Best Plant-Based Meal Delivery: 11 Top Picks for Flexitarians, Vegetarians, and Vegans

Purple Carrot is a 100% vegan, plant-based meal delivery service that offers both prepared meals and meal kits that you cook yourself. Their mission is to provide easy-to-prepare meals that benefit the health of their customers and of the planet.

GGR performance editor and certified nutrition coach Anthony O’Reilly loved how fresh the ingredients were and how easy the recipes were to prepare, and gave Purple Carrot 3 out of 5 stars for the preparation. “I thought everything tasted really good! My favorite was the sloppy Joe (with tofu instead of meat),” he said.

The instructions may be a little simple for people new to cooking, but he was impressed with the variety of plant-based options. You can choose between high-protein, gluten-free, low-sodium, Whole30, and less-prep options, and cleanup is a breeze. We give this service 4 out of 5 for variety.

Many places offering plant-based meals tend to skimp on portions or miss the mark on creating meals that keep you full, but Anthony was pleasantly surprised at Purple Carrot’s generous portion sizes and felt satisfied after every meal. 

The nutritional information for each meal is readily available for the high-protein options, but can be challenging to find for their other offerings. 

Purple Carrot has great customer service, offering support via live chat, email, social media, and more. They make it easy to cancel or postpone orders, so no worries if your plans change after ordering.

We were also impressed with how highly Purple Carrot seems to value sustainability and we give them 5 out of 5 for this category. They used much less plastic to package their meals compared to some of the best meal delivery for weight loss, and everything was recyclable.

Registered dietician Perry Nix likes that Purple Carrot strives to make plant-based eating accessible and enjoyable for more people, but does warn that it might not be the best option if you’re looking for prepared meals. “While Purple Carrot does offer some pre-made meals, this probably isn’t the best meal service if that’s what you’re looking for,” she says. “Their pre-made meal selection is limited and you’ll run out of options quickly.”

If you’re looking for prepared meals, you may want to consider Bistro MD instead.

While not 100% vegetarian, Home Chef offers a wide selection of vegetarian and pescatarian meals that are super customizable, and the goal is to help busy families and individuals cook more meals at home. 

Depending on your needs, you can choose meals ready within 30 minutes, 15 minutes, or heat-only options that come premade and only need to be heated up. A nice bonus for vegetarians is that you can swap the meat in some meals for an Impossible burger.

Our tester, Emily Chidester, has consistently ordered from Home Chef thanks to their easy ordering process and delicious meals. Their ingredients are fresh and tasty, packed in dry ice, and typically last 3-6 days in the fridge before needing to be cooked. Overall, we give Home Chef 5 out of 5 for variety.

Not surprisingly, the prepared options have the quickest cleanup, only involving the dish in which they arrive and are heated. Most meal kit options require multiple bowls and dishes to prepare, making cleanup slightly more involved. The preparation earns 2 out of 5, simply because most of the meal kit options take a bit of work to prepare.

Both Emily and her husband found their meals to be portioned well and filling. A nice bonus is that you can easily adjust the serving sizes to accommodate larger appetites. Nutritional information is only available on the website, which was a minor annoyance, so we docked a point and gave them 4 out of 5 for access to nutritional information.

Emily did note that they’ve had multiple issues with missing ingredients or incorrect meal kits, but that they have had those meals fully credited to their account. Home Chef also updates you ahead of time via text message if an order is running late.

Kate Meier, NASM-CPT, USAW-L1, CF-L1, is also a big fan of Home Chef and gives them 5 out of 5 for the taste.

“I’m obsessed,” Kate said. “I’ve been using Home Chef for about six months, getting 2-3 meals a week almost every week. In that time, there’s only been 1-2 meals that I wasn’t crazy about. I started a binder where I keep recipes of the meals I love because it’s not that hard to recreate them if you go shopping on your own.”

Perry Nix, RD, likes Home Chef as a way for people to get better at cooking: “Eating home-cooked meals, whether using food from a meal kit or the grocery store, is linked to improved diet quality. Home Chef is a good option for those wanting to learn how to build balanced meals and acquire new cooking skills. Even if you only use the meal kits short-term, you can mimic the recipes using store-bought ingredients.” 

If meal kits aren’t your thing, Bistro MD ships fully-prepared meals that will save you significant time.

Most of the meals Green Chef offers are meat-heavy, but they do offer a number of plant-based options and a Plant-Powered meal plan, which includes vegetarian and vegan meals made with organic produce. Pescatarian and Mediterranean meals are also available.

GGR head of content and certified nutrition coach Nicole Davis appreciated how easy the ordering process was, with the ability to change your plan at any time. You can view Green Chef’s weekly menu on their website, but you have to pay before you can browse all of their menu options. We gave the ordering process 5 out of 5 stars.

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The portions were disappointingly small, though, especially for Nicole’s husband, and meals require at least 30 minutes to cook with multiple pots and pans. “Overall, I liked the taste of these, but the portion size was just not great, and thus the cost didn’t really make sense to me,” she said. Nicole gave Green Chef a 3 out of 5 for the serving size, and a 3 out of 5 for the price per meal.

Green Chef may not be for you if you want a low-effort option, but the meals are delicious. This service could be a good fit if you have a smaller appetite and really value organic ingredients.

Dietician Perry Nix appreciates that the meals cater to some dietary restrictions as well as being certified organic. “In addition to being certified organic, Green Chef’s paleo and keto meal plans are also certified gluten-free. This means they’re safe for people with celiac disease and anyone with gluten sensitivities,” she said.

Read more about Nicole’s experience trying this meal service out with our full Green Chef review.

If you’re looking for larger serving sizes, you may want to try Purple Carrot instead.

If you’re looking to lose weight, odds are you’re seeking low-calorie options that are perhaps lower in fat or lower in carbs, depending on your dietary needs. Bistro MD brand bills itself as “healthy weight loss delivered.” What’s more, it offers a great selection of vegan meals. There are more than two dozen vegan options, nearly all of which are between 250 and 300 calories, as well as dozens of plant-based snacks, and Bistro MD earns 5 out of 5 for variety.

We asked Perry Nix, registered dietitian, to review the program to assess its viability for those trying to lose weight. 

“These meal plans focus on fueling your metabolism, stabilizing your blood sugar, and keeping you full and satisfied, so you can burn more calories and utilize energy efficiently,” she says.

You can choose between getting these ready-to-eat, frozen meals seven days a week or five days a week. The seven-day program yields 20 meals a week (seven breakfasts, seven lunches, and six dinners) or 14 meals (seven lunches and seven dinners). On the seven-day program, one dinner is left off. The brand calls this “My Night,” which we interpret as subscribers getting to eat whatever they choose for a night.

Choosing your meals was a simple process, and we give the ordering process 4 out of 5 stars.

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Perry did have concerns with calorie counts as she reviewed the program. “For three meals and two snacks, the average daily calorie intake for women and men is 1,200 and 1,500, respectively,” she says. “This is much too low, and while you could see initial weight loss, you’re more likely to gain the weight back plus some.” 

Price-wise, you’ll find this to be somewhere between $10 and $15 per meal, though it appears the brand offers deep discounts on your first order. When we placed our order, we received 40% off and free shipping. We think this is a good deal and give this service 4 out of 5 for the price per meal.

While we didn’t try any of the plant-based meals from this brand specifically, our expert product tester and staff writer, Lauren Strong, did get to try nearly a dozen other meals. 

“The Chicken Florentine Cannelloni is both good-tasting and filling,” she says. “The side of roasted veggies were better than expected, actually. They looked a little water-logged, but the taste was good.” 

Bistro MD offers both vegan and non-vegan options, so if you’re looking for a service that only offers vegan and vegetarian meals, you may want to try Purple Carrot, which only offers 100% vegan meals.

Sakara Life is a luxury meal delivery service that also offers wellness coaching. Their meals are 100% plant-based, dairy-free, gluten-free, non-GMO, and contain no refined sugars. They focus on whole foods and offer interesting add-ons like their Metabolism “Latte” substitute. 

The company claims that their meals are designed by nutritionists and doctors and can help improve digestion, reduce bloating, boost energy, increase focus, and improve skin clarity.

From our experience, Sakara Life is definitely a “luxury” option—you pay much more for their meals than you would most other places, and we only give them 1 out of 5 for the price per meal.

Ordering is very simple, with the option to choose whether you want breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a combination. You can’t choose specific menu items, but you can look at the weekly menu to see what to expect. Since all meals come pre-prepared, the only cleanup involved is the dishes you use to eat.

GGR editor Frieda Johnson ordered breakfasts and overall really enjoyed the meals. “The food is really good, especially for being gluten free and dairy free. The baked goods especially impressed me, but the dairy-free parfaits were really good, too,” she said.

She also noted that she thought the Metabolism “Lattes” were OK, but not amazing. While Frieda was impressed with the taste of most of her meals, she wasn’t impressed with the tiny portion sizes, admitting that she needed to eat a second breakfast to feel full. We also noticed there wasn’t much variety for lunch, which are all salads.

Overall, we give Sakara Life 1 out of 5 for the portion sizes, and a 4 out of 5 for variety.

A nice touch is that meals are shipped in two separate packages (with lots of ice) to ensure that perishable ingredients are as fresh as possible. This produces a lot of packaging, but fortunately, it’s all recyclable.

There are some poor customer service reviews online, but we didn’t interact with them ourselves. One issue that bothered Frieda was the lack of nutrition information, which wasn’t available on the recipes or the website. “They have the ingredients listed for each meal on the online menu, but I can’t find nutrition info anywhere. The meals themselves don’t have either the ingredients or nutrition info listed on them,” she said. “This is potentially concerning for people like me who have food allergies.”

Dietician Perry Nix also has some concerns about the suitability of this service for people with food allergies. “When you place an order with Sakara Life your meals are selected for you based off the weekly menu,” she says in our Sakara Life reviews. “This isn’t ideal for someone with food allergies or sensitivities who needs to choose meals without specific ingredients.” 

Overall, Sakara Life has great-tasting meals and might be a good fit for people willing to pay more for trendy, wellness-inspired extras like the company’s beauty water drops, vitamins, detox teas, and probiotics.

If you’re looking for a more affordable option with better portion sizes, our top pick is Purple Carrot.

Dinnerly is one of the cheapest meal delivery services out there, with options as low as $1.99 per serving, and they earn a 5 out of 5 for price per serving. Vegan options are pretty limited, but they do cater to vegetarians and pescatarians and offer dairy-free meals.

They pride themselves on their quick-to-prepare meal kits, which we found took about 30 minutes total to cook and 10 minutes to clean up. They also offer faster meals and prepared meals for people needing even quicker options.

Nicole Davis, GGR head of content and certified nutrition coach, thought the meal kit meals tasted especially great, but wasn’t as impressed with the prepared meals she tried. “The Beef Stir-Fry in Garlic Sauce tasted like a Lean Cuisine TBH. It has better ingredient quality and definitely less sodium than a TV dinner but very similar taste vibes,” she said. She also noted that the prepared meals were more suited to a light lunch than a filling meal. The meal kits were more filling for her, although the serving sizes weren’t quite large enough for her husband, so she only rated them 4 out of 5 for portion size.

Everything arrived in great condition despite the ingredients starting to sweat shortly after delivery. Be aware that ingredients aren’t grouped by recipe, so you’ll have to do some organizing before you start cooking. You’ll also have to take some time to choose your meals each week, but this is nice for people who prefer to choose their meals themselves.

Dinnerly makes it easy to contact customer service and report issues. Shipping seems to be the most frequent issue. There’s a lot of packaging involved, as with most meal delivery kits, but at least the box, packaging, and containers are all recyclable. Dinnerly earns 4 out of 5 for sustainability efforts.

Perry Nix, RD, says of the service: “Dinnerly helps you make affordable home-cooked meals in only 5 simple steps and less than 30 minutes. It’s a solid option for people trying to save money and improve their diet by going out to eat less. Simply by cooking at home, you’re likely consuming less calories, salt, and saturated fat than you would be if you ordered a meal at a restaurant.” 

If you’re looking for another option that delivers ready-to-cook ingredients, you may want to give Home Chef a try.

It doesn’t get much easier than popping dinner in the microwave! 

ModifyHealth offers frozen meals created by chefs and dietitians to address various health conditions like Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. They have a few vegan options and cater well to pescatarians and vegetarians. 

For people with specific health needs, they offer low-FODMAP, low-sodium, and gluten-free options as well as a Mediterranean meal plan. A nice touch is the ability to flag ingredients you prefer to avoid. 

Having been burned by mediocre frozen meals in the past, Nicole Davis, GGR head of content and certified nutrition coach, enjoyed her meals, praising them as the most delicious frozen meal delivery service she’s tried so far. “Really good—I was pleasantly surprised,” she said. “These are frozen meals and I didn’t have high hopes based on the other frozen meal deliveries I had tried. These were the best by far. Tried an assortment of meals from the Mediterranean plan, which is a lot of fish, and I enjoyed all of them. Salmon was my favorite.”

However, while the portion sizes were enough for her, they weren’t large enough for her husband, so she gave them 4 out of 5 for the portion size. ModifyHealth also doesn’t seem to place much of a priority on sustainability, so this may be a turn-off for some people. We only gave them 3 out of 5 stars for sustainability.

Other pros of this service are the free shipping, freshness, a variety of 30 different meals per week to choose from, inclusion of a nutrition label on each meal, and UPS tracking alerts. ModifyHealth earns 4.5 out of 5 stars for meal variety, and 5 out of 5 for the ordering experience.

ModifyHealth may not be the cheapest meal delivery service on our list, but it’s likely worth it for people who want the peace of mind and time savings that come from medically-tailored frozen meals that taste great.

For a more budget-friendly option, you may want to look at Dinnerly.

Mosaic Foods is a 100% meatless meal delivery service. Because of this, they offer a much better variety of vegan meals than other companies while also catering to vegetarians. Their mission is to make plant-centric eating easier for everyone. Or, as dietician Perry Nix says, “Mosaic is committed to improving health outcomes and preserving the environment by promoting plant-based eating.” 

Unfortunately, you can’t view the menu and pricing until you enter your email address on their website. The menu doesn’t seem to change, but they have enough options that you probably won’t get bored for a while, and we give them 4 out of 5 stars for variety. You’re responsible for picking out every meal as they don’t offer any set meal plans.

Our tester, former GGR staff writer Lauren Strong, said all of her meals were delicious, healthy, and satisfying, and she gave them 5 out of 5 stars for the taste. “Smoothies were excellent, pizzas were pretty darn good, and the Thai noodle dish I ordered was totally awesome,” she said.  And since all meals come frozen, prep and cleanup are quick and easy. Meals can be heated in the microwave or oven, depending on the item, and smoothie ingredients are added to your blender.

They offer a nice variety of globally-inspired flavors, such as yellow dal, ginger sesame noodles, and a coconut chickpea curry.

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Lauren did note that for people who lift often and/or have higher protein needs, these meals alone won’t be enough. Smoothies have less than 10 grams of protein and meals have around 15, meaning you may need to add extra plant-based protein or drink a protein shake to meet your goals. That said, we still give them 4.5 out of 5 for the portion size, just know the meals may be a little low in protein.

That said, Mosaic’s meals are nutrient-dense with low-sugar options and variety for different food allergies. Nutrition information is clearly labeled on all the meals, making it easy to reference. We were also happy to see that you can recycle all the packaging. 

Mosaic is great, but if you want more protein in each meal, you may want to try Home Chef instead.

If you’re looking for a reliable delivery service for simple menu items like smoothies and soups that are 100% plant-based, Daily Harvest is a solid option.

Former GGR senior staff writer and certified nutrition coach Amanda Capritto tried a variety of their menu items and was most impressed with their smoothies, which tasted great and seemed super fresh. Smoothie ingredients are delivered frozen, meaning the only prep required is adding them to a blender—no washing and cutting the fruit yourself or dealing with waste.

The soups are also simple, which you only need to heat with some broth. You may need to add extra seasoning, but they’re a great option for people with limited time, and earn 4 out of 5 for ease of preparation.

The need for extra seasoning was actually a common thread Amanda noticed with the skillet meals, flatbreads, and oat bowls that she tried. Overall, she felt that most of these items were bland and didn’t seem as fresh as the smoothies, and she only gave them 3 out of 5 for the taste. The flatbreads were limp, the oats were mushy, and the portions overall were pretty small. “Unfortunately I was disappointed with the taste of pretty much all of the items I tried,” she said. “Overall, the flavors are pretty bland and I had to spice up every meal with additional ingredients (except the smoothies).” 

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You do get to choose the menu items you’d like every week as there aren’t any set meal plans and it’s easy to filter by dietary restrictions. However, there isn’t as much variety compared to other delivery services, and we give Daily Harvest 3 out of 5 for variety.

Daily Harvest does provide easily accessible nutrition information, however, and offers a clear recycling guide. The fact that meals are packed with dry ice was a nice touch, eliminating some of the potential packaging waste.

Dietician Perry Nix appreciates the brand’s focus on sustainability. “When you order from Daily Harvest you’re getting sustainably-sourced fruits and vegetables,” she said. “The company values organic farming and biodiversity, which promotes more nutrient-rich soil and is better for the planet.” 

If you want a little more variety or aren’t a huge fan of smoothies and shakes, Bistro MD is a good alternative to consider.

Hello Fresh is one of the most popular meal kit services out there, and with good reason. While they don’t cater exclusively to plant-based eaters, they offer plenty of meatless options for vegetarians and a few options for vegans.

Hello Fresh is one of the most customizable services, allowing you to easily swap meals, add extra meals, swap proteins, and add additional snacks, proteins, and desserts to your orders. The ordering process earns a strong 5 out of 5.

Ashley Little, our tester for this service, was a big fan of the filling portion sizes and found most items to be very flavorful, only needing seasoning once in a while. “I’m almost always satisfied with my meals,” she said, giving them 4.5 out of 5 stars for the taste. “HelloFresh does not include typical seasonings like salt and pepper or butter, so you can season your food to your own taste.” The freshness of ingredients may vary based on your location. Ashley noticed that some vegetables tend to arrive looking less fresh, but all dairy arrived in good condition.

She was also impressed with the seasonal options from Hello Fresh, which add variety and allow long-term customers to regularly try new things. Nutrition information is easily accessible on the app.

Another significant advantage is the quick prep and cleanup, with 5-10 minutes for prep and 25-45 minutes for cooking. Thankfully, most meals only require dirtying one or two dishes. This is a huge time saver for families with busy schedules, making Hello Fresh one of the best options for plant-forward families, and we give them 4 out of 5 for ease of preparation.

Dietician Perry Nix says in our HelloFresh review, “I really like that Hello Fresh offers Family Friendly meal choices. As a mom of two young children, it can be difficult to find nutritious meals that everyone will eat. Also, since you cook these meals at home, the kids can help prepare their meals, which inspires them to taste new foods.” 

If you don’t want to do any sort of cooking, Bistro MD is a good option for pre-made meals.

Splendid Spoon offers 100% plant-based frozen meals, taking the guesswork out of avoiding animal products while making it simple to eat more plants. They stand out for making it easy to avoid specific ingredients, such as beets and bananas, that you dislike or are allergic to. Allergens and dietary preferences are clearly marked, earning Splendid Spoon 5 out of 5 stars for access to nutritional information.

All meals are also gluten-free and free from artificial sweeteners, with low-sodium and low-carb options.

Splendid Spoon offers plans which vary by the number and categories of meals that they include. GGR editor Frieda Johnson tried the 14-meal plan, which included five smoothies, five grain bowls or soups, two noodle dishes, and two main dishes. “The food is surprisingly good!” she said. “The smoothies are hit and miss, though—the only one I’ve actually liked so far is the strawberry chocolate, the rest have been disappointing. But the food has all been really good, especially for gluten-free, vegan frozen meals. Unfortunately, since the smoothies are not very good and you don’t have the option to order a plan with just the food, I’m going to have to give them a lower overall score.”

Even though the solid meals are good, the questionable smoothies bring down the taste score to 3 out of 5 stars. On the plus side, they cycle their menu, meaning there’s a good variety of meals from which to choose.

Frieda thought the portion sizes were great for lunch but not quite filling enough for dinner. You also end up with fewer actual meals than Splendid Spoon claims since the meal plans are mostly made up of smoothies and soups. Perry Nix, RD, said, “All plans require you purchase a combination of smoothies, bowls, noodles, and dishes, which isn’t ideal for anyone not interested in all of these items. The smoothies are considered a meal, but don’t provide enough energy to be considered a sufficient meal replacement.” 

Another plus—their dedication to sustainability, which earns them 4.75 out of 5 stars for this category. All packaging is recyclable, and Splendid Spoon recently opened a new distribution center which reduced their carbon dioxide emissions by 70,000 pounds.

Unfortunately, while Frieda’s ingredients were still cold upon delivery, the dry ice had already melted. Meals were jumbled up in their containers and weren’t packed well, with soup containers arriving upside down.

The process for canceling orders was a little convoluted, and Frieda had issues being charged for her second box before she had received her first one. She also missed the chance to edit her second box because the notification was sent out so late. Choosing replacements for out-of-stock meals was also difficult as she was never notified that she needed to pick something else.

Overall, this service is great for picky eaters due to the large selection and ability to filter by foods to avoid, but be aware of potential issues with shipping and customer service.

For more, check out our full Splendid Spoon review.

If you’re looking for a service with a smoother ordering process, you might want to consider Hello Fresh instead.