumpkin seed protein
  • Sunflower seed protein
  • Alfalfa protein

It also includes a variety of other healthy ingredients like:

  • Added probiotics
  • Turmeric extract
  • Rosemary extract
  • Black pepper extract

These ingredients can increase your overall energy levels and reduce inflammation. 

Each serving contains 170 calories, 6 grams of total carbs, and 30 grams of protein. 

In Conclusion – Is Vegan Shakeology Worth It? 

If you’re just looking for a simple vegan protein shake, then I’d recommend going for something like Ghost Vegan Protein or Vega Vegan Protein as they offer more protein at a lower cost. 

However, if you’re looking for a complete superfood blend that’s complete with probiotics, prebiotics, adaptogens, plant protein, and superfoods, then Vegan Shakeology is worth the money. I’ll leave that part up to you guys, though! 

If you’re interested in learning more about vegan protein, then continue reading about why whey protein isn’t vegan here

Photo of author
Author Bio
Im Emma and I’m the creator of Vegan Calm. When I became a vegan seven years ago, I mainly did it for health and ethical reasons. To my surprise, it had another amazing benefit; I became a much calmer and peaceful person. This change inspired me to create Vegan Calm. Whether you’ve been a vegan for a long time or just want to learn more, this website will have something for you!

Check Out These Posts:

Are Glazed Donuts Vegan
Are Mission Flour Tortillas Vegan
Are Fruit Snacks Vegan