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Daily Harvest review 2024: an honest look at this organic, vegan meal service

Busy people need some shortcuts in life, especially when it comes to meal planning. Meal delivery services are a handy way to get nutritious meals when you don’t have time to plan, prep, and cook. Daily Harvest is a vegan, organic meal delivery service for people who prioritize this way of eating. Research shows that organic food may contain higher levels of iron, vitamin C, and magnesium, but we’d like to see results from clinical trials to more fully understand the role of eating organic on overall health. (1, 2)  

Daily Harvest offers a wide range of breakfast bowls, smoothies jam-packed with fruit, grain bowls, flatbreads, soups, nut-based milk, snacks, and protein bites to keep you going through your day. We worked with a dietitian to examine the quality of Daily Harvest’s products and determine whether this meal service is worth trying. 

Medical disclaimer: This article is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. For health advice, contact a licensed healthcare provider.


Daily Harvest

A white bowl with sliced sweet potatoes, broccoli, avocado, and a lime slice on a bed of black rice.
A white bowl with sliced sweet potatoes, broccoli, avocado, and a lime slice on a bed of black rice.
Daily Harvest is a plant-based service that delivers dozens of organic meals, smoothies, and snacks to your door.
Fortune Score:
3.9 / 5

Key product features

Icon Meal Type 65
Meals and snacks Yes
Icon Drinking V2
Smoothies Yes
Icon Plants V2
Organic Yes
Icon Shipping Mattress
Average shipping time 1–3 days

What you should know

Daily Harvest is a meal delivery service that offers vegan, organic breakfast, lunch, and dinner options inspired by global cuisines, all in eco-friendly packaging. 

  • Our tester especially enjoyed the peach and strawberry smoothie, and the carrot and coconut curry soup. 
  • The starting price for items is $6.79, which is less expensive than similar foods and meals on the market.
  • Daily Harvest is great for people who want to eat a diet based on whole foods and want ready-made, plant-based options.
Pros
Breakfast bowls are high in potassium, which is good for heart health
Low-calorie grain bowls
Organic produce
High-protein snacks
Cons
Not suited for people with tree nut allergies
Some customers complained about the quality of the flatbread
Small portions

What is Daily Harvest? 

Daily Harvest is an organic meal delivery service that brings frozen breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, smoothies, and soups right to your doorstep. It caters to various dietary needs, including Whole30, Mediterranean, and plant-based diets. With options inspired by global cuisines like Indian, American, Italian, Chinese, and Mexican, there’s something for everyone.

Unlike other meal delivery services, Daily Harvest’s menu doesn’t rotate weekly, but it still provides plenty of options to explore new meals and ingredients for cooking at home.

Specs

Starting price$6.79
Shipping cost$9.99
Shipping areaContinental U.S.
Meal typePrepared meals, smoothies, snacks, drinks
Minimum order$50
Meal optionsWhole 30, Mediterranean, Plant-based
Cancellation methodOnline

Ordering and shipping

You can purchase Daily Harvest meals online without a subscription. Just visit the website, select your meals, smoothies, snacks, and drinks, and place your order. Customers can purchase a wide variety of meals and snacks with a subscription or product bundles without a subscription. There’s a minimum spend of $50, but if you spend $100 or more, you’ll receive a 10% discount. Plus, registered students and teachers can enjoy a 15% discount on orders over $100.

Daily Harvest accepts most major credit cards, including VISA, MasterCard, and American Express, Shop Pay, along with Google Pay. By agreeing to the Daily Harvest Terms of Service, you consent to having your payment method charged each week, unless you pause or cancel the service. Charges are processed three business days before your next delivery.

Delivery is available throughout the continental United States. Shipping generally costs $9.99, though this may vary slightly depending on your location.

If you have a question about your order, you can reach customer service by texting (929) 294-7081, calling (888) 302-0305, or emailing hello@daily-harvest.com. Customer service is available 9 a.m. through 6 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday. You can also reach Sage, a virtual assistant on the website. In addition, Daily Harvest has an FAQ page on the website to address commonly asked questions. 

Eco-friendly packaging

Daily Harvest is mindful of its environmental impact when it comes to packaging. Meals are shipped in recyclable boxes, liners, and dividers. The grain and pasta bags are made from post-consumer recycled materials. The folding cartons for pops and nut-milk are recyclable. The plastic trays and seals are made from #1 PET plastic and are recyclable in most areas. Additionally, the frozen foods are kept cold using dry ice.

Daily Harvest app usage

The Daily Harvest app gives you easy access to your account and order history. Browsing the menu is a breeze, and you don’t need a subscription to shop or explore. However, creating a profile can be helpful for saving your information. The app is free and available on both iOS and Android devices. With it, you can scroll through the menu, check ingredients and macros, order new items, and change your delivery day if needed. You can also rate and review meals, ingredients, and customer service right in the app.

Daily Harvest menu 

Daily Harvest offers a variety of vegan options, including breakfast bowls, smoothies, harvest bowls, pasta, grains, soups, flatbreads, nut milks (called “mylk”), snacks (“bites”), and frozen fruit pops.

Interestingly, a clinical trial from Stanford University compared the eating habits of twins over eight weeks. One twin followed a vegan diet, while the other ate a diet that included meat and vegetables. The study found that the twin on the vegan diet had lower cholesterol and fasting insulin levels by the end of the eight weeks. (3

Harvest bowls are great for lunch or dinner and include options like chickpea and coconut curry, spinach and shiitake mushroom grits, and butternut squash with chimichurri. If you’re craving a seasonal treat, they also have a pumpkin spice latte that comes in a pack with six servings. We didn’t see other latte flavors, but there are a few caffeinated drinks including cold brew and matcha.

Daily Harvest cost

When comparing Daily Harvest to its competitors, it seems like a more affordable service. 

The least expensive items on the Daily Harvest menu are breakfast bowls, priced at $6.79. Here’s a look at the cost of other items:

  • Mylk: $7.99
  • Protein bites: $7.99
  • Smoothies: $8.49
  • Soups: $8.49
  • Harvest bowls: $9.79
  • Pastas: $9.79
  • Grains: $9.79
  • Flatbreads: $9.79
  • Fruit pops: $9.99

Daily Harvest also offers curated bundles, such as 10 smoothies for $84.99 and 10 easy family favorites for $99.99, which breaks down to $8.50 per smoothie and $10 per meal. However, our tester found these portions to be more like snack sizes.

Our experience with Daily Harvest meals

Our tester tried a handful of meals and smoothies: butternut squash and chimichurri harvest bowl, pear and arugula flatbread, a strawberry and peach smoothie, and carrot and coconut curry soup. She liked the smoothies a lot and said the strawberry and peach smoothie was the best smoothie she’s ever had. The ingredients are all organic: strawberries, bananas, peaches, raspberries, gluten-free whole grain oats, flax seeds, and goji berries. Flax seeds play a role in lowering blood pressure and cholesterol and can also help with weight loss. (4

The smoothies arrive frozen, requiring just a quick blend with water or coconut water. Despite being frozen, our tester found the taste fresh and the texture spot on. At 140 calories, she added protein powder for a more filling option.

Portion size was a concern with the carrot and coconut curry soup. While it was flavorful, it left her wanting more. She hoped the harvest bowls would be more substantial, but at 210 calories, they felt more like a side dish, prompting her to add snacks throughout the day. The flatbread was the one dish that missed the mark; even after heating in a toaster oven, the crust remained soft and unappetizing.

What customers are saying

Daily Harvest has 1,350 verified reviews on Trustpilot, and of those, 54% are five stars.

 “I would recommend Daily Harvest to anyone! Their food is terrific, very tasty, and their customer service is top-notch. If you have any problem at all, they fix it. That makes me keep coming back as a customer.”

Marilyn K., Trustpilot

James J., a verified reviewer, was disappointed. “Shipping is spotty, deliveries missed which makes it hard when you rely on the purchased meals as your meal plan for the week,” he wrote.

Legal filings

As of 2022, Daily Harvest has received complaints about customers getting food poisoning, mostly attributed to the French lentil and leek crumbles dish, which was then permanently pulled from shelves in 2022. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigated the concern and issued a warning to the public to avoid eating this product. (5) The crumbles were made with tara flour native to South America. (6) Some customers had to have their gallbladders removed as a result of the food poisoning and sought damages in a class-action lawsuit, which Daily Harvest settled for $23 million in 2023.

We’ve featured Daily Harvest in:


Compare Daily Harvest

Daily Harvest Factor Marley Spoon Purple Carrot
Daily Harvest Factor Marley Spoon Purple Carrot
Rating
3.9/5
4/5
4.7/5
4.4/5
Starting cost per meal $6.79 $11.49 $10.99 $11.99
Delivery area Continental U.S. Continental U.S. Continental U.S. Continental U.S.
Delivery cost $9.99 $10.99 $11.99 $12-$15; Free over $100
Meal type Prepared meals Prepared meals Meal kit and prepared meals Meal kit and prepared meals

How we test meal delivery services

Signing up for a meal delivery service like Daily Harvest makes eating nutritious meals and snacks easier when you’re busy. Letting someone else handle the hard work of meal prep takes a lot off of your plate (literally), so you can focus your energy on other things.

Not every meal delivery service is a great fit for every person or scenario. That’s why Fortune Recommends™ aims to test every meal delivery service we review personally. Our goal is to provide unbiased, honest feedback to help you pick the right service for you.

Here’s why you can trust our meal delivery reviews.

Every Fortune meal delivery review features:

  • In-depth analysis by testers and/or authors who are certified nutritionists and/or registered dietitians
  • Testing for portion/ingredient accuracy, taste, and freshness
  • Fact-checking and reviewing by qualified experts

At times, we may feature meal delivery services we haven’t yet tested. Until we can try them, we examine each service’s cost, meal variety, nutrition breakdown, and customization options. We then update our reviews once we’ve tested them to highlight everything we liked and didn’t like.

Learn how we test all product categories here.

Testing criteria

Meal choices—30%

A meal delivery service should provide numerous healthy, nutritious options for every meal of the day. It should also give you as much authority as you want over what you order. Here’s what we take into account in our meal choices rating:

  • Multiple options
  • Substitutions
  • Guidance
  • Label transparency
Food quality—30%

If you’re not looking forward to the meals from your delivery service, that’s a problem. We aim to match you with companies that use delicious chef-designed recipes and have the dietary firepower of nutritionists and/or registered dietitians behind them. Here’s what goes into our quality rating.

  • Flavor
  • Healthiness
  • Freshness
  • Portion size

 

Value—20%

Meal delivery services run the gamut in price, but what you receive should feel reasonable for what you’re paying. Here’s what we factor into a program’s value rating:

  • Fair price
  • Multiple quantity options
  • Customization
Customer experience—20%

Customer service is important when you want to reach out with a question or concern. We look at verified Better Business Bureau and Trustpilot reviews to see what other people thought about the products and services.

  • Packaging
  • Ease of preparation
  • Reviews
  • Customer service

FAQs

Is Daily Harvest healthy?

Yes, Daily Harvest is a healthy option, especially for those with busy schedules who don’t have time to meal prep or cook. It offers a variety of vegan, organic meals, snacks, smoothies, and soups designed to support a healthy lifestyle. The meals are packed with nutritionally balanced ingredients, vitamins, and minerals.

Is Daily Harvest worth it?

If you prioritize eating an organic and vegan diet, Daily Harvest could be a good fit. However, the portions can be small for a full meal, so they might work better as a snack.

Is Daily Harvest expensive?

Given the small portion sizes, Daily Harvest can be pricey. For example, a single-serving harvest bowl costs $9.79 but is low in calories, so you might need two servings, which adds up to almost $20. A single fruit pop snack is $9.99, which also feels a bit steep.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases.

Our experts

Lauren Panoff, MPH, RD

Lauren Panoff, MPH, RD is a plant-based registered dietitian, freelance writer, and content strategist for health and nutrition brands. She completed her nutrition education at Colorado State University, her dietetic internship through Michigan Medicine, and holds a Master of Public Health degree from Michigan State University. Lauren has been working in the wellness industry for over 15 years, including time spent in project management, public health standards, dietary supplement testing, inpatient and outpatient nutrition therapy, and child education. She has followed a plant-based lifestyle for over a decade and is passionate about helping others enjoy a healthier and more meaningful life.

Joana Neziri, M.S., NASM CPT

Joana is a writer, editor, and content strategist focusing on nutrition, fitness, and all things health. After earning a master’s degree in business from the University of North Florida, she began a career in research and digital marketing.

Jessica Coulon

Jessica is a contributing editor and writer who specializes in fitness, health, nutrition, and science content. Previously, she was an editor for Popular Mechanics and Bicycling, where she covered pro cycling news, wrote how-to guides, and tested all the latest and greatest bike gear. She was also a regular shoe tester and contributor for Runner’s World. You can often find her skiing or riding her mountain bike, and racing with the F1RE female enduro team.

Kelly Uhler

Kelly has a multifaceted background in elder care, health care, and copywriting. She has worked for organizations such as A Place For Mom and Homecare.com, which gave her the opportunity to work closely with families, providing reliable information to help them make informed decisions about their loved one’s health, safety, and quality of life.

Lauren Evoy Davis

Lauren Evoy Davis

Fortune Recommends Staff Writer

About Author

Lauren Evoy Davis is a health journalist with expertise in cancer and other chronic conditions. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from American University and a bachelor’s degree in English from Elon University. Her work has been published by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, National Council on Aging, HelpGuide WebMD, Everyday Health and Verizon. She tests meal kits, meal delivery services, and fitness apps. When not writing or reading, Lauren enjoys paddle boarding on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, weightlifting, and gardening.

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