Hungryroot vs. Purple Carrot 2024: Which is Best?

Both Hungryroot and Purple Carrot focus on delivering fresh weekly food to customers in the US, but in pretty different ways.

Purple Carrot is a plant-based meal delivery service that offers meal kits with pre-portioned ingredients, as well as prepared meals.

Hungryroot, on the other hand, categorizes itself as a grocery delivery service, despite offering weekly recipes- and serving-based plans. This is because it only supplies produce that you could normally buy from a grocery store.

So, how different is this approach compared to ordering meal kits? And is Hungryroot’s meat-filled list of groceries good enough for a plant-based household? Find out in our Hungryroot vs. Purple Carrot comparison, or check out our full list of the best meal delivery services for even more options.

At a Glance: Hungryroot vs. Purple Carrot

Dietary Preferences

All of Purple Carrot’s menu is plant-based, so first and foremost it’s suitable for vegetarians and vegans. There are also recipes that don’t contain soy, gluten, or nuts, and some are high in plant protein.

Hungryroot caters to both plant-based and balanced diets. You can filter the groceries (and the recipes) by protein, including meat, fish, tofu, and plant-based meat alternatives.

You can also sort by dietary needs (vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian) or by allergens, such as peanuts, tree nuts, soy, dairy, and gluten.

Winner: Hungryroot

Menu Variety

Hungryroot’s recipes and groceries are extensive. There are over 3,000 recipes and more than 120 of them are vegan, so although the cookbook doesn’t change weekly, there’s plenty of choice.

You can opt for recipes to cook mains + sides, grain bowls, pasta, tacos, stir-fries, burgers, wraps, salads, bakes, and more.

In addition to ingredients for these recipes, the groceries on offer via Hungryroot also include beverages and a few ready-to-eat items, such as salads or quinoa cups, many of which are vegan.

Purple Carrot offers plant-based meal kits and prepared meals, with weekly-changing recipes. There are 20 dinners on the prepared meals menu, while the meal kit menu offers two breakfasts, two lunches, and eight dinners each week.

The recipes are internationally inspired. There are no alternatives that mimic real meat texture like Hungryroot’s Beyond Burgers, but rather tofu and tempeh as main protein sources.

Winner: Hungryroot

Starting Prices

Both Purple Carrot and Hungryroot have plans for either two or four people. Hungryroot’s plans start at $59 per weekly order. This comes with a shipping fee of $6.99 per order, which disappears for orders over $70.

Prices depend on the plan and how many extras you add to your order. For example, a simple plan with groceries for four lunches and four dinners for two costs around $135.84, so $8.49 per serving. For the minimum order of three recipes for two people, a serving costs $9.99.

You can also add extra servings of breakfasts, snacks, and sweets to each order.

Purple Carrot’s meal kits cost $11.99 per serving for a two-serving plan and $9.99 per serving for a four-serving plan. The prepared meals are all $12.99, and a nice touch is that the shipping is free on all orders.

Winner: Hungryroot

Delivery and Packaging

Both Hungryroot and Purple Carrot ship to all contiguous US states. You can check if they deliver to your location by entering your zip code on their websites.

Hungryroot’s orders come packaged in a cardboard box, together with a paper cooler and food protectors that can be recycled easily with your other cardboard and paper waste.

The Enviro Ice that’s used to keep things cool comes in #4 plastic bags – you’ll have to check if this can be recycled based on where you live. Just make sure to discard the non-toxic gel in the sink. You can also dilute it and use it as eco-friendly plant food, which I think is a great way to upcycle.

Meanwhile, Purple Carrot uses ice packs and TemperPack technology to keep its meals fresh and cool. The ClimaCell liners are 100% curbside recyclable and compostable, while the fiber and bubble liners are made of plastic.

There’s a whole page on Purple Carrot’s website on how to dispose of each part of the packaging, with instructions, pictures, and even a video to help you.

Winner: It’s a tie.

Meal Prep

Hungryroot has a whole section on its website dedicated to recipes you can cook at home using the groceries it provides. Many of them can be ready in less than 10 or 20 minutes, and all the instructions and nutritional values are listed next to each meal.

Most of the recipes are simple and only involve only four grocery items. However, while there are a lot of recipes, some of them can be very similar. For example, all burgers have the same bun, and the only variation is what’s inside.

Purple Carrot has breakfasts that are ready in five minutes, lunches in 15, and dinners in the 20-35 minute range. The recipes change weekly and your box will also contain a booklet with all eight recipes from that week.

Purple Carrot’s prepared meals come ready to heat and eat in under five minutes, which can save a lot of time and effort. Compared to the few ready-to-eat items on Hungryroot’s menu, these 20 dinners are nutritious, chef-cooked, and very creative.

Winner: Purple Carrot

The Bottom Line

Hungryroot is a better option in terms of price, diets catered to, number of recipes, and groceries available. If you’re looking for a way to simplify your grocery shopping and find some quick meal inspo at the same time, this may be your best bet.

But if you’re looking for plant-based meals or meal kits, Purple Carrot is the better choice. Even the meal kits come with pre-portioned ingredients, so you can feel like everything has been taken care of for an effortless cooking experience.

If you want to take a look at more great meal delivery services before making up your mind, check out our list of the best meal delivery services today.

Overall winner: Hungryroot.