My Review of Purple Carrot (Vegan Meal Subscription Service)

There are a ton of meal subscription services out there.  Hello Fresh, Blue Apron, and Plated are among the many that popped up when I did a quick Google search.  But looking at the options, most of the known names didn’t have a true vegan or whole food plant-based (WFPB) option.  In fact, I laughed at recommendations to remove ingredients from their recipes in order to make the dish vegan.  I’m sorry, potatoes au gratin without butter, milk, and cheese is just potatoes!

I did another search, focusing on vegan or WFPB meal subscription services.  Holy moly!  Without much effort, I found at least a dozen such services!  Some looked really polished and professional, others not so much so. 

Thinking some of you out there may be considering subscribing to one or more of these services, I decided that each month I would try a different meal subscription service and give you my honest review.  As I write this in January 2019, there should be more than enough subscription services to allow me 12 to 18 months of reviews (hoping these companies survive!).

The first vegan meal subscription service that I tried was Purple Carrot.  How did I choose Purple Carrot to start with?  It literally was at the top of the list on the Google search.  Very scientific, huh?

So as this is my first product or service review, I focused on what matters most to me.  Hopefully, it mirrors what you are concerned about.  Here goes…

Vegan Options

The options were excellent!  In fact, I do not believe they have anything but vegan, plant-based options.

Price

I ordered three meals, two servings per meal.  The normal price is $72, but I had a promotional offer that took $20 off my first order.  As shipping was free, my total cost for the six servings was $52, or $8.67 per serving (compared to the regular price of $12 per serving).

Quality

My order came with three meals, an Ancient Grain Bowl, Tofu Chorizo Tacos, and Ginger Lemongrass Noodles.  The packaging was very nice and easy to understand.  If I had a gripe, the carrot and green onion were a day or two past their prime and the avocado was not yet ripe (and still is not three days later).  Otherwise, the food was fresh.  Every ingredient needed was included, except for salt & pepper, olive oil, vegetable oil, and non-dairy milk.

This brings me to my first observation.  These recipes used what I would consider to be a liberal amount of oil.  I followed the recipes as provided, but if I were preparing meals on my own, I have cut my use of oil to the bare amount necessary.  I try to use vegetable broth in place of oil where I can.

I followed each recipe to a tee without adding or subtracting anything from the ingredients and spices.  I am listing the recipes in the order in which I enjoyed the meal.

• Ancient Grain Bowl – This dish had crispy chickpeas and pistachio crusted cashew cheese.  I’ll be honest, this was the meal I least expected that I would like.  In fact, I put it off until the end.  It really did not look overly appetizing in the menu guide.  Boy was I wrong!  The farro was delicious and the variety of tastes and textures were perfect complements to each ingredient. 

• Tofu Chorizo Tacos – The crumbled tofu with chorizo seasonings was surprisingly good.  The finer you crumble the tofu the better the tofu mimics ground meat.  I did not think the seasoning was spicy enough.  But the crunchy pepper slaw was refreshing and bright.  The corn tortillas held up extremely well with the ingredients.

• Ginger Lemongrass Noodles – The noodles swim in a coconut broth and topped with Sriracha Tofu.  I love Asian noodles and soups.  This one did nothing for me.  The broth was far too bland.  The ratio of noodles to broth was way off.  The tofu, though cooked with Sriracha, lacked any heat.  Missing?  Cilantro, more heat, more tamari, and more lime juice.  I couldn’t wait to make this recipe, so I was really disappointed.

Quantity

As I opened the box with all the ingredients, my initial impression was there was not a lot of food, especially if each meal represented two servings.  Calories range from 740 per serving to 790 per serving, so it was a little deceiving until I realized the amount of oil the recipes called for, resulting in fat per serving ranging from 21g to 42g per serving.

Once making the meals, quantity was not an issue.  In fact, each meal was closer to three servings.  I was absolutely stuffed after each meal.  Never did I walk away hungry.  So if you were to do the cost per serving based on three servings per meal, then the cost at full price would be $8 per serving.

Ease of Ordering

Purple Carrot’s website is wonderfully laid out and easy to navigate.  Setting up an account, ordering, and pausing the subscription were incredibly easy.  The product descriptions, the way the subscription works, and anything you needed to know was right there and accurate.

Ease of Preparation

The recipe book came with beautiful pictures, instructions, and nutritional values.  Also has the estimated cooking time.  The instructions were very easy to follow and the preparation time was very accurate.  Some items were pre-chopped, others I had to chop myself (so I actually felt like I was cooking).  I also liked the recipe book as a future reference for vegan meals.

Value

It hurts me to say this as I really love the well thought out concept, from the recipes, the recipe / menu book, the quality of ingredients, and the packaging.  On a per serving basis, this is an expensive subscription service.  It is extremely convenient.  It is high quality.  It is fun to prepare.  But it is expensive and there is no getting around that. 

At the promotional rate and stretching each meal to three servings, I find Purple Carrot to be a reasonable value.  Two servings per meal at regular rates, in my opinion, is too expensive.  One comment I hear over and over again is that being WFPB is too expensive, which is truly a myth.  However, their cost per serving would validate this falsehood.

Shipping

The shipping was free.  Big plus in my book.  Shipping was prompt.  But the box was a bit heavy as there were 12 or more ice packs weighing it down. 

Closing Thoughts

For someone new to veganism or a WFPB lifestyle, I think Purple Carrot opens the world of possibility to new tastes, new twists on old recipes, and how flavorful this lifestyle can be.  I think quickly, someone with basis cooking skills could pick up the concepts and recipes and be able to prepare similar meals at home for a fraction of the cost.

Based on my initial order and review, on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being outstanding), I give Purple Carrot a 7.5 out of 10.  Price / value, the liberal use of oil, and my experience with the Ginger Lemongrass Noodles were the negatives in an otherwise very positive experience.

If you have any questions about my experience with Purple Carrot, please leave a comment.  If there is a subscription service you would like me to review in February, let me know. 

I appreciate you checking out my review and blog!

Wishing you the best of health!

Stephen