Daily Harvest Review: Our Dietitians’ Thoughts

You’ve seen the colorful and fresh Daily Harvest foods in our social media feed and you might be wondering, “What exactly is Daily Harvest?” and “Is Daily Harvest worth it?” In this honest Daily Harvest review, we’ll share with you what Daily Harvest is, the freezer-to-table plant-based foods that Daily Harvest offers, how the plans work, box sizes, and average costs. We will also share how we use Daily Harvest in our own homes, and what we think of the Daily Harvest collections (taste and nutritionally speaking), as registered dietitians.

This post was created in partnership with Daily Harvest. Although we received compensation for this post, all opinions are ours and based on our personal experiences with this service. 

What is Daily harvest?

Daily Harvest is a convenient meal delivery brand that offers freezer-to-table food that makes it really easy to eat more fruits and vegetables every day. As registered dietitians, we know the value and importance of including more nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables at every meal. Daily Harvest makes this health goal easier by offering food delivered to your door and ready in minutes that can help you have healthy and delicious options at breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and snack time.

The foods that daily harvest offers

Our entire team at The Real Food Dietitians has found that having Daily Harvest foods stocked in our freezer has not only given us quick options in a pinch (hello, we are all busy, working Moms over here). It has also provided peace of mind that we’ll always have something healthy to reach for when lunchtime sneaks up on us or we need to get everyone fed and out the door in the morning.

If you only know Daily Harvest for their smoothies (the amazing collection that launched this brand), it has grown to include so many more plant-based, fruit- and veggie-loaded options for every time of the day. Daily Harvest offers a wide variety of foods, including:

• Smoothies – hand-crafted smoothies with delicious combinations of unique whole-food ingredients; simply add your liquid of choice, blend, and start sipping; we love how we can make one of these in less than 1 minute for healthy snacks or part of a grab-and-go breakfast
• Harvest Bowls – nourishing and 100% plant-based bowls with vegetables, healthy sauces, and a base of wild rice, beans, root vegetables, cauliflower and more; we find these are a great portion for single lunches
• Flatbreads – the Daily Harvest flatbreads (along with all of their collections) are all gluten free and dairy free; made with broccoli, cauliflower, or sweet potato crusts and extra-virgin olive oil, as well as key spices, each flatbread is topped with a nutritious combination of a veggie-based sauce (such as pesto, pureed squash, or tomato sauce) and toppers; each flatbread is approximately 4×9 inches and makes a perfect lunch or dinner for one, or side dish for two or three eaters. They’re so easy to make, just pop in the oven for 20 minutes!
• Soups – from miso and chili to curry, minestrone, and more, we find the soups in the Daily Harvest collection to be nourishing with slow-cooked depth of flavor; to make one just add 1 cup of water or unsalted broth and heat in the microwave or on the stovetop
• Forager Bowls – the forager bowls are what you should pick for a hearty serving of superfoods with lasting power; they come in both sweet and savory flavors and have grain-free bases, such as rolled oats, chia, or grits
• Oat Bowls – we love our oats here at The RFDs, so this is one of our favorite collections; the oat bowls are a quick comfort breakfast that can power you through the morning; they can be served cold (like overnight oats right out of the fridge) or warm (prepared in 3 minutes in the microwave)
• Chia Bowls – with enough calories and fiber to be a sustaining breakfast or split into two servings for a healthy snack, the chia bowls don’t require any equipment; just add 1/2 cup dairy or non-dairy milk or water to the frozen contents, then stick in the fridge overnight (or at least 6 hours) to soak; in the morning, just grab and go
• Scoops – think ice cream, but better! These non-dairy frozen desserts are creamy and made from 100% whole-food ingredients without the addition of gums, sugars, or refined fillers; some have a base of organic coconut, while others are based on cashew or pistachio milk
• Bites – these nutrient-dense energy bites can be enjoyed right out of the fridge. Each one is an approximate 100-calorie snack full of only healthy, real-food, plant-based ingredients; we love to eat them cold and the experience is reminiscent of eating chilled fudge or cookie dough
• Lattes – each pack comes with two latte pods that can be made into an iced or hot latte; just add 1 cup of dairy or non-dairy milk or water and heat on the stovetop or in a microwave
• Mylk – a new addition to the DH lineup, one package of the almond milk wedges makes 1/2 gallon of plant-based, dairy-free almond milk without any fillers or added sweeteners; made with just almonds, pink sea salt, and sometimes vanilla. Simply blend the wedges with water to make a glass of Mylk, or add 2 wedges and water directly to your Daily Harvest smoothie when blending

daily harvest prioritizes real and organic Ingredients

Daily Harvest works directly with its farmers to grow the best produce harvested at peak ripeness and frozen right at the source to lock in flavor and nutrients. Here are some examples of how that makes a difference:

• Cauliflower – since it is frozen the day it is harvested, it locks in 50% more antioxidants than cauliflower does at three days post harvest
• Blueberries – those frozen the day of harvest have 200% more vitamin C than blueberries do at three days after harvest
• Strawberries – picked and frozen the same day of harvest, the DH strawberries contain 35% more beta carotene than those eaten or frozen only three days after harvest
• Figs – DH works with a 3rd generation farmer to create a one-of-a-kind fig with a richer flavor and more nutrients

How to make a daily harvest smoothie

Have a blender? Then you have everything you need to enjoy a Daily Harvest smoothie made from fresh real foods. The ingredients in Daily Harvest smoothies are meticulously sourced and never include gums, preservatives, or anything artificial. The Mint + Cacao Smoothie (a team favorite, shown here) is made from banana, spinach, cacao, cashew, chlorella, and peppermint. These ingredients combine for an incredibly delicious smoothie packed with vitamins, healthy fats, and antioxidants, plus no added sugars.

Making a harvest bowl from daily harvest

The Harvest Bowls are such a fast and convenient way to eat a veggie-filled, plant-based meal. They save you from having to source and prep a lot of different food. To make one, add the contents of the bowl to a skillet with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water; heat and stir for 4-5 minutes. Alternatively, you can cook it directly in its compostable container in a microwave (no liquid needed) for a one-bowl meal ready in 5 minutes. The bowls are 100% microwavable and compostable so no clean-up needed! The Sweet Potato + Wild Rice Hash Harvest Bowl (one of Stacie’s favorites, shown here) is made from tomato, wild rice, sweet potato, Great Northern beans, avocado, and maitake mushrooms.

Round it out

All Daily Harvest foods are 100% plant-based, gluten-free, and dairy-free. We like to add sliced and cooked chicken, crumbled ground beef or pork, cooked shrimp, or a cooked egg when we need more protein.

Let’s make a Daily Harvest oat bowl

The oat bowls are some of our favorite offerings from Daily Harvest. We find them to be filling and delicious with great texture right out of the microwave. To make an oat bowl, simply add 1/2 cup of dairy or non-dairy milk or water directly to the frozen ingredients. Microwave directly in the 100% compostable container for 90 seconds, stir, then microwave 90 seconds more. You can also make their oat bowls cold as overnight oats! The ingredients in the Apple + Cinnamon Oat Bowl (shown here, perfect for a cozy morning) are oats, apple, cauliflower, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and cinnamon.

How to make a daily harvest flatbread

The gluten-free flatbreads are an addition to the Daily Harvest collection that we’re so excited about. They have all veggie toppings (including the sauce) and broccoli, cauliflower, or sweet potato crusts. The flatbreads bake up tender at the center and crunchy at the edge. To make one, toast the flatbread in a 450-degree oven or toaster oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Here we show the Kale + Sweet Potato Flatbread that features sweet potato, red cabbage, kale, cauliflower, spinach, and coriander.

An eggcellent Topper

We’ve gotten into the habit of topping the Daily Harvest flatbreads with a hard-boiled, soft-boiled, or fried egg. The flavor pairs well with each of the flatbreads and ups the protein. We’ve been known to enjoy this combo for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

what are the daily harvest scoops?

Think of ice cream, but made entirely from plant-based ingredients. The Daily Harvest Scoops collection is a non-dairy treat that tastes really good directly from the freezer. Let it thaw at room temp a few minutes before scooping into a bowl (or spooning right from the container). We love the ingredients in the Scoops, which are shown right on the front of the container. The two flavors shown here are the Strawberry + Rich, Rippled Berry Compote (featuring coconut, strawberry, dragon fruit, raspberry, vanilla bean, and a probiotic). And Chocolate + Ooey, Gooey Midnight Fudge (made from coconut, maple, cacao, avocado, pine pollen, and vanilla).

Daily Harvest Bites: made-for-you energy balls

The Daily Harvest Bites are ready-to-enjoy snacks made from superfoods that you can eat right out of the freezer. These are similar to our nutrient-dense energy bites and bars, always made with 100% real-food ingredients, only they’re already made for you. One of Jessica’s favorites, the Cacao Nib + Vanilla Bites (shown here) are made from chickpea, coconut, cacao, kabocha squash, maca, and vanilla bean.

How much does daily harvest cost?

You may be wondering if we think Daily Harvest is a good value. We wholeheartedly give them our dietitians’ thumbs up. Each item is built on organic fruits and vegetables, and combined in a way that provides diverse nutrients. Plus, they make it easy to get fruits and veggies into every day. The cost of each item ranges from $5.99 to $8.99. You can choose to select how many items are delivered per box. Boxes are delivered weekly or monthly, and you can pause your plan or skip a week at any time (without being charged during the pause).

Here’s How Daily Harvest Works:

• Delicious food delivered to your doorstep
• DH is always on hand in your freezer and is ready to enjoy in minutes. Just blend, soak or heat according to the instructions of each item
• Daily Harvest offers flexible deliveries with the ability to add items, change box sizes or selections, and skip weeks
• All items are gluten-free, dairy-free, and plant-based
• 95% of the ingredients used in Daily Harvest are organic. Daily Harvest also supports transitional organic farms that are in the process of gaining a USDA Organic certification. Their investment helps the farmers transition to organic by making the 3-year, cost and labor-intensive conversion process a bit easier

• Daily Harvest works with in-house chefs and nutritionists to develop their recipes
• From the shipping boxes and liners to the food containers, 100% of Daily Harvest items are either recyclable or compostable; here’s a guide that explains how to compost or recycle each component
• You can gift Daily Harvest to a friend who needs a health boost and more trusted convenience in their lives

When you order more, you save more. We think this is a great deal for such high-quality, nutritious, done-for-you foods you can enjoy within minutes! And you can get up to $40 off your first box with our code REALFOOD40.

This post was made possible by Daily Harvest. Although we received compensation for this post, the opinions expressed here are – as always – 100% our own.

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