Can You Mix Meal Replacement Shakes with Milk?

By Matt Smith

Published: April 9, 2025

Most meal replacement shakes are designed to be mixed with water, but what if you fancy a change? Can you mix meal replacement shakes with milk? This article will discuss the pros and cons of doing so.

Most meal replacement shakes can be mixed with milk, but doing so will raise the calorie content of your shake. There are benefits to adding milk, the texture and taste can be improved, and the shake will be more filling. However, there are some downsides too.

In this article, we will talk about the benefits of adding milk while also discussing some considerations. We will also take a look at different options to using milk.

Can You Mix Meal Replacement Shakes with Milk?

Every meal replacement shake out there has been designed to be mixed with liquid, so the question is not so much can but should you mix your meal replacement shake with milk. There are several benefits to doing so and several downsides.

Not all flavours of meal replacement shake mix well with milk, though, so keep this in mind. Sometimes water really is a better option.

There are some meal replacement shakes that really work better with milk (or a non-dairy substitute). For example, meal replacement shakes that are very low in calories and/or very expensive. This is because milk adds bulk to the shake, meaning you can use less powder per serving.

This really comes down to what the price-to-calorie ratio is for the meal replacement shake, though. It might make more financial sense to find a better shake rather than using milk as a filler.

What Are the Benefits of Mixing Meal Replacement Shakes with Milk?

Here are four benefits of mixing your meal replacement shake with milk. There are other benefits not mentioned, but these are four of the best:

Improved taste

Taste is incredibly subjective, but many people report that using milk can help to improve the flavour of their meal shakes. Milk is often used as part of smoothies, where fruit, seeds, and nut butter are also added. If you aren’t a fan of your current meal shake, then adding milk may completely change your impression of the drink.

Increased Calorie Content

Many meal replacement shakes can be too low in calories to adequately replace a meal. But, if you add milk or a non-dairy alternative, then the calories per serving can be increased. If your goal is to build muscle and gain weight healthily, then swapping water for milk can help in that regard.

More Protein

500ml of full-fat milk contains around 17 grams of protein. Add that to a shake that already contains 20 grams of protein, and you have a seriously high-protein shake. This is useful if you are looking to build muscle or reduce hunger cravings, as protein is highly satiating.

Better Consistency

This is, of course, another subjective benefit, but many people find that the smoother and creamier texture and consistency that milk provides is well worth the extra calories and cost per serving. If you loved milkshakes growing up, then milk blended with your meal replacement and some ice is a great way to recreate that with a healthy alternative.

You Need to Increase or Maintain Calories While Breastfeeding

Post-pregnancy, there is often a desire to lose any weight that has accumulated over the previous nine months. The standard advice for weight loss is to increase your physical activity levels while simultaneously reducing your calorie intake.

But this advice is not ideal when breastfeeding. Feeding your child requires between 300 and 500 calories per day. This means that if you maintain your regular calorie intake per day (from before you were pregnant), you should get enough calories to feed your baby while still seeing a reduction in body fat [1].

Meal replacement shakes can fit into this nicely, they can replace low-calorie meals, or they can be used instead of snacks. The added nutrients can help to improve your health, and provided you are using a meal replacement shake that uses natural ingredients, you can expect to see an improvement in your overall nutrition.

Bottom Line: Use meal replacement shakes to help you hit your recommended calorie intake, don’t use them to lose weight. It is unnecessary.

What Are the Downsides of Mixing Meal Replacement Shakes with Milk?

Of course, adding milk can also have some downsides. Otherwise, it would be the only way that people consumed meal replacement shakes. Here are five commonly reported downsides of adding milk to meal replacement shakes.

Increased Calorie Content

In the next section of this article, we will be taking a look at the calorie content of different forms of milk. But when you compare even the lowest-calorie milk to water, you are going to see an increase. As we mentioned before, this can be a benefit, but it can also be a downside.

People seem to forget that liquids can contain calories, which can be an issue if you are trying to maintain a calorie deficit.

Many personal trainers can attest to clients believing that they were in a deficit, only to find out that they had forgotten about drinks. Suddenly that deficit was looking an awful lot like a large surplus.

Increased Cost per Serving

While water isn’t necessarily free, it is as close as you can get to zero cost. Milk, on the other hand, can cost quite a bit. Particularly if you are drinking a non-dairy milk such as almond, oat, or hazelnut.

A big benefit of switching to meal replacement shakes is that it can help you save money on your breakfast and lunch. But if you are adding milk to that shake, your cost per serving isn’t going to be as financially advantageous.

Higher Fat Content

There is nothing wrong with healthy fats, and the highest-quality meal replacement shakes out there tend to provide you with an excellent balance of fats, protein, and carbohydrates. But milk can be quite high in fat, and when combined with a meal replacement shake, this could affect your daily calorie intake.

Fat is the macronutrient that contains the most calories per gram, with 9 calories for each 1 gram, compared to protein and carbohydrates, which only have 4 calories per 1 gram. People on diets tend to consume a smaller amount of fats, so may want to save their fat content for other meals such as dinner or snacks. Of course, you could go for low-fat milk.

Higher Carbohydrate Content

Milk is not only high in fat, but it is also high in carbohydrates. As with the fat issue mentioned above, it’s not that carbohydrates themselves are inherently bad. They are actually very important for a healthy balanced diet.

However, adding a significant amount of carbohydrates to your shake may not be something that you want to do, particularly if you are looking to lose weight.

Higher Sugar Content

This is connected to the previous downside, not only is milk high in carbohydrates, but it is surprisingly high in sugar. 500 ml of whole milk contains 26 grams of sugar. Add this to your regular shake, and your sugar intake for the day could rise significantly.

Calories in Different Types of Milk

Below is a table containing information about many of the different types of milk out there. All of the nutritional information was gained from British online stores, so results may vary depending on which country you are in, and the specific brand of milk you grab.

Milk Type

200ml cals

500ml cals

Protein (500ml)

Carbs (500ml)

Sugars (500ml)

Whole Milk

128

320

17g

23.5g

Semi-Skimmed / Reduced Fat Milk

100

250

18g

24g

Skimmed / Low Fat Milk

71

175

18g

25g

Oat Milk

122

305

5.5g

35g

17g

Soy Milk

88

220

8.5g

15g

12.4g

Coconut Milk

284

710

5g

8g

Hemp Milk

52

130

0.5g

4.5g

1g

Almond Milk

30

74

3.6g

2.6g

Hazelnut Milk

58

145

2g

16g

Cashew Milk

64

160

4.5g

7.5g

0g

Rice Milk

94

235

0.5g

47.5g

16.5g

The information is here to give you a rough idea of how many calories and what macronutrients you are adding if you add 500 ml of milk to your shake. We have also included a calorie count for only adding 200 ml to your shake, as many people would find 500 ml of milk quite difficult to consume.

Should You Add Milk to Your Rootana Meal Replacement Shake?

Rootana has been made to taste great with water, and we believe that the consistency when water is added is excellent. However, there are many benefits to adding milk to your Rootana shake. Hopefully, the above information regarding calories, protein, fats, carbs, and sugars, can help you to make up your mind.

But we do encourage you to try different ways of consuming your Rootana shake so that you can find the best-tasting and most nutritious shake for your needs. Just keep in mind the price per serving when you add so much milk to each shake. It may not seem much when done as an occasional treat, but if you are consuming 200-500 ml with each shake, that can add up over time.

Final Thoughts

This article has presented you with an unbiased look at whether you can add (or should) add milk to your meal replacement shakes. Whether you do so depends on several factors:

Health and fitness goals
Budget per serving
Taste preference
Consistency preference

If adding milk ticks a lot of boxes, then you should do so. If it only ticks a couple of boxes, then maybe doing so occasionally isn’t a bad idea. If it doesn’t tick any box, then leave it completely. As we mentioned, Rootana has been designed to go amazingly well with milk or water, so the choice is yours to make.

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The Nutrition You Need. And Nothing You Don't.

Complete Nutrition: Perfect Balance of Macros, Vitamins & Minerals

No Sweeteners: No Stevia, No Sucralose, No Aspartame, No Acesulfame K

No Half Measures: 400 Calories Per Serving

Tastes Like Real Food: Because It Is Real Food

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The Nutrition You Need. And Nothing You Don't.

Rootana is a 400 calorie complete meal, with 27 vitamins and minerals. And no unwanted extra ingredients.

Complete Nutrition: Perfect Balance of Macros, Vitamins & Minerals

Rootana is a perfectly balanced combination of complex carbohydrates for slow energy release, the right amount of protein for a balanced meal and all 27 vitamins and minerals.

No Half Measures: 400 Calories Per Serving

Many meal shakes are simply too low in calories and too high in protein to be a complete meal, meaning they're little more than a protein shake. Rootana fuels you effectively and has the perfect macro split for a balanced meal.

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No Sweeteners: No Stevia, No Sucralose, No Aspartame, No Acesulfame K, No Monk Fruit

We don't include any sweeteners as they don't provide any nutritional benefit and may have short or long-term unwanted effects. Rootana is naturally flavored with a small amount of coconut sugar.

Tastes Like Real Food: Because It Is Real Food

With no sweeteners like acesulfame k, aspartame, stevia or sucralose (Splenda), Rootana tastes like real food. That means no artificial after taste and none of that bloated feeling that many sweeteners cause.