HorlicksMalt & Health Drink Mixes

Horlicks - Refill pack (Chocolate flavor) Drink Mix (1 kg)

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Summary

Horlicks Chocolate Refill Pack is a malted barley and wheat drink powder, stirred into milk and sold as a daily nutrition drink for children. It scores [F]BB3: nutrition is decent mainly because of added vitamins and minerals, ingredients lose points for caramel colour and flavouring, and risk is moderate because of the sugar. Fine a few times a week, not as a daily habit.

Full summary

Horlicks - Refill pack (Chocolate flavor) Drink Mix (1 kg)

Horlicks - Refill pack (Chocolate flavor) Drink Mix (1 kg) scores [F]BB3 on CleanPlate: nutrition B, ingredients B, load risk 3.

The [F] flag means added vitamins or minerals lift its nutrition grade.

33%51%

Tap a slice or a name to see what it is made of.

Share of calories, per 100 g of powder

  • Protein: 7 g per 100 g of powder, 8% of the calories.
  • Carbs (not counting sugars and fibre): 30 g per 100 g of powder, 33% of the calories.
  • Sugars: 46 g per 100 g of powder, 51% of the calories, of which 35 g is added.
  • Fat: 2 g per 100 g of powder, 5% of the calories, of which 2 g is saturated.
  • Fibre: 5 g per 100 g of powder, 3% of the calories (fibre counts at 2 kcal per gram).
Added sugar35 g
Saturated fat2 g
Sodium350 mg

The tick is the “high” line

Load risk is scored on the product as made (mixed as the pack directs), not on the dry powder.

Watch
High added sugar (35g per 100g)
In its favour
Source of fibre
On the pack
5 claims checked: 1 holds, 1 is partly true, 3 need care

Last reviewed October 23, 2026

Ingredients, decoded

14 listed
  • Cereal Extract (44%)
    • Malted Barley (13%)
    • Barley (11%)
    • Wheat Malt (11%)
    • Wheat (9%)
  • Sugar
  • Cocoa Powder (6%)
  • Wheat Gluten
  • Minerals
  • Milk Solids (2%)
  • Soy Protein Isolate
  • Emulsifier (INS 471)
  • Liquid Glucose
  • Natural Colour (INS 150c)
  • Nature Identical Flavouring Substances
  • Acidity Regulators [INS 501 (ii), INS 500 (ii)]
  • Vitamins
  • Edible Iodized Salt
High concernModerate concernLow concernNo concernIn label order. Tap a highlighted one to learn more. How we rate additives
Horlicks Refill pack Chocolate flavor Drink Mix 1 kg pack, front view

9 teaspoons of sugar in every 100 g of powder · 46 g total sugar, 5 g a teaspoon

FFortifiedNutrition per 100 g
BNutrition densityBIngredient integrity3Load risk
Nutrition facts
Energy360 kcal
Protein7 g
Carbohydrates81 g
Total sugars46 g
Added sugars35 g
Dietary fibre5 g
Total fat2 g
Saturated fat2 g
Trans fat0.1 g
Cholesterol5 mg
Sodium350 mg
Vitamin A741 µg
Vitamin E2.5 mg
Vitamin C140 mg
Vitamin D9.3 µg
Vitamin B11.3 mg
Vitamin B23 mg
Vitamin B317 mg
Vitamin B51.4 mg
Vitamin B63.7 mg
Biotin9 µg
Folic acid340 µg
Vitamin B121.9 µg
Calcium741 mg
Phosphorus190 mg
Potassium300 mg
Magnesium65 mg
Iron26 mg
Zinc8.3 mg
Iodine139 µg
Selenium74 µg
Copper0.65 mg
Chloride180 mg
Highlighted values exceed FSSAI and UK FSA front of pack thresholds.

Think this score is wrong?

What to know about Horlicks - Refill pack Drink Mix

Fortified malt drink with 35 g added sugar

A 1 kg refill pack of chocolate malted drink powder. It is built on cereal extract (44%: malted barley 13%, barley 11%, wheat malt 11%, wheat 9%), then sugar, cocoa powder (6%), wheat gluten, milk solids (2%) and soy protein isolate. It is bought mostly for children aged 6 and over, stirred into hot or cold milk.

Per 100 g the powder has 360 kcal, 7 g protein, 5 g fibre and 46 g total sugar, of which 35 g is declared as added. One 20 g serve (two spoons) is 72 kcal, 1.4 g protein and 7 g added sugar. The pack suggests two serves a day, which makes 14 g added sugar before any sugar in the milk. The vitamins and minerals are real: a serve gives about 148 mg calcium and 5.2 mg iron.

The chocolate in the name is real but modest, with cocoa at 6% and nature-identical flavouring added. The pack talks about 27 vital nutrients and about growth, strength and focus. The vitamins support part of that, but the base is malted grain and sugar. CleanPlate scores it [F]BB3.

Why Horlicks - Refill pack Drink Mix scores [F]BB3

Nutrition is a B only because of added vitamins and minerals. Ingredients are a B, held back by caramel colour and flavouring, and risk is a 3, mostly from sugar in a glass made with milk.

How we score →
01 Nutrition densityA to E
B

Good nutrient density

Protein
7 g
Fibre
5 g
Vitamins and minerals
22 declared
Energy
360 kcal

01 Nutrition density: why B

Protein is low at 7 g per 100 g, and much of it comes from wheat malt and wheat. Fibre is 5 g per 100 g. Neither earns much credit on its own.

The grade rests on the added vitamins and minerals, which give the micronutrient bonus. Without them it would drop to a D, and that is why the [F] flag is there.

Scored on protein, fibre and twelve vitamins and minerals, against the Codex and FSSAI "source" and "high" levels, per 100 g and per 100 kcal. Protein also has to supply at least 12.5% of the calories to count, and 25% for full credit.

02 Ingredient integrityA to E
B

Good, few concerning additives

Base
Cereal Extract, Barley, Wheat...
Sweeteners
Sugar, Liquid Glucose
Additives
3
Flagged
None

02 Ingredient integrity: why B

Cereal extract leads the list, then sugar, then cocoa at 6%. Milk solids are only 2%. Wheat gluten and soy protein isolate are added to lift protein.

Ammonia caramel colour (150c) costs the most ingredient points, and nature-identical flavouring and the emulsifier (471) cost a few more. The two acidity regulators (500, 501) cost nothing. No label promise is hollow, so there is no [L].

Scored on how processed the ingredients are, which additives are used and why, and whether the label keeps its promises.

03 Load risk1 to 5
3

Moderate risk

Per 100 g as made

Free sugar
3.9 g
Sodium
71.1 mg
Saturated fat
2 g
Trans fat
0.08 g

Scored on the drink as made: 20 g in 200 ml of toned milk, from the pack's directions. As sold, the powder has 350 mg sodium and 35 g added sugar per 100 g.

03 Load risk: why 3

Risk is scored on the drink as made: 20 g powder in 200 ml toned milk, which is 226 g. That gives 86.5 kcal, 3.94 g free sugar and 71 mg sodium per 100 g. Sugar is the biggest part of the risk number, followed by energy and saturated fat.

Saturated fat is printed as under 2 g per 100 g of powder and is counted at that ceiling. Trans fat is under 0.1 g. A glass has about 9 g free sugar, which includes sugar from the cereal extract that the added-sugar line does not show.

Scored on free sugar, sodium, saturated fat and trans fat, each weighed by how strong the evidence of harm is.

[F] Added vitamins or minerals meaningfully lift this product's nutrition grade. Without them it would score lower.

Red flags

  • Red flag: High added sugar (35g per 100g)

Green flags

  • Green flag: Source of fibre

Does Horlicks - Refill pack Drink Mix live up to its claims?

The vitamin and mineral fortification holds, but the growth and immunity promises rest on those added nutrients, not on the powder, and the 27-nutrient count cannot be matched line by line.

  • On the pack

    “27 vital nutrients”

    Be careful

    The panel declares 12 vitamins and 10 minerals, 22 in all. The pack's count of 27 cannot be matched line by line from the panel.

  • On the pack

    “Tall, Strong, Sharp”

    Be careful

    The pack words it as nutrients known to support height, muscle, bone and brain. The vitamins and minerals are present, but the drink also carries 35 g added sugar per 100 g.

  • Retail listing

    “Clinically proven to help kids grow”

    Be careful

    The retailer page makes this claim, and no study or result appears on the pack. A 20 g serve gives only 1.4 g protein.

  • Retail listing

    “Fortified with essential vitamins and minerals”

    Holds

    Twelve nutrients are added, including calcium at 741 mg and iron at 26 mg per 100 g, about 148 mg and 5.2 mg per serve.

  • Product name

    “Chocolate”

    Partly true

    Cocoa powder is 6% of the powder, and nature-identical flavouring and caramel colour are also listed.

What's in Horlicks - Refill pack Drink Mix?

Cereal extract, sugar and cocoa lead the list. The caramel colour, the flavouring and the sugar are what to watch, and the added vitamins and minerals are the real strength.

The ingredient list, read for you

Cereal extract (44%) leads, made from malted barley (13%), barley (11%), wheat malt (11%) and wheat (9%), so the powder is a malted grain base. Sugar comes next, then cocoa powder (6%) for the chocolate, and wheat gluten and soy protein isolate for protein.

Milk solids are only 2%. Liquid glucose adds sweetness, the emulsifier (471) helps it mix, caramel colour (150c) darkens it, and flavouring rounds out the taste. Minerals, vitamins and iodized salt are added at the end of the list without being named.

Ingredients to watch

  • Added sugarWorth watching

    35 g per 100 g declared, about 7 g per 20 g serve. Sugar from the cereal extract is not in that line, so total sugar is higher at 46 g per 100 g.

  • Caramel colour (INS 150c)Worth watching

    Ammonia caramel is a colour only, with no benefit for the drink, and it costs the most ingredient points of any additive here.

  • Flavouring and emulsifierWorth watching

    Nature-identical flavouring and the emulsifier (INS 471) each cost a few ingredient points.

  • Added vitamins and mineralsFine

    Twelve nutrients are added, including iron at 26 mg and calcium at 741 mg per 100 g. This is what lifts the nutrition grade.

  • FibreFine

    5 g per 100 g, about 1 g per serve, from the barley and wheat.

What it doesn’t have

  • Protein is low for a drink sold on growth: 7 g per 100 g, about 1.4 g per serve.
  • The vitamins and minerals are listed as groups and not by name on the ingredient list.

Who should eat Horlicks - Refill pack Drink Mix?

A few times a week for most adults, and occasionally for children or anyone watching blood sugar, since each 20 g serve carries about 7 g added sugar.

  • Most adultsA few times a week

    About 7 g added sugar per serve, and 14 g if taken twice a day.

  • ChildrenOccasionally

    Fortified, but caramel colour and 35 g added sugar per 100 g.

  • Diabetes or prediabetesOccasionally

    81 g carbohydrate per 100 g, about 16 g per serve before the milk.

  • Weight managementA few times a week

    A glass made with milk is about 196 kcal, mostly carbohydrate.

Horlicks - Refill pack Drink Mix: common questions

What is the CleanPlate score of Horlicks - Refill pack (Chocolate flavor) Drink Mix (1 kg)?

Horlicks Chocolate Refill Pack is a malted barley and wheat drink powder, stirred into milk and sold as a daily nutrition drink for children. It scores [F]BB3: nutrition is decent mainly because of added vitamins and minerals, ingredients lose points for caramel colour and flavouring, and risk is moderate because of the sugar. Fine a few times a week, not as a daily habit. Nutrition B, ingredients B, load risk 3; nutrition and ingredients run A to E, risk runs 1 to 5, and A and 1 are best.

How many calories and how much protein are in Horlicks - Refill pack (Chocolate flavor) Drink Mix (1 kg)?

Per 100 g of powder, Horlicks - Refill pack (Chocolate flavor) Drink Mix (1 kg) has 360 kcal, 7 g protein, 81 g carbohydrate, 2 g fat and 2 g saturated fat. Load risk is scored on the product as made (20 g in 200 ml of toned milk), which gives 71.1 mg sodium, 2 g saturated fat and 3.9 g free sugar per 100 ml.

What are the ingredients in Horlicks - Refill pack (Chocolate flavor) Drink Mix (1 kg)?

14 ingredients, in label order: Cereal Extract (44%) (Malted Barley (13%), Barley (11%), Wheat Malt (11%), Wheat (9%)), Sugar, Cocoa Powder (6%), Wheat Gluten, Minerals, Milk Solids (2%), Soy Protein Isolate, Emulsifier (INS 471), Liquid Glucose, Natural Colour (INS 150c), Nature Identical Flavouring Substances, Acidity Regulators [INS 501 (ii), INS 500 (ii)], Vitamins, Edible Iodized Salt.

Does Horlicks - Refill pack (Chocolate flavor) Drink Mix (1 kg) live up to its claims?

5 claims checked: 1 holds, 1 is partly true, 3 need care. "27 vital nutrients" needs care: The panel declares 12 vitamins and 10 minerals, 22 in all. The pack's count of 27 cannot be matched line by line from the panel. "Tall, Strong, Sharp" needs care: The pack words it as nutrients known to support height, muscle, bone and brain. The vitamins and minerals are present, but the drink also carries 35 g added sugar per 100 g.

Who should limit Horlicks - Refill pack (Chocolate flavor) Drink Mix (1 kg)?

Most adults: a few times a week. About 7 g added sugar per serve, and 14 g if taken twice a day. Children: occasionally. Fortified, but caramel colour and 35 g added sugar per 100 g. Diabetes or prediabetes: occasionally. 81 g carbohydrate per 100 g, about 16 g per serve before the milk.

How much sugar, salt and saturated fat does Horlicks - Refill pack (Chocolate flavor) Drink Mix (1 kg) have?

Per 100 g of powder, Horlicks - Refill pack (Chocolate flavor) Drink Mix (1 kg) has 35 g added sugar, 350 mg sodium (about 0.9 g salt) and 2 g saturated fat. The FSSAI and UK FSA "high" lines are 10 g added sugar, 600 mg sodium and 5 g saturated fat per 100 g. It is high in sugar.

Last reviewed October 23, 2026. Scored with the CleanPlate method from the published label. Spotted a mistake? .

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