Before I became GH's Nutrition Director, I was working as a registered dietitian in my own private nutrition practice. Meal delivery services were up-and-coming at the time, and practically every client would come in with questions — are these services worth it? Are they healthy? And what about the cost? Sakara was always one that clients inquired about, thanks to its aesthetic Instagram ads and perfectly styled food displays.
Fast forward to today: I now run meal delivery service testing for the Good Housekeeping Institute, so you can say that I'm more than just well-versed in the offerings. I've tested Sakara several times, including a month-long period when they launched their short-lived Sakara Systems program, and most recently, I tried out their updated Signature Nutrition Program for a week. Not only does this review include my personal experience with the brand, but we also had five separate testers across the nation evaluate the service for even more real-life feedback. Here's my verdict on the service, including whether or not it's worth the cost.
What is Sakara?
Pros
- High-quality, fresh ingredients
- All meals are plant-based, gluten-free, dairy-free and soy-free
- Meals come fully prepared and ready to eat
- Great flavor variety and innovative healthy dishes
- Nationwide shipping and availability
Cons
- Expensive
- Menus are pre-set with limited modification options
- Not ideal for large families
Founded in 2012 by childhood friends Danielle DuBoise and Whitney Tingle, Sakara is a unique organic meal delivery service offering breakfast, lunch and dinner that focuses on wellness and nutritionally balanced meals. All meals are 100% plant-based and prepared by classically trained chefs, then delivered ready-to-eat to your doorstep. Free from dairy, meat and seafood, the service occasionally uses honey and bee pollen but prioritizes fruits and vegetables alongside a variety of nuts, seeds and beans. According to its website, Sakara bases its meals on nine pillars of nutrition, which include:
- Nutrient density
- Eat the rainbow
- Plant protein
- Eat your water
- Leafy greens
- Sulfur-rich vegetables
- Good fats
- Count nutrients, not calories
- Body intelligence
How does Sakara work?
Plans and pricing
Unlike other meal delivery services where you can select your meals or recipes, Sakara currently offers two programs with pre-set menus:
- The Signature Nutrition Program is available as a recurring subscription or as a pack of weeks. You can select meals for either three or five days per week and choose to receive two or three meals a day. The program ranges from $140 to $465 per week, depending on the number of meals you choose to receive (this averages to roughly $20 to $35 per meal). If you subscribe, you'll receive a 15% discount and have the option to skip weeks or swap meals.
- The Level II: Detox program was created in partnership with a functional medicine doctor and is an intensive, five-day program designed to serve as a dietary reset. It includes five days of complete meals, smoothies, soups, broth, supplements and more. The program costs $465, and Sakara recommends completing it only once a month or once a quarter.
Delivery and packaging
Sakara delivers its meals to all 48 contiguous states within the United States. The brand utilizes third-party shipping carriers, such as UPS, and hand-delivery partners, who will notify you of your order's delivery status. Delivery boxes are insulated and include ice packs to keep the food at a safe temperature. The boxes, liners and meal containers are 100% curbside recyclable.
Meals arrive at your doorstep fully prepared and ready to eat. Since the ingredients are fresh and of high quality, the food should be refrigerated and consumed within a few days. Many meals can be eaten raw, but heating instructions are also available for some meals. All dishes are labeled with a "Best By" date on the container.
Our experience trying Sakara
Ordering process
Our other testers and I found the ordering process to be simple and straightforward. There are only two programs to choose from now (Sakara used to offer more, but it has recently simplified its offerings), and most will likely opt for Sakara's Signature Nutrition Program, which is the core plan. One drawback is that the meals are largely pre-set — if you subscribe, you'll have some flexibility to swap a few meals, but for the high price, I feel that the meals should be more customizable.
It's also important to note that everything is designed for only one person, so if you're looking to feed a large family, then this service isn't ideal for you. And everything comes prepared and ready to eat or heat, which contributes to its higher price point.
All of the meals are gluten-free and plant-based; however, Sakara does not recommend their meals for individuals with severe allergies due to the potential for cross-contamination in their facilities.
Some of the claims seem elaborate to draw you in, and good nutrition is an integral part of the health equation, but it is just one component. You'll want to ensure you're staying hydrated, exercising, getting adequate sleep and taking care of your emotional and mental health to complement the nutritious foods the service sends you.
Unboxing and first impressions
Most testers had a positive experience with delivery and shipping. My meals and products were all delivered neatly and came in sturdy containers that sometimes included small shelves inside to keep certain ingredients separate, preventing them from becoming soggy. A second insulated bag was also provided in the first box, making it easy to transport the food to work. I also liked that you could eat the food right out of the container.
Meals were delivered at the appropriate cold temperature, and the ice packs were easy to recycle. "Everything arrived cold and stayed fresh the duration of the time that it was supposed to," a tester noted. "The delivery was well organized and the meals were fresh, flavorful and satisfying," another said.
One tester in New Jersey noted that her delivery box may have been tossed around in transit, as the containers were jostled within the box. However, she stated that the food was still fresh and tasty. "Their packaging is very durable. Packaging wasn't punctured or smushed during the crazy travel," she added.
Food quality
I had an overall positive experience with the service and was very impressed by the inventive meals and delicious flavor profiles. Although the meals are plant-based, the testers and I found them to be balanced and satisfying. Some meals are heartier than others, but every dish was incredibly tasty and included diverse flavor profiles. I shared the tacos with my husband, who is a big carnivore, and he was shocked to find out that they were made with jackfruit and not pulled meat. Salads are definitely a staple of the program, but you'll also receive chilis, stews, grain and noodle bowls, and more.
Sakara also does a great job at lightening up comfort food staples and adding a nutrient-packed twist on everything from breakfast donuts and muffins to plant-based burgers and enchiladas. "I already have dietary restrictions and know how complex and often unsatisfying dairy-free and gluten-free eating can be, but I felt that all of those substitutions didn't take away from the meals," one tester said.
The service also expanded my palate by introducing me to international flavors I hadn't tried before. The convenience of having everything prepared was not only practical but also significantly reduced my stress level for the week. I actually really looked forward to the meals since they were very original and packed with flavor.
I physically felt good and strong during the week, and it was interesting to have a break from meat-based meals and products while still feeling satiated and energetic. In my personal experience, I also saw an improvement in my skin health, but I don't think that the meals are necessarily a miracle cure. You'd likely find the same benefits by eating whole plant-based foods on your own, though without the convenience and meal creativity that the service offers. One tester had similar sentiments and said, "I would definitely order the meals again if the circumstances were aligned. I was really happy with how I felt after five days of the meals."
Tester feedback was largely positive across the board. "Overall, my experience with Sakara was wonderful," a tester said. "I felt that the ingredients, flavors and overall variety of the meals were really lovely." Another tester noted that the meals were all delicious and better than she had expected. "I looked forward to each meal, and I was always full after the meals. I never once felt the urge to consume anything outside of the delivered foods because I was always satisfied."
Informational materials and customer service
The informational booklets were also helpful, providing some background on the meals. Every meal has an ingredient or ingredients spotlighted for their potential health benefits, which testers appreciated.
Customer service is available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST. We reached out to them with several questions and received thorough responses the same day. When reaching out after business hours, someone got back to us the next day. They also have a detailed FAQ page and can be contacted via email or by scheduling a phone call.
You can easily cancel your Sakara subscription under your account profile, but you must cancel before Wednesday at midnight EST to not receive meals for the following week. If you want to rejoin the service, you can reactivate your subscription after logging back into your account.
Supplements and extras
Sakara offers a variety of supplements, snacks, teas and more to complement its meals. We tested the bars and granola, which were both filling and tasty, as well as the Daily Elixir liquid multivitamin, which takes some getting used to (any liquid multivitamin does) but has a citrusy flavor and goes down relatively easily.
As a dietitian, I appreciate that the Daily Elixir is made without artificial flavors and colors. It's pretty potent, though, and some of the nutrients far exceed what you need in a day — that isn't always a bad thing, but for certain fat-soluble vitamins like E, it can be a concern. I would consider taking even half a serving (half a tablespoon in this case) most days, which should be plenty, especially if you are already eating a healthy, balanced diet. It's expensive to begin with at $75, so cutting the serving size can make the bottle last longer.
One thing to note is that the liquid multi does not include vitamin C — you should be able to meet your daily requirements through your diet alone, but this is something I look for in a multivitamin to support a healthy immune system. It also contains only a small amount of calcium, and if you're on a dairy-free diet, you'll want to be extra mindful of incorporating enough calcium-rich plant-based foods into your diet. But the multi has plenty of vitamin B12, a nutrient that is typically lacking in most vegan diets. As always, you should speak with your healthcare provider before taking any new supplement.
Sakara says that its supplements are third-party tested by independent accredited labs to ensure that what is on the label is actually in the bottle. According to its website, every product undergoes four in-depth rounds of testing, where it is checked for everything from packaging defects to microbiological contamination. Additionally, the facilities are GMP-certified, meaning they comply with regulations governing the creation of safe, high-quality products.
Sakara vs. Thistle, Methodology and other services
Compared to other premade meal delivery services like Factor and Trifecta, Sakara's food is definitely premium, but it's also significantly more expensive and doesn't include meat. Sakara's menu is also pre-set for the week, and while the meals feel fresh and inventive, other services typically offer a large assortment of meals to choose from with more variety.
But Sakara's biggest competitors are likely Thistle and Methodology. Thistle comes at a more affordable price point with meals between $13 to $17.49 and gives you the option of meals that include meat or are solely plant-based. But Sakara's offerings are a bit more flavorful and inventive, though at a higher cost.
Methodology is a premium prepared meal delivery service similar to Sakara with vibrant, nutritious meals and tonics. I would say that the food quality of both is the same, and it is much better than other services on the market, as well as extremely fresh. Methodology meals are a bit heartier than Sakara's, though, namely because Methodology gives you the option to include high-quality animal proteins in some of its dishes like salmon and chicken. Both services are great but also extremely expensive (Methodology meals are $25 to $35 each, around the same as Sakara) — if you are to splurge, the choice comes down ultimately to whether or not you want entirely plant-based meals or prefer some animal proteins with your dishes.
The bottom line: Is Sakara worth the cost?
When it comes down to food quality, Sakara gets an A+. The meals are fresh, inventive, premium and very flavorful. It's also one of the healthier, if not the most nutritious, meal delivery services I have tested. However, I can't get past the cost — it's extremely expensive, and at such a high price point, I would expect more customization and menu options. But that may be why Sakara is so popular — it curates just a few meals and does it really well. Other services may offer a wide range of dishes to choose from, but Sakara's set menu is carefully curated and very well done. The high-quality food and overall program are worthwhile to try, provided it makes sense within your budget, but they won't provide any miracle cures.
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
Registered dietitian and Good Housekeeping Institute Nutrition Lab Director Stefani Sassos has led meal delivery testing efforts for the brand for the past six years. She is passionate about finding practical, time-saving solutions that make healthy eating and living more attainable. Stefani appreciates that many meal delivery services are offering more nutritious options to support a balanced lifestyle.
Stefani (she/her) is a registered dietitian, a NASM-certified personal trainer and the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Nutrition and Fitness Lab, where she oversees all nutrition and fitness-related content, testing and evaluation. She holds a master’s degree in clinical nutrition from New York University, as well as advanced certifications as a Women's Fitness Specialist and a Behavior Change Specialist. Stefani is dedicated to providing readers with evidence-based content to encourage informed food choices and healthy living. She is an avid CrossFitter and a passionate home cook who loves spending time with her big fit Greek family.
