TL;DR
WIRED tested a range of plant-based meal kits and prepared-meal services in 2025 and singled out top picks for different needs: Purple Carrot as the overall favorite, Green Chef for families, and Thistle for health-focused eaters. Services vary by prep time, pricing, regional availability and whether they are entirely plant-based.
What happened
WIRED's roundup evaluated multiple plant-based meal-kit and delivery services, testing both cook-at-home kits and ready-to-eat options across the year. The reviewer, who identifies as vegan, sampled seasonal menus and premade meals and ranked services by factors such as recipe creativity, ease of preparation, health focus and menu variety. Purple Carrot earned the recommendation as the best overall plant-based meal kit for its inventive, frequently changing plant-only menus and a mix of frozen ready-to-eat meals and fresh kits. Green Chef was highlighted as the best option for families for its straightforward, family-friendly vegan choices and larger serving sizes. Thistle was singled out as the healthiest pick with mostly single-serving refrigerated meals that require minimal prep. The piece also notes services that use AI for personalization (Hungryroot) and those with set frozen offerings (Daily Harvest), while flagging trade-offs like long prep times on some kits.
Why it matters
- Plant-based meal services extend the convenience of meal kits to vegans and vegetarians, reducing the need for grocery shopping and recipe hunting.
- Varied offerings — from fully plant-based companies to mainstream meal-kit brands with vegan options — let consumers pick services that match their cooking ability, family size and health priorities.
- Some services combine algorithmic customization or preset frozen inventories, so users can choose faster, low-prep options or more adventurous, cook-at-home recipes.
- Regional availability and pricing differences affect whether a given service is practical for a household.
Key facts
- Purple Carrot is a fully plant-based service (no dairy or eggs), available in the Lower 48 states; meal-kit pricing starts around $11 per serving for four-person plans and $13 for two-person plans.
- Purple Carrot offers fresh meal kits, ready-to-eat frozen meals, a Jumpstart program (12 ready-to-eat meals per week for four weeks at $130 per week at time of writing), and a grocery selection; shipping is $10 or free over $100.
- Green Chef is not exclusively plant-based; weekly menus typically include around five vegan choices and more vegetarian options, with meals priced at about $12 each and $11 shipping. Servings come in two-, four- or six-person plans.
- Thistle is a primarily plant-based prepared-meal service (with an optional sustainable-meat add-on for certain items at an extra fee) focused on single-serving refrigerated meals; breakfasts start near $9.50 and lunches/dinners around $14 at the time of writing.
- Thistle's delivery footprint is limited to East and West Coast cities and Chicago (customers can check availability by zip code); deliveries are one or two times per week depending on the plan.
- Hungryroot uses AI-based customization to curate menus to customer preferences, while Daily Harvest offers a fixed selection of frozen plant-based items intended to keep a stocked freezer.
- The reviewer notes that some plant-based meal kits (for example, Purple Carrot and Green Chef) can have involved preparation times—sometimes about an hour.
- WIRED updated the guide in December 2025 to add Fresh! Meal Plan to Honorable Mentions and flags that editors may receive compensation from retailers or purchases through links.
- Five of the tested meal-kit brands offered exclusively plant-based choices, according to the reviewer.
What to watch next
- The inclusion of Fresh! Meal Plan in WIRED's honorable mentions (added in the December 2025 update) — watch for further updates to the roundup.
- not confirmed in the source: changes in regional availability or expansion of delivery zones for services like Thistle and others.
- not confirmed in the source: future price adjustments, promotions, or changes in service menus and subscription models.
Quick glossary
- Meal kit: A delivery that contains measured ingredients and recipes for customers to cook meals at home.
- Ready-to-eat / Premade meals: Prepared dishes that require little or no cooking and are typically refrigerated or frozen for reheating.
- Plant-based: Foods and diets that emphasize ingredients derived from plants; may exclude animal products such as meat, dairy and eggs.
- AI curation: Use of algorithms or machine learning to personalize menu recommendations based on user preferences and behavior.
- Gluten-free: Products or meals made without gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye, suitable for people with certain dietary needs.
Reader FAQ
Are all recommended services fully plant-based?
No. Some brands—Purple Carrot and Thistle—are fully plant-based, while others such as Green Chef provide vegan options alongside non-plant-based meals.
Do these services ship nationwide?
Availability varies: Purple Carrot ships to the Lower 48; Green Chef ships to the Lower 48 with some exclusions in Louisiana; Thistle covers select East and West Coast cities and Chicago.
Are meal kits cheaper than groceries?
not confirmed in the source.
How much cooking do these kits require?
It depends. Some services emphasize minimal prep (Thistle's refrigerated meals), while others like Purple Carrot and Green Chef can include recipes that take an hour or more.
MOLLY HIGGINS GEAR DEC 28, 2025 6:32 AM The Best Plant-Based Meal Kits and Delivery Services Convenience isn’t just for meat eaters anymore. These plant-based meal kits and delivery services…
Sources
- 8 Best Plant-Based Meal Delivery Services and Kits (2025), Tested, Tasted, and Reviewed
- We Tried 10 Vegan Meal Deliveries—Here's What We Loved
- Best Vegan Meal Delivery Services in 2025 (Promos …
- The Best Plant-Based Meal Kits and Delivery Services
Related posts
- Billion-Dollar Data Centers Are Taking Over the World — The AI Footprint Grows
- Travel agents took a decade to collapse — software developers three years in
- After-Christmas Deals on WIRED-Tested Gear to Redeem Gift Cards (2025)