Purple Carrot Meal Kit Review: Tastier Than Meal Kits With Meat

A $60B Vote of Confidence

Purple Carrot's meal kits have been a game-changer for those looking to try new recipes at home. With a focus on plant-based and vegan options, the company has managed to create a unique and exciting experience for its customers. The recipes are designed to be easy to follow and require minimal cooking skills, making it a great option for those who are new to cooking or looking to try something new.

The company's strength lies in its recipes and the freshness of its ingredients. Some sourcing is local where possible, and the produce received in the box did seem a step above most of the bigger meal kits. In one box, the poblanos were crisp, and the herbs were fragrant. In July, the corn came seasonably still on its cob, waiting to be sliced off into kernels. Avocado, a real worry for a delivery meal kit, was unbruised and ripe but not overripe. This kind of freshness adds confidence, but it also adds prep.

The butternut squash dumplings prepared required that the squash and soy cream cheese be thrown into a food processor with herbs and spices, then individually folded into a dozen dumpling wrappers, before then frying up the dumplings and toasting a sesame-pecan topper. In the meantime, apples were sliced up for a little citrus-y something. The prep was extensive, more than what would usually be attempted on any but a weekend evening, but the results were both healthful and a rival to excellent bistro fare.

Why Cursor?

Purple Carrot achieves this on its meal kit recipes while avoiding the pitfalls endemic to vegan fare—namely, an over-reliance on soy or cashew substitutes. Purple Carrot, thank God, loves a vegetable. It loves a fruit. And it loves an herb. While Purple doesn't offer a huge menu each week, and was less enthralled by microwave meal options that resorted more often to hunks of seitan, the meal kit choices are both broad and appetizing.

The Road Ahead

Purple Carrot's subscription is unusually flexible. Meals are priced individually, from $13 to $15 a serving, and can be mixed and matched among solo ready-to-heat meals and meal prep recipes for two or four. (Introductory plans lop half off your first week's order up to $100.) While you can cancel a week, each week does have a $65 minimum order—amounting to five or six servings. Note also that Purple Carrot does not add a lot of fats and sugar to its meals, nor load up lots of carbs. Servings tend to range between 550 and 750 calories. That's a large lunch, and filling enough for medium appetites—but unlikely to stuff you if you're used to more heaping portions at dinner.