Today we are going to be comparing Splendid Spoon vs. HungryRoot, both of which are meal delivery companies offering convenient options that promote healthy eating.
Splendid Spoon is a plant-based meal delivery option that brings convenience to a vegan diet and a way to eat healthy meals while on the go. Previously, vegan diets and being on the go were considered difficult because they required planning and a lot of preparation. However, Splendid Spoon has made it as simple as selecting what you want in your box and picking it up from your front door.
HungryRoot takes a different approach to meal delivery. They offer prepared ingredients that you can use to create one of their recipes listed on their website or your own meals. It takes a lot of the prep work out of meal prepping so that you can eat healthier without the hassle. Think of HungryRoot as a grocery store that offers not only fresh ingredients but pre-cooked, prepared ingredients that are ready to use and eat as well.
Splendid Spoon
Pros
- Every meal is plant-based, gluten-free, dairy-free, and ready to eat
- Over 50 menu options
- Several boxes to choose from depending on your schedule
- Completely sustainable packaging
- Choose how often you receive deliveries
Cons
- Can get expensive
- Only vegan options
- HungryRoot
HungryRoot
Pros
- As many or more options than a traditional grocery store
- Highest quality ingredients
- Many different recipes offered on their website
- Create your own recipes with their ingredients
- Affordable compared to other meal delivery services
Cons
- More prep time
- No specific menu to choose from
Dietary Options
Splendid Spoon
close
HungryRoot
Having dietary options is important when picking a meal delivery provider. After all, we each have a different way of eating and things that we prioritize in our diets.
Splendid Spoon only offers vegan meals; however, they still offer dietary options for the plant-based lifestyle. They have options for high protein preferences, low sugar and low-carb selections that are blood sugar friendly, low fat, low calorie, and more. Each of these dietary preferences can be filtered on the website as you choose your meals. Additionally, all of Splendid Spoon’s meals are gluten-free and dairy-free.
HungryRoot provides options for more than those who are plant-based, though they have plenty of vegan foods and vegan-friendly selections as well. Because each of the ingredients is separate instead of in one dish, it makes it easy to accommodate a variety of dietary restrictions.
There are selections for those who are dairy-free, soy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, egg-free, and shellfish-free, in addition to vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, and omnivore lifestyles. HungryRoot also offers a quiz regarding your dietary preferences that you can take so that it will filter their options and show you which are best for you.
Dietary Options Winner
Though Splendid Spoon does offer several dietary options, HungryRoot is our dietary options winner because of the vast amount of dietary restrictions it caters to. Their dietary preferences quiz is also quite helpful.
Meal Prep & Variety
Splendid Spoon
HungryRoot
Preparation is one of the most time-consuming parts of the cooking process, and variety keeps things interesting so that you don’t get bored on your journey to start eating healthier.
Both Splendid Spoon and Hungry Root require less preparation than you would have to do without a having meals delivered to your home.
However, Splendid Spoon is even less effort to prepare than Hungry Root. With Splendid Spoon, the meals are ready to eat, and though some require you to heat them up in a microwave, others can be eaten right out of the fridge.
When it comes to Hungry Root, many of their ingredients need to be combined and warmed before eating though there are ready-to-eat snack options, and you can prepare most Hungry Root recipes in under 25 minutes.
Having variety is just as important in a meal delivery service as being easy to prepare. Neither HungryRoot nor Splendid Spoon follows the traditional weekly rotating menu plans that many meal delivery companies do, but they do each offer a good variety.
Splendid Spoon has at least eight options in each of their meal categories and more in several of them. They also frequently add new menu options.
Hungry Root has many more options than Splendid Spoon because they offer ingredients rather than completed meals. This means an almost endless variety can be created just as if you were shopping in a normal grocery store.
Meal Prep & Variety Winner
HungryRoot is our meal prep and variety winner because although it takes longer to make their ingredients into meals, you can make some easy meals quickly nonetheless. HungryRoot also has far more variety to choose from, which is why it ultimately wins out.
Ingredients
Splendid Spoon
- Non-GMO
grass Organic- Grass Fed
- Wild-Caught
HungryRoot
The quality of ingredients may not be your top priority, but for many people, it is.
Splendid Spoon utilizes mostly organic ingredients for all of its offerings, including their reset soups, wellness shots, and more. Though not every ingredient is sourced organically, they prioritize at minimum that the “dirty dozen” are.
Additionally, all of their ingredients are gluten-free, non-GMO, and free of refined sugars. Of course, they also try to use ingredients in their most natural state as possible to retain nutrition, freshness, and health benefits.
Hungry Root has what they call their Root Standard, which is what they follow when sourcing all of their offerings. Every selection from HungryRoot is free of partially hydrogenated oils, artificial sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, and artificial preservatives.
They also vet each option by ensuring that it is made from trusted ingredients, is easy to prepare, and tastes delicious. While not all Hungry Root food is organic and non-GMO, much of it is and any meats they source each satisfy best industry practices.
Ingredients Winner
HungryRoot is our ingredients winner because of their attention to ensuring that their ingredients are free of any harmful additives and are sourced ethically. Splendid Spoon also has high-quality ingredients, but Hungry Root is just a step further.
Taste & Sample Meals
Splendid Spoon
HungryRoot
No matter what great benefits any meal delivery company has, they don’t matter unless the meals they provide are tasty and delicious. Both Splendid Spoon and HungryRoot have delicious options.
With Splendid Spoon, you can expect great lunch meals such as Kimchi Fried Quinoa grain bowls with turmeric and edamame, Green Curry Noodles with broccoli and lemongrass, and Cauliflower Potato Chowder Soup with navy beans and rosemary, as well as other harvest bowls, soups, and noodles that are perfect for any time of day.
Splendid Spoon is also known for their smoothies which include flavors like Mint Chip with cacao nibs and almond butter, Blackberry Basil with chia seeds and dates, and Coffee Frappe with coconut cream and maca.
HungryRoot, as we’ve mentioned, has prepared foods that can be combined to create recipes. All of the Hungryroot meals and ingredients have team-wide taste testing to ensure that their food items are the best they can be. Some of the recipes they provide as meal options include Feelin Fresh Scallop Tacos, Italian Chicken Sausage, Polenta Casserole, and Coconut Curry Paneer Rice Bowl.
Taste Winner
Splendid Spoon is ultimately our taste winner because though everything at HungryRoot and the recipes that they have created are delicious, Splendid Spoon has put more effort into dish curation, and it shines through in their flavors.
Pricing
Splendid Spoon
MEALS PER WEEK | PRICE PER MEAL |
Smoothies | $9.99 |
Soups | $12.49 |
Noodles & Dishes | $13.49 |
HungryRoot
NUMBER OF MEALS | RECIPES | PRICE PER SERVING |
6 Lunch/Dinners | 3 | $11.39 |
8 Lunch/Dinners | 4 | $11.39 |
10 Lunch/Dinners | 5 | $10.89 |
12 Lunch/Dinners | 6 | $10.29 |
14 Lunch/Dinners | 7 | $9.69 |
16 Lunch/Dinners | 8 | $9.69 |
In terms of pricing, Splendid Spoon and Hungry Root each use flat rate box pricing rather than individual meal pricing.
With Splendid Spoon, you have multiple box sizes. Their largest box includes three meals a day for five days and a reset day which is where you eat their reset soups. That box comes in at just under $200 per week. There are also On-Demand boxes that offer a more a la carte solution.
Hungry Root boxes come in small, medium, and large and are set on a weekly basis. Their largest box includes five or more meals with two servings plus snacks and comes in under $130 per week.
Pricing Winner
HungryRoot is our pricing winner because though Splendid Spoon offers more box options, Hungry Root is more affordable in terms of bang for your buck.
Packaging & Recycling
Splendid Spoon
HungryRoot
The packaging of meal delivery services is often criticized as wasteful. However, both Splendid Spoon and HungryRoot believe in sustainability, so they both have completely recyclable packaging. The only difference is that Splendid Spoon uses dry ice instead of the ice packs that Hungry Root uses. Dry ice naturally evaporates, leaving one less thing to recycle.
Packaging & Recycling Winner
Both companies do an excellent job of ensuring their packaging is sustainable, but we have chosen Splendid Spoon because of their switch from ice packs to dry ice. It is a small switch that is not only easier for the customer to just let melt but also uses less plastic, even if the plastic is recyclable.
Customer Service
Splendid Spoon
play_circle Skip a Weekpause_circle Pausestop_circle Cancel
HungryRoot
Splendid Spoon and HungryRoot both offer excellent, user-friendly web portals to manage everything from shipping and billing to selecting your choices and more. They also each have their own customer service departments that are readily available for any problems that may arise.
Customer Service Winner
Splendid Spoon is our customer service winner because despite having many of the same customer service offerings as HungryRoot, Splendid Spoon edges them out in good customer service reviews.
Winner
HungryRoot
We like HungryRoot for their range of dietary options, high-quality ingredients and ethics, along with the ease of meal prep involved in with their meal kits. Still, when it comes down to it, HungryRoot and Splendid Spoon are nearly equal on so many levels.
When you boil it down, there is no one meal delivery company that is perfect for everyone; however, almost all of them allow you to live a healthy lifestyle and enjoy a tasty meal without the hassle. While companies like Daily Harvest could also be on your list, Splendid Spoon and HungryRoot, which we have talked about today, are excellent candidates. The one that is best for you should be decided based on your own preferences.
Choose Splendid Spoon if you:
- You are on the go with limited time
- Would like a specific menu to choose from
- You are strictly vegan
Choose HungryRoot if you:
- You like to be creative in the kitchen
- You want as many or more options than your local grocery store
- High-quality ingredients are important to you