In 2025, Daily Harvest stands out as a top-tier vegan meal delivery service, offering a wide array of healthy, plant-based options. Since its inception, Daily Harvest has evolved, introducing enticing recipes and diverse meal types, including hearty gluten-free and dairy-free pasta and rice dishes priced between $5 and $11 per serving. This review delves into the specifics of Daily Harvest, exploring its functionality, meal variety, cost, and overall value, especially for those considering it for weight loss.
What is Daily Harvest?
Daily Harvest delivers boxes of preassembled or premade frozen vegan meals, smoothies, and snacks. These are designed to be stored in the freezer and quickly prepared when needed. Most meals take only three to four minutes to prepare. The service operates on a subscription basis, with options for weekly or monthly deliveries. It is easy to skip weeks, pause, or cancel subscriptions without long-term contracts.
How Does Daily Harvest Work?
Ordering from Daily Harvest is intuitive. Each meal comes with detailed information on nutrition, ingredients, and culinary inspiration. User reviews and ratings are also available to aid in the selection process. The options can be filtered based on dietary needs, such as diabetes-friendly, Mediterranean diet, and plant-based Whole30 meals. Flavor preferences can also be specified to exclude ingredients like vanilla or sweet potato.
What are Daily Harvest Meals Like?
Daily Harvest meals are entirely vegan and gluten-free, featuring an abundance of superfoods, grains, fruits, vegetables, greens, legumes, berries, and nuts. The meals incorporate trending health foods like avocado, acai, kale, turmeric, maca, kabocha squash, and reishi. While technically frozen meals, they are a significant improvement over traditional frozen dinners, boasting high nutrient content and avoiding excessive sodium.
Daily Harvest Meal Categories and Variety
The Daily Harvest menu boasts over 100 options, ensuring a broad selection for consumers. The categories include:
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- Smoothies: A wide variety of fruit and vegetable combinations, designed for quick and nutritious consumption.
- Harvest Bowls: Savory bowls with grains, vegetables, and flavorful sauces.
- Forager Bowls: Hearty breakfast bowls with grain-free bases like rolled oats, chia, or grits.
- Harvest Bakes: Shareable, ready-to-bake entrees packed with vegetables.
- Flatbreads: Gluten-free and dairy-free flatbreads with vegetable-based toppings.
- Soups: Nourishing soups with diverse flavors, easily heated on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- Bites: Nutrient-dense, ready-to-eat snacks made from plant-based ingredients.
- Lattes: Frozen latte pods blended with hot milk or nut milk.
- Mylk: Frozen almond milk wedges to create plant-based, dairy-free almond milk.
- Grains: Perfectly balanced blends of whole grains, veggies, and legumes.
- Pasta: Plant-based pasta dishes that are both filling and flavorful.
Cost of Daily Harvest
The pricing for Daily Harvest items varies:
- Smoothies: $8.49
- Protein Smoothies: $9.49
- Breakfast Bowls: $6.79
- Bites: $10.99
- Pasta: $10.79
- Harvest Bowls: $9.79
The best value is found in the pasta dishes, which offer two decent portions for around $10, making each serving approximately $5. Daily Harvest also offers discounts on larger orders and for new customers. Shipping costs $9.99 per order box.
Ease of Preparation
Daily Harvest meals are designed for quick and easy preparation. Most meals require minimal effort, with several prep and heating methods provided. Some meals are ready to heat, while others require a simple step like blending smoothie ingredients with liquid. Pasta, rice bowls, and grain bowls can be microwaved or heated in a skillet. Forager bowls and protein bites are ready to eat straight from the package. Flatbreads require baking for about 20 minutes, though an air fryer can expedite this process.
Taste and Quality
The Daily Harvest culinary team focuses on creating interesting spice blends, vegetable and fruit combinations, and grains to maintain variety. The meals are generally well-balanced, avoiding excessive sweetness, saltiness, spiciness, or bitterness. The pasta recipes have been particularly praised for their excellent taste and ease of preparation.
Nutritional Value and Ingredients
Daily Harvest prides itself on using high-quality, often organic ingredients. The meals are free of additives, preservatives, and fillers, with 95% of the ingredients being organic. These vegan dishes include nuts, seeds, whole grains, spices, herbs, and powders like matcha and cacao. Sweeter options are sweetened with fruit or natural sweeteners like organic maple syrup.
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Daily Harvest for Weight Loss
Daily Harvest meals can be a convenient option for those aiming to lose weight, as many meals are around 400 calories or less per serving. These meals provide a foundation of fruits and vegetables, making it easier to incorporate nourishing plants into the diet. The emphasis on whole foods and plant-based ingredients supports a balanced diet, which is essential for weight management.
However, because many of the meals and smoothies are relatively low in calories and protein, they may not be filling enough for all individuals. Active individuals or those needing sustained energy may need to supplement with additional protein or a hearty side.
Who Should Try Daily Harvest?
Daily Harvest is ideal for:
- Individuals seeking quick and healthy breakfast or lunch options.
- Those aiming to save time on meal preparation while maintaining nutrition goals.
- People following gluten-free and dairy-free diets.
- Anyone looking to incorporate more plant-based meals into their diet.
- Those interested in ready-made smoothie combinations.
Who Should Skip Daily Harvest?
Daily Harvest may not be suitable for:
- Individuals aiming for a high-protein diet.
- Those who prefer meat-based meals.
- Families needing larger portions for multiple servings.
- People with severe food allergies due to potential cross-contamination in the production facility.
Environmental Friendliness and Packaging
Daily Harvest is committed to sustainable practices and aims to reach 100% sustainable packaging. The delivery boxes, cups, bowls, and insulated dry ice bags are either recyclable or compostable. The company provides information on how to dispose of each packaging component responsibly.
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Comparisons with Competitors
When compared to other plant-based meal delivery services like Splendid Spoon and Mosaic Foods, Daily Harvest offers a unique approach with its frozen, ready-to-prepare meals and snacks. While Splendid Spoon focuses on ready-to-eat meals and Mosaic Foods offers frozen meals ready in five minutes or less, Daily Harvest distinguishes itself with its emphasis on high-quality ingredients and a wide variety of menu options.
Pros and Cons of Daily Harvest
Pros:
- Convenient and easy to prepare
- Wide variety of menu options
- High-quality, often organic ingredients
- Suitable for vegan and gluten-free diets
- Flexible subscription management
- Sustainable packaging efforts
Cons:
- Can be relatively expensive
- May not be filling enough for some individuals
- Limited customization of ingredients
- Potential for repetitive menu selection over time
- Dry ice disposal can be inconvenient
Customer Reviews and Reputation
Daily Harvest has generally positive customer reviews, with many praising the convenience, taste, and nutritional value of the meals. Some customers have noted concerns about food safety, particularly after the 2022 recall of the French Lentil + Leek Crumbles. However, the company has taken steps to address these concerns and improve its food safety protocols.