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From full organic meals to keto-friendly, there seems to be a meal delivery service for everyone. Purple Carrot is one such meal delivery service that ships plant-based and gluten-free meals right to your door. Purple Carrot is on GGR’s Best Meal Delivery Service list, and for good reason.
Purple Carrot offers both vegan meal kits and prepared meals. If you’re new to plant-based eating, it may be a good excuse for you to try vegan food. In this Purple Carrot review, we’ll hear from GGR experts, and see how it stacks up to other meal kit companies.
Medical disclaimer: This article is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. For health advice, contact a licensed healthcare provider.
Over 40 Meal Delivery Services Tested
At Garage Gym Reviews, we consider ourselves fitness and health experts. Our experts include certified personal trainers, Olympic athletes, and registered dietitians. We take health seriously, and we have tried over 40 meal delivery companies to date. Our goal is to provide honest reviews to help you make the most informed decision about your personal wellness.
Our GGR experts tried Purple Carrot to see how it compares to other meal delivery services. They reviewed menu offerings, taste, nutritional content, and applied GGR’s testing methodology. They scored Purple Carrot on a scale of 1 to 5 across 10 categories, including:
- Taste
- Price per meal
- Ease of preparation
- Meal options
Purple Carrot
Purple Carrot
Product Highlights
- Vegan meal kits and prepared meals
- Breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and pantry items available
- Boxes ship weekly
- Quick prep options (meals that take less than 25 minutes)
- Most non-produce items are organic
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Has meal kits and prepared meals
- Can choose from the whole menu
- All meals and snacks are available
- Menus change weekly
Cons
- Can’t mix and match meal types
- No option for add-on proteins
- Maxes out at 4 meals per week
- Limited meal choices
Bottom Line
Purple Carrot offers vegan meal kits and prepared meals. There are no specific meal plans, but you can choose from the full menu, which includes breakfasts, lunches, dinners and “plantry” items—add-on products like brownie bites and salad dressing. You can’t mix and match meal types, though.
A Quick Look at Purple Carrot
Purple Carrot was founded in 2014 with the goal of improving health through plant-based eating. Indeed, Purple Carrot is one of the most popular meal kit companies, and one of the foremost vegan meal delivery services.
RELATED: Best Plant-Based Meal Delivery
Purple Carrot offers both plant-based meal kits, as well as ready-to-cook prepared meals. Purple Carrot’s menu includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There’s also a Plantry, which offers a la carte items like instant lentils chili or mac and (cashew) cheese.
Before You Buy
- Dietary Restrictions: Purple Carrot recipes include nut-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free options.
- Serving plan: You can choose 2 servings or 4 servings for dinner, but you’re stuck with 4 servings for breakfast and lunch.
- Multiple menu types: Purple Carrot offers regular meal kits for the home chef, frozen meals for those in a pinch, fridge-friendly prepared meals, and Less-Prep meal kits designed to go from stove to plate in less than 20 minutes.
- Mix and match: You can customize each box with items from the weekly menu, add ons from the Plantry, and frozen meals.
Is Purple Carrot Worth It?
Plant-based eating is becoming more common, as are meal delivery services. Purple Carrot conveniently combines both, but is it right for you? If you like vegan food, you’ll love that Purple Carrot has both meal kits for the home chef and prepared meals to save time. This means more food, fewer trips to the grocery store, and more time enjoying a healthy meal.
Great for:
- Anyone currently following or curious about trying a plant-based diet
- People with dietary restrictions such as gluten-free or nut-free, as well as non-GMO
- People who like to cook at home or who need ready-to-eat meals.
Not recommended for:
- Anyone who wants to eat animal products
- Anyone on a tight budget
- Picky eaters or large families
- People who want very high protein meals
RELATED: Factor Meals Review
Purple Carrot Specs
| Price per meal | $13.25 – 2 servings; $11.00 – 4 servings |
| Meals per week | 3 or 4 |
| Meal kit or prepared | Both |
| Diet options | Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, plant-based, organic, low-sodium, low-calorie, salad, Whole-30, high protein |
| Fresh or frozen | Both |
| Delivery area | Contiguous U.S. (excluding HI and AK) |
Experience Using Purple Carrot
Purple Carrot isn’t your run-of-the-mill meal delivery service. They offer subscription-based or a la carte, ready-to-cook or pre-prepared plant-based recipes. You choose your preparation preference, then select your recipes. You may create custom boxes and include items from the Plantry.
Our tester and GGR Performance Editor Anthony O’Reilly, NASM-CPT, CNC, tested three meal kits with two servings each, for one week for this Purple Carrot review. He opted for the cook-at-home meals. He scored Purple Carrot a 4 out of 5 overall. Anthony told us: “Everything was fresh and delicious!”
RELATED: High Protein Vegetables
Price Per Meal
The prices for Purple Carrot meals vary by servings and meals per box. Anthony ordered three meals with two servings at $13.25 each, totaling $79.50. Since this is fairly average for this type of service, pricing earned 3 out of 5 stars. Of note: this doesn’t include Plantry items or the cost of prepared or frozen meals.
If price is no factor, read our roundup of the Best Gourmet Meal Delivery Service.
Purple Carrot Meal Preparation
Purple Carrot meal prep is simple. They also offer “Less Prep” meals with fewer steps and pre-made sauces that speed up cooking.
Anthony gave Purple Carrot 3 stars for meal prep. He noted, “Most meals were pretty simple and required little work,” and clean up was “pretty easy.” He stressed the simplicity of the recipe cards, noting they were “too ‘simple’ for people who are cooking rookies,” meaning certain steps (dry patting tofu for example) were omitted.
You can expect your boxes to come with everything you need with the exception of basics like salt and pepper. If you’re interested in ready-to-serve meal kits, see our roundup of the Best Prepared Meal Delivery services.
Taste, Ingredient Quality, and Portion Size
If you thought vegan foods were bland, think again! These aren’t your ordinary frozen veggies; Purple Carrot includes flavorful foods and unique spice blends.
Purple Carrot earned 5 stars for taste and ingredient quality. Anthony commented, “The ingredients were fresh and I thought everything tasted really good!” Anthony’s favorite was the sloppy Joe (sub tofu for meat).
Anthony gave a score of 4 out of 5 stars to portion sizes. He said the meals were “actually quite generous for a plant-based meal service. I always felt full.” Anthony is tall (6-foot-2) and athletic. It’s safe to say he has a big appetite. “I was quite happy with how everything came out and the portions were quite good,” Anthony added.
Meal Plans and Customization
Purple Carrot has a breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu. You can customize each with high protein or “less prep” items, as well as prepared meals.
Anthony awarded meal variety 4 out of 5 stars, noting, “Everything is plant-based so there’s little variety in that respect.” He adds, “There’s a good number of high-protein, gluten-free, and other options.” While prepared meals are a nice option, Registered Dietician Perry Nix noted, “Their pre-made meal selection is limited and you’ll run out of options quickly.”
Overall, meal plans and customizations received 3 stars. Anthony commented “Again, all plant-based but you can narrow it down by high protein or ‘less prep.'”
Anthony awarded 2 stars for nutritional information, noting, “It’s not really their strong suit unless you choose the ‘high protein’ meals.” Information on allergens is also hard to find.
Ordering, Packaging, and Shipping
Anthony said ordering on Purple Carrot was “easy,” and gave them 5 stars. “You can pick between pre-made meals or meal kits that are cooked,” he added.
Anthony gives packaging and shipping 5 stars, noting, “There’s not much plastic compared to other meal delivery services. Everything is shipped with dry ice packs to keep it fresh.”
Sustainability earned 5 stars. “All the packaging is recyclable,” Anthony commented.
Purple Carrot vs Green Chef
Green Chef
Green Chef
Product Highlights
- Certified organic meal kit delivery service
- Meal kits can feed two, four, or six people
- New menus drop weekly; you can choose from 32 meals each week
- Add-ons, like prepared breakfasts and salads, available for an extra charge
- Delivers almost everywhere in the continental U.S.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Offers several specialized diet plans
- Can mix and match meal plans
- New meals drop weekly
- Most ingredients are organic and high-quality
Cons
- On the expensive side (but ingredients are organic)
- Shipping fee
Bottom Line
If you want high-quality and/or organic ingredients, Green Chef is a good option that can feed two to six people per recipe. There are several specialized diets to choose from, and you can mix and match from weekly menus to suit your needs.
Green Chef was one of the first meal delivery companies to offer USDA-certified organic meals, however Green Chef is not exclusively plant-based. The price range is similar between the two services, although Green Chef doesn’t have prepared meal opinions. Below we compare the two services.
Read our Green Chef Review for a deeper dive. If organic is your thing, you may also want to check out our Sunbasket Review.
| Purple Carrot | Green Chef | |
| Price per meal | $13.25 (2 servings, 4 per week)$11.00 (4 servings, 4 per week) | $13.49 (2 servings, 3 per week)$11.99-$12.99 as servings and meals increase |
| Meals per week | 2 or 4 | 2, 4, 6 |
| Meal kit or prepared | Both | Meal kit |
| Diet options | Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, plant-based, organic, low-sodium, low-calorie, salad, Whole-30, high protein | Mediterranean, Calorie Smart, Quick & Easy, Plant Based, Protein Packed, Keto, Delicious Discoveries, Gluten Free |
| Fresh or frozen | Both | Fresh |
| Delivery area | Contiguous U.S. | Contiguous U.S. |
Customer Experience
Anthony gave 5 stars to customer service. He didn’t need support, but he said, “There’s live chat, email, social media, and more.” You can easily pause or cancel your shipments. Perry Nix, RD, added “Purple Carrot strives to make plant-based eating accessible and enjoyable by delivering recipes and ingredients to prepare nutritious meals in your own kitchen.”
Customer Reviews
Purple Carrot reviews are generally positive from customers. On Trustpilot, Purple Carrot has over 800 reviews, nearly 75% of which are 4 and 5 stars. Most reviews call out taste and quality as well as some issues with delivery timing or cancellation.
It’s worth noting that Purple Carrot responded to nearly every 1-star review. They’re also known to be quick to respond through chat and email.
Final Verdict of Our Purple Carrot Review
Purple Carrot works like most other meal kit companies, but offers exclusively plant-based meals. Most of their meals are nutrient-dense and feature generous servings of whole grains like quinoa or plant-based pastas. Purple Carrot also strives for sustainability, so everything is recyclable, from the plastic bags to the ice packs.
Purple Carrot’s menu is limited compared to competitors like Blue Apron, but they make up by offering prepared meals.
Ultimately, Purple Carrot is a fresh approach to a plant-based diet that could be just the plant-based push you need.
Full Rating
Purple Carrot
Purple Carrot offers vegan meal kits and prepared meals. There are no specific meal plans, but you can choose from the full menu, which includes breakfasts, lunches, dinners and “plantry” items—add-on products like brownie bites and salad dressing. You can’t mix and match meal types, though.
Product Brand: Purple Carrot
Product Currency: $
Product Price: 11
Product In-Stock: InStock
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Purple Carrot: FAQs
Is Purple Carrot good for you?
Yes. According to Perry Nix, RD, “A plant-based diet can help reduce inflammation and decrease your risk of developing a chronic disease.”
Is Purple Carrot easy to cancel?
Yes, you can cancel or pause meals anytime.
Will Purple Carrot help me lose weight?
While you can choose “high protein,” you may not be able to adjust other macros like carbs. Check out our roundup of The Best Meal Delivery for Weight Loss if you are looking for a weight-loss-focused meal delivery service.
How much does Purple Carrot cost per meal?
Prices range from $11.00 to $13.25 per serving, depending on the number of servings and meals per week.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases.
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