The 7 Best Vegetarian Meal Delivery Services for Easy At-Home Dining
8 min read
Dinnertime is approaching and your stomach is growling but alas, nothing in your fridge looks compelling. (We’ve all been there…many times.) Now, imagine this same scenario, but instead of picking up the phone and ordering a greasy pizza or eating eggs for dinner yet again, you simply open up your front door and find a masterfully curated, nutritious meal with your name on it. Sounds pretty great, right? Not only do meal delivery services take the headache out of meal planning, but they can also make healthy eating a, um, piece of cake. And here’s some more good news: There are plenty of convenient meal kits out there for a range of diets. We evaluated a whole host of vegetarian meal delivery programs and put together a list of the best based on price, flexibility and, of course, food quality, so you can pick the service that fits the bill.
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Best Overall
Chances are you’ve heard of HelloFresh before—this meal kit company has become a big name and for good reason: This delivery service boasts a whole lot of flexibility. Subscribers can choose from plans designed to feed one, two or four people and which include anywhere from two to five recipes, delivered three times per week. No matter the size of the plan you sign on for, you’re guaranteed to have at least 22 menu options to choose from, which cover dietary restrictions and lifestyle concerns—including an impressive list of vegetarian options, as well as low-calorie and low-carb options as well.
HelloFresh is not an exclusively vegetarian meal plan, which is convenient, should ever find yourself needing to prepare a vegetarian option in addition to a meal that accommodates meat-eating friends and family. Finally, all of the HelloFresh recipes feature clear nutrition facts for every meal and are designed with healthy eating in mind—but you’ll get something much better than a sad salad bowl for your buck because these meal kits boast some tasty, vegetarian-friendly comfort foods you can really cozy up with.
Price: Naturally, the more recipes you sign on to receive, the better your rate—but the meal plans range from $9 to $12 per serving.
Availability: HelloFresh meal plans can be delivered to every state except Hawaii and Alaska. Bonus: They offer lots of flexibility—meaning that you can swap meals as you see fit, skip deliveries and even put your subscription on pause without penalty.
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Best for Special Diets
Sun Basket serves up a whole host of different menu options, making it an excellent option for vegetarians who want to customize their meal plan even further. Pescatarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, carb-conscious, diabetes-friendly and Paleo are just a few of the tasty options available for subscribers—though it’s worth noting that those with Celiac disease or serious food allergies should look elsewhere since Sun Basket meals come from shared facilities. That said, all the menus share a focus on minimizing food waste and elevating flavor with only fresh, organic produce (and fish from sustainable sources if you so choose). Indeed, the Sun Basket philosophy places a high premium on quality ingredients, so you can count on a delicious dining experience, whether you opt for the quick and easy pre-prepared meals or the classic cook-your-own meal kit option.
Price: This weekly delivery service requires that you pick at least two recipes per week, at a cost that begins at $5 per serving. Some recipes are pricier than others, but you can tailor your delivery (and the expense) to your needs by adjusting the serving size for any recipes you select, depending on how big a meal you want or how many mouths you’re hoping to feed.
Availability: Sun Basket currently ships to most zip codes in the United States—but if you live in Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, North Dakota, and some parts of New Mexico, you’re out of luck. Also, keep in mind that not all delivery days are available in all areas, so depending where you live, this one might work best if you have a more flexible schedule.
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Best for Vegans
“Choose plants” is the Purple Carrot motto, so it should come as no surprise that this plant-based meal plan caters exclusively to the vegetarian diet. Better still—for our vegan friends, at least—is that none of the recipes call for dairy or non-vegan ingredients of any kind. Yep, the Purple Carrot meal plan has precious little (read, nothing) to do with animals and their byproducts—a fact that you can easily verify, since full ingredient lists and nutrition facts are accessible for each and every recipe. That said, you don’t have to be vegan or even dairy-free to thoroughly enjoy the health-conscious menu this delivery service brings to the table. So, what can you expect? Think steaming bowls of broccoli (not-)cheddar soup, lemon-braised chickpeas and the best General Tso’s tofu you’ve ever tasted. Best of all, Purple Carrot offers customizable meal plans that include lunch and breakfast options to boot.
Price: Purple Carrot allows you to skip deliveries, or cancel your subscription entirely, whenever you wish, without a slap on the wrist. As for the pricing, the basic two-serving plan includes three dinners per week and clocks in at $12 per serving, while the four-serving family plan includes two dinners at a $10 per serving cost.
Availability: This subscription service covers all of the contiguous United States (i.e., Alaska and Hawaii are a no-go).
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Best Heat-and-Eat
There are nights you want to dabble in the culinary arts…and others when you just want dinner on the table stat. If you’re familiar with the latter, you’ll be relieved to know that Veestro takes care of the cooking for you. Yup, you don’t even need to feel inspired and motivated to enjoy a gourmet, veggie-packed dinner on the regular—namely because Veestro was designed with both your New Year’s resolution and your inner couch potato in mind. The end result? A diverse selection of plant-based recipes—from breakfast burrito to tofu red curry—that you don’t need to prep or cook, and are sure to hit the spot. Bonus: Veestro offers a take-it-or-leave-it a la carte menu (with options for 10, 20 and 30 meals per week) as well as a weight-loss meal plan which provides three meals a day (five or seven days per week) for those who want to watch their calories.
Price: Veestro meals begin at $10 per meal if you spring for 30 meals per week, but at $12 per meal, even the 10 meal options is a bargain for chef-prepped, restaurant quality meals that require nothing more than a reheat. Plus, both the a la carte and weight-loss menus allow you to cancel or pause at any time.
Availability: Veestro ships their meals in insulated boxes to all of the United States, except for Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico.
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Best for Quick Meals
Unlike Veestro, Hungry Root does not deliver heat-and-eat meals; instead, this service delivers fresh groceries along with chef-created recipes to ensure your premium produce doesn’t go to waste. In other words, you’re not off the hook for cooking, but because all the Hungry Root recipes come together in less than 10 minutes, it’s not such a big deal. How it works: You take a quiz and tell Hungry Root all about your likes, dislikes and dietary needs (i.e., no meat, please) and the service fills your virtual grocery cart with wholesome ingredients along with clear instructions for how to use them to cook quick and delicious meals at home. (Think: A plant-based mushroom melt for lunch and a peanut Thai tofu bowl for dinner.) Best of all, you get a chance to look your cart over before it ships, so you can remove any items that don’t speak to you. In other words, if you’re looking for a hassle-free way to clean up your eating habits and cut down on trips to the store, Hungry Root will not disappoint.
Price: Plans start at $59 per week, which gets you three two-serving meals per week; though larger plans and four-serving family plans are available, too.
Availability: Hungry Root delivers to all 48 contiguous states, but there are some dead zones on their delivery map, so you’ll need to enter your zip code at sign-up to ensure the service is available in your area.
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Best for Variety
Green Chef is a meal kit delivery service that provides fresh, high-quality ingredients and fool-proof recipes so even amateurs in the kitchen can cook their own restaurant quality meals at home. Of course, the meals focus on clean and healthy eating, but the innovative recipes are what really set Green Chef apart—so you can dig into a plate of cauliflower piccata pasta or plant-based protein flautas instead of groaning over that third rice bowl in a row. All the ingredients are sustainably-sourced and USDA-certified organic. Plus, they arrive already prepped—yep, no chopping—and wrapped in eco-friendly packaging. Green Chef offers plans for meat-eaters too, but their plant-powered option is 100 percent vegetarian-friendly (and can be customized to accommodate a vegan diet as well).
Price: Good news: Green Chef also boasts some seriously competitive prices, with plans starting at just $6 per serving.
Availability: Green Chef ships insulated meal kits to all of the United States except Hawaii, Alaska and certain parts of Louisiana.
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Best Artisanal Ingredients
Martha Stewart’s meal delivery service has made a splash due to its focus on sourcing ingredients from small family-owned farms and artisanal producers for superior quality food. These meal kits come with easy-to-follow instructions (with photos, too) and pre-portioned ingredients, all clearly sorted so they stick with the intended recipe. Although this delivery service doesn’t have a plan designed specifically for vegetarians, the rotating menu reliably offers numerous tasty vegetarian options, ranging from broccoli cheddar taquitos to cheesy tortellini Parm to plant-based meatloaf (pictured here). The takeaway? This meal delivery service doesn’t offer quite as many vegetarian choices, but the ones available are bound to become instant favorites.
Price: Plans start at around $7 per serving and subscribers can reschedule, pause or cancel deliveries at any time.
Availability: The Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon meal delivery service ships to all 48 contiguous states, but certain areas may not be served so you’ll need to check you zip code at sign up.
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RELATED: 40 Easy Vegetarian Dinner Ideas You Can Make in 30 Minutes or Less
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