HelloFresh vs. Purple Carrot: Meal Delivery Comparison

Here’s a look at the basics for each service.

HelloFresh

HelloFresh provides meal kits designed to help simplify your weekly dinner routine.

Each meal box includes recipe cards with step-by-step instructions and premeasured ingredients.

HelloFresh offers several plans, including:

• meat and veggies
• low calorie
• low carb

For each plan, you can select two to four recipes per week, which provide one, two, or four servings each.

Purple Carrot

Purple Carrot is a plant-based meal kit delivery service that provides healthy and delicious recipes, along with preportioned ingredients.

The service offers a 2 Serving Plan and a 4 Serving Plan.

On the 2 Serving Plan, you can select three or four dinners per week. Meanwhile, on the 4 Serving Plan, you can order two or three dinners per week.

Purple Carrot also offers a variety of breakfasts, lunches, and snacks, which you can add to your order for an additional fee.

Here are some of the meals that you can expect to enjoy with each service.

HelloFresh

HelloFresh has an extensive weekly menu with new options available each week.

The full menu contains at least 22 options to choose from, although there may be fewer selections depending on your specific plan.

Here are some recipes you can choose from the menu:

• Mango Tango chicken tacos with hot sauce crema
• miso peach pork chops with ginger rice and green beans
• roasted garlic and zucchini flatbreads with white sauce, mozzarella, and grape tomatoes

Recipes that are vegetarian, low carb, or low calorie are marked on the menu.

You can also view the nutritional information for each recipe when creating your meal plan.

Purple Carrot

Purple Carrot boasts a rotating weekly menu with a wide range of meals and snacks to choose from.

Depending on which plan you select, there are typically four to eight dinner options, along with two breakfasts and lunches each week.

Prepared snacks like chocolate bars, plant-based jerky, and peanut butter cups are also available for an additional fee.

Here are a few examples of meals on the menu:

• pulled barbecue jackfruit sandwiches with creamy coleslaw and pickles
• roasted carrot hummus bowls with za’atar vegetables and cashew cheese
• kale and tempeh chorizo scramble

All items that are low in calories, high in protein, or free of nuts, gluten, or soy are labeled on the menu.

Purple Carrot also provides information on the ingredients, nutritional content, potential allergens, and preparation instructions on the website.

Here’s a breakdown of how much each service costs.

HelloFresh

HelloFresh is one of the most affordable meal kit services on the market.

Although the cost depends on the number of servings and recipes that you select, plans typically range from $7.49–$8.99 per serving.

There is also an additional flat fee of $8.99 for shipping, and delivery is available throughout the continental United States.

Purple Carrot

The price of Purple Carrot depends on which plan you select and whether you add any breakfasts or lunches to your order.

Here is how much each plan costs:

• 2 Serving Plan: $11.99 per serving
• 4 Serving Plan: $9.99 per serving
• Breakfasts: $4.49 per serving
• Lunches: $8.99 per serving

In addition to the prices listed above, you can also add premade snacks to your order for an extra fee.

Purple Carrot also provides free shipping for both plans and offers delivery within the contiguous United States.

Both services provide menu items that may help with weight loss.

HelloFresh offers a variety of low carb, low calorie, and vegetarian recipes, which could support weight loss. Meanwhile, Purple Carrot provides nutritious, plant-based recipes, which may also help you lose weight.

HelloFresh

HelloFresh provides several meal plans to choose from, including a low calorie plan, with recipes that contain about 650 calories per serving.

Decreasing your daily calorie consumption can be an effective strategy to promote weight loss (1).

The service also offers vegetarian meals and low carb recipes, which may be beneficial for weight loss (2, 3).

In addition, HelloFresh helps members prepare more meals at home, which can build healthy habits and support sustainable weight loss.

In fact, some research suggests that eating home-cooked meals more frequently may be linked to improved diet quality and reduced body fat (4).

Purple Carrot

Purple Carrot boasts a fully plant-based menu with a range of items that are rich in important nutrients.

Research shows that following a plant-based diet could be beneficial for reducing body weight and body fat (2, 5).

Not only that, but several studies have found that following a vegan or vegetarian diet may also be associated with decreased belly fat and a lower body mass index (BMI) (6, 7).

Purple Carrot also offers select meals that are low in calories, which could help support weight loss by decreasing your calorie intake (1).

Furthermore, studies show that enjoying more home-cooked meals could be associated with better diet quality and decreased body fat (4).

Here are some of the other benefits each service offers.

HelloFresh

HelloFresh has a large menu with a variety of options, making it easy to find recipes to fit many preferences.

It’s also easy to customize your weekly plan with meals from the full menu. This may be a good option for those looking to experiment with new ingredients or recipes.

Plus, it’s one of the most budget-friendly options available, with prices starting at just $7.49 per serving.

Most of the packaging is also recyclable or compostable, and detailed recycling instructions are available on the website.

Purple Carrot

Studies have found that plant-based diets are associated with a long list of health benefits that extend beyond weight loss. These include improved blood sugar control and decreased levels of blood pressure and cholesterol (8).

Additionally, plant-based diets have a lower environmental impact and are associated with decreased greenhouse gas emissions, compared with animal-based diets (9).

Purple Carrot promotes sustainability and uses eco-friendly packaging that is mostly recyclable.

Unlike many other meal delivery services, Purple Carrot also allows you to order breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks.

This can make it even easier to follow a plant-based diet and can help simplify meal prep throughout the day.

Here are a few of the downsides to consider with HelloFresh and Purple Carrot.

HelloFresh

While HelloFresh does offer some low carb, low calorie, and vegetarian meals, it may not be ideal for other restrictive eating patterns, including ketogenic, paleo, or vegan diets.

According to the website, it’s also not currently possible to tailor your menu to eliminate specific ingredients, and it may not be suitable for those with severe food allergies.

Additionally, HelloFresh notes that the majority of its meal kits contain conventional produce, which is an important consideration for those who prefer organic ingredients.

The service also uses farmed fish in some of its meal kits, which some people may choose to avoid due to concerns about contaminants and antibiotic use (10, 11).

Purple Carrot

Although Purple Carrot may be a good option for those following a plant-based diet, it offers few options for people with other dietary restrictions.

It may also not be suitable for those with severe food allergies, as the company produces its meal kits in a facility that also processes common food allergens, like wheat, nuts, and gluten.

Purple Carrot also uses mostly conventional produce, which may not be ideal for people who prefer eating organic.

There is also no information available regarding how the company sources its ingredients or which suppliers the company works with.