Meal delivery services can make healthy eating so much easier.
It's winter, and that means less time spent outdoors and more time spent inside hunkering down in the kitchen. Figuring out what to eat for dinner can be a challenge, particularly if you're trying to cut back on takeout and eat healthier meals at home after indulging during the holidays. We went on a quest to pinpoint the best meal kit delivery service to help you not only find new options for delicious meals but also keep you motivated to meet your cooking goals and minimize your prep and shopping time.
Meal kit delivery services send a different box each week with dishes you’ve preselected according to your dietary needs and taste preferences. These services require no grocery shopping and cut down on waste by providing only what’s needed for each entree. Some specialize in healthy meal kits, while others focus on prepared meal delivery. Many have add-ons available in the form of breakfasts, lunches and desserts. There are lots of good deals to be had — some services even offer the first box free.
With so many meal kit services aimed at the home chef on the market, it's tough to decide where to start — you want to ensure you choose one that meets your household's needs. That’s where I come in. I’ve been writing about food and cooking for years now, have a degree from the French Culinary Institute and have worked for various food publications. I'm also a mom with an active teen and tween, whom I cook for daily.
Update, Jan. 23, 2025:We checked all product prices and availability. Our number one pick for best meal delivery service kits remains unchanged.
Weekly menu options: 30+ recipes | Diet choices: Omnivore, plant-based, pescatarian, quick and easy, family-friendly, under 650 calories | Skill level: Intermediate | Taste: 8/10
Hello Fresh was our overall favorite meal kit service for its variety of flavorful recipes and ability to customize meal options. For example, if you like shrimp instead of fish, you can swap out that ingredient. I appreciated the generous portion sizes of some meals, which means you can (and will want to!) reheat the leftovers for lunch the next day. Of note, Hello Fresh offers plant-based meals and rotating menu options.
It costs from $10 per serving if you order meals for four people (less if you can lay your hands on a promo code). Three meals per week for four people costs $130.
There are 30+ meal choices per week, with the ability to filter recipes by the following categories and dietary restrictions: Omnivore, plant-based, pescatarian, quick and easy, family-friendly and under 650 calories. You may order a maximum of four servings per meal and up to six meals per week. Some meals took longer to prep than what the recipe cards estimated and were occasionally too much work at the end of a long day. However, some of the portion sizes were extra generous. We recommend this kit for cooks with at least some experience.
Most of the packaging is recyclable, plus the company determines each order’s most efficient ice levels and box sizes to ensure that each delivery vehicle can carry more boxes and produce fewer carbon emissions.
Read my full review on the Hello Fresh meal delivery service.
Weekly menu options: 26 recipes | Diet choices: Customer favorites, 30 minutes or less, vegetarian, vegan, omnivore, pescatarian | Skill level: Beginner | Taste: 7/10
EveryPlate earned best crowd-pleaser for its familiar flavors, plus recipes that are quick to make and budget-friendly. Three meals per week for four people costs $72 (including shipping), or $5.99 per serving — less if you use a promo code. You may order a maximum of six servings per meal and up to six meals per week.
EveryPlate recipes may not be super sophisticated or feature 12 ingredients in each dish, but that’s exactly what you want when you have to feed a crowd of hungry people who are looking for familiar flavors. You’ll save time and money and will likely have leftovers. Some meal prep times turned out to be longer than advertised, but there are only six steps in any given recipe, making EveryPlate a good choice for even the most skittish cooks.
With 26 menu options to choose from each week, you're bound to find a few that appeal. (Although some dishes were too creamy and didn’t seem healthy enough to eat frequently.) This meal kit does not cater to specific dietary restrictions, though some plant-based recipes were available. And good news: Most of the packaging is recyclable.
Read my full review on the EveryPlate meal delivery service.
Weekly menu options: 100+ recipes | Diet choices: Low-carb, low-calorie, dairy-free, vegetarian, vegan, kid-friendly, one pot meal, omnivore, pescatarian, under 30 minutes, breakfast, appetizers, desserts, family-friendly | Skill level: Intermediate | Taste: 10/10
We crowned Marley Spoon the most sophisticated plan because of its fresh and yummy produce. For three meals per week for four people, the cost is $132 (including shipping), or $9.99 per serving if you order meals for four people — less if you use a promo code. You may order a maximum of four servings per meal and up to six meals per week.
Marley Spoon's were the best-tasting meals we tried. The quality and fresh ingredients were noteworthy, as were the portion sizes. The recipes are not only delicious, but they're also sophisticated, which meant I occasionally had to cut corners on prep since some were too labor-intensive for weeknights. For example, when I read that a zucchini and a piece of Parmesan would need to be grated at the end of a particularly exhausting day, I quickly diced the zucchini and saved the Parmesan for later while substituting some pre-grated Parm from the fridge instead.
If you have time for that and are a foodie, then this is the meal kit for you. Personally, while I was impressed with the quality of ingredients and elegant recipes, I would prefer to cook Marley Spoon meals on weekends or days when I have more time to get through the numerous steps. This kit is best suited to people who cook regularly.
With more than 100 recipes and meal options each week that fall into categories like health and diet, vegetarian and vegan, meat and fish, under 30 minutes and family-friendly, you can satisfy most dietary restrictions. The weekly menus also feature breakfast options, desserts and party-friendly appetizers.
Marley Spoon strives for carbon neutrality, which is achieved by offsetting emissions through decreased food waste, mostly via recyclable packaging and supporting carbon offset projects.
Read my full review on the Marley Spoon meal delivery service.
Weekly menu options: 35+ recipes | Diet choices: Calorie-conscious, carb-conscious, vegetarian, easy-prep, under 30 minutes | Skill level: Beginner | Taste: 7/10
Home Chef earned most flexible meal kit because it offers meals for every scenario you might face in a week. Whether you want a meal on the table in 15 to 30 minutes, or have time for more involved prep, you will find a solution that works. Starting at $7.99 per serving (depending on the type of kit) four meals for four people costs $131 per week, including shipping. You may order a maximum of 6 servings per meal and up to 4 meals per week.
Home Chef is very solutions-oriented. It's certainly the meal kit delivery service we would turn to when faced with a variety of weeknight schedule quirks. Across the board, the recipes were easy to follow and the meals were flavorful, if not adventurous. Most meal prep times were accurate and none of the steps were particularly complicated. Even novice cooks could make any of the meals we tested.
There are about 35 menu options to choose from each week with familiar flavors inspired by global cuisine (Italian, Tex-Mex, Greek, American classics, etc.). They do not cater to specific dietary restrictions, though some vegetarian/plant-based recipes were available. There was an option to filter recipes by the following categories: Calorie-conscious, carb-conscious, vegetarian and under 30 minutes.
All three meals we tried seemed reasonably healthy and tasty. One tester said the Japanese-Style Steak Tacos were the best meal I had cooked in a while. We tried the Souvlaki Greek-Style Chicken one night, which is a version of a dinner I make two or three times a month anyway. This is to say that many of the options are perfect for newer cooks and perhaps a bit too familiar to more experienced ones.
Most of the packaging is recyclable.
Read my full review on the Home Chef meal delivery service.
Weekly menu choices: 70+ recipes | Diet choices: Chef favorites, wellness, family-friendly, fast and easy, vegetarian | Skill level: Beginner | Taste: 7/10
Blue Apron earned best time-saving meal kit delivery service because its recipes are so easy to follow — you can't mess them up! Three meals per week for four people costs $125, (or $9.49 per serving) plus a $10.99 shipping fee.
I felt very efficient using a Blue Apron kit for weeknight dinners. The instructions were easy to follow and execute. For the most part, I was able to prepare the meals in the time suggested. This kit is appropriate for cooks of all skill levels.
Plus, I liked the variety of the weekly menu, which could be tailored to specific dietary restrictions. There are 50-plus weekly options that range from fast and easy to vegetarian to wellness and beyond. The weekly menus also include add-on items like breakfast kits, à la carte proteins and party-friendly appetizers and desserts. You may order a maximum of four servings per meal and up to four meals per week.
In terms of flavor, I found these meals to be average overall, with the proteins rating lower in quality than expected. But I really appreciated the easy and clear recipe instructions — and the fact that I was able to put dinner on the table relatively quickly.
Over 85% of Blue Apron packaging is recyclable by weight, and its website provides easy-to-understand recycling instructions for specific components. However, I wished the packaging had featured allergen and ingredient labeling, rather than directing me to the website.
Read my full review on the Blue Apron meal delivery service.
Weekly menu options: 70+ recipes | Diet choices: Keto, paleo, Mediterranean, vegan, vegetarian, "Fast & Fit" gluten-free | Skill level: Beginner | Taste: 9/10
We easily rated Green Chef best organic and sustainable meal kit because it took the work out of putting meals on the table with mostly organic ingredients. It also allowed us to choose based on various dietary restrictions. Three meals per week for four people costs $150 (including shipping), or $11.99 per serving. You may order a maximum of six servings per meal and up to four meals per week.
I preferred GreenChef's vegetarian meals to the omnivore dishes I tried, and I found them appealing enough to continue eating them for lunch the next day. Though I appreciated the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) designation, I was left wondering about the nutritional value of some of the marinades and sauces.
The directions were clear and easy to follow, though I would have liked a tip on which size pan to use. The protein provided for the chicken dish we tried was cut into small, uneven pieces, which resulted in overcooking. However, this kit is workable for cooks of all levels.
There are 24 recipes to choose from each week across categories including keto + paleo, vegan, vegetarian, Fast & Fit, Mediterranean and gluten-free. Green Chef also offers a high protein option. The weekly menus also offer a couple of 10-minute lunch kits.
The meals my family tried were a mix of vegetarian and omnivore recipes (all featuring organic produce). We loved the taste of both and found that the flavors were much more complex than our usual weeknight go-tos.
GreenChef boasts a 100% offset of the direct carbon emissions and plastic from every box sold. Most of the packaging components are recyclable, depending on what types of items your community recycling system supports. We found the allergen labeling clear and helpful.
Read my full review on the Green Chef meal delivery service.
Weekly menu options: 16 recipes along with menus for breakfast (4) and lunch (4) | Diet choices: Vegetarian, vegan, soy-free, gluten-free, nut-free | Skill level: Beginner | Taste: 8/10
The spot for best vegetarian/vegan meal kit went to Purple Carrot, which offers a variety of vegetarian meals that are satisfying and flavorful. Three meals per week for four people costs $132 (including shipping), or $11 per serving. You may order a maximum of four servings per meal and up to four meals per week.
For vegan meals and vegetarian options, Purple Carrot's pricing seems a bit high, but the quality, freshness and variety of recipes were better than that of other meal kits we tried. Overall, Purple Carrot helped my family get out of our weeknight dinner rut with new veggies, and we would probably try it every few months for that reason. We loved the flavors and textures and found the recipes to be a nice change of pace from our usual home-cooked dinners.
There are roughly 24 menu choices per week, ranging from breakfast to dinner options. There are also categories based on dietary preference such as soy-free, gluten-free and nut-free. These recipes took a bit longer to cook than the instructions suggested but could easily be prepared by most home cooks.
The majority of Purple Carrot packaging components are recyclable, depending on what types of items your community recycling system supports.
Read our full review of the Purple Carrot meal delivery service.
Cost: $5 - $8 per serving, including shipping | Variety: 100+ recipes to choose from each week | Meal types: Kid-Friendly, Dairy-Free, Under 30 Minutes, Vegetarian, Low-carb
Weekly menu options: 18 recipes along with premade meals and snacks | Diet choices: Paleo, vegan, pescatarian, dairy-free, soy-free, gluten-free, diabetes-friendly | Skill level: Beginner | Taste: 7/10
Sunbasket is not the cozy sweatpants of meal kits. Most options recipes were pretty healthy and nutritionally dense with organic produce and sustainable proteins wherever possible. My kids are fairly adventurous and sophisticated when it comes to flavors, but some options from Sunbasket were a reach. I’ll say this though, they’re not as boring as other brands I’ve tried.
There are lots of vegetarian options to which you can add on meat, poultry or fish or leave as is and more than the usual number of fish and seafood choices from meal kit services. What struck me in particular was the elevated prices of the kits that contained animal proteins. The pricing structure is a bit different as the servings don't get cheaper as you order more meals. At up to $18 per serving, this is not a budget-conscious offering. You can order two to four meals per week for two to four people each.
I found the recipe instructions easy to follow and the prep times accurate. The website offered full nutrition and allergen info and also gave suggestions for which cooking steps kids could help with. While there was a lot of packaging in each box, I understand that most of it is recyclable or compostable. Unfortunately, some of the containers of ingredients had burst open in my delivery and were leaking. A call to Sunbasket customer service earned me a 50% refund.
With the market flooded with options, choosing the right meal kit delivery service can feel overwhelming. Because each brand has its own points of difference and offers kits for people focused on everything from allergies to wellness to weight loss, you're sure to find a meal delivery kit that suits your needs. A few key things to look for in the best meal delivery kit to meet your needs are:
Cost: Thankfully, there is a wide range of price points across meal delivery services, so you should not have too much trouble finding a kit that aligns with your budget.
Ease of use: You’re getting a meal kit to make your life easier, so you don’t want anything too complicated or time-consuming.
Menu choices: Because we all want a good variety of meals, recipes and high-quality ingredients that change seasonally.
Taste: Above all, you want your dinner to be yummy!
Packaging: Is there too much? Too little? Is it adding too much waste into the world? We factored this into our reviews.
Every meal kit we reviewed has different strengths and weaknesses. Some are very easy, others offer more variety; some are great for families with picky eaters and special diets, and others are geared toward noncarnivores. We also tested some heat-and-eat premade meal options (remember when we used to call them TV dinners?) to throw into the mix as the easiest to make of the bunch.
To narrow down the list of the best meal delivery services, Yahoo staffers and I tested kits with our families. We evaluated the services according to the number of weekly menu choices offered that cater to a multitude of dietary variations (low-carb, keto, paleo, kid-friendly, vegan, etc.), the quality and freshness of the included ingredients, ease of cooking, cost, eco-friendly packaging, and, most of all, taste.
In making the final selection of winners, I also weighed info from Facebook Groups devoted to discussing meal kits, plus expert advice from Jaclyn London, a New York City-based registered dietitian.
Meal kits are meals that are delivered to your home in a box. They contain premeasured ingredients and an accompanying recipe, enabling you to create a fresh-cooked meal at home without having to run to the supermarket or measure your own ingredients. You can usually order a kit to come between one and seven days per week, and you'll find services that offer meals for two, four, and, with a few services, even more people.
A weight lifted off your shoulders! With each delivery of preportioned ingredients and an accompanying recipe, you won't have to worry about what’s for dinner or a meal plan. There are meal delivery services to suit every budget and dietary need. These companies generally allow you to filter meals by your food restrictions and specific diets (omnivore, vegan or plant-based, keto, gluten-free, pescatarian, low-carb, etc.), ease of use and time constraints. You can usually choose your delivery day and even add extras like portions of protein, breakfast foods, quick lunches and desserts.
Most meal kit companies offer major discounts to first-time customers, making it very affordable to try a bunch before you commit (or don’t) to any one plan. All you have to do is take advantage of any one of these offers and then mark your calendar with an alert for the date by which you must cancel the subscription.
Saving money depends on a variety of factors, like what grocery store you purchase from, what kinds of food you typically eat for dinner and what additional snacks or meals you need to buy in addition to the subscription service. However, meal delivery services are surprisingly affordable amid unpredictable inflation.
For one person, it depends on what you eat, how much you eat and how many servings you have to order through the meal kit service. For some it could be worth it, for others it might not be worth it, so take into account your own personal eating habits and what you want out of the service before diving in.
Jaclyn London, MS, RD, CN is a New York City-based registered dietitian. She is an adjunct professor of nutrition at Touro College and previously served as senior clinical dietitian at The Mount Sinai Hospital.
We received complimentary samples of some meal delivery services and purchased others ourselves and reviewed all with the same criteria.