Meal delivery services are a quick and convenient way to eat healthy, affordable, and delicious food at home. With meal delivery kits you can enjoy nutritious, restaurant-quality meals, inspired by chefs at a fraction of the cost of going to a restaurant or getting takeout.
No matter what type of diet you follow, meal delivery services offer varied options for proteins, vegetarian and vegan dishes, and even snacks and smoothies. There are also dedicated meal plans for diabetics, for people who follow a gluten-free diet, and other dietary restrictions. And if you're looking to lose weight, they can also be a great way of easily maintaining meal planning and portion control.
Whether you choose to prepare them yourself, or opt for pre-prepared meal kits to save extra time in the kitchen, meal delivery kits are a great way to keep mealtime exciting and never boring.
From oven-ready to prepared meal kits, we've tested and ranked them all.
Here are our picks for the Top 10 best meal kit delivery services in the US:
HelloFresh is a nice meal delivery service for people looking for healthier, varied, easy-to-prepare recipes to feed their household. Regardless of your recipe preference, every kit includes all the ingredients you need, with clear directions, and easy clean-up.
HelloFresh works best for families who don’t follow a restrictive diet pattern but are interested in receiving a variety of meals. This service does not offer dairy-free, nut-free, or gluten-free recipes, but does provide a variety of protein options and includes fresh produce in every recipe. Every week offers at least 25 recipes to choose from, and you can always adjust, skip, or cancel your delivery and subscription.
Home Chef is a meal delivery service that puts tasty and healthy eating within reach. If you want to cut down on food waste and prep times, while still enjoying making dinner with family and friends, Home Chef is a great choice. Home Chef aims to make dinner prep easier by giving you all the pre-portioned ingredients you’ll need to feed 2 – 6 people, plus the detailed step-by-step instructions with pictures to make great dinners possible, no matter your skill level.
With a level of quality and a price point typical of your average meal delivery services, Home Chef’s distinguishing feature is their customizability. For starters, you can choose between two healthy diet options: calorie-conscious or carb-conscious. Then you can cut out any of 8 common dietary preferences. When it comes to proteins, you can swap, double up, or switch to a vegan meat alternative. Finally, you can categorize recipes based on dietary preference, giving you full control over what arrives in the box on your doorstep.
Sunbasket has lots of recipe options to fit your taste, dietary choices, and food preferences. Every recipe is developed by award-winning chef, Justine Kelly, who was the former head chef of a James Beard award-winning restaurant, The Slanted Door, which showcased recipes, ingredients, and flavors from around the world.
Every week Justine Kelly crafts delightfully simple and tasty recipes and sources the best ingredients for each week's meal baskets. You may be eating Okinawa flaked tuna and egg stir-fry with arugula-mango salad one night and Tex-Mex chicken fajitas with sweet-pepper tomato salsa the next. The meals are neither gimmicky nor overly complex but feature recipes that are easy to follow and delicious to eat.
Factor_ (also known as Factor or Factor 75) provides chef-crafted and dietitian-designed meals that are suited for almost every diet, delivered fresh, and ready-to-eat. Each meal is carefully balanced to be nutritious, delicious, and promote a healthy lifestyle. It’s particularly good for people on paleo, ketogenic, or other carb-conscious diets.
Meals are made from high-quality, organic ingredients and do not require any prep work. Factor_ avoids soy and gluten in their meals, but they are not approved for those with Celiac disease.
Meals stay fresh for up to 10 days and can be frozen to eat later. Factor_ also offers nutritional consultations and coaching to help you be more accountable for your diet and health. If you’re looking for a simple way to live a healthier lifestyle, Factor_ could be the meal delivery service for you.
Blue Apron is the most well-known in the industry and has taken leaps and bounds in recent years to try and change how we’re eating at home.
The company wants to help customers learn more about how to cook well at home, and to become more intimately acquainted with their food and the ingredients that go into it.
One drawback of Blue Apron is that it offers less variety than most of it's competitors. That said, even with the smaller selection you can experiment with some brilliantly designed and delicious recipes.
Freshly is the only no-prep meal delivery service that offers an exclusively gluten free menu. If you need even more customization with your meals, Freshly has you covered with dairy-free, vegetarian, low-carb, and low-calorie options, plus meals that fit multiple other restrictions. Freshly is the best choice for picky eaters who need healthy, tasty, convenient options to rely on in a hurry.
Freshly’s commitment to sustainability is another asset of theirs, making this service good for not only your health, but also the environment. With so many options — including gluten-free alternatives to old favorites and Freshly’s invigorating world foods for an adventurous palette — a Freshly subscription could be an asset for successfully meeting your nutrition health goals.
EveryPlate is a nice option for people looking for simple and affordable home-cooked dinners. Their kits provide all the ingredients you’ll need and step-by-step instructions that won’t take more than 30 minutes to make. Additionally, the company makes ordering meals, the ability to skip meals or pause meals, and schedule meals effortless.
While EveryPlate offers a rotating menu of 17 meals per week, over time, their limited menu may feel repetitive. EveryPlate has some vegetarian options, however, they don’t offer any options for those following a keto, gluten-free, paleo, low carb or vegan diet. Moreover, EveryPlate does not cater to people with food allergies.
Green Chef is a nice meal kit delivery service for people seeking certified organic meals that save time and effort. Using Green Chef, you can choose from several preferences, including keto, paleo, vegetarian, vegan, low-carb, gluten-free, Mediterranean, and quick meals.
Green Chef works best for people and families who want to cook healthy and tasty meals in around 30 minutes. This may be a good fit for people who already follow a healthy lifestyle and want the addition of easy meals, or want to start eating healthier with the help of simple recipes that will teach them how to use a variety of flavors, seasonings, and ingredients.
If you’re looking for a scientifically proven method of weight loss, consider Nutrisystem. You’ll have between 90 to 160 meal choices, depending on which plan you choose. Meals arrive monthly, saving you time that you’d usually spend having to plan, shop, and prep meals.
Meals are dietitian-approved and based on the scientifically sound US Dietary Guidelines. Diabetic-friendly and vegetarian meal options are available in addition to snacks, shakes, and bars to make weight loss easier. In addition, you’ll get the support you need through Nutrisystem’s Numi app to help you achieve your weight loss goals.
Fresh and Easy is a meal delivery service by Home Chef, providing little to no-prep meals. Mix and match until you’ve chosen your allotment of meals and then enjoy.
Fresh and Easy’s pre-portioned meal ingredients come prepped, and in many cases, pre-made. All you need to do is assemble the ingredients and toss them in your oven, microwave, grill or slow-cooker. Fresh and Easy menus change weekly and feature over 20 different items. Most meals are full entrees, though sandwiches and salads are also available.
Many of Fresh and Easy meals include meat, poultry, or other animal proteins for carb-conscious or calorie-conscious eaters. Vegan and vegetarian options are available, too.
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| Compare Best Meal Kit Delivery Services | 1  | 2  | 3  | 4  | 5  | 6  | 7 .20190221085848.png) | 8  | 9  | 10  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 61 reviews | 54 reviews | 14 reviews | 60 reviews | 14 reviews | 72 reviews | 13 reviews | 99 reviews | 149 reviews | Write Review |
Price | From $7.99
per serving | From $8.99
per serving | From $9.99
per serving | From $11
per serving | From $7.49
per serving | From $8.99 per serving | From $4.99 per serving | From $11.99
per serving | From $9.99 | From $8.99 per serving |
Shipping |
$9.99
|
$7.99 for sub-$45 orders
on orders over $45 | Free with first order
free shipping for first week | Free |
$9.99
| $6.99 – $11.99 per order | $8.99 per serving |
$9.99
| Free |
$8.99
on orders over $49 |
Delivery areas |
Continental United States
except AK and HI |
“98% of the U.S.”
search your zip code on company website | Sunbasket ships everywhere in the U.S. except for Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, North Dakota, and some areas in New Mexico
except AK, HI, MT, and some of NM |
48 states
except AK and HI |
Available in the 48 contiguous United States
except AK and HI | Continental U.S. |
Continental United States
search your zip code on company website |
Continental United States
except some parts of LA |
US and Canada
|
Throughout the US
search your zip code on company website |
Great for |
Busy Families, Pescatarian/Vegetarian, Non-Picky Eaters
|
Healthy home cooking
| Those who want to save time while eating sustainable and organic high quality food.
|
Low carb diets
customized plans, keto and paleo options | Busy families |
Healthy gluten free eating
|
Non-picky eaters on a budget
|
Organic eaters, Plant-based eaters, Healthy lifestyles
keto, paleo, gluten-free |
Weight loss
|
Convenient comfort foods
|
Special offers |
$90 off first order
including free shipping on first box |
New customer offer: $30 off weekly for 3 weeks
First responders, healthcare, and teacher discount: 50% off first order and 10% off remaining orders.
| N/A plus 4 free gifts |
$120 off initial order
|
$90 off your first 4 boxes!
| $30 off first 2 orders
$30 off for each referral
|
$5.00 off your 1st 2 boxes
| $135 Off + Free shipping including free shipping on first box |
100K Giveaway contest
|
On initial subscription
|
All about the Food | ||||||||||
Special diets | Vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free | Vegetarian, soy-free, dairy-free, calorie-conscious | Vegetarian, Vegan, quick and easy, lean and clean | Soy-free, organic & more | Vegetarian, gluten-free, low carb, diabetic | Gluten-free, high-protein, vegetarian, soy-free and more | None | Carnivore, pescatarian, paleo, keto and more | Men, women, diabetes, vegetarian | Low-calorie, low-carb |
Ingredients quality | Ingredients come “fresh from the source” | Food sourced from “top quality vendors” | Organic, antibiotic and hormone- free produce | Organic, non-GMO produce | Non GMO produce | No additives or refined sugars | Fresh, high quality ingredients | USDA certified organic | Contains some sugar alcohols, GMOs | Organic when possible |
Recipe options per week | 5-8 | 12 dinners, 3 lunches | 6-18 | Dozens | 4-8 | 26 entrees, 7 breakfasts | 8 | 3 per meal plan | 160+ | 9 |
Number of menus | 3 Classic, veggie, and family | 1 | 2 Classic and family | 4, 6, 8, 12, or 18 meals per week | 3 Vegetarian, 2-person, 4-person | 4, 6, 9 or 12 meals per week | 1 | 7 For various specialty diets | 3 | 1 |
What's in the box | 3-5 meals of 2 or 4 servings each | 2-6 meals 2,4 or 6 servings each | 2-4 meals of 2-4 servings each | 4-18 servings per week | 2-4 meals 2-4 servings each | 4, 6, 9 meals or 12 meals of one serving | 3 meals 2-4 servings each | 2-3 meals of 2 or 4 servings each | 6 meals a day for a month | 2-6 meals with 2,4, or 6 servings each |
Prep time | About 30 minutes | About 30 minutes | About 30 minutes | About 5 minutes | About 30 minutes | About 5 minutes | About 30-45 minutes | About 30 minutes | 3 minutes to heat | 30-45 minutes |
Prep difficulty | Easy | Easy | Easy | Easy | Easy | Easy | Easy | Easy | Easy | Easy |
The Nitty Gritty Details | ||||||||||
Flexible subscription | ||||||||||
Packaging | Fully recyclable Except some winter liners | Fully recyclable | Fully recyclable | Fully recyclable | Fully recyclable | Partially recyclable | Fully recyclable | Fully recyclable | Standard | Fully recyclable |
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