What is a Meal Kit Delivery Service?

With the growing availability and popularity of meal kits, I thought it would be a great idea to provide an anti-diet dietitian review of meal kit delivery services. This means an open-minded review that isn’t caught up in calorie counting or cutting carbs.

If you’re unfamiliar with what a meal kit delivery service is, check out the description I provided in Part 1 of this series, HelloFresh.

If you already know what a meal kit is then keep reading!

How Does Purple Carrot Work?

Purple Carrot is a plant-based, vegetable-forward meal kit company. So if you’re looking for veggie-filled dishes, this is the meal kit for you!

With Purple Carrot, you can pick between 2 and 4 servings per week. This means you can pick between enough food for 2 or 4 people.

Next, you pick how many dinners you would like per week. Once you’ve selected your plan, you can choose your meal preference. The options are High Protein, Quick & Easy, Gluten-Free, or No Preference.

Once you’ve filled out that information, you get to choose what meals you receive and what day you want to receive them.

Each week the meal options change which allows for variety in taste/satisfaction and nutritional value.

The delivery dates seem to change depending on where you are located. For example, I live in North Carolina and I only have the choice of a Wednesday delivery which is a bit of a bummer as I like to start the week off with a meal kit, not receive it mid-week.

Pricing

Currently (October 2022), for 2 people and 3 meals/week, the weekly price is normally $79.50 plus shipping. However, for new and even returning members, there are discounts available.

For example, if you join today, you get free shipping and $20 off the first 4 boxes. This makes the first box $59.50. This discount lowers the per-serving cost from about $13 to $9.

After your first week, you can choose to skip weeks, continue to receive a box every week, or you can go ahead and cancel your subscription.

In my last meal kit article about HelloFresh, I discussed how it’s almost always possible to find a coupon code to help save you money. With Purple Carrot, it doesn’t seem quite as easy.

That might be a deal-breaker for some people. In my opinion, a weekly price of $79.50 for 2 people, for only 3 dinners is on the expensive side for cooking at home. However, if you are simply trying to eat at home more instead of ordering from restaurants, then Purple Carrot might be a great option for you.

Recipe Information – Quality, Ease, Taste, & Nutritional Value

Quality

I was very surprised and happy with the quality of Purple Carrot. The produce was in excellent condition. It seemed like the vegetables were carefully picked and packaged.

Each meal came in an individual bag with all of the ingredients (except oil, salt & pepper), with the exception of ingredients that were used in multiple recipes (such as garlic). The meals coming in individual bags allow for easy storage in the fridge and quick access when you want to make each meal.

Ease

Purple Carrot is definitely hands-on. The meals are more complex in comparison to HelloFresh. Everything, even down to the sauces, is typically made from scratch. Personally, I appreciated that and enjoyed that aspect of Purple Carrot.

However, that’s not for everyone and might not fulfill the convenience factor that most people are looking for when they use meal kit delivery services.

When it comes to time, for the recipes I picked, the cook times were typically 30-40 minutes.

Taste

Each recipe I made was amazing.

Since Purple Carrot is plant-based, the meals were meat- and dairy-free.

I’m actually a vegetarian, not a vegan, but thoroughly enjoyed each meal and didn’t feel like it was missing dairy. To my surprise, I even enjoyed the vegan nachos I made.

In addition to the deliciousness, another bonus is the variety between the meals each week. In my post about HelloFresh, I briefly mentioned how the vegetarian options seemed redundant. That’s not a problem with Purple Carrot!

Nutritional Value

Since Purple Carrot is plant-based, the nutritional value is great. Each meal revolves around and highlights the produce.

Additionally, with each meal being made from scratch, you don’t have to worry about the added sodium or trans fat that is typically seen in pre-prepared food items. You have control over how much salt and fat are added to each meal.

Examples – Unedited Photos

Reviewing Meal Kit Delivery Services - Purple Carrot
Recipe book for the week
Reviewing Meal Kit Delivery Services - Purple Carrot
Recipe for Buffalo Tempeh Quinoa Bowls
Buffalo Tempeh Quinoa Bowl
Reviewing Meal Kit Delivery Services - Purple Carrot
Recipe for Potato Malai Kafta
Potato Malai Kafta
Vegan Nacho Bowls with Homemade Tortilla Chips

A Quick Summary – Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Customizable
    • high protein, quick & easy, gluten-free, etc.
  • Meal variety
  • Plant-based / vegan
    • a pro for vegans or individuals trying to eat more plant-based
  • Great nutritional value
  • Ability to skip weeks
  • Very tasty recipes
  • Affordable when using promo/discount codes
  • Vegetable-forward meals

Cons

  • Expensive for at-home meals without a promo/discount code
  • Can be hard to find new promo/discount codes
  • Recipes are more complex than other meal kit delivery services
  • Plant-based/vegan
    • a con for individuals who want dairy and/or meat options
  • Delivery date options seem to be limited

To read more about different meal kit services, check out the Simple Nutrition section on my website. Next up is Blue Apron!

Thanks for reading!

Rachel Beiler, MHS, RD, LDN