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The rule of 7 says you need to see something around seven times before making a decision to buy it. I’ve seen enough Sakara reviews, influencer videos, and Instagram ads for the plant-based meal delivery service to hit this target at least a hundred times over, so it's safe to say Sakara's marketing team is familiar with this concept. If you’ve ever watched a “clean girl aesthetic” video on TikTok, shopped online for athleisure-adjacent clothing, or so much as browsed the schedule at your local pilates studio, you’ve probably gotten targeted ads for Sakara too.
Sakara is a plant-based meal delivery service that’s been endorsed by celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Chrissy Teigen, as well as a slew of social media personalities who seem to live in matching workout sets. While I do enjoy a weekly megaformer class and I may have a Pinterest board of well-lit photos of green juice, I’ve never considered myself part of Sakara Life’s target audience. I’m not vegan, gluten-free, or particularly into supplements, three of the company’s main selling points. One of my primary hobbies is riding the subway all over New York City in search of the next life-changing bowl of noodles or slice of pizza.
So when I was asked to test Sakara’s signature nutrition program for work, I was fully prepared to hate it. For $420, I’d receive five days of ready-to-eat meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I kept joking with my friends about my week of “wellness girlie cosplay” and stocked my pantry with extra snacks so I wouldn’t go hungry. I figured this would probably be one of the healthiest weeks of my adult life, but I was not prepared to actually enjoy the food as much as I did.
The Delivery Experience
My Sakara delivery was scheduled to arrive late Sunday night, and it showed up right on time. I received a text message when the courier was near my apartment, and about half an hour later, there was a sleek black branded cooler bag waiting on my doorstep. There were enough ice packs in there that even if I had been asleep when it arrived, the food would have been fine until morning.
Since I ordered five days worth of meals, my delivery was split into two shipments. On Sunday night, I received breakfast, lunch, and dinner for Monday through Wednesday. I received a second delivery on Wednesday evening with meals for Thursday and Friday.
Everything arrived in neatly-stacked, recycled plastic containers that were clearly labeled. If a salad came with a component that needed heating, it came separate from the greens so nothing would get soggy. I balked a little at names like “Yoga Bunny Breakfast,” which felt unnecessarily infantilizing, but I had to admit that seeing containers filled with a rainbow of vegetables lined up on my kitchen counter made me feel oddly virtuous. I stocked my fridge with prepped meals, and put away the protein bars, bags of granola, and boxes of tea that came with my order. Then I ate a bunch of ice cream and went to bed, ready to start fresh in the morning.
The Food
Overall, I was impressed by both the diversity and the quality of the Sakara meals. Most of the Sakara reviews I read before trying it for myself said the food actually tasted good, but I didn't believe it. As someone who puts condiments on my condiments, I expected to feel the need to doctor things up to make them taste better, but everything was already packed with flavor. The dishes ranged from Indian-ish (“clarity curry” soup with naan) to Mexican-ish (a lavender “cheez” quesadilla with broccoli pesto), and there was enough range that I didn’t get bored.
Breakfast did tend to be on the sweeter side—the first morning was that poorly named Yoga Bunny Breakfast: a gluten-free carrot muffin with carrot coconut butter and the smallest apple I have ever seen. Doll-sized apple aside, I liked the muffin’s nutty flavor, and it was fluffier than a lot of other gluten-free baked goods I’ve tried. There were also things like chia and coconut protein waffles and a sweet potato and coconut yogurt parfait that I’m planning to re-create at some point. I’m a sweet breakfast person, so I liked all of these, but you might struggle if you prefer savory foods in the morning.
Lunch was almost always a big, leafy salad with lots of legumes and whole grains—and the dressings, like a cranberry vinaigrette or an avocado tahini, were always flavorful enough on their own. I rarely eat a salad for lunch and leave it at that, so I was surprised when I didn’t find myself reaching for a ton of snacks between meals. Because the program relies heavily on nuts, beans, and whole grains, the food was genuinely filling even though it's also plant-based and gluten-free.
Dinner had the most variation, and also included a lot of my favorite meals. I enjoyed the deconstructed eggplant parm, a sort of savory parfait of eggplant, tomato-y puree, and a dairy-free ricotta. It had me double-checking the label; I couldn’t believe that this wasn’t made with dairy milk because that’s what it looked and tasted like.
I was also genuinely impressed by the gluten-free breads that came with a lot of the meals. Most gluten-free bread, in my experience, has the texture of cardboard mixed with Elmer’s Glue. But a toasted slice of hyssop focaccia smeared with more of that eerily-convincing not-ricotta and hot honey was chewy and airy, just like a good focaccia should be.
What I Didn’t Like
As someone who grew up in the heyday of Snackwells and Slim-Fast, I avoid anything with even a whiff of diet culture. So I didn’t love that what was otherwise a pleasant rose and rooibos tea, for example, got branded as “Detox Tea,” or that a pretty-but-chalky-tasting box of chocolate flavored protein bars was called “Metabolism.” The bars were the one thing I really did not care for; they simply did not taste like much of anything. But those are the only complaints I have about the experience. I found myself getting excited about pulling my next meal out of the fridge not because it was good for me, but because it actually tasted good. The fact that I had more sustained energy and yes, I swear, glowier skin, by the end of the week were merely byproducts of the biggest perk: eating well without having to cook or wash dishes.
Cost & Flexibility
There’s no getting around the fact that Sakara is expensive. Most of the brand’s programs cost upwards of $400 a week, which is simply unattainable for a lot of people—according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics it’s close to double the weekly grocery budget for a family of four. If you’re on a budget and really want to try it, the Signature Program is the most flexible package. You can order anywhere from two to five days worth of meals, and can choose whether you want breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner. So if you just wanted lunch every day for a week, you’re looking at about $145, while five days of signature meals will cost $420. You can also order one week at a time, which is great if you only want to order Sakara when you know you’ll be too busy to cook.
The brand also offers a few more specialized options, including ones targeted towards boosting metabolism, revitalizing gut health, and meals designed to improve your mental and physical performance. I didn’t try these and can’t vouch for the health claims one way or the other. The main difference with these versus the Signature Program seems to be that they come with a variety of supplements that allegedly support digestion, energy, and “radiance,” and require a minimum full-week commitment. There’s also a four-week “Bridal Program” that comes with a $1700+ price tag and claims to make you extra glowy on your big day, and a five-day detox designed for people who are curious to see what a week of living on juice, broth, and raw veggies will do for their psyche.
The Verdict
Would I do another week of Sakara? Absolutely. In fact, I was bummed not to have a fridge full of breakfasts and lunches that I didn’t have to think about the Monday after my experiment ended. While it’s too expensive to be an everyday thing for me, I would most likely do two meals a day of the Signature Program on a week when I knew I had too much going on to cook for myself.
I also received a few bags of the brand’s beloved granola, which comes in flavors like coconut praline and dark cacao with Brazil nuts, with my delivery, and I am hoarding them the way a dragon hoards a pile of jewels. It’s super crunchy, not too sweet, and has inspired me to stock up on my favorite plant-based yogurt and lots of seasonal fruits to keep the healthy breakfast vibes going. I also really liked the various herbal teas the brand makes, and have found myself going for a cup or two of tea to get through my 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. slumps instead of second and third coffees.
If I had unlimited money, there’s a solid chance I’d order from Sakara a lot. The food is delicious, well-prepared, and I did feel (insert sparkle emojis) well after eating it. Much better than I feel when breakfast is a pastry and lunch is a slice of pizza. While it would never replace cooking and eating at restaurants, the occasional Sakara salad or muffin is a nice way to add some balance into your lifestyle, or to help establish healthier eating habits.