The kits have fresh produce and prepackaged ingredients, like tofu, instant rice, and spices. Although produce isn’t guaranteed organic, most of the ingredients were (and importantly, they were all vegan). The only ingredients you need to provide are salt, pepper, and cooking oil (although I also liked adding a squeeze of lemon to some of the dishes).
Although this has been one of my favorite kits taste-wise, Purple Carrot isn’t the best for solo eaters, unlike a vegan meal service like Thistle (8/10, WIRED Recommends). You can choose from two- or four-serving plans, along with how many meals per week (one to four). Because I was eating on my own, most of these ended up being two or more meals that I ate for leftovers. For my week of testing, I had the two-serving, four-meals-a-week portion, which costs $13.25 per portion or $106 a week. However, meal kits often run heavy discounts, especially for new customers. At the time of writing, the first week for all meal kits is discounted 50 percent off, making it $56 total.
Once that first week is over, Purple Carrot shows you your next seven weeks of upcoming orders. But if you don’t like its selections, you can switch any for the dozen or so meal choices up to a week before your next meal shipment, or skip upcoming weeks’ orders. Each meal has an icon next to it, noting things like less prep work, high-protein, low-calorie, gluten- or soy-free—although there’s no way to filter these things when you choose your next meal, so make sure you’re paying attention to those tiny green icons. For my week of testing, I let the algorithm gods do their thang and was given a wide selection, ranging from family-friendly sloppy joes to sophisticated squash potstickers.
Long Prep Times, Mostly Big Payoff
I’m a natural cook. Most of my gripes with vegan meal delivery services is that I miss the fun of sautéeing, searing, mixing, and spicing. Purple Carrot said, I see that complaint and raise you a 100-minute-long dinner prep time. Most of these meals claimed to take around half an hour, but in reality averaged around an hour. I loved this meal service, but I recommend it with a caveat: Be prepared to throw down in the kitchen. If you don’t want to expand your culinary skills, or simply don’t have enough time to prepare dinner yourself, then I’d opt for the premade meals, which are still solid, nutrient-balanced, and vegan.
The recipes don’t hold your hand and often require some base knowledge or inference, which is why I’d caution novice cooks with this kit. I had to reread most of the recipes several times, and they don’t detail timing with preparation, especially with several elements that need to be cooked separately. This is mostly what accounted for my long prep times, and my very burnt sesame seeds and hazelnuts (more on that below).
Photograph: Molly Higgins
