It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the options when finding the best meal kit delivery service for your needs.
But to make this less complicated for you we have found these 10 Best Meal Delivery Services that you must check out!
Whether you are changing your diet, becoming vegan, or cooking for one or six people?
Whatever your circumstances, there is almost certainly a service that can help you.
Some meal kits include recipes and ingredients, while others include groceries or ready-to-eat meals.
They’re all designed to make the process of meal planning and preparation easier.
This is the reason why so many people are liking the concept of meal delivery. And in fact, according to Upper Route Planner, 17% of American consumers have subscribed to meal kit delivery services at any point.
So with so many options, let us have a look at the best meal kit delivery services to help in making your decision.
All of these services send everything you need to make amazing, restaurant-quality meals at home—while also removing grocery shopping and sometimes even vegetable chopping from your to-do list.
What Is a Meal Delivery Service?
Meal delivery (also known as meal-kit delivery) is a type of subscription service in which a company delivers you a box of fresh ingredients in the right amounts for a few easy-to-make recipes.
It’s a fast-growing sector of the food industry, with one research estimating that the worldwide meal delivery market would be worth $8.94 billion by 2025.
Cook-from-kit boxes, such as Green Chef and HelloFresh, are just one type of meal delivery.
Some companies ignore the “kit” part and instead provide ready-to-eat meals that require little effort.
Sunbasket, for example, provides pre-mixed and assembled ingredients for a family meal in an oven-safe container. The service diversity is incredible.
Speaking of that, here are the top 10 best meal delivery services Of 2022:
Best Meal Delivery Services
Here are our 10 best options based on:
- Sunbasket — Best Overall
- Factor — Best Dietitian-Designed
- Green Chef — Best Organic Meal Kit
- Home Chef — Best For Families
- Freshly — Best Fully-Prepared Service
- Snap Kitchen — Best Pre-prepped Meals
- Purple Carrot — Best for Vegans
- Daily Harvest — Best Plant-Based
- The Good Kitchen — Best Gluten, Soy, and Peanut-Free
- Pete’s Paleo — Best Paleo
1. Sunbasket — Best Overall
Sunbasket is a renowned healthy meal kit delivery service that provides whole-food, nutrient-dense breakfast, lunch, and supper options.
It uses organic products, wild-caught fish, and organic eggs and is a certified organic handler.
An in-house dietician approves all recipes. Furthermore, the company provides meals that match various popular dietary patterns, such as paleo, low carb, and vegan, and can be delivered weekly or monthly.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Sunbasket provides a good variety of meal kits as well as fresh and ready-to-eat meals. Customers love the variety and flavor of Sunbasket meals.
- Most meals are ready in about 30 minutes and include premeasured ingredients to save food waste.
- If you’re out of town, you may cancel your subscription at any time and skip delivery weeks.
- Meals are nutrient-dense and fit into a variety of dietary patterns.
- Sunbasket also sells snacks and grocery items such as hard-boiled eggs, bone broth, nut butter, oats, yogurt, and jerky in addition to its meals.
Cons
- Sunbasket has gluten-free and dairy-free options. However, it is not recommended for those who have severe food allergies.
- Alaska, Hawaii, and sections of Montana, New Mexico, and North Dakota are not served by the company.
- Compared to other popular meal delivery services, it’s a little pricey, but customers claim the quality of the meals makes up for it.
Pricing:
- Meals start at $8.99 per serving.
2. Factor 75— Best Dietitian-Designed
Factor, previously known as Factor 75, delivers fully prepared, chef-created, dietitian-approved meals that can be cooked and eaten in minutes.
Customers may choose meals that fit their nutritional needs, such as vegetarian, gluten-free, keto, low-carb, paleo, and dairy-free diets.
Factor Review.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- There is no need to cook, and you can eat fully prepared meals on the go.
- Customers can customize their orders by adding brownie bites, health shots, cold-pressed juices, protein packs, and cereal.
- Factor is suitable for a wide range of dietary patterns, including vegetarian and paleo diets. Its certified dietitians can also provide nutritional advice.
- Meals can be frozen and reheated at a later time.
Cons
- Plastic trays aren’t good for the environment. They can, however, be recycled.
- Meals may be costly, particularly if you choose weekly meal plans with fewer meals.
- Factor doesn’t have a lot of plant-based meal options, so it may not be the ideal option for vegetarians.
Pricing:
- Starts at $11/meal plus free shipping.
3. Green Chef — Best Organic
Green Chef is a nutritious, certified organic meal kit subscription service that sends you ingredients and step-by-step instructions to prepare delicious meals.
It caters to people who follow certain dietary patterns, such as keto, paleo, and plant-based, as well as those who want to simply improve the quality of their food.
Customers have the option of getting deliveries weekly, biweekly, or monthly.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Customers can easily cancel, skip, or modify their orders.
- Green Chef uses environmentally friendly packaging.
- The recipes are simple to follow, and the ingredients are pre-portioned. Furthermore, most ingredients come fully prepared, making cooking a breeze.
Cons
- Meals might be costly, depending on the plan you pick.
- Shipping is not free
- You are not allowed to mix and match meal plans.
Pricing:
- Starts at $11.99 per serving ($79/week).
4. Home Chef — Best For Families
Home Chef is a meal kit subscription service that sends users the ingredients and instructions they need to make nutritious meals.
The company also sells ready-to-eat meals and salads that don’t require any preparation.
Home Chef is a fantastic choice for families with small children or picky eaters since it provides a combination of healthy options and classic comfort dishes.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Home Chef provides meals that fit a variety of dietary patterns, including low-carb and vegetarian diets.
- All meals are simple to make and may often be done in under 30 minutes.
- Meals are fully customizable, and users can make changes like doubling the protein amount.
- Customers can easily cancel, skip, or modify their orders.
Cons
- Because the facility processes eggs, milk, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soy, Home Chef is not suitable for those with certain food allergies.
- Plastic containers are harmful to the environment. They can, however, be recycled.
- Some meals are high in salt and calories.
Pricing:
- Meals start at $6.99 per serving.
5. Freshly — Best Fully Prepared Service
Freshly is a meal delivery service that provides healthy, fully prepared meals that only need to be heated in the microwave for three minutes before eating.
Singles like the service since the meals are tailored for one person, unlike many other meal delivery services that cater to couples and families.
Each week, subscribers can pick from a menu of chef-created meals.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Each week Freshly provides a selection of meals suitable for several dietary patterns, including low carb and dairy-free diets. Furthermore, all of the dishes are gluten-free.
- All of the meals are ready to eat and can be eaten on the go.
- Meals may be frozen and reheated at a later time.
- Subscribers have the option of ordering as little as four meals per week.
Cons
- Freshly meals are mostly meat and poultry-based, making it an unsuitable option for vegans.
- The plastic trays and packaging are harmful to the environment. They can, however, be recycled.
- Larger families should avoid these meals since they are single-serving sizes.
Pricing:
- Meals start at $8.99 each plus shipping.
6. Snap Kitchen — Best Pre-prepped Meals
Snap Kitchen, like Factor, provides completely prepared meals that don’t need any preparation.
Snap Kitchen’s dishes are prepared fresh every day, and its meal plans are devised by chefs and nutritionists to guarantee that the meals are delicious and nutritionally complete.
Paleo, high-protein, Whole30, and vegetarian meal plans are among the options available to customers.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Snap Kitchen meals are gluten-free, and almost all of them are under 500 calories, making them an excellent choice for people looking to reduce or maintain their weight.
- Snap Kitchen is a wonderful option for people who follow certain dietary patterns, such as keto or paleo. Subscribers to the Total Custom plan may choose meals from the whole menu.
- Fully prepared meals can be eaten on the go.
- Customers can easily cancel, skip, or modify their orders.
Cons
- Snap Kitchen formerly used biodegradable trays, but in 2020, they converted to plastic.
- Meals may be costly, particularly if you choose weekly meal plans with fewer meals.
- The company only delivers to limited states. Check their website for details.
Pricing:
- Meals start at $9.98 each plus shipping.
7. Purple Carrot — Best for Vegans
Purple Carrot is a vegan-friendly subscription service for plant-based meal kits.
Customers can get nutritious, plant-based foods for breakfast, lunch, and supper from the company. It also offers ready-to-eat snacks.
Purple Carrot has meal plans for two and four people, making it a fantastic option for couples and families.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- It’s simple to make changes to your orders or pause your subscription.
- Meals are simple to make, and meal kits include colorful recipe cards with easy-to-follow instructions.
- There are gluten-free and high-protein meal options.
Cons
- The company only delivers on certain days, which may not be convenient for all customers.
- The number of meal options is limited.
- Only vegan meals are included in Purple Carrot’s plans.
Pricing:
- Meal kit pricing is $9.99 – $11.99 per serving. The cost of prepared meals is $12.99 per serving.
8. Daily Harvest — Best Plant-Based
Daily Harvest is a meal delivery service that specializes in healthy smoothies, snacks, and meals.
Though it is most known for its delicious and nutrient-dense smoothies, the company also sells chia bowls, oat bowls, flatbreads, harvest bowls, and energy bites.
Customers design their own “box” and choose whether they want it delivered weekly or monthly.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Every recipe in Daily Harvest uses full, unprocessed ingredients, including fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, and nuts.
- The products are vegan-friendly and devoid of refined sugar, gluten, fillers, and preservatives.
- Customers can easily cancel, skip, or modify their orders.
- All of the meals are pre-cooked, frozen, and simple to prepare.
Cons
- Several Daily Harvest meal items, such as the oat, chia, and harvest bowls, provide enough calories to make a meal. Some meals, such as the Quinoa and Chipotle Harvest Bowl, have too few calories to be considered a complete meal and would be best served as a nutrient-dense side dish.
- Daily Harvest may not be the best choice for people searching for a delivery service that provides a range of dinner options, although the menu has certain things that might be used for a light dinner option.
Pricing:
- The price per item starts at $5.99. Oat, Chia, Forager Bowls, and Lattes are all $5.99. Mylk, Smoothies, Soups, and Bites are all $7.99. Harvest Bowls, Flatbreads, and Scoops are all $8.99.
9. The Good Kitchen — Best Gluten, Soy, and Peanut-Free
The Good Kitchen makes it simple to eat well by sending nutrient-dense, fully cooked frozen meals to your home.
The company works with local farms to guarantee that the ingredients used in its products are of the highest quality and are environmentally friendly.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Meals at The Good Kitchen are suited for various eating patterns, including keto, paleo, gluten-free, and Whole30.
- The meals can be frozen for up to 6 months.
- Meals are ready-to-eat and can be eaten on the go.
- The Good Kitchen is gluten-free, soy-free, and peanut-free, making it suitable for anyone with food allergies.
- Customers can easily cancel, skip, or modify their orders.
Cons
- Meals are expensive, but this is due to the high-quality ingredients used by the company, such as grass-fed meat and pastured chicken.
- Customers are unable to choose a delivery date since all meals are delivered on Mondays.
- Although vegetarian options are available at The Good Kitchen, they are limited. As a result, people who follow a plant-based diet may not find this meal plan to be the best option.
- Plastic trays aren’t good for the environment. They can, however, be recycled.
Pricing:
- Pricing varies from $10.99 to $14.00 per meal, based on the number of meals ordered and the plan selected.
10. Pete’s Paleo — Best Paleo
Pete’s Paleo is a gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free meal delivery service that caters to individuals following the paleo diet.
The company provides completely prepared, fresh meals that are high in nutrients.
Pete’s Paleo uses sustainable ingredients and creates its weekly, chef-created menu based on what’s in season.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Pete’s Paleo meals are fully prepped and ready to eat.
- The meals are abundant in protein, healthy fats, and fiber, and they are suitable for those who have food allergies.
- Organic, paleo, and seasonal ingredients are used in the meals.
- Meals are served in large portions and can be stored for later use.
Cons
- Meals are expensive. However, this is due to the high-quality ingredients used by the company, such as pastured meat and organic vegetables.
- Plastic trays aren’t good for the environment. They can, however, be recycled.
- On most plans, customers cannot choose which meals they want. However, the company introduced a “Eat What You Love” plan that allows customers to choose any combination of five frozen meals.
Pricing:
- Pricing ranges from $12.90 per meal to $15.90 per meal, depending on the number of meals you order and the plan you choose.
Comparison
| PRODUCT | Best For | Price | Rating | Best Feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunbasket | Overall | $8.99 per meal | 4.7/5 | 30 minutes meal |
| Factor | Dietitian-designed | $11 per meal | 4/5 | Meals on the go |
| Green Chef | Organic food | $11.99 per meal | 2.7/5 | Environmentally friendly packaging |
| Home Chef | Families | $6.99 per serving | 3.5/5 | Fully customizable meals |
| Freshly | Fully Prepared Service | $8.99 per meal | 4.9/5 | Ready-to-eat meals |
Conclusion
Although there are several meal delivery services available, only a few of them provide nutritious options.
The meal delivery services mentioned above provide nutritious and delicious meals, with many of them catering to common dietary patterns and food allergies.
Choose the best meal delivery service for your lifestyle and nutritional requirements from the list above.
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FAQs
Why are meal kits so popular?
Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic produced an artificial need for meal kits, but now that many of us have seen and tasted the items, food delivery is likely to become a more regular part of many people’s lives.
We live in a “fast food” culture where food is delivered instantly, and the concept of healthy, easy-to-serve meals is just appealing nowadays.
Is it worth investing in a meal plan?
You can save money by using a well-run food delivery service.
Meals are carefully prepared with a meal plan subscription, and the usual waste from grocery shopping for items that aren’t completely used is reduced.
Sticking to your plan might also help you save money by reducing the number of quick snacks you eat.
What are the downsides of a meal kit delivery?
Despite some disagreement, meal kit delivery services must still prove their overall cost-effectiveness.
Some people see these services as a luxury that pales in comparison to the cost of decent shopping and cooking.
Amit Gupta is the founder of National Planning Cycles, a company that helps startups, individuals, and small businesses with their financial planning. He has a vast amount of experience in the finance sector, having managed Google Play accounts for some of the world’s most successful unicorns. Amit is an expert in his field, and he uses his knowledge to help others achieve their individual goals.