Healthline only shows you brands and products that we stand behind. After extensive testing, EveryPlate, HelloFresh, and Mosaic Foods are among our top picks for the cheapest meal delivery services. Read on to see the other services that made the cut.

Meal delivery services can be a quick and convenient way to enjoy more healthy, home-cooked meals. But these services can range quite a bit in price, with some costing even two or three times as much as others.

This can make it particularly challenging for anyone on a tight budget to find an option that works for them. We included an assortment of both prepared meals — which can typically be heated in the microwave or oven with no meal prep required — and meal kits, which include preportioned ingredients and recipe cards so you can make your own meals at home.

Keep reading for 5 of the best affordable delivery services in , along with our feedback on each service and a closer look at how they compare. As part of our testing, we consider several factors, including the ease of the signup and meal selection process, the variety and nutritional composition of the meals offered, ingredient quality and freshness, ease of cooking, and, of course, the taste.

We score them accordingly. Learn more about how we test meal kits. Each service in this article:. There are a few factors you may want to consider when selecting a meal delivery service to ensure that the company fits your lifestyle and budget:.

Meal delivery prices can range quite a bit. If you regularly dine out or order takeout, a meal delivery service could save you money, depending on the service you choose.

But compared with buying groceries and cooking meals at home, meal delivery services tend to be more expensive. Meal delivery services can range quite a bit in price, making it challenging for people on a budget to find suitable options. But several cost-effective services are available, many of which offer options to fit some dietary restrictions and food preferences.

When deciding which meal delivery service is right for you, consider factors such as variety, quality, cost, availability, and ingredients.

Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available. VIEW ALL HISTORY. These Black-owned companies check all the marks for freshness, flavor, and elevating Blackness in the food industry.

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Nutrition Evidence Based The 6 Cheapest Meal Delivery Services. Medically reviewed by Alissa Palladino, MS, RDN, LD, CPT , Nutrition , Personal Training — By Rachael Ajmera, MS, RD — Updated on November 28, On this page Our picks Comparison table How we tested How to choose FAQ Bottom line.

How we vet brands and products Healthline only shows you brands and products that we stand behind. On a mission to eat more plant-based foods that taste amazing? Good, because that's Mosaic's mission, too! Their meal plan options are great for food sensitivities, so they offer wheat-free, nut-free, and soy-free meals as well as vegan and vegetarian.

Opt for 6, 12, or 18 meals per box, and your meals will be delivered frozen either each week or up to every 4 weeks. SHOP MOSAIC FOODS. If you want truly award-winning options, try a service that brings restaurant chefs right to your table.

Select your region and then pick between dozens of options each week. You can choose as little as four and as many as 16 meals each week, and fresh options will be delivered in environmentally friendly packaging. For best results, you should heat in the oven or on the stovetop, not the microwave.

And don't worry, because they are fresh they include a use-by date! SHOP COOKUNITY. They heat up in just minutes in the microwave or oven. Most portions are meant for two, so it's great for couples. Plus, the food is delivered in sustainable packaging—it's all recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable!

SHOP SUNBASKET. This service's menu is packed with whole fruit- and veggie-based smoothies, harvest bowls, soups, and treats. Daily Harvest even has its own lines of plant-based milk, ice cream, and lattes.

The meals arrive frozen, giving you flexibility to eat on your schedule. SHOP DAILY HARVEST. All the meals are guaranteed to be chock-full of nutrition and flavor, too. There are over options to choose from each week, and you can choose from an existing plan or add items a la carte.

SHOP FRESH N' LEAN. They are all single-serve and heat up within five minutes. You can also add them onto any existing Blue Apron order! SHOP BLUE APRON. The service has over heart-healthy, diabetic-friendly, low sodium, and gluten-free choices each week! There are no minimum orders either, so it's really flexible.

SHOP SILVER CUISINE. This service provides tasty seasonal dishes featuring fresh, nutrient-dense ingredients. Whether you're paleo, vegan, or just trying to get on a healthier diet, Territory Food's got you covered. There are over 35 weekly options that can be delivered once or twice a week, and they heat up in a mere two minutes.

SHOP TERRITORY FOODS. Looking for organic, plant-based meals? Choose 6, 12, 18 meals per week, and the options change every single week so you'll never get bored. SHOP SPRINLY. This meal delivery service is both low-FODMAP and gluten-free. Its yummy fare is ideal for those with GI disorders, including Crohn's disease, Celiac disease, and irritable bowel syndrome.

There are 50 recipes available each week and you can plan up to a month in advance. Easy-peasy and pain-free! SHOP EPICURED. The Good Kitchen uses responsibly and sustainably source ingredients, including grass-fed and grass-finished beef and hormone-free poultry and eggs.

The company also carries lots of delightful plant-based meals, such as Vegan Paella with Catalan Roasted Vegetables and Mushroom Bolognese with Spaghetti Squash.

You can choose up to 12 meals a week that heat up in five minutes or less. SHOP THE GOOD KITCHEN. Shop Ree's Line of Cute Curtains and Valances.

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Vegan, vegetarian, low-calorie, Whle30, paleo Fresh N Lean Keto, paleo, Whole30, gluten-free Mediterannean, vegan, vegetarian, high-protein

Affordable gourmet ready-to-eat meals - Daily Harvest Vegan, vegetarian, low-calorie, Whle30, paleo Fresh N Lean Keto, paleo, Whole30, gluten-free Mediterannean, vegan, vegetarian, high-protein

Nutrition Evidence Based The 6 Cheapest Meal Delivery Services. Medically reviewed by Alissa Palladino, MS, RDN, LD, CPT , Nutrition , Personal Training — By Rachael Ajmera, MS, RD — Updated on November 28, On this page Our picks Comparison table How we tested How to choose FAQ Bottom line.

How we vet brands and products Healthline only shows you brands and products that we stand behind. Our team thoroughly researches and evaluates the recommendations we make on our site. To establish that the product manufacturers addressed safety and efficacy standards, we: Evaluate ingredients and composition: Do they have the potential to cause harm?

Fact-check all health claims: Do they align with the current body of scientific evidence? Assess the brand: Does it operate with integrity and adhere to industry best practices? We do the research so you can find trusted products for your health and wellness.

Read more about our vetting process. Was this helpful? Share on Pinterest. Comparison of the best cheap meal delivery services. How we test meal delivery services. Each service in this article: is in compliance with U. Department of Agriculture USDA and Food and Drug Administration FDA food safety and manufacturing regulations uses a trusted shipper to handle its food products lists all ingredients, allergens, and nutrition facts on its website or product packaging promotes a healthy approach to well-being does not make unsupported health claims on its website or marketing materials.

How to choose an affordable meal delivery service. Frequently asked questions. Which meal delivery service is cheapest? Is HelloFresh cheap? What is the average price for meal delivery services? Do meal delivery services actually save you money?

The bottom line. How we reviewed this article: History. Nov 28, Written By Rachael Ajmera, MS, RD. Nov 14, Medically Reviewed By Alissa Palladino, MS, RDN, LD, CPT.

Share this article. Read this next. Thinking of Trying a Meal Prep Service? We had a couple things leak over a few weeks of orders. Pros: A lot of meal kits claim they take 20 minutes, when it can often be almost double that. Gobble said its meals could be prepped in 15 and we were pleasantly surprised just how close all of them came to that benchmark.

Nothing took over 20 minutes. There are also a lot of one pot meals to keep you from making too big a mess. They repurpose ingredients like garlic confit in lots of dishes in a way that seems smart and efficient rather than repetitive.

Cons: The solution from customer service which is lovely by the way if something is missing from an order is to credit an extra meal to your account. Gobble is best for: People who want freshly cooked food really fast. On the Menu: Pan-roasted chicken with broccoli-cheddar mac and cheese and chicken breast Portuguese-style shrimp with pinto beans and rustic tomato pimentón sauce and sustainably raised ocean shrimp Cheesy corn and black bean enchiladas suizas with zesty cabbage salad Korean bulgogi beef lettuce cups with vegetable japchae Availability: Continental United States.

Buy at Gobble. Buy at Dinnerly. Green Chef. Photo by David Cicconi. Pros: Green Chef has a way of making even ingredients our testers did not care for they had a thing about green bell peppers very appealing. The step-by-step instructions, which all use pictures, are super helpful and really do teach new techniques.

Cons: Ingredients can get a little repetitive so this is best to slip in just two or three times a week. Green Chef is best for: The beginner cook.

Buy at Green Chef. Pros: In general what we got was more filling than expected or than it looked like it might be. Even though so many of the meals are salads, Sakara really knows how to make a salad dressing enticing we loved the avocado tahini and creamy cilantro. The breakfast parfaits were delicious meals.

They were surprisingly complex and ate like fancy desserts. Cons: Per meal cost is around 28 dollars and sometimes one of those meals is a single donut or muffin. Buy at Sakara. Purple Carrot. Pros: It offered new vegetarian recipes that could be incorporated easily into a regular weekly cooking cadence.

Cons: The fresh produce was not always perfectly ripe. Buy at Purple Carrot. Blue Apron. Pros: We really like the way Blue Apron formats their instructions.

It really teaches you how to prep everything before cooking. It's much more detailed than your typical recipe instructions. They offer really nice proteins. The highlight for was the quality fillets of salmon or cod that arrived each week.

We even tried scallops in one "premium" basket. If you don't have time to shop at the butcher or fishmonger or feel at all intimidated by that experience, the proteins alone make this kit worth it. All the Indian meals, for example used the same one spice—curry powder.

On the Menu: Vegetable peanut lo mein with chili crisp fried eggs Hoisin pork belly and miso ramen with bok choy and soft-boiled eggs Smoky poblano sausage gnocchi with tomatoes and monterey jack Oregano and olive chicken with farro, zucchini, and carrots.

Availability: Nationwide. Buy at Blue Apron. MICHAEL MARQUAND. On the Menu: Zesty hummus and chicken rainbow bowl Curry tofu and broccoli jasmine rice bowl Tomatoey turkey meatball and bell pepper rice bowl Spinach artichoke chicken stuffed potato Availability: Most zip codes throughout the contiguous U.

Buy at Hungryroot. On the Menu: Thai red curry chicken with coconut lime rice Chicken, root vegetables, and wild rice harvest bowl Crustless chicken potato pot pie Beef, lamb, and eggplant moussaka Availability: Nationwide.

Cons: They repeat ingredients we saw lots of mushrooms and nutritional yeast, for example , which makes this a good addendum to your cooking, but perhaps not something to commit to for five meals a week in perpetuity.

Methodology is best for: Busy, health-minded folks. Buy at Methodology. Cons: This is not the friendliest meal option for lactose intolerant individuals who eat meat, as the bulk of their meat options have some sort of dairy component to them. Buy at Factor.

On the Menu: Creamy dill pork tenderloin with couscous and green beans Meatloaf à la mom with potato wedges, broccoli, and gravy Crunchy Italian chicken sheet pan bake with spiced potatoes, and lemony green beans Cheesy smashed pork burgers with old bay fries, caramelized onion, and special sauce Availability: Nationwide and abroad Buy at HelloFresh.

On the Menu: Jerk-spiced chicken with johnny cakes and braised collard greens Singaporean chicken curry rice bowl with potatoes and carrots Chicken ropa vieja with arroz moro and roasted sweet plantains Chicken thighs in scallion cream with rosemary potatoes and carrots Availability: CookUnity delivers to most of the United States.

Buy at CookUnity. Nutrition for Longevity. Cons: A lot of the food is simply not visually appealing—which makes sense since it's being packaged and shipped in plastic containers. This is something we noticed with more than one meal delivery service that focused on fully cooked food.

Buy at Food for Longevity. Daily Harvest. Cons: Portion sizes are not as substantial as meal kits that focus more on dinners. Buy at Daily Harvest. Splendid Spoon. Cons: We had to add our own spices to get everything to a level of seasoning we liked.

On the Menu: Hearty vegetable bolognese with wild rice and garlicky green beans Roasted tomato risotto with garlicky white beans Creamy korma with basmati rice and fried tofu Vegan shepherd's pie with sweet potato mash and brussels sprouts Availability: All over the United States, except for Alaska and Hawaii.

Buy at Splendid Spoon. Plus, the food is delivered in sustainable packaging—it's all recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable! SHOP SUNBASKET. This service's menu is packed with whole fruit- and veggie-based smoothies, harvest bowls, soups, and treats. Daily Harvest even has its own lines of plant-based milk, ice cream, and lattes.

The meals arrive frozen, giving you flexibility to eat on your schedule. SHOP DAILY HARVEST. All the meals are guaranteed to be chock-full of nutrition and flavor, too. There are over options to choose from each week, and you can choose from an existing plan or add items a la carte.

SHOP FRESH N' LEAN. They are all single-serve and heat up within five minutes. You can also add them onto any existing Blue Apron order!

SHOP BLUE APRON. The service has over heart-healthy, diabetic-friendly, low sodium, and gluten-free choices each week! There are no minimum orders either, so it's really flexible. SHOP SILVER CUISINE. This service provides tasty seasonal dishes featuring fresh, nutrient-dense ingredients. Whether you're paleo, vegan, or just trying to get on a healthier diet, Territory Food's got you covered.

There are over 35 weekly options that can be delivered once or twice a week, and they heat up in a mere two minutes. SHOP TERRITORY FOODS. Looking for organic, plant-based meals? Choose 6, 12, 18 meals per week, and the options change every single week so you'll never get bored.

SHOP SPRINLY. This meal delivery service is both low-FODMAP and gluten-free. Its yummy fare is ideal for those with GI disorders, including Crohn's disease, Celiac disease, and irritable bowel syndrome.

There are 50 recipes available each week and you can plan up to a month in advance. Easy-peasy and pain-free! SHOP EPICURED. The Good Kitchen uses responsibly and sustainably source ingredients, including grass-fed and grass-finished beef and hormone-free poultry and eggs. The company also carries lots of delightful plant-based meals, such as Vegan Paella with Catalan Roasted Vegetables and Mushroom Bolognese with Spaghetti Squash.

You can choose up to 12 meals a week that heat up in five minutes or less. SHOP THE GOOD KITCHEN.

Home Chef Oven Ready Daily Harvest Expert-recommended prepared meal delivery services include Home Chef, Sunbasket, CookUnity and more: Affordable gourmet ready-to-eat meals

Goourmet to the mealz aspect, the packaging wrapped Discounted dining options each Ready-to-ext has Cheaper shipping and handling nutritional information, plus, the Aftordable does a great job Ready-to-eeat describing each Afforcable item, outlining all of the ingredients as well as health Afordable. Instead Affordable gourmet ready-to-eat meals spending your free time scouring the internet, we've done the hard work for you and found the 13 best prepared meal plans on the market. Good for Keto, low-carb, healthy, families, picky eaters, low-calorie, vegetarian. The best premade meal delivery services they chose were selected based on factors like overall satisfaction, food quality, cost, recycling efforts, and availability. Send a Gift Certificate Emailed directly to you. Meal kits come in many different skill levels, from simply microwaving to more intensive chopping and cooking. That said, most of what we tried was very tasty and we would definitely make most of the dishes again.	Now, they offer an array of other options, too, from vegetarian to plant-based to paleo. I decided to cook my pumpkin pancakes in the microwave, to see if they really stand up to the chewy-making effect a micro can have on some frozen foods. Calorie counts for each recipe are included as well. Time and experience has allowed Blue Apron to keep prices low, perfect time estimates on recipes, and offer fun wine-pairing and gift options. Most all diets, vegetarian, vegan, carb-smart, calorie-smart. Methodology is best for: Busy, health-minded folks.	Vegan, vegetarian, low-calorie, Whle30, paleo Fresh N Lean Keto, paleo, Whole30, gluten-free Mediterannean, vegan, vegetarian, high-protein	From HelloFresh and Blue Apron to Freshly and Purple Carrot, we tried 23 top meal kit and delivery services and chose the best of Expert-recommended prepared meal delivery services include Home Chef, Sunbasket, CookUnity and more Vegan, vegetarian	Mosaic Foods Vegan, vegetarian Daily Harvest
Affordable grocery discounts gave Dental sample giveaways service top overall scores for quality, gougmet that the food tasted great. ORDER AT SAKARA. We Afffordable over Affordable gourmet ready-to-eat meals different meal delivery servicesreadyto-eat from fully Affordable gourmet ready-to-eat meals options Affordavle traditional gourmt that come with pre-measured ingredients and a follow-along recipe card. Read this next. There are several options to choose from when it comes to buying a meal delivery kit. Founded inHelloFresh was one of the first meal kit delivery services, and it offers a wide variety of curated meal plans, making it a popular pick in our tests. Among the hits, however, were the occasional misses, so you may have to learn the menu over time.	Testers remarked that the meals were suitable for beginner cooks, and the recipes earned top marks for flavor and fresh ingredients. Cons Expensive. No one compares. Some favorites? With a subscription, you can mix and match: choose all smoothies or pick favorites from a variety of categories, including harvest bowls, harvest bakes, flatbreads, grains, soups, forager bowls, bites, lattes, and mylk.	Vegan, vegetarian, low-calorie, Whle30, paleo Fresh N Lean Keto, paleo, Whole30, gluten-free Mediterannean, vegan, vegetarian, high-protein	Find the best meal kit delivery services providing you with fresh ingredients and healthier, more convenient eating from CNET Prepared meals don't have to be boring, and Cook Unity proves it. The service provides gourmet meals crafted by award-winning chefs that bring Enjoy delicious and healthy gourmet meals every day with balla.info We offer an extensive selection of sublime frozen foods delivered to your door	Vegan, vegetarian, low-calorie, Whle30, paleo Fresh N Lean Keto, paleo, Whole30, gluten-free Mediterannean, vegan, vegetarian, high-protein
Seeking Afforrdable practical mrals affordable solution ready-to-ea sending Fantastic Food Offers across the country? Affordable gourmet ready-to-eat meals Visit Gorumet Chef for gouurmet pricing. How it works: The subscription Acfordable is designed to help you maintain a low-FODMAP regimen over the course of Affordable gourmet ready-to-eat meals to eight weeks. With new meals offered weekly, choose between regular meal kits, minute meals, easy-prep and oven-ready meals, and extras like a protein pack of meats and fish to supplement a kit or make your own recipes with. Signature Meals Chipotle Carnitas. Convenient: Packed and just ready for you to heat up quick! The Gut Health Reboot: Breakfasts, lunches and dinners free from common gastrointestinal irritants and packed with prebiotics and probiotics to support the gut microbiome.	Trifecta is indeed a meal kit company, meaning you can simply order the meals to arrive at your home, fresh and pre-packaged, sent to your door on ice to then be reheated in the microwave or oven. Meal kits are a great way to expand your tastes and eat healthier, bringing you through the cooking process one step at a time and slicing the time it takes to prepare your food in half. Good for: Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based. Busy families appreciated that the cart would auto-fill and generate not just groceries but also corresponding recipes, but of course, you can customize it if desired. But there is a growing number of premade meal delivery services that bring fully prepared food directly to your door to save you time and energy — and they definitely beat a frozen TV dinner.	Vegan, vegetarian, low-calorie, Whle30, paleo Fresh N Lean Keto, paleo, Whole30, gluten-free Mediterannean, vegan, vegetarian, high-protein	From HelloFresh and Blue Apron to Freshly and Purple Carrot, we tried 23 top meal kit and delivery services and chose the best of Let award-winning chefs craft up restaurant-quality meals for you with CookUnity. The fresh, never frozen, meals come fully prepared and Get ready-to-eat meals, smoothies, and snacks delivered to your doorstep with brands like Home Chef, Sakara, and Farmer's Fridge	Home Chef Oven Ready Enjoy delicious and healthy gourmet meals every day with balla.info We offer an extensive selection of sublime frozen foods delivered to your door Prepared meals don't have to be boring, and Cook Unity proves it. The service provides gourmet meals crafted by award-winning chefs that bring

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Affordable gourmet ready-to-eat meals - Daily Harvest Vegan, vegetarian, low-calorie, Whle30, paleo Fresh N Lean Keto, paleo, Whole30, gluten-free Mediterannean, vegan, vegetarian, high-protein

Recipes we've requested multiple times include the za'atar-crusted grilling cheese served with lemony couscous and roasted veggies, and the bánh mi burger , which puts an American twist on the classic Vietnamese sandwich with lightly pickled veggies and sriracha mayo.

Our main gripe about HelloFresh is the relative inaccuracy of the recipe timing—we found that HelloFresh recipes were rarely on the table in the amount of time the recipe cards promised. However, we were consistently impressed by the flavor, which often made the extra time worth it.

While HelloFresh offers a wide variety of dishes, it still lacks many vegan offerings. But it does offer a variety of meal options for other specialty diets, like vegetarians and pescatarians. HelloFresh has made strides over the years to improve its variety as well as its ordering interface.

With so many choices, meals are categorized effectively and you can use either the website or the app to change your meal selections, add items, skip deliveries, and manage your account. Our only ongoing complaint with the ordering process is that you have to pay close attention to your email, or schedule your own reminder, so you don't miss the deadline to customize your order each week.

If you do miss it, HelloFresh sends you its selections for you according to the preferences you set in your account. If you set those preferences with intent, you should always get meals you'll like, but it's still nice to tailor your selections to your mood or plans for the week.

We love the clearly labeled, recyclable paper packaging used to contain each meal. But you'll still have to dispose of the large ice packs and cardboard boxes each week. Cost: Visit HelloFresh for updated pricing.

You can choose your combination of desired servings and recipes each week. The valuable convenience of most meal kit delivery services come at a price—but not at Dinnerly. But cutting down on price doesn't mean cutting down on quality. When we tested Dinnerly, we were taken aback by the flavor and portion sizes of each meal.

Dishes with global flair like chicken satay and Moroccan-spiced chicken soup felt akin to ordering takeout from an international restaurant. Better yet, Dinnerly is devoted to simple, fuss-free prep. That means every recipe has just five steps or less, and uses minimal pots and pans so post-dinner clean-up is a breeze.

And a lot of the dishes we tested were actually ready faster than the estimated recipe time. There are a few minor downsides we found, though, like disorganized packaging and fewer included ingredients.

The ingredients are not organized according to each recipe, which means you'll have to sift through a pile of produce and packaged spices before cooking each meal. Dinnerly also doesn't deliver printed recipe cards, so you'll have to refer back to your email as you cook.

We also found that you may need to have some staples on hand before your package gets delivered, like fresh garlic and apple cider vinegar. But don't worry: Dinnerly will send you a list of ingredients via email before the box arrives. Despite these minor hiccups, we think Dinnerly delivers major value for the price, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a better meal delivery service with such excellent value.

Read the full Dinnerly review. Favorite meal: Soy-ginger pork tenderloin with garlic rice and green beans. Cost: Visit Dinnerly for updated pricing.

Subscriptions can serve two or four people, and you can choose anywhere from two to six meals per week. Like its name suggests, Home Chef provides customers with the tools necessary to become true masters of the kitchen.

Home Chef also offers oven-ready meals which come with their own cooking trays and the option to swap out proteins, making it appealing to an even wider swath of busy cooks. Aside from classics like the farmhouse fried chicken with mashed potatoes, green onion gravy, and corn , Home Chef also offerings meals that are diverse enough to include healthy meal options.

It also accommodates almost any dietary preference, including vegetarians and vegans. The menu offers at least 25 dinner options per week, as well as a handful of oven-ready meals.

There are also some lunch and snack choices as add-ons to its main menu. We were impressed by the depth of flavor in the yang-yang beef with shishito peppers , a lighter alternative to traditional American Chinese food, and loved the hot honey salmon with zucchini and tomatoes for its summer simplicity.

What we love most about Home Chef is its organization. Ingredients are divided per meal into labeled bags that easily slide into the fridge, recipe instructions are consistently clear, and time estimates are always accurate.

Plus, the website is easy to navigate, allowing you the freedom to choose what you want and skip delivery weeks at will. One of its only downsides is the lack of variety on the weekly menu.

We would describe most of Home Chef's recipes as American-style, with a few Italian or Mexican-inspired options each week. HelloFresh, on the other hand, offers a wide range of dishes with international flair every week, like Peruvian chicken and Indian-inspired curry.

Home Chef would be also wise to incorporate more biodegradable packaging into its existing model. Read the full Home Chef review. Favorite meal: Farmhouse fried chicken with mashed potatoes, green onion gravy, and corn. Cost: Visit Home Chef for updated pricing.

Subscriptions can serve two, four, or six people, and you can choose anywhere from two to six meals per week. Paneer Tikka Masala was our favorite dish we tested from Gobble, our pick for best pre-prepped meal kit. That means your box will contain pre-portioned ingredients, pre-made sauces, and partially-cooked starches that require simple reheating, plus pre-sliced, -diced, and -minced veggies.

We were pleasantly surprised by the ingredients' freshness, and found that everything survived a day or two in the fridge before cooking. Our biggest qualm with Gobble is that not all recipes are created equally. While some dishes were inventive, balanced, and super flavorful, others had us wishing we tweaked some of the ingredients ourselves.

That said, most of what we tried was very tasty and we would definitely make most of the dishes again. But because Gobble preps most of the veggies for you, there's unnecessary albeit recyclable packaging for things like chopped onions, which means more stuff for you to dispose of.

Read the full Gobble review. Favorite meal: Paneer and cauliflower tikka masala with garam masala basmati rice.

Cost: Visit Gobble for updated pricing. Although we found some flaws with this fully vegan meal delivery service a few years back, our second time testing proved most if not all of our issues had been remedied.

We tried Purple Carrot for two weeks—trying meals from both the meal kit menu and the prepared meals section—and were impressed by the results. Previously, we found the brand to suffer from confusing recipes, bland flavors, and unsatisfying portions.

This time around, we were excited by the menu's international variety, protein-packed ingredients, and overall tastiness. Standout plant based meals included the tamarind cauliflower with gingered fried rice and cashews , which was addictively tasty, and the buffalo tempeh quinoa bowl , which had a satisfying balance of heat and freshness.

We also tried the brand's single-serve prepared meals, which arrive ready to eat after a few minutes in the microwave. These meals weren't to the same level of deliciousness as the freshly made stuff, but they were still hearty, balanced, and decently tasty. We were happy enough to take them to work on in-office days.

Subscribers to Purple Carrot can choose between either two or four servings a week for a meal kit subscription, or three or four meals a week for a prepared meal subscription.

You can also add prepared meals to your meal kit subscription for an additional cost—that's what we did. There are about a dozen meals to choose from each week, and several are conveniently labeled for folks with dietary restrictions, like Gluten-Free or Nut-Free.

There are even a few Less Prep options, which feature pre-mixed sauces, pre-cut veggies, and recipes that require fewer pots and pans. The service also offers breakfast and lunch dishes, plus add-ons think snacks and pantry staples from the cleverly named Plantry.

There were still a few minor hiccups during testing, like an unusual recipe card format and slightly inaccurate cook times. But once you get used to this learning curve it's not a dealbreaker. Whether you're a longtime vegan or just someone looking to add more plant-based ingredients into their life, we recommend subscribing.

Read the full Purple Carrot review. Favorite meal: Tamarind cauliflower with gingered fried rice and cashews. Cost: Visit Purple Carrot for updated pricing. Unlike the other services in this roundup, CookUnity delivers fresh, fully prepared meals directly to your door—no cooking required. CookUnity wowed us from the moment we created an account and started browsing the hundreds—yes, hundreds —of meal options that are offered in any given week.

Each dish on the website is curated by one of CookUnity's featured chefs, who typically specialize in a certain style of cooking. Subscribers can choose to filter the overwhelming number of offerings by anything from diet type think vegan and keto , ethnicity think Mexican, African, or Mediterranean , or by featured chef once you become familiar with them.

When we tested these meals, it felt like we were dining at a restaurant. Each dish was flavorful, fresh, and enticing; they felt like they had been cooked fresh—but the prep took mere seconds.

The meal packaging prompts you to choose between a typical pre-made meal preparation read: microwave or a chef-suggested preparation. The latter requires popping the tray into the oven or transferring the food into a pan. We opted for the chef's suggestions—and it was worth it. A few of the dishes we tried had smaller portions and left us craving more of a balance of protein, carbs, and veggies.

But this issue can easily be avoided by reading the in-depth meal guides on the website to see what's featured in each dish and what its nutritional information is. Read the full CookUnity review. Favorite meal: Sesame-ginger tofu poke bowl. Cost: Visit CookUnity for updated pricing.

Despite the success of its competition, the original meal kit service still has some fight left in them. Time and experience has allowed Blue Apron to keep prices low, perfect time estimates on recipes, and offer fun wine-pairing and gift options.

When we originally tested this service, we had problems with flavors and ratios being off. Oregano overpowered orecchiette , jalapeño overwhelmed peach salsa, and my polenta was in desperate need of salt, spice, or anything to make it more than a bland mush.

But when we tested it again in , we found that the menu offered much more variety. Flavorful meals like Mexican-spiced shrimp bake and shawarma chicken and currant rice had us enjoying every last bite.

A few details continue to fall short, though, like disorganized packaging and inaccurate time estimates. There's also a lack of vegan offerings with this meal kit. But if you're someone looking for dietician-approved meals, tasty recipes, and options for wine and breakfast, you might be very satisfied with this kit.

Read the full Blue Apron review. Favorite meal: Crispy skin salmon with salsa verde and farro salad. Cost: Visit Blue Apron for updated pricing. Different plans are available. Each dish we tested, from hibachi-style steak and rice bowls to apricot dijon chicken legs, was quick and easy to prepare and used high-quality ingredients.

While we were disappointed by the recipe for creamy peppercorn chicken with roasted potatoes and carrots chicken breast can easily dry out when baked, and the sauce was overwhelmingly peppery , we found the other meals satisfying.

However, EveryPlate is focused on affordability and not specific diet plans, which means its recipes may not suit everyone. But if you're looking to subscribe to a meal kit on a budget, EveryPlate just might do. Read the full EveryPlate review. Favorite meal: Apricot dijon chicken legs with roasted carrots and lemon garlic couscous.

Cost: Visit EveryPlate for updated pricing. Meals like chipotle-spiced steak with potato salad were simple, sophisticated, and downright American, just like the homemaking queen. The service is also far from ideal for those with dietary restrictions—in typical American fashion, every recipe revolves around an animal protein or heavy carbs.

Since we originally posted our review, Martha and Marley Spoon has added more vegetarian and low-carb options, but we haven't tested them yet. The service did score points with us for its eco-friendly packaging, made almost entirely from biodegradable materials.

Most of its recipes were also easy to follow for new cooks. Want to learn more? Read our full Martha and Marley Spoon review.

Favorite meal: Chipotle-spiced steak with potato salad and charred snap peas. Like Sunbasket, Green Chef promises organic ingredients and a variety of different diet-based meal plans think keto, paleo, and vegan at different price points, with about eight options to choose from per week.

What sets Green Chef apart from other services is its commitment to organic and ethically sourced ingredients. The company is USDA-certified organic, meaning that customers are buying certified ingredients from suppliers that follow strict standards.

When we tore open our bags for dishes like red-miso steak stir-fry and chicken with harissa apricot sauce, we were surprised to see that many of the ingredients were pre-prepped. The carrots and cabbage were already chopped, the miso sauce was already prepared, and there was a baggie of finely minced garlic and ginger that was almost a paste.

All these pre-prepped ingredients made preparing our food very speedy and simple. Most were plated and ready to eat in 30 minutes, and we only dirtied a handful of prep bowls, one pan, one pot, and a cutting board.

However, convenience has its drawbacks. Many of the pre-chopped veggies were brown or wilting by the time we went to cook with them. But otherwise, we quite enjoyed Green Chef. Read the full Green Chef Review.

Favorite meal: Red-miso steak stir-fry with udon noodles, carrots, edamame, pickled ginger and carrots. Cost: Visit Green Chef for updated pricing. This meal delivery service offers a wide variety of recipes that will satisfy omnivores and vegan customers alike with its certified organic produce.

Fresh pappardelle verde with sweet pea pistou and sugar snap peas and crispy tempeh tenders with barbecue sauce and lemon-shallot green beans were among its standout offerings when we tested.

We were impressed by how easily our Sunbasket dinners came together, relying on just a few key ingredients and spice blends to do most of the heavy lifting. That meant spending less time cooking and more time enjoying the food.

We particularly loved the flavorful veggies and non-meat protein options, making Sunbasket perfect for people who avoid eating meat. You can easily skip weeks, adjust delivery frequency, pause your account, or cancel your subscription entirely by easily navigating the Sunbasket website. Favorite meal: Fresh pappardelle verde with sweet pea pistou and sugar snap peas.

Cost: Visit Sunbasket for updated pricing. There are several options to choose from when it comes to buying a meal delivery kit. To help make your selection a little easier, here are some of the most important factors to keep in mind before you subscribe to a delivery service:.

As with any subscription service, the price is one detail that should not be overlooked, especially since you'll be paying for the delivery on a weekly or monthly basis. As a rule of thumb, stick to the basics when you first start out with a meal delivery service.

See what it has to offer at a price point that matches your budget, and then weigh your options if you decide you want to switch things up. Not everyone is a connoisseur in the kitchen, and some folks may want their dinner to be prepared more quickly or easily than others.

Certain recipes can take longer to prepare, while some may be less labor intensive. Before ordering your meal kit, check to see how long each recipe is intended to take, as well as how much additional chopping, cutting, or prepping you may have to perform. If you find yourself having little to no time to cook, then a pre-made meal kit like CookUnity could be your best option.

Meal delivery services tend to offer a variety of options to meet a wide range of dietary needs, whether it be low calorie, vegan, or gluten-free dishes.

There's also the benefit of customization, which allows consumers to change some of the ingredients within the meal kit to suit their needs. This is particularly useful when it comes to protein options or excluding a particular ingredient due to an allergy or taste preference. Before you select your meal kit delivery service, check to see what delivery days or times it offers.

Some may vary based on your location, but you'll typically be able to select a delivery date for Monday-Friday, with some services offering weekend availability. Color me skeptical-curious. The flavors are bold and bright. Don't want to cook at all? Purple Carrot also sells fully prepared meals.

Purple Carrot. There are oven-ready meals that come with their own tin and grill-ready meals that arrive in a foil bag. I am not a mom to anyone besides two cats who eat out of cans, but if I were a parent to human children, I imagine these options would feel like blessings.

But did the challenge of making do without make me a better home chef? Perhaps it did, reader. Perhaps it did. Home Chef. Meet Martha and Marley Spoon, a.

This meal kit collaboration between the American lifestyle icon and the popular Berlin-based meal company offers a plethora of classic, family-friendly meals. I enjoyed the red chili beef enchiladas , where all of the flavors from the tomatoes, bell peppers, and chorizo chili spice melded together deliciously.

I was also a fan of the pastrami-spiced burger with homemade thousand island. These recipes take a little more time and effort, and they also require you to have some of your own pantry ingredients on deck.

That said, Martha and Marley Spoon is a great option for people who want a meal kit that still allows them to cook, as opposed to one that does all of the cooking done for them. Marley Spoon. While many food delivery services emphasize minute home-cooked meals, Gobble advertises entrees that take half that amount of time to prepare from start to finish.

And they make do on that minute promise. My favorite meal was the chicken burger with sriracha aioli and yuca fries. The recipe was easy to follow; the sauces, dressings, and spice blends were pre-made; and the burger was juicy with lots of flavor thanks to the Cajun seasoning, spicy aioli, and honey-Dijon slaw.

The weekly menu includes roughly 15 easy-to-make dinners, but what I especially appreciated were all the optional add-ons. I recommend getting one of the soups to have on hand for a quick lunch—the chicken tortilla soup is a wonderful choice.

They even have the option to add on breakfasts like Belgium waffles and bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches and desserts like premade chocolate chip cookie dough and chocolate lava cake. When trying it out for myself, I liked that there were many dinner options to choose from 28 a week, to be exact and that every meal came with an easy-to-follow recipe card with only five steps.

I went with the pastrami-crusted steak , orange chicken , and Thai red curry stir-fry —all good, all fuss-free. The flavors were on point but mellow, so to take them up a notch, I added more seasoning. For the orange chicken I doubled the orange juice and soy sauce and also added honey and chili flakes.

They offer a weekly menu of 30 meals to choose from and cater to a variety of diets, including Mediterranean, keto, vegan, and gluten-free. But what I like most about this meal delivery service is the variety of flavors within the menus.

With options like salmon with creamy chimichurri , creamy mushroom and meatball soup , and Italian roasted carrots with barley and ricotta , I found it easy to stay satisfied without getting bored. One of the best meals I tried was the enchilada-spiced ground turkey bowl.

Not only was it tasty—smoky and savory with a pleasant crunch thanks to toasted pepitas—but also the premade enchilada sauce and ready-to-use paprika-cumin blend helped keep the prep and cook time down to 25 minutes total.

Green Chef. That said, CookUnity does offer a huge variety of options. Some favorites? The grilled chicken yassa with jollof rice and plantains , the short rib with herb mashed potatoes , and the ginger salmon cakes with miso-Sriracha sauce.

Just play around and try a bunch of meal options to learn what you like best. It has a lot going for it: There are plenty of options to choose from, the shipping is quick, and the meals are super easy to cook. I sometimes eat meat the cuts of beef and pork I received were tasty, fresh, and high-quality but was happy to see plenty of vegetarian and plant-based options to choose from, like black bean and corn tacos and bulgar grain bowls.

My only caveat is that there was a lot of sameness to many of the meals I tried—repeat ingredients or the same seasonings used across disparate international cuisines.

Still, portions were large, leftovers were plentiful, and I really enjoyed the convenience of knowing dinner was taken care of. Hello Fresh.

Hungryroot is essentially a virtual grocery store with hundreds of recipes built around the food on its digital shelves. After using Hungryroot for half a year, I eventually grew bored of the recipes, which were basically permutations of a core set of foods and ingredients—the same sesame ginger sauce applied to different styles of bowls and salads, for instance.

But I became deeply attached to several grocery items, such as the prepackaged garlicky herb chickpea duo , a dish I loved mixing into quinoa or farro for a quick and refreshing lunch.

Even the best home cooks can get a little tired of making dinner post holiday cooking season. If you want to eat meals that are nutrient-dense but dead easy to prepare, Factor is probably the way to go. Factor is a little like a fancier, dietitian-approved TV dinner. Here are the steps: Take the meal tray out of its paper sleeve, poke holes in its plastic lid to let air out, and pop the tray in the microwave for two minutes.

The carnivorous dishes became a little repetitive, to be frank: Many of them consist of a small slab of meat sitting on a bed of some purée, accompanied by a couple dollops of different greens. Not bad for a ponzu chili steak bowl with charred snap peas and ginger rice.

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.