Sakara Life is an organic meal delivery service centered around a whole-food, plant-based diet that incorporates fresh, nutrient-dense ingredients. It is based on nine nutrition pillars: no calorie counting, plant protein, eat your water, greens, good fats, eat the rainbow, nutrient density, sulfur-rich veggies, and body intelligence. It was founded in 2012 in New York City by two childhood friends, Whitney Tingle and Danielle Duboise, and has since grown nationwide.
Not only does Sakara Life offer organic prepared meals under various programs, but it is also known for its snacks such as super bars and granola as well as supplements like super powders and water drops. We tried some of the items on the company’s menu to get a feel for its offerings and what the company does best.
Pricing: Premium Price for Premium Ingredients
Sakara Life offers three meal delivery programs: the Signature Meal Program, Level II Detox, and Bridal Meal Plan. The Level II Program and Bridal Meal plans are pre-set in terms of meals included, number of days, and price. The Signature Meal Program prices vary depending on whether you order breakfast, lunch, and dinner or a combination of two, the program length, and whether you sign up for a weekly subscription or a one-time delivery. A weekly subscription is the cheaper option of the two because you automatically save up to 15% off your meal program and your meals ship free. A one-time order to any location will incur a shipping fee of $10.
The price per meal will vary based on your delivery zone. Here is the cost breakdown for us in Charleston, South Carolina:
Weekly Subscription
- Signature Meal Program: 2 days of breakfast, lunch, dinner or combination of two, $109–$169
- Signature Meal Program: 3 days of breakfast, lunch, dinner or combination of two, $159–$239
- Signature Meal Program: 5 days of breakfast, lunch and dinner or combination of two, $269–$420
One-Time Program
- Signature Meal Program: 2 days of breakfast, lunch and dinner or combination of two, $119–$185 + $10 shipping
- Signature Meal Program: 3 days of breakfast, lunch and dinner or combination of two, $180–$255 + $10 shipping
- Signature Meal Program: 5 days of breakfast, lunch and dinner or combination of two, $299–$440 + $10 shipping
- Signature Meal Program: 10 days of breakfast, lunch and dinner or combination of two, $598–$880 + $10 shipping
- Signature Meal Program: 20 days of breakfast, lunch and dinner or combination of two, $1196–$1760 + $10 shipping
Level II Detox: 5 days of breakfast, lunch and dinner, $450 + $10 shipping
Bridal Meal Plan: 20 days of breakfast, lunch and dinner, $1,680 + $10 shipping
How It Works: 3 Programs With a Range of Add-Ons
With the exception of The Bridal Program and Level II Detox, which have pre-determined meal types and quantities, you have flexibility when signing up for Sakara’s best-selling signature nutrition program. You can view up to three weeks’ worth of heat-and-eat meals based on your zip code and decide which week you would like delivered. You can also choose your program length, frequency of delivery, start date, and whether you want to add on “clean snacks” for $20 extra each week.
With a weekly subscription, you can sign up for two, three, or five days and with the one-time program, you can try meals for two, three, five, 10, or 20 days.
All the meals are created around Sakara Life’s pillars of nutrition, which are based on the science behind a whole food plant-based diet.
Meals are crafted with plant-based protein, hydrating fresh produce and nutrient-dense “superfood” ingredients. Sakara also claims its meals are always 100% organic and free of gluten and dairy. While the food does not contain dairy, meat, or seafood, honey and bee pollen are occasionally used and, therefore, the service is not vegan.
While Sakara does not work with registered dietitians, it has a science advisory board of three physicians.
Choosing Meals: A Plant-Forward, Pre-Set Seasonal Menu
Sakara offers a pre-set menu of meals based on your zip code that changes weekly and rotates seasonally. All the meals are created around its pillars of nutrition, which are based on the science behind a whole food plant-based diet. At the point of purchase, there is no opportunity for customization. However, depending on the program, you may be able to exclude certain ingredients from your meal program for an additional charge. You can contact Sakara Life via email to accommodate this. However, Sakara does not recommend its meal program to anyone with a severe allergy as it cannot guarantee there will not be cross-contamination within the facility or from its vendors.
With Sakara’s signature nutrition program, you will receive breakfast, lunch, and dinner for Wednesday-Saturdays orders, breakfast and lunch for Sunday orders, and just dinner for Tuesday orders.
On the Level II Detox plan, you will receive five days of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. The Bridal Program includes 20 days of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.
With any order, you are able to add on snacks, supplements, and even wellness essentials like water bottles, candles, robes, and mugs. Snacks offered include nut blends, super bars, and granola. Supplements offered include water drops, chocolate, tea, and even a probiotic.
Any changes to your meal subscription must be made before midnight EST on Wednesday of the week prior.
Verywell Fit / Maxwell Cozzi
What We Made
We ordered two days’ worth of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners:
- Breakfast: Pink pistachio dream mousse
- Lunch: Root veggie enchilada
- Dinner: Eggplant Florentine
- Breakfast: Spiced apple cider muffin
- Lunch: Electric body bowl
- Dinner: Sakara earth bowl
Packaging: Well-Insulated With Lots of Freebies
Our meals arrived in a cardboard delivery box that was well-insulated with ice packs. The meals were packaged in plastic containers with plastic lids. In total, there were 23 pieces of packaging. Additionally, there were freebies included in the delivery including a branded reusable shopping bag and a reusable pouch with a bar and powder samples.
Verywell Fit / Maxwell Cozzi
Customer Support: Easily Accessible and Prompt
Customer service can be reached by email or telephone. The company staffs its phones during normal business hours Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. EST. We reached out on a Saturday morning via email and received a response that afternoon. Additionally, we received immediate assistance via telephone on Monday.
Nutrition: Plant-Forward, Organic, Whole-Food Ingredients
Sakara Life crafts meals around its pillars of nutrition and uses whole-food, plant-based ingredients that are organic and free of gluten and dairy. One of its pillars of nutrition includes not counting calories as they are not necessarily a good metric for measuring the nutritional quality of food. Instead, Sakara counts things like vitamins, minerals, and colors.
The Cooking Process: No Cooking Required
We liked that our meals were ready to eat. There were no preparation or reheating instructions on any of the meals, only an icon on the Sakara Life website next to some menu items indicating “heating optional”—our eggplant Florentine and spiced apple cider muffin had this. All the meals had a label with their name as well as the ingredients they contained. You do not need any cookware on hand to prepare or enjoy the food.
Verywell Fit / Maxwell Cozzi
Flavor, Freshness, and Quality: High-Quality, Great Flavor
We enjoyed our meals, particularly the electric body bowl and the eggplant Florentine because they were packed with a range of produce including broccoli, spinach, eggplant, purple sweet potatoes, and Brussels sprouts. The meals looked and tasted fresh, and we enjoyed the diversity of recipes using plant-based ingredients.
Sakara Life claims that all of its meals are made with organic ingredients. However, while many of the farms they use are classified as certified organic, some are not certified but still claim to use organic practices.
Sakara Life Is Good For
Sakara Life is good for individuals who are looking to incorporate more plant-based meals into their diet, appreciate the ease of ready-prepared meals, and don’t mind a premium price tag. Despite the high cost, you can be assured that you will receive nutrient-dense, plant-forward meals to your door that require little to no preparation. Sakara Life is not a good option for meat eaters or those with a tight grocery budget.
Sakara counts things like vitamins, minerals, and colors.
Final Verdict
Sakara Life is a plant-based meal delivery service that uses premium ingredients and has a premium price tag to match. People who are serious about incorporating more plant-based foods into their diet and want to save time cooking could benefit from the service. The meals would be difficult to recreate at home because of their unique ingredients like pistachio milk, pitaya powder, and date syrup, and you will appreciate the diversity of flavors and meal compositions.
Methodology
We ordered, cooked, and evaluated meals from 27 meal delivery services to get a sense of each one’s offerings, nutrition profiles, prices, and, of course, flavors. We contacted the customer service teams at each of the companies, collected data, and wrote detailed reviews about each one.
Our writers are all registered dietitians and relied on their research and its resulting data to inform their reviews.