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The 6 Best Vegan Meal Delivery Services Of 2023 (Yes, They Have Protein)

Braelyn Wood
Author:
August 11, 2022
Braelyn Wood
mbg Deputy Commerce Editor
By Braelyn Wood
mbg Deputy Commerce Editor
Braelyn Wood is the Deputy Commerce Editor at mindbodygreen. She has a B.S. in journalism from Northwestern University, along with a certificate in marketing.
Image by Trinette Reed / Stocksy
August 11, 2022
We carefully vet all products and services featured on mindbodygreen using our commerce guidelines. Our selections are never influenced by the commissions earned from our links.

Increased interest in vegan diets has led to a boom in plant-based products, from protein powders to meat alternatives—and it's only natural that the expansion extends to at-home meal delivery services

The best vegan meal delivery services make avoiding animal byproducts—including meat, fish, eggs, and dairy—a breeze by delivering either premade entrées or meal kits directly to your door. Whether you struggle with getting enough vegan protein or simply can't find any other creative ways to prep your tofu, these services will help you uncover the best of plant-based eating.

The Best Vegan Meal Delivery Services That Use Whole Foods:

Best Budget-Friendly
Mosaic FoodsGo to review
Best for on-the-go
Daily HarvestGo to review
Best grocery replacement
HungryrootGo to review

What is a vegan diet?

While most people use vegan and plant-based synonymously, the terms actually mean something different. Vegan refers to a lifestyle in which followers do not partake in any activities that harm animals, including the consumption of animal byproducts. 

"A vegan diet has a stricter definition, which means that it is 100% plant-based; no animal flesh, dairy products, eggs, or honey," explains dietitian Sharon Palmer, MSFS, RDN.

However, a plant-based diet is a much looser term with no set regulation. The generally accepted explanation is a diet that puts plant-derived whole foods, such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes, at the forefront of your plate. 

The interchangeable use of the two terms has led many people to consider a vegan diet healthy, yet that's not always the case. Plenty of foods are vegan—potato chips and sugar—yet they don't nourish our bodies the same way whole foods do.

The benefits of a vegan diet.

Many of the health benefits of a vegan diet specifically refer to a whole foods, plant-based way of eating; a plant-based diet can promote weight loss1, lower the risk of heart disease, and improve blood glucose levels

Eating less meat also boasts benefits beyond improving your health. Animal agriculture accounts for nearly 15% of total human-induced greenhouse gas emissions. It also requires an abundance of land to raise beef—and the destruction of the Amazon rain forest has been one of the easiest ways to accumulate it.

Reducing your meat consumption is an easy way to lower your carbon footprint, but the overall benefits of the swap will truly be defined by the foods you're choosing to rotate into your diet instead.

How to pick the best vegan meal delivery service.

Opting for a plant-based meal delivery service that focuses on whole foods is the easiest way to ensure you're nourishing your body while sticking to vegan guidelines. Find brands presenting a general breakdown of 25% protein, 25% whole grains, and 50% fruits and vegetables in their recipes, per Palmer's advice.

Not ready to put in the work? We've gone ahead and scoured the web to find the brands offering the best (and healthiest) vegan meal delivery services to support your well-being.

How we picked:

Variety

One vegan recipe isn't enough for a brand to qualify for this list. Instead, all companies featured provide at least five options for plant-powered folk (and ideally more).

Dietary needs

Along with ditching dairy, meat, seafood, and eggs, these recipes can also be filtered for additional allergens or dietary restrictions.

Sustainability

Consuming less meat is just the start when it comes to reducing environmental impact; these brands have also made a pledge to sustainability in all parts of their business, from sourcing ingredients to packaging products.

Price

 Vegan meals get a bad reputation for being overpriced, so we kept cost in mind to ensure plant-eaters with different budgets had an option.

mbg's pick for the best vegan meal delivery services of 2023:

Best variety: Purple Carrot

$30 off first box of Purple Carrot:
MBG30
view on Purple Carrot

Pros:

  • Fresh & premade meals
  • Pantry items available

Cons:

  • Not fully organic
  • Can't mix & match meal types

Dietary considerations:

High-proteinGluten-freeNut-freeSoy-freeLow-calorie

Max meals per week:

4 meals

Shipping fee:

Free

Type:

Meal kitPre-made entrée

Cost:

From $11 per serving

Fully vegan:

Yes

Purple Carrot's entire lineup is suitable for vegans, so you won't need to waste time sorting through different filters to find an option that works for you. In fact, the options might actually be overwhelming; each week 24 new menu items drop spanning breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The brand offers both meal kits and single-serve premade entrées; the latter is slightly more expensive but goes from fridge to table in less than 5 minutes. If you're hoping to improve your culinary chops, the meal kits are the way to go; they provide up to four servings with up to four meals per box. Plus, the online plantry ensures you won't need to make any extra trips to the grocery store thanks to a small assortment of vegan pantry staples, such as pesto, cheese, and black bean burgers.

Example Meals: 

-Falafel bowl with harissa glazed carrots and dill garlic sauce

-Walnut-crusted artichokes with dijon lentils & broccolini

Sustainability & Quality: Purple Carrot prioritizes organic ingredients when possible—especially for shelf-stable items like flour and legumes—but seasonality and shipping constraints may force the brand to sub in conventional options. Packaging is mostly curbside recyclable sans certain plastics that may need to go to a special recycling facility based on your location.

Best budget-friendly: Mosaic Foods

Pros:

  • More affordable
  • Variety of meal options
  • Locally sourced produce

Cons:

  • Minimum $70 spend
  • Doesn't deliever everywhere

Dietary considerations:

VeganHigh-proteinVegetarianNut-freeLow-calorieDairy-freeEgg-free

Max meals per week:

18 items

Shipping fee:

$7.99

Type:

Frozen meal

Cost:

From $5 per serving

Fully vegan:

No

Trying to feed your family for less than $5 per serving? Look no further than Mosaic Foods' assortment of plant-based frozen goods, which makes eating healthy affordable. The brand offers an array of smoothies, oat bowls, bakes, and more, each packed with a balanced mix of macronutrients.

About 50% of the brand's items are vegan with clear image icons indicating the recipes crafted without dairy or eggs. You can also use the brand's on-site filter to pull out vegan options, as well as high-protein recipes and those made without wheat or nuts. Select up to 18 items to fill your box; just remember that the final cost varies based on the goods selected. 

Luckily it's hard to go wrong with Mosaic's menu. The chef-made meals skip added sugars and artificial ingredients, yet they always contain at least four servings of vegetables (if not more). Plus every box purchased equates to a 2-pound donation to New York–based nonprofit City Harvest. Hitting your daily recommendation of fruits and veggies has never felt better!

Example Meal:

-Curried lentil shepherd's pie

-Pepper, feta & olive ragout 

Sustainability & Quality: Frozen meals help reduce food waste—and that's not the only way Mosaic stays sustainable. All packaging is curbside recyclable including the shipping box, lining papers, boxes, and trays once rinsed. Currently, the brand is not certified organic, but it strives for organic whenever possible (and always local).

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Best premade: : Fresh n' Lean

Pros:

  • Organic ingredients
  • Breakfast available

Cons:

  • Limited side options

Dietary considerations:

VeganLow-carbHigh-proteinKetoPaleoWhole30

Max meals per week:

21 meals

Shipping fee:

Free

Type:

Pre-made entrée

Cost:

From $8.49 per serving

Fully vegan:

No

Fresh n' Lean offers not one but two separate vegan menus to ensure even plant-based eaters can pick the right eating plan for them. The standard vegan menu has a dozen options with items for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Similar to all of the company's offerings, these chef-made entrées stick to a balanced mix of macros and take just three minutes to heat up. 

Trying to cut down on your carbohydrates? Fresh n' Lean also has you covered with the low-carb vegan plan. It's slightly more expensive but takes the guesswork out of counting macros by capping the total percentage of carbs in your dish at less than 28%. Fair warning: Meals on this plan may start to get repetitive if you decide to get three meals delivered per day, seven days a week (i.e., the largest meal plan offered). 

Example Meal: 

-Romesco quinoa with tofu and roasted kabocha 

-Teriyaki bowl with garbanzo beans

Sustainability & Quality: Premade meals often produce more waste than kits, but Fresh n' Lean aims to make its packaging more environmentally friendly by keeping everything recyclable, from the BPA-free plastic trays to the cardboard shipping box. One thing you won't compromise on is quality; all meals are gluten-free and made with as many organic ingredients as possible.

Best meal kit: Green Chef

$250 Off+ Free Shipping:
MBG250
view on Green Chef

Pros:

  • All produce & eggs are certified organic
  • Ingredients sourced by season

Cons:

  • Some plastic isn't recyclable
  • Select recipes have long prep times

Dietary considerations:

VeganHigh-fiberVegetarianGluten-freeLow-calorieKetoPaleo

Max meals per week:

4 meals

Shipping fee:

$9.99

Type:

Meal kit

Cost:

From $11.99 per serving

Fully vegan:

No

Green Chef releases 24 new recipes every week, and at least five are suitable for vegans. That means even if you max out your plan by ordering four meals every week, you still won't get a chance to try every single recipe on the menu. 

The hand-packed boxes contain all the pre-measured ingredients to create a delicious plant-powered meal at home for up to six people (or fewer with leftovers). The best part? Meals typically take less than 30 minutes to prepare. Plus, you can use filters like gluten-free and Mediterranean to better narrow down the right options for dietary preferences.

Example Meals:

-Portabello fajita plates

-Maple-roasted rainbow carrots with pearl couscous, fennel & sautéed kale with cherries

Sustainability & Quality: Green Chef is built around sustainability, so it stands out in a few regards. It's not only the first USDA-certified organic meal delivery kit, but the company also offsets 100% of its carbon emissions. Naturally, all packaging is also recyclable; the company also partners with tons of sustainability organizations, such as Terrapass, Plastic Bank, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch.

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Best for on-the-go: Daily Harvest

Get up to $40 off your first box:
MBG40
view on Daily Harvest

Pros:

  • 100+ items
  • Snacks available
  • No commitment (order as you go)

Cons:

  • Meal plans don't have fixed prices
  • May need to add protein to maximize macronutrients

Dietary considerations:

VeganHigh-proteinLow-sugarDairy-freeKeto

Max meals per week:

24 items

Shipping fee:

Free

Type:

Frozen meal

Cost:

From $8.49 per serving

Fully vegan:

Yes

Unless you're at a plant-based eatery, trying to order a vegan meal can feel like Sophie's choice between two equally unappealing meals. Daily Harvest makes it up to you with more than 100 vegan items all ripe for the picking: smoothies, oat bowls, protein bites, flatbreads, and more.

Although the meals tend to be on the light side (i.e., low in calories and protein), they're packed with whole food ingredients clearly listed in bold lettering on the side of every item. Plus, this leaves plenty of room for experimenting with your favorite plant-based toppings, such as avocado or tahini.

Better yet, you don't need to agree to a recurring subscription to get these plant-based goodies delivered to your door. Simply select a small, medium, or larger box with up to 24 items. When you're not feeling a delivery, the website makes it super easy to skip an order (or the next six). And the brand even sends a text message the day your order confirms to give you plenty of time to cancel.

Example Meal:

-Mint and cacao smoothie

-Mulberry and dragon fruit oat bowl

Sustainability & Quality: While Daily Harvest always aims to source organic ingredients, it primarily focuses on foods on the Environmental Working Group's Dirty Dozen list. What's more, the company supports farmers converting to regenerative food systems to promote a better food system. FYI, most packaging is recyclable, but a few items might need to be taken to a local facility instead of the curb.

Check out our full review of Daily Harvest.

Best grocery replacement: Hungryroot

30% off orders of $99+:
MBG30
view on Hungryroot

Pros:

  • Easy to adapt to taste buds
  • Fully replaces grocery shopping

Cons:

  • Excess packaging
  • Repetitive flavors

Dietary considerations:

VeganVegetarianGluten-freeNut-freeSoy-freeDairy-freeEgg-free

Max meals per week:

16 meals

Shipping fee:

$6.99 under $70

Type:

Pre-made entrée

Cost:

From $10 per serving

Fully vegan:

No

Hungryroot is best described as a midway point between a grocery delivery service and meal kit company. You can choose to shop either curated recipes or à la carte ingredients, which allows you to decide on the final entrées created in your kitchen. The upside is that many of the ingredients can be repurposed into a variety of recipes, which Hungryroot shares on its site. The downside of these repetitive ingredients is that meals can start to taste the same, despite having different names.

Pricing really varies by what you select, but the minimum order is at least $65—but when you use Hungryroot as a grocery service it's fairly easy to meet that minimum. Luckily, it's easy to sort for your dietary preferences on site to ensure you find the recipes (or ingredients) that work for you.

Example Meal:

-Curry tofu wrap

-Tofu fajita bowl

Sustainability & Quality: Hungryroot prioritizes as many non-GMO products as it can, but not every item is organic. Just be aware that the company doesn't excel when it comes to packaging; the brand sources many of its ingredients externally, so it's harder to track down recycling information. However, it makes up for this downfall by offering creative ways to use every ingredient sent your way, reducing food waste in the long run.

Don't miss our full review on Hungryroot here.

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The takeaway.

Whether you're new to veganism or simply want to find new ways to cook your go-to plant-based proteins, these vegan meal delivery services have you covered. Anyone who wants a fully vegan menu can't go wrong with Daily Harvest or Purple Carrot, while at-home chefs will love the ease and versatility of Green Chef's recipes. Just remember to keep these tips in mind for balancing your blood sugar on a vegan diet.

Meet The Experts

Braelyn Wood is the Deputy Commerce Editor at mindbodygreen. She has a B.S. in journalism from Northwestern University, along with a certificate in marketing.

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