Daily Harvest’s vegan offerings are tasty and convenient for healthy light lunches and snacks. But they left our reviewer hungry. Read on to learn more.
Healthline meal delivery score: 3.6
Daily Harvest is a vegan meal delivery service providing a large variety of frozen entrees, smoothies, and beverages.
When it comes to flavorful offerings chock-full of plant-based nutrition, Daily Harvest shines. And it works well for quick and healthy meals and snacks. But as our reviewer explains, trying to use Daily Harvest as a full meal plan might just leave you hungry. Read on to learn more.
MEAL DELIVERY SCORECARDWe scored Daily Harvest across nine categories and allotted points from 0 to 5. The scores below reflect the average rating for each category.
- Overall: 3.6
- Sign-up, delivery, and cancellation processes: 3.5
- Meal variety: 1
- Nutrition: 4.5
- Sustainability: 5
- Ingredient quality and freshness: 4
- Ease of preparation: 5
- Taste: 2
- Affordability: 4
Learn more about how we test meal kits.
Pro
- Daily Harvest offers a variety of plant-based meals and snacks made with high quality ingredients.
- All items are vegan, gluten-free, and free of preservatives, additives, and fillers.
- Customers can select their items, so it’s a good option if you’re looking to add only a few premade plant-based meals or snacks to your weekly menu.
Con
- Meals may not be filling enough for all adults.
- Some food prep isn’t seamless, and some textures don’t hold up.
- It’s not suitable for people with severe food allergies.
What is Daily Harvest?
Daily Harvest is a plant-based meal delivery service that started with packaged, frozen smoothies. The Daily Harvest menu now offers more than 100 options, including a large selection of smoothies, breakfast bowls, savory bowls, flatbreads, soups, vegan “mylk,” and raw energy balls, called Bites, as well as packaged plant-based pastas and grain-and-legume mixes.
In addition to being vegan, all of Daily Harvest’s items are gluten-free and have no additives or preservatives.
The company supports sustainable farming and sources non-GMO, organic ingredients whenever possible. It also maintains standards for ensuring that its suppliers adhere to food-safety standards including the Good Agricultural Practices Program and organic certifications.
However, this service may not be appropriate for people with food allergies, as some recipes contain soy products, and the food is made in a facility that processes dairy, nuts, soy, and gluten.
Daily Harvest has stated its commitment to eventually reach 100% sustainable packaging. At time of publish, its delivery boxes, cups, bowls, and insulated dry ice bags are either recyclable or compostable. It also offers consumers information about how to dispose of every part of its packaging materials.
How it works
Unlike other meal delivery services, Daily Harvest doesn’t offer specific meal plans. Instead, customers choose the number of items they want to receive (9, 14, or 24), select options from the entire menu, and opt for weekly or monthly delivery. This can all be done online or through the Daily Harvest app.
To select your food options, you can filter ingredients by what you like or don’t like, or by dietary need, such as lower in sodium, carbs, or calories. You can also search for options appropriate for diets including Diabetes-Friendly, Mediterranean, Plant-Based Whole30, and Paleo.
Using your online account, you can also skip and manage deliveries, change your selections, and either pause or cancel your subscription.
How much does Daily Harvest cost?
The cost of Daily Harvest depends on which items you choose and the size of your order. The more items you order, the more money you save.
Here are the current prices for Daily Harvest menu items:
- Smoothies: $8.49 each
- Harvest bowls: $9.79 each
- Flatbreads: $9.79 each
- Soups: $8.49 each
- Forager bowls: $6.79 each
- Grains: $9.79 per bag (4 servings)
- Pasta: 9.79 per bag (2 servings)
- Bites: $7.99 for 7
- Mylk: $7.99 per carton (8 servings)
Here are the savings for standard order sizes:
- Small: 9+ items ($5 savings)
- Medium: 14+ items ($10 savings)
- Large: 24+ items ($25 savings)
Shipping costs $9.99 per order box.
The company offers discounts on larger orders and for new customers.
Daily Harvest meals
Once you choose your order size, you can select snacks and meals from more than 100 options in the categories of smoothies, Harvest (savory) bowls, pasta, grains, soups, Forager (breakfast) bowls, frozen dessert pops, flatbreads, plant-based “mylk,” and raw food Bites.
Here’s a sample of current menu offerings:
- Smoothies: Passion Fruit + Pineapple, Mint + Cacao, Acai + Cherry
- Forager bowls: Vanilla Bean + Apple Chia, Peach + Cinnamon Grain-Free, Cremini + Miso Oat
- Soups: Carrot + Coconut Curry, Butternut Squash + Rosemary, Mushroom + Miso
- Flatbreads: Portobello + Pesto, Pear + Arugula, Artichoke + Spinach
- Harvest bowls: Sweet Potato + Wild Rice Hash, Cremini + Asparagus Pot Pie, Red Lentil + Cumin
- Pasta and Grains: White Bean + Spinach Nut-free Pesto, Curried Brown Rice + Green Chickpea
- Bites: Hazelnut + Chocolate, Coconut + Lemon, Raspberry + Fig
Most items are single-serving. However, Bites and mylks contain several servings per order, while pasta and grains contain 2 and 4 servings per bag, respectively.
Here’s a closer look at the nutritional value for a few Daily Harvest meals:
| Calories | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Sugar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passion Fruit + Pineapple Smoothie | 210 | 3 g | 12 g | 27 g | 17 g |
| Vanilla Bean + Apple Chia Forager Bowl | 270 | 10 g | 17 g | 20 g | 8 g |
| Carrot + Coconut Curry Soup | 170 | 5 g | 9 g | 18 g | 11 g |
| Artichoke + Spinach Flatbread | 360 | 8 g | 17 g | 48 g | 6 g |
| Sweet Potato + Wild Rice Hash Harvest Bowl | 330 | 11 g | 11 g | 51 g | 9 g |
| Hazelnut + Chocolate Snack Bites | 100 | 2 g | 6 g | 11 g | 7 g |
| Almond Mylk | 90 | 4 g | 8 g | 2 g | 1 g |
Ingredients
Daily Harvest makes its meals with high quality plant-based ingredients. Meals are free of additives, preservatives, and fillers. While the company uses some conventional produce, 95% of the ingredients are organic.
These vegan dishes also commonly include other high quality plant-based ingredients, such as nuts, seeds, whole grains, spices, herbs, and powders like matcha and cacao.
Sweeter options, like Bites, are sweetened either with fruit or with natural sweeteners like organic maple syrup.
Quality and freshness
In-house nutritionists and chefs craft Daily Harvest recipes with high quality ingredients, many of which are frozen at peak ripeness, according to the company. Meals themselves are frozen, and should last for up to 3 months in the freezer.
We tried it!
Healthline writer and dietitian Rachael Ajmera, MS, RD, tried 18 different Daily Harvest offerings, including bowls, smoothies, flatbreads, soup, mylk, and Bites. When it came to the taste of the food and the variety of options, she was impressed.
“I enjoyed most of the selections that I tried and felt that there was enough variety,” she says. She does note, however, that because the company doesn’t regularly add new items to the menu, the selection could feel repetitive over time.
Here are more details about her experience.
Delivery
“My items arrived in good shape, packed in an insulated container, packed with dry ice to help keep everything [frozen],” Ajmera says. She was able to then move them directly to the freezer, and removed items as she wanted them.
Preparing the food
As all the food is frozen, preparing it requires liquifying (such as smoothies) or reheating (bowls, soups, pastas, grains, and flatbreads). And you’ll need to provide your own liquid for some dishes, such as adding plant-based milk or water to smoothies or broth to reheat one of the soups.
Seems straightforward. But Ajmera found that “because everything is frozen, removing items from the container was sometimes tricky, and blending the smoothies definitely required a bit of patience (or a very high powered blender).”
And the bowls, which require heating in the microwave or on the stove, didn’t hold up well. Ajmera says they just got “soft and mushy” from cooking.
But items like the Cacao Nib + Vanilla Bites, which can be eaten straight out of the freezer, made for a “simple and delicious snack.”
The taste
Ajmera says that overall, everything she ate was “very tasty.”
Besides the Bites, her favorite meals were the breakfast Forage Bowls. “[They] were easily prepared by adding plant-based milk, popping them in the fridge overnight, and enjoying them cold for a quick and easy breakfast the next morning,” she says.
Despite the pleasing flavors of the Daily Harvest food she ate, Ajmera says it didn’t satisfy her appetite. “Because many of the meals and smoothies are relatively low in calories and protein, I often found myself still hungry after eating,” she says. “I wouldn’t recommend depending on it entirely for your daily meals.”
Instead, she says, Daily Harvest dishes could work well as a healthy supplement to your diet, as side dishes to round out a meal, or to have on hand “a few nutritious meals or snacks.”
“Because many of the meals and smoothies are relatively low in calories and protein, I often found myself still hungry after eating.”
—Healthline writer and Daily Harvest tester Rachael Ajmera, MS, RD
How do customers feel about Daily Harvest?
As of the time of publication, Daily Harvest isn’t accredited by the Better Business Bureau. However, it currently holds an A rating, which is based on factors such as the company’s business practices, its complaint history, and how long it has been in business.
On Trustpilot, Daily Harvest has an average rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars, which is based on a total of 1,262 customer reviews.
Many customers state that the meals are convenient, easy to prepare, nutritious, and tasty. Some also note that customer service is quick to respond and resolve any issues with orders.
On the other hand, some reviewers report dissatisfaction with the quality of food and issues with delivery or missing items.
Many reviewers have expressed concerns about food safety, especially after several class action lawsuits were filed against the company. In June 2022, the company issued a voluntary recall of its French Lentil + Leek Crumbles after reports of severe gastrointestinal issues that were linked to the item.
According to the company, the issue resulted from a single ingredient — tara flour — that was used in the item and didn’t affect any of the other items on the menu.
Who is Daily Harvest suitable for?
All of Daily Harvest’s meals, snacks, and beverages are plant-based, vegan, gluten-free, and made to support a balanced diet. It may be worth trying if you’re looking to eat more plant-based meals without having to spend extra time in the kitchen.
The service uses mostly organic ingredients, so it may be a good fit for people who prefer to limit their intake of conventional ingredients. However, keep in mind that some items may not be fully organic.
Nutritional information is available for each item, so you can choose suitable options for your specific health needs. Note, however, that many of the items are too high in carbs to be suitable for keto or other very low carb diets. The meals are also not designed to be low in salt, so some menu options may not be ideal for people on a low sodium diet.
Because Daily Harvest food is generally low in both calories and protein, it isn’t as filling as some other plant-based meal delivery services, and may not be enough for many adults.
Also, each meal contains just one serving, so Daily Harvest isn’t a great option for families.
That said, Daily Harvest could be a good fit for individuals interested in stocking their freezer with a few vegan and gluten-free snacks to enjoy between meals, as a supplement for a healthy diet, or to have some easy breakfasts and lunches to enjoy throughout the week.
“Daily Harvest is affordable, offers a good variety of items, and has a flexible ordering process, so it’s easy to try different items to find what works for you,” Ajmera said.
How it compares with other plant-based meal delivery services
Daily Harvest is among a small number of delivery services providing high quality plant-baed meals. Two other popular options include Splendid Spoon and Mosaic Foods.
| Daily Harvest | Splendid Spoon | Mosaic Foods | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basics | fully prepared, frozen meals and snacks that require one step of preparation | ready-to-eat and microwavable plant-based meals and snacks | frozen meals that need to be microwaved or baked |
| Meal selection | • smoothies • Forager bowls • soups • flatbreads • Harvest bowls • Bites • plant-based milks | • smoothies • soups • grain bowls • noodles • juices • wellness shots | • veggie bowls • family meals • pizzas • smoothies • soups • oat bowls |
| Price range per serving | $7.99–$9.79 | $9.99-13.49 | $5.99–$11.99 |
| Shipping | $9.99 | free | free for orders of 12 or 18 items |
| Ingredient quality | • mostly organic ingredients • free of additives, preservatives, and fillers | • non-GMO • mostly organic ingredients in smoothies and wellness shots • some organic ingredients in grain and noodle bowls | • some organic ingredients • free of artificial ingredients |
| Specialty diets | • vegan • gluten-free | • vegan • dairy-free • gluten-free • low carb • low sodium | • vegan • vegetarian • dairy-free • wheat-free |
Frequently asked questions about Daily Harvest
Daily Harvest offers meals and snacks packed with plant-based nutrients. All of the food is vegan, gluten-free, and made to support a balanced diet.
Meanwhile research has found that consuming more plant-based foods is beneficial for heart health.
But most meals have fewer than 400 calories, making them unlikely to satisfy many adult appetites. They’re also fairly low in protein, with most meals with 20 or fewer grams, which may not be adequate for some people.
No, you can cancel a Daily Harvest subscription at any time directly on the app. To cancel your subscription or to pause your plan, navigate to “Edit Plan” in the menu on the app and select “End Plan.”
The bottom line
Daily Harvest provides tasty, high quality and healthy meals and snacks that arrive frozen at your doorstep and are quick to prepare. As its menu is both vegan and gluten-free, the service could be a convenient option for those looking to incorporate more healthy, plant-based foods into their diet.
However, Daily Harvest is relatively expensive and may not be ideal for individuals with severe food allergies or those on certain diets.
Finally, because many of the items are relatively low in calories and require additional liquid to prepare, you’ll likely still need to buy additional groceries for the week.
