As a vegetarian of 21 years who often eats and cooks vegan recipes, it can be difficult to find restaurants that cater to my dietary restrictions. So when it came to meal kits, especially as a skeptic, I just assumed those were off the table. But when I started testing vegan meal delivery services for CNET, I was pleasantly surprised to find that most have a selection of vegan dishes. 

Purple Carrot, for instance, only sells vegan meal kits, ready-to-eat dishes and grocery items. Over the last year, I’ve tried the service twice, and while I thought the meal kits were good, they weren’t my favorite. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised by another service: USDA-certified organic Green Chef, which offers plenty of plant-based meal kits and add-ons. 

While Green Chef isn’t 100% vegan like Purple Carrot, its weekly vegan kits did blow me away. This is why. 

Green Chef’s thoughtful vegan flavors

Choosing Green Chef over Purple Carrot as my favorite vegan meal kit service came down to taste and the thoughtfulness of recipes. Over the two decades I’ve been preparing and chowing down on vegan meals, I’ve noticed that some recipes tend to equate “vegan” with “flavorless,” either overcompensating on spice or salt or undercompensating by simply throwing tofu in a dish with barely any preparation. 

I found that Green Chef’s meals incorporated a lovely blend of veggies, greens, grains, seeds and beans while still ensuring that each layer of its dishes was packed with the right amount of flavor. Even though Green Chef doesn’t solely focus on vegan recipes, each one I tried didn’t feel like an afterthought. 

Roasted squash and bell pepper sandwiches, creamy tomato pasta with roasted veggies and black bean burritos and spiced cauliflower are the three Green Chef meals I tried, and I would gladly make them all again.

A protein predicament 

From Purple Carrot, I’ve tried eight different meals and some I liked better than others, but overall, it felt like the brand was struggling to find the right balance of flavors -- especially when it came to how its vegan proteins were prepared. For example, two of the proteins I tried, crispy lemon chick'n and adobo-roasted tofu, lacked tasty, well-rounded flavors, and I wasn’t able to finish eating them. 

Most recently, I tried Head Peloton Instructor Robin Arzón’s "Eat To Hustle" high-protein meal collaboration with Purple Carrot. I liked those meals better than others I’d tried from the brand, but still, Green Chef’s recipes win in the flavor category.

If it’s important to you, Green Chef’s meals are also USDA-certified organic, while only some Purple Carrot ingredients are organic or non-GMO.

The price comparison evens out

Purple Carrot and Green Chef meal kits are about even in price, and both are subscription services. Green Chef charges a flat $14 a serving, while Purple Carrot’s meal kits are $13 to $14 a serving. The latter’s ready-to-eat dishes range from $13 to $18, while grocery items are $3 to $40. 

Purple Carrot’s shipping is $12, but orders over $100 ship free. A $15 shipping surcharge may apply to select ZIP codes. As for Green Chef, shipping is a flat $10. 

Some Purple Carrot meal kits may be $1 cheaper per serving than Green Chef’s, but the latter’s shipping for orders under $100 is $2 less.

Where Purple Carrot wins: variety

Green Chef offers at least five vegan meal kits per week, whereas Purple Carrot provides over 50 options, including meal kits and ready-to-eat meals, each week. The week of writing, there were 33 meal kits. 

Both services include breakfast, lunch and dinner options. While Purple Carrot has ready-to-eat meals and grocery items, such as oatmeal, cheese, snacks and vegan proteins, Green Chef has its Green Market as “add-ons” on its menu, including side dishes, juices, egg bites and ready-to-cook non-vegan proteins. 

If you want more than five vegan meal kits each week, Purple Carrot would be a better choice.

Other dietary restrictions offered

Along with vegan meals, Green Chef provides recipes for the following dietary restrictions and preferences: vegetarian, Mediterranean, gluten-free, calorie smart, high protein, high fiber, low added sugar, keto, dairy-free, sodium smart and carb smart. There are also kits with ingredients that support gut or brain health.

In addition to being 100% vegan, Purple Carrot supports gluten-free, high-protein, high-fiber and under-600-calorie meals. 

Between the two, Green Chef has more preferences that you can use to sort through its menu. It would also be great for flexitarians who want to eat more plant-based food but don't want to go all the way.

My final thoughts

After testing a variety of vegan meal kit services for the past few years, I’ve come to the conclusion that, as long as price isn’t an issue, the deciding factor between companies is taste. In this respect, and since they’re about the same cost, my favorite vegan meal kits are Green Chef's, despite Purple Carrot’s notoriety in the category. 

Ultimately, if you’re vegan and want to give meal kits a try, or if you eat meat but want to consume less of it, my personal recommendation for meal kits is Green Chef. But if you’re going for more variety and options each week, then check out Purple Carrot.