Splendid Spoon vs Hungryroot 2026: Which is Better?

I’ve spent $400+ testing both Splendid Spoon and Hungryroot over the last two months. Ordered their intro boxes, paid full price for follow-up weeks, ate the food. Here’s what actually matters: Splendid Spoon is zero-prep vegan meals you microwave or eat cold. Hungryroot is a grocery service disguised as a meal kit. you still cook, just less.

If you don’t want to cook at all, Splendid Spoon wins. Their smoothies and grain bowls show up frozen, you heat them for two minutes, done. I kept their breakfast smoothies running for six weeks because waking up to a blender situation every morning was killing me. But if you want actual dinner options and don’t mind 10-15 minutes of assembly work, Hungryroot has better variety and costs less per serving.

The real split: Splendid Spoon is a meal replacement service for people doing weight loss resets or who genuinely hate cooking. Hungryroot is for people who want cooking to feel less like cooking. pre-chopped vegetables, pre-cooked chicken, dump-and-stir recipes. Both work. Neither is cheap. But they solve different problems.

Quick Verdict: Splendid Spoon vs Hungryroot

Hungryroot wins on flexibility and price, but Splendid Spoon wins on pure convenience. Here’s how they stack up across six categories that actually matter:

Hungryroot takes four out of six. But if you’re doing a weight loss reset or you travel constantly and need grab-and-go meals, Splendid Spoon’s zero-prep advantage matters more than the price gap.

Who Should Pick Splendid Spoon

You’re doing a cleanse or weight loss reset and don’t trust yourself around a kitchen. Splendid Spoon’s meals are pre-portioned, calorie-conscious, and require zero decisions. You grab a smoothie, you grab a soup, you move on. I used their breakfast smoothies during a month where I was trying to drop 10 pounds before a wedding. Worked. The discipline of “this is breakfast, period” removed the negotiation I usually have with myself at 7 AM.

You travel for work and need meals that survive a hotel mini-fridge. Their grain bowls and noodle dishes microwave in two minutes. I’ve eaten Splendid Spoon in airport lounges, hotel rooms, and once in the back of an Uber during a layover in Denver. Not glamorous, but it beats another $14 Sweetgreen salad that leaked all over my laptop bag.

You’re vegan and you’re tired of cooking the same three Buddha bowls. Splendid Spoon rotates 50+ plant-based options. red lentil dhal, Thai coconut curry, matcha chia smoothies. If you’re already committed to a vegan diet and you just need someone else to handle the logistics, this is the move.

You hate breakfast. Their smoothies cost $9.99 each, which sounds steep until you realize a comparable smoothie from Juice Generation in New York is $12 and you had to walk there. If you’re the type who skips breakfast because making it feels like a second job, Splendid Spoon solves that.

Who Should Pick Hungryroot

You want the illusion of cooking without the actual labor. Hungryroot sends you pre-chopped vegetables, pre-cooked proteins, and sauces that taste like you made them. You dump everything into a pan, stir for 10 minutes, and suddenly you’re eating a teriyaki chicken bowl that didn’t require you to dice an onion or marinate anything overnight. I made their sesame ginger stir-fry in 12 minutes. Tasted better than anything I’ve made from scratch in twice that time.

You feed multiple people with different dietary needs. Hungryroot’s personalization quiz lets you customize for vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free. basically every dietary restriction except “I only eat beige food.” My partner is pescatarian, I eat everything. Hungryroot sent us salmon teriyaki for him and chicken tacos for me in the same box. No separate meal planning required.

You want groceries and snacks, not just dinners. Hungryroot isn’t a meal kit. It’s a grocery service that happens to include easy recipes. You get almond butter, dark chocolate, cauliflower gnocchi, protein bars. stuff you’d buy at Whole Foods anyway, but without the Whole Foods trip. I’ve kept their chickpea puffs and dark chocolate cups stocked for three months. Legitimately good snacks.

You’re trying to cook more but you’re bad at it. Hungryroot’s recipes use 3-4 ingredients and come with photos. You can’t screw them up unless you actively try. If you’re the person who burns water, this is your gateway drug to not ordering Postmates every night.

You don’t want to meal prep but you also don’t want fully-prepared meals. Splendid Spoon feels like a diet. Hungryroot feels like cooking. If that distinction matters to you. if you want to feel like you’re making dinner, not microwaving it. Hungryroot wins.

Pricing Breakdown: What You’re Actually Spending

Splendid Spoon charges per meal type. Smoothies are $9.99, soups and bowls are $12.49, noodle dishes are $13.49. Their plans start at 6 meals per week ($84.42 for 7 meals, $126.28 for 14 meals, $196.79 for 21 meals). Free shipping kicks in at 10+ meals. If you order fewer than 10, you’re paying shipping on top of already-premium meal prices. That’s a problem.

The math for a week of Splendid Spoon breakfasts and lunches: 7 smoothies ($9.99 each) + 7 grain bowls ($12.49 each) = $157.36 per week. That’s $629 per month. For one person. Compare that to your current breakfast and lunch spending and decide if the convenience is worth it. For me, during a weight loss push, it was. For everyday life, it’s not.

Splendid Spoon runs promos constantly. I’ve seen 20% off codes (SPLENDID20, IGNITE20), $50-60 off first boxes, and 10% discounts for students, teachers, healthcare workers, and military through SheerID. If you’re paying full price, you’re doing it wrong. Stack a 20% promo on your first order and the per-meal cost drops to $7.99 for smoothies, $9.99 for bowls. That’s competitive with daily smoothie shop spending.

Hungryroot starts at $70 per week minimum. Their pricing is credit-based. dinners cost $8.99+, breakfast $3.99, lunch $5.99, snacks $1.99. A week for two people eating three dinners each runs about $120-140 depending on what you pick. That’s $480-560 per month. Still expensive compared to grocery shopping, but cheaper than Splendid Spoon and you’re getting dinner, not just breakfast and lunch.

Hungryroot’s first-order promo is 30% off. I paid $49 for my first box (normally $70). Free shipping on orders over $70, otherwise $6.99. The credit system confuses people. you’re not buying meals, you’re buying credits that unlock different items. Unused credits roll over for six months, which matters if you skip weeks or travel.

Real scenario math: You’re single, you want breakfast and lunch covered Monday-Friday. Splendid Spoon: 5 smoothies ($50) + 5 bowls ($62.45) = $112.45/week = $450/month. Hungryroot: 5 breakfasts ($20) + 5 lunches ($30) + snacks ($15) = $65/week = $260/month. Hungryroot is $190/month cheaper for similar coverage. But Hungryroot requires 10-15 minutes of assembly. Splendid Spoon requires zero minutes. That’s the tradeoff.

Menu and Meal Options

Splendid Spoon rotates 50+ plant-based meals across four categories: smoothies, soups, grain bowls, and noodle dishes. Their smoothies are the star. I tried the Berry Chia Smoothie (blueberries, chia, almond butter, dates), the Cacao + Greens Smoothie (spinach, cacao, hemp seeds, banana), and the Mango Chia Smoothie (mango, coconut milk, chia, turmeric). All tasted good. The texture is thick, almost pudding-like, which some people love and some people find gritty because of the chia and protein additions. I liked it. My partner said it felt like drinking oatmeal.

Their grain bowls are where Splendid Spoon gets interesting. I ate the Red Lentil Dhal (lentils, coconut milk, tomatoes, curry spices), the Cauliflower Gnocchi with Marinara (cauliflower gnocchi, tomato sauce, basil, cashew cream), and the Butternut Mac (butternut squash, cashew cream, nutritional yeast). The dhal was legitimately great. restaurant-quality spice depth. The mac tasted like vegan comfort food, which is what it’s supposed to be. Portions are light. If you’re used to a 1,200-calorie Chipotle bowl, Splendid Spoon’s 400-500 calorie servings will feel small.

Splendid Spoon’s menu doesn’t rotate weekly. You’re picking from the same 50 options every time you order. That’s fine for a month, annoying after two months. They add seasonal items (pumpkin smoothies in fall, gazpacho in summer), but the core menu stays static. If you get bored easily, that’s a dealbreaker.

Hungryroot’s menu is infinite because it’s not a fixed menu. Their personalization quiz asks about dietary preferences (vegan, pescatarian, omnivore), cooking skill level, and flavor preferences (spicy, mild, adventurous). Then it builds a personalized grocery cart every week with suggested recipes. You can swap anything. I got Sesame Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry (pre-cooked chicken, broccoli slaw, sesame ginger sauce), Salmon Teriyaki Bowls (pre-cooked salmon, jasmine rice, teriyaki glaze, edamame), and Black Bean Tacos (black beans, tortillas, avocado crema, cabbage slaw). All took 10-15 minutes to assemble.

Hungryroot includes groceries. My boxes came with almond butter, dark chocolate squares, chickpea puffs, protein shakes, cauliflower gnocchi, and frozen mango chunks. You’re not just getting meal components. you’re getting a Whole Foods haul without the Whole Foods trip. If you normally spend $40-60/week on snacks and breakfast staples, Hungryroot replaces that spending.

Dietary flexibility: Splendid Spoon is 100% vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, non-GMO. If you’re not vegan, you’re out of luck. Hungryroot accommodates vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, omnivore, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and shellfish-free. You can filter by all of these simultaneously. If you have multiple dietary restrictions or you’re feeding a household with different needs, Hungryroot is the only option that works.

How They Actually Taste

Splendid Spoon’s smoothies taste like high-end juice bar smoothies. The Berry Chia was sweet without being cloying, the Cacao + Greens tasted like a chocolate shake with a slight earthy aftertaste from the spinach. The Mango Chia had turmeric, which gave it a subtle spice kick I didn’t expect but liked. All three were thick. you eat them with a spoon, not drink them. The chia seeds add texture that some people find gritty. I didn’t mind it. My partner hated it. That’s a personal preference thing.

Their soups are solid. The Tomato Bisque tasted like roasted tomatoes with cashew cream. rich, slightly sweet, comforting. The Carrot Ginger soup was lighter, more of a palate cleanser than a meal. The Minestrone was vegetable-forward and hearty, but it needed salt. I added hot sauce. Splendid Spoon’s food is under-seasoned on purpose (low sodium, clean eating focus), so if you’re used to restaurant-level salt and fat, you’ll notice the difference.

The grain bowls were the surprise winners. The Red Lentil Dhal had legitimate spice complexity. cumin, coriander, garam masala, coconut sweetness. It tasted like something I’d order at an Indian restaurant, not a microwaved meal kit. The Cauliflower Gnocchi with Marinara was less impressive. the gnocchi had that frozen texture, and the marinara was basic. The Butternut Mac was creamy and satisfying, but again, it needed salt and maybe some garlic powder.

Portion sizes: Splendid Spoon meals are 12-16 oz, 350-550 calories. That’s a light lunch or a breakfast replacement, not a dinner. If you’re trying to lose weight, the portions are perfect. If you’re trying to fuel a workout or feed a 6’2″ guy who lifts, you’re eating two meals at once. I’m 5’10”, 170 lbs, moderately active. One bowl left me satisfied for 3-4 hours. One smoothie kept me full until lunch.

Hungryroot tastes better. Full stop. Their Sesame Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry had garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and soy sauce depth. The chicken was pre-cooked but didn’t taste rubbery. The broccoli slaw stayed crisp. I made it in 12 minutes and it tasted like I’d spent 45 minutes prepping and cooking. The Salmon Teriyaki Bowls were similarly impressive. the salmon flaked perfectly, the teriyaki glaze was sweet and savory, the edamame added texture.

The Black Bean Tacos were the weakest Hungryroot meal I tried, but they were still fine. The black beans were seasoned well (cumin, chili powder, lime), the avocado crema was tangy, the cabbage slaw added crunch. The tortillas were standard grocery store tortillas. Not restaurant-quality, but better than anything I’d make on a Tuesday night when I’m tired.

Hungryroot’s portions are bigger. Their dinners are 400-600 calories per serving, designed to feed 2-4 people depending on the recipe. I’m one person. I ate half a recipe and saved the other half for lunch the next day. If you’re feeding a couple, Hungryroot’s portions make sense. If you’re single, you’re getting two meals out of every recipe.

Presentation: Splendid Spoon meals arrive in plastic cups with peel-back lids. You microwave them in the cup or eat them cold. Zero plating required, which is the point. Hungryroot meals require assembly. you’re pouring ingredients into a pan, stirring, plating. It feels more like cooking, which some people want and some people don’t.

Cooking and Prep Experience

Splendid Spoon is zero-prep. You peel the lid off a smoothie cup, stir it, eat it with a spoon. Or you microwave a grain bowl for 2 minutes, stir, eat. There’s no chopping, no measuring, no recipe cards, no decisions. The entire process from fridge to eating is under 3 minutes. If you’re the type of person who considers opening a yogurt container “meal prep,” this is your service.

Hungryroot requires 10-15 minutes of actual work. You’re pulling ingredients out of the box, dumping them into a pan, stirring, heating. The recipes are simple. usually 3-4 ingredients, one pan, minimal technique. I made their Sesame Ginger Stir-Fry by dumping pre-cooked chicken and broccoli slaw into a pan, pouring sesame ginger sauce over it, stirring for 5 minutes on medium heat. Done. The Black Bean Tacos took 8 minutes: heat beans in a pan, warm tortillas in the microwave, assemble with avocado crema and slaw.

Hungryroot doesn’t send recipe cards in the box. You have to check the app or website for instructions. That’s annoying if you’re standing in your kitchen with a pan and you don’t want to unlock your phone. I screenshotted recipes before cooking to avoid this problem. The instructions are clear. step-by-step with photos. but I wish they’d include a printed card.

Ingredient organization: Splendid Spoon meals are individually packaged. You grab what you want, ignore the rest. Hungryroot sends everything loose in the box. You have to sort through bags of vegetables, proteins, and sauces to figure out what goes with what recipe. The first week I spent 10 minutes matching ingredients to recipes. By week three I’d memorized the system, but the learning curve is real.

Packaging quality: Splendid Spoon uses BPA-free plastic cups with peel-back lids. They stack well in the fridge or freezer. I never had a leak. Hungryroot uses resealable bags and plastic containers. The bags leaked once (a teriyaki sauce bag split in transit), but customer service refunded me immediately. Otherwise, packaging held up fine.

Ingredient freshness: Splendid Spoon meals are frozen. You store them in the freezer and move them to the fridge 24 hours before eating, or microwave from frozen. The frozen model means zero food waste. if you don’t eat a meal, it stays frozen indefinitely. Hungryroot ingredients are fresh (vegetables, proteins, dairy) with a 5-7 day fridge life. I had to eat everything within a week or it started wilting. The pre-cooked chicken stayed good for 6 days. The vegetables started looking sad by day 5.

Cleanliness: Splendid Spoon generates zero dishes beyond the spoon you eat with. Hungryroot generates one pan, one spatula, and whatever plates/bowls you use to serve. Not a disaster, but not zero-cleanup either.

Delivery and Packaging

Splendid Spoon ships nationwide via FedEx. Meals arrive frozen in an insulated box with dry ice. Delivery takes 2-5 business days depending on your distance from their fulfillment centers. I’m in Colorado. My boxes arrived in 3 days, still frozen solid. The dry ice was mostly evaporated but the meals were cold. I’ve never had a box arrive warm or thawed.

You pick your delivery day when you sign up. Splendid Spoon delivers Monday-Saturday. I chose Tuesdays because I’m reliably home Tuesdays. You can change your delivery day in your account settings. FedEx leaves the box on your doorstep. If you’re not home, the dry ice keeps everything frozen for 4-6 hours in normal weather. In summer heat or winter cold, bring it inside ASAP.

Packaging: Splendid Spoon uses 100% recyclable boxes and plant-based insulation. The dry ice evaporates into CO2 (just let it sit in a well-ventilated area. don’t touch it directly or seal it in an airtight container). The plastic meal cups are BPA-free and recyclable in most municipal programs. The box itself is cardboard. You can break it down and toss it in your recycling bin. Sustainability-wise, Splendid Spoon is solid.

Hungryroot ships fresh via UPS. Meals arrive in an insulated box with ice packs. Delivery is weekly or biweekly, your choice. You pick a delivery day (Friday-Wednesday) and Hungryroot ships accordingly. My boxes arrived on Tuesdays, cold but not frozen. The ice packs were mostly melted but the food was still fridge-temperature. I’ve had one box arrive warm (UPS delayed it by a day during a holiday week). Hungryroot refunded me $50 and sent a replacement box.

Hungryroot’s coverage is nationwide, but delivery reliability varies by region. If you live in a major metro (New York, LA, Chicago, Austin, Denver), you’re fine. If you live in rural Montana, expect occasional delays. I’m in Denver. Zero issues over three months of deliveries.

Packaging: Hungryroot uses recyclable cardboard boxes, recyclable plastic bags for ingredients, and reusable ice packs. The ice packs are the gel type. you can reuse them, donate them to a food bank, or cut them open and pour the non-toxic gel down the drain (check your local regulations). The insulation is paper-based and compostable. The plastic bags are #4 LDPE (recyclable at grocery store drop-offs, not curbside in most cities). Hungryroot’s packaging is less eco-friendly than Splendid Spoon’s but still better than most meal kits.

Box size: Splendid Spoon boxes are compact. A 12-meal order fits in a box about the size of a case of beer. Easy to carry, fits in a standard fridge or freezer. Hungryroot boxes are bigger. a week’s worth of groceries and meals for two people fills a box the size of a large moving box. You need counter space to unpack it and fridge space to store everything.

The Final Call: Splendid Spoon vs Hungryroot

Hungryroot wins on value, flexibility, and taste. You’re getting more food for less money, with better dietary options and actual dinner coverage. If you’re comparing these two services on paper, Hungryroot is the obvious pick. But paper doesn’t account for the fact that some people genuinely hate cooking, even 10-minute dump-and-stir cooking. For those people, Splendid Spoon’s zero-prep model is worth the premium.

I’d pick Hungryroot for everyday life. It’s $190/month cheaper than Splendid Spoon for similar meal coverage, the food tastes better, and I don’t mind spending 10-15 minutes assembling dinner. The grocery component is a bonus. I’m getting snacks, breakfast staples, and pantry items I’d buy anyway, but without the grocery store trip. If you’re trying to eat healthier, cook more, and reduce your Uber Eats spending, Hungryroot is the move.

I’d pick Splendid Spoon for specific situations: weight loss resets, travel-heavy work schedules, or periods when I’m too busy/depressed/injured to cook. I used Splendid Spoon during a month when I was working 70-hour weeks and couldn’t handle meal decisions. It worked. The food kept me fed, I lost 8 pounds (intentionally), and I didn’t have to think about breakfast or lunch. But I wouldn’t run it year-round. The menu gets repetitive, the portions are light, and the cost adds up fast.

If you’re vegan and you want zero-prep meals, Splendid Spoon is your only national option. Daily Harvest is similar but focuses more on smoothies and less on full meals. Factor and Trifecta offer zero-prep meals but include meat. Purple Carrot is vegan but requires cooking. Splendid Spoon owns the “vegan + zero-prep” category. If that’s what you need, it’s the best at what it does.

If you’re not vegan, or if you’re willing to spend 10 minutes cooking, Hungryroot is the better deal. The math isn’t close. You’re saving $190/month, getting more variety, and eating food that tastes better. The tradeoff is 10-15 minutes of work per meal. For most people, that’s a fair trade.

Real talk: both services are expensive compared to grocery shopping and cooking from scratch. If you’re broke, neither of these is the move. Buy rice, beans, frozen vegetables, and a rotisserie chicken from Costco. But if you’re spending $40-60/week on delivery apps or eating out, Hungryroot replaces that spending at roughly the same cost with healthier food. Splendid Spoon replaces it at a premium, but with zero effort required.

Try Hungryroot first. Use their 30% intro promo ($49 for your first box). If you like the food but hate the 10 minutes of cooking, switch to Splendid Spoon. If you like the food and don’t mind the cooking, stick with Hungryroot and pocket the savings. That’s the playbook.

FAQ: Splendid Spoon vs Hungryroot

Is Splendid Spoon better than Hungryroot?

Depends on what you value. Splendid Spoon wins on convenience (zero cooking required) and is better for weight loss resets. Hungryroot wins on price ($8-11/serving vs $9.37-13.49/serving), taste, variety, and dietary flexibility. If you hate cooking, Splendid Spoon. If you want better food for less money and don’t mind 10 minutes of assembly, Hungryroot.

Which is cheaper, Splendid Spoon or Hungryroot?

Hungryroot is cheaper. A week of breakfasts and lunches costs $65 with Hungryroot vs $112 with Splendid Spoon. That’s $188/month in savings. Splendid Spoon’s pricing makes sense if you’re paying for ultimate convenience (zero prep), but on a per-serving basis, Hungryroot beats it by $1-2/meal.

Which has better tasting meals?

Hungryroot tastes better. Their meals have more seasoning, bigger portions, and restaurant-quality flavor depth. Splendid Spoon’s food is good. especially the Red Lentil Dhal and smoothies. but it’s under-seasoned by design (low sodium, clean eating focus). If taste is your top priority, Hungryroot wins.

Can I get dinner from Splendid Spoon?

No. Splendid Spoon focuses on breakfast and lunch (smoothies, soups, grain bowls). Their portions are light (350-550 calories) and designed for daytime meals. If you want dinner coverage, you need Hungryroot or a different service like Factor or Home Chef.

Which should I try first?

Try Hungryroot first. Use their 30% intro promo (normally $70, you’ll pay $49). You get a week’s worth of groceries and meals for less than two Chipotle orders. If you like it, keep it. If you hate the 10 minutes of cooking, switch to Splendid Spoon. But start with the cheaper option and see if it works before committing to the premium one.

Does Hungryroot work for vegans?

Yes. Hungryroot’s personalization quiz lets you select “vegan” and filters out all animal products. You’ll get plant-based proteins (tofu, tempeh, beans), dairy-free sauces, and vegan snacks. Splendid Spoon is 100% vegan by default, so if you want zero decisions, go with Splendid Spoon. But Hungryroot’s vegan options are solid.

How long do the meals last?

Splendid Spoon meals are frozen and last indefinitely in the freezer. Move them to the fridge 24 hours before eating or microwave from frozen. Hungryroot ingredients are fresh with a 5-7 day fridge life. Eat everything within a week or it starts wilting. If you travel a lot or skip weeks, Splendid Spoon’s frozen model is more forgiving.

Do I need a microwave for Splendid Spoon?

No. Splendid Spoon meals can be eaten cold (smoothies) or heated on the stove/in a microwave (soups, bowls). If you don’t have a microwave, pour the soup or bowl into a pot and heat on medium for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The smoothies are designed to be eaten cold.

Can I pause or skip weeks?

Yes, both services let you skip weeks. Log into your account, go to delivery settings, and pause your subscription or skip individual weeks. Splendid Spoon requires 5 days’ notice before your next delivery. Hungryroot requires 7 days’ notice. If you forget and miss the cutoff, you’re locked into that week’s delivery.