Purple Carrot Review

When omnivores think of veganism, there are a few common misconceptions that come to mind: That the diet consists mostly of salads, that it lacks protein, or that it's just generally boring. Luckily, after eating with vegan meal delivery service Purple Carrot for two weeks, we found none of those myths to be true. Instead, all of its plant-based meals were filling, diverse, and easy to whip up—even with a busy schedule.

Admittedly, we went into Purple Carrot testing with some apprehension after a poor experience with the meal kit delivery service a few years back. Back then, we found issues with everything from missing ingredients to confusing recipes to straight-up bland meals. Luckily, our previous opinions were fully remedied the second time around, after two weeks of cooking with, reheating, and indulging in some seriously tasty meals.

About Purple Carrot

The first-ever fully vegan meal delivery service, Purple Carrot launched in Massachusetts back in 2014 and has been providing healthy, plant-based meals to folks across the country ever since.

The company's ethos centers not around full-on veganism (although it's a fantastic choice for vegans), but around helping all people—omnivores included—incorporate more plants into their diets. The company claims that eating Purple Carrot meals can help folks lose weight, lower LDL cholesterol, and lower risk of diabetes. These meals are also better for the planet; they emit up to 72% less carbon into the atmosphere (compared to standard American meals).

Upon signing up, Purple Carrot users can choose to center their subscription around traditional meal kits or prepared meals (which require only reheating). With the meal kit route, you can opt for either two or four servings in each meal, and either three or four meals delivered every week.

The prepared meal plan provides more quantity options, with either six, eight, or 10 meals offered per week. (Meal kit subscribers can also choose to add on prepared meals for an added cost if they wish. That's what we did!)

There are typically about a dozen meals on the menu each week—including breakfast and lunch options—plus add-ons from the Plantry.

Each meal has its respective labels, which makes it easy to search for dietary restrictions like Gluten-Free or Nut-Free, and even Less Prep options—which feature pre-mixed sauces, pre-cut veggies, and recipes that require fewer pots and pans.

What we like about Purple Carrot

Portions are satisfying

Possibly the most important point to make about plant-based meals: These dishes were not stingy, and they typically kept us full for hours.

We were pleasantly surprised to see how many innovative ways that satiating, protein-packed ingredients were incorporated into all of these meals. From tofu and tempeh to veggie burgers and midnight grains (a rice, lentil, and quinoa blend), we never walked away from a meal craving more.

In fact, each meal we tried—including the prepared, microwaveable meals—had a significant amount of protein, ranging anywhere from 18 to 34 grams per serving. And with a healthy balance of carbs, protein, fat, and veggies in every dish, we walked away with more energy to take on the rest of the day (and that good feeling that comes with taking care of your body).

There's a wide variety of flavors on the menu

Not all meal kit menus are created equal. Although Purple Carrot's menu isn't the largest we've seen—only about 12 weekly meals, including breakfast and lunch—it packs in a lot of variety every week.

With a myriad of globally inspired flavors—think everything from gnocchi to aloo tikki style patties to Thai tempeh khao soi, it was impossible for us to get bored.

That same international ingenuity is present in the prepared meals, too. You can choose to go classic with a plant-based mac and cheese or spice things up with a gochujang fried rice. The best part? These only take two minutes in the microwave—zero dirty dishes necessary.

Meals are tasty

Needless to say, with all that exciting variety, we never walked away from a Purple Carrot meal disappointed.

We tried a total of eight meals over two weeks, including two prepared meals, and we were satisfied each time. Standouts include the tamarind cauliflower with gingered fried rice and cashews, which was addictively tasty and made us feel like we were eating takeout. The buffalo tempeh quinoa bowl was another winner, with a satisfying balance of heat and freshness. And the beautiful madras curry sweet potatoes dish honestly made us feel like healthy lifestyle influencers.

The simpler dishes we tried didn't disappoint, either, like tofu peanut stir-fry and coconut ginger congee with crispy tofu. They came together in a cinch, tasted delicious, and left us feeling satisfied.

Prepared meals make plant-based eating easy

Not all meal kit delivery services offer prepared meals on weekly menus, but Purple Carrot's microwaveable offerings are a great option for folks who are short on time, need healthy meals on the go, or just can't be bothered to cook.

We tried two of Purple Carrot's prepared meals: Thai tofu nuggets with quinoa red pepper pilaf & ginger butter, and gochujang fried rice with shiitake greens & ginger butter. Both had a great balance of grains, protein, and veggies, and had super tasty flavor profiles. Aside from some slightly bland green beans in one of the dishes, we would welcome both of these meals back into our busy routines.

What we don't like

Recipes can be confusing

One thing we noticed straight away about Purple Carrot was its unique recipe card experience. Rather than sending one sheet of cardstock for each recipe, Purple Carrot sends a full booklet with all of the recipes offered that week—yes, that includes the ones that aren't included in your box.

On one hand, this offers the possibility to try additional recipes that didn't fit in your box (if you grab all the groceries for them on your own, that is). But it also requires you to flip through and keep track of all your meals when it's time to start cooking.

The recipes themselves also sometimes lacked clarity. For example, each item on the ingredient list is described as already prepped, so prep time for things like chopping vegetables are not included in the estimated cooking time. (There's also no guidance on how to do so if you're new in the kitchen.) As a result, I noticed some meals taking 5-10 minutes longer than expected.

And each recipe step sometimes included multiple mini-steps, which had us losing track of our place on the sheet as we were busy cooking.

Should you subscribe to Purple Carrot?

Yes, if you're looking to add more plant-based meals to your diet!

Purple Carrot is a no-brainer for tasty, innovative vegan meals that are sent to your door. The meal kit dishes were all diverse and delicious, with plenty of satiating ingredients that left us feeling full for hours. And although there was a learning curve when it came to reading recipe instructions at first, once we got the hang of it, it was a cinch.

If you're in the market for more variety in your meal kit deliveries, though, we recommend trying one of the other tested and approved brands from our list of favorites.

Sign up for Purple Carrot

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Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.