Daily Harvest vs Purple Carrot – Which Service Delivers It Best?

Last Updated : February 23, 2024

daily-harvest-vs-purple-carrot

Nutritious meals are even better when they also taste delicious. The same can be said about vegan meals. First of all, if you’re on a vegan diet, your cholesterol and blood pressure levels are scientifically proven to be lower, along with lower chances of developing heart diseases, type 2 diabetes, and also certain kinds of cancer.

Secondly, going vegan means gladly incorporating a wide range of cooking styles, nutrients, and cuisines into your daily diet. Finally, it’s such a relief to know that vegan meals don’t necessarily have to be uninteresting, unappetizing, or even bland.

Enter vegan-only meal kit delivery service – the whole Daily Harvest and Purple Carrot comparison revolves around adopting and/or maintaining a vegan lifestyle. Plus, thanks to them, you don’t have to worry about what to cook for dinner. Subscribing to a meal delivery service is always really helpful as it does meal planning and prepping for you.

As for the comparison between Purple Carrot and Daily Harvest’s menu, I’m going to discuss everything about them below – from the type of meals to the kind of packaging used!

How Do Meal Kit Delivery Services Keep You Well-Fed?

One of the best ways to make healthier food choices is subscribing to a healthy meal delivery service weekly. From burgers to tacos, meal subscription services offer healthy substitutes for “junk” food made entirely of healthy ingredients – no excess salt, no artificial ingredients, and no preservatives.

For weight loss, weight management, and an overall healthy lifestyle, subscribing to a meal delivery service can be life-changing.

So, how can you incorporate such meals into your diet?

Lots of people choose to eat meals cooked with the help of meal kits most days of the week because it saves you the trouble of shopping for groceries, looking up recipes to make, and also the intense prep work.

Another underrated benefit of meal subscription services is that they prioritize healthy eating, so all their meals are nutritionally balanced. Some even meet specific dietary needs like paleo, keto, weight loss, high protein, Mediterranean, low sodium, gluten-free, soy-free, FODMAP diet, and so on.

Services like Daily Harvest also allow you to personalize the menu depending on the ingredient you want to include and exclude. So, if you’re sensitive to a particular ingredient or simply don’t like it, you can easily skip it and look for other most suitable meals.

Meal subscription services also support weight loss-friendly diets by portioning your meals for maximum satisfaction and nutrition. All the meal kits are preportioned to suit the needs of 1, 2, or 4 people at a time.

Healthy foods that aren’t too high in carbs, fats, calories, and sodium and contain no artificial sugar are prioritized to aid weight loss and weight management. This improves satiety and gives you all the essential nutrients you need, including antioxidants, vitamins, fiber, minerals, etc., to fight diseases and stay fit and healthy.

You can find different dinner recipes, breakfasts, lunches, and snacks. Some even provide extra add-ons like ice cream, smoothies, coffees, and protein bundles – all healthy and preservative-free alternatives.

Daily Harvest vs Purple Carrot – What You Need to Know

Both Daily Harvest and Purple Carrot are plant-based meal subscription services. If you subscribe to either of them, expect a boost of whole fruits and vegetables in your weekly diet.

Though both are plant-based, they have a few minor differences that you should know about.

Starting with Daily Harvest, it serves only gluten-free, dairy-free, and organic meals. So, whatever meal you pick, those meals are prepared without any dairy and gluten and use maximum organic fruits and vegetables.

Smoothies, forager bowls, flatbreads, bakes, scoops, and soups are Daily Harvest’s most popular picks. You can add as many food items to your cart, just like online shopping, as it caters to a versatile palate of needs from smoothies, snacks, ice creams, and healthy small bites and meals.

Now, Purple Carrot uses organic ingredients and is plant-based and vegan. The meals have several labels like high protein, low calorie, gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free, and chef’s choice.

Daily Harvest’s meals require minimal prep work. You might only have to assemble and cook the ingredients together as most of the ingredients are pre-prepped beforehand. It saves more time when you don’t have time to prep, chop, mix, and cook lots of ingredients for a single meal.

It offers simple meals like breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can order in 2 servings per meal, and theirs is a more meal-oriented service than Daily Harvest. It serves more satisfying portions of food than Daily Harvest whose serving size is considered small and unsatisfactory.

Another benefit to Purple Carrot is that they also serve prepared meals on top of meal kits. If you don’t have time to cook from a meal kit on some days of the week, you can easily switch to their prepared meals as they are heat and serve.

Daily Harvest vs Purple Carrot – Which Is Less Expensive?

Daily Harvest and Purple Carrot have competitive prices. Daily Harvest boasts of a varied and palate-broadening menu starting from smoothies, ice creams, and coffee to meals like flatbread, food bowls, bakes, and soups.

Each meal category has a different price per serving. And unlike Purple Carrot, you don’t have to order 2 servings per meal. You can order repeats if you want to, or else stick to picking individual meal boxes based on the size you prefer.

Before we look at the prices of Daily Harvest’s menu, it’s best to know that Daily Harvest offers discounted boxes starting from small, medium, to large. The more you order, the more you save – that’s the deal. The small box saves you $20, the medium box saves you $25, and the large box saves you $35 on the total bill amount.

Plus, the shipping is free on all orders, so you won’t have to pay any extra or hidden charges during checkout:

  • Smoothies start from $8.49 per item – frozen fruits and vegetable pairings are packed together. You have to add some liquid to the blender along with the smoothie contents and blend it.
  • Harvest Bowls start from $9.79 per item – assemble all the ingredients and put them in a pan with some water to heat evenly. Or you can even cook it in a microwave for 5 minutes until steaming hot.
  • Harvest Bakes start from $11.99 per item – slightly larger servings of baked deliciousness and require no prep whatsoever. Simply remove the film, and place it in a microwave oven or grill to bake for 22-27 minutes.
  • Flatbreads start from $9.79 per item – think of these as garlic bread, mini pizzas, appetizers, or a side dish. Unwrap and place on a baking rack and bake for 20 minutes. You can even bake it on the stovetop by using a flat pan and lid to cover it.
  • Soups start from $8.49 per item – Nourishing soups made with all veg ingredients that require a little bit of prep work. You can microwave it or cook it on the stovetop. Instructions on how to prepare are mentioned on each recipe page.
  • Forager Bowls start from $6.79 per item – these are breakfast bowls made with superfoods and delicious fruits and veg pairings. These are all healthy, nutritious, and fiber-rich bowls that need some milk to heat up on the stovetop or microwave.
  • Scoops start from $8.99 per pint – ice creams made entirely gluten- and dairy-free. It has interesting flavors like gooey chocolate, mint chocolate, caramel, cinnamon, coconut, etc. are included. No prep is necessary, but they must be stored frozen.
  • Bites start from $7.99 for every 7 bites – packed with energy-boosting ingredients, they work great as snacks or pre- or post-workout bites. Sweet and soft, you don’t need to prep or mold them. They can be eaten right out of the freezer.
  • Lattes start from $5.99 per 2 lattes – plant-based coffee served in pods that you need to prepare with hot water as a hot latte, iced latte, or with any plant-based milk.
  • Mylk costs about $7.99 per carton – these are plant-based milk wedges that must be blended with plain water to turn into healthy, gum-free, and preservative-free oat, almond, or vanilla milk.

Purple Carrot’s pricing plan is serving-based with different prices for meal kits and prepared meals. Shipping, just like Daily Harvest, is free on all orders, no matter how small. Speaking of which, the minimum order value of Purple Carrot is 2 servings per meal and 3 meals per week, which translates to 6 total servings each week.

Let’s look at the individual per-serving cost for meal kits and prepared meals.

For Meal Kits – 2 servings per meal:

  • 3 meals per week – $13.25 per serving
  • 4 meals per week – $13.25 per serving

For Meal Kits – 4 servings per meal:

  • 3 meals per week – $11 per serving
  • 4 meals per week – $11 per serving

For Prepared Meals:

  • 6 meals per week – $13 per serving
  • 8 meals per week – $13 per serving
  • 10 meals per week – $13 per serving

The price per serving between Daily Harvest and Purple Carrot is significantly different. Owing to Purple Carrot’s more satisfying meal portions than Daily Harvest, most people don’t mind paying a bit extra for Purple Carrot.

Daily Harvest vs Purple Carrot – Can You Select Specific Meals from the Menu?

Between Daily Harvest and Purple Carrot, which service offers better filters for customizing the menu according to dietary needs and ingredients?

I checked and Daily Harvest has better meal customization than Purple Carrot. Purple Carrot has no filters which you can use to find meals suited to your tastes and dietary preferences.

You can only search for 2- and 4-serving meals on Purple Carrot’s weekly menu, and they have categories for different meals of the day – Dinners, Breakfasts, Lunches, and Plantry. This is the bare minimum that a meal subscription service like Purple Carrot would provide.

Daily Harvest, on the other hand, is more intricate and diet-friendly in its menu-filtering features. You can filter the menu by likes, dislikes, and dietary needs. On top of that, you have a different menu altogether for smoothies, forager bowls, bakes, flatbreads, soups, etc.

When you browse their entire menu, you can easily use these filters to select meals that suit your very specific needs.

Customizing by likes and dislikes, you can select which ingredient you want to add or avoid on the menu:

  • Avocado
  • Banana
  • Berries
  • Caffeine
  • Chocolate
  • Cilantro
  • Coconut
  • Cucumber
  • Garlic
  • Greens
  • Nuts
  • Oats
  • Onion
  • Spice

You can also pick your preferred dietary preference and stick to adding meals that accommodate them:

  • AIP
  • FODMAP
  • Keto
  • Paleo
  • Less than 10 g fat
  • Less than 15 g fat
  • Less than 15 g of sugar
  • Less than 250 calories
  • Less than 500 mg sodium
  • More than 10 g of protein
  • More than 6 g of fiber

These are very specific dietary preferences, so if you don’t want to use any, you can easily Clear Filters and see the entire menu without any customizations.

One feature that Purple Carrot has that’s lacking on Daily Harvest is dietary labels. Each of Purple Carrot’s recipes has dietary labels on them like High-protein, Under 600 calories, soy-free, gluten-free, Quick and easy, etc.

Now, you cannot filter the menu with the help of these dietary labels, but the best thing is that you can quickly see which meal recipe is most convenient and suitable for you. The meals labeled Chef’s Choice are more gourmet options, while the rest of the labels are self-explanatory like high protein, quick and easy, under 600 calories, soy-free, gluten-free, and nut-free.

Daily Harvest vs Purple Carrot – Is the Menu Varied?

Daily Harvest’s menu is more varied and preference-driven than Purple Carrot’s. They have smoothies, forager bowls, ice cream, Harvest bakes, Harvest bowls, flatbreads, lattes, and plant-based milk.

Purple Carrot is more meal-driven with healthy and satisfying Dinners and a few breakfast and lunch meals for the week. Their Plantry menu consists of snacks like cookies, cheese, pesto, and crumbles. The breakfast and lunch menu includes 2-3 items each.

Daily Harvest’s menu features the following types of meals and drinks:

There are over 30 different types of smoothies in tempting flavors and pairings. All are made from whole foods including healthy nuts and seeds and natural flavors like vanilla, cinnamon, dark chocolate, cocoa beans, etc.

Interesting pairings like mint with cacao, mango and papaya, strawberry and peach, avocado and greens, etc. have plenty of health benefits and are a breeze to prepare. You don’t need to chop any veggies or fruits, and the smoothies come pre-chopped and frozen. Just take it out of the freezer when you want, blend it with some milk or yogurt or coconut water, and voila.

Single-serve Harvest Bowls are made with whole fruits and vegetables. The bowls are super-nourishing with different pairings and flavors – some homemade-inspired, while others are creative and restaurant-quality. You’ve never had these before – that’s for sure.

These meals contain fiber-rich and organic sources of plant-grown foods with different types of lentils to replace the conventional carb-heavy palate. Sweet potatoes are used in place of normal potatoes, broccoli rice, cauliflower rice, butternut squash, quinoa, and chickpeas. The ingredients elevate the nutrition profile of every meal, so not even a single bite is wasted.

Slightly larger servings of food take a little longer to cook in the microwave oven. These are gourmet-inspired meal recipes with lots of fruits and vegetables packed in a single serving. Compared to takeout food, it’s an upgrade because it’s healthy and real. Coconut curry is made with real ingredients, with no preservatives or excess salt.

The flatbreads are made of whole ingredients, including the crust which is made of plant-based ingredients like cauliflower, broccoli, and sweet potatoes. The toppings are varied as well and tempting for you to try like paprika, portobello mushrooms, cremini, bell peppers, tomatillo, kale, pear, sage, sweet potatoes, etc.

It’s easy to prepare. Just put it in a baking oven for 15-20 minutes. Assembly is minimal with little to no cleanup afterward. The cheese on some of the flatbreads is also plant-based, made with nutritional yeast. It’s healthy and nondairy.

The soups that Daily Harvest serves are colorful and delicious too. With new and unique flavors, they’re super easy to assemble and cook for lunch or dinner. Different pairings such as tomato with zucchini, carrot with coconut, lentils with cremini, and lots more are ready to serve.

All the soups are seriously flavorful with different spices and herbs – all energizing and immune-boosting ingredients packed with fewer calories, fewer carbs, and more proteins. You can prepare them in one of two ways: either by heating them on a stove so you have bite-sized pieces of the veggies to have alongside the soup or blend all the ingredients and heat and enjoy.

Forager Bowls are savory with whole ingredients like prepped oats, chia seeds, flaxseeds, and other superfood, immune-boosting ingredients. The idea behind the Forager Bowls is to include more satiating ingredients like peace, cinnamon, coconut, goji berry, dragon fruit, dark chocolate, miso, etc. into a single bowl.

You can eat their Forager Bowls for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They’re filling and delicious for at time of day or night. Unpack a single serving of Forager Bowl into a microwave-friendly bowl, and heat it for a minute or longer depending on how warm you like your meal.

There are different ways of preparing Forager Bowls depending on the main ingredient. Oats, for example, need to be cooked slightly with a little bit of milk, stirring continuously to avoid overcooking. The other Chia and Oat forager bowl must be soaked with milk overnight before eating.

Scoops are made of 100% whole and dairy-free ice creams made with whole ingredients like coconut, cashews, almonds, dates, chocolate, and oats. Desserts are never always a staple in all meal kit delivery services, but Daily Harvest makes them a priority with so many different flavors.

Just store them in the freezer once they arrive. To eat, they need to be kept outside at room temperature for 7-10 minutes.

Bites are packed with superfoods and are considered to be treated with sweet and savory flavors such as raspberry, hazelnut, cacao nib, vanilla, coconut, and banana. Each serving contains 7 bites in total. They are, in fact, bite-sized pieces, so they are very quick and user-friendly to prep and eat at any time.

Overall, I feel that the scoops and bites are very accessible and delicious to dive into when you get sudden food cravings in the middle of the day or night.

This contains different flavors of latte made with chocolate, almond, coconut, lemongrass, matcha, and other delicious blends. The coffee is compressed into single-serve pods that need only hot water to brew either in a microwave or stovetop. You can have it hot or iced with your favorite plant-based milk.

Speaking of milk, Daily Harvest also features its milk wedges that are pure plant-based, filler, and preservative-free milk cubes that you need to blend with water to turn into milk. You can then use the blended milk for smoothies, forager bowls, and coffees. Easy enough, right?

With Purple Carrot, you can expect simplicity and ease of navigation. They have several different menu options for lunch, breakfast, dinner, and snacks. All are vegan and plant-based with more organic ingredients than most others.

  • Dinners

You also have two different options for meal kits and prepared meals. For meal kits, you can select 2 or 4 servings of any dinner meal recipe.

The prepared meals are all dinners packed in single-serve, microwave-safe containers that you simply have to heat for less than 2-3 minutes and eat hot and fresh.

Simple recipes like rice bowls, pasta, pan-seared dishes, noodles, salads, and fried rice are included in the prepared meal menu.

The Dinner menu for meal kits includes different cuisines and high-protein plant alternatives to meat-inspired dishes. Examples are beans, lentils, tofu, black bean burger patties, hummus, pickled vegetables, and brown rice nourish the nutrition palate.

All the meal recipes come with different diet labels with the cooking time and calories mentioned on the recipe card along with a suitable picture of the meal and what it looks like after cooking.

  • Lunch

The Lunch meals are single-serve and limited in options than the Dinner menu. Light meals like sandwiches and food bowls are included in the Lunch category. Nobody likes to eat a heavy lunch, and Purple Carrot keeps up that tradition with simple yet delicious lunch recipes that take less than 15 minutes to prepare.

  • Breakfast

Just like it is with the Lunch menu, Purple Carrot’s Breakfast menu has 2-3 meal recipes. They take 5-15 minutes to prepare. They have recipes like scrambled tofu and toast – all breakfast favorites are included. Easy, quick, and packed with nutrition, it’s exactly what you need to eat first thing in the morning.

  • Snacks/Plantry

This is the add-on menu that includes a few interesting snacks and additional treats. On the current week’s menu, Purple Carrot offers tahini pesto sauce, cookies, dairy-free plant-based cheese, and taco crumbles.

These plant-based foods cost much less than the per-serving cost of meals. Based on what you buy, the cost range is between $5.99 and $9.99 per item. The serving size of each item varies from 6 to 13.5 ounces per serving.

Daily Harvest vs Purple Carrot – How Much Cooking Is Involved?

Daily Harvest requires little to no cooking skills beforehand. You don’t need to be an experienced cook to prepare meals at home. The meals and smoothies take only a few steps to prepare, and the meals that do require some prep or assembly will take only minutes off your time to do so.

Purple Carrot, on the other hand, does require some intermediate cooking skills. The meal kits take more time and prep work than most other meal kit services I’ve come across. But there are a few here, and there that may not be as intense and time-consuming to prepare.

So how much time am I talking about?

The suggested time on the recipe card is almost accurate, but some dishes can take 15 minutes longer depending on what you’re making. The dishes require more dishing and chopping considering it is a plant-forward meal kit service.

The prepared meals take 2-3 minutes to heat and serve, so that’s no problem at all. All you have to do is peel off the plastic film and heat it.

Compared to Purple Carrot, Daily Harvest is an easier and faster choice. Their meals are all frozen and require little prep work, mostly assembly, so chopping the vegetables is not required as they come pre-chopped and proportioned.

Purple Carrot serves more home-oriented meals with larger portions than Daily Harvest. Hence, they require more prep work, assembly, chopping, mixing, and cooking.

Daily Harvest vs Purple Carrot – What Kind of Audience Do They Target?

I would recommend Daily Harvest to a dedicated and loyal diet follower. If you are used to a specific set of diet preferences, fewer calories, smaller portions, etc., then Daily Harvest will suit your style.

Plus, the meals and snacks are gluten-free, organic, and plant-forward, so vegetarians and vegans will find the variety of Daily Harvest very impressive.

You can filter the menu according to the ingredient and diet plan, making it easier for people to look for different approaches to healthy eating without feeling limited.

But unlike Daily Harvest, Purple Carrot has a weekly rotating menu with different lunch, dinner, and breakfast choices. So, even if you don’t find the ideal recipe on Purple Carrot’s menu for 1 week, you may like something else the next.

Purple Carrot is also a plant-based meal delivery service with many gluten-, soy-, and dairy-free options. Their menu features different dietary labels on every recipe along with some snacks that are all healthy and nutrient-based.

If you’re looking for a proper meal kit and prepared meal delivery service, Purple Carrot is more in tune with what you’re looking for. These are homemade meals that are delicious and nutritious to eat and keep your tummy full and satisfied for a long time.

Daily Harvest vs Purple Carrot – Who Should Not Pick Them?

The meals by Daily Harvest are not designed to be satisfying but nutritious. So, some of you may find the serving size of their meals very small.

If you’re on a balanced caloric diet with meals that have between 350 and 500 calories per serving, let me tell you that the caloric value per serving of Daily Harvest is very low. The majority of their meals contain less than 350 calories per serving, which is not at all sufficient for a wholesome balanced diet.

Nutritional information is accessible for every item on their menu, so you can pick your ideal ones based on your specific diet needs.

Lastly, though Daily Harvest is a gluten-free, organic, and plant-based service, it uses the same facility that processes gluten, nuts, and soy. If you have a serious food allergy, their meals may not be suitable for you.

Purple Carrot has meals that aren’t designed to be very beginner-friendly. If you’re looking for a quick and flexible meal kit delivery service that doesn’t challenge you on a cooking level, then Purple Carrot may not be for you. Or if you’re pressed for time and want something fast and efficient, Purple Carrot is not the ideal pick.

Some of the meals may take more than 30-45 minutes to prepare, which is surprising considering it is a plant-based service. You will be required to multitask for some meals, and that includes chopping, prepping, and cooking at the same time.

Meals with the “Quick and Easy” label also take at least 30 minutes to prepare. While Purple Carrot’s meals are delicious and nutritious to prepare, some cooking skills are required in the execution.

Daily Harvest vs Purple Carrot – Nutritional Value of Meals

A stellar nutritional profile is to be expected when choosing a plant-based meal delivery service. Well, that’s not always true but it definitely is in the case of Daily Harvest.

Their frozen meals consist of a host of fruits, vegetables, legumes, beans, whole grains, seeds, and nuts. The list goes on – fresh and dried herbs, plant oils, spices, nutritional yeast, mushroom powder, and so much more. All of this amounts to a very nutritious blend of healthy fats, complex carbohydrates, essential minerals and vitamins, dietary fiber, etc.

What makes it even better is that almost every ingredient Daily Harvest infuses into its meals is organic. If your body could thank you, which it does in its own way, it would for nourishing it with such wholesome and hearty meals.

I just have one complaint with Daily Harvest, as do most of their customers I believe. The quantity or portion size of their meals is quite small. Although this does mean a lower calorie count per serving, it still works against Daily Harvest when their meals are too small to keep you full for a good enough number of hours.

Less satiating with a lower protein content – that seems to be the only issue with Daily Harvest. Speaking of which, you may want to have a look at some of their favorites and their macronutrient breakdown.

NUTRITION VALUES PER SERVING:
Serving size 1 container
Calories 140 calories
Protein 3 grams
Total fat 2 grams
Total carbohydrate 30 grams
Dietary fiber 6 grams
Total sugar 18 grams
NUTRITION VALUES PER SERVING:
Serving size 1 container
Calories 150 calories
Protein 2 grams
Total fat 4.5 grams
Total carbohydrate 23 grams
Dietary fiber 4 grams
Total sugar 19 grams
NUTRITION VALUES PER SERVING:
Serving size 1 container
Calories 380 calories
Protein 14 grams
Total fat 28 grams
Total carbohydrate 24 grams
Dietary fiber 9 grams
Total sugar 6 grams
NUTRITION VALUES PER SERVING:
Serving size 1 container
Calories 520 calories
Protein 18 grams
Total fat 36 grams
Total carbohydrate 37 grams
Dietary fiber 9 grams
Total sugar 5 grams
NUTRITION VALUES PER SERVING:
Serving size 1 container
Calories 210 calories
Protein 9 grams
Total fat 8 grams
Total carbohydrate 29 grams
Dietary fiber 8 grams
Total sugar 11 grams
NUTRITION VALUES PER SERVING:
Serving size 1 flatbread
Calories 360 calories
Protein 8 grams
Total fat 17 grams
Total carbohydrate 48 grams
Dietary fiber 8 grams
Total sugar 6 grams

Clearly, Daily Harvest meals, for example, their soups and bowls, work just fine as lighter meals or big snacks instead of completely satisfying, full-sized entrees.

Moving on to Purple Carrot nutrition, these guys offer the best vegan meals, both meal kits and fully cooked meals. They have a menu packed with some really interesting ingredients and very satisfying portion sizes.

The ingredients and cooking techniques are inspired from around the globe, which is great since this means you can be vegan and enjoy delicious meals at the same time.

For meal kits, you have to bring everything together, which also includes using basic pots, pans, and other cookware tools required (such as a peeler, grater, blender, etc.).

The meals, without a shadow of a doubt, are incredibly tasty. Food that is supposed to hold together, for example, veggie and potato patties, do so with a crispy texture and filling serving size. Be it patties, burgers, bowls, noodles, or soups, everything is enough and gets eaten without making you feel overly full.

As for the nutritional profile of these meals, let’s get to know more about it below.

Meal Kits:

  • Breakfasts
Strawberry & Cream Cheese Toasts Farmers’ Market Tofu Scramble
Serving size 4 servings 4 servings
Calories 270 calories per serving 240 calories per serving
Protein 9 grams per serving 14 grams per serving
Total fat 11 grams per serving 8 grams per serving
Total carbohydrate 33 grams per serving 29 grams per serving
Dietary fiber 2 grams per serving 7 grams per serving
Total sugar 7 grams per serving 4 grams per serving
  • Lunches
Coconut Ginger Congee Smoky Tempeh BLTs
Serving size 2 servings 2 servings
Calories 520 calories per serving 660 calories per serving
Protein 27 grams per serving 32 grams per serving
Total fat 25 grams per serving 30 grams per serving
Total carbohydrate 49 grams per serving 68 grams per serving
Dietary fiber 6 grams per serving 16 grams per serving
Total sugar 3 grams per serving 13 grams per serving
  • Dinners
Scallion Noodles Almond Butter Tofu Bowls
Serving size 2 or 4 servings 2 servings
Calories 730 calories per serving 680 calories per serving
Protein 42 grams per serving 35 grams per serving
Total fat 23 grams per serving 27 grams per serving
Total carbohydrate 97 grams per serving 76 grams per serving
Dietary fiber 26 grams per serving 12 grams per serving
Total sugar 9 grams per serving 6 grams per serving

Daily Harvest vs Purple Carrot – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Is the Packaging Environment-Friendly?

With Daily Harvest, their weekly meal box is slightly bigger; after all, it is loaded with tasty goodies. All of the meals are frozen, which means they’re kept frozen inside with the help of dry ice.

Every item is packed carefully and properly. Recyclable cardboard boxes, internal insulation liners, dividers, and individual meal containers and bowls, etc. – these are all recyclable or compostable.

The Daily Harvest team has also created an entire Packaging + Recycling Guide which has the necessary information and steps for recycling the packaging materials used for their bowls, smoothies, soups, lattes, snacks, and more.

It’s a good enough planet-friendly mix of packaging materials in the case of Purple Carrot. Their approach to packaging is pretty much like any other meal delivery service. But the meals here are packed in plastic bags; each meal goes into a separate plastic bag, which is large and recyclable.

The fact that every meal is wrapped individually means guesswork is eliminated, so you know which set of ingredients make up which recipe. Meaning, everything in your weekly meal box will be grouped accordingly.

The plastic containers and cardboard inserts are curbside-recyclable. All plastic, as a matter of fact, is recyclable (curbside or at specific facilities). Cooler bags as well are recyclable with biodegradable ice packs.

As for the small containers of oils and sauces, these can be reused if you like. But if not, you will have to toss them in the bin.

Purple Carrot, as you may already know by now, delivers both meal kits and prepared meals. The latter uses less packaging than the former since it’s only heat and serve. The plastic trays are recyclable too, although some pieces of packaging here are going to end up in the trash, whereas a few of them need to be recycled at special facilities.

You can check out Purple Carrot’s Recycle page for more information.

2. How About Skipping, Changing, or Canceling Orders?

Cancel your weekly order or subscription whenever you like on Daily Harvest so long as you stick to the deadline – 3 p.m. (Pacific Time) every Sunday before the scheduled delivery.

You can do the same on Purple Carrot – skip, change, and cancel orders – before the weekly deadline (Tuesday, before midnight EST prior to your next shipment).

The cutoff time should be honored if you want to make any changes to your order, meal plan, or even account. That said, both Daily Harvest and Purple Carrot are very accommodating and flexible.

3. What Makes Daily Harvest and Purple Carrot Different From Other Meal Delivery Services?

I will get to Purple Carrot eventually, but first things first – Daily Harvest meals are very consistent. In comparison to other meal deliveries, these meals are incredibly interesting and consistent. The nuanced flavors and a healthy lot of ingredients remain consistently fresh and authentic from top to bottom.

Daily Harvest, no denying, is one of the best and healthiest meal kit delivery services with additional points for being vegan and organic. The high nutritional value of these ingredients is among the most appealing qualities.

Since Daily Harvest meals take no more than 5-10 minutes to prepare, you will not be spending too much time. Also, the meals have that perfect homemade-cooked feel that other fully prepared meal delivery services fail to provide.

Now, Purple Carrot vs other meal delivery services – firstly, the Purple Carrot menu features both meal kits and fully cooked meals. Secondly, this is a vegan-only food delivery service. Thirdly, they offer truly enjoyable meals and new cuisines (new cooking methods too).

Purple Carrot is the solution to the problem of not having the time to prepare your meals from scratch. You can mix and match meal kits with premade meals or vice versa. This way, you can incorporate more plants into your vegan diet the most conveniently.

4. Who Are Daily Harvest Meals the Best for?

The best vegan meal kit delivery service, now that’s Daily Harvest. You should give it a try if you want your breakfast, lunch or dinner, and even snack meals to be not only plant-based but also healthier and more delicious. Vegan smoothies and bowls just chilling in your freezer mean having easy, quick access to simple yet tasty nutrition.

Everything on Daily Harvest is very yummy and also incredibly convenient to prepare.

Daily Harvest Pros and Cons

What You’ll Like:

  • Completely plant-based meals that are super-easy to make.
  • High-quality and mostly organic ingredients.
  • Add-ons such as scoops, bites, lattes, etc. are also on the menu.
  • All food items are gluten-free and vegan.
  • No amount of additives, preservatives, or fillers were added.
  • Frozen meals, hence no preparation required.
  • Subscription is not mandatory.

What You’ll Probably Dislike:

  • Small portion or serving sizes.
  • Frozen meals; thus, you need plenty of space in the freezer.
  • Not very accommodating of food allergies or diets like paleo or keto.
  • A tad bit expensive.

5. Who Are Purple Carrot Meals the Best for?

Purple Carrot is great for vegetarians and vegans looking for interesting plant-based meal kits as well as ready-to-eat meals. It’s all about vegan cooking!

Thanks to Purple Carrot meal kits especially, you’ll learn new, unique cooking techniques and introduce your taste buds to some very delicious and sometimes even exotic, seasonal, and unfamiliar (yet yummy) ingredients.

Purple Carrot Pros and Cons

What You’ll Like:

  • Purple Carrot’s menu offers a variety of delicious flavors.
  • Weekly rotating menu with plant-based breakfasts, lunches or dinners, and snacks.
  • Many different types of seasonal ingredients add diversity.
  • The best for a weight loss diet.
  • Free shipping.

What You’ll Probably Dislike:

  • Small portion or serving sizes
  • Does not cater to specific food allergies or diet plans
  • Quite expensive for a non-meat meal delivery service
  • Conventional produce, not organic
  • Limited menu for premade meals

Final Verdict

Vegan meal delivery service subscription – Daily Harvest or Purple Carrot?

Choose Purple Carrot if you’ve somehow been convinced that vegan food equals boring food. Purple Carrot’s varied menu – meals kits and fully cooked meals – is quite fun to browse through.

With Purple Carrot on your side, you’re most unlikely to miss meat!

As for Daily Harvest, this is a plant-based meal kit delivery service (no prepared meals) with mostly organic ingredients. They offer a super convenient way for you to consume more fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds.

These are frozen soups and bowls that don’t lose their original, delicious texture or taste when reheated.