We Tested Over 50 Meal Delivery Services — Here Are the Best Vegetarian Options, Reviewed by a Dietitian

Purple Carrot’s approach is fully plant-based, and you can choose whether you want to be in the kitchen cooking from a kit or opt out of effort entirely with fully prepared meals that are fresh or frozen. The service also offers add-ons, and you can search the menu using filters to find meals with more protein, that are gluten-free or under 600 calories, and that have less sodium or prep, so you can easily find what suits you. In addition to basic meal plans, the jump-start option provides four days of breakfast, lunch, and dinner for $130 per week — a great choice if you’re new to plant-based eating.

Caitlin Beale, RDN, who tested the service, says that Purple Carrot is “an excellent option for people who want to learn how to cook plant-based meals or want access to ready-to-eat, high-fiber vegan meals.” Even pros who are comfortable cooking in this style could benefit from ordering it a few times per month for inspiration or variety, she adds.

We can understand where she’s coming from with innovative menu items like Miso Leek Pasta (with roasted garlic and Calabrian breadcrumbs) and BBQ Burnt Ends (made from shiitake mushrooms and served with potatoes and Brussels sprouts). Purple Carrot invites you to come for the plant-based meals but entices you to stay for the variety and creative recipes.

While feeding one person a vegetarian diet can be tricky, feeding a family can be even tougher, especially with a meal delivery service, which is why we love Green Chef. Its veggie-friendly meal kits are full of fresh, organic produce and can feed more than just one or two at a time. The whole-grain-heavy meals make it easy to feed your family a fiber- and nutrient-packed meal. Plans run from two to six servings, and the generous portion sizes in some meals could easily feed more than that.

When I tested the service, I noted a few unique qualities. I loved the whole grains from Green Chef, which is not something I’ve come across a lot. It was also refreshing to see how vegetables are prioritized in nearly every meal, particularly in the plant-based and Mediterranean diet plans. The service has some seafood choices if you want to flex into pescatarian territory, but plenty of vegan and vegetarian meals round out Green Chef’s extensive menu.

Prices are on the higher side, and some meals (notably those with seafood) come with an additional fee, though keep in mind that organic produce comes at a premium price. Green Chef also fills in the gaps in your day (and menus) with helpful add-ons. These are an additional cost, but sign me up for no-knead bread and an extra-easy side dish every time, especially if I’m feeding a crowd.

The weekly menus include meal kits with fresh ingredients, easy-to-follow instructions, and globally inspired flavors that use fiber-forward ingredients like whole grains, beans, produce, omega-3 rich seafood (if you’re eating it), and nuts and seeds. When I tested the service, I loved being able to choose menu items like Quinoa–White Bean Fritters With Baby Broccoli and Basil Pesto, Mediterranean Flatbreads With Beet Salad and Skordalia Lima Bean Dip, and Sweet and Smoky Cauliflower “Steaks” With Miso Lentils and Corn Salad. There are a multitude of options, and in addition to the Mediterranean and vegetarian diet plans, there are carb-conscious, gluten-free, pescatarian, diabetes-friendly, paleo, keto, and other dietary accommodations.

I loved the mix of fresh kits versus frozen single-serving entrées for busy days, and all the add-ons make breakfast, snacks, and other meals easier. Sunbasket is one of the few meal kit services with specifically vegetarian options like tofu and Impossible Burgers available as protein add-ons.

CookUnity’s prepared foods are so good that they may just replace your weekly take-out habit, and with plenty of vegetarian options, it is a natural favorite for us in this category. Meals are crafted by chefs, and menus are regionally produced to ensure that local chefs are highlighted. While the menu is large, it stays easy to navigate because of the filters for ingredients, nutrient values, diet types, and other categories.

Dishes include pastas, empanadas, grain bowls, salads, stews, stir fries, and so much more. Depending on how much you order, you’ll pay between $11.09 per serving for 16 of the largest meals per week and $14.23 per meal for four meals per week. Prices go up from here, especially with premium proteins, and shipping costs extra. But even with all of that in mind, CookUnity is competitively priced for a fully prepared meal delivery service.

We asked Mary Sauer, a seasoned freelance health writer, to put CookUnity to the test. While she had some struggles reheating the meals well, overall the company “does a great job delivering fresh meals while maintaining the quality of the ingredients. I enjoyed that the meals used a wide variety of proteins, veggies, grains, and culinary styles,” she says. “CookUnity is a flexible prepared meal service, letting customers choose each meal based on their dietary preferences, health goals, or allergies. It’s a particularly great option for people who live alone, work from home, or don’t have time to make themselves meals in the middle of the day.”

Hungryroot is a bit of a wild card among meal delivery services, leveraging its array of available grocery items into quick-cooking meal kits to keep healthy, vegetarian meals on the table with minimal fuss and time. The service goes beyond basic add-ons and has an incredible library of approximately 1,000 name-brand, in-house-made, and raw ingredients for purchase, as well as over 10,000 meal kit recipes. Options range from simple wraps and sandwiches to more epicurean entrées, but no matter what, the recipes are clear and easy to follow, and they come together quickly.

It might sound intimidating to sift through thousands of choices, but the menu filters make it easy, with 10 dietary accommodations listed, including vegan, vegetarian, and pescatarian, plus filters for meals under 500 calories, spice level, and even cooking times of less than 5 minutes or 10 minutes. My favorite filter is the 20 protein types, which include tofu and tempeh, beans and lentils, meat alternatives, and dairy-free cheese — incredibly useful if you’re looking for vegetarian items specifically.

Ashley Brafman, RD, tested the service and says, “Hungryroot is a great option for anyone looking for a hybrid of an online grocery service, meal kits, and fast, easy meals.” It’s the ultimate low-effort meal kit model, and varied recipes and a veggie-friendly recipe library make it an incredible fit for cooks who want a quick vegetarian meal.

Smoothies are an incredible way to get a lot of nutrients quickly and can be especially helpful for those following a plant-based or vegetarian plan. Daily Harvest really nails this category for us. The service has a lot to offer in addition to blendable items, but the smoothies are truly top tier, with combos that go beyond delicious: acai, cacao, passion fruit, lychee, dragon fruit, papaya, and tart cherry.

The rest of the menu of savory grain bowls, pastas, snacks, and breakfast bowls highlights similarly tantalizing ingredients that can bring some variety into your home meals. Beale tested this service and was impressed, saying, “It’s a great service to help supplement your diet with more vegetables. It may also be helpful for those who are new to plant-based eating and want to experiment with different flavor profiles and ingredients without the hassle of grocery shopping and planning.”

Pricing is a bit different with Daily Harvest. There’s no subscription required, so rather than buying a meal plan, you simply fill your box, aka your checkout cart, with what you want to order. There are some volume discounts as you buy more, and there's a $50 minimum before the cost of shipping.

Ordering is easy and flexible, with a minimum of three meals per week, two possible delivery days, and plenty of add-ons to fill up your cart alongside the meals. Everything is fresh, never frozen, and meals are often salads, noodle dishes, grain bowls, and stir-fries. Add-ons include muffins, muesli, juices, and some desserts outfitted with supplemental ingredients like moringa and reishi.

Our tester for Thistle, veteran health writer Brittany Vargas, wasn’t initially impressed with the menu because the meals seemed overly simple, but she says, “they ended up being really delicious.” While the service may not be cost-effective for some, if you have the budget and want to spend it eating organic foods, we can’t think of a service more worth the spend than Thistle.

If the idea of frozen vegetarian entrées conjures up an image of sad microwave dinners, then you need to see the menu from Mosaic Foods. Mosaic's vegan and vegetarian choices may live in the freezer but they come in an enticing range of grain bowls, noodle bowls, pastas, pizzas, smoothies, soups, oat bowls, and family-size tray bakes that serve four, like Italian ‘Sausage’ and Pumpkin Lasagna, Eggplant Moussaka, and Enchilada Verde Bake. Most of the individual meals reheat in the microwave in just a few minutes, while the pizzas and tray bakes reheat in the oven in anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes. None of the entrées require any cooking effort on the customer’s part, unless you want to add your own side dish.

Riley Blanton is a licensed marriage and family therapist, seasoned health writer, and mom of three. She put Mosaic through its paces for a week and was “impressed by Mosaic’s flavor profiles and the cultural diversity of the options,” she says. “It surprised me that frozen meals could still include these levels of flavor. Having the ability to try different cuisines without buying unique ingredients at the grocery store or visiting a local restaurant was exciting as well.” She and her husband both found the meals filling, satisfying, and “an excellent way to stock up on easy weekday lunches for the office or no-prep dinner entrées loaded with vegetables,” she says.

Following a vegetarian diet doesn’t mean that’s the only dietary accommodation you need, and for gluten-free choices that have a lot to offer in the veggie category, we really appreciate Epicured’s approach. All of its meals are medically designed, and in addition to being gluten-free, it follows low-FODMAP protocols, which can help determine foods that might be problematic for those with irritable bowel syndrome. Low-FODMAP diets can be incredibly complex and frustrating to follow, because so many foods have to be eliminated, but Epicured’s medically designed meals take out the guesswork.

I tested Epicured and found that the static menu had enough variety that I could place multiple orders without repeats and still discover what my most-loved items would be. A lot of the entrées can be customized with various proteins, including a vegetarian option. The soups, salads, breakfasts, and sides also had a lot of meatless choices, and multiple meal bundles accommodated vegan and vegetarian diets. These fresh prepared meals reheated in minutes, and while not every item was a knockout flavorwise, I felt like I could trust that the meals were gluten-free and low-FODMAP.

While I loved the choice, I didn’t necessarily love the price. The prices for entrées start around $15 and go up from there. I also got hit with a large shipping charge that I wasn’t anticipating. If I were to order again, I’d definitely take advantage of some of the discounts associated with subscription plans and meal bundles.

Maxing out your vegetable intake shouldn’t have to mean maxing out your budget, which is why we appreciate Dinnerly’s low-cost approach and robust menu of vegetarian choices. The menu boasts over 50 meals a week, and in addition to vegetarian options, there are also vegan, reduced-carb, and family-friendly items, including some options that can help reduce costs even more.

Everyday Health editor Ashley Zeigler appreciated the family-friendly nature of the menu. “Dinnerly is particularly great for families with kids, since it offers so many kid-friendly recipes,” she says, adding that “it offers so much convenience for someone who doesn’t like or know how to cook, isn’t great at meal planning, or is looking for meals that are quick and tasty.”

You’ll see vegetarian recipes like Low-Cal Crispy Honey Garlic Tofu, Brown Butter Asparagus-Gruyère Ravioli, and Spring Veggie Shepherd’s Pie. There are also veggie-friendly desserts, snacks, and grocery essentials, so you’re covered on a lot of fronts. Keep an eye out as you select meals, as some cost extra, and the pricing around add-ons can be unclear. Even with the additional shipping costs, we still love Dinnerly as one of the most bang-for-your-buck meal delivery options, with impressive menus and great meatless options.