Veestro vs Purple Carrot – Battle of Vegan Meal Delivery Services

veestro-vs-purple-carrot

Are you a plant-based foodie looking for a convenient vegan meal delivery service in the USA? Look no further than Veestro and Purple Carrot, which offer internationally inspired and creative vegan recipes.

However, there are some key differences to consider before you make a final decision between the two. Veestro specializes in healthy prepared meals, while Purple Carrot offers both meal kits and prepared meals. The variety of meals that you’ll find on Purple Carrot’s menu is higher than Veestro’s.

But speaking strictly in terms of the menu, Veestro has a larger menu with almost double the number of dishes on Purple Carrot’s.

That’s not all you have to take into consideration when deliberating betweenVeestro and Purple Carrot. There are more factors to compare like price, delivery, vegan diet, and the meal selection process.

Read more for an in-depth analysis of Veestro and Purple Carrot to help you decide which one best fits your needs!

Understanding Why a Plant-Based Diet Is So Important

It’s unrealistic to say that any particular diet can prevent chronic diseases 100%, but it is important to emphasize the health benefits of sticking to a healthy and balanced diet plan for the long run.

A vegan, plant-based diet is one of the most popular diets in the world – and with good reason. Contrary to popular belief, it is in no way a limiting diet. There are plenty of plant-based meal kit delivery services that serve delicious and worldly plant-based vegan foods at an affordable cost.

So, if you think that plant-based foods are all about boring salads, you’re wrong. The comparison between Veestro and Purple Carrot proves how tempting and varied a plant-based diet can be for new vegetarians and vegans.

Right now, we’d like to point out the very many health benefits of a plant-based diet and the correct way to approach this diet plan healthily and satisfactorily.

Health Benefits

Here are the essential benefits of a plant-based diet and why should you try it:

  • A plant-based diet aids immunity by providing a higher number of essential nutrients other than fiber and plant-based proteins such as vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and antioxidants. They are neither too high in calories or carbs.
  • Speaking of immunity, plant-based foods fight off inflammatory diseases and strengthen the immune system against infections and chronic illnesses.
  • One of the most sought-after diets is a weight loss diet, and plant-based foods support that. It’s crucial if you want to maintain a healthy weight. A plant-based diet plan will eliminate all processed and unnecessary foods from your diet that are high in unhealthy fats.
  • Plants are naturally high in fiber, which contributes to better digestion and gut health. If you frequently experience digestion problems like constipation, acid reflux, and stomachaches, you can switch to a healthy plant-based diet for a fiber-rich lifestyle.

How to Stick to a Healthy Plant-Based Diet

Not all plant-based diets are healthy for a weight loss plan. Some contain highly processed foods that replace dairy, eggs, and meat. Managing your expectations and doing research are important when considering a plant-based diet plan. It involves a lot of reading the ingredients list of the foods you select and cutting back on carb-heavy ingredients if you want to stay fit and healthy.

Even a plant-focused diet can make use of foods that are high in sugar and unhealthy fats. When you’re cooking meals on your own, it’s easier to control what goes into every meal. But with a meal delivery service, a comparison is crucial.

Avoid meals with deep-fried vegetables or oily stir-fried veggies, as well as processed foods like crackers, chips, sugary sweets, and desserts.

Unless you’re allergic, you can pick wholegrain alternatives to pasta, bread, and rice. Some meal services offer plant-based pasta made of zucchini, chickpeas, spinach, and a variety of plant-based foods.

Make a list of the most essential plant-based foods to eat and pick meals according to what you would like to try.

The best part about subscribing to a plant-based meal delivery service like Veestro and Purple Carrot is that you don’t have a meal plan. The unlimited choices will keep you satisfied and interested in trying out a new diet like vegan, vegetarian, or plant-based without any fuss.

Veestro vs Purple Carrot – Top Plant-Based Competitors

1. What Varieties of Meals Are Available on Their Menu?

Veestro is a plant-based premade meal delivery service. Purple Carrot, on the other hand, is a plant-based premade and meal kit delivery service. Variety-wise, Purple Carrot offers more meal plans than Veestro for busy people, families, and athletes.

Veestro’s meals are prepared recipes that are freshly cooked and packed. Also, Veestro emphasizes that none of their meals is delivered frozen, which is what some premade services often tend to do.

Purple Carrot’s meals vary from other vegan meal kits and prepared meals, so the packaging is versatile and convenient. Their prepared meals are cooked and packed with ice packs and insulation. And their meal kits come with individually packed preportioned ingredients and recipe cards with cooking instructions.

Both Veestro and Purple Carrot offer healthy meal plans. Their menus taste fresh, homemade, and high in quality with organic ingredients, prioritizing farm-fresh and GMO-free ingredients.

Veestro meets the dietary requirements of vegans and vegetarians. They offer some gluten-free and dairy-free meal options, but it fluctuates from week to week.

Purple Carrot accommodates more diet plans like gluten-free meal plans, high protein, soy-free, low calorie, and nut-free.

Another important factor to consider when talking about meal variety is the number of servings per meal you can order. Since Veestro is a premade meal delivery company, its meal plan serves a single serving per meal. And you can order as many prepared meals as you want.

Purple Carrot features meal kits that come in 2 or 4 servings per meal. They even feature a customizable filter on their menu for selecting 2 or 4 servings per meal. Their prepared meals, however, are single-serve meals, so you can add as many premade meals to your cart as you want.

In add-ons, Veestro offers some breakfast options and entrées that are all plant-based and vegan. The add-ons aren’t all that versatile, at least not as variety-driven as Purple Carrot, which includes breakfasts, light lunches, and plant-based pantry items aside from their main dinner meal kits and prepared meals.

2. Do the Meals Keep Up with Diets and Weight Loss Requirements?

Before we can begin to discuss the diet-friendliness of Veestro and Purple Carrot, let’s first discuss why a diet like weight loss is a long-term investment for a healthy lifestyle.

Diets that emphasize weight loss are helpful because they limit the consumption of all processed and harmful foods consisting of fewer nutrients and more empty calories. Such diets promote the consumption of nutrient-dense foods that offer vitamins and minerals needed to sustain excellent health.

Plus, such diets form a healthy habit of eating balanced portions of all kinds of ingredients, so you’re more mindful of what you eat every day. Not only do such diets help people lose weight more healthily, but they reduce chances of developing chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart diseases, and problems.

Studies suggest that mindful eating can increase energy levels and mental clarity and positively impact all your dietary needs like keto, paleo, low carb, low calorie, and high protein.

Now, do meal services like Veestro and Purple Carrot keep up with such dietary requirements?

For some people, Veestro’s vegan meals can sometimes be hit or miss. But nutritionally, they provide a good balance of proteins, calories, carbs, and other essential nutrients. For a plant-based diet, adding more proteins without too many carbs may be tricky. But Veestro manages to include some gluten-free, nut-free, protein-dense, kosher, and low-carb ingredients like tofu, beans, tempeh, and leafy greens into their meal plans.

Purple Carrot supports weight loss and other diet plans like gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free, low calorie, and high protein. All their meal kits and prepared meals come with nutrition information with the number of calories per serving displayed on every meal card.

3. How to Order Your First Meal Box

Veestro’s ordering process is pretty straightforward and user-friendly. New customers can order meals from the menu through their website, so they don’t have to worry about any hidden subscription fees. Sometimes, Veestro provides an additional discount if you decide to sign up.

Each purchase or meal order can include anywhere from 8 to 15 meals, based on your diet preferences. There is a fixed meal plan size, and you can order flexibly and conveniently. If you want to order a second meal box or start a new subscription, you can do that too without paying extra.

The a la carte proteins option makes Veestro stand apart from other premade meal plan services. If you’re in doubt, you can easily test out their meal plans without feeling obligated to a long-term commitment. They do have a no-commitment policy for new customers.

Overall, Veestro is a refreshing and convenient service for you if you want a simple and quick ordering process with easy-to-heat meal options.

Subscribing to Purple Carrot is a simple procedure. Simply decide whether you want 2 or 4 servings for their meal kits and how many premade meals you want each week to get started. For large families, the 4-serving meal portion should be enough though some of the meals may not be kid-friendly.

The price is set according to the number of meals and servings you choose every week. You can choose your preferred meals for the first week and have the option to customize your meal plan after the first week as you’d like. Purple Carrot also suggests personalized meals, and that can be helpful for someone who doesn’t know which meals to pick, especially for the first time.

On a side note, Veestro and Purple Carrot are vegan meal delivery services, so you might want to do some research on your own before signing up if you’re not used to plant-based foods. Overall, both services offer simple-to-follow instructions for the meal ordering and sign-up process.

Plus, both meal delivery services are excellent introductions for people interested in learning more about veganism and entering the world of plant-based foods.

4. What Is the Price of the Meals?

Veestro has a simple and stress-free process of selecting meals. You can select different subscriptions based on how long you want to commit to their plans. For example, Veestro lets you select meals without signing up for a monthly subscription plan. This is the most ideal plan for beginners or if you’re casually browsing their weekly menu and meal plans.

Alternatively, you can subscribe to receive meal boxes every week, for 2 weeks or monthly.

Veestro features different meal plans, and their prices vary according to the number of meals you select. Unlike most other meal delivery services, Veestro features a fixed meal plan – allowing you to pick from 10, 20, or 30 meals per order.

If you’re unsure about 10 meals at a time for the first time, you can opt for their a la carte meal plan as a one-time order. The price per serving for a la carte meals is higher than their standard meal plans. It costs about $13.99 per serving.

Meanwhile, their 10, 20, or 30 meals plan cost between $9 and $12 per serving. For 30 meals per week, you pay a lesser cost than the 10- or 20-meal plan. Veestro charges you different prices based on the meal plan you ultimately select.

Moving on to Purple Carrot, even if you’re a new customer and don’t have an active subscription or account, you can view their pricing plans easily.

They have different meal plans based on the type of meals you are interested in opting for. This includes their meal kits and prepared meals.

You can select meal kits in 2 or 4 servings per meal. They offer you two choices to pick from 3 to 4 meal kit recipes at a time.

For prepared meals, all are packed in single-serve containers, and you get the option to pick 6, 8, or 10 meals at a time.

Here’s the per-serving cost for all their meal kit and prepared meal plans.

For meal kits:

  • For 6 total servings each week: $13.25 per serving
  • For 8 total servings each week: $13.25 per serving
  • For 10 total servings each week: $11 per serving
  • For 12 total servings each week: $11 per serving

For prepared meals:

  • For 6, 8, and 10 meals per week: $13 per serving

You can add additional items like breakfast, light lunches, and pantry ingredients in your weekly order, which cost anywhere from $5 to $9 per item. These are individually packed items, and you can add as many items to your cart as you want.

5. Is the Packaging Eco-Friendly and Practical?

Veestro has put much effort into its packaging, carefully ensuring that all its packaging materials are safe and eco-friendly. Their meals are packed in recyclable trays that are microwave- and freezer-friendly.

Unpacking the meals is both easy and convenient as they come stacked on top of one another with trays that avoid leakage or spilling of any kind. The meal boxes are petite and well-organized to take up minimal space in the fridge or freezer.

Even though Veestro uses plastic, it’s BPA-free and easy to recycle. You can enjoy your meals without worrying every day and recycle the tray when you’re done. It’s safe for the environment and convenient for you if you choose to order more meals per week.

The meals are delivered frozen by using dry ice during transit. Each meal has a label that shows how long you can store it. So, you can keep Veestro meals in the freezer for up to 8 weeks and in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

The plastic trays, wrappers, and cardboard found in each meal box are recyclable. Everything is well-planned and organized to quicken cleanup even after you’ve consumed all the meals of the week.

The way Purple Carrot packs its meals varies from Veestro considering that they pack both meal kits and prepared meals.

The meal kits arrive in a practice cardboard box filled with all the fresh ingredients, labeled accordingly. The cardboard box is recyclable. Fresh produce that includes fruits and vegetables is wrapped in recyclable plastic to avoid getting squished during transit.

Even though all the ingredients are packed together, they are separated according to the recipe so you can easily identify the ingredients for each recipe based on the large recyclable plastic bag they come packed in.

The separated pieces of plastic packaging are a lot based on the number of meal kit recipes you select. Cardboard inserts and plastic containers are used to keep each meal box organized and practical.

Out of all the plastic that Purple Carrot uses for packaging, a majority of them is recyclable excluding some small containers that hold sauces and oils that have to be disposed of in the trash.

The prepared meals hold fewer packaging materials than meal kits. You’ll find practical recyclable plastic trays for each serving. They are wrapped in plastic film and a cardboard sleeve. Only a few pieces of plastic packaging have to be discarded in the trash. The rest are recyclable.

Overall, Purple Carrot’s meal kits and prepared meals are packed conveniently and thoughtfully. You can expect some excessive packaging considering that they are a meal kit delivery service, but the majority of materials are eligible for either curbside pickup or a special recycling facility.

6. Where Do They Deliver?

Veestro has dedicated an entire FAQs page with all the common queries and questions that you may have regarding their orders and subscription. And one of the most commonly asked questions concerns the delivery location and availability.

Unfortunately, Veestro does not provide a specific geographical location. They do request you to enter your ZIP code on their Get Started page to find out whether they deliver to your area or not.

To keep their meals fresh, they do not deliver to far-off areas but are working toward the goal of including as many parts of the United States as possible for the delivery of their meals.

For deliveries, they make use of UPS and other local delivery services. They do charge a shipping cost based on the size of your order and location. It ranges between $7.95 and $12.95 per order.

Furthermore, they do not deliver to PO boxes and require a proper physical address for their deliveries. You do not have to be home to receive the parcel as it will be safely delivered to your doorstep.

Purple Carrot delivers to all 48 contiguous United States. Though they do not direct you to a page where you can enter your zip code, you can contact their customer support via text, chat, or email to confirm the zip code’s eligibility.

The shipping fee is $10 on orders below $100, which means that if you order meals that amount to more than $100, the shipping charges are completely free.

Depending on the region and the distance to packaging facilities, Veestro delivers boxes on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. No customizable delivery options are available. You can follow the delivery updates from departure through delivery by receiving tracking information via email or SMS once every week.

7. Can You Select the Recipes?

In the case of Veestro, there is no way to browse their weekly menu without making an account. The choice of meals and dietary restrictions is available to you after you’ve entered your delivery location and other important details.

In the case of Purple Carrot, you can view their meal kits and prepared meals menu without signing up.

Here are some of the top recipes to look forward to that provide a rich source of protein and a balance of other essential nutrients, including carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

Dinner

Smoky Two Bean Chili with Tortilla Chips & Cilantro Ranch Drizzle

  • Prep & Cook Time: 40 mins
  • Calories: 830
  • Fat: 25g
  • Carbohydrates: 105g
  • Protein: 41g

Tofu Palak Paneer with Quinoa & Mango Chutney

  • Prep & Cook Time: 40 mins
  • Calories: 690
  • Fat: 26g
  • Carbohydrates: 80g
  • Protein: 35g

Breakfast

Loaded Avocado Toast with Fresh Dill & Super Seeds

  • Prep & Cook Time: 5 mins
  • Calories: 260
  • Fat: 15g
  • Carbohydrates: 27g
  • Protein: 7g

Lunches

Cashew Cheese & Apricot Melts with Caramelized Onions & Arugula

  • Prep & Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Calories: 360
  • Fat: 7g
  • Carbohydrates: 63g
  • Protein: 11g

Veestro vs Purple Carrot – Frequently Asked Questions

Are the Meals Allergy-Friendly?

Both are plant-friendly and vegan meal delivery services. Veestro prepares its meals without any meat, chicken, fish, dairy, eggs, or honey. It’s vegan with some gluten-free and kosher meals. Purple Carrot is the same with all gluten-free meals and some meals without soy or nuts.

People with severe allergies, however, require no cross-contamination between meals with common allergy-causing ingredients like gluten, nuts, soy, dairy, honey, peanuts, etc.

Veestro, for this very reason, is an allergy-friendly premade meal delivery service. Their meals do not contain any traces of meat, preservatives, and non-vegan ingredients.

Purple Carrot, on the other hand, eliminates all gluten ingredients from their diet plans. But that’s about it. They do offer some nut-free and soy-free meal options. But for people with a severe nut or soy allergy, cross-contamination is a risk. The meals are processed in the same kitchen facilities as meals that include soy or nut.

Some of their meals include organic and plant-friendly alternatives like nut milk, tofu, and tempeh, but for allergy sufferers, it’s not the ideal choice.

How to Edit, Skip, or Cancel Meal Deliveries

If you’re a new customer ordering a la carte, there is no subscription that you need to worry about canceling. But you may nevertheless easily cancel a meal membership if you choose to do so on your account.

You can modify your meal deliveries by reducing the number of meals in your weekly box or swapping the meals with something else on their menu.

The cutoff time for customizing orders in this way is before Thursday at 11:50 p.m. – that’s the week before the scheduled delivery week. Veestro understands how tastes and dietary requirements evolve with time, so they meet your evolving needs and tastes with flexibility and ease.

You can make all kinds of edits, including skipping weeks, by logging in to your account and taking the necessary actions. Everything you need will be under the Manage Weekly Deliveries page. But always remember to keep the deadline in mind before making changes.

With Purple Carrot, if you wish to make simple changes to a meal order, you can manage to do this by visiting their Upcoming Deliveries webpage. They allow you to edit, skip, or cancel meals until the scheduled delivery.

You should be able to determine when the orders are eligible for such customization with the help of the edit button next to each meal order. Once the edit option disappears, this means you cannot make any changes to that order. You can do so for the next week’s shipment if you’ve ordered your meals in advance.

You can also navigate your Account Settings to do modifications like change or cancel your subscription. For a more permanent solution, you can cancel your account on the same page. For skipping deliveries, Purple Carrot lets you extend your deliveries for up to 10 weeks with the help of their customer support.

If you do decide to skip, extend, or cancel your membership, always remember to do so before the Tuesday of the week of delivery. Managing subscriptions is easy in this manner, and you can modify them however you like until every Tuesday.

How Are the Meals Delivered?

Veestro packs its meals right after cooking and stores them with ice packs and insulation during transit. The meals are delivered fresh without any GMOs, preservatives, fillers, or additives. The meals also include an “eat by” date, which you can extend by storing the meals in the freezer as soon as they arrive. If you can eat them sooner, the “eat by” date is helpful in meal planning and lets you know the fresh ingredients used in the meals.

The Purple Carrot meal box offers accessible and versatile packages. Each meal kit is packed with preportioned ingredients in plastic bags. The dry ingredients are kept separate from the wet ingredients. Each meal kit box is equipped with the correct labels and recipe cards with more information.

Their premade meals, however, are served in single-serve containers that you can simply heat and eat right away. Veestro and Purple Carrot are identical in the way they pack their prepared meals. It’s neat, organized, and user-friendly. Neither does Purple Carrot freeze their premade meals as they’re freshly cooked and packed with ice packs and insulation.

Veestro Pros and Cons

Pros:

  • Quick and easy vegan meals.
  • Little to no prep work is involved.
  • Frozen meals last for a longer time.
  • New customers can order a la carte meals on their first order.
  • Practical and convenient packaging.
  • Each meal is packed with proteins and healthy nutrients.
  • Reheating the meals is easy and takes less than 5 minutes.
  • High-quality and fresh produce with worldly flavors.

Cons:

  • The portion size is a bit small.
  • Some of the recipes are hit or miss.
  • You have to order 10, 20, or 30 meals at a time.
  • The a la carte meals option is expensive.

Purple Carrot Pros and Cons

Pros:

  • A great blend of vegan dinners, lunches, and breakfasts.
  • Seasonal and fresh produce with various flavors.
  • They offer meal kits that are easy to prep and cook.
  • Prepared meals are delicious and easy to choose from.
  • Non-GMO and nutritionist-approved meal recipes.
  • The packaging is recyclable.
  • The portion size is large and satisfying.
  • Some of the ingredients are organic.
  • Lots of gluten-free and high-protein meals.

Cons:

  • The meal kits take slightly longer to prep.
  • You cannot choose the delivery day or time.
  • Some of the plastic packaging needs to be thrown away.
  • No meal customization is included.

Final Verdict

While comparing Veestro and Purple Carrot, both plant-based and vegan meal delivery services, you will find many differences and similarities between them which may be confusing to sift through. Hopefully, this article simplifies your personal needs and expectations and takes grocery shopping out of your hands.

The comparison between Veestro and Purple Carrot depends on what you’re looking for and what type of meal delivery experience you’re willing to invest in. This includes the cost of the meals, the variety of recipes, and their overall meal selection process.

Veestro offers ready-to-heat meals that are vegan and plant-based. Most of their meals are cooked with organic ingredients and arrive freezer- or fridge-ready so you can eat them anytime you like.

Purple Carrot is a great option for someone looking to improve their cooking skills a bit. But they do also offer some prepared meals for the days you don’t feel like cooking. Their meal kits are versatile and easy to follow with organic and gluten-free ingredients.