Whole Harvest: Plant-Based Meal Delivery (Review)

I personally love these plant-based, oil-free, ready-to-eat meals so much that I’ve become an affiliate to share them with others! Use the coupon code EATPLANTS to receive $20 off your first order with Whole Harvest.

I first heard about Whole Harvest after another plant-based meal delivery service discontinued their meal delivery, and I was looking for other options. Though I thought I had found a new company that no one else knew about, I soon realized that I was late to the party because Forks Over Knives, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr., MD, Chef AJ, True North Health Center, and other well-known names in the whole food plant-based world were already recommending this vegan meal delivery service to patients. Dr. Dean Ornish even uses them for his heart disease reversal programs and research studies!

UPDATE: This article was originally written in December of 2023 and has been updated to reflect new products and pricing for 2024-2025.

Reasons you will love these meals

• Fresh, Seasonal Ingredients: Enjoy meals made with the highest quality seasonal ingredients, ensuring freshness and flavor in every bite.
• Convenient and Ready-to-Eat: No prep or cooking required—meals arrive fully prepared, making healthy eating easy and convenient.
• 100% Plant-Based: Delicious, nutritious, and entirely plant-based meals that fit perfectly into a vegan or plant-forward lifestyle. All of the entrees are oil-free and many are gluten-free and SOS (salt, oil, and sugar-free) as well.
• Regular Menu Updates: With new menu items every 3–4 months, there’s always something exciting and fresh to try!
• No Subscription Required: Order whenever you want, without any long-term commitment.

What is a plant-based meal delivery service?

Many people just want to try healthy plant-based vegan food to see how they like it without digging through plant-based recipes and ingredients and spending hours in the kitchen. Fresh ready-to-eat plant-based meals from a delivery service are a great way to do that.

Meal delivery services do the shopping, chopping, and cooking for you, and deliver prepared meals to your front door.

Some food delivery services say that they are fully plant-based. Yet, upon careful examination, you may find that these services incorporate oils abundant in empty calories, excessive sodium, processed ingredients, and other convenient but less nutritious shortcuts.

It is hard to find meal delivery services that truly understand whole food plant-based cooking, and that is why Whole Harvest has become my personal WFPB favorite and why I have become an affiliate with them.

What is a plant-based diet?

A whole-food plant-based (WFPB) diet is similar to a vegan diet in that both ways of eating avoid meat, dairy, and eggs. However, WFPB takes it to a further level of eating closer to the plant. Eating plant-based, whole foods means fueling your body from the following food groups.

WHOLE GRAINS – This group includes brown rice, millet, oats, barley, corn, bulgur, and all products made from whole grains including bread, cereals, pasta, and more. Whole grains are filling but have very little fat. In countries where whole grains are staples, such as rural Asia, diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers, are much less common than in the States and Europe.

LEGUMES – This group includes beans, peas, and lentils. They are hearty, high-protein foods that are rich in calcium, iron, cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber, and even traces of omega-3 fatty acids.

VEGETABLES – These foods are loaded with vitamins and minerals, are very low in fat, and like all plant foods, have no cholesterol at all.

FRUIT – These are vitamin-rich and have no cholesterol. They do have natural sugar but are low on the glycemic index, except for watermelon and pineapple.

Recommended foods do NOT include meat, dairy products, eggs, added oils, or most processed foods. Oil–even olive oil–is also avoided due to being highly processed and liquid fat which is about 13% artery-clogging saturated fat.

Are plant-based meals healthy?

Yes, a plant-based diet is naturally anti-inflammatory because it is high in fiber, antioxidants, and other phytonutrients, and much lower in inflammatory triggers like saturated fat.

Research indicates that individuals who embrace a plant-based diet can significantly reduce their C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, which serves as an indicator of inflammation in the body.

So far, Whole Harvest is working with over 200 physicians that are recommending their plant-based meals to patients which says a lot about how healthy they are.

I love Whole Harvest plant-based meals

Since discovering Whole Harvest in 2023, I’ve enjoyed trying a variety of their meals across different seasons, as the menu changes every 3–4 months to showcase the freshest seasonal ingredients. These are a few of my favorites, and availability will vary depending on the season. 

1. Lasagna Marinara- Surprisingly, this lasagna is gluten-free because the pasta is made from corn flour and brown rice flour. Ingredients include tomatoes, tomato paste, butternut squash, roasted garlic, mushrooms, tofu, and seasonings. It contains 430 calories, 6 grams of fat, and 17 grams of protein.
2. Southwest Comfort Mac- Made with whole wheat pasta, this dish gets a plant-based makeover with homemade vegan cashew cheeze sauce. While it’s not gluten-free, it is delicious! It has 390 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, and 21 grams of protein.
3. Black Bean Walnut Loaf– This is a protein-rich centerpiece bursting with savory depth. Complemented by sweet, caramelized plantains and zesty chili-garlic broccoli, this hearty meal offers a perfect balance of flavors and textures. It is gluten-free and contains 360 calories, 7 grams of fat, and 11 grams of protein.
4. Red Lentil Tikka Masala– Tender lentils swim in a velvety tomato curry, perfectly spiced to warm your soul. Crisp bell peppers and sweet peas add a fresh pop to every bite. Served over our hearty Power Rice blend of quinoa and brown basmati. It is gluten-free and has 410 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, and 21 grams of protein.
5. Seasonal Harvest Bowl- This bowl was super hearty and packed full of an ancient grain mix of quinoa and millet along with portobello mushrooms, tofu, quinoa, lentils, and butternut squash. They do suggest that you add your own fresh greens which I did. It was probably my favorite of all the entrees. It contains 450 calories, 6 grams of fat, 11 grams of fiber, and 28 grams of protein.
6. Ratatouille- This is one of their gluten-free and SOS (free of salt, oil, and refined sugar) entrees. Ingredients include quinoa, zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, red peppers, onions, millet, chickpeas, tomato sauce, balsamic vinegar, organic dried date powder, basil, garlic, tomato paste, walnuts, hulled hemp seed hearts, and spices. It has 450 calories, 8 grams of fat, 17 grams of fiber, and 20 grams of protein.
7. Sunrise Scramble- This is a breakfast item that kept me full for many hours and made me rethink what breakfast could look like. It’s a tender tofu scramble, perfectly seasoned and draped in a flavorful sauce that’ll make your taste buds dance. Served with velvety curried yams and snappy edamame beans bathed in smoky tomato goodness, it was another one of my favorites. It has 380 calories, 13 grams of fat, and a whopping 28 grams of protein!
8. Cocoa Truffles- These little gluten-free dessert treats were delicious. They are made with a combination of dates, cocoa, and a hint of vanilla extract. They have 110 calories, 2 grams of fat, and 2 grams of protein per serving which is 2 balls.

What I like most

Heat & eat– I enjoy the food and especially like that all I have to do is heat it and eat. While WH recommends transferring the meal to a glass dish before microwaving, it’s important to note that all their meals can also be microwaved in their original container. The meal tray and film are microwave-safe, so you have the option to use them if you prefer.

Serving size– One thing that I really like that is different from the other meal delivery service I used previously is that the Whole Harvest meals remind me (in a good way) of TV dinners in that they include multiple dishes in one tray to make a full meal and I felt that the portions were generous.

No subscription required– I love that you don’t have to have a subscription to order the products, though there is a minimum requirement of 8 meals. A subscription does save money if you plan to order regularly.

Easy storage– The meals last 5-14 days in the refrigerator, depending on the entree, and most of them are freezer-friendly.

Get $20 off your first order!

To me, Whole Harvest is the perfect option for a plant-based meal delivery service because they offer fresh, chef-prepared meals that give you total control over what you eat. I am excited to recommend them to all of our EatPlant-Based readers, followers, and subscribers. Use the coupon code EATPLANTS to receive $20 off your first order with Whole Harvest.

How it works (No subscription required)

Whole Harvest allows you to place a one-time order or subscribe and save with a weekly delivery plan where you can skip weeks or cancel the subscription at any time.

There is a minimum of 8 meals and a maximum of 21 meals per order.

Does Whole Harvest use organic ingredients?

Though they are non-GMO and organic where possible, it is difficult to source all of the ingredients in their meals as organic. They do source in-season ingredients from producer to plate and are mostly organic.

I was told that the items on the menu change about every 3-4 months due to seasonal availability.

Are the meals gluten-free?

Many of Whole Harvest’s meals are gluten-free but not all. You will need to check the nutrition information on each meal and look for the gluten-free logo on the meal image. The photo below shows the logo to look for.

Plant-based meal delivery cost

Whole Harvest dinner/lunch entrees vary in cost between $14.99 and $16.99 at the time of this post update in October of 2024. They have a couple of breakfast options that are around $11.99 and $14.99 each.

Use the coupon code EATPLANTS to receive $20 off of your first order with Whole Harvest.

Shipping cost

Everything ships through UPS from Denver, and the cost is either $14.99 for 2-day ground or $24.99 for 2-day air. Because they are shipping cold food that must arrive within 2 days, shipping prices are set from your zip code. Meals can currently be shipped anywhere in the lower 48 states.

The story behind Whole Harvest

I was curious about the origins of Whole Harvest and how the company got started because my experience has been that there is usually a story about someone regaining their health behind many plant-based businesses. It turns out, that’s true, and there is an inspiring story about the co-owners of Whole Harvest, Mike and Mark, and why they decided to start a plant-based meal delivery service.

Back in 2011, Mike was only 42 years old when he had his first heart attack. He had just finished a workout at the gym and was driving home when the chest pains and difficulty breathing began. He made it home but the symptoms persisted, so he got back in the car and drove himself to the hospital.

Mike was always pretty fit and not overweight. He worked out regularly, but his diet wasn’t the greatest with Diet Coke and pizza being staples. Even so, going into cardiac arrest was not something he would have ever expected because he thought that exercise alone was enough to maintain his health.

Two stents later, his cardiology team encouraged him to make some changes to his diet to include salmon, olive oil, and even red wine which he was told was heart-healthy.

Since Mike is a go-getter, he jumped right in following his healthcare provider’s recommendations perfectly, but it wasn’t enough. Sixteen months later, another emergency required a third stent!

Back at home, searching desperately for answers, Mike’s research led him to a documentary that had recently come out called Forks Over Knives and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr, MD from the Cleveland Clinic which changed his life.

After watching the documentary, Mike was convinced that a plant-based diet might be the answer to his health crisis and enable him to reverse his heart disease. So, he set out full-throttle on a whole food, plant-based diet and quickly realized that this lifestyle was a game changer.

He felt incredible and wanted everyone to know about the hidden treasure he had found sharing his story with family and friends.

Years later, Mike’s long-time friend, Mark, had a health scare as well. He woke up at 2:30 in the morning with his whole left side numb. After a visit to the hospital and testing, the hospital staff assured him that he was fine, but Mark felt there was more to it than that.

He consulted with a cardiologist and had further testing where they found that he did have mild plaque buildup in his arteries. While that wasn’t the answer to his event, at 52 years old, Mark didn’t want to end up like his friend Mike with a full-blown heart attack before taking action.

After talking with Mike about his test results, Mark was encouraged to try a plant-based diet. Before he got started, he had bloodwork done so that he would be able to measure whether or not the diet change was making a difference.

Three weeks into Mark’s diet change, he had lost 12 pounds and had more energy than he knew what to do with. After having his labs done again, the results showed that not only was his blood pressure lower, but his cholesterol had dropped 40 points.

Completely convinced of the power of food to heal the body and reverse heart disease, Mark reached back out to Mike to ask how they might make it easier for people to try a plant-based diet for disease reversal because, while the results were undeniable, there was a huge learning curve when it came to food prep and cooking.

By then, it was 2020, and the world was in the middle of the pandemic with everything shut down. They came up with the idea for Whole Harvest to make healthy plant-based meals available to heart patients and everyone else because they knew firsthand how hard it can be to make the change.

Whole Harvest was born as a way to create meals that contain no oil, meat, or dairy, and very little sodium for people on the go with no time (or desire) to research recipes, shop for fresh ingredients, and prepare meals at home.

All of their meals are 100% plant-based, chef-prepared, never frozen, and available for shipping. Mike and Mark found a way to make it as easy as possible for others to unlock the healing power of a plant-based diet and regain their health.

Use the coupon code EATPLANTS to receive $20 off of your first order from Whole Harvest. I know you are going to love these meals, and I can’t wait to hear what you think!