If your Grubhub receipts are piling up, you might want to consider a slightly more hands-on food delivery experience: meal kits. Since Blue Apron pioneered meal kit delivery services, companies have cropped up all over the internet touting great meals that even the most amateur chefs can easily make. Each of these services promise something different whether it be diet-specific meals or pre-prepped ingredients. We looked into some of the best meal kit delivery services and narrowed it down to the 13 best.
Your Lifestyle: These services typically deliver every week. If your weekly routines are varied, youll want to find a delivery service that makes it easy to pause and resume delivery (and doesnt charge you for changes).
Your Tastebuds: All of these services are going to deliver solid ingredients and meals. Some of them may put a premium on expanding customers palates, while others might prioritize easy-to-make staples. Browse each options sample menus to get a sense of how varied the meals can be.
Your Fridge Space: These meal kit delivery services send out pre-portioned ingredients for each meal. That means you end up with a lot of packages and a limited amount of space in your fridge. The same can be said for services that offer pre-made food.
Your Budget:These delivery services do make getting food on the table easier, but its important to note that most kits, from a cost per serving perspective, work out to about as much as ordering takeout would, but with the added benefit of cooking the food yourself, thus knowing what youre eating. Let these services jumpstart your passion for cooking, but theyre not the be-all-end-all for meal prep.
Best For: Adventurous EatersCost: $60/week for three meals for two people; $96/week for three meals for four people (free shipping)Price Per Serving: $8 $10Blue Apron is a true OG in the meal kit delivery game. Its chef-designed dishes are simple to make and easy to follow along with. Plus, the whole cooking process can usually be done in under an hour. If youre looking to try out new flavors in the kitchen, Blue Apron might be your best bet. Expect dishes like coconut curry wonton noodles and zaatar white beans and kale saut. Where cost is concerned, its meals fall in the upper-middle price bracket.
The company also has a wine subscription with bottles that will complement its meals and a marketplace for users to buy essential kitchen tools like cast-iron skillets and cutting boards.
Best For: Tight BudgetsCost: $39/week for three meals for two people; $69/week for three meals for four people (prices include shipping)Price Per Serving: $4 $5Dinnerly goes bare bones for its meal delivery kits to keep prices per serving low for customers. The company uses digital recipe cards, fewer ingredients, minimal packaging and word-of-mouth marketing so youre just paying for meals. Its menu isnt innovative staples include lasagna rollups, carne asada tacos and shrimp scampi but it gets the job done.
Best For: Cash-Strapped Home CooksCost: $39/week for three meals for two people; $69/week for three meals for four people (prices include shipping)Price Per Serving: $5EveryPlate makes it easy for those with tight budgets to make delicious and different meals at home. At $5 a serving, it offers one of the cheapest plans in the category. Despite the lower price, the menu options are vast and the food quality is solid a bit like a more adventurous Dinnerly.
Best For: People Who Dont Like CookingCost: $46/week for four meals for one person and goes up to $96/week for 12 meals for one person (shipping costs vary)Price Per Serving: $8 $12Freshly meals arrive fully cooked, so all you have to do is microwave and eat. Freshly accommodates a wide range of dietary restrictions, and 100 percent of its menu is gluten-free and peanut-free. A sample menu may include anything from turkey meatloaf to chicken tikka masala. Plus, all of Freshlys meals come in recyclable packaging. Yay for less guilt.
Best For: People With No Time to SpareCost: $79/week for three meals for two people; $151/week for three meals for four people (prices include shipping)Price Per Serving: $8 $11 for lunch; $12 $14 for dinnerGobble is the meal kit delivery service for those who cant find their way around the kitchen, but dont want to get something pre-made. Because the company does most of the prep work for you, meals take around 15 minutes to complete. Ingredients, sourced from local farms and specialty purveyors, come chopped and peeled and ready to handle. Expect dishes like shakshuka with swiss chard and potatoes and Sicilian-style balsamic glazed ahi tuna. Check out Gobbles Lean & Clean meals for under-600 calorie dishes made with lean meats and healthy fats.
Best For: Health-Conscious EatersCost: $79/week for three meals for two people; $95 per week for two meals, served family style, for four people (prices include shipping)Price Per Serving: $10 $13 (varies by dietary options)Green Chef is a USDA-certified organic company with meals like roasted sausages and sauerkraut, streak frites and buttermilk-brined chicken. When selecting a plan, you can choose from keto, paleo, vegan and vegetarian and carnivore menus. Most meals can be completed in under 30 minutes, so a fresh, healthy meal can end up on your table faster than getting delivery.
Best For: Indecisive Shoppers and TravellersCost: $62/week for three meals for two people; $98/week for three meals for four people (prices include shipping)Price Per Serving: $7 $9HelloFreshs meal plans center around flexibility for its subscribers. The company makes it easy to cancel, change meals and delay delivery to accommodate your lifestyle. Each box comes with step-by-step recipe cards, which include nutritional facts. Even if youre not a subscriber, use HelloFreshs recipe page for meal inspiration.
Best For: Picky EatersCost: Starts at $7 a mealPrice Per Serving: $7 (more for customizations)Rather than paying for a set number of meals per week, Home Chef subscribers choose which dishes they want for the week and pay $7 per meal. Users have the option to customize their meals with upgrades, swapped ingredients or extra helpings of protein, for an added cost. Previous meals have included garlic-parmesan crusted filet mignon and hot honey salmon. Its easily the most granular of any meal kit company.
Best For: Martha Stewart StansCost: $63/week for three meals for two people; $99/week for three meals for four people (prices include shipping)Price Per Serving: $7 $10Martha Stewart will never prepare you a meal in your own kitchen, but you can subscribe to Martha & Marley Spoon, which will likely be the next best thing. Every week, subscribers choose from 22 recipes to have sent to their door. Meals utilize seasonal ingredients and curated spice blends to create unique flavor combinations. The Martha & Marley Spoon menu runs the gamut in cuisine with dishes like pork katsu, gnocchi and enchiladas. Better yet, these meals are ready in under 30 minutes, all requiring six steps or fewer.
Best For: Vegans and VegetariansCost: $72 per week for three meals for two people; $120 per week for three meals for four people (free shipping)Price Per Serving: $10 $12Vegans and vegetarians can turn to Purple Carrot for a meal kit delivery service that caters to plant-based diets. The company has meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and you can even add ready-to-eat snacks to your weekly box. Subscribers in the past have had kimchi tofu stew and black bean avocado melt kits sent to them. Even if youre not on a plant-based diet, Purple Carrot is still a great option for those looking for a delicious meal.
Best For: Clean EatersCost: $72/week for three meals for two people; $144/week for three meals for four people (free shipping)Price Per Serving: $11 $13Sun Baskets meal kits center around quality ingredients organic produce, antibiotic- and hormone-free meats and wild-caught seafood to produce meals that taste great and are good for you. The brand caters to various diets, and all of its meals are approved by dietitians. Examples of what you can expect in a Sun Basket delivery includes meals such as spicy Sichuan dan dan noodles and Mediterranean garlic shrimp.
A major criticism of meal kit delivery services is its heavy use of packaging, so Sun Basket went ahead and made its packaging recyclable and compostable. In its efforts to combat poverty, Sun Basket supports local food banks and the nonprofit organization Feeding America.
Best For: Vegan Chef MikeCost: $117 for 10 meals; $216 for 20 meals; $297 for 30 meals (free shipping on auto-delivery orders; $10 shipping on one-time orders)Price Per Serving: $10 $12Veestros meal kit service caters to vegans and those with plant-based diets. Not only that, but they arrive to your door fully cooked, ready to be heated up in the microwave, in the oven or on the stove. Users can order meals a la carte, where they have the opt for a variety of dietary preferences such as kosher, gluten-free or high-protein. Choose Veestros meal plan service, called Chefs Choice, to get a set number of meals delivered to your door every week, two weeks or four weeks. A sample menu includes meals such as chickn shawarma, carrot osso bucco and veggie lasagna.
Best For: ParentsCost: $48/week for six meals; $56/week for eight meals; $72/week for 12 meals (free shipping)Price Per Serving: $6 $8Picky eaters wont seem so picky with a Yumble meal in front of them. With dishes like baked taco pockets and chicken marinara, you might find yourself picking off your kids plate. Plus, Yumble works with nutritionists to create healthy meals thatll keep your kids coming back for more. Meals take 90 seconds to heat the microwave, and Yumble packaging can be recycled.
Tyler Chin is Gear Patrols Editorial Associate for Editorial Operations. He's from Queens, where tempers are short and commutes are long. Too bad the MTA doesn't have a team like Ed-Ops.
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The 13 Best Meal Kit Delivery Services for Every Kind of Cook - Gear Patrol
