Daily Harvest is a healthy, fun and whimsical meal kit that offers a wide variety of meal and snack options, including blendable smoothie cups, heat-and-eat meals, and packable snacks.
This subscription service offers health-forward, organic and plant-based meals made with clean ingredients that optimize nutrition and flavor.
We had to try the meal options from Daily Harvest to see if this subscription meets the mark for great flavor, nutrition and convenience.
In this meal kit review, we’ll cover:
- How Daily Harvest is different from other meal kit options.
- How the different meals, smoothies and desserts.
- Who this subscription is perfect for, and who may not love it as much.
Quick Summary: Daily Harvest
- Taste: 5/5
- Packaging: 4/5
- Price: 4/5
- Ease to prepare: 5/5
- Diversity of options: 5/5
Daily Harvest puts convenience into healthy eating. Their nutrient-dense smoothies, grain and veggie bowls, soups and desserts offer plant-based eaters a well-rounded meal option with minimal prep work.
How is Daily Harvest Different from Other Meal Kits?
Daily Harvest stands apart from other meal kits for a few reasons. First, the options are extensive. While most meal subscription services focus on a single meal (often dinner), Daily Harvest covers you from morning to late-night snack, with everything from fruit smoothies to decadent vegan ice cream pints.
In addition, Daily Harvest meals are for the most part ready to enjoy fresh out of the packaging or with a bit of heating (or blending, in the case of the smoothies). Other meal kits, including plant-based Purple Carrot and powerhouse Blue Apron, emphasize meals that you cook yourself. They’ll send you pre-portioned ingredients and an in-depth recipe to put together on your own. Daily Harvest offers an extra level of convenience with the same commitment to quality and fresh ingredients.
Daily Harvest Plan Options
Customers can select from four plan sizes:
- X-Small, which includes any 6 items
- Small, 9 items
- Medium, 14 items
- Large, 24 items
Price
The cost of your Daily Harvest plan depends on how you fill your box. Smoothies and soups cost $7.99 each. Harvest Bowls and flatbreads cost $8.99 each. Smaller Forager Bowls, Oat Bowls and Chia Bowls cost $5.99 each, and Scoops cost $8.99 per pint.
These prices include shipping and taxes.
Subscription Flexibility
Your plan can be skipped or paused at any time, so there’s no long-term commitment when you subscribe. Plus, you can select your items every week, mixing and matching between bowls, flatbreads, desserts, and smoothies.
We Tried Daily Harvest for a Week, Here’s How it Went
We ordered a week of meals from Daily Harvest to try the plan and products for ourselves. Here’s how it went.
The Daily Harvest box arrived well packed and very cold, despite the summer heat.
All of the packages were frozen, so we transferred them to the freezer for storage.
Meal #1: Strawberry + Peach Smoothie
First, we tried one of Daily Harvest’s signature products: a fruit smoothie. We went with the Strawberry and Peach Smoothie, which is one of the company’s best sellers. The drink is easy enough to prepare, though you need a blender at home.
You simply add any liquid (we used unsweetened almond milk) to the cup with the frozen fruit, then dump everything into a blender. Blend away until the smoothie is creamy and thick, then pour it back into the cup and you can take it to go.
You can easily adjust the texture of the smoothie to your preference. Made according to the package instructions, the smoothie came out very thick, and more spoonable than drinkable with a straw. But a splash more almond milk could easily fix that.
The flavor was light and refreshing. You could taste the sweet strawberries and certainly the banana, which also added thickness. Other ingredients in the smoothie (peach, raspberries, oats and goji berries), didn’t stand out as much.
Meal #2: Kale + Kalamata Harvest Bowl
For lunch, we tried out one of the harvest bowls. The Kale and Kalamata Bowl is made with fonio, a highly nutritious grain native to West Africa. It has a texture and flavor similar to millet. In this bowl, the fonio was tossed with kale, fresh cucumber, asparagus, kalamata olives, and almonds.
To prepare the bowl, we simply removed the plastic lid and microwaved it for 3 minutes. The greens in the bowl turned a bright, vibrant color, and the dish smelled great. Overall, this was a very healthy, but satisfying lunch. The veggies, despite being frozen, tasted fresh and crisp. The fonio rounded things out nicely, though we couldn’t taste much almond in the mix. We expected that to add some nice crunch, but it wasn’t really noticeable.
Meal #3: Cacao Nib and Vanilla Bites
One thing that Daily Harvest offers that’s fairly unique is homemade snacks. We had to try the Cacao Nib and Vanilla Bites for dessert. These frozen bites are made with chickpeas, cacao, vanilla, and acorn squash. They’re kept frozen but quickly defrost into a cookie dough-like texture.
Despite their very healthy list of ingredients, these fudgy bites truly tasted like dessert. The cacao nibs satisfied a chocolate craving and the soft, chewy texture felt indulgent. The nutrient-dense ingredients also help you feel full and satisfied. These make a great afternoon pick-me-up or dessert to keep stashed in the freezer.
Pros of Daily Harvest
Here are some pros of a subscription to Daily Harvest:
- The dishes are healthy and made with minimal ingredients but don’t lack flavor or variety.
- Unlike other meal kits, there’s a great variety of breakfast options.
- The meals are reasonably priced.
Cons of Daily Harvest
Here are some of the drawbacks of the subscription:
- The plant-based meals may not satisfy meat lovers.
- The dishes are best portioned for lunch or a light dinner, and may not be enough for large appetites.
- A subscription can be pricier than other meal kit options.
The Verdict: Is Daily Harvest Worth It?
Daily Harvest is a great option for people who want to eat clean, healthy meals without having to source your own ingredients or do much prep work. The subscription makes it straightforward and easy to access meals and snacks that make you feel good.
In particular, vegans, vegetarians and anyone avoiding common allergens like gluten, soy and dairy, will enjoy the transparent ingredients in every Daily Harvest meal. If you’re committed to spending your dollar with a brand committed to doing good, you’ll appreciate Daily Harvest’s regenerative and organic farming practices.
This subscription may not be the best option if you have limited freezer space or don’t own a blender. Smoothies are the largest and most diverse offering, but you certainly can enjoy a Daily Harvest subscription without ordering any smoothies. If you love meat or have a bigger appetite, you may not find the meals entirely satisfying.
Get Started with Daily Harvest Here →
FAQ’s
Can I Try it One Time?
Yes, you can place a one-time order of Daily Harvest with no long-term commitment. You can also adjust the size of your delivery anytime.
Are All the Meals Frozen?
Yes, Daily Harvest only ships 100% frozen meals. Freezing ingredients is actually part of the company’s mission to serve highly nutritious food. The fruits and vegetables are flash-frozen as close to harvest as possible, which locks in nutrients like vitamin C, antioxidants, and beta-carotene.
Daily Harvest Alternatives
Splendid Spoon
If you’re a smoothie lover, Splendid Spoon takes convenience a step further by shipping ready-to-drink fruit and veggie smoothies, as well as light soups, juices, and health shots.
Veestro
Veestro is an entirely plant-based meal kit with breakfast, lunch and dinner to suit any dietary needs, including gluten-free.
Freshly
Freshly is another frozen meal delivery service that offers both meat- and plant-based options. It offers dinners for every kind of eater and appetite size.
Lizzy is a trained chef, freelance food writer and always-curious home cook. She’s passionate about making home cooking fun and accessible and is on a mission to help everyone eat delicious food that makes them feel their best, however it fits into their schedule.