How to Make a Herbalife Formula 1 Shake: Scoops, Water or Milk, and Calories Explained

How to make a Herbalife Formula 1 shake step by step

It takes under a minute. This is the method from the UK label, plus the details that stop lumps.

1. Liquid first. Pour 250 ml of cold liquid into your Herbalife shaker or blender. Powder first is the main cause of clumps stuck to the bottom.
2. Two level scoops. Add two scoops of Formula 1 Nutritional Shake Mix using the scoop in the tub. Level, not heaped: two level scoops weigh 26 g, one serving.
3. Shake or blend. Shake hard for 20 to 30 seconds, or blend for about 20 seconds. In a blender, three or four ice cubes make it colder and thicker.
4. Drink it within a few minutes. The shake thickens as it stands. The inulin, oat fibre and flaxseed powder in the mix carry on absorbing liquid after you stop shaking. If it goes thicker than you like, stir in a splash more liquid.

Give the tub a gentle shake before opening, as the powder settles in transit.

How many scoops of Herbalife Formula 1 per shake?

Two. Each scoop holds about 13 g, so two level scoops give the 26 g serving every label figure is based on. A 550 g tub holds 21 servings and the 780 g Vanilla Cream tub holds 30.

Lost the scoop? Weigh 26 g on kitchen scales, roughly two heaped tablespoons, or order a replacement Formula 1 scoop. Do not drop to one scoop to save calories: you halve the vitamins and minerals as well as the protein.

Should you make a Herbalife Formula 1 shake with water or milk?

Both work. The difference is what you end up drinking.

With semi-skimmed milk: the label method

The Herbalife UK label specifies 250 ml of cold semi-skimmed milk at 1.5% fat. Made that way, a Vanilla Cream shake provides 227 kcal, 18 g of protein, 5 g of fibre and 423 mg of calcium, which is 53% of the reference intake. This version meets the conditions for the authorised claim that substituting two main daily meals of an energy-restricted diet with meal replacements contributes to weight loss: under retained EU Regulation 2016/1413, a meal replacement must provide 200 to 250 kcal.

With water only

Can you make a Herbalife shake with water instead of milk? Yes. Scaled from the per-100 g figures on the label, 26 g of powder on its own gives about 103 kcal and 9 g of protein. That is below the 200 kcal floor, so a water-only shake is a light snack rather than a meal, and it tastes thinner and less creamy.

With Protein Drink Mix and water

The label suggests this if you do not want milk or soya. Mix two scoops of Formula 1 with two scoops of Protein Drink Mix (28 g) in 250 to 300 ml of cold water. Adding the two labels together gives around 210 kcal and 24 g of protein, with 0.3 g of sugar from the mix instead of 12 g of milk sugar. Protein contributes to a growth in muscle mass, which is why gym-goers favour this version. One catch: standard Protein Drink Mix contains milk protein. For a dairy-free shake use the Vegan Protein Drink Mix, which Herbalife lists at 206 kcal and 24 g of protein with 300 ml of water. Our Protein Drink Mix review has the detail.

How many calories are in a Herbalife shake with water vs milk?

Label figures where Herbalife publishes them, typical UK carton values for the rest. Plant drinks vary by brand, so treat those rows as a guide.

Liquid (250 ml) with 26 g Formula 1	Energy	Protein	Basis
Water	about 103 kcal	9 g	Label, per 100 g
Skimmed milk	about 190 kcal	about 18 g	Estimate
Semi-skimmed milk (1.5%)	227 kcal	18 g	Label
Whole milk	about 265 kcal	about 18 g	Estimate
Fortified soya drink	214 kcal	16 g	Label
Unsweetened oat drink	about 200 to 215 kcal	about 10 to 11 g	Estimate
Unsweetened almond drink	about 140 kcal	about 10 g	Estimate
Water plus 28 g Protein Drink Mix	about 210 kcal	24 g	Both labels

Flavour changes the total by only a few calories. For a breakdown by flavour and by extras like banana or peanut butter, see how many calories are in a Herbalife shake.

Can you make a Herbalife shake with oat milk, almond milk or soya?

Yes. The Formula 1 powder is suitable for vegans, so your liquid decides whether the finished shake is. The NHS counts unsweetened, calcium-fortified plant drinks as part of the dairy food group. Protein is where they differ: typical UK labels show cows' milk and soya drink at about 3.5 g per 100 ml, oat drink at about 0.7 g and almond drink at about 0.3 g.

• Soya is the option Herbalife prints on the UK label: 214 kcal and 16 g of protein, the closest plant match to dairy.
• Oat is creamy and mild, and close to semi-skimmed milk for calories. Protein falls to about 10 g, so add a scoop of Vegan Protein Drink Mix if that matters.
• Almond gives the lightest shake at about 140 kcal, but also the least protein, so it suits a snack rather than a meal.

Our guide to Formula 1 for vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diets covers the ingredients flavour by flavour.

How do you make a Herbalife shake thicker? Shaker vs blender

A shaker gives a quick, drinkable shake that is slightly thinner. A blender gives something closer to a milkshake. These tweaks work with both.

• Cut the liquid to 200 ml. The simplest fix. Go up to 300 ml if it feels too heavy.
• Use ice in a blender. Three or four cubes thicken the shake for zero calories.
• Freeze half a banana. Frozen fruit gives a soft-serve texture a shaker cannot match, for around 50 kcal.
• Wait two minutes. The fibres in the mix keep absorbing liquid after you stop shaking, so the shake thickens on its own.

For lumps in a shaker, the fix is always the same: liquid first, powder second, lid on tight, shake for a full 20 seconds. For more ideas, our Formula 1 shake recipes cover coffee, berry and peanut butter versions.

Why does a Formula 1 shake thicken as it stands?

Because of the fibre in the powder. The Herbalife UK label for Vanilla Cream lists soya protein isolate, fructose, inulin and oat fibre among the first ingredients, plus flaxseed powder. Inulin is a soluble fibre that holds water, flaxseed powder forms a light gel when it meets liquid, and oat fibre soaks up liquid too. All three go on working for several minutes after mixing, which is why a shake that seemed thin in the shaker feels thicker by the bottom of the glass. None of this is a fault: that fibre is part of what gives the shake its body, and it counts towards the 5 g of fibre per serving on the label. If the shake has gone thicker than you like, stir in a splash more milk or water.

Frequently asked questions

How many scoops of Herbalife Formula 1 do you use per shake?

Two level scoops, which weigh 26 g. That is one serving, and a 550 g tub gives 21 servings.

Can you make a Herbalife shake with water instead of milk?

Yes. With water only, the shake provides about 103 kcal and 9 g of protein, so it counts as a snack rather than a meal replacement. The Herbalife UK label suggests adding Protein Drink Mix to water, which brings the shake to around 210 kcal and 24 g of protein.

How many calories are in a Herbalife shake with water vs milk?

About 103 kcal with water, 227 kcal with 250 ml of semi-skimmed milk and 214 kcal with 250 ml of fortified soya drink, according to the Herbalife UK label. Whole milk takes it to roughly 265 kcal.

Can you use oat milk or almond milk with Herbalife Formula 1?

Yes. Choose unsweetened, calcium-fortified versions. Oat drink gives a shake of about 200 to 215 kcal and almond drink about 140 kcal, both with about 10 g of protein. Soya drink is the closest plant match to dairy at 214 kcal and 16 g of protein.

Can you make a Herbalife shake with hot milk?

Yes, with warm rather than boiling milk. Mix the powder into a splash of cold milk first to avoid lumps, then top up with the warm milk and stir. The same trick works for porridge made with Herbalife powder.

If your tub is running low, you can order genuine Formula 1 Nutritional Shake Mix in every current UK flavour from HLF Online Store, dispatched directly by Herbalife UK.