Vegans Can Have Fun Too, With the Best Vegan Meal Kits We’ve Tested (and Tasted)

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• Best Vegan Meal Kit Overall

  • Courtesy of Purple Carrot

  • Photograph: Molly Higgins

  • Photograph: Molly Higgins

  I absolutely love Purple Carrot because it uses inventive plant-based ingredients from various cuisines from around the world, offering premade frozen meals and fresh meal kits, plus expansive vegan groceries. This kit isn’t the best for beginners—the meal prep time was often around an hour and required sometimes-involved preparation and active cooking, but I liked the super-varied and always tasty choices.

  I’ve tested Purple Carrot’s offerings, like a tasty Mediterranean rice salad with roasted vegetables and stuffed grape leaves, and butternut dumplings with hazelnuts and sesame butter, both of which took an hour to make, but were absolutely delicious. But unlike other vegan meal kits, the brand’s menu is constantly changing by season. I also tested its summer grill package, which featured the best vegan Chicago dog I’ve ever had, and its back-to-school offerings, including a super quick and easy vegan pizza-salad combo.

  I love cooking, so I liked the adventurous, inventive recipes. Although if you’re a picky eater, or don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, this may not be the service for you.

  Is the brand completely vegan?	Yes.
  Availability	Lower 48 states.
  Plan details	Fresh meal kits, ready-to-eat frozen meals, or Jumpstart Program (preselected meals). Plus, a selection of groceries. Meal kits have two- or four-person plans with three or four meals per week. Purple Carrot auto-populates the next seven weeks of orders based on your preferences, and you can alter the menu from over available meals or items up to a week before shipment. Each meal has an icon next to it, noting things like less prep work, high-protein, low-calorie, gluten- or soy-free. Depending on shipping location, you’ll get your weekly delivery on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday.
  Cost	At the time of writing, meal kit plans start at $11 per serving for four servings and $13 for two servings. Ready-to-eat starts at $13, is a single serving, and is six, eight, or 10 meals per week. The Jumpstart Program is a full meal plan with 12 ready-to-eat meals per week for four weeks at $130 per week. Shipping is $10, free if the order is over $100. Purple Carrot often runs 40 percent–off discounts for the first week.

  WIRED

  • Adventurous, tasty recipes
  • Has both meal kits and ready-to-eat premade meals
  • Varied choices and frequently changing seasonal menus
  • Grocery options

  TIRED

  • Recipes can be involved and time-consuming
  • Not great for beginners

• Best Vegan Meal Kit for Families

  • Photograph: Matthew Korfhage

  • Photograph: Matthew Korfhage

  My meat-eating colleague Matthew Korfhage was impressed with Green Chef’s gluten-free fare (Read his full review here). Green Chef has vegan choices that are more basic and family-friendly. During my week of testing, there were half a dozen vegan choices from that week’s menu. It seems that there are usually five vegan choices per week. For vegetarians, there are several more—most meal kits tend to rely heavily on butter. You’ll first choose a vegan plan and preferred meals, and the weekly meal plans will match your criteria and preferences.

  The meal kits I had relied heavily on simple, Asian-inspired stir-fries with tofu, veggies, and rice, including these solid sriracha-tamari tofu bowls. The standout was a risotto with squash and vegan pesto and Parmesan—I’d be impressed to have a vegan dish as delicious in a restaurant. It took over an hour to make, but it may have been one of the best vegan dupe meals I’ve ever had.

  Is the brand completely vegan?	No, you’ll have to look for the “vegan” tag on the menu choices. There are usually around five vegan options per weekly menu.
  Availability	Lower 48 states (minus some parts of Louisiana).
  Plan details	Servings for two, four, or six people, at either three or four meals per week. Delivery is once a week, and you can choose which day it’s delivered (settings can be changed five days in advance).
  Cost	At the time of writing, meals are $12 (and unlike others, cost doesn’t change depending on quantity), and shipping is $11. Offers heavy discount promotions for first-timers, like 50 percent off the first week and free shipping.

  WIRED

  • Basic meals that would work for most people and families
  • Servings up to six people

  TIRED

  • Vegan options tend to be mostly stir-fries
  • Sometimes long prep times

• Healthiest Vegan Meal Kit

  • Photograph: Molly Higgins

  • Photograph: Molly Higgins

  Thistle is the best healthy, (mostly) single-serving premade meal kit I’ve tested (Read my full review here). With the most laborious meals requiring just a flash in a hot pan to enhance flavor, these refrigerated meals are mostly a mix of gluten-free, fruit-focused breakfasts; inventive, fresh salads; and preprepared bean- and pasta-forward veggie dinners.

  The Mexican-inspired corn and poblano pepper salad was solid and hearty; the lemongrass shirataki bowl—a cold noodle salad dish—hit all the right elements of savory-spice and varied texture. Thistle’s vegan take on cheesecake with tres leches-esque coconut vanilla mousse and tahini caramel was perhaps the best vegan dessert I’ve ever had. Without a discount, this plan is a bit above my price point, but it remains one of my favorite vegan meal kit services I’ve tested.

  Is the brand completely vegan?	Yes (Plus an optional add-on for sustainable meats for certain dinners and lunches at an additional $3 per meal).
  Availability	East and West Coast cities and Chicago (you can enter your zip code to see if your area is covered).
  Plan details	Thistle has a new, curated preset menu each week of single servings, consisting of three meals, a snack, and a dessert for six days of the week, but you can make edits based on your preferences. Delivery is one or two times per week, depending on your plan.
  Cost	At the time of writing, breakfasts start at $13, lunches and dinners at $17, and snacks at $8. You must order a minimum of three meals per week. Prices decrease the more you order.

  WIRED

  • Fresh produce
  • Easy-to-no prep or cook time
  • Complex flavors
  • Great textures
  • Gluten-free

  TIRED

  • Limited availability in the US
  • Maybe too adventurous for some
  • Mostly salads

• Best Meal Kit for the Basic Vegan

  • Photograph: Molly Higgins

  • Photograph: Molly Higgins

  WIRED reviewer Matthew Korfhage liked Hungryroot’s AI tool that micro-customizes menus for dietary restrictions or preferences (Read his full review here), which also makes this a great meal kit for vegans. It wasn’t as adventurous or had the plant-centric freshness of others I’ve tested, but Hungryroot would be great for those with kids who need more tame options, or for people who want familiar choices, like those easing into a plant-based diet. However, with its AI-assisted customization options, you can easily curate it to your tastes.

  Nearly all the meals I prepared were solid but one-note, needing an extra element to add complexity—acid from a squeeze of lemon, or red chili flakes for heat improved many of these dishes. Throughout my week of testing, meal kits required little prep and only took about half an hour or less to make. They were varied but basic, with a lemongrass tofu and broccoli stir-fry, cauliflower tacos, and American fare like a veggie burger with sweet potato fries.

  Is the brand completely vegan?	No, you’ll need to use filters and look for icons to find vegan choices, and AI curates future meals based on preferences.
  Availability	Lower 48 states.
  Plan details	Delivers every day of the week, and you can make changes or skip until Monday or Thursday at 7 pm before your next delivery. The smallest plan is two or three two-serving dinners; after, plans vary depending on how many additional meals, snacks, or sweets you choose per week.
  Cost	$8 to $13 per serving. Shipping free for orders above $70, otherwise it’s $7. The number of meals you choose turns into “points,” where the sum is different for every dish. Any remaining points can be used the next week. There are heavy discounts for first-time users, like 30 percent off your first week and a free food item.

  WIRED

  • AI-powered menu curation
  • Many choices of familiar flavors and foods
  • Good for people transitioning or new to a vegan diet
  • Also offers grocery options

  TIRED

  • Difficult to view meal options before committing
  • Flavors could be one-note

• Best Frozen Vegan Meals

  • Photograph: Molly Higgins

  • Photograph: Molly Higgins

  Like its sister brand Splendid Spoon, Mosaic has plans that start at six, 12, or 18 items per week, and unless you choose the family plan, all meals are single-serving, starting at $10. You can have the company send you an assortment, or you can customize choices yourself. For testing, I got about a dozen of Mosaic’s most popular vegan veggie bowl meals ($12). Each one was ready to eat, taking five minutes or less to reheat in the microwave. The meals were high in protein with 13 to 30 grams each, averaged about 400 to 500 calories per meal, and had about 30 percent of the fat and sodium needed in a day.

  Since reheated food can get mushy quickly, Mosaic smartly adds shreds of cabbage, crunchy nuts, and hearty greens for more diversity in texture. A vegan Indian “butter” tofu with pops of raisins and dates, a decadent vegan carbonara, and a tangy Thai stir fry were standouts. Although the meals were sometimes high in sodium and fat, I often found myself needing to add more salt, pepper, hot or soy sauce, especially to the tofu-centric dishes.

  Is the brand completely vegan?	No, also vegetarian options.
  Availability	East Coast, West Coast, and some of middle America, check availability here.
  Plan details	Plans start at 6, 12 and 18 items per week, with delivery cycles weekly, or every 2, 3, or 4 weeks.
  Cost	Family plans start at $6 per serving, single-serve start at $10 per serving (most of the frozen meals I tested were $12). Free delivery on the first week; shipping is usually $10.

  WIRED

  • Tasty frozen meals ready in 5 minutes or less
  • All vegan or vegetarian choices
  • Each meal has 13-30 grams of protein

  TIRED

  • High calorie count
  • Flavor combinations can become repetitive

• Best Detox Diet Program

  • Photograph: Molly Higgins

  • Photograph: Molly Higgins

  Splendid Spoon

  Plant-Based Meal Subscription Service

  This plan has vegan, gluten-free frozen meals, smoothies, and juices. Plans start at six, 12, or 18 items per week, and you can customize further with different items. Once you pick the plan, you can choose any item in Splendid Spoon’s catalog of 50 premade smoothies, soups, noodles, dishes, and juice shots, or you can have the company send you an assortment of items. I tested Splendid Spoon’s 5-Day Detox Program, which has 30 items and requires no subscription. Daily, you’ll eat a warm breakfast like a soup, and for the rest of the day you’ll have four soups, dishes, or smoothies, plus a superfood shot.

  The detox plan is “designed to reduce inflammation, reinforce clean eating habits, and support a healthier gut microbiome.” You’re supposed to follow a 16:8 intermittent fast during the day, and the plan comes with a scheduled guide of what to eat. Let’s just say I was, um, clearing out the shop, having only fibrous, gingery juices and bean- and kale-centric soups five times daily. It definitely affected my gut biome, but I found it difficult to stick to the plan and eat so much during the day—that’s a whole lotta liquid food.

  But as far as frozen meals go, this was one of the tastiest I’ve tested. Splendid Spoon does it right texture-wise, focusing on spicy, aromatic, bean soups and chilis like cauliflower tikka soup and tomato quinoa chili. If you don’t go with the detox plan, I think trying out Splendid Spoon is worth it, if not to just have some flavor-packed, reheatable hearty frozen soups on hand for winter or lazy nights.

  Is the brand completely vegan?	Yes (also gluten-free).
  Availability	Lower 48 states.
  Plan details	Plans start at 6, 12 and 18 items per week. I tested the 5-Day Detox Program which includes 25 whole food meals and 5 superfood juice shots, with no subscription required.
  Cost	Meals are $10-$13. I tested the 5-Day Detox Program, which is $299 for 30 items. Free delivery on the first week; shipping is usually $10, boxes under 10 meals are $13.

  WIRED

  • One of the tastiest frozen meal kits we’ve tried
  • Great textures and spicy flavors
  • Healthy detox program

  TIRED

  • The majority of offerings are liquid
  • Detox program may not be suitable for all people

• Best à la Carte

  • Photograph: Daily Harvest

  • Photograph: Molly Higgins

  • Photograph: Molly Higgins

  Daily Harvest is a gluten- and dairy-free, plant-based, premade frozen meal delivery service. (Read my full review here.) The meals consist of smoothie blends and oatmeal for breakfasts, plus soups, harvest bowls, grains, and pastas for the rest. The meals are mostly low-calorie and high-protein, and just require heating in a microwave or on the stove, with some things like soups and smoothies requiring a blender or food processor.

  Unlike most plans I’ve tested, which change weekly and have a curated menu, Daily Harvest lets you choose your meals à la carte, and its whole selection is available online (including prices). A restaurant-quality chickpea and coconut curry harvest bowl was a standout; a black bean and vegan cheeze bowl was bland, one-note mush. Oftentimes the flavors were a bit dull for me, and I grew tired of the mushy consistency. However, if you’re a solo vegan who wants to do minimal cooking, or just use the frozen grains as bases for a more lively meal, this is a solid option.

  Is the brand completely vegan?	Yes (and gluten-free).
  Availability	Lower 48 states.
  Plan details	It’s à la carte and you can choose whatever you want, you just need to meet the $50 minimum amount to order. The menu changes out items periodically but doesn’t offer a curated, rotating menu like many others I tested. Daily Harvest also has dietitian-curated bundles, like a Mediterranean Diet–inspired collection, a protein smoothie bundle, meals that support GLP-1 diets, and meals that align with the Whole30 diet.
  Cost	At the time of writing, servings start at $8 for breakfast bowls and go up to $11 for most everything else, like harvest bowls and pasta. (Everything is a single serving). You need a $50 minimum to order and shipping is $10.

  WIRED

  • Ideal for solo eaters
  • Easy-to-no prep
  • Gluten-free
  • You can choose all your own meals à la carte

  TIRED

  • Mushy texture. ome meals require a blender or food processor. Limited selection
  • Can be bland
  • Some meals require a blender or food processor
  • Limited selection

• Best Meal Kit for Supplementation

  • Photograph: Molly Higgins

  • Photograph: Molly Higgins

  Besides Purple Carrot, Sunbasket was my favorite of the vegan meal kits I tested, I just wish they had more vegan options weekly. Sunbasket has both premade, heat-’n’-eat meals and meal kits that you need to prepare, along with marketplace items you could buy from the grocery store, like fish and bread. Most weeks there are only two to three vegan dinner options, so this isn’t going to be a meal plan that vegans can eat all week, but it’s a super tasty and quick way to supplement meals. (If Sunbasket had more vegan choices, I’d be subscribing.)

  During testing, everything I had was delicious and took about half an hour to prepare. (Unlike the meal kit norm, meals that promised to take 20 minutes stayed within that range.) A fresh black bean and quinoa Buddha bowl was topped with seared veg for a warm umami flavor and fresh avocado for creaminess; I still dream of the cold udon noodle salad with gingered tofu and pickled vegetables; and a quick pre-prepped chop suey was a solid stir-fry.

  Is the brand completely vegan?	No. You’ll need to use the vegan filter for dinners, and look for the vegan tag on all other meals and food items.
  Availability	Ships to most zip codes in the US, except Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, North Dakota, and parts of New Mexico (and not all delivery days are available in all areas).
  Plan details	Servings are two to four, or one if it’s a premade meal, with three, four, or five meals per week. Depending on your zip code, most can choose delivery any day Sunday through Thursday, but delivery is only once a week.
  Cost	Meals start at $10 per serving and go up to $30 for the premium “Chef’s Table” meals, with the majority of vegan meals hovering at about $12 to $15. You’ll get free delivery on your first order (after that, delivery is $10). Unlike a lot of meal delivery services, Sunbasket’s prices don’t change depending on servings, and there’s a $45 order minimum. Sunbasket offers heavy discounts, like $90 off spread across your first four orders. You’ll need to make changes or cancel at least a week before the next billing period.

  WIRED

  • Short prep times
  • Meals that appeal to most people
  • Grocery options
  • Mostly paper, without tons of plastic packaging

  TIRED

  • Limited options for vegans weekly
  • Produce arrived on the decline and was not always organic