Not only have I tried both Splendid Spoon and Daily Harvest, but I’ve sampled almost all of their meals. With so many options on the market, choosing a meal delivery service that aligns with your health goals, dietary needs, and lifestyle can be overwhelming.
If you’re looking for a plant-based meal delivery service and unsure which one to try, I’ll help you by sharing my experience, the pros and cons of each, and my tips and favorite menu items.
This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for more information. Some products were gifted to me but all opinions are my own.
- Splendid Spoon vs. Daily Harvest Overview
- How are Daily Harvest and Splendid Spoon Different?
- Menu Items
- Nutritional Value and Ingredients
- Convenience and Lifestyle
- Delivery and Packaging
- Ease of Preparation
- Taste and Variety
- Smoothies
- Soups
- Bowls
- Pasta
- Other Daily Harvest Menu Items
- Which One Should You Choose?
- Frequently Asked Questions
What to Know Before You Try
- Splendid Spoon and Daily Harvest both offer convenient, healthy meal options, but differ in preparation and customization.
- Consider your individual tastes, variety, pricing, and dietary restrictions and needs.
- The two meal kit delivery services use a subscription model.
- Splendid Spoon requires less preparation than Daily Harvest and makes a better option for on-the-go healthy eating.
Splendid Spoon vs. Daily Harvest Overview
While Splendid Spoon and Daily Harvest seem very similar, upon closer look, you’ll see there are some major differences.
What is Splendid Spoon?
Splendid Spoon is a woman-owned company started by Nicole Centeno in Brooklyn, New York, in 2013, with the goal of making healthy meals more accessible, especially for those who might not have the time or inclination to prepare plant-based meals from scratch.
I started buying from Splendid Spoon about a decade ago and have seen the company grow both in terms of delivery locations and product offerings. I loved them so much, I asked to become an ambassador. You can read my story here on their website.
Splendid Spoon launched with pre-made smoothies and soups. Today, Splendid Spoon’s meals include grain bowls and pasta dishes.
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What is Daily Harvest?
Daily Harvest also began in New York and was founded by Rachel Drori in 2015, a female marketing executive who saw a need for healthy, delicious meals, especially for busy people like her.
Daily Harvest began with a product line of frozen, ready-to-blend smoothies. This company, too, has expanded into soups, harvest bowls, flatbreads, oat bowls, chia bowls, and frozen bites, while maintaining its focus on whole organic ingredients and convenient preparation.
Save $65 off your first Daily Harvest order with promo code PURSESTRINGS using this link.
How are Daily Harvest and Splendid Spoon Different?
Daily Harvest and Splendid Spoon are both companies that offer convenient, plant-based meal delivery services. They have some key differences in their product offerings, meal types, and customization options. Both offer subscriptions so you need to skip or cancel orders. Otherwise, you will get charged.
- Product Range:
- Daily Harvest: Initially started with ready-to-blend smoothies and has expanded to include a wide range of products such as harvest bowls, flatbreads, soups, oat bowls, chia bowls, and more. Their offerings are diverse, covering not just meals but also snacks and breakfast options.
- Splendid Spoon: Focuses more on ready-to-eat meals, including smoothies, soups, grain bowls, and noodle dishes.
- Preparation:
- Daily Harvest: Most of their items come frozen and require some level of preparation, such as heating or blending, although the preparation is minimal.
- Splendid Spoon: Offers meals that are mostly ready to eat with minimal to no preparation required, emphasizing ease and convenience.
- Cost:
- Daily Harvest: Pricing ranges from $5.99 to $11.99 per item, but you can save the more you order. They charge a shipping fee of $9.99 per box.
- Splendid Spoon: Pricing ranges from $9.99 to $13.49, with free shipping.
- Portion Sizes
- Splendid Spoon: While Splendid Spoon’s smoothies come in a 16 oz. bottle. However, if you inspect the label, you will find that the serving size is half the smoothie bottle. The same goes for their soups.
- Daily Harvest: Daily Harvest provides 7 oz. smoothies and are single-serving. Their soups and meals are also meant to be one serving, however, some of their meals like their pasta bags are meant to feed more than one.
In choosing between Splendid Spoon and Daily Harvest, it largely comes down to personal preference regarding meal variety and preparation. I find both equally committed to quality and taste, offering diverse menus to suit different tastes and needs.
For me, as you will see, in terms of taste and convenience, I choose Splendid Spoon. But for variety and customization, I prefer Daily Harvest. Both are great options and I alternate between the two.
Save $65 off your first order with promo code PURSESTRINGS
Menu Items
Each brand has crafted a diverse menu that caters to various tastes and preferences.
Smoothies and Drinks
Splendid Spoon prides itself on offering a variety of smoothies, which include flavors rich in fruits, vegetables, and superfoods. Many contain pea protein. Additionally, for those seeking a quick wellness boost, they provide ready-to-drink wellness shots.
Daily Harvest, on the other hand, carries a range of smoothies, lattes, and even plant-based milks. Their flavors often feature a mix of fruits, vegetables, and adaptogens for added health benefits.
Read this in-depth comparison article on how Daily Harvest smoothies compare to Splendid Spoon.
Bowls
Both companies offer an impressive lineup of bowls, but they each approach it a bit differently.
Splendid Spoon focuses on smoothies, grain bowls, and noodle bowls.
Daily Harvest emphasizes variety in its bowl offerings, which include options like chia bowls, harvest bowls, and oat bowls, and even soups. These meals are crafted to deliver both taste and nourishment in a convenient format.
Flatbreads and Snacks
While Splendid Spoon doesn’t currently offer flatbreads or snacks, however, Daily Harvest has ventured into savory meal options, including plant-based flatbreads topped with whole foods like vegetables and spices.
Desserts and Specialty Items
When it comes to desserts, Daily Harvest stands out with its unique offerings, such as ice pops, frozen bites, and formerly dairy-free ice cream scoops. Daily Harvest also sells “mylk,” i.e., oat, almond, and vanilla almond milk.
Nutritional Value and Ingredients
Both companies prioritize plant-based, gluten-free, and non-GMO ingredients, ensuring a high standard for clean eating.
Organic and Non-GMO
Splendid Spoon and Daily Harvest commit to organically sourced ingredients, minimizing exposure to pesticides. From acai to turmeric, these companies regularly integrate superfoods into their food options.
Convenience and Lifestyle
In comparing Splendid Spoon and Daily Harvest, I found that both cater to a busy lifestyle with their convenient delivery services and chef-crafted meals, but they differ in packaging and preparation methods.
Delivery and Packaging
Splendid Spoon
For Splendid Spoon, I receive meals delivered to my door, emphasizing minimally processed foods. The meals, including smoothies, soups, and grain bowls, come ready to eat in recyclable containers.
Daily Harvest
Daily Harvest also delivers to my home but with a focus on frozen ingredients packed in cups or bowls which are also recyclable. Both services use packaging that is designed to maintain the freshness and integrity of the meals during shipment.
Ease of Preparation
Splendid Spoon
Splendid Spoon meals require no preparation, other than heating their meals. Splendid Spoon smoothies are designed to be consumed on the go, and it’s often what I grab when I’m running errands or working out of my home office. You can heat their meals in the microwave directly in their containers.
Daily Harvest
Daily Harvest smoothies require a blender and a liquid of your choice, whether that’s water, milk, coffee, tea, or yogurt. You can put the blended smoothie back into its recyclable container to drink.
Their meals also require more preparation. Unlike Splendid Spoon, their soups need a liquid, either broth or water and sometimes require a blender to mix the ingredients.
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Taste and Variety
Both Daily Harvest and Splendid Spoon regularly introduce new products into their menu.
Smoothies
Splendid Spoon
Since Splendid Spoon smoothies are designed to be consumed right out of the bottle, no customization is needed. I find their smoothies to be popping with flavors, sweet, and filling. I like all their smoothies except for their Power Greens Smoothie (I don’t like the taste of wheatgrass or spirulina).
Daily Harvest
I’ve also enjoyed all of my Daily Harvest smoothies, although, in my opinion, they’re naturally less sweet. Since you toss the ingredients into the blender, you can easily add flavored milk or a natural sweetener. I’m also very focused on protein so I regularly add a flavored protein powder to their smoothie.
I will preface and say this is coming from someone who does not like things sweet.
Soups
As a reminder, Splendid Spoon soups need no preparation other than heating, while Daily Harvest requires a base like a broth or water. I think both soups taste homemade, actually better than I can make.
Splendid Spoon
Splendid Spoon impresses with internationally inspired flavors. The soups are thick and the taste is interesting and rich, rivaling some of my favorite restaurants.
My favorite soups are red lentil dal, an oldie but goodie, and beans and greens.
Click here to get $20 off your first delivery of Splendid Spoon with code MYPURSESTRINGS20
Daily Harvest
While I like their soups, in my opinion, Daily Harvest soups are also less flavorful than Splendid Spoon but can be made to your preferences with the broth of your choice and seasonings.
Bowls
Both companies offer bowls with unique flavors.
Splendid Spoon
Now called “dishes,” Splendid Spoon uses global ingredients like curry, kimchi, and korma. The bowls are easy to prepare. I just pop them into the microwave. I’ve never been disappointed with a bowl.
Daily Harvest
Daily Harvest has a huge selection of bowls from grain bowls to forager bowls (made with oats or chia), harvest bowls (vegetable-heavy), and grains (meant more as a side dish). I love all the surprising flavors and variety.
Save $65 off your first order with promo code PURSESTRINGS using this link.
Pasta
Both companies offer exceptional pasta dishes, although they differ in ingredients.
Splendid Spoon
Splendid Spoon’s Noodle Bowls combine rice noodles with vegetables or vegan meat substitutes. They have a limited selection of pasta but I find them all delicious, especially the Creamy Butternut Squash noodles.
Daily Harvest
Daily Harvest packages their pasta in bags and has enough that you can serve it to a family. I’m especially impressed with the quality of these pasta dishes. My favorite is their lentil-based pasta, the Zucchini + Gigante Bean Primavera.
Other Daily Harvest Menu Items
Bites
I’m obsessed with Daily Harvest frozen bites, my favorite being the Cacao + Peppermint bites, made with chickpeas, dates, and chaga. I have to keep this away from my husband and he’ll eat the entire container. It’s my go-to dessert.
Flatbreads
I cannot get into Daily Harvest’s gluten-free flatbreads. They have a distinct after-taste. It’s the only Daily Harvest item I don’t like.
Which One Should You Choose?
If you’re looking to adopt a more plant-based diet, you can’t go wrong with either option. Much of it comes down to your particular lifestyle.
Splendid Spoon Pros and Cons
Pros
- Pre-made meals that require minimal to no preparation, making it an ideal choice for individuals with busy lifestyles
- Rich, robust flavors
- Free shipping
Cons
- Nutritional labels may lead to confusion regarding portion sizes
- Smaller variety than Daily Harvest
Daily Harvest Pros and Cons
Pros
- Large variety of options including smoothies, soups, harvest bowls, flatbreads, oat bowls, chia bowls, and snacks.
- Customizable meals allow you to add additional ingredients, liquids, and proteins
- Large portions available
Cons
- Preparation required
- Shipping not included
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Frequently Asked Questions
In this section, I’m addressing common inquiries about Splendid Spoon and Daily Harvest, focusing on nutritional content, weight loss potential, customer experiences, and specific product queries.
Can one expect to achieve weight loss goals with Splendid Spoon or Daily Harvest products?
Both Splendid Spoon and Daily Harvest provide calorie-conscious options that could be incorporated into a weight-loss plan. However, neither claims to be a weight-loss tool. However, I find myself making healthier choices when eating from both of these companies and for me, it’s a great way to lose and maintain my weight.
Daily Harvest even has a Whole 30 menu.
Of course, it’s recommended to consult with a healthcare provider before starting any new diet program for weight loss.
What are some alternative meal delivery services that are comparable to Splendid Spoon?
There are several alternatives to Splendid Spoon, such as HelloFresh, Blue Apron, and Purple Carrot, which offer plant-focused meals. Purple Carrot, for example, specializes in entirely plant-based options, and might be an alternative for those looking for similar services.
Read my protein bar reviews:
Michelle Platt is a content creator and certified personal trainer. Proving it’s never too late to reinvent yourself, she’s a former attorney and teacher who loves to do the research so you don’t have to. She takes a deep dive into each topic and writes about her wellness journey here. She loves trying out new workouts, fitness tips, healthy foods, and products to share with you. This native New Yorker recently made the move to the suburbs of Minneapolis, where she lives with her husband, two kids, and two dogs.