Thistle Review 2024: Great Plant-Powered Plans!

Overview

If you're looking for a meal delivery that caters to your plant-based protein needs, Thistle may be the answer. Thistle is a unique meal delivery service that offers all plant-based protein meals with the option to add meat protein for an additional cost. All meals are delivered fully prepared and ready to eat.

It uses locally sourced fruits, veggies, nuts, and organic ingredients whenever possible. Its meals are low-carb, high-protein, and designed to provide you with the necessary nutrients to fuel your body. This means fewer worries about planning and cooking healthy dinners, it’s all sorted for you by Thistle.

However, the question remains whether living on prepared meals is sustainable. In this review, I've researched Thistle to find out everything you need to know to help you decide if it's the right meal delivery service for you.

What’s on the Thistle Menu

With Thistle, there’s a difference in meal options depending on your location. If you’re located in a delivery area, you can freely choose anything from the menu. If you’re located further away in a shipping area, you’ll have to choose a prefixed plan. You’ll still get to choose from the menu, but you’re restricted by the plan you choose.

If you live on the West Coast, you can choose from 6 different options. These are the Cold-Pressed Juice Box, Lite Bites Box, Essentials Box with Meat, Vegan Essentials Box, Vegan Enhanced Box, and the Enhanced Box with Meat. So, for example, the Vegan Essentials Box contains 6 meals, including 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 2 dinners. You can pick your meals from the full menu.

If you live on the East Coast, you can choose the number of breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks. After that, select your meal preferences.

Note that there’s no apparent meal limit for the East Coasters.

Meal Options

I like the idea of having a plant-focused delivery service that has the option to add meat as an alternative protein. You can also opt for a mix of plant and meat protein. If you do decide to add meat, you’ll have to pay an extra cost.

The menu rotates on a weekly basis, so there’s always something new to try. As the menu is all gluten-free, it tends to focus on quinoa and rice as carbohydrate options. If you aren’t gluten intolerant, you might find this a little repetitive.

Every meal has a plant or meat protein option, making it a great choice for flexitarians. If you like to switch things up a bit, you can go for the omnivore option, where you can have a bit of both in different dishes.

Thistle also delivers juice, soups, and salad. There are 12 oz bottles of cold-pressed juices as well as 2 oz fruit shots. The sides include soups and salads and are a good idea if you want to make a more substantial meal or as an alternative lunch option.

Lunches and dinners contain between 450 and 650 calories. This makes it a suitable option if you’re looking for a calorie-conscious meal delivery company. There’s also at least 20 g of protein in every meal, so you know it's a healthy option.

I like that Thistle is committed to sustainability with its ingredients. Organic ingredients are denoted with an asterisk on the nutrition and ingredient list available for every dish.

I like that each dish contains nutrient-dense booster foods like turmeric, chia seeds, and spirulina. This is a unique feature that sets Thistle apart from similar plant-based delivery services, such as Purple Carrot.

It’s good to see that Thistle offers discounts for certain groups of people. These include:

• Healthcare workers

• Military

• Education providers

• First responders

• Students

The Thistle menu is rather limited in choice. There’s a daily menu including a breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a side for Monday through Saturday. This means you probably aren’t going to be able to rely on Thistle for all your meals.

Cuisine choices are varied, and there are plenty of interesting-looking dishes on the menu. I like the look of the Miso-Glazed Summer Squash dinner and the Cuban Ropa Vieja with Plantains. There’s definitely something different to try every week.

Customization

When you sign up to Thistle, you have the option to customize your plan by protein choice. You can opt for the standard plant-based protein or choose to add meat protein for an additional cost. If you’re flexitarian, you can go for the mixed plan, which gives you half plant and half meat.

If you’re dairy or gluten intolerant, Thistle is a good choice. All of the meals are dairy and gluten free. If you’re allergic to gluten or particularly sensitive, I’d recommend Green Chef instead, as Thistle is yet to be officially certified gluten free.

You can also adapt your plan if you have allergies. Currently, these are the allergens identified by Thistle: soy, peanuts, tree nuts, coconut, pork, fish, and shellfish. I like that it will either omit the ingredient from your recipe or remove the meal choice.

If you’re located in a shipping area, you’re unable to customize your menu for allergens or substitutions. So, if you’re looking for a vegan delivery service that can accommodate your dietary needsf, check out Purple Carrot as a good alternative.

The prefixed plans are only available in shipping areas, not local delivery areas. This is to make it more cost-effective and environmentally friendly for longer-distance shipments.

You can still choose from every option on the Monday and Thursday menu, but it must meet the specifications of the box. For example, the Essentials Box requires you to select 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 2 dinners.

Thistle is great for vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores. However, there are no specific dietary plans available, such as diabetic, keto, or weight loss. That said, meals are generally low in calories, so they could be used to support your weight loss goals.

Every recipe can be made with or without meat, so there's the same number of choices for meat eaters and veggies alike. This is something I was pleased about, as usually, vegetarian options are more limited than meat options.

Unboxing

Meals arrive in insulated reusable bags that can be returned with your next delivery. Ice packs are used to keep the meals cold, and you’ll need to put everything in the refrigerator to store it until you eat. Meals are single portions in plastic containers, and sauces are packed separately.

It’s recommended to eat meals within 2 days, but check the dates on packs to make sure. You can also freeze some of the items, but this isn’t recommended for salads. Frozen lettuce isn’t very appetizing.

The large 64 oz ice packs are collected to be used for future deliveries. The smaller ice packs can be collected, or you can dispose of them yourself at home. There are detailed instructions on the Thistle website for this.

You can recycle the plastic containers, but they aren’t the best in terms of sustainability. Thistle is looking into more eco-friendly options. But until then, if you can’t think of a creative way to reuse the containers, you can recycle them with your curbside pickup.

Cooking with Thistle

The great thing about Thistle is that there’s next to no prep involved. In fact, all of Thistle's options are ready to eat. If you want to heat some dishes – perhaps a pasta-based dish or the soups – it’s as simple as gently heating them in a skillet with a little olive oil.

Shortlist of My Favorite Meals

I find Thistle's recipes quite appealing. In this section of my Thistle Review, I'll briefly describe my favorite meals.

Butternut & Pear Pasta Salad

Roasted butternut squash and sweet pears take center stage. Some other welcome ingredients in my book are organic spring mix lettuce or seasonal greens, chickpea pasta, and arugula. You'll get chicken if you opt for meat in your dishes.

The meal is low in calories, both with and without meat. The vegan version contains 450 calories, while the meat adds 40 calories. The carbohydrate content also varies, with the plant-based dish containing 59 g of carbohydrates and the meal with chicken containing 46 g of carbohydrates. As you probably assume, the protein content is significantly different. The meat version contains 35 g, compared to 18 g in the plant-based version. 

Red Thai Curry 

Key components include red rice, coconut milk, mushrooms, and either spinach or seasonal greens. Depending on your choice, you'll also get tofu for a plant-based meal or ground chicken if you're an omnivore. Garlic, coriander, and lemongrass are some other additions, enhancing both plant-based and meat-inclusive options.

Most of the nutritional content is virtually the same, regardless of the chosen version. The plant-based option contains 440 calories, while the meat-based option adds 20 calories. The plant-based version contains a little higher protein content – 27 g versus 25 g. The carb content is 62 g versus 45 g for the vegan option.

Almond Cherry Moringa Fudge 

Fans of dark chocolate, almonds, and cherries could hardly desire a tastier snack than Almond Cherry Moringa Fudge. This delicacy also contains several organic ingredients, such as cacao butter, coconut sugar, and maple syrup.

With it, your calorie intake will be 410 calories. It also adds 28 g of carbs, 6 g of which is fiber, 9 g of protein, and 31 g of fat.

Prices

This is a guide to prices per order in a local delivery area:

Be aware that Thistle’s prices vary a lot depending on your zip code, so use the table above as a basic guide. Enter your location on the website to confirm the exact costs. Prices can also vary depending on which type of meals you order. I’ve listed prices that are displayed when ordering either lunches or dinners when I used zip codes on the East and West Coast.

If you order breakfasts, the prices for these meals can vary, too. I found that the cost of 1 serving of breakfast ranges from $9.50 to $12.50. Again, I recommend checking costs per serving when you enter your delivery details and choose your ideal menu.

The prefixed orders in Thistle’s shipping areas are:

Shipping is free on the prefixed plans. If you’re located in a delivery area, there’s a flat fee of $4.95 per delivery.

Shipping & Delivery

Thistle offers local delivery or shipping, depending on your location. Meals can be shipped to California and parts of Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. If you’re on the East Coast, check your zip code to see if it delivers to your location. In general, the meal subscription service delivers to New York City, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, among other East Coast locations. You can also buy its products if you live in Chicago.

If you need to change your delivery date, it’s easy to reschedule online. Simply log into your account and click on Change next to your Delivery Details. Then you can edit the delivery address or date.

Deliveries are made up to twice a week if you’re in the delivery area. The prefixed plans in shipping areas are delivered on a Monday and/or Thursday, depending on your location.

How Thistle Works

Depending on your location, you can sign up for a delivery plan or a prefixed plan. If you’re in the delivery zone, you can choose whatever you want from the menu. This includes breakfast, lunch, dinners, sides, and snacks (sides and juices).

The prefixed plan is available in shipping areas, and there are currently 6 pre-set options. These are the Cold-Pressed Juice Box, Lite Bites Box, Vegan Essentials Box, Essentials Box with Meat, Vegan Enhanced Box, and the Enhanced Box with Meat.

How to Sign Up

1. Enter your zip code and email to get started. Choose what type and how many meals you want to order if you’re in the local delivery area.

2. Decide which prefixed meal plan to use if you’re not in the local delivery area. The Juice Box and the Lite Bites Box are the most affordable options.

3. Decide on your favorite protein choice. If you’re making a shipping order, choose a plant-based or meat protein box. Also, select any allergens. This option isn’t available for shipping orders.

4. Complete your delivery information and choose your preferred delivery date and time. You can also add additional information to help your delivery driver locate your home. Days and times vary depending on your location.

5. Enter your card payment details. This will commit you to a weekly delivery subscription unless you pause or cancel your account.

Shipping costs apply to each delivery, so if you decide to have 2 deliveries per week, you’ll have to pay double shipping.

Managing Your Subscription

You can make changes and edit your deliveries in your Thistle online account after you’ve made your first purchase. You can use the toggle buttons to adjust the quantities of each meal, so if you set the value to 0, you won’t receive it in your next delivery.

You can easily cancel or pause your Thistle delivery online, and you won’t have to provide a reason. Just make sure you do this by the preceding Thursday.

Customer Service

I was disappointed in the lack of customer contact options. There’s no online chat facility, and I couldn’t even locate a phone number or email. There’s an online contact form for you to submit a request, so it’s not great in terms of customer support.

I used the form to inquire about menu options on the East and West Coasts, as there appeared to be a different menu for each delivery area. My email was responded to within 2 hours, and the reply was friendly and helpful.

I would’ve liked to see more contact options available. If there had been an issue with my online account, I wouldn’t have the option to call for support.

How Thistle Compares to Other Meal Delivery Services

Thistle vs. Factor: Both offer pre-made meals. Thistle offers exclusively plant-based meals with the option to add meat protein Factor offers a wider variety of meals, including options for high protein, keto, and other specific dietary needs. Thistle sources ingredients locally, while Factor focuses on high-quality, chef-prepared meals that use antibiotic and hormone-free proteins. There’s a wider variety of meal plans available with Factor, though.

Thistle vs. Green Chef: Both offer healthy meals, but they differ in several ways. Green Chef offers a range of meal kits including keto, gluten free, and other dietary options. It also offers a Plant Based meal plan and all meals are certified organic. Thistle provides ready-to-eat meals. In terms of pricing, Thistle is generally more expensive than Green Chef due to its focus on fully prepared meals.

Thistle vs. Blue Apron: Thistle offers only prepared meals, while Blue Apron provides both meal kits and prepared meals. Each week, you can choose between the 2 meal plans (meal kits or prepared meals). And you can personalize some meal kits. Overall, Blue Apron offers a wider range of meals that include meat, fish, and vegetarian options. In summary, there’s much more choice on the Blue Apron weekly menu than on the Thistle menu.

The Bottom Line: Is Thistle Worth It?

If you’re trying to eat healthily, Thistle can help you stay on track for some of your meals. You know you will be getting a nutritious and balanced meal with no prep needed. Especially if you live in a local area like Los Angeles, where you can have a more flexible subscription plan.

But the cost and the lack of menu options can be a problem for some. For more variety of meals or additional dietary requirements, I recommend Factor as an alternative. It’s more affordable, and meals are just as easy to heat and eat.

FAQ

What is Thistle?

Thistle is a meal delivery service that provides fully prepared, ready-to-eat meals that are designed to be healthy, delicious, and convenient. Thistle focuses on plant-based protein meals, with the option to add meat protein at an additional cost. It uses locally sourced fruits, veggies, nuts, and organic ingredients whenever possible.

How long do Thistle meals last?

Thistle meals are designed to be fresh and should be consumed within 2 days. It's important to store Thistle meals in the refrigerator as soon as possible upon delivery to ensure they stay fresh and safe to eat. Some Thistle meals can be frozen to extend their shelf life. It's recommended to freeze them on the day of delivery and to consume them within 3 months.

Are Thistle meals healthy?

Thistle meals are designed to be healthy and nutritious. Its meals are primarily plant-based and are designed to be high in protein, low in carbohydrates, and packed with essential nutrients. It uses locally sourced fruits, veggies, nuts, and organic ingredients whenever possible, and its meals are free from artificial flavors, preservatives, and colors.