You’ll Love the Plant-Based Meals From Splendid Spoon, Even If You’re Not Vegan

Welcome to Skimm Tested, where we put products to the test and then give them a report card. (Check out all of our tried-and-tested faves here.)

The assignment…

To see if the frozen meals, wellness shots, and smoothies in the vegan Splendid Spoon marketplace are as delicious and satisfying as they claim, and if we’d actually sign up for a membership.

What we tested…

• Customer Favorites Bundle ($95)

• Plant Protein Smoothie 10-Pack ($100)

• Shots Discovery Bundle ($27.45)

• Vegan Chick’n Parm Dish ($13.49)

• Creamy Butternut Squash Noodles ($13.49)

Straight A’s in…

• Taste. Though our tester is not vegan, she thoroughly enjoyed the flavor of these dishes. The “chicken” parm tasted like actual chicken parm, and the noodle dishes were as delicious as real pasta (well, it was close), even though they’re made with rice noodles. Everything that was added for gut health — like kimchi and turmeric  — only made the dishes better, with no one ingredient overpowering the rest. The Butternut Squash Noodles were delightful, reminding us of the buttered noodles of our childhood, but with added ingredients like sweet potatoes and tiny pieces of broccoli to make them more nutritious. 

• Satisfaction. These vegan meals kept us full and satisfied. We loved that the nutrition facts are so easy to find for each product on the website, and also that each offering, whether it’s a bowl, soup, meal, or smoothie, is packed with protein. Most of the meals also contain a healthy dose of fiber. We felt good after eating these, and the combinations were Goldilocks-level just right — for example, the green beans that come with the Vegan Chick’n Parm Dish and the spring roll on the side of the Kimchi Fried Quinoa complemented the main dishes perfectly.

• Smoothies. Our tester can’t stop talking about how good these smoothies are, specifically the Blue Majik. She was instantly obsessed and couldn’t quite put her finger on why, but after consulting the website, which says it “tastes like cereal milk,” she realized that was exactly it. It’s one of the most unique tasting smoothies she’s ever had, likely due to the combination of blue spirulina (an antioxidant-filled algae) and coconut cream. While there was nothing hidden about the greens in the Hidden Greens, there really wasn’t one she didn’t like. The Chocolate Cherry was her runner-up favorite; it didn’t put her on pause like Blue Majik but was still incredibly tasty.

Room for growth…

• Cost. At $13.49 per meal, your tab can add up quickly. The bundles seem to be more cost effective, with each smoothie or meal costing around $10, but if you’re ordering weekly, it can definitely be pricey. However, they are offering a promotion where you can take $120 off your first four deliveries, or if you’re shopping the marketplace, use code STOCKUP to take 20% off when you spend $125. 

• Texture. No matter how good the flavors are, at the end of the day, tofu doesn't have the same texture as a real chicken parm. So while the chicken parm may have tasted like the real thing, there was a rubbery quality about it that we didn’t love. The smoothies also had a wide variety of different textures. Our favorites were thicker, and our least favorites, like the Cacao Almond, were a little more runny. We found that the noodle dishes could be a little bit runny at first, as well, but if you stir in between heating them up, and let them thicken for a few minutes when they’re done, the texture comes around.

Plays well with…

• Vegan or vegetarian diets. If you often find yourself running out of options for satisfying plant-based, high-protein meals, this is a great way to try something new.

• Anyone who wants to eat healthier. These meals focus on protein and fiber, so you’ll be fueling your body with foods that will satisfy your hunger and likely lead to less snacking in between.

• Busy lifestyles. It’s incredibly easy to pull one of these meals out of the freezer to heat up or enjoy a smoothie on-the-go.

Gets extra credit for…

• Being non-subscription-based, so you can buy meals à la carte at the marketplace, giving you the freedom to decide what you want week by week.

• Great customer service and quick shipping, with everything arriving still cold.

• The Wellness Shot was a sassy kick to our immune system and, placebo effect or not, seemed to stop an incoming cold right in its tracks.

How we did our homework…

• One editor taste-tested Splendid Spoon meals, smoothies, and shots over the course of several weeks. She tried all items included in the bundles she ordered (plus a few à la carte meals) and ate them at different times of day. She was mindful of how full she felt after eating, paying special attention to how long she could go after each meal before feeling hunger pangs. She noted the richness of flavor, texture, and general tastiness.

Footnotes…

• Customer Favorites Bundle, $95 at Splendid Spoon

  • Chocolate Cherry Smoothie

  • Raspberry Cacao Smoothie

  • Power Greens Smoothie

  • Vegetable Bolognese Bowl

  • Kimchi Fried Quinoa

  • Red Lentil Dal Soup

  • Creamy Mushroom & Spinach Noodles

  • Vegan Meatball & Marinara Noodles

  • Roasted Tomato Risotto Dish

  • Creamy Korma Dish

• Plant Protein Smoothie 10-Pack, $100 at Splendid Spoon

  • Strawberry Chocolate Smoothie

  • Pineapple Passion Fruit Smoothie

  • Hidden Greens Smoothie

  • Coffee Frappé Smoothie

  • Banana Flax Smoothie

  • Blue Majik Smoothie

  • Cacao Almond Smoothie

  • Power Greens Smoothie

  • Chocolate Cherry Smoothie

  • AB&J Smoothie

• Shots Discovery Bundle, $27.45 at Splendid Spoon

  • Detox Shot

  • Immunity Shot

  • Digestion Shot

  • Recovery Shot

  • Wellness Shot

• Vegan Chick’n Parm Dish, $13.49 at Splendid Spoon

• Creamy Butternut Squash Noodles, $13.49 at Splendid Spoon

• Membership details:

  • 7 meals, $84.43/week at Splendid Spoon

  • 14 meals, $126.36/week at Splendid Spoon

  • 21 meals, $196.79/week at Splendid Spoon