Ensure Max Protein Shake | 2-in-1 Muscle Support | 30g High Protein | HMB | 26 Vitamins & Minerals | Ready to Drink | Vanilla | 11 fl oz, 12 pack

I haven’t consumed protein shakes regularly for a while, but have in the past due to a busier lifestyle (as snacks or temporary meal replacements) or simply being unable to eat solid foods due to health conditions.Ensure has always been a consistent brand for these types of nutrition supplement drinks, and this pack is no different. I ordered the vanilla flavor, and when drinking it the mouthfeel is basically just like drinking somewhat thick milk. It has added vanilla flavoring that makes it perhaps sweeter than actual milk (though I also don’t consume milk regularly), but it’s not a very strong sweetness that would be unpleasant for adults. There’s a slightly sour, sweet, and artificial aftertaste, but that too is not so strong as to really make the drinking experience terrible. I drink them after refrigeration, and haven’t tried any without refrigeration. From past experience, I find chilling protein shakes greatly helps reduce any odd chemical taste they might naturally have due to all the ingredients added for nutritional purposes. Definitely check out the nutritional information on the product page before ordering, if you have specific needs from your shakes.In terms of serving as a meal replacement, I think the shake can make you feel more full, but whether it’s enough to fully replace a meal might depend on your diet and how you experience hunger. (It has 4 g fiber, but I’m not sure whether that’s a high or low amount relative to other shakes.) If you’re specifically looking to replace meals, I believe there are other options that incorporate more ingredients to really focus on providing a sense of fullness (like weight-loss focused shakes).In terms of physical contents, this 12-pack is really a set of three 4-packs. Each set of four bottles is packaged in a thin display carton, like you might see on store shelves at a supermarket. Due to this, you can refrigerate just one 4-pack at a time if you have limited shelf space, or perhaps share 4-packs (or split the cost) with friends that also want protein shakes in their diet. Each individual drink is in a thicker drink carton (like your standard juicebox material) but it has an almost cylindrical bottle shape, which is new to me as far as carton drinks go. The caps are easy to twist off, so you end up with cartons that feel very much like bottled drinks. Just in paper bottles. As an added benefit, the paper cartons are possibly not subject to as much recycling tax as plastic bottles, depending on your jurisdiction.In terms of value, I think protein shakes are like energy drinks in that they’re generally not very cheap beverages. At time of writing (April 2026), the 12-pack is selling for just under 2 dollars per drink. I think if you’re able to purchase this for less than $2 per drink, it’s a good value. If it’s more than $3 per drink, you may want to compare against other options.