Daily Harvest Review: Good Meals for Single Vegans Who Don't Mind Mush
Daily Harvest isn't like other meal services with strict once-a-week deliveries; you can change your delivery day via app or online to a later date. Although, if there are no available dates for the upcoming week, you'll need to wait until the next week. Once scheduled, you'll get an email confirmation, but you can still modify your choices, schedule, and plan, including skipping deliveries. Because it's an automated meal plan delivery service, you'll automatically be beholden to a weekly plan, which can be adjusted, and you'll see your next five orders online or on the app. Luckily, Daily Harvest doesn't have duration minimums, but if you want to cancel, you'll have to do it the week before your next order cutoff to avoid being charged.
I Miss Crunchy Veggies
I will say, when you eat Daily Harvest, you can tell it's trying to be healthy. Which is not a bad thing! I'm vegan, after all; I love vegetables! But sometimes I want to feel like I'm eating an actual rich pasta bolognese and not a vegan version Frankensteined with hemp seeds and black lentils.
I also didn't realize that I was such a texture person. I will give credit: Daily Harvest is aware that living only on reheated or blended foods can be a challenge, and it does try to add sturdier root veggies or things like legumes or seeds when possible, to provide some textural variance. But at the end of the day, I missed the crunch, bitterness, and just aliveness of greens. Many of the pasta and harvest bowls were a little one-note, and I found myself consistently adding more texture with tortilla chips or crackers, along with heavy dashes of salt, pepper, lemon juice, and sometimes hot sauce for more flavor variety.
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New York Post
6 days ago
- New York Post
The 6 best vegetarian meal delivery kits for easy and flavorful food
New York Post may be compensated and/or receive an affiliate commission if you click or buy through our links. Featured pricing is subject to change. As a part-time private chef, the daughter of fitness fanatics, and someone who was, at one point, a vegan and then a vegetarian for years, I've experimented with most obscure food subscriptions out there. I know firsthand that meatless doesn't mean flavorless, but it also doesn't mean easy. So does our former reporter Sophie Cannon, who delved deep into the world of meal delivery kits over the past couple of years, researching, testing, and sharing her findings. Between the chopping, soaking, sprouting, and blending, eating vegetarian can feel like a full-time job. That's where a smart meal delivery service comes in. Whether you're veg-curious or a longtime vegetarian looking to streamline dinner, the best vegetarian meal delivery services make it simple to get nourishing, satisfying, and actually delicious meals on the table without a grocery run or a spiralizer. post wanted picks Best overall: Purple Carrot Purple Carrot Best high-protein: Green Chef Green Chef Best budget pick: HelloFresh HelloFresh Best prepared meals: Factor Factor Best for weight loss: Hungryroot Hungryroot Best gluten-free: CookUnity Some send chef-designed kits with pre-portioned ingredients, while others offer ready-to-eat, prepared vegetarian meals. Some are high-protein or keto-leaning, others are fully organic or focused on weight loss. The bottom line? You don't have to choose between health and convenience. After reviewing over a dozen top-rated options over the past few years, cooking and tasting meals from each, we've narrowed it down to the best vegetarian meal kits and delivery services of 2025. These picks offer the best balance of flavor, freshness, nutrition, and value, plus thoughtful touches that make them stand out in a crowded field. Best overall: Purple Carrot Purple Carrot Pros: 100% plant-based Excellent high-protein vegetarian meals Kits or prepared options available Inventive, satisfying flavors Cons: Slight learning curve for new cooks Purple Carrot is a plant-based pioneer known for its innovative, protein-packed meals. Their menu often features lentils, tempeh, tofu, and beans in thoughtful, globally inspired ways. Why it wins: Purple Carrot goes beyond salads and pasta with bold, satisfying meals like Crispy Potato Skillet with Snap Pea Slaw that deliver a solid protein punch with every bite. 'After cooking and eating Purple Carrot's vegan meal kit offerings a few times over four years, we can safely conclude that the recipes, ingredients, and company stand up to our testing and then some,' Cannon reported. 'Purple Carrot is quite simple to set up. The meal kit company offers the traditional weekly menu with corresponding plans but has also introduced ready-to-eat meals, frozen meals sold in your local grocery store, and even an online market with an array of other plant-based brands to shop. One of Cannon's vegan meals from Purple Carrot. New York Post '[It's] a perfect option for those who subscribe to a vegan diet and those who simply want more veggie-based meals in their diet. The price is comparable with other meal kits, and it has plenty of offerings, including à la carte grocery shopping.' Price: From $11.99/serving | Subscription required: Yes | Prep time: 30-40 minutes (kits) | Prepared vegetarian meal delivery: Yes | Vegetarian weight loss meal delivery: Optional plan Best high-protein: Green Chef Green Chef Pros: USDA-certified organic ingredients Vegetarian, keto, and gluten-free options Creative, globally inspired recipes Clear instructions with minimal prep Cons: Some packaging waste Green Chef consistently impressed with vibrant, restaurant-quality dishes that cater to various dietary needs, including organic vegetarian, keto, and gluten-free options. Their vegetarian meals pack complex flavor combinations, with standout sauces and nutrient-dense veggies that feel indulgent yet nourishing. Why it wins: Green Chef nails the sweet spot between effort and ease. Ingredients come pre-measured with minimal prep, and meals like the Dukkah-Spiced Chickpea Bowls or Thai Peanut Noodle Stir-Fry felt chef-prepped in all the best ways. 'Yes, Green Chef meals are health-focused, but they are also so much more than that,' said Sophie Cannon, former commerce reporter. 'The produce is always fresh and only organic produce, cage-free eggs, antibiotic-and-hormone-free chicken, and sustainably sourced seafood are used in each recipe. 'This was hands-down my favorite meal, which surprised me as a non-vegetarian. The patties were fun to make and everything tasted amazing, all in under an hour.' — Cannon New York Post 'There are a bunch of different meal types, including Mediterranean, Keto, protein-packed, calorie-smart, plant-based, quick and easy, and gluten-free. At the end of the day, Green Chef is a great option for fresh-looking and tasting ingredients, creative recipes, and unique flavors that are made to entertain the tastebuds. I even learned some new tricks in the kitchen from these recipes, helping me to step up my cooking game even after the subscription ended — who knew I would love green pea falafel fritters so much?!' Price: From $11.99/serving | Subscription required: Yes | Prep time: 25-35 minutes | Vegetarian keto meal delivery: Yes | Organic vegetarian meal delivery: Yes Best budget pick: HelloFresh Hello Fresh Pros: Affordable and flexible plans Easy, beginner-friendly recipes Large variety of menu options Fast delivery and responsive customer service Cons: Not organic Fewer high-protein vegetarian options HelloFresh makes accessible, crowd-pleasing vegetarian meals that are perfect for busy families or home cooks new to meatless eating. While it doesn't lean fully organic or specialized, it delivers consistent quality and unbeatable value. Why it wins: At under $10 per serving, HelloFresh offers a wide range of vegetarian dishes each week — from hearty pastas to creative grain bowls — without compromising on taste or freshness. As someone whose life partially revolves around cooking, I didn't expect to be wowed by HelloFresh — but I was (I'm not the only one; reporters Cannon and Miska Salemann also love the brand). The Veggie Hall of Fame dishes, like the Sweet Potato Fajitas or Mushroom Risotto, delivered reliable, familiar flavors without feeling repetitive. The ingredients arrived super fresh (and I mean fresh), the instructions were idiot-proof (I don't do 'instructions'), and everything was cooked and plated in under 30 minutes. For the price, it's hard to beat. A look inside commerce reporter Miska Salemann's HelloFresh meal kit. Miska Salemann That said, I did find myself wishing for more depth in some of the sauces and seasoning blends. It's not going to dazzle a veteran chef or scratch the itch for complex plant-based nutrition. But for quick weeknight meals that don't feel like a compromise, it's a very solid win. Price: From $9.99/serving | Subscription required: Yes | Prep time: 20-30 minutes | Prepared vegetarian meal delivery: No | Vegetarian weight loss meal delivery: Limited Best prepared meals: Factor Factor Pros: No prep required High-protein vegetarian options Dietician-approved meals Quick to heat and eat Cons: Higher cost per meal Subscription only Factor specializes in chef-prepared meals that are fully cooked and ready in minutes. Their vegetarian offerings are expanding, with plenty of low-carb, high-protein, and dairy-free options. Why it wins: Ideal for those who want a microwave-and-go option without sacrificing flavor. Factor's meals are surprisingly elevated with macros and ingredients clearly listed. 'Factor in how much you save in groceries and this may indeed be worth the spend,' Cannon raved. 'I've ordered an array of Factor's meals over the years, choosing from their rotating menu of options. Wanting to get a taste of everything, I've chosen meals with the Keto label like the…vegetarian dish of Vegetable Ratatouille with Mascarpone Polenta [and] a vegan select of Three Bean Vegan Chili with Cornbread Casserole & Tofu-Based Crema. As compared to other meal kits, Factor certainly stacks up in terms of flavors, price, and ease of ordering.' Cannon's Factor read-to-serve meal kit collection. New York Post 'Factor is something that I didn't realize I would love as much as I do,' Ryan Murphy, senior manager of strategic partnerships, also reviewed. 'Its platform is extremely easy to use, and always serves up new and delicious meals on a weekly basis. The meals have been a lifesaver at times when being a full-time professional and parent get in the way of meal prepping. Plus, you can know that what you're eating is a fantastic, healthy alternative!' Price: From $11/meal | Subscription required: Yes | Prep time: 2-4 minutes | Vegetarian keto meal delivery: Yes (limited) | Prepared vegetarian meal delivery: Yes Best for weight loss: Hungryroot Hungry Root Pros: Personalized plans with calorie tracking Unique product options (like chickpea cookie dough!) Emphasizes whole food ingredients Great for snackers and meal preppers alike Cons: Requires more assembly than others Hungryroot blends the best of a grocery service and meal kit subscription. Their AI-generated meal suggestions and smart swaps make it easy to keep calories in check without sacrificing flavor or fullness. Why it wins: The flexible, semi-prepared format makes it easy to mix-and-match meals based on your goals. You can prioritize vegetarian weight loss meals or opt for higher-protein, lower-carb combos that still feel like comfort food. 'Hungryroot is a bit different than a traditional meal kit, in that it combines recipes and grocery items all in one big box,' Cannon explained. 'However, the ordering and delivery process is very much the same, following a weekly delivery cadence and with a very easy-to-add menu of items and meals. Cannon's Hungryroot delivery New York Post 'I love this service, as it focuses more on groceries and whole ingredients than pre-portioned meal kits, although it does provide recipes and step-by-step instructions if you still want that. For lighter, easy meals that can be done in five to 30 minutes, this is perfect. Many of the meals had only three steps to complete, with very little chopping or mixing required, and maybe two pots and pans maximum. They also offer pre-made meals, which are fresh and delicious, if you prefer no cooking at all. 'Hungryroot is a great option for those who seriously hate grocery shopping, love having an excuse to try new food and drink brands, and don't mind a lighter lunch and dinner.' Price: Varies (~$10-12/serving) | Subscription required: Yes | Prep time: 10-15 minutes | Vegetarian weight loss meal delivery: Yes | High-protein vegetarian meal delivery: Yes Best gluten-free: CookUnity Pros: Inventive and delicious prepared meals Gluten-free vegetarian options Chef profiles and regional cuisine variety Truly restaurant-quality results Cons: Not all options available in every region CookUnity offers chef-created, restaurant-style prepared meals with plenty of vegetarian and gluten-free options. Meals rotate weekly and are curated by independent chefs across the U.S. Why it wins: Unlike generic heat-and-eat meals, CookUnity dishes feel like something you'd order at a boutique restaurant. Great for gluten-free vegetarians who want variety and zero prep. CookUnity, also tested by Cannon (of course), was hands-down the most fun meal kit brand for me to explore. Each meal felt like unboxing a chef's special from a favorite downtown spot. My Mushroom Polenta Bake was rich, buttery, and comforting, and the roasted veggie Moroccan Tagine could've fooled me into thinking I was at a pop-up in Brooklyn. I loved reading the bios of the chefs who designed each meal — it added a personal, high-end feel. Cannon's collection of vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals from CookUnity. Sophie Cannon The only drawback was occasional regional limitations; some of the most exciting vegetarian dishes weren't available for my zip code. But when the options did hit, they were total showstoppers. Price: From $13.59/meal | Subscription required: Yes | Prep time: 2-5 minutes | Gluten-free vegetarian meal delivery: Yes | Prepared vegetarian meal delivery: Yes How we tested Each service was tested for at least a full week, with multiple meals sampled for flavor, freshness, ease of prep, ingredient quality, and how satisfying the meals were. I also evaluated how well each catered to specialized diets like high-protein, keto-friendly, gluten-free, and weight-conscious plans. Extra points were given for creative recipes, quality packaging, and intuitive instructions. My background as a private chef helped assess flavor complexity, balance, and whether the ingredients were up to restaurant standards. Cannon's experience as a busy professional in New York City helped her assess user experience and ease of production. FAQs on vegetarian meal kit delivery services Is there a vegetarian meal delivery service for weight loss? Yes, Hungryroot offers customizable, calorie-conscious vegetarian meal delivery designed for weight loss and portion control. Are there high-protein vegetarian meal delivery options? Purple Carrot and Factor both provide high-protein vegetarian meals. Purple Carrot leans plant-based with hearty portions; Factor offers quick, macro-balanced meals. Which vegetarian meal delivery is fully organic? Green Chef is USDA-certified organic and uses high-quality produce, grains, and dairy alternatives. Do any vegetarian meal kits cater to gluten-free diets? CookUnity and Green Chef both have gluten-free vegetarian meal delivery options, with CookUnity offering prepared meals and Green Chef offering cook-it-yourself kits. Are there keto-friendly vegetarian meal delivery options? Yes, both Green Chef and Factor offer keto-inspired vegetarian meals, though selection may be more limited week-to-week. Do any of these brands offer one-off or non-subscription meals? Most require subscriptions, but some (like CookUnity) allow for more flexible ordering or pause options depending on location and availability. This article was written by Kendall Cornish, New York Post Commerce Editor & Reporter. Kendall, who moonlights as a private chef in the Hamptons for New York elites, lends her expertise to testing and recommending cooking products – for beginners and aspiring sous chefs alike. Simmering and seasoning her way through both jobs, Kendall dishes on everything from the best cookware for your kitchen to cooking classes that will level-up your skills to new dinnerware to upgrade your holiday hosting. Prior to joining the Post's shopping team in 2023, Kendall previously held positions at Apartment Therapy and at Dotdash Meredith's Travel + Leisure and Departures magazines.
Eater
04-06-2025
- Eater
Review: I Tried (and Loved) Purple Carrot's Plant-Based Meal Kits
At their best, delivery meal kits have led me to some relaxing Blue Apron-sponsored ASMR videos; at their worst, the very mention of a meal kit stirs up memories of my late great-grandmother's dreary Meals on Wheels microwaveables. Sometime in the 2010s, however, meal kit delivery subscriptions went through a renaissance in the United States, and today the several-billion-dollar industry boasts options for all kinds of diets, household sizes, and, dare I say, aesthetics (Goop lords = Sakara subscriptions ahoy). As a passionate but often exhausted home cook who loves her cruciferous-vegetable-heavy meals, that's why I wanted to give Purple Carrot's plant-based meal kit subscription a try. I signed up for about a work-week's worth of dinner kits, which, for me, meant four meals, each with one or two servings. My hopes and dreams were as follows: Please include plenty of vegetables that don't suck; please don't take more than an hour to cook; and please don't include an abundance of pre-made, sugar-filled sauces and salad dressings that Jacques Pepin would classify as dessert. The following is a breakdown of my week eating à la Purple Carrot, from the good to the confusing to the downright surprising. What is Purple Carrot? Isn't it vegan or whatever? Embarrassingly, it took me a moment to realize that Purple Carrot is a plant-based meal kit service. The main draw for me was simply that the platform's meals, which range from ready-to-eat microwaveables to more elaborate tofu shawarma bowl meal kits, looked tasty regardless of dietary needs. (Now, post-trial-period, I'm actually convinced that even my meat-loving family members would be satisfied with this hearty, elote-style creamed corn as a main.) Purple Carrot first popped off in 2014, which doesn't seem that long ago, but was the same year that Lana Del Rey's Ultraviolence came out and Solange kicked Jay-Z in that elevator (were we ever so young?). Purple Carrot was actually the first vegan meal kit subscription service in the United States, and it has been perfecting its model for over a decade and has partnered with the likes of Mark Bittman to develop many of its (now) hundreds of recipes. As Purple Carrot explains, '[we've] expanded from being solely a meal-kit company to offering holistic plant-based grocery needs and a constantly rotating chef-crafted menu to subscribers each week.' Are the meals (actually) tasty? I selected three meal kits, the kung pao cauliflower with garlicky cucumbers, jackfruit gyros with quick pickles and tzatziki, and barbecued mushrooms with crispy potatoes and spicy Brussels sprouts, and one pre-made meal for a night that I knew I would have zero time to cook, a burrito bowl with a handful of plantains. In order to test the idiot-proof nature of these meals, I made my first dinner after coming home from spontaneous drinks with friends. I was tempted to order my dinner on Caviar, but when I glanced at the packet of DIY gyros in my fridge with its 20 minute cooking time label, I thought, I could do this. And I did, in fact, do it in under 20 minutes. Here are the gyros I chose for my first grand Purple Carrot experiment: Purple Carrot meals arrive in a cooler-packed cardboard box, with the different meals in their own individual bags (so you never get confused about what goes with what). I followed the recipe religiously, and while it was layered up with enough tomato and mint and quick pickles to feel refreshing and substantial, I started to realize the cleverness of Purple Carrot's meals as less of a one-and-done approach to meal kits and more of an accessible blueprint to developing your own takes on its recipes. Even the recipe instructions come in individual, thick-paper folders with pictures, tips, and measurements so that you can store them for future use. Next time I make jackfruit gyros, for example, I made a note on the recipe to add in a bit of smoked paprika, avocado, and feta. As you build your meal kit plan online, keep in mind that you can accommodate different dietary needs such as high-protein, low-calorie, low sodium, gluten-free, and nut-free. While I enjoyed the gyros and was impressed by how easy it was to make and customize them, the stars of the meal kit lineup were without a doubt the barbecue mushroom dish and kung pao cauliflower, both of which had sauces worth licking the bowl for, and surprised me by showing me that I can actually enjoy mushrooms, which I had previously semi-sworn off after eating far too many in my 15 years as a vegetarian. The ready-to-eat burrito bowl was a little too quinoa-forward for my taste, and gave me a jumpscare back to the kale-and-quinoa-obsessed years of health food yore, but I zhuzhed it with some avocado, lime, and cilantro. My only gripe with my meal kit plan was the portion size, which was entirely decent for me but always left my partner, a person who actually works out and needs more calories than I do, craving a little more to munch. But I guess that's also why Purple Carrot has its grocery section, which is filled with all kinds of little snacks and drinks. Still, no one likes doing a fair amount of meal prep, easy or laborious, and being hungry after your meal. How much does all of this cost? Is it cheaper than eating out? At about $11 per serving, Purple Carrot is definitely cheaper than eating out, but is probably more expensive than if I were to go out and buy my own ingredients à la carte — of course, that may vary depending on grocery prices in your region. But that isn't factoring in how much the meal kits save me time- and bandwidth-wise; the ingredients I received in my box were all fresh and unbruised, the spice mixes and oils come pre-measured, and everything can be whipped up in under an hour (and often under 30 minutes). It's easy to get excited about eating penne pesto alla trapanese after a long work day, but less easy to hype myself up to schlep to the grocery store on the subway only to return home to stand over a stove for another hour to make it. That's the bandwidth factor, and one that I don't take lightly. (It's worth noting that you can cancel your subscription at any time without penalty, as long as you do so the Tuesday before your next scheduled delivery, meaning that it's easy to accommodate dinner plans or skip a week for whatever reason.) I would also argue that Purple Carrot makes for a much more cost-effective way to dabble in different cuisines without requiring me, for example, to spend $12 on a jar of ras el hanout that I'm just not going to use very often. If anything, Purple Carrot ended up giving me several blueprints for adapting some of its signature meals in the future — but more on that in the next section. Is Purple Carrot worth it? With some caveats, Purple Carrot restored not only my faith in delivery meal kits, but reminded me of why I love plant-based eating so much. I'm not going to go on a crusade about the benefits of eating plant-based meals (plenty of studies and medical centers can do that for me) but I always cleaned the plates of my Purple Carrot dinners feeling satiated and refreshed — lighter than I feel after eating a big plate of meat, for sure (a common sentiment reported by vegetarians). As someone who recently started eating meat again, I have been sobrassada-ing too close to the sun and, admittedly, missing that feeling of feeling satisfied without feeling heavy after eating a large portion of meat As a busy and tired person, I have also hated watching my inventiveness in the kitchen take a backseat to other tasks in my life, a New York City cliché if ever there was one, although I don't yet store my shoes in my oven. Purple Carrot not only kept me fed, but genuinely interested in the flavors and spices I was about to explore. If I had the budget to spend about $100 a week on the service, I would go for it without question. As it stands, I can see myself doing the occasional splurge for a week of Purple Carrot meals during a period that I know I'll be booked and busy. I would also suggest giving a subscription to a friend or family member who just graduated, went vegetarian or vegan, or moved into their first place, because these meal kits really do moonlight as recipe cards designed for personalization. Sign up for Purple Carrot (or just browse its menu) here.
Eater
04-06-2025
- Eater
I Have Found a Surprisingly Great Meal Kit Plan for a Lazy (But Discerning) Person
At their best, delivery meal kits have led me to some relaxing Blue Apron-sponsored ASMR videos; at their worst, the very mention of a meal kit stirs up memories of my late great-grandmother's dreary Meals on Wheels microwaveables. Sometime in the 2010s, however, meal kit delivery subscriptions went through a renaissance in the United States, and today the several-billion-dollar industry boasts options for all kinds of diets, household sizes, and, dare I say, aesthetics (Goop lords = Sakara subscriptions ahoy). As a passionate but often exhausted home cook who loves her cruciferous-vegetable-heavy meals, that's why I wanted to give Purple Carrot's plant-based meal kit subscription a try. I signed up for about a work-week's worth of dinner kits, which, for me, meant four meals, each with one or two servings. My hopes and dreams were as follows: Please include plenty of vegetables that don't suck; please don't take more than an hour to cook; and please don't include an abundance of pre-made, sugar-filled sauces and salad dressings that Jacques Pepin would classify as dessert. The following is a breakdown of my week eating à la Purple Carrot, from the good to the confusing to the downright surprising. What is Purple Carrot? Isn't it vegan or whatever? Embarrassingly, it took me a moment to realize that Purple Carrot is a plant-based meal kit service. The main draw for me was simply that the platform's meals, which range from ready-to-eat microwaveables to more elaborate tofu shawarma bowl meal kits, looked tasty regardless of dietary needs. (Now, post-trial-period, I'm actually convinced that even my meat-loving family members would be satisfied with this hearty, elote-style creamed corn as a main.) Purple Carrot first popped off in 2014, which doesn't seem that long ago, but was the same year that Lana Del Rey's Ultraviolence came out and Solange kicked Jay-Z in that elevator (were we ever so young?). Purple Carrot was actually the first vegan meal kit subscription service in the United States, and it has been perfecting its model for over a decade and has partnered with the likes of Mark Bittman to develop many of its (now) hundreds of recipes. As Purple Carrot explains, '[we've] expanded from being solely a meal-kit company to offering holistic plant-based grocery needs and a constantly rotating chef-crafted menu to subscribers each week.' Are the meals (actually) tasty? I selected three meal kits, the kung pao cauliflower with garlicky cucumbers, jackfruit gyros with quick pickles and tzatziki, and barbecued mushrooms with crispy potatoes and spicy Brussels sprouts, and one pre-made meal for a night that I knew I would have zero time to cook, a burrito bowl with a handful of plantains. In order to test the idiot-proof nature of these meals, I made my first dinner after coming home from spontaneous drinks with friends. I was tempted to order my dinner on Caviar, but when I glanced at the packet of DIY gyros in my fridge with its 20 minute cooking time label, I thought, I could do this . And I did, in fact, do it in under 20 minutes. Here are the gyros I chose for my first grand Purple Carrot experiment: Purple Carrot meals arrive in a cooler-packed cardboard box, with the different meals in their own individual bags (so you never get confused about what goes with what). I followed the recipe religiously, and while it was layered up with enough tomato and mint and quick pickles to feel refreshing and substantial, I started to realize the cleverness of Purple Carrot's meals as less of a one-and-done approach to meal kits and more of an accessible blueprint to developing your own takes on its recipes. Even the recipe instructions come in individual, thick-paper folders with pictures, tips, and measurements so that you can store them for future use. Next time I make jackfruit gyros, for example, I made a note on the recipe to add in a bit of smoked paprika, avocado, and feta. As you build your meal kit plan online, keep in mind that you can accommodate different dietary needs such as high-protein, low-calorie, low sodium, gluten-free, and nut-free. While I enjoyed the gyros and was impressed by how easy it was to make and customize them, the stars of the meal kit lineup were without a doubt the barbecue mushroom dish and kung pao cauliflower, both of which had sauces worth licking the bowl for, and surprised me by showing me that I can actually enjoy mushrooms, which I had previously semi-sworn off after eating far too many in my 15 years as a vegetarian. The ready-to-eat burrito bowl was a little too quinoa-forward for my taste, and gave me a jumpscare back to the kale-and-quinoa-obsessed years of health food yore, but I zhuzhed it with some avocado, lime, and cilantro. My only gripe with my meal kit plan was the portion size, which was entirely decent for me but always left my partner, a person who actually works out and needs more calories than I do, craving a little more to munch. But I guess that's also why Purple Carrot has its grocery section, which is filled with all kinds of little snacks and drinks. Still, no one likes doing a fair amount of meal prep, easy or laborious, and being hungry after your meal. How much does all of this cost? Is it cheaper than eating out? At about $11 per serving, Purple Carrot is definitely cheaper than eating out, but is probably more expensive than if I were to go out and buy my own ingredients à la carte — of course, that may vary depending on grocery prices in your region. But that isn't factoring in how much the meal kits save me time- and bandwidth-wise; the ingredients I received in my box were all fresh and unbruised, the spice mixes and oils come pre-measured, and everything can be whipped up in under an hour (and often under 30 minutes). It's easy to get excited about eating penne pesto alla trapanese after a long work day, but less easy to hype myself up to schlep to the grocery store on the subway only to return home to stand over a stove for another hour to make it. That's the bandwidth factor, and one that I don't take lightly. (It's worth noting that you can cancel your subscription at any time without penalty, as long as you do so the Tuesday before your next scheduled delivery, meaning that it's easy to accommodate dinner plans or skip a week for whatever reason.) I would also argue that Purple Carrot makes for a much more cost-effective way to dabble in different cuisines without requiring me, for example, to spend $12 on a jar of ras el hanout that I'm just not going to use very often. If anything, Purple Carrot ended up giving me several blueprints for adapting some of its signature meals in the future — but more on that in the next section. Is Purple Carrot worth it? With some caveats, Purple Carrot restored not only my faith in delivery meal kits, but reminded me of why I love plant-based eating so much. I'm not going to go on a crusade about the benefits of eating plant-based meals (plenty of studies and medical centers can do that for me) but I always cleaned the plates of my Purple Carrot dinners feeling satiated and refreshed — lighter than I feel after eating a big plate of meat, for sure (a common sentiment reported by vegetarians). As someone who recently started eating meat again, I have been sobrassada-ing too close to the sun and, admittedly, missing that feeling of feeling satisfied without feeling heavy after eating a large portion of meat As a busy and tired person, I have also hated watching my inventiveness in the kitchen take a backseat to other tasks in my life, a New York City cliché if ever there was one, although I don't yet store my shoes in my oven. Purple Carrot not only kept me fed, but genuinely interested in the flavors and spices I was about to explore. If I had the budget to spend about $100 a week on the service, I would go for it without question. As it stands, I can see myself doing the occasional splurge for a week of Purple Carrot meals during a period that I know I'll be booked and busy. I would also suggest giving a subscription to a friend or family member who just graduated, went vegetarian or vegan, or moved into their first place, because these meal kits really do moonlight as recipe cards designed for personalization. Sign up for Purple Carrot (or just browse its menu) here . The freshest news from the food world every day
