The only problem with the ever-expanding world of meal-kits and prepared meal delivery services is that there is so much choice. On the plus side, choice means that there is something to please everyone. On the negative side, it means that it can be a little overwhelming looking at all the options available and then working out which is the best company for you.
This is where we come in. At the Meal Kit Review, not only do we provide detailed reviews of meal kit and prepared meal companies, but we also offer in-depth comparisons. Our comparisons allow you to look at two companies that offer services that are similar while working out which company would suit you best.
Today we are going to be comparing two companies that provide 100% plant-based menus. These companies are great for both vegans and those who simply wish to increase their intake of plant-based ingredients. Both companies offer attractive options for those of you who are after a vegan menu, so let’s get started.
A closer look: Veestro and Purple Carrot
Veestro provides fully prepared 100% plant-based meals. The company is based on their belief that by simply eating more plants, you will improve the quality of your life in terms of health, energy, reduction in risk of diseases and so much more. Veestro has a menu filled with delicious vegan meals that vegans and non-vegans alike will adore. The well-balanced and nutritious plant-based meals provided by Veestro are also a fantastic option if you want a weight management option. The Veestro meals are chef crafted, fully prepared and arrive at your door in environmentally friendly packaging.
Purple Carrot, in contrast, offers a 100% plant-based meal kit delivery service. They have a long-term company vision where plant-based eating is standard. They would like people to choose plant-based options due to health, environmental and animal welfare reasons. Purple Carrot is also about convenience. Their meal kids contained pre-portioned plant-based ingredients along with easy-to-follow recipes. The Purple Carrot menus are designed to be hassle-free and simple to cook.
Plans offered at Veestro and Purple Carrot
As a Veestro customer, you will have a choice of four different plans.
- The A la carte Plan provides options for all your meal requirements. Find choices for breakfasts, entrees, soups, and desserts. Within this plan, you will also find options that cater to a gluten-free diet and weight loss requirements.
- The Meal Packs Plan involves a selected meal plan that also includes some goal-oriented packs such as Meatless Monday, lunch box, gluten-free etc. This option is fabulous if you want something that is designed to suit your personal needs.
- The Weight Loss Plan can cater for 3, 5, or 7 full days. With this plan, you receive 2 weeks’ worth of meals in each delivery.
As a Purple Carrot customer, you will have a choice of four different plans. Each plan caters for 2 people and includes 3 meals per week. Once you have subscribed to a plan, you can swap meals from plan to plan if you wish.
- High Protein Plan includes protein-packed meals that are all about creating energy in your daily life.
- Quick and Easy Plan includes meals that are all about convenience and can be prepared within 30 minutes.
- Chef’s Choice includes meals that are a little more sophisticated and provide a gourmet plant-based dining experience.
- TB12 Performance Plan includes meals for people who have the high metabolic needs of athletes and highly active people. These recipes are packed with protein, are gluten-free and low in soy.
Variety of meals:
The Veestro menu is incredibly varied, with over 60 plant-based meal options. With Veestro, you can have every meal covered with options for breakfast and dinner along with soups, salads, lunches, desserts and different juices. Every single meal has been cooked by professionals, then flash frozen before it is delivered to your door.
The Purple Carrot menu includes six plant-based dishes every week, which can be mixed and matched between the different plans. In addition, there are also three dishes found in the TB12 plan, which is focused on high-calorie and high-protein meals for people with active lifestyles. Their menu is quite diverse and incorporates all sorts of international culinary influences.
This dish was a great joy for the taste buds of our tasting team at the Meal Kit Review! Veggies and curry are a great combination, especially when the dish is full of tasty organic vegetables like broccoli and carrots. The curry was rich with flavors but not overly spicy. The curry contained red chili peppers, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, and some other spices, and we loved it. It was served with organic brown rice that was not only delicious but healthy. The meal arrived frozen and sealed in a plastic container, and we heated it via microwave for a few minutes before serving. It was so easy and delicious. A great solution for people who wish to eat healthy vegan foods without the extra time involved in meal planning and grocery shopping.
This red curry meal, like many of the other meals from the Veestro plant-based menu, is also ideal for weight loss, since it contains only 410 calories per serving!
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This dish from the Purple Carrot vegan kitchen was tasty and fulfilling. It was also quite easy to cook. The process simply involved cooking the red quinoa, crisping the tempeh, mixing the dressing, cutting the lettuce, avocado, and cucumbers and mixing all the ingredients together.
We loved the seasoning of the smoked paprika on the tempeh; a traditional soy product and a great source of plant-based protein, and the tahini and ranch sauce were also very enjoyable.
The one main negative about this dish, which applies to Purple Carrot in general, is that both the avocado and the cucumbers that we received as part of the ingredients for this meal were inedible and had to be replaced by us.
The delivery of Purple Carrot Vs Veestro
Your Veestro delivery arrives in a box that is insulated, and all your meals are packed with enough ice to keep them frozen during the delivery process. The box is well organized and easy to unpack with meals just needing to be placed straight in the freezer – no sorting required! Each meal comes packed in a branded sleeve that includes the name of the dish, any instructions for heating and serving and all relevant nutritional facts.
Your Purple Carrot arrives in a box that is insulated, and the contents are packed with a non-toxic gel ice pack that keeps everything cool. The contents are well organized and sorted and labeled per dish, so there is no sorting required. Purple Carrot also adheres to eco-friendly practices and most of their packaging can be reused, recycled or composted.
Quality of ingredients:
Veestro is passionate about the fact that everything you eat matters and that you get out of life what you put in. This is reflected in the high standard of ingredients they use in their meals. All ingredients are hand-picked, organic, sustainable and 100% plant-based. The consistently high standard of ingredients is reflected in the quality of the incredibly delicious meals that Veestro creates.
Unfortunately, we found the quality of ingredients used by Purple Carrot a little inconsistent. There were a couple of examples where we needed to replace ingredients because they simply could not be used.
We did find it a little unusual that Purple Carrot does not share any information about their ingredients on their website. It is impossible to find where their ingredients are sourced, if there is a priority for organic or sustainable ingredients and whether their ingredients are free of preservatives and chemicals.
We believe that this type of information should be freely available, especially for a plant-based service. Unfortunately, this lack of information was reflected in the inconsistent quality of the ingredients.
The website and ordering process:
Both Veestro and Purple Carrot provide websites that are easy to use, which makes managing your accounts a simple process. Both companies are available on a subscription basis, but you have the flexibility to skip weeks when required and to cancel your account at any time without penalty.
Bottom line- Veestro vs Purple Carrot- who’s our winner?
If you are looking for a way of increasing your intake of plant-based ingredients, then a meal kit or prepared meal service offers a convenient and attractive way of doing this.
Both Veestro and Purple Carrot offer services that provide menus that are 100% plant-based, so there are obviously many similarities. There were also quite a few differences between these two companies and our winner in this comparison was Veestro.
The meals that are created, cooked and delivered by Veestro are delicious and require no preparation. All that is needed is to heat them and eat them, which means they offer the ultimate convenient experience. We also found that the ingredients used by Veestro were of much better quality, and we loved that all ingredients were organic. The high standard of their ingredients is reflected in the fact that they recently won the VEG NEWS 2018 Veggie Award.
