Honest Review of Daily Harvest
Daily Harvest is a plant-based meal delivery service that provides a range of options from smoothies, oat bowls, soups, chia bowls and more. They work directly with farmers, harvest at the right time and freeze all of the meals at the source to lock in the flavor, nutrition and ensure farm-fresh quality. Many may know Daily Harvest from their delicious smoothies served in creative Instagram ads on your feed. I fall into that category! The smoothies originally caught my attention a few years ago, but I finally decided now was time to give Daily Harvest a try.
A quick note before we hop in: this post is not sponsored. I organically found Daily Harvest and purchased without any financial incentive or reimbursement. All opinions are from my personal experience.
My Experience
I purchased my first Daily Harvest shipment of nine items, all delivered to my door in a pristinely packaged box with dry ice at the bottom to ensure items arrive still frozen. Even with a winter snowstorm delaying the shipment, it ended up being delivered only a day late, and my tracking information notified me every step of the way. One of the smoothie lids was delivered cracked, but everything else arrived in perfect condition.
While Daily Harvest is know for their smoothies, they also offer a wide selection of other options including oat bowls, soups, flatbreads, chia bowls and more. I also tried out the Apple + Cinnamon Oat Bowl, Chocolate + Almond Chia Bowl, Tomato + Zucchini Minestrone and Butternut Squash + Rosemary Soup.
My Assortment Included:
Acai + Cherry Smoothie
Mango + Papaya Smoothie
Mint + Cacao Smoothie
Ginger + Greens Smoothie
Spiced Pear + Cranberry Smoothie
Apple + Cinnamon Oat Bowl
Chocolate + Almond Chia Bowl
Tomato + Zucchini Minestrone
Butternut Squash + Rosemary Soup
Review of the Smoothies:
I tried out the Spiced Pear + Cranberry Smoothie first and was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to make. I loved that the smoothie wasn’t overly sweet and enjoyed the tart flavor, but wouldn’t recommend this smoothie for someone trying Daily Harvest for the first time. Matthew didn’t care for the flavor, but he also isn’t a fan of tart cranberry flavor.
Random note: I went back and forth on whether to make the smoothies with water or milk, in my case oat milk. I used water and was glad I did because the smoothies are already packed with flavor.
Review of the Soups:
The soups were delicious and so easy to make. They were amazing to have on hand during busy weeks to have a quick, easy and yummy lunch or dinner. I would order the Tomato + Zucchini Minestrone and Butternut Squash + Rosemary again in a heartbeat. With the soups, instead of adding water, I added chicken stock instead for a little additional flavor. I also topped the minestrone with some Parmesan cheese.
Review of the Oat Bowl:
The Apple + Cinnamon Oat Bowl was one of the only things besides the Spiced Pear + Cranberry Smoothie I didn’t care for. I am a huge fan of apples and oatmeal, so I was surprised this combo was not a winner, especially because it is so simple to make. I thought the oats tasted funny due to the added cauliflower, and the apples didn’t impart any flavor. Oatmeal is so simple to make, especially overnight oats, so I plan to try and recreate this recipe at home with my own ingredients.
Review of the Chia Bowls:
I only picked up one chia bowl (Chocolate + Almond Chia Bowl) because I wasn’t certain if I would like it, but it ended up being delicious. One quick note about the chia bowls is that you have to prepare them at least six hours in advance. So, if you plan to eat a chia bowl for breakfast, make sure to soak it overnight in the fridge in the milk of your choice (I chose oat milk).
My Feedback:
Acai + Cherry Smoothie - Delicious!
Mango + Papaya Smoothie - Delicious!
Mint + Cacao Smoothie - Delicious! Would order again.
Ginger + Greens Smoothie - Delicious! Would order again.
Spiced Pear + Cranberry Smoothie - Bitter. Wouldn’t order again.
Apple + Cinnamon Oat Bowl - Wouldn’t order again. Not enough apple, flavor was off.
Chocolate + Almond Chia Bowl - YUM! I may try making at home before ordering again.
Tomato + Zucchini Minestrone - So tasty! Would order again.
Butternut Squash + Rosemary Soup - So delicious! Would order again.
Pros of Daily Harvest
With subscription services, I always get antsy about forgetting to cancel the service so that I am not charged for items I no longer want or if I am out-of-town and will not receive. One major plus about Daily Harvest is that you can pause at any time with one simple click. While other subscriptions may say you have the same option, I found this feature to be more user-friendly to toggle on/off than other subscription companies I’ve tried. Simply click the calendar icon on the top right-hand corner and all the options are available.
Other Pros:
I’ve tried other subscription meal services in the past like Hello Fresh and ended up feeling like the meals were too heavy in meat, dairy and gluten: all items I generally avoid in my diet. I have a super sensitive stomach, so I generally try to eat as close to Whole 30 as I can.
After your first shipment arrives, you’ll be prompted to review the items you received in order to gain more personalized recommendations for your next order.
Cons of Daily Harvest
One of the biggest cons of Daily Harvest — that I see with other meal delivery services as well — is that they are just as expensive as eating out and ordering from a restaurant. While the ingredients may be more nutritious, I was still surprised to see smoothies and soup available for $7.99, especially when they still needed to be blended and prepared.
The 9-meal subscription is perfect for an individual because all items are a single serving, however, the plan isn’t big enough for both Matthew and me to enjoy, especially seeing as Matthew eats way more on a daily basis calorie-wise than these meals offer (i.e. would need two smoothies to feel full, even as just a snack.)
Final Thoughts
I overall really loved my first experience with Daily Harvest, and I plan to order from them again. Moving forward, I will probably do 9 items per month, instead of per week. That way, I have the option to enjoy the smoothies, soups and bowls as an added snack/quick lunch item instead of an everyday essential. I personally feel they are more of a quick/easy breakfast, lunch or snack versus a true meal replacement.