Best Plant-Based Meal Delivery Services in 2023 - Republic of Green

Best Plant-Based Meal Delivery Services in 2023

While there are many fad diets to choose from these days that may come and go, one healthy diet that has stood the test of time is a plant-based diet. Plant-based diets – whether “mostly plants”, vegan, or vegetarian – are held in high regard by many dietitians, nutritionists, and medical practitioners around the world for their ability to support good health, reduce ailments, and even reverse disease. Not to mention, plant-based diets are also better for animals and the environment!

For health reasons and helping the planet, many more people are moving toward implementing a diet that is plant-focused. In fact, plant-based food sales are expected to increase five-fold by 2030 according to the Bloomberg Intelligence Report. As a result, there are increasingly more vegan and vegetarian options available – in grocery stores, restaurants, and, thankfully, in meal delivery services!

If you’d like to introduce more plant foods to your diet, but aren’t sure where to start, or if your schedule gets in the way of grocery shopping, meal planning, and cooking, a meal delivery service with vegetarian and vegan options can be a great way to try out a cleaner, greener diet with support and convenience. However, choosing a good service is a project in itself. That’s where we come in.

To help you in this endeavor, we have done some careful research to compile a list of the best plant-based meal kit delivery services along with some helpful notes on why people like them so much. Check it out!


What to Look For in a Plant-Based Meal Delivery Service

Finding the right plant-based meal delivery service to suit your specific needs for nutritious meals involves considering a number of factors. Below are some considerations to keep in mind when comparing services. When looking at the different companies, keep an eye out for any characteristics that set them apart from similar services.

Serving Size

You should consider serving size first and foremost when choosing a meal delivery service. Are you looking to feed a whole family, a couple, or are you looking for single-serving meals?  Look to see whether the company provides cost-effective solutions for your specific needs.

Dietary Needs

If you have specific dietary needs, check to see if the company provides menu items that will meet your requirements. For example, do they have gluten-free meals, how many grams of protein (plant-based protein) do the meals provide, do they offer organic produce, does their food contain any artificial ingredients, are there options for picky eaters? Once you’ve tried them out, what do you think about the food quality?

Preparation Time

Most meal delivery services require that you prepare the meal yourself, so you’ll likely want to find a service that makes the process as easy as possible. Some of the services deliver meal kits that can be prepared in as little as 10 minutes, while others require 30 minutes. For plant-based meals and salads that don’t require much cooking, the overall preparation time may be relatively quicker. Receiving ready-made weekly meal plans with a variety of meals will also save you time.

Price

Price and budget play an important role in determining whether a food delivery service is worth using in the long run. While budget services can deliver vegetarian meal kits for as little as $7.99 per serving, you can expect most of the good ones to charge between $8 to $10 for most of their popular dishes. Many offer reduced prices for a limited number of meals to let you try out their service.

Now, let’s get to our review of the best plant-based meal delivery services!


Best Vegan & Vegetarian Meal Delivery Services

The following meal delivery services feature ample vegan and vegetarian options, though also offer meals that are not exclusively plant-based. Bear in mind that their inventory may change over time, due to the way they source their ingredients or because of seasonal availability.

Purple Carrot

Purple Carrot Vegan Meal Kit

Purple Carrot Vegan Meal Kit: Blood Orange Poke Bowls with Quinoa Speckled Rice & Sea Lettuce Dressing. Image via Purple Carrot.

Purple Carrot stands out for having an almost entire inventory comprised of plant-based meal kits. This sets it apart from most meal delivery services in the industry which merely incorporate vegan and vegetarian options as an afterthought. In essence, virtually all of Purple Carrot’s inventory contains plant-based vegan meal kits made up of fresh vegetables, grains, and whole foods.

The service offers both prepared meals and meal kits to choose from, with very few options containing anything other than fresh vegetables, fruits, and legumes. The kits themselves pack everything you need to make a full serving without having to use any additional ingredients.

For anyone following a vegetarian or vegan meal plan, there is perhaps a no better choice than Purple Carrot; not just in regard to the fresh ingredients but also the know-how to prepare the meals themselves. In that regard, Purple Carrot’s meal kits are very easy to prepare and the instructions are fairly intuitive.

What we liked:

  • The selection of vegetarian and vegan-friendly meal kits is quite impressive
  • Very cost-effective considering the always fresh ingredients
  • Service can deliver add-ons to breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a wide variety of snacks
  • You can choose between meal kits and ready-to-eat meals

What we didn’t like:

  • Limited options for people on specific restrictive diets
  • Some of the dishes contain allergens
  • The selection of meals on offer could be bigger

Green Chef

Vegan Meal Kit: Tofu with Cherry Barbecue Sauce, roasted potatoes, collard greens with apple and pecans. Image via Green Chef.

Green Chef uses certified organic produce in its meal kits, as they believe that organic food is better for our health and the environment. Being certified organic means the produce is pesticide-free and GMO-free. Green Chef also buys from local farms and family farms to support local economies.

Meal kits come with step-by-step instructions and take about 30 minutes to preparation. Ingredients come measured and prepared, including sauces and spices.

Green Chef uses mostly recyclable packaging materials for their deliveries, a standard any environmentally conscious foodie will appreciate in this day and age. Some packaging is not recyclable, such as plastic wrapping for purely hygienic reasons.

What we liked:

  • They have plenty of vegan and vegetarian menus
  • Packaging is recyclable, compostable or re-usable. The plant-based insulation is recyclable.
  • Multiple servings per kit
  • Plenty of choices for people who abide by strict dietary restrictions

What we didn’t like:

  • Fewer prepared meals
  • Rather pricey compared to other similar services
  • Their preparation instructions are a bit off sometimes

Sunbasket

Sunbasket vegan meal kit

Sunbasket Vegan Meal Kit: Pad thai with rice noodles, bell pepper, and cashews. Image via Sunbasket.

Sunbasket seems to be the go-to choice of people who are looking for a generous serving of vegetables with their meals. Not many vegan meal delivery services offer the same variety with regard to plant-based meal kits. Sunbasket doesn’t cater exclusively to vegans and vegetarians, but they seem to have put a lot more thought into organizing their meal plans to contain an ample array of plant-based options.

By offering organic meal kits that contain high-quality seasonal produce and freshly sourced vegetables, Sun Basket is an ideal choice for anyone who follows a strict eco-conscious diet plan. Speaking of which, Sunbasket tends to deliver its meal kits in recyclable packaging for the most part, with the exception of a handful of plastic-sealed food items.

What we liked:

  • Wide range of vegan and vegetarian meal kits
  • A log of seasonal, organic, sustainably-sourced ingredients and fresh produce
  • Plenty of vegan-friendly meals and multiple plant-based diet patterns
  • Can provide add-ons for standard meal plans

What we didn’t like:

  • A bit pricey
  • Food may contain certain allergens
  • May not be available in remote areas

HelloFresh

HelloFresh vegan meal kit

HelloFresh vegan meal kit: Vegan Maple Carrot Power Bowls with Turmeric-Toasted Couscous & Lemony Hummus. Image via HelloFresh.

HelloFresh is the way to go if you’re looking for a plant-based meal service that is suitable for larger groups. They also have the most vegetarian meals on offer out of all the affordable plant-based meal delivery services out there.

The vegetarian menu options are quite diverse and the meal kits takes about 20 minutes to prepare.

Perhaps the most important part of their offer is their fresh and sustainably sourced ingredients. Along with quick and easy chef-curated recipes, HelloFresh offers no fewer than 10 vegetarian meals to choose from. As far as plant-based meal delivery services go, HelloFresh does seem to stand out for all the right reasons, even though they only include one or two full vegan meals.

What we liked:

  • Meals are very affordable with packages starting as low as $7.99 per plan
  • Wide variety of choices with no less than 30+ recipes to choose from
  • You can customize certain meal kits
  • Food comes in recyclable packaging and can be recycled with ease

What we didn’t like:

  • Very few vegan options to choose from
  • Has a limited range of organic ingredients
  • Does not offer prepared meals

Mosaic Foods

Mosaic Foods Vegan Meal Kit: Peanut Tofu Bowl. Image via Mosaic Foods.

Mosaic Foods offers ranks as one of the most dependable vegetarian meal delivery services on account of their ample selection of freshly sourced ingredients.

What we like about Mosaic in particular is how creative they are about meal substitutes. In essence, many of their meals use jackfruit, tofu, and vegan sausages in a pretty clever arrangement so as to fit anyone’s taste palate while still providing people with a healthy meal. Speaking of which, all of their meals are free of refined sugar, gluten, and animal products.

We should also point out that their veggie bowls are seen as some of the most intricate and well-proportioned in the business. Then again, one of Mosaic’s core principles is to provide options for a wide array of plant-based diets.

What we liked:

  • Plenty of vegetarian options to choose from at a very affordable price
  • Most of their menu options are freshly sourced and perfect for plant-based eaters
  • Their noodle bowls are second to none
  • Great for people who have specific dietary restrictions

What we didn’t like:

  • They mostly deliver in large metropolitan areas
  • Not all of their ingredients are fully organic
  • Their family meals take a long time to prepare

All Things Considered

With so many meal delivery services to choose from, it may feel a bit overwhelming to find one that best meets your needs and expectations, especially if you follow a plant-based diet that requires fresh vegetables. We hope we have provided you with some good plant-based meal services to try!

We recommended trying out one or more of these meal kit services until you find one that feels right for you. Whether you use it regularly or occasionally, it will be nice to know it’s available to help make eating a healthy plant-based diet a little bit easier!

Republic of Green

Republic of Green provides educational articles about green living and eco-friendly product reviews. Check out the News Section for more articles on topics like Vegan Lifestyle, Green Home, and Clean Beauty & Personal Care Products.  You can also find local and online environmentally-friendly businesses in the Republic of Green Business Directory.

 

Alex T.

Please Share, follow, and like us!

[wpdevart_facebook_comment order_type="social" title_text="Comment" title_text_color="#000000" title_text_font_size="16" title_text_font_famely="arial" title_text_position="left" width="100%" count_of_comments="2" ]

© 2024 Republic of Green. All rights reserved. | 2625 Middlefield Road #485, Palo Alto, CA 94306-2516 | info@republicofgreen.com

Green Social Network Login..

Log in with your credentials

or

Click here to log into the Green Business Diretory

Forgot your details?