Gobble vs Thistle – 2 of the Best All-in-One Meal Delivery Services Compared

The never-ending debate of Gobble vs Thistle is here to stay, and we are here to settle that.

As we all know, one of the best meal kit delivery services is Gobble, and one of the best prepared meal delivery services is Thistle. The first one ticks almost every box as far as fancy yet fast meal kits, budget-friendly meal plans, homemade-style food, satisfying portion sizes, etc. are concerned.

Gobble doesn’t want you to put in all that time-consuming effort brought about by meal prepping in the kitchen when you can easily avoid it. The meal prep bit is already done, which just leaves you to do some quick cooking before devouring those gourmet dishes.

Then there’s Thistle. Today, we’re sharing more information about the company that ranks as one of the best premade meal delivery services, even for vegans!

Both are long-term, affordable, and sustainable food services popular for their meals as well as extras. For example, in the case of Gobble, there are dinners along with salads, soups, desserts, breakfasts, and more. As for Thistle, they’re known for their freshly pressed juices, delicious soups and salads, and plant-based meals.

So, let’s cut to the chase and find out whether you should be picking Gobble’s meal kits or Thistle’s ready-to-eat meals.

(Read our complete Gobble review here)

(Read our complete Thistle review here)

Why Choose All-in-One Meal Delivery Services

As long as you’re choosing the best meal delivery service, you have one less thing to worry about in life. Here are the several ways in which subscription-based food delivery services can make your life easier.

They Save Time and Effort

Cooking any dish from scratch is time-consuming and difficult even if you’re experienced. Recipes, for the most part, have to be planned, the ingredients need to be prepped, and then there’s the attention to detail that must also be taken into consideration when cooking.

If you can relate to this, then you’d probably agree that meal delivery services offer copious amounts of relief, convenience, and taste. If you enjoy the activity of cooking, go with meal kits. If not, order prepared meals. Either way, precious time and effort are saved.

They Are Big on Health and Nutrition

Meal delivery services like Gobble and Thistle cater to the needs of health and fitness enthusiasts. Their meals and/or meal plans are customizable, so your weekly order can accommodate your various dietary preferences, such as gluten-free, plant-based, low carb, high protein, paleo, etc.

Whatever nutrients your body needs are a part of the meals. At the same time, some of the stuff that your body cannot tolerate, which is especially important if you have any diet restrictions, can also be adjusted into your meal plan.

Additionally, top-rated meal delivery services use top-quality ingredients. For instance, Thistle meals can also be organic, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and more if you like.

The goal of the best-ranking food delivery services is that they include fresh ingredients to keep the meals healthy. Nutritional information is also provided, which enables you to keep track of your nutrient and calorie intake. Likewise, these nutritious meals are portion-controlled yet perfectly balanced.

They Are Cost-Effective

There are multiple ways in which meal delivery services can help you spend less money:

1. When you subscribe to Gobble or Thistle, for example, you don’t need to do meal planning, prepping, or grocery shopping. As a result, you save money in the long run by not wasting your money on fast food or takeout.
2. Since you are receiving preportioned meals, everything is properly measured to keep you from feeling too full or too hungry. Thus, large quantities of ingredients don’t have to be purchased, which translates into much less food waste. Thus, this poses a long-term reduction of money wastage as well.
3. Food delivery companies buy from their suppliers in bulk. This is how they manage to bring affordability to the table. The cost savings are then passed on to you in the form of lower-priced meals.
4. There are plenty of affordable meal delivery services too, especially for high-maintenance diet plans like organic, vegan, pescatarian, etc.
5. Let’s not forget about subscription discounts and special offers that minimize the overall cost of weekly orders.

Factors in Choosing an All-in-One Meal Delivery Service

Are you tired of spending countless hours planning meals, grocery shopping, and prepping ingredients? Well, the rise of all-in-one meal delivery services might be the solution you’ve been waiting for! These services offer convenience, variety, and time-saving benefits that can simplify your mealtime routine.

However, with so many options available, how do you choose the right one for you? Let’s explore the key factors to consider when selecting an all-in-one meal delivery service.

Menu Variety and Customization

When it comes to meal delivery, variety is the spice of life. Look for a service that offers a diverse range of meals to suit your preferences, dietary needs, and culinary adventures. Some services cater to specific diets, such as vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, or keto, while others provide a wider selection to accommodate various tastes. Ensure that the service you choose can accommodate any food allergies or restrictions you may have.

Customization options are another crucial aspect to consider. Can you personalize your meals by adjusting portion sizes or swapping out ingredients? The ability to customize your orders ensures that you get meals that align with your individual preferences and nutritional goals.

Quality of Ingredients

One of the major advantages of using a meal delivery service is the access to fresh, high-quality ingredients without the hassle of grocery shopping. Check if the service emphasizes the use of organic, locally sourced, or sustainably produced ingredients. This not only ensures better taste but also supports ethical and sustainable farming practices.

Transparency regarding ingredient sourcing is also important. Look for services that provide detailed information about where they obtain their ingredients. Knowing the origin of your food can give you peace of mind and help you make informed choices about what you consume.

Cooking and Preparation Time

The convenience of all-in-one meal delivery lies in the fact that it eliminates the need for extensive meal preparation. However, the time required to cook the delivered meals can still vary between services. Consider your schedule and lifestyle when choosing a service. Some services offer pre-cooked meals that require minimal heating, while others provide ingredients and step-by-step recipes for you to prepare the meals yourself. Determine which option aligns better with your cooking skills and available time.

Pricing and Flexibility

Price is an essential factor for many people when choosing a meal delivery service. Compare the cost per meal between different services to ensure that you’re getting value for your money. Keep in mind that pricing structures may vary—some services have fixed meal plans, while others allow you to customize your order or choose from different subscription options.

Flexibility is another aspect to consider. Can you easily skip or modify your deliveries when needed? Look for services that offer flexibility in managing your meal schedule, allowing you to adapt to changes in your routine without any hassle.

User Experience and Customer Support

A smooth and user-friendly experience can greatly enhance your overall satisfaction with a meal delivery service. Consider factors such as the ease of ordering, the intuitiveness of the website or app, and the availability of customer support. Reading reviews and testimonials from other customers can provide insights into the service’s reliability, responsiveness, and overall customer satisfaction.

Gobble vs Thistle

The comparison between Gobble’s meal kits and Thistle’s fully prepared meals.

Why Choose Gobble

Though Gobble is a meal kit delivery service and Thistle offers fully prepared meals, both services provide plenty of food options for a plant-based diet.

Gobble has plenty of “Vegetarian Favorite” meals on their menu to encourage a healthy, vegan lifestyle. Gobble has a Classic and Lean and Clean meal plan that you can make vegetarian easily with high-quality gourmet options.

Healthy, vegetarian sources of protein like tofu, tempeh, beans, and meat substitutes are incorporated into the weekly diet. If you’re curious about switching to a vegan or vegetarian diet plan, Gobble gives you a good taste of it.

In addition, they offer salads, sides, snacks, and dessert items. So, it’s not just a meal kit or a fully prepared meal that you receive as you can also rely on their healthy, plant-based snacks and desserts to keep you company.

Why Choose Thistle

Thistle features all plant-based foods with the option to make a meal meat-based if you want to. Their Nutrition is focused on eating healthier foods with balanced calories and carbs. All their meals are gluten-free and dairy-free with some vegan options available. This includes a daily meal plan with breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.

If you’re trying to add more healthy and lean plants to your diet, Thistle is a great place to start. They feature more than just dinner meals. They offer salads, sides, snacks, and dessert items. So, it’s not just a meal kit or a fully prepared meal that you receive as you can also rely on their healthy, plant-based snacks and desserts to keep you company.

All of Thistle’s meals come without GMOs, preservatives, fillers, and additives. Furthermore, Thistle’s meals are free from gluten (certified), dairy, and eggs. Only some Gobble meal kits do not contain gluten and dairy. You can read their nutrition info and ingredients to add them to your cart.

Not only that, the company chooses sustainably healthy and fresh ingredients that are free of GMOs, artificial sugars, gums, and fillers. Even their sweet dishes do not contain artificial sugars and are sweetened with natural ingredients like dates, coconut, maple syrup, etc.

How Gobble Works

Gobble offers two meal plans, Classic and Lean & Clean, both featuring a personalized and tempting menu with new recipes every week and a wide range of customizable options.

The company’s selling point is its ability to make healthy meals more accessible to cook at home, particularly if you have time constraints or dislike long meal preparations.

With Gobble, you don’t need to worry about the discomfort of meal preps since they take care of that while leaving you to add the finishing touches to a meal prepared in less than 15 minutes.

The Classic meal plan is ideal for picky eaters since it includes family-friendly recipes that cater to a variety of flavors and cuisines. It also supports a vegetarian diet, allowing you to select and swap proteins on specific dishes. They also offer a complete Vegetarian meal plan that replaces all animal-based proteins with plant-based ones, which applies to both Classic and Lean & Clean meal plans.

Another alternative is to choose the Lean & Clean plan. It’s more nutrition-driven, prioritizing meals that have fewer than 650 calories per serving. The meal plan also boasts healthy fats, fewer carbs, and lean proteins ideal for weight loss and weight management.

In short, the meal plan focuses on delivering clean, balanced meals with no unhealthy starches or sugars. Even on this meal plan, you can select and swap proteins or opt for the Vegetarian diet.

The great thing about opting for Gobble’s meal plans is that you get meal kits at affordable prices and they are highly customizable, allowing you to mix and match different global cuisines with simple, home-inspired ones. With Gobble, you can enjoy the process of cooking meals at home without the hassle of preparing or sacrificing your taste preferences.

Their menu also includes add-ons like sides, soups, breakfast, and dessert items for an additional cost.

How Thistle Works

Thistle, on the other hand, offers two different menus, West Coast and East Coast menus, based on the location of delivery.

Thistle is also a balanced meal delivery service that provides a 4-meal-per-day menu plan for non-fussy eaters. Each day includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, resulting in a total of 24 meals per week. Though the menus are focused on a plant-based diet, you can choose to swap a vegetarian meal with a meat-based protein.

Thistle is a gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free meal delivery service with a variety of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack items. There are no repetitions in meal recipes, and the menu changes every week.

The menu palate is satisfying and nutritious with plenty of choices for vegans and omnivores. Although there is no room for customization except for when you want to make a meal vegetarian or nonvegetarian, Thistle’s menu is easy to navigate as it supports a balanced and healthy lifestyle.

Is Gobble Diet-Friendly?

The scope of Gobble’s meals is that they include some, but not all, gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free meal kits. The meals that contain common allergens like milk, wheat, fish, eggs, shellfish, etc. come with a proper label for easier access.

The Lean & Clean plan is the most diet-friendly meal option with lower calories, lean proteins, balanced carbs, and more omega-3 fats. The meals in this category have fewer than 600 calories per serving.

Customization is minimal, giving you the option to swap vegetarian meals with nonvegetarian proteins.

One good thing about Gobble’s meal kits is that they let you know which ingredients are optional, so you can prepare the recipe without it in case of dietary restrictions or allergies.

The veg and non veg proteins are sustainably sourced from local farms and suppliers. Fresh produce like fruits and vegetables arrive as is which means they are firm and ready to cook with no trace of spoilage or stale odor.

All the nutrition information and ingredient lists are available for each recipe. You can choose what to include and exclude based on your dietary needs.

Is Thistle Diet-Friendly?

All of Thistle’s meals are cooked without gluten, dairy, and egg. This is the first, most important thing you should know about their prepared meals. Next, they give you the option to choose between veg and non veg proteins for the same recipe.

For example, for Monday’s dinner, the Mango Coconut Rice Bowl can be made plant-based with tofu or nonvegetarian with chicken. The nutrition info and ingredient list are available for protein customizations.

Thistle thrives on their organic ingredients and environment-friendly practices. Though the organic product is subject to availability (seasonal ingredients), all is fresh and high in quality.

The nutritional value of their meals serves 400–600 calories per serving and contains essential ingredients like low carbs, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. The meals are primarily focused on a main protein, be it animal-based or plant-based. The meals do increase your daily protein intake, which is ideal for basic diets like weight loss and high protein.

Thistle also includes plant-based snacks that reduce the consumption of unhealthy foods and sugary drinks. With the help of their cold-pressed juices and energy shots, you can drink more natural drinks without preservatives, fillers, and additives.

How to Prepare Gobble Meals

Meal customization with Gobble is the easiest thing ever. You can personalize certain recipes by switching proteins from veg to fish, chicken, or beef. They have plenty of quick and easy meal kit recipes.

Personalization, in this way, ensures that you have all your dietary needs met without compromising on flavor. If there’s a recipe with salmon that you’d like to switch with chicken, you can easily do that without paying extra.

Gobble stands out due to its highly flexible meal plans. Unlike other meal delivery services, their meal plans are not fixed, and you can easily modify them a week to week.

Their mobile app is user-friendly and makes meal plan customization simple. You can easily skip or cancel orders, leave out a week, or change a recipe. The cutoff time is until Wednesday at 11:59 p.m., and it applies to the week before your scheduled meal delivery.

This level of flexibility is a dependable option for busy individuals who need to alter their meal plans frequently without any limitations.

Gobble, as a meal kit delivery company, provides incredible flavors and premium ingredients with less effort. The dinners are intended to be minimal prep and can be served in as little as 20 minutes, with some recipes taking less than 15 minutes.

As the meal kits take between 15 and 20 minutes to cook, they are ideal for hectic nights when you don’t have time to prepare and cook. Some recipes with premium ingredients like beef or fish may take up to 30 minutes, but this time won’t seem long because all the ingredients have already been portioned, diced, chopped, and prepped for quick cooking.

Their side dishes like baked garlic bread, vegetable samosas, and soups are table-ready in less than 15 minutes. This also includes breakfasts like the bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich, frittata, and desserts like cookies and lava cake. Gobble portions and serves the cookie dough, so all you have to do is bake them in the oven as per the cooking instructions that are provided.

How to Prepare Thistle Meals

Thistle offers a highly flexible meal plan where you can easily customize your order to suit the number of servings you want as well as your meal preferences. However, if you want to eliminate specific ingredients, this may not be possible.

Thistle already has organic and gluten-free options for both vegetarians and meat eaters. The nutrition profile, reviews, and options for plant-based and meat-based proteins are listed on every recipe card, and you can also see the ingredients for each recipe.

To make any changes to your order, you have until the cutoff time which is before midnight on Friday. It means you have until 11:59 p.m. every Thursday to make any necessary adjustments to your meal plan. You can add or remove meals, skip a week, pause your subscription, change the delivery address, or adjust the delivery date based on the options available to you.

Once you log in to the Meal Plan page, you can edit your meal deliveries by clicking on the Custom plan and even go as far as adding or removing meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacks. This lets you create a personalized meal plan that fits your schedule and dietary needs.

Thistle serves fully prepared meals that are heated and served. All the meals contain pre-prepped and precooked ingredients in single-serve containers. Thistle’s meals take you less than 2 minutes to heat in a microwave.

Their cold-pressed juices and energy shots are also fully prepared, so you don’t have to chop any fruits or blend the ingredients. They are all ready to drink out of the bottle and can be stored in the refrigerator for a long time to preserve freshness and flavor.

How are Gobble Meals Packed?

For weekly orders, Gobble uses a recyclable cardboard box containing all the fresh meal kits organized by recipes and serving size. The meal kits are separated by insulated liners that keep the ingredients fresh and firm during transit.

The weekly box also consists of gel ice packs underneath the meal kits to keep the ingredients at a cold temperature for preserving freshness and texture.

Gobble’s meal kit delivery service also uses plastic wraps to separate and organize each ingredient. The dry ingredients are stored at the top and the wet and meat ingredients at the bottom, preventing any leaks or spills.

The packaging is very well-organized and neat, so it’s easier to unpack, even if you order more than 10 meal kits per week.

Although some research suggests that excessive amounts of plastic packaging are used, Gobble does prioritize eco-friendly and sustainable practices. The plastic wrappers are recyclable either at the curb or at a recycling facility.

Some items, however, may not be recyclable and will need to be thrown away. Fortunately, depending on the delivery location, Gobble offers eco-friendly packaging options for some orders. This entails less plastic use and grouping the ingredients in larger bags to reduce waste.

How are Thistle Meals Packed?

Thistle’s Sustainability practices are worth noting. They are a meal kit delivery service that uses single-serve containers for all their meals, with sauces and condiments sometimes packed in two-serving containers to reduce plastic usage.

Each prepared meal has a clear label making it easier for you to follow and read the heating instructions. Salads and dry meals are packed in cups to reduce plastic usage, while wet ingredients like protein and marinated foods are stored in airtight seal bags based on the serving size.

Thistle’s packaging is recyclable, including the thermal cooler bags and ice packs that they use to keep the food fresh during transportation. You can even wash and reuse some of the plastic containers that are used to keep the food fresh.

Plastic containers with wet ingredients must be rinsed before recycling. Thistle encourages the reuse of plastics, 64-ounce ice packs, and carry bags.

For weekly orders, you can leave the packaging at your doorstep for pickup by the Thistle delivery person during your next order. If you want to make adjustments and stick to more eco-friendly meal delivery services, Thistle is a great choice.

Recipes

Though Gobble’s meal kits are customizable, you can only view the nutrition profile of their meals after signing up. Their meal plan includes classic recipes, lean and clean recipes, and complete plant-based dishes.

They also include extra items like specialty kits for 4 people, salads, side dishes, soups, breakfasts, and some desserts.

Thistle’s menu is divided according to location, and they offer a complete meal plan for each day of the week, excluding Sundays. The West Coast menu has different meal recipes including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks than the East Coast menu.

Each recipe is backed by the nutrition information, ingredients list, and customer reviews, so you can compare and evaluate which recipe is trending or not.

The nutrition details are available for both plant- and meat-based options. Plus, they offer nutrition for all their dinner and lunch meals including the breakfast and snack options they provide.

Here are some of the best choices from their current week’s menu:

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Snack/Dessert

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Gobble and Thistle

Are the Meals Allergy-Friendly?

Gobble is not an allergy-friendly meal kit delivery service, but they do list down all the food allergens that are present in each meal. They process all the major allergens like gluten, nuts, dairy, eggs, and shellfish in the same kitchen facility.

If you have a severe food allergy, opt for other meal kit delivery services that offer certified allergen-free foods like Thistle, which is a certified gluten-free meal delivery service. They also do not process or serve gluten, dairy, and eggs.

For the rest of the food allergens like peanut, soy, tree nuts, shellfish, etc., they do offer meals with some of these ingredients. You can read the nutrition profile and ingredient list of each recipe before choosing.

Some meal customizations are allowed where you can swap proteins from non-veg to veg or vice versa. But neither Gobble nor Thistle is certified vegan for people who want to stick to a plant-based diet without any animal-based products.

Is the Customer Service Responsive?

You can contact Gobble via their helpful customer support to assist you with anything. If you have any questions or doubts, you could refer to their FAQs page. Their Contact page gives you direct access to Gobble via phone or text or by filling out a form.

They even feature a live chat or messaging function during weekdays between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. and on weekends between 5 a.m. and 1 p.m. You will be directly chatting with a customer care representative so you can have all your doubts cleared up in a minute.

The FAQs page includes detailed information regarding your membership, account details, shipping and delivery, and other related queries. Commonly asked questions are answered in a straightforward manner.

You can also find out how Gobble works before signing up for their weekly orders.

Moving on to Thistle, they also feature a “How Thistle Works” web page that walks you through the entire meal selection and delivery process before signing up.

For specific queries regarding delivery, meal selection, subscriptions, nutrition, packaging, billing, etc., their FAQs page is well-organized and accessible to everyone. You can enter a specific keyword to search for common questions and find solutions right away.

If you still can’t find what you are looking for, submit a request to get in touch with their customer care on this page. If you have a question about signing up or haven’t received your order on time, somebody will get in touch with you to provide clear-cut solutions. Based on the nature of your request, you have to submit a form, which shouldn’t take you longer than a minute.

Are There Any Discounts for First-Time Customers?

On Gobble’s website, new members place an order for 6 meals and pay only $36. The discount applies to the first week of the subscription, after which the subscription will revert back to its standard pricing of $11.99–$16.99 per serving.

Thistle, on the other hand, offers a packaged discount of up to $100 off for new members during their first 4 deliveries. Thus, make the most of the $100 in your first 4 weeks after which the standard prices apply.

Gobble Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Minimal prep and cooking are required.
• Meal kits come with prechopped and pre-prepped ingredients.
• Global-inspired recipes with sides, salads, soup, and desserts.
• You can swap proteins on select meal kit recipes.
• Their meal plans can be made vegetarian easily.
• Some low-calorie and low-carb meal options.
• Packaging is minimal and eco-friendly.

Cons:

• Not for a strict vegan.
• Some of the ingredients are not organic.
• Slightly pricey with extra shipping charges.
• Not allergy-friendly.

Thistle Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Prepared meals that are delivered fresh and tasty.
• Each day includes a breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack item.
• Certified gluten-free with dairy-free and egg-free meals.
• None of the ingredients contains preservatives or GMOs.
• Omnivores can add meat to their meals easily.
• Freshly prepared cold-pressed juices and energy shots.
• Side dishes like soup and salad recipes are tasty and nutritious.
• Balanced nutrition with fewer calories per serving.
• The packaging is well-organized and easy to unpack and recycle.

Cons:

• Limited access to delivery locations.
• Food allergens like nuts, shellfish, and soy are included.
• Does not cater to strict dietary restrictions.
• You may receive single-use plastics a lot.

Gobble vs Thistle – Final Verdict

The bottom line of Gobble is that they’re great at what they do – eliminating boring food from your weekly diet. With your Gobble subscription, there’s no need to do any meal planning or prepping. Plus, they have some amazing seafood recipes and even seafood swap options on the menu.

How about Thistle? Is a Thistle subscription worth it? It certainly is if your food preferences include healthy plant-based meals (no doubt, these are delicious meals too!) that have no dairy, gluten, artificial sweeteners, additives, or refined sugars.

To be honest, it’s an apples-to-oranges comparison here because Gobble offers meal kits, and Thistle is the best for premade meals. So, the choice ultimately depends on what type of meals you want to receive on a weekly basis. You can’t go wrong with either!