8 Highest Rated Meal Kits for Vegetarians in 2020
Summary
Is your vegetarian lifestyle leaving you with a vitamin or mineral deficiency? Do you dislike having to buy supplements, and would rather prefer to spend that money elsewhere?
If that’s the case, a vegetarian meal service might be right for you. They’ll deliver the ingredients to your doorstep, all ready to be cooked and eaten. This guide will provide you with a list of the best rated vegetarian meal kit delivery services.
That way, you’ll get a more balanced diet, one that should eliminate the need for supplements and keep you healthy and full of energy.
1
Blue Apron
- Two-person or family plan
- New recipes every week
- Easy recipes
Avg. Meal Price: $9.53 | Shipping Cost: $7.99 | Delivery Areas: Enter your zip code and check on their website
4.9
2
Green Chef
- Easy vegetarian recipes
- 100% organic, GMO, and pesticide-free
- Delivered in recyclable boxes
Avg. Meal Price: $11.49 | Shipping Cost: $6.99 | Delivery Areas: 48 states
4.7
3
Home Chef
- Many choices of recipes
- Kits are customizable
- Quick preparation time
Avg. Meal Price: $11.49 | Shipping Cost: $6.99 | Delivery Areas: 48 states
4.6
4
Sun Basket
- Plenty of vegetarian recipes
- Locally sourced ingredients
- Eco-friendly packaging
Avg. Meal Price: $11.49 | Shipping Cost: $6.99 | Delivery Areas: 47 states
4.5
5
Hello Fresh
- Fully recyclable packaging
- Locally sourced ingredients
- Quick preparation
Avg. Meal Price: $9.15 | Shipping Cost: $6.99 | Delivery Areas: 48 states
4.4
6
HungryRoot
- 10-minute preparation
- Fully recyclable packaging
- Uses only select few brands
Avg. Meal Price: $4.80 | Shipping Cost: $8.99 | Delivery Areas: 29 states
4.2
7
Purple Carrot
- Organic and natural ingredients
- Quick preparation time
- Eco-friendly and recyclable packaging
Avg. Meal Price: $9.99 | Shipping Cost: Free | Delivery Areas: 48 states
4.1
8
Plated
- Flexible schedule and delivery
- Plenty of recipes
- Quick preparation time
Avg. Meal Price: $10.61 | Shipping Cost: free for orders over $60; otherwise $7.95 | Delivery Areas: 48 states
4.2
* All the listed prices are purely informative and subject to change. Even though we strive to place the most accurate figures we can find, some products could display an outdated price. That’s why you should always check the site for the final cost.
Top 8 Vegetarian Meal Kit Delivery Reviews
Blue Apron - Best for Families
Among vegetarians, Blue Apron has been the most popular meal delivery kit for a reason. They offer a slew of recipes every week, all made with seasonal vegetables.
Their recipes are usually easy to follow, and most can be completed in under half an hour. You can offer two or three recipes a week, and their two-person plan has two servings.
They offer a family plan with four servings per recipe. And, to make their offer even more enticing, you can order wines from their Blue Apron wine club at a discount.
- Two-person or family plan
- New recipes every week
- Easy recipes
Green Chef - Best Organic
Specializing in recipes using 100% organic and eco-friendly meals, Green Chef provides several easy recipes per week, all made with GMO- and pesticide-free seasonal vegetables.
They will deliver semi-prepared ingredients, and it’s up to you to follow their clear instructions and prepare your meal. Most of their recipes can be completed in under half an hour.
And, per their eco-friendly credo, their boxes and packaging are recyclable. Their meals should be enough for two people or one who likes leftovers.
- Easy vegetarian recipes
- 100% organic, GMO, and pesticide-free
- Delivered in recyclable boxes
Home Chef - Best Customizable Kit
Sometimes you may want something more from your meal, and you may need a kit delivery service such as Home Chef that can offer you the chance to customize your food.
You can change a variety of things, from increasing or decreasing protein to swapping or removing ingredients you may not like. That way, you can adjust your meals to your liking.
As a service, they provide everything you’d expect. They offer several different packages for a different number of people, and they allow you to pause or cancel your subscription at will.
- Many choices of recipes
- Kits are customizable
- Quick preparation time
Sun Basket - Best for Variety
Sun Basket offers probably the greatest variety of vegetarian meal options every week. They offer soups, snacks, breakfasts, beverages, treats, and much more.
All of their kits contain locally sourced seasonal veggies, all packed in recyclable packaging. That way, they can guarantee that their kits won’t contain any preservatives or GMOs.
And, as their recipes usually take less than 30 minutes to prepare, they shouldn’t take up too much of your time, all while still providing you with plenty of food. All at a reasonable price.
- Plenty of vegetarian recipes
- Locally sourced ingredients
- Eco-friendly packaging
Hello Fresh - Best for Fresh Ingredients
If you’re looking for a delivery service known for the freshness of their ingredients, HelloFresh might be what you need. They offer a wide variety of plans, regardless of whether you’re looking for something for yourself or your family.
As with other services, their recipes are easy to follow and quick to prepare, taking about 30 minutes. All of their ingredients are sourced directly from the farm, making them sustainable and organic.
With a variety of plans and recipes, HelloFresh should be the go-to choice of everyone who wants locally sourced fresh ingredients.
- Fully recyclable packaging
- Locally sourced ingredients
- Quick preparation
HungryRoot - Fit for Quick Preparation
If you’re worried about preparation time, you should try Hungryroot, as their meals either arrive ready to be eaten or can be prepared within 10 minutes.
As they only use brands chosen for the quality of their ingredients, you can be sure that you’ll get food that is nutritious, tasty, and convenient. And, once they have your preferences, you will get several personalized recipes every week.
Hungryroot should provide you with the food you like, made from quality ingredients, and which can be prepared quickly, all packed in fully recyclable packaging.
- 10-minute preparation
- Fully recyclable packaging
- Uses only select few brands
Full Review Is Coming Soon…
Purple Carrot - Best Eco-Friendly
If you’re the type that wants to learn to cook but doesn’t have time to choose and buy groceries, Purple Carrot might be the delivery service for you.
It provides plenty of plant-based recipes to choose from, all changing every week. Their ingredients are seasonal and organic, so you shouldn’t have to worry about GMOs and pesticides, and they arrive in an eco-friendly and fully recyclable package.
Purple Carrot should deliver just the right ingredients in just the right amounts, and their meals should be done in several minutes.
- Organic and natural ingredients
- Quick preparation time
- Eco-friendly and recyclable packaging
Plated - Best Flexibility
When your work schedule is hectic, you don’t know when you’ll have enough free time to prepare a meal. In those cases, you’d need a kit delivery service such as Plated, one that offers a wide variety of delivery schedules and package sizes.
You can adjust how many people will eat the meal, and how many days in a week, and if you’re going on a trip, you can easily pause or cancel your subscription.
That’s why Plated should be the best choice for those that don’t know what their immediate future will look like and need a plan that can be adjusted accordingly.
- Flexible schedule and delivery
- Plenty of recipes
- Quick preparation time
What to Look for in A Vegetarian Meal Kit Delivery Service
Sustainably Grown and Natural Ingredients
The first thing you should pay attention to when choosing a vegetarian meal delivery kit is the quality of the ingredients. You should expect to find preferably organic vegetables, sustainably grown and locally sourced.
That means, they should come from farms in the area, and there should be a minimum of processing to keep them fresh. The farms should work on with sustainability in mind, those that give back to nature and don’t use pesticides or GMO.
Sufficient Nutritional Needs
Another factor to consider is whether the recipe provides all the nutrients your body needs daily. There should be a balance of macronutrients, ensuring you have enough energy and protein to fuel your day, as well as micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals to preserve your health.
All the recipes must be carefully balanced to provide you with just the right nutrients. Preferably, they should all be coming from the ingredients themselves, without the need for supplements.
Easy Cooking Instructions
You should also make sure that the ingredients arrive at least semi-prepared, and that the instructions are easy to follow and clear. The whole preparation and cooking process should, preferably, be done within half an hour.
They should also avoid any more advanced cooking techniques. Meal kits, after all, aren’t meant for cooking professionals, but for ordinary people who may not have the time or the energy needed to choose the ingredients and prepare them accordingly.
Vegetarian Meal Varieties
While there are several services specialized in vegetarian meals, most meal kit delivery services primarily offer their kits for people who eat meat. Some offer only a few vegetarian recipes, and others keep their plant-based selection fixed.
When choosing the right service, you should pay attention to the variety and number of recipes based only on vegetables. Those that regularly update their menus with new items are preferable.
Tasty Recipes
Even though tastes vary from individual to individual, you should pay attention to what the recipes contain and whether that meal is something you might enjoy. That’s why it’s important for the service to have a wide variety of meals, and that the selection changes regularly.
Primarily, you should be looking at the ingredients to see if those are something you’d consider tasty. And, if the service allows customization of the recipes, you should consider looking into that as well. Some also offer seasoning and condiments.
Flexible Subscription
Another significant factor can be the flexibility of their deliveries. Most offer several packages, with recipes for two or four, and they also vary by the number of deliveries per week. Some present two or three deliveries per week, each containing a recipe for two or four people.
You should also pay attention if they have the option of canceling or pausing the deliveries if, for example, you must travel somewhere. You wouldn’t want to be charged for the food you likely won’t eat.
Budget-Friendly
This can be a tricky balance. Most offers are cheapest per meal if you order the largest package with the most frequent delivery. They do, however, cost more, but they also provide you with several meals, the price of which can be approachable.
If you don’t want to eat the delivered food every day, or you don’t have that opportunity, you might consider a smaller package, but that will cost you more per meal.
Eco-friendly Packaging
Finally, the packaging should be fully recyclable, including the cardboard box, plastic trays, dividers, ice packs, or whatever else may be in the bundle. That should make it easier to manage the waste, making the whole much more practical.
Some services even have a return policy for their packages, some even going as far as offering it free of charge. That’s also something you should keep an eye out for.
What You Need to Know About Vegetarian Diet
Different Types
There are several types of vegetarians, and they differ primarily in whether they just don’t eat meat, or if they also skip animal products such as milk or dairy products, as well as eggs. Those that don’t eat any animal-based foods are usually referred to as vegans.
On the other hand, those that don’t eat meat, but consume eggs are called ovo-vegetarians. Similarly, those that don’t consume eggs, but do dairy products are lacto-vegetarians. Finally, those that don’t eat meat, regardless of whether its source is fish or animals, but do eat eggs and dairy products are ovo-lacto-vegetarians.
Helpful Benefits
Vegetarianism does have its benefits, and it is relatively popular because of them. Those that sustain themselves on a plant-based diet have lower cholesterol, a healthier body weight, and a reduced risk of cancer.
Apart from that, vegetarian food is considered to be more sustainable, and the carbon footprint is lower, so there are benefits for the environment, as well.
These changes, however, will not happen if you simply stopped eating meat. They require a thorough lifestyle change.
Possible Risks
If the diet is not balanced correctly, it can lead to a deficiency in either micro or macro-nutrients. You may not be able to get enough protein if, for example, avoid eggs and dairy products, and the diet might not have enough fat to fuel your body.
As far as micronutrients are concerned, you may experience vitamin D and B-12 deficiency, as well as certain minerals, chief among them being iron, calcium, or zinc. All of these deficiencies will have a long-term effect on your health.
Why You Should Consider a Vegetarian Meal Kit Delivery
If you choose to get your food from a vegetarian delivery service, you get several benefits. You usually get a selection of fine ingredients, preferably from local farms, and you get enough nutrients to satisfy your daily requirements.
At the same time, you avoid common pitfalls among vegetarian diets – the possible vitamin and mineral deficiency. The meals are usually carefully balanced to provide you with all the nutrients you need to remain healthy in the long run.
Finally, as you get your ingredients delivered and partially prepared, the cooking process shouldn’t take up too much of your time, freeing it for other, more important things.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are vegetarian meal kit deliveries cheaper?
Usually, no. Most delivery services don’t offer vegetarian meals at a discount. Several meals are included in an already set price, and in most cases, that amount is fixed regardless of your preferences.
Are there meal kit delivery services that cater to pescatarians?
Yes, several of our choices deliver fish-based recipes, and you’re sure to find something you like in their menus.
Conclusion
A balanced diet is especially important for vegetarians. Without it, they might begin to suffer from vitamin or mineral deficiencies, and those can bring with them a whole slew of other problems.
A good meal kit delivery service should provide you with all the protein, carbs, and fats your body needs, while not neglecting any vitamins and minerals. Any of our choices should be safe, and their products should satisfy even the most demanding vegetarians.
And, if you didn’t find anything you like in our selection, our buyer’s guide should provide you with enough information to find just what you need.
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