In this post, we will be checking out two very popular plant-based platforms which all vegetarians absolutely love. Purple Carrot is a meal kit delivery service which delivers ingredients along with recipes to customers, while Mosaic delivers fully-prepared meals to its users.
In the end, we will give you our opinions on which of these two may be the better choice based on first-hand experiences.
Purple Carrot vs Mosaic
The table below has listed the main features which are present in Purple Carrot and Mosaic. We have mentioned the delivery areas of these two platforms, along with the price ranges of the food items present here. You can choose between these plant-based platforms by using the information presented in the table below.
| Feature | Purple Carrot | Mosaic |
| Delivery areas | 98% of the United States aside from Alaska & Hawaii | Most metro areas in Eastern and Western US |
| Price per plate | $11 per plate minimum | $5 per plate minimum |
| Difficulty levels | Easy | Easy |
| Avg. cooking time | 30 – 40 minutes | 3 minutes of heating |
| Avg. calorie count | 600-900 calories per serving | 400-600 calories per serving |
| Supporting material | Recipe booklet,Online information | Nutritional information,Blog |
| Recipes supported | Gluten-free,High-protein,Low-carb,Nut-free,Soy-fee,American,French,Indian,Italian,Middle Eastern | Veggie Bowls,Family meals,Pizzas,Smoothies,Soups,Oat Bowls,Pumpkin spice foods |
| No. of choices | 12 per week | 28 lunches & dinners, 6 soups and 6 oat bowls per week |
| Introductory deal | $20 off on first order | $30 off on first order |
| Avg. shelf life | 3-5 days | 3-6 months in freezer |
Types of Plans: Purple Carrot vs Mosaic
| Purple Carrot | Mosaic |
| Meal-kit 2 or 4 servings, 3 or 4 dinners per week | Six items per box Six items of lunch/dinners, soups, pizzas, oat bowls, etc. |
| Prepared meals 1 serving per meal, 6 or 8 or 10 dinners per week | 12 items per box $10 in savings |
| `18 items per box $20 in savings |
In Purple Carrot, the customer can choose from standard meal kits and prepared meals. The meal kits in Purple Carrot come with raw ingredients along with recipe cards which need to be followed to cook the meals. The prepared meals in Purple Carrot are delivered in a frozen state and only need to be heated for a while.
In Mosaic, the user is free to choose from various sizes of boxes. There are no exact plans in this meal delivery service. The user can just add the items they want to their weekly cart. The gist here is that the more items the customer adds to the cart, the more discounts they get on their weekly bill.
Winner: Purple Carrot wins the Types of Plans segment.
Types of Ingredient: Purple Carrot vs Mosaic
| Ingredient type | Purple Carrot | Mosaic |
| Produce | Farm-fresh produce | Hudson Valley |
| Meat, eggs, fish | No meat | No meat |
| Other ingredients | Seasonings,Sauces | None |
Both of these platforms are completely plant-based and therefore no meat is included in the meals. Purple Carrot sources its produce and the greens from local farms and vendors who tie up with the platform. Purple Carrot tends to place a lot of emphasis on seasonal produce in order to bring safe and great-tasting meals to the users.
Mosaic is pretty limited in its delivery areas and originally started from the center point of New York. In this meal delivery service, all the produce and the veggies are sourced from farms placed in Hudson Valley. Since the meals are fully cooked, no seasonings and sauces are provided.
Winner: Purple Carrot and Mosaic win the Types of Ingredients segment.
Add-Ons: Purple Carrot vs Mosaic
| Purple Carrot | Mosaic |
| Breakfast,Lunch,Grocery items | All items |
In Purple Carrot, the customer can get a lot more than just meal kits and recipes. Purple Carrot also has an extensive add-on menu from which the user can add a lot more items to their weekly cart. The add-ons in Purple Carrot include ready-to-eat breakfast items and even lunch items, along with a large selection of vegan grocery items.
Mosaic does not exactly have a specific add-on menu. The user can simply add more items if they want to. The items in Mosaic include veggie bowls, pizzas, smoothies, soups, chef-crafted foods, oat bowls and more. All the food items in Mosaic are completely vegetarian while many of these are vegan.
Winner: Purple Carrot wins the Add-ons segment.
Packaging of Meal kit: Purple Carrot vs Mosaic
| Purple Carrot | Mosaic |
| Meal box,Liners, Cooling packs,Plastic jars,Plastic bottles,Plastic bags | Box,Liners,Dry ice,Meal box,Plastic trays,Cups |
| Fully recyclable | Fully recyclable |
The packaging of the food in both of these platforms is easily recyclable and also reusable to a certain extent. In Purple Carrot, the meal kits arrive in boxes which are mostly made of recycled cardboard. The boxes are lined with denim cotton which can be easily recycled curbside. The plastic used for the bottles and the individual packaging is also BPA-free.
When it comes to Mosaic, the packaging of the food items uses mostly recycled cardboard. The boxes are lined with starch which can also be recycled curbside. The plastic which makes up the food trays is completely BPA-free. Instead of using cooling packs containing gels, Mosaic uses dry ice which dissipates on its own.
Winner: Mosaic wins the Packaging of the Meal kit segment.
Customer Support: Purple Carrot vs Mosaic
| Feature | Purple Carrot | Mosaic |
| Chat support | + | + |
| Email support | + | + |
| Phone support | + | + |
| Availability | Monday-Friday | All days of the week |
Purple Carrot’s customer support can be reached through a number of ways, including live chat, email support and even phone support. This is also the same for Mosaic which has chat support, email support and phone support. While Purple Carrot’s customer support operates only from Monday to Friday, Mosaic operates on all days of the week.
Winner: Mosaic wins the Customer Support segment.
Sample Meals: Purple Carrot vs Mosaic
| Sample | Purple Carrot | Mosaic |
| Sample 1 | Name: Charred Broccoli Tacos with Garlicky Black Beans & Roasted Pepper ChimichurriPreparation time: 45 minsSpice level: MediumNo. of calories: 640 calories | Name: Mushroom Lover’s PizzaCalorie count: 330Baking time: 16-20 minsSpice level: Mild |
| Sample 2 | Name: Tofu Palak PaneerPreparation time: 40 minsSpice level: MediumNo. of calories: 650 calories | Name: Brussels & Squash Harvest BowlCalorie count: 500Heating time: 4-5 minsSpice level: Mild |
| Sample 3 | Name: Creamy Pasta PrimaveraPreparation time: 30 minsSpice level: MildNo. of calories: 430 calories | Name: Curried Lentil SoupCalorie count: 460Heating time: 3 minsSpice level: Medium |
Purple Carrot’s menu has offerings from many different cuisines, both local and international. And therefore, the meals here can easily cater to different types of palates. Most of the recipes in Purple Carrot can be prepared in less than thirty minutes. And there are many healthy vegetarian takes on crowd-favorite meat-based dishes which can make the entire dinner table applaud.
Mosaic’s foods are all freshly prepared and flash-frozen to preserve freshness as well as nutrition. Here, the user can find the usual veggie bowls and soups and even crowd-pleasers like pizza which are completely vegetarian and can be consumed without guilt. Most of the foods in Mosaic can be easily heated up in a microwave oven for a few minutes, but the pizzas need to be baked for about 20 minutes each.
Winner: Purple Carrot wins the Sample Meals segment.
App rating: Purple Carrot vs Mosaic
| Platform | Purple Carrot | Mosaic |
| Google Play Store | Not available | Not available |
| Apple App Store | Not available | Not available |
| TWP Rating | 3/5 | 3.5/5 |
Final Verdict: Mosaic wins this clash because of its fully-cooked meals and easy-to-access menu.
Purple Carrot has gained a lot of critical acclaim since it is one of the very few meal kit delivery services which are completely vegetarian. The great advantage of using Purple Carrot as a meal kit delivery service is that the recipes are very easy to follow and can be prepared in a very short span of time. Purple Carrot also has grocery essentials on its menu, which is very commendable.
In Mosaic, the foods are fully-prepared and thus, the customer does not need to put in any effort in the kitchen. Apart from the usual veggie bowls and soups which other meal delivery services have, Mosaic has many other interesting items like vegetarian pizzas and even pumpkin-spiced items which can definitely tickle the nose of any ‘Tiktoker’ or ‘Fall-theme influencer’.
Between Purple Carrot and Mosaic, the latter takes the crown. This is mainly since all the foods in Mosaic are fully-prepared and do not need any cooking. The meal delivery is also very easy to access, and the ingredients are seriously fresh and sustainably sourced. If more Mosaic delivery areas open up soon, this meal delivery service should soon take over the nation.
Methodology
To bring you the best reviews of each and every meal delivery service, we spoke to testers and real life users, reviewed the information provided by each service on their respective websites, carried out primary research on social media platforms and checked out the user reviews of these platforms on various social media sites. We have also used the reviews presented by current users of these services on their respective Google and Apple apps.
We are currently conducting our own internal review and we will update this page with videos and pictures of our experiences. If they differ extensively from what our external reviewers said then we will update this post so you get both points of views and can decide which service provider is more suited to your needs based on the information above.
The main types of criteria which we have used in order to assess and evaluate these meal delivery services is the simplicity of the recipes, the variety of meals in the service, the inclusiveness of diets and cuisines and even the supporting material.
In addition to these, we have also highly taken into regard the sustainability and recyclability of the packaging of these services. Lastly, we have also considered the delivery services and customer services of these platforms.
Frequently asked questions: “Purple Carrot vs Mosaic”
Are Purple Carrot prepared meals frozen?
Yes, Purple Carrot prepared meals are frozen. These meals are fully prepared and are delivered in a frozen state. Before consumption, the user has to simply heat the foods up in a microwave oven or even a conventional oven. The meals range from vegetarian dishes to even vegan dishes, which are delicious and healthy as per user reviews.
How often does Purple Carrot change their prepared meals?
Purple Carrot changes its prepared meals once every two weeks. This is done to bring more variety to the customer’s dining table and also ensure the right balance of nutrients. However, Purple Carrot’s menu has been found to be very limited in variety when compared to many other meal kit delivery services.
Do Mosaic foods come frozen?
Yes, Mosaic foods come frozen. The foods in Mosaic are flash frozen in order to preserve the freshness of the meals. The meals are fully prepared and thus do not require the user to do any cooking. Before consumption, the user can simply heat the meals up in a microwave oven or a conventional oven as per their choice.
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