Finding the right meal delivery service can make your life a lot easier. These services bring fresh ingredients and tasty recipes straight to your door, saving you time and effort. Whether you’re a busy professional, a parent, or just someone who wants to eat healthier, there’s a meal delivery service that fits your needs. Our team tested over 50 services and asked 300 home cooks to help us find the best ones. Here are our top picks for meal delivery services that cater to different lifestyles and budgets.
Key Takeaways
- Meal delivery services save time and reduce the stress of meal planning and grocery shopping.
- There are options available for various dietary needs, including gluten-free, vegan, and keto.
- Most services allow easy cancellation or modification of your subscription.
- Prices vary widely, with some services offering meals as low as $5 per serving.
- Meal kits require some cooking, while prepared meals just need to be heated.
Blue Apron
Blue Apron is a popular meal delivery service that offers a variety of meal kits and prepared meals. It’s perfect for those who love to cook but don’t have the time to shop for ingredients. Blue Apron provides high-quality, fresh ingredients and easy-to-follow recipe cards, making it a great choice for both beginner and experienced cooks.
How It Works
Blue Apron offers over 16 weekly menu options that rotate and fit different diets and lifestyles. You can choose from menu preferences like Chef Favorites, Wellness, Family Friendly, Fast & Easy, and Veggies. They also have premium recipes with specialty proteins like duck, scallops, and lamb. For those who prefer less cooking, Blue Apron offers Prepared & Ready meals that are ready in five minutes or less.
Meal Kits and Prepared Meals
Blue Apron’s meal kits include individually packaged sauces and spices, along with produce and proteins. The recipe cards are full-color and list the ingredients and step-by-step instructions. You’ll need a few pantry staples like salt, pepper, and oil, but Blue Apron provides the rest. If you want a less hands-on experience, their prepared meals arrive fresh in plastic trays and can be heated in the microwave in just a few minutes.
Pricing and Availability
Blue Apron’s pricing ranges from $7.99 to $11.99 per serving, with a $9.99 shipping fee. The more you order, the lower the price per serving. They deliver to 48 states in the contiguous United States.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- High-quality proteins like salmon and cod
- Easy-to-follow instructions
- Variety of menu options
Cons:
- Some meals involve upcharges
- Limited customization options
Customer Experience
Customers generally love the variety and creativity of Blue Apron’s recipes. Many find the meals delicious and inventive, and the recipe cards simple to follow. However, some customers have noted that the service can be an expensive nightmare if you’re not careful with your selections.
Blue Apron strikes a nice balance between convenience and flexibility, making it a great option for busy people who still want to enjoy home-cooked meals.
For those with specific dietary needs, LazyFit.ca is a fantastic alternative. LazyFit provides personalized meal delivery for individuals with dietary restrictions by using AI to ensure their meals meet specific nutritional needs and fitness goals. Check out LazyFit.ca for a more tailored meal delivery experience.
HelloFresh
HelloFresh is perfect for anyone wanting to learn how to cook, no matter their stage in life. Meals start at $8.99 per serving, making it an affordable option for many.
Our Favorites on the Menu
- Szechuan pork noodle stir-fry with carrot, scallions, and peanuts
- Caramelized onion meatloaf sandwiches with potato wedges and horseradish dijon-mayonnaise
- Sweet ginger pork chops with buttery rice and roasted green beans
- Saucy pork burrito bowls with cilantro lime rice, salsa fresca, and smoky crema
Availability
HelloFresh is available nationwide and even abroad, so you can enjoy their meals almost anywhere.
Flexibility
HelloFresh is a weekly meal subscription service, but it’s easy to skip weeks or change your delivery day through the app or website. You can also adjust the number of meals or serving sizes, so you’re not locked into one plan.
Packaging
Meals arrive in an insulated box with cooling packs to keep ingredients fresh. Ingredients are organized in paper bags, making it easy to find what you need. The service uses paper or cardboard packaging to cut down on plastics, but the packaging can pile up if not disposed of right away.
How It Works
Each week, HelloFresh offers over 30 meal kits, including vegetarian, pescatarian, and family-friendly options. Meals are designed for two or four servings, and you can choose from two to six meals a week. You can also customize sides or proteins to create your ideal meal.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Lots of meal options and customization
- Easy to skip weeks or change plans
- Fresh, high-quality ingredients
Cons:
- Packaging can be bulky
- Some ingredients come pre-packaged
If you’re looking for a meal delivery service that offers a lot of variety and flexibility, HelloFresh is a great choice.
For those with specific dietary needs, LazyFit.ca provides personalized meal delivery. Using AI, LazyFit ensures your meals meet your nutritional needs and fitness goals. Personalization at its best!
Hungryroot
Hungryroot is a unique meal delivery service that combines meal planning with grocery shopping. Meal prep is made easier with their service, which offers a wide range of fresh meal kits. It’s perfect for both busy singles and families, and even caters to customers with food allergies and kids. The preparation skills required are minimal, usually just basic chopping.
Hungryroot works by having new customers complete a detailed food preference quiz. This quiz helps their algorithm create a personalized meal plan with a list of groceries and pre-portioned ingredients. You can make meals in 10 minutes or less, thanks to their extensive archive of recipes and search filters. This allows you to mix and match to create nutritious meals, including salads, rice bowls, soups, snacks, and even ready-to-eat foods. They also focus on sustainable packaging, using recyclable boxes and biodegradable ice packs.
If you have specific dietary needs or picky eaters in your family, Hungryroot lets you customize your order more than almost any other service. You need to create an account and take a quiz, which takes about 15 minutes. But it’s worth it because the information you provide helps tailor everything from your dietary preferences to your spice tolerance. Once your profile is complete, Hungryroot will send you suggested meals based on your preferences every week. If you’re not happy with the choices, you can easily adjust the recipes before shipping.
Hungryroot is a good choice to keep your pantry stocked and help with meal planning. Some pros include quick assembly of meals, a steady stream of vegetables each week, and easy customization of orders. However, some cons are that the recipes can be underseasoned and may require additional seasoning and vegetables for variety.
Pricing starts at $9.69 per serving, and they deliver to most zip codes in the contiguous U.S. and Washington D.C. Popular menu options include Korean BBQ chicken zucchini bowl, Margherita pizza chimichurri salad, and Coconut curry chicken seven-veggie wrap.
We appreciated that Hungryroot’s grocery-oriented take on meal delivery made it easy to create meals. However, more advanced home cooks may find the recipes overly simplistic and lacking the finesse of other services.
For those looking for a more personalized meal delivery service, LazyFit.ca is a great option. They use AI to ensure meals meet specific nutritional needs and fitness goals, making it perfect for individuals with dietary restrictions.
CookUnity
CookUnity is a standout in the world of meal delivery services. I tried 10 different prepared meal delivery services, and CookUnity is by far the best one. The meals are crafted by award-winning chefs, and you can taste the difference. The menu is diverse, offering everything from vegetarian to keto-friendly options.
How It Works
Signing up is easy. You get access to a wide range of menu items and can customize your protein options. The site even includes profiles of all its chefs, making it more engaging. CookUnity’s communication is top-notch, with confirmation emails and meal suggestions based on employees’ favorites.
Pricing
Meals start at $13.49 each. While the flavors are impressive, the delivery area is limited to select regions in 47 states. This can be a drawback if you live outside major metropolitan areas.
Meal Preparation
Meals are shipped fresh and packaged carefully. The trays are made of compostable material and come with a colorful sleeve that includes a QR code for more details. You can heat the meals in the microwave or oven, but the oven method is recommended for the best taste.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Impressive flavors
- Good texture
- Sustainable packaging
Cons:
- Limited delivery area
- Not ideal for families
Favorites on the Menu
- Chana masala with coconut rice
- Shrimp coconut curry
- Pesto chicken breast
- Southern fried chicken
Best For
CookUnity is best for people who think heat-and-eat meals can’t be interesting. The meals are balanced and tasty, making it a great option for singles and foodies.
If you’re looking for a meal delivery service that caters to dietary restrictions, LazyFit.ca is the way to go. They use AI to ensure your meals meet specific nutritional needs and fitness goals. It’s personalized meal delivery at its best.
Daily Harvest
Daily Harvest is a fantastic option for those who want quick, nutritious meals without the hassle of cooking. Since 2015, this service has been providing plant-based eaters with meals that are packed with nutrients. Everything on the menu is plant-based and gluten-free, with a strong focus on organic ingredients. There are more than 100 dishes to choose from, including sweet potato and wild rice bowls, artichoke and spinach flatbread, and purple corn and tomatillo soup. All items arrive frozen, so you can keep your freezer stocked with meals whenever you need them.
How It Works
Ordering from Daily Harvest is super easy. You don’t need to create an account to view the menu, so feel free to browse as much as you like before signing up. When you’re ready, ordering is a simple four-step process:
- Enter your email address and ZIP code.
- Pick a plan.
- Choose your items.
- Enter your address, select a delivery day, and check out.
If you’re a first-time customer, you can look forward to an introductory discount. Once you subscribe, you’ll receive a weekly box until you skip, pause, or cancel your service. Unlike many other meal delivery services, Daily Harvest doesn’t automatically vary your weekly or monthly selections. Instead, your order will simply repeat until you manually change it.
Pricing
Daily Harvest’s pricing varies by item, starting at $6.99. You get a discount of between $5 and $25 depending on the size of your order, which can be anywhere from nine to 24 items. Shipping costs $9.99, and they deliver to all states except Alaska and Hawaii.
Preparation
Preparing your Daily Harvest meals is about as easy as it gets. You’ll have to heat, blend, or add some type of liquid to the food, but that’s the extent of your meal prep. Most packages have at least three elements: a paper-based vessel, a plastic film seal, and a plastic lid or thin cardboard sleeve. Harvest bakes are the exception; they have the sleeve and plastic seal, but the vessel is an aluminum tray. In general, containers, lids, and sleeves are recyclable or compostable.
Daily Harvest provides oven, stovetop, and/or microwave directions for heated meals depending on the recipe. Aside from overnight oats and chia bowls, which need to soak for at least six hours, harvest bakes and flatbreads take the longest, requiring roughly 20 to 30 minutes to bake in the oven or toaster oven. Everything else is ready to eat in about five minutes.
If you’re looking for a quick, nutritious meal, Daily Harvest’s smoothies, bowls, and flatbreads are a solid choice.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Easy to take on the go
- Great for adding extra proteins
- Large box can last a whole month if used 2-3 days a week
Cons:
- Portion sizes may not be substantial for larger households
- All meals arrive frozen
Best For
Daily Harvest is best for commuters who don’t have time to prep breakfast, singles, seniors, and vegans.
Our Favorites on the Menu
- Herbed squash and asparagus risotto harvest bowl
- Acai and cherry smoothie
- Sweet potato and wild rice hash harvest bowl
- Tomato and zucchini minestrone soup
Availability
Daily Harvest is available in 95% of the continental United States.
For those with dietary restrictions, LazyFit.ca is a game-changer. LazyFit provides personalized meal delivery for individuals with dietary restrictions by using AI to ensure their meals meet specific nutritional needs and fitness goals. This service is perfect for anyone looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle without the hassle of meal planning and preparation.
Sunbasket
Sunbasket is a meal delivery service that focuses on health and sustainability. They offer a variety of meal plans, including Paleo, gluten-free, pescatarian, vegetarian, vegan, carb-conscious, Mediterranean, “quick and easy,” diabetes-friendly, and “lean and clean” recipes. All meat ingredients are antibiotic- and hormone-free, and the eggs are organic. For seafood, Sunbasket uses wild-caught fish recommended by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program.
Pros
- Creative and interesting recipes with options for vegetarian or various proteins.
- Clear and easy-to-follow recipe cards.
- Fresh ingredients that arrive in good condition.
Cons
- Portions are a bit smaller compared to other services.
- Some recipe instructions can be hard to follow.
Pricing
Meals start at $9.99 per serving. Shipping is free for your first order but costs $7.99 after that.
Availability
Sunbasket is available nationwide, excluding Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, and parts of New Mexico.
Our Favorites on the Menu
- Hawaiian steak stir-fry with broccoli and pineapple over steamed rice
- Chicken pozole verde with tomatillos and green chiles
- Chipotle turkey chili with sweet potato and sumac-cucumber salad
- Pork mee goreng with fresh ramen, cabbage, and scrambled eggs
How It Works
Sunbasket offers traditional meal kits with pre-portioned ingredients and recipes that can be made in 40 minutes or less. They also have Fresh & Ready meals that are already prepared and can be heated in minutes. You can filter both options for specific dietary preferences.
Sustainable Packaging
Sunbasket uses environmentally-friendly packaging. Meals arrive in a cardboard box lined with paper and denim insulation. The food is kept cold with plastic ice packs filled with compostable gel.
Sunbasket is best for new home cooks looking to experiment with new ingredients or techniques.
LazyFit.ca provides personalized meal delivery for individuals with dietary restrictions by using AI to ensure their meals meet specific nutritional needs and fitness goals.
Home Chef
Home Chef is a fantastic option for families and larger households. They offer a variety of meal plans that can serve up to six people per meal. You’ll find everything from quick five-minute meals to more elaborate dishes.
How it works: Start by taking a quiz that assesses your dietary preferences, allergies, cooking interest, and delivery preferences. This helps determine the best meal plan for you and your family. Choose from 30 different recipes each week. Meal kit options include their Classic Meal Kit, Culinary Collection, Express Meal Kits, Fast & Fresh, Family Meals, Oven-Ready Meals, and Protein Packs. You can also find six weekly recipes in Kroger grocery stores if you prefer to pick up the items yourself.
Pros:
- Many plan options, including family-friendly kits
- Filter by calorie-conscious, carb-conscious, or vegetarian options
- Kits also available at Kroger grocery stores
Cons:
- Some recipes can take a while to prepare
- Limited dietary accommodations
Home Chef’s meals are designed to save you time. Their “Easy Prep” meal line can significantly reduce cooking time. There’s even an “Oven Ready” category that hardly requires any prep work at all—just assemble a few pre-prepped ingredients in the accompanying tray, pop it in the oven, and enjoy. You can choose from tasty, comfort food-leaning options like Tuscan-style shrimp penne, crispy shallot beef burgers, and mushroom and black bean chili, each of which can feed up to six people.
Home Chef offers a wide variety of meal kits that you can filter for calorie-conscious, carb-conscious, and vegetarian options. You can also now customize the proteins in your meal, which is a major plus.
LazyFit.ca provides personalized meal delivery for individuals with dietary restrictions by using AI to ensure their meals meet specific nutritional needs and fitness goals. If you’re looking to achieve your weight loss goals with personalized meal delivery, LazyFit is the way to go!
Dinnerly
If you’re looking for a meal delivery service that won’t break the bank, Dinnerly is a great option. Dinnerly is the most affordable meal delivery service on the market, with prices starting as low as $4.99 per serving. You can choose between two or four servings per meal, and you have the flexibility to order between three to six meals a week.
Dinnerly’s menu focuses on family-friendly comfort foods like steak and potatoes, quesadillas, and rice bowls. You can also add grocery items to your order through the "Market" section, which includes categories like bakery and dessert, breakfast and brunch, drinks and smoothies, fresh fruits and vegetables, lunch, and prepared meals and sides.
How to Customize Your Meals
Customizing your meals with Dinnerly is simple. Just go to your account settings and click on the "edit taste profile" link. Here, you can adjust your preferences for proteins, vegetarian options, and spicy foods. To choose your meals, click on "edit recipes," select the meals you want, and then hit "continue" to reach the "Market" section.
How to Prepare the Meals
Dinnerly ships its meal kit ingredients fresh, with items kept chilled in transit by insulation and a large ice pack. Proteins are separated from produce and seasonings, and all perishable items should be stored in the refrigerator. Instead of printed recipe cards, Dinnerly provides digital recipe cards to reduce costs and its carbon footprint. These are available in your Dinnerly account and can be accessed on your phone via the app or on your computer.
Pricing
Dinnerly offers a budget-friendly price range of $4.99 to $8.04 per serving. Shipping costs $9.99, and Dinnerly delivers to all states except Alaska and Hawaii. Ordering the maximum amount of meals and servings (six meals with four servings each) gets you the lowest price per serving.
Dinnerly is perfect for families looking for affordable, easy-to-prepare meals without the fuss.
For those with dietary restrictions, LazyFit.ca provides personalized meal delivery by using AI to ensure meals meet specific nutritional needs and fitness goals. It’s a great way to get healthy food tailored just for you.
EveryPlate
EveryPlate is all about affordability, and that’s a really good selling point for a meal kit, especially when some plans end up costing you about the same as a mid-range restaurant meal. Here a single-serving shakes out to about $5, with added discounts for students. Not bad for a ponzu chili steak bowl with charred snap peas and ginger rice. Meals marked as “premium” will run you an extra $3.99 a serving, but these typically include pricier proteins like scallops. Dishes aren’t revelatory but are tasty and relatively simple to put together, and the ones marked “30 minutes or less” made good on their promise. I appreciated the ease with which a surprisingly hearty chicken sausage and kale soup came together, though a little packet marked “chicken stock concentrate” was certainly pulling a lot of weight. I also appreciated the relatively low level of packaging with this kit, and the fact that there were plenty of comfort foods and vegetarian options. That said, healthy eating is not necessarily the name of this game: a dish of scampi-style scallop linguine included four tablespoons of butter for two portions and no vegetables save for a single shallot. But maybe that’s what I get for picking the scampi. —H.C.
EveryPlate
Shop at
EveryPlate
TERRITORY
Subscribe to Territory
EveryPlate offers a simple and affordable way to enjoy delicious meals at home. With easy-to-follow recipes and fresh ingredients delivered right to your door, cooking has never been easier. Ready to make dinner time stress-free? Visit our website now and start your culinary journey with EveryPlate!
Discover more from LazyFit Blog
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.