Black soybean protein shake as a breakfast swap: Cleanit Black Bean

Working 3 shifts means my start time changes constantly, so there are a lot of days I can't properly eat breakfast. There's not enough time to sit down for a meal, but going to work on an empty stomach means getting hungry halfway through, so I've been on the hunt for something simple I could drink before heading out as a breakfast substitute!

This time I tried Cleanit Black Bean, a plant protein product made with Korean fresh seoritae (black soybean) that's easy to prep! Since it's made with black beans, I wondered if it might taste too heavy or have a strong bean smell. But the first thing I noticed when I actually tried it was how nutty and savory it was!

What I liked most was that on busy days, I could just mix it into water or soy milk without any complicated prep!

I think this suits people who prefer a nutty, plain flavor over an overly sweet shake haha 😆

Delivery arrived safely with no dents and nothing leaked.

What goes into Cleanit Black Bean?

Cleanit Black Bean is a plant protein product containing 34% Korean fresh seoritae powder. The product description states no sugar, milk, or artificial sweeteners were added.

Cleanit Black Bean nutrition per serving

One bag of Cleanit Black Bean contains 520g total! The serving size is 40g, giving about 13 servings! It's meant to be mixed with 170ml water or 200ml soy milk.

Per serving, it has 170kcal, 13g protein, 18.8g carbs, 1.9g sugar, and 3.3g fiber.

It contains 34% Korean roasted fresh seoritae powder, along with pea protein and rice protein powder. If you're looking for a plant protein shake built around plant-based ingredients instead of milk protein, this is worth a look.

No added sugar, so why does it taste slightly sweet?

The first sip had a nutty black bean flavor along with a slight sweetness. Thinking 'there's no sugar, so why is this sweet?' I checked the ingredients and found stevia and monk fruit. Instead of sugar, water-soluble sweeteners and natural sweeteners create the sweetness. 'No added sugar' didn't mean there were zero sweet-tasting ingredients at all lol.

It's not intensely sweet like a chocolate shake, and the sweetness doesn't linger in your mouth for long — it's more of a gentle sweetness that makes the plainness of the bean powder easier to drink. If you're sensitive to sweetness, I'd suggest trying it with water first :)

Chicory root fiber in the mix

Looking at the ingredient list, there's premium water-soluble fiber made from Belgian chicory root extract! One serving contains 3.3g of fiber!

Biotin and brewer's yeast: tempting if you have gray hairs

Cleanit Black Bean also contains dried brewer's yeast and biotin. Since I've started noticing a few gray hairs myself, the thought crossed my mind — 'black beans plus brewer's yeast and biotin, could this maybe...?' lol

The powder itself was finely milled! The smell was like nutty misugaru (roasted grain powder), a bean-like aroma~

Mixing Cleanit Black Bean in a shaker

First I poured in 170ml of water

then added about 40g of Cleanit Black Bean protein powder and shook it up like crazy!! It's just water plus powder, so the process is really simple!!

I expected a lot of clumps since it's black bean powder, but it mixed in fairly evenly. If some powder settles at the bottom, just shake it once or twice more before drinking! If you want to measure exactly 40g, using a kitchen scale would be the easiest way to go.

What Cleanit Black Bean actually tastes like

What I was most curious about was the taste! Trying it myself, it landed somewhere between misugaru and roasted bean powder. The nutty black bean flavor was the core, with something reminiscent of misugaru or soy milk too. I expected the texture of bean powder to bother me, but since I mixed it well haha, it went down smoothly.

I thought it would be just nutty, but thanks to the stevia and monk fruit extract powder, there was a gentle sweetness at the finish that I liked :) It's a flavor people who don't love black beans could drink comfortably, but if you were expecting a completely plain, unsweetened black bean taste, it might feel a bit different!

Water vs soy milk: which mix tastes better?

Mixed with 170ml water, the taste is relatively light and clean. The water combo was good for busy mornings or days with no appetite, without feeling heavy.

Mixed with 200ml soy milk, it becomes much smoother and the nutty flavor gets much stronger. I personally preferred the soy milk combo since it really brought out the black bean's nuttiness. Just keep in mind soy milk adds its own calories and sugar, so if you're tracking nutrition, factor that in too!!

• On days you want something light — water!
• On days you want something more filling — soy milk!

How Cleanit Black Bean works as a breakfast replacement

Since I work 3 shifts.. on early morning shifts I wake up at 4am ㅠㅠ And I'm a slow eater, so there are a lot of days it's hard to properly eat breakfast. On those days, I just mix the shake in the shaker bottle the night before, then shake it once more in the morning to remix the settled powder before drinking. Having such a short prep process was convenient.

At 170kcal per serving, it's on the lighter side compared to a regular meal! That worked fine for me since I don't eat much in the morning anyway, but if you usually eat a hearty breakfast, pairing it with a simple snack like a boiled egg or nuts might be a good idea.

Rather than 'replacing a full meal,' I think it works better as a breakfast substitute on days you'd otherwise go to work having eaten nothing, or as a late-night snack replacement when you're feeling peckish.

For those of you who also struggle with breakfast because of shift work, what do you usually eat? If you have any tips for a simple breakfast, let me know :)