I've Tried 30+ Daily Harvest Items — Here's My Honest Review

Daily Harvest is a plant-based meal delivery service that delivers frozen prepared items to your door. The woman-founded company was originally built around delivery subscription smoothies but has since evolved to a robust collection of flatbreads, forager bowls, bakes, soups, dairy-free desserts, and more. 

The subscription service offers four plan sizes: six to eight items, nine to 11 items, 12 to 23 items, or 24 to 26 items. Orders arrive every Wednesday or Friday. You'll have until 6 p.m. on the Sunday prior to your delivery to either skip the week or adjust the items in your order. Daily Harvest allows you to either customize each box to your preferences or opt for an automated selection that chooses items based on your previous recipe ratings.

A huge perk? The brand sends a text every Sunday morning to remind you to customize or skip that week's delivery. As someone who often forgets about updating or canceling my subscriptions, I love this little attention to detail. It doesn't feel like the company is trying to trap me into an order that I don't really need. 

Unlike other prepared meal services, the final cost of your Daily Harvest box is not fixed. As you curate your box to your needs—whether it's a breakfast or light lunch—the final price shifts. Smoothies, soups, and scoops all cost less than $9, while the heartier picks such as flatbreads and bowls are closer to $10. 

The most affordable option on the menu is the forager bowls, which include oats and chia seed bowls. On the flip side, each Harvest bake costs around $12 and typically contains two servings (although the lower calorie count means you can easily consume the entire entrée solo). 

Unfortunately, you do have to spend more to save. Shipping is always free, but you only unlock discounts on your order by adding more items to your box; save $5 with the 9-item box, $10 with the 12-item box, and $25 with the 24-item box.

While I've previously used Daily Harvest, the brand also sent over a sample box with 16 items specifically for this review. The box included an assortment of smoothies, bites, desserts, bowls, and lattes. In total, I've tried more than 30 of the brand's items including a few recipes on repeat. 

Although I love to cook, I tried to work through my rotation of Daily Harvest meals from this order in a two-week period to see how well the service could replace traditional grocery shopping (and integrate into a busy work schedule). 

While I love my immersion blender and KitchenAid, they were completely unnecessary for prepping most Daily Harvest goods. All you need is a microwave, oven or blender to transform the frozen recipes into something delicious. 

A few recipes—like the flatbreads and oven bakes—take a little bit longer to cook. However, this preparation is totally hands-off, so you can conquer other tasks around the house. Otherwise, you need less than five minutes to get a deliciously creamy smoothie or piping hot bowl of grits.

When someone mentions frozen food, I often think of bland, under-seasoned recipes without much nutritional value. Daily Harvest defies this stereotype with ingredients that taste fresh. 

A few of my favorite recipes in the lineup are the Gigante Bean + Artichoke Olio Harvest Bake, Broccoli + Cheeze Forager Bowl, and Cremini + Asparagus Pot Pie. Despite being completely dairy-free, they have a creamy consistency that's delicious and satiating. 

Occasionally, a few items weren't as seasoned as I liked, so I would generously add a bit of garlic powder, onion powder, and a sprinkle of Maldon smoked sea salt. These small changes instantly elevated each dish to my liking with minimal effort—and I think it's totally worth adapting these recipes to your personal preferences. Hot sauce anyone? 

Of course, there were a few items I would skip. I didn't love the chia seed bowl or sweet oatmeal that I tested. I'm not a huge fan of the consistency of chia seed pudding, which transforms into a gelatinous texture. My dislike is likely from personal experience rather than the recipe itself. 

The convenience of getting healthy, nutrient-filled recipes to my door is definitely worth the cost—but I know it's not for everyone. As a vegetarian with a history of plant-based eating, the meals taste similar to the creations I would make at home with a fraction of the effort. 

I think anyone with a busy schedule would easily be impressed by Daily Harvest. While I wouldn't personally replace all my meals with the service, I love having a few items readily available in my freezer as a backup when I'm in a time crunch (and it's cheaper than ordering takeout). 

When I think of a shipment directly to my front door, my mind immediately thinks of waste. But I was pleasantly surprised to discover most of the byproducts left over from my order were recyclable or compostable (and virgin plastic-free). 

I did have to scrub a few of the packages clean, especially the smoothie cups and aluminum tins. However, I didn't mind spending a few extra minutes at the sink if it meant my recycling center could actually repurpose the product.

Most of Daily Harvest's plant-based recipes are made with 95% organic ingredients and never contain GMOs from the EWG's Dirty Dozen list. Unlike traditional frozen meals, they're not high in sodium or fat.