Purple Carrot Review: A Vegan Meal Kit for Everyone

Over the years, when I’ve been in a meal planning rut, I’ve found trying out a meal kit delivery service helps snap me out of it. But while there are more than a few of these companies out there, their weekly menu options are often limited for vegetarians and vegans looking to avoid animal products. Whether you’re currently vegan, vegan-curious, or just want to be more conscious about your meat consumption, a plant-based meal kit subscription like Purple Carrot is a good place to start. I have tested more than a few meal delivery services, ranging from prepared meals to the cook-it-yourself options like Blue Apron, Green Chef, and Hello Fresh, so I came to my Purple Carrot experience knowing what makes a good meal kit and what doesn’t. How do Purple Carrot’s vegan meal kits stack up? And if you’re not already vegan or plant-leaning, could Purple Carrot meals be the catalyst that finally converts you? Read on for a full Purple Carrot review.

What to expect from a Purple Carrot box

Purple Carrot meal kits ship in an insulated cardboard box with two ice packs at the bottom. I didn’t have any issue with items staying cold and fresh during shipping (and because there’s no meat, fish, or dairy, it’s less of an issue generally). Nothing inside the box arrived smooshed or crushed, either. Each meal is mostly contained inside its own plastic bag (with the exception of some ingredients like garlic bulbs and large pouches of mixed greens), and each had its recipe booklet with a photo of the meal tucked conveniently into a pocket on the side. I dedicated half of a shelf in my fridge to line up these clear plastic packets for easy, eyeball-appealing access.

How are Purple Carrot’s ingredients?

Purple Carrot kits come with a combination of fresh produce and prepared or prepackaged ingredients, depending on the recipe. Generally, the packaged items (like tofu, grains, beans, nut cheeses, or spices) are organic, however, according to the Purple Carrot website, not all the produce is due to sourcing constraints. Any produce that’s in packaging comes prewashed, but loose items like sweet potatoes or lemons are not. The only things you won’t get with your order are salt, pepper, and oils. You’ll have to have those on hand to cook most of the recipes.

What’s the Purple Carrot ordering experience?

If you’ve ever dabbled in meal kits before, the process for this vegan meal delivery service will look familiar to you when it comes to subscriptions, ordering, and delivery.

You’ll first choose how many portions you want, two or four, and how many meals per week, one to four. At the two-servings, four-meals-a-week rate, they cost $13.25 per portion or $106 a week. That’s on the spendier side for a meal kit, but comparable to higher-end options like Blue Apron or Marley Spoon. Purple Carrot then auto populates your upcoming orders, going forward seven weeks, with a revolving slate of meals, which you can swap out for any of 16 entrees on the weekly menu up to a seven days before they ship out (or skip weeks ahead of time, too).

Generally, meal options fall into categories like noodles, grains and veggies, soups, tacos, or sandwiches (i.e. bean burgers or tofu bacon BLTs), and they range across culinary inspirations, from things like General Tso’s Tofu to Jackfruit Gyros.

What I liked about Purple Carrot

Whether you’re vegan or not, the Purple Carrot menu won’t leave you bored. I found that one of the best reasons to use Purple Carrot is because everything is big on flavor. Sandwiches get freshly-made garlic-infused aioli, and spicy dishes are actually spicy—not a given in the meal kit world. You can tweak those heat levels as well; they always, for example, include much more chili than any normal person will actually use. Nearly every meal offered a variety of textures and colors, and used ingredients like tomato powder, or nutritional yeast for bigger pops in the pan, while cilantro and citrus frequently offered nice finishing touches.