HelloFresh has the most recipes per week of any meal kit service we tried making it a good pick for families and homes with picky eaters. This meal kit service's portion sizes are generous and there are meals to fir eating plans and diets of all sorts.

It's also affordable, especially if you order larger meals. Ya know, for a family. HelloFresh recipes are mostly fast and easy to follow, even for beginner cooks. Plus, they'll allow you to make substitutions so you can always find a recipe that suits your taste.

Factor is a healthy prepared meal service and had some of the best meals I tried in all my testing of prepared meal services, including a zesty pesto salmon and a divine keto cheesecake.

Among the hits, however, were the occasional misses, so you may have to learn the menu over time. Factor puts a focus on healthy meals with plenty of low-carb options, and all the nutritional information is listed on the website before you choose your meals each week.

With all the keto and paleo meal options, it's certainly a solid choice for people keeping to either of those plans. Read our full review of Factor here. Why our testers picked Purple Carrot : For authentic, organic, plant-based cooking, Purple Carrot delivered big with a bounty of interesting recipes and fresh ingredients.

Out of all the vegan meal kits I've tried, Purple Carrot's provided me with the best base for cooking vegan cuisine and its ingredient mainstays such as lentils and grains. There are about eight recipes to choose from each week.

I tested a full week's worth of meals and enjoyed all of them. Read our full Purple Carrot review here. Why our testers picked Green Chef : This meal kit service uses almost all organic meats and produce, and offers interesting and healthy recipes for the discerning home cook.

While it may be one of the pricier options, we like Green Chef for its versatility in the different specific diet plans available.

The healthy meal kit service also boasts the most organic ingredients of any meal kit service including produce, meats and fish. Green Chef also offers paleo, keto, pescatarian, vegan and vegetarian meals as well as gluten-free meal kit recipes and meals.

Read our full review of Green Chef here. EveryPlate keeps overhead costs low by offering just eight easy meal kit recipes to choose from weekly, which mostly excludes vegetarians and those on special diets, but the eight available meals are full of variety and flavor otherwise.

You can expect a lot of comfort food from this meal kit service such as meatloaf, burgers and pasta dishes but everything I made was solid. Why our testers picked Home Chef : Home Chef is a meal kit service with a sprawling menu that includes tons of low-carb options.

Even if you're not going full keto, but just want to curb your carb intake, Home Chef offers 15 recipes per week with less than 15 grams of net carbs in each.

On balance, Home Chef meal kits weren't the best we tried, but the bulk of meals we made took less than 25 minutes and the portions were more than satisfying. That, coupled with its slew of easy, healthy low-carb options, makes Home Chef the best meal kit service for keto eaters.

The first big decision you'll make is whether you want meal kits, which require some prep and cooking, or a prepared meal service that sends fully cooked meals that are ready to heat and eat.

After you've picked between meal kits or meal delivery, you'll want to find a service within your budget. Here we've outlined all the best cheap meal delivery services for Our list of the healthiest meal delivery services for is a good place to find all the most nutritious options.

Lastly, you'll want to hone in on exactly how much food you'll want sent to you per week. Most services allow you to change the number of meals or servings in your plan even after you've started. With nearly every service, the more meals your order per delivery, the cheaper it is per meal.

All the meal delivery services may look delicious in their website glamour shots, but that's certainly not enough to convince me. To settle on this list of the best meal delivery service I tried as many as we could get our hands on, noting everything about them from freshness and flavor to ordering, packaging and delivery.

Testing meal kits for CNET means rolling up our sleeves and cooking at least one week's worth of meals from each service, often more. How each meal kit tastes, how easy it was to prepare and the portion sizes are all considered.

We also evaluate the website and how easy it is to navigate along with determining how easy it is to pause, cancel or change your order at any given time. To learn more, we have an in-depth look at how we test meal kits here at CNET.

To test each meal delivery service, we tried at least five and sometimes as many as 10 meals from any given service. I choose a range of meals from the various menu and meal plan offerings and took note of the ordering process, recipe variety and information available.

I reheated meals according to the instructions. If there were none, I heated them the way I would if left to my own devices. Often that meant warming gently in a nonstick skillet or reheating in my air fryer.

Many of the meal delivery services offer a microwave heating option, but I almost always found that produced worse results than my trusted methods, even if they typically take a few seconds longer. Not all meal kits are created equally. Some services are much better depending on your dietary preferences, budget and culinary skill level.

If you're looking to cut some of the legwork out of dinner, meal kits and prepared meal services are definitely worth it. The most budget-friendly services cost about the same as buying all the groceries you'd need to make the same meal, with the convenience of having all the ingredients or a box of fully prepared meals sent to your home each week.

That's definitely cheaper than eating out or getting restaurant food delivered, and about the same cost as buying the groceries needed to make the same meals. In a previous story, we crunched the numbers to find out how much meal kits cost versus buying the same groceries.

In reviews and best lists, Blue Apron and HelloFresh are two of the most popular meal kit services for Fresh N Lean and Factor are some of the most popular options for prepared meal subscriptions. Wellness Nutrition.

Best Meal Delivery Services of We've tested and reviewed more than two dozen meal delivery services. Written by David Watsky. Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement.

David lives in Brooklyn where he's spent more than a decade covering all things edible, including meal kit services, food subscriptions, kitchen tools and cooking tips. Since earning a BA in English from Northeastern in Boston, he's toiled in nearly every aspect of the food business, including as a line cook in Rhode Island where he once made a steak sandwich for Lamar Odom.

Right now, he's likely somewhere stress-testing a blender or researching the best way to make bacon. Anything with sesame is his all-time favorite food this week. Expertise Kitchen tools, appliances, food science, subscriptions and meal kits. See full bio.

Why You Can Trust CNET. Table of Contents Top. Best Meal Delivery Services of What's the best meal delivery service? Best meal delivery services of Home Chef. Meal delivery services compared. Factors to consider when choosing a meal delivery service.

How we tested meal kit services. Other meal delivery services we tested. Meal delivery service FAQs. See at Blue Apron.

Best for meal kits. See at Fresh N' Lean. Best prepared meal delivery service. See at Pete's Paleo. The best meal delivery services are convenient for families and households wanting to save time on grocery shopping or by having oven-ready meals with minimal preparation time.

Also, these services can provide high-quality ingredients along with options for those with specific dietary needs or restrictions.

Still, some of these services can be expensive. Read on to see our favorite affordable meal delivery services. Medical disclaimer: This article is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for medical advice.

For health advice, contact a licensed healthcare provider. Good for: People looking for an inexpensive meal kit service with quality ingredients.

Skip the food shopping and the chopping—Dinnerly is a meal kit service that sends you fresh ingredients right to your door with most of the food preparation already done.

Our pick for best overall cheapest meal delivery service goes to Dinnerly. Additionally, Dinnerly provides a market where you can purchase premade meals and food groceries, as well. Within that time frame, meals rotated to new selections already.

The meal kits were a hit for Nicole, who tried the turkey taquitos and pastrami-crusted steak with an everything bagel potato; they were both delicious to her. It has better ingredient quality and definitely less sodium than a TV dinner, but with very similar taste vibes.

Our expert dietitian Perry Nix, RD, likes that Dinnerly provides affordable meals to avoid going out to eat, which improves our diet as well as saving money. Good for: Those wanting an inexpensive prepared meal delivery with organic ingredients.

Fresh N Lean is a prepared meal delivery service that has a variety of meal plans to choose from. In addition, you can select exact meals from their A la carte section. I was surprised!

What stood out to dietitian Perry Nix was the protein amounts provided in each prepared meal. Additionally, the one issue Kate ran into was that it was a hassle to cancel her meal subscription. She actually had to call customer service…who does that anymore? Customers can choose between 10 and 21 weekly healthy meals geared toward weight loss.

You can eat meals after just microwaving them for a few minutes. Meal plans include options for specific diets, like keto, mediterranean, plant-based, or low carb diets. RELATED: Best Weight Loss Programs. Unfortunately, eating too few calories for a prolonged time can actually damage your metabolism and make it harder to lose weight.

HelloFresh is a subscription meal delivery service that provides ingredients and recipes for weekly meals. They provide six different plans, including plant-based, pescatarian, and quick and easy meals.

Additionally, 40 different recipes are available each week, and proteins and sides can be swapped out as needed. The subscription is flexible, as you can skip a week, pause, or cancel your account at any time.

Meal kits include ingredients and recipe cards, and you prep and cook your meals for two people or four. Our product tester, Ashley Little, has used HelloFresh for several years, and enjoys the ease of ordering and customizing your weekly meals.

There is quite a bit of customization, an aspect that appealed to dietitian Perry Nix, RD, as well, particularly for family-friendly options. Also, since you cook these meals at home, the kids can help prepare their meals, which inspires them to taste new foods.

Still, with its low price and discounts, this meal service is worth a shot. Good for: Meal kits that have variety up to par with grocery shopping. Hungryroot offers a unique take on meal delivery, in that you find a recipe you like, and the company will send you all of the ingredients to make it.

There are many options for types of food to choose from, and you can even order extra groceries that you might need as well. You do have to cook though, so if that's not interesting to you, this won't be the right plan.

This feels less like a meal service and more like grocery shopping, according to GGR head of content and certified personal trainer Kate Meier, who tested out Hungryroot. The ease of prep was fantastic for a meal kit service, according to Kate.

But it was so easy—not a lot of chopping, because everything is prepackaged and ready to throw in a skillet. There is an abundance of variety with Hungryroot, particularly for those with dietary restrictions.

Also, Kate was a bit overwhelmed by the initial quiz at the start—asking lots of questions before you even get to see the meal options. Nevertheless, this is a solid service that provides high-quality ingredients for a relatively inexpensive price. Mosaic is a frozen meal delivery service that offers plant-based options for vegetarians, vegans, and omnivores alike.

Mosaic has a wide selection of frozen veggie bowls, family meals, pizzas, smoothies, soups, and oat bowls. Dishes vary from smoothies to pizzas and flatbreads, and even soups and oat bowls. Family-friendly meals were also available, which dietitian Perry Nix, RD, enjoyed. Vegetables are full of vitamins and minerals that promote immune health, improve vision, and support strong bones and a healthy metabolism.

Make sure to check if they deliver to you though, as their delivery is limited to certain parts of the U. RELATED: Plant-Based Protein Powder Benefits.

Good for: Families needing meal kits with options for all family members. Blue Apron is a meal kit delivery service that sends you everything you need for a fun, tasty meal right to your door. With servings that feed up to six people, Home Chef is a great inexpensive option for busy families.

Learn More: Read our Home Chef Review. Weekly order costs will depend on how many meals you order and which menu options you select. Some foods require liquid during the preparation phase.

Bowls and soups can be heated on the stovetop or in a microwave-safe bowl. Foods can be kept in the freezer for up to two months. The meals are vegan and paleo-friendly as well as dairy-free. Learn More: Read Our Revive Superfoods Review. Pricing will depend on what you order.

First, select a box size of either nine, 12, or 24 items, then fill it with whatever foods you want. Per-item pricing is as follows:. With its menu of family-friendly comfort foods, HelloFresh is sure to please even the pickiest eaters. HelloFresh is one of the most well-known meal kit services out there, and it's easy to see why.

The company's weekly menus boast a variety of hearty, flavorful meals that are sure to please the whole family. Each recipe includes easy-to-follow instructions, and most can be put together in around 30 minutes. Order up to six meals each week, with either two or four servings each.

Learn More: Read our HelloFresh Review. Blue Apron is the ultimate meal delivery service for gourmet food lovers. Choose from multiple meal preferences, including chef favorites, family-friendly, and vegetarian, with dishes like togarashi tilapia, chickpea shakshuka, and pan-seared duck on the menu.

In certain areas, customers can also add on pantry essentials, kitchen tools, and even wine. Learn More: Read Our Blue Apron Review. Meal Kits.

Heat and Eat. The service offers prepared, refrigerated meals that include comforting and nutritional foods that can be reheated in the microwave for 90 seconds. Meals arrive pre-packaged and can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 14 days.

Users have a plethora of dietary options to choose from, including pureed foods, renal-friendly, low-sodium, cancer support, and gluten-free.

Customers can even choose an auto-ship program to make ordering easier. Learn More: Read Our Mom's Meals Review. We sampled the individual plan, which has an option for 10, 14, or 21 meals per delivery.

Users can also choose from an a la carte meal menu or have the chef-curated menu, in which the chef selects your order. Feeding yourself and others can be expensive, timing-consuming, and challenging. Fortunately, there are many meal delivery services that offer affordable options.

Finding affordable meal delivery services can help make life a little easier. Identifying reliable and continuous meal delivery services can alleviate a financial burden as well as time-consuming meal planning , cooking, and cleaning up.

Does the service offer larger portions designed for a bigger family that may have a picky eater? You'll also need to decide whether you want meal kits, which require prep and cooking, or prepared meals that only need to be warmed.

When selecting a meal delivery service, here are a few factors to consider:. After researching over 40 meal kits, we ranked them all by the lowest cost per serving.

Cheap meal delivery services have more to offer than just inexpensive food. Fortunately, for customers and consumers, there is a bevy of intriguing, cost-effective, and healthy options for at-home meal delivery kits.

Some meal kits create flash-frozen meals and snacks that need to be prepared with at-home ingredients, such as frozen smoothies or soups that require water or a desired milk.

Other meals may arrive pre-cooked and need to be heated up on the stovetop or in the microwave. And some companies focus on larger-portion ingredients that are geared toward cooking and feeding the whole family.

Several of the cheapest meal delivery services are conscious of allergens and have meals designed for specific dietary needs. For example, Daily Harvest and Revive Superfoods both offer dairy-free and vegan foods.

Our testers ordered from, cooked, and rated 40 different meal delivery services. We carefully scored each one based on meal selection, nutritional information, sustainability, and customer service, as well as the flavor, freshness, and quality of each meal and ingredient.

For this roundup, we ranked the companies based on the lowest price per serving, which generally means customers must order the highest amount of meals available. Our Spruce Eats tester panel includes dietitians, chefs, and longtime food writers who are all passionate and knowledgeable about food.

Use limited data to select advertising. Create profiles for personalised advertising.

I would suggest you can try Blue Apron because this is one of the best meal delivery services at an affordable price in the market bigumbrella.site › eat › affordable-meal-delivery Discover affordable meal delivery with EveryPlate. Enjoy high-quality ingredients and incredible dinners for less than $5. America's Best Value Meal Kit

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Affordable meal delivery service - HelloFresh is a relatively budget-friendly meal delivery service, with prices starting at $9 per serving and $ for shipping. What is the I would suggest you can try Blue Apron because this is one of the best meal delivery services at an affordable price in the market bigumbrella.site › eat › affordable-meal-delivery Discover affordable meal delivery with EveryPlate. Enjoy high-quality ingredients and incredible dinners for less than $5. America's Best Value Meal Kit

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.

This is important to keep in mind as you sign up for your first delivery to ensure you are receiving your meals at the most convenient time for you. For each service, we ordered at least one box of three or four meals worth two to four servings each.

Using the service's website, we chose a diverse variety of meals when available. We prepared the food on a weeknight for ourselves and our partners or families, and evaluated the quality of ingredients, recipe accuracy and variety, difficulty, speed, cleanup, taste, and more.

We scored and compared each meal and kept detailed notes like true food nerds. Meal prepping and grocery shopping can feel overwhelming. 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.

We found many recipes that only took 15 or 20 minutes, and oftentimes less! One study found that popular restaurant meals can have a whopping 1, calories on average per serving.

Using a meal kit service can help you better manage your portions and ingredients to eat more nutritious meals and lead a healthier lifestyle. They can also help you control grocery costs because you won't have excess food going bad in your fridge before you can decide what to do with it.

Almost every service we tried offers a large discount on the first box. outside their health-forward options. HelloFresh will save you time grocery shopping but might not save you money or might cost more than you spend on dinner now.

Sunbasket is a meal delivery service that caters to people valuing sustainable business practices and healthy, organic ingredients. Sunbasket is the meal kit to choose if you're looking for the freshest ingredients and the healthiest recipes.

Although more expensive than competitors, Sunbasket has menus for every diet and lifestyle, whether vegan, paleo, gluten-free, keto-friendly and more.

This service prioritizes quality, first and foremost. Sunbasket has a variety of meals for those who are paleo, vegetarian, gluten-free, and more. In addition to their many creative dishes — like the Moroccan-spiced salmon with jeweled couscous and lemon yogurt or the triple-mushroom quinoa with watercress, scallions, and peas — Sunbasket has an online market, similar to Blue Apron, where you can purchase everything from breakfasts to snacks, to quick lunches and even specialty meats.

The catch with Sunbasket is the price tag. The meal kit portion includes ingredients you follow recipes and cook yourself or options for ready-to-eat meals. The actual price is personalized to how much food you order. Most meals with Hungryroot you prepare yourself are ready in about ten minutes.

Hungryroot mixes in some Walmart and Instacart by also offering a grocery delivery service to its meals. Options include healthy snacks, sweets, fresh fruit, breakfast items and more. Hungryroot uses a credit-based system that assigns grocery items and recipes a credit value when ordering your plan that corresponds to the number of servings selected.

Exclusive to Northeastern U. Outside normal grocery and prepared meal delivery, those in Brooklyn, Manhattan or other delivery zones in New York can also have alcohol delivered with FreshDirect.

Deliveries with FreshDirect can be made up to a week in advance or if you want your groceries quick they can be scheduled for same-day or next-day delivery in selected two-hour windows subject to availability. Alright, food lovers! Enter the modern marvel: Home Meal Delivery Kits!

Most services offer flexible subscription models. You can usually choose how many meals you want to be delivered each week and for how many people. One of the coolest things about these kits is the variety. Many companies rotate their menus regularly, offering a mix of classic favorites and global dishes that might be new to you.

Some companies even offer breakfast, dessert, and snack options. The cost per meal can be higher than if you sourced the ingredients yourself. Also, while companies are making efforts to reduce packaging, there can still be a fair amount in each box, which could be a concern for the eco-conscious among us.

Before we even thought of tasting anything the fun part! From popular blogs to user reviews on various platforms—think Trustpilot, Yelp, and even Reddit—we dug deep to understand what customers truly want.

We prioritized services that offered a range of options. Once we had our list, it was time for our favorite part: taste-testing! We sampled dishes from numerous services, rating them on flavor, freshness, portion sizes, and overall satisfaction.

Yes, it was as delicious as it sounds! We analyzed the cost per meal, looking for services that provided value for money without compromising on taste. An overlooked but super crucial aspect!

And of course, we made some cheeky calls to their customer service to see how responsive and helpful they were. We favored services that used eco-friendly packaging, had recycling options, or showcased any efforts towards sustainability. Armed with all this data, our team sat down for some serious discussions and maybe a food coma or two!

We debated, discussed, and sometimes even passionately argued to whittle down our choices to the final list.

Gone are the days when ordering food was a rare treat. With the advent of meal delivery services, a plethora of culinary delights are just a click away.

Imagine getting gourmet dishes or even simple home-cooked style meals delivered right at your door, without the hassle of grocery shopping or meal prepping. But with the vast sea of options available, how does one pick the right service?

Enter meal delivery services! They cater to a range of preferences, from health-focused meals to indulgent treats. Before you get overwhelmed with options, take a moment.

Think about what you really need. Are you aiming to lose weight? Maybe you need high-protein meals. Or are you a gourmet at heart, seeking new and exotic flavors?

Pinning down your priorities can narrow the field significantly. From those avoiding gluten to vegans, and from keto enthusiasts to pescatarians, the spectrum is vast.

Check if your prospective vegan meal delivery service can cater to your specific dietary needs. We all dream of eating like royalty, but the wallet does have its limits.

While exploring, keep an eye on the price tag. Some services might seem affordable at first but can rack up costs with add-ons. Find one that offers the best bang for your buck.

Look into how your chosen service packages its food. Do they use excessive plastic? Or have they adopted eco-friendly alternatives? Your choices can make a difference. Food can be an adventure. While local delicacies are comforting, sometimes the soul craves exotic flavors.

Scour through reviews. Consistent complaints about a particular issue should raise eyebrows. If multiple customers talk about tardy deliveries or poor food quality, take note. But for those who find solace in cooking, meal kits can be therapeutic.

We live in the digital age. A smooth app experience is almost as essential as the food itself. An intuitive interface, easy customization options, and swift checkouts can make all the difference. If a service offers trial packs or promotional discounts, jump on it!

Maybe you decide to go on an impromptu vacation or want to switch services. Having flexible return and cancellation policies can be a relief. At first glance, ordering a meal from a delivery service might seem pricier than whipping up something with ingredients from your local grocery store.

For those who value their time, enjoy variety in their meals, and dislike the hassles of grocery shopping, meal delivery services might indeed be a cost-effective option.

Hey there, fellow food enthusiast! But how do we separate the sizzle from the steak? Ah, the transformation! Remember when food delivery was just a cheesy pizza or some crispy spring rolls? Well, the culinary world has undergone a revolution, and now, gourmet meals are just a click away.

What once was a domain dominated by a few select fast-food joints has exploded into a myriad of options. Our doorsteps have transformed into landing pads for dishes from every corner of the world. As our schedules become chaotic and our world increasingly digital, the desire for tangible, real-world pleasures like good whole food arrives fresh out has skyrocketed.

No more! These plans are your ticket to more leisure. Think about it: hours previously spent on grocery shopping, prepping, cooking, and the worst part—cleaning up—are now all yours.

Maybe take up painting or perhaps finally start that book you always wanted to read. Most of these plans have menus curated with the help of nutritionists. Think of the myriad of choices at your fingertips, each designed to tantalize and satisfy in unique ways.

Can you imagine diving into the heart of Italy with a rich, creamy risotto one evening, and by the next, venturing into the vibrant streets of Thailand with a tangy pad thai?

And the best part? Ever felt the weight of dietary restrictions pulling down your gourmet dreams? Those days are behind you. Think hearty chickpea stews, sumptuous vegetable curries, or maybe a tofu stir fry that bursts with flavors. Savor dishes like almond flour pizzas, zucchini pasta, or maybe a succulent steak with roasted veggies.

No more sifting through ingredient lists or fretting about cross-contamination. From fluffy gluten-free pancakes to nut-free desserts, the options are both safe and scrumptious. For those watching their caloric intake, fear not!

Enjoy robust dishes, artfully portioned, and crafted to keep you both fit and fulfilled. Often, these prepared meals might end up being pricier than if you were to source the ingredients and cook them up yourself.

Packaging woes! Meal deliveries mean more boxes, plastic wraps, containers, and ice packs. Although many companies are becoming more eco-conscious, the overall waste generated is a concern.

Relying too much on these plans can take away the joy and skill of cooking. Homemade meals, despite the effort, have a warmth and personal touch to them. While they offer a variety of dishes, customization can sometimes be limited.