Plant-based diets are gaining traction as individuals seek to enhance their health, minimize their environmental impact, and reduce or eliminate the consumption of animal products. While adopting a plant-based lifestyle offers benefits for both personal well-being and the planet, consistently creating diverse and nutritionally balanced vegetarian and vegan meals can be time-consuming and demanding. Vegetarian diet delivery plans offer a practical solution, providing creative and delicious dishes designed with nutrition in mind.
Understanding Vegetarianism
To be a vegetarian is to consume non-animal-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, seeds and yeast. Dairy products, honey and eggs can be included at the discretion of the vegetarian.
Vegetarian vs. Vegan: What's the Difference?
Both vegan and vegetarian meal plans primarily consist of plant-based foods like whole grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. However, a vegan diet is much more limited when it comes to the consumption of animal products. While vegetarians only avoid beef, poultry, fish, and other meats, vegans refrain from eating all animal-sourced products including dairy, eggs, and honey.
Vegetarian vs. Pescatarian
Pescatarian, which comes from “pesce,” the Italian word for fish, is a plant-based eating pattern that includes plants, eggs, dairy, and fish, as well as other shellfish like clams and shrimp that are loaded in healthy minerals. Aside from being a good source of protein, many fish have healthful compounds such as omega-3 fatty acids.
Flexitarianism
If total commitment’s not your bag, baby, you could always try going “flexitarian” and make your own rules. Flexitarians follow a predominantly vegetarian lifestyle and acknowledge the benefits of a plant-based eating pattern but allow for flexibility in their food choices. Some flexies are cool with Thanksgiving turkey, dinner at a friend’s house, or choosing to order meat dishes only when eating out. Sometimes severe restriction can feel like a setup for failure. The notion of an "all or nothing" approach is far less likely to succeed than allowing for some built-in flexibility. You'll need to decide for yourself where you fall on the vegetarian spectrum, and remember, no choice has to be forever. But any increase in consumption of plant-based foods can be considered a win for your health and the environment.
Read also: Is a Vegetarian Elimination Diet Right for You?
Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet
There are many great reasons for eating a vegetarian diet. The three most common are to improve health, to make more environmentally responsible choices, and to support animal welfare.
Following a vegetarian eating pattern can help encourage a more nutrient-rich, clean diet that contributes to greater health and well-being. By abstaining from meat, vegetarians also reduce their own environmental impact, as meat production (especially beef) is a major emitter of greenhouse gases and a drain on our limited water resources. And as for animal rights, well, that one’s pretty clear--much like the conscience of a vegetarian. Rich in nutrients and fiber, vegetarian food supports the maintenance of your health, as part of a calorie-conscious, balanced diet and regular exercise.
Health and Nutrition
A vegetarian eating pattern that embraces high quality, wholesome ingredients is absolutely beneficial for your health. In fact, plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds tend to be the most nutrient-dense foods out there, delivering the most nutritional bang-per-bite.
Plants are loaded with micronutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients, they are also full of fiber, which supports healthy digestion and feeds your gut-friendly bacteria, boosting mood, immunity, and more.
Key Nutrients for Vegetarians
Our Vegetarian meal plan relies on a variety of plant-based protein sources such as legumes (beans, peas, lentils, and soy-based foods such as tofu, edamame, and tempeh), whole grains, nuts, seeds, nutritional yeast, as well as eggs and dairy (such as yogurt or cheese), and… truckloads of veggies! It’s a surprise to many people, but all vegetables contain some amount of protein. One cup of cooked spinach, for example, has more than 5 grams of protein per cup.
Read also: Healthy Vegetarian Eating
Vegetarian-friendly sources of calcium include dairy products like yogurt and cheese, and non-dairy products (which are often fortified with calcium), greens (such as broccoli, kale and collards), pulses (peas, lentils, beans, and including soybeans, tofu, and tempeh), and some nuts and seeds (like almonds and sesame seeds or tahini). As for Vitamin B12, this nutrient is most commonly found in animal products, and can be found in eggs and dairy. Additionally, many grain products (breads, cereals) are fortified with Vitamin B12. Yes! Eggs are also included on a vegetarian diet (but, again, not vegan) and are a good source of protein. One egg has varying amounts of 13 essential vitamins and minerals plus 6 grams of high-quality protein.
Weight Management
Research shows that health-promoting behaviors, independent of weight, are the real drivers of optimal well-being. This means that we can improve our health, no matter our shape or size, by adopting health-promoting behaviors under our direct control--such as eating more plants! Will cutting out meat make you lose weight? Maybe, maybe not. But the real goal here is health promotion, and eating more plants will certainly support that.
Making the Transition
Forget the plunge, sometimes you just gotta ease into that water. If you've been eating meat every day for your entire life, nobody here is asking you to cannonball straightaway into vegetarianism. It’s totally cool to start small. You could adopt Meatless Mondays (or Tofu Tuesdays, or even We-don’t-eat-meat Wednesdays…), then graduate to a few veggie days a week. (We know of a pretty handy meal plan that can make the transition seamless… Sun-something or other.) This approach is sometimes known as “reducetarian”--those who consciously try to consume fewer animal products at every turn.
Top Vegetarian Meal Delivery Services
Vegetarian meal delivery services are more popular than ever in the USA. You’ll find a range of options, from high-end services that use premium ingredients to more cost-effective meals. Different services suit different skill levels, too. Some companies deliver ingredients as meal kits, leaving you to do the prep and cooking. Others send prepared meals, so you’ll only need to reheat them to get dinner on the table.
These days, most mainstream meal delivery services offer some vegetarian options. But I’ve looked for services that go the extra mile, with a good variety of choices, a focus on high-quality plant-based ingredients, or convenient customization options suitable for veggies. I’ve also mentioned some vegan services that can be suitable for veggies if you don’t mind skipping eggs and dairy. Every service on this shortlist has been tested by me or my colleagues.
Read also: Is a Chicken-Inclusive Vegetarian Diet Right for You?
1. HelloFresh
HelloFresh is the best vegetarian meal delivery service on the market. It provides the best value for money by reasonably pricing meals featuring high-quality ingredients.HelloFresh boasts a great selection of vegetarian-friendly meals. You'll usually find between 12 and 20 plant-based recipes on the menu each week. Recipes rarely repeat, with the exception of the most popular dishes, which are accompanied by the Hall of Fame tag.
What’s on the Menu?
The HelloFresh menu mainly focuses on entrees. These include things like tostadas, salads, flatbreads, and pasta, which are perfect for lunch or dinner. If you subscribe, though, you can see other options, including a variety of snacks and desserts.You can locate vegetarian-friendly meals by selecting Our Menus first. Then, look for meals with the Veggie tag. It's typically located next to the serving time information. Keep an eye out for recipes labeled as Best Recipe 2025, Hall of Fame, and Premium Picks. These are some of the most popular picks among subscribers and are worth a try.HelloFresh has meals categorized into 3 levels of difficulty - Easy, Medium, and Hard. This allows you to pick a meal that best matches your culinary skill set.
What Makes It Special?
You can streamline your food hunt by choosing the Veggie category in Our Plans. If you have a family to feed, also select Family Friendly. These plans act as filters for the full menu, allowing you to see the most suitable dishes first.HelloFresh has an on-site cookbook with over 2,500 recipes. You can dive into a collection of global cuisines - French, Spanish, Cuban, Japanese, you name it. Search by meal types if you're in the mood for something specific. Some available options are Taco Recipes, Pasta Recipes, Soup Recipes, and Burrito Recipes, to mention a few.
Value Proposition
HelloFresh's pricing is pretty competitive, especially if you opt for larger orders. For instance, if you order 6 meals for 4 people, your first box costs $119.74 with our link. Shipping fees remain constant, regardless of box size.
Why You’ll Love HelloFresh
- More Choice = More Veggie Food Fun: The best plant based meal delivery comes with the most recipe variety for taste buds that prefer meatless meals. 100+ weekly menu and market items are available each week, including many tasty vegetarian recipes, crafted and curated by our chefs.
- Less Stress, Quicker Vegetarian Recipes: Need inspiration for your plant based lifestyle? We've got you covered with fresh, pre-measured ingredients and recipe cards delivered to your door with every vegetarian meal kit. (You may even get a freebie every now and then!) Enjoy delicious vegetarian meals that are ready in ~30 minutes.
- Flexible Veggie Dinners You’ll Love: Broccoli or carrots? Beans or chickpeas? The choice is yours. We understand that you want to stay flexible, so if you want to add meals, skip a delivery, or cook for additional guests, you’re able to tweak your vegetarian meal plan to match your lifestyle seamlessly. It’s a weekly vegetarian food delivery that provides as much or as little as you need.
2. Factor
Factor is among the leading vegetarian prepared meal delivery services. The collaborative efforts of dietitians designing the recipes and accomplished chefs bringing them to life ensure you enjoy restaurant-quality meals. This approach takes the pressure off meal preparation and simplifies cleanup, so you’ll spend little time on both.
What’s on the Menu?
You'll find vegetarian-friendly dishes among the main meals and extras. The main menu usually has several vegetarian dishes each week. The Add-ons typically have 20+ options suitable for vegetarians, including breakfasts, desserts, snacks, and beverages. The green Vegetarian label is easy to spot when you’re browsing the menu. Some example meals are Biryani Rice, Roasted Tomato & Feta Cavatappi, and French Onion & Mushroom Fusilli.The Add-Ons section is a treasure trove for people who don’t eat meat. Some suitable options are Egg Bites, Strawberry Mascarpone Cheesecake, Peanut Butter Chocolate, and White Cheddar Broccoli Mac 'n' Cheese.
What Makes It Special?
There’s no dedicated vegetarian plan, but thankfully, you can mix and match the full menu no matter what plan you select. When browsing the menu, you’ll see a separate tag for meals that are vegan rather than vegetarian.
Value Proposition
The number of single-serving meals affects the cost of your order. For instance, you’ll pay $123.33 for your first box with our link if you order 18 meals. Other weekly meal options, which come at a higher price per portion, include 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 meals.
3. Green Chef
Green Chef is the first meal kit service certified by the CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers). It also holds a USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) certification. It commits to sustainability and organically sourced ingredients, ensuring you get both healthy and delicious food.
What’s on the Menu?
The service has vegetarian options in the Meals and Add-ons sections. To find these plant-powered recipes, click on the Weekly Menu in the header and search for the light-green Veggie tag. Depending on the week, you'll typically find more than 5 main meals and several extras. You can try recipes from various global cuisines with Green Chef. Among others, the service has Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, French, Mexican, and Asian dishes on the menu. Note that most foods suitable for people on a meat-free diet can last up to 5 days in the refrigerator.Add-Ons typically feature fewer Veggie-tagged options but many have the Vegan tag. By looking for both tags, you really increase the options. Brioche French Toast and Apple Cinnamon Dutch Baby are some add-ons you can purchase.
What Makes It Special?
Shortlist plant-based dishes by personalizing your meal plan. Hit Our Plans in the header and choose the Plant Based category. This will show you all the vegetarian and vegan meals on the current menu.Note that there are usually at least 5 vegan meals on the menu, and these are, of course, suitable for vegetarians. Green Chef publishes upcoming meals 3 weeks in advance so you have plenty of time to pick out your meals.Sourcing organic ingredients may not always be possible due to factors beyond anyone's control. In such cases, the company maintains transparency by communicating the details through in-box communications and clear labeling.
Value Proposition
The more dishes you order, the less you pay per individual recipe. The starting price per meal is $6.00 for the package containing 4 weekly meals for 6 people. The smallest order, which comes at the highest price per portion, is 3 portions for 2 people.
4. Home Chef
Home Chef has several veggie recipes each week, which can be further expanded with its customization features in some dishes. If you're intolerant to some ingredients, you can also exclude certain common allergens.
What’s on the Menu?
You’ll find meat-free recipes by selecting the Vegetarian filter on the menu page. Even though the menu contains various categories, such as Meal Kits and Extras, all vegetarian-friendly recipes become 1 category once you activate this filter. Typically, you'll have several main meals and at least a dozen extras to select from.Other menu filters are Carb-Conscious, Calorie-Conscious, and < 30min. Note that you can choose only 1 filter at a time to browse corresponding meals. If you wish to search for meatless dishes that are low-carb, for example, click on the filter and search for recipes featuring a green leaf, which indicates vegetarian food.Many recipes can be made vegetarian by swapping the protein for Impossible Burger. This almost doubles your weekly vegetarian meal choices.
What Makes It Special?
Use the View Customize It Options tool to omit certain proteins from your dish. Let's say you're eyeing the Mediterranean-Style Penne, but you'd rather not have the ground turkey or beef. Select the customize option, and see what your other options are.You can leave out 4 allergens from your meal plan. To do so, click on Pick Your Meals on the homepage and make it to step 3. When you get there, you can exclude peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, mushrooms, and 5 meat types. You can also specify that you're a Vegetarian at the same stage.
Value Proposition
The service's meat-free recipes stay fresh for up to 5 days if refrigerated. Freeze them before their end date to prolong their freshness if you can't consume them within this window.Home Chef sets the price for each dish and doesn’t offer discounts for large orders. The service's most affordable recipe costs $5.00. You can buy a maximum of 6 recipes for 6 people and a minimum of 2 meals for 2 people.
5. Purple Carrot
This meal kit and prepared meal delivery service ships food to most of the continental USA. To verify your eligibility, specify your zip code when you start personalizing your mealtime.While looking at the menu, you'll find 4 categories. These are Meal Kits, Prepared Meals, Less Prep, and Frozen Meals. Note that you'll find Less Prep within the Meal Kits subcategory, too. Feel free to mix and match dishes from these 2 categories as you like.Meal Kits has mostly dinners, but you’ll also see a small selection of breakfasts and lunches. There’s an additional section called Plantry with dozens of fully vegan items such as donuts, vegan cheeses, and bagels. Note that Plantry provides a la carte items. Its assortment and prices may change.The Prepared Meals section has 16 ready-made dishes. You can serve most of them in 2 minutes. Some recipes, like Chilled Faro Antipasto Pillaf, don’t require any heating at all. Around 10 Less Prep meals typically take between 20 to 30 minutes to serve.
What Makes It Special?
Various icons accompany Purple Carrot’s dishes, emphasizing their key traits. Some of the most common labels indicate gluten-free, high-protein, and soy-free recipes. You'll also find cooking time and calorie content information with each meal.The service's food stays fresh for up to a week post-delivery. Each meal contains information about consumption dates, so you won’t be left guessing. It’s recommended that most meals be consumed within 5 days. So, consider buying a few frozen recipes to have them in the days just before the next shipment arrives. Or subscribe to Factor whose dishes remain fresh for 7 days.Besides herbivores, Purple Carrot caters to people mindful of their carb and calorie intake. It also suits people with diabetes. And most of its non-produce products are organic. But if having organic produce in your diet is very important to you, Green Chef would make a great match.
Value Proposition
The cost per serving differs for meal kits and prepared meals. The lowest price you can expect to pay is $11.00 per serving. You can order meal kits for 2 or 4 people and the minimum order is 3 recipes for 2 people or 2 recipes for 4 people. Prepared meals come in single servings, and you can order no less than 6 at a time.Purple Carrot ships its recipes to all 48 contiguous US states. The service waives shipping fees for orders over $99.
6. Eat Clean
You'll simplify your mealtime and eat healthily with Eat Clean. The service provides a decent selection of plant-based meals. And it lets you choose between different portion sizes, a rare feature among meal delivery services.
What’s on the Menu?
The menu features mostly lunch and dinner options. Some favorites are Coconut Tofu with Brown Coconut Rice, Vegetarian Paella, and Vegetable Lasagna with Broccoli. Breakfast options are fewer. But some especially liked were Cookie Crumble Vegan Pancakes and Chocolate Glazed Donuts with Vegan Patty.You can try various internationally-inspired dishes if you subscribe to this service. With it, you can discover Mexican, Caribbean, and Italian cuisines, not to mention a selection of American favorites.Use a microwave or a traditional oven to heat Eat Clean's meals. If you're in a hurry, heat food in the microwave for about 3 minutes. Note that heating in a conventional oven usually takes 25 to 35 minutes.
What Makes It Special?
Eat Clean provides 2 portion sizes for its Plant-Based meal plan - Regular and Large. While you'll pay extra for the large serving, it's a great deal if you enjoy heartier meals. To tailor your portion size, select Plans near the top of the homepage. But note that you can’t personalize ingredients with this service. So, if the meal has an allergen or some other ingredient you're not particularly fond of, you can only skip that meal. If you prefer to customize meals to fit your dietary needs or preferences, Home Chef should be a better solution for you.
Value Proposition
You can buy 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, or 20 dishes per week. The more meals you buy, the lower the cost per serving you'll pay. Also, the size of the portion - regular or large - affects the price. The lowest price per dish is $4.30. You can get vegetarian food from this service anywhere in the mainland US. The shipping fee varies from $9.99 to $17.99 depending on your location.
7. Blue Apron
Blue Apron offers vegetarian meals available in 1, 2, and 4 servings, depending on the chosen dish. Most ingredients the company serves are farm-fresh, with 4 out of 5 sourced directly from farms.
What’s on the Menu?
Blue Apron has a dedicated plan for people on a plant-based diet. Each veggie-friendly dish features a green leaf icon. When you sign up, you can opt for Veggies in the preferences section to shortlist the vegetarian dishes. You'll prepare some dishes in 20 minutes, while the most complex recipes, like Broccoli and Cheese Quiche, may require 40 to 50 minutes.There are around 4 vegetarian options per week for both meal types. This means at least 4 Meal Kits and at least 3 Prepared & Ready meals. You can also adapt certain meat-containing Meal Kits to suit a vegetarian diet.You can also find vegetarian dishes among the prepared meals. Navigate to the Add-Ons section and look for the Prepared & Ready-labeled options.
What Makes It Special?
While browsing the menu, look for Make It Vegetarian-labeled recipes. In the case of Chicken and Wonton Noodle Stir-Fry, you can replace Boneless Chicken Breast Pieces with 1 Bell Pepper and 2 Pasture-Raised Eggs. In other dishes, such as Seared Steaks and Creamy Cilantro Sauce, you can simply leave out or replace meats to align them with your diet.You can narrow down your search by selecting Veggies in the Plans section. Note that some dishes, such as Roasted Cauliflower and Farro Salad, fall into different categories.
Value Proposition
Consider a larger purchase to maximize the value of each meal. The lowest cost per dish is $4.00 for orders containing 5 Meal Kits with 4 servings.
Other Notable Options
- Martha & Marley Spoon: This collaboration brings carefully tested, family-friendly recipes with customizable protein sources, allowing for vegetarian adaptations.
- CookUnity: Offers a wide variety of chef-crafted meals, with a robust menu that includes numerous vegetarian options.
- Dinnerly: Focuses on affordability and ease, with simple, picky-eater-approved meals that can be customized with plant-based proteins.
- Sunbasket: Provides culinary variety with ready-to-use sauces and marinades, and a Fresh & Ready section for fully prepared vegetarian meals.
- Cumin Club: Specializes in low-effort Indian regional cuisine, with vegetarian meals that take just five minutes to prepare.
- Mosaic Foods: Offers frozen vegetarian and vegan dishes made with whole foods and no artificial ingredients, including single-serving and family-sized options.
- Mom’s Meals: Provides lacto-ovo vegetarian options, with potential eligibility for government or health plan assistance for those who qualify.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Vegetarian Meal Delivery Service
- Variety: Look for services that offer a diverse range of vegetarian dishes to avoid monotony.
- Ingredient Quality: Prioritize services that use high-quality, fresh, and organic ingredients.
- Convenience: Consider whether you prefer meal kits that require cooking or prepared meals that can be reheated.
- Customization: Check if the service allows you to customize meals to fit your dietary needs and preferences.
- Price: Compare the cost per serving and shipping fees across different services to find one that fits your budget.
- Sustainability: Opt for services that use eco-friendly packaging and source ingredients from local farmers.
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