Purple Carrot Review

Friday, April 18th

2025 Vegan Meal Delivery Reviews

Purple Carrot

• Price per serving: Starts at $11
• Days of food: Up to 10 2-serving meals weekly
• Shipment frequency: Weekly
• Daily meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and extras
• Calories per meal: 500-800
• Number of vegan meals: Unspecified, but all Purple Carrot meals are vegan
• Prep time: 5-45 minutes, depending on kit

Purple Carrot, founded in 2014 by Andy Levitt, is a pioneering plant-based meal kit delivery service based in Massachusetts. They offer meal kits and pre-prepared options to suit every time constraint. For ethical vegans short on time, it's comforting to know that 100% vegan companies like Purple Carrot exist, allowing them to enjoy a variety of delicious, ethically-sourced meals without compromising their morals.

Mix and match Prepared Meals and Meal Kits

Who loves a one-size-fits-all? Not us, and probably not you. Purple Carrot gets that, so you have options when you set up your plan. First, decide between a Meal Kit, where you're the chef, or Prepared Meals, where you just pop it in the microwave to play the part of the eager eater. For the Meal Kits, choose between 2 or 4 servings per meal and 3 or 4 meals per week. If time isn't your friend, go for the prepared meals with 2 servings each and pick from 6, 8, or 10 meals weekly. Once you activate your subscription, you can also mix and match Meal Kits and Prepared Meals. So, you have the flexibility to choose a combination of both options according to your needs.

Not cheap

With Purple Carrot, the price you pay varies depending on your meal choices. For example, selecting 4 meal kit meals per week with two servings each costs $106 before any applied discounts. The cost per serving begins at $11 for meal kits and $13 for prepared meals, which is relatively high compared to some other vegan meal delivery services in our review.

$25 off

A $25 coupon is available during the checkout process, providing some slight savings on your initial order. You'll also get free shipping on the first week, but a $10 charge for all subsequent deliveries under $100. If you're considering sending a Purple Carrot subscription as a gift, expect to spend between $70-$90 per box.

Less Prep meals are ready in as few as 5 minutes

Purple Carrot offers a range of meal choices to meet different needs and time limitations. Less Prep recipes aim to streamline your cooking, offering meals that can be ready in 25 minutes or less with helpful shortcuts like pre-chopped veggies or ready-made sauces. For those who enjoy the full cooking experience, regular Meal Kits involve more hands-on preparation, allowing you to chop, season, and sauté at your leisure. And for the busiest days, Purple Carrot's Prepared Meals offer the quickest solution with just a few minutes in the microwave needed. Purple Carrot also offers "Extras" for breakfast and lunch that are ready in 5-15 minutes.

All three meals

No need to hand over your email or billing info just to browse the menu - a nice touch for those just window-shopping. A typical day with a Meal Kit plan could look like lemon poppy seed pancakes for breakfast (460 cal), a caprese grilled cheese for lunch (490 cal), and peanut pad Thai noodles with charred green beans and lime for dinner (680 cal).

They don't say how many recipes they offer

Is Purple Carrot repetitive? How often do the meals rotate? How many are on the menu at any given time? The only thing they tell us is that the menu changes weekly, but they don't say how many recipes they have in their archives or how often new ones are added to your delivery options. We haven't seen complaints about meals getting repetitive, at least.

Not all organic

Purple Carrot claims to prioritize the use of non-GMO ingredients and to be committed to enhancing the quality of their supplies. They do have a variety of non-produce items like nut milks, tempeh, tofu, and vegan cheeses that they say are organic. However, they readily admit that maintaining consistent organic and non-GMO offerings can be a struggle, mainly because of problems with finding and transporting these items. While it may seem commendable that they are upfront about these challenges, we do wonder how much of it is lip service, especially when there are competing services that manage to do it.

Between 500 and 800 calories

Most of their meals range between 500 and 800 calories, which is a decent window for those keeping an eye on their daily intake. The ability to view full nutritional information for each meal kit on their website before purchasing is a great tool to understand exactly what you're consuming, and we'd recommend you make use of it before committing to a subscription. Many meal kit delivery services talk the talk about health and nutrition, but do they walk the walk? Purple Carrot does.

Might not fit your macros

One customer's experience raises a red flag about Purple Carrot's health claims. They point out that "there are very few recipes with good macros." This is a crucial consideration for anyone focusing on fitness or specific dietary goals. The balance of protein, carbs, and fats is more than a numbers game; it's about fueling your body right.

Vegan doesn't mean healthy

One customer's shock at the sodium and fat content in a seemingly innocent tortellini dish is telling. It's a common pitfall: foods marketed as healthy or plant-based can sometimes be wolves in sheep's clothing, packed with hidden salts, fats, or sugars. For those who've made a conscious switch for health reasons, like transitioning to a plant-based diet, such surprises can be more than disappointing; they can be detrimental to health goals.

Read the fine print

Let's not dismiss the positive here - according to many customers, the food at Purple Carrot tasted good, and that's no small feat. However, one reviewer's decision to cancel after confronting the nutritional content speaks volumes about the importance of transparency and truth in advertising. So, what's the takeaway? Always read the label, question the claims, and remember, just because it's plant-based or comes in a green package doesn't guarantee it's the healthiest choice on the shelf.

You can recycle your box

The company has taken strides towards sustainability, with most packaging being recyclable - a responsible nod to environmental concerns. Your meals arrive in an insulated box with non-toxic ice packs, aimed at keeping ingredients fresh until they hit your kitchen. Purple Carrot claims to be committed to delivering fresh ingredients, but here's where things get messy.

Food often goes bad

Unfortunately, customer reviews suggest the packaging is not up to par. Stories of food arriving warm or spoiled, containers bloated with bacteria, and unsavory discoveries like hair in the food are alarming. One customer said food always went bad if not used on the day of delivery. These accounts suggest a troubling gap between Purple Carrot's promise of quality and the reality experienced by some. The responses from the company, often in the form of credits rather than concrete solutions, leave customers feeling unheard and uncertain.

Mixed reviews with a side of frustration

A decent 3.8 rating average from nearly a thousand reviews on Trustpilot and an "A+” from the Better Business Bureau suggest a generally satisfactory performance from Purple Carrot. However, the devil, as they say, is in the details. One customer's experience with an unsavory substitute and the subsequent lackluster customer service response reflects a bitter taste left by the company's inflexible policies. This incident, along with many similar grievances, points to a systemic issue rather than a one-off mishap.

Too expensive to justify mistakes

While some customers praise the vegan meal delivery service concept, others are left wanting more - more vegetables, more flavor, more value. Complaints about produce quality and inadequate portions are common. Adding to the dissatisfaction is the recurring theme of meals arriving warm and a customer service response that seems to be more miss than hit. And with healthfulness and affordability in question ($11 a serving is a bit much), it seems Purple Carrot may need to revisit its recipe for success. We suggest exploring the other vegan meal delivery services in our review that might better satisfy your appetite for quality and service. After all, when it comes to your meals and your well-being, shouldn't you expect the full package?