After three years and counting of fending for ourselves in the kitchen during the pandemic, it’s about time to start thinking outside of the box — and into the meal kit box.
Meal kit boxes of recipes and their ingredients can offer the combined powers of mixing things up in the kitchen and crossing off some of those New Year’s resolutions, from wanting to eat healthier to spending less time at the grocery store.
As a mid-20-something who has graduated from the microwave and into the culinary world of two or more pots on the stove at a time, I wanted to try out as many meal kits and delivery companies as possible. I started this journey in the last week of December 2020, and since then, my meal kit adventure has taken off.
What’s the best meal delivery service?
- Best Overall: Martha & Marley Spoon.
- Best for Mediterranean Diet: Blue Apron
- Best Meal Delivery for Family: Home Chef
- Best for Singles: Factor
- Best Budget: EveryPlate
For this 2024 refresh, I tested, re-tested, tasted and built box forts with 23 meal delivery services, ranging from plant-based to protein-packed, fresh to flash-frozen and even those made for adults and those made for kiddos!
My conclusion? There’s truly a meal kit for everyone, many with exclusive New York Post deals running all the time for new users and specials for true meal kit masters. They range in skill level just as much as they range in dietary preferences, price and serving size to fit every household.
The hard part is just deciding which to try, which is why I tried them all for you first.
Here’s everything you need to know about all the meal kits you’ve been hungry to try.
Need help choosing a meal kit? Jump down to the bottom of this article for an FAQ:
Best Meal Delivery Services for 2024
Best Overall Martha & Marley Spoon
Pros:
- Delicious and high-quality meals — but what else would we expect from Martha?
- Perfect for the home cook who likes a balance of easy meals and learning new skills. Also great for home-cooked dinners with easy directions and no need to go grocery shopping.
- Options for specific diets, including vegetarian and low-carb recipes, in addition to the classic comfort foods.
- Sustainable packaging and practices
Cons:
- Make sure to check your zip code for delivery, as some areas in the Midwest and others are not eligible as of the time of publication.
Sample Plans: Gluten-free, Quick & Easy, Low Calorie, Vegetarian, Low Carb
Martha Stewart can do no wrong — well, at least when it comes to food.
For those that don’t know, you can get pretty close to having Martha as a live-in chef with her meal kit company, Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon. The kit is a traditional one, with 40 recipes loaded onto the site weekly to choose from and fresh ingredients shipped out according to your plan. You can opt for the two-person or the four-person plan and then select the amount of meals you need per week, from just two to six.
Editor Approved Meals: Pan Roasted Tilapia, Grilled Salmon and Charred Squash
I wanted to go all out comfort food, as I knew Martha would be proud of that decision, choosing the Pastrami Spice-Rubbed Steak ($13) and the Cheesy Sausage Brunch Bake ($13) for something a bit easier. When unboxing the ingredients, I liked how the included recipe cards listed out exactly what I would need, making for easier sorting in my fridge and also making a mental note of the extras I would need, like butter, oil, vinegar, and some household spices. The cards also list the cooking tools you need, as well as allergens and nutrition per serving.
Because these recipes are from Martha Stewart, I wasn’t surprised that my cooking time of about 35 minutes was slower than her listed time of 25 on the steaks, so if you need to sharpen your knife skills, that is more than okay, it just may take a bit longer.
However, I was rewarded for my time and effort, as the steaks were perfectly seasoned with her spice blend, and the recipe yielded lovely mashed potatoes and green beans for a very all-American dinner.
Best for Mediterranean Diet: Blue Apron
Pros:
- Full-sized ingredients, super fresh produce and large portions
- Offers a wine subscription box to pair with your cooking creations
- A bit more in-depth cooking, with great tasting results
- Perfect for a hungry family or those who want to spend more quality time in the kitchen
Cons:
- None to note
Sample Plans: Mediterranean , Carb Conscious, Family-Friendly Vegetarian
Strap on your aprons; it’s time to get cooking with a kit that will make you feel like a master chef in no time.
Blue Apron was one of the first meal kit companies to hit the market, and it has continued to be ultra popular — for good reason. Their ingredients are full-sized and appear insanely fresh. I chose the harissa chickpea shakshuka with pita ($13) and the pesto chicken pasta ($13) as my meals, and received full cans of tomatoes, chickpeas, a whole bag of Brussels sprouts, a full bulb of garlic, and the most beautiful large green pepper I’ve seen.
What’s a meal without wine? For those who know little about pairings and for home sommeliers who want to try something new, the meal kit service also doubles as a wine guru, offering a wine pairing subscription on its site.
Editor Approved Meals: Chicken & Chickpea Curry, Chicken & Zucchini Orzo, Veggie Chill
For a healthy and hearty meal, I went with the shakshuka with za’atar pita. As promised on the recipe card, the meal took roughly 30 minutes to prepare, and only used two pans — one for the meal and one to toast the bread, although I’m sure you could use a toaster oven if you have a lack of pans or burners. The shakshuka was a different recipe than I was used to, but thanks to the packet of za’atar seasoning and the fresh mint and feta cheese that came with it, it tasted pretty darn close to needing a passport.
The rest of the Blue Apron offerings look to be just as filling and have full-sized ingredients. It’s ideal for feeding a hungry family or for the culinarily inclined who like to know exactly what ingredients they are using and from where they came.
Best Meal Delivery for Family: Home Chef
Sophie Cannon
Pros:
- A ton of options for different schedules, including 15-minute meals and oven-ready bakes
- Easy-to-use zipper-bag packaging, and even easier-to-use recipe cards with cook time, expiration date, difficulty and spice levels
- Great variety of meals for each week, and in many meals, the meat can be substituted for Impossible Foods’ vegan options
Cons:
- Everything included except salt, pepper and oil
Sample Plans: Home Chef Plan, Family Plan, Vegetarian, Calorie Conscious, Under 30 Minutes
Home Chef brings the elements of comfort food and home cooking to your doorstep, with recipes tailored to fit your schedule.
When curating my own box, I imagined all the types of meals I cook in order to go about my day well-fed and on time. I ended up choosing a classic cooking meal with a 35-minute cooking time, a faster 15-minute option, and an oven-ready dish for those nights when you can’t bring yourself to do much more than turn on the oven and set the table.
For a taste test, I went with the happy medium of the three, opting for the 15-minute hoisin pulled pork with jasmine rice. The first note to make is on the notes themselves. The recipe cards were super well-organized, making my type-A personality very happy.
Editor Approved Meals: Pretzel-Crusted Chicken Scaloppine and Honey Butter, One-Pan Sweet and Spicy Shrimp Tacos, Salmon Cakes with Dill Hollandaise
After unzipping the correct package for my meal, the cooking process was as easy as promised, clocking in at about 20 minutes due to my slower chopping skills.
The four-part directions were a breeze to read and also featured photos for those who need a photographic confidence boost to compare their cooking to. The meal itself was flavorful, easy, and didn’t taste like a time-constrained cook at all.
With new meals offered weekly, choose between regular meal kits, 15-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. Many meals can also be customized with Impossible Foods products, for those who go meat-free without sacrificing taste.
Best for Singles: Factor
Pros:
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner and desserts all come frozen and ready to reheat and eat
- Great option for those on the go and also health-conscious
- Offers options for different diets, including keto, paleo, plant-based, low-carb, vegetarian, pescatarian and meat-eaters, too
Cons:
- Have plenty of freezer space to store meals or order a smaller plan (they range from four meals a week all the way up to 18 meals per week)
Sample Plans: Chef’s Choice, Calorie Smart, Flexitarian, Protein Plus, Keto
If your resolution this year is to cook less but eat healthier, Factor is for you.
A new sister site to the HelloFresh family, Factor is unlike the rest of its siblings in that no cooking is required — unless you consider using a microwave cooking.
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.
The pros: the pancakes certainly weren’t rubbery, and they provided ample butter and syrup, which instantly makes for a great breakfast — or, in my case, a perfectly fine dinner. The cons: even though it was a microwave meal, there were a few sticky steps, such as flipping each (hot) pancake and then making sure the butter was melted all the way through the stack of three cakes. As for the taste, neither a pro nor a con. They definitely tasted like healthier pancakes — butter and syrup helped — and the addition of the nuts on top was a satisfying touch.
Editor Approved Meals: Roasted Garlic Chicken, Southwest Scrambled Eggs & Quinoa Breakfast, Truffle Mushroom Pork Chop
To wash it all down, I also grabbed one of the cold-pressed juices — Factor also offers wellness shots in addition to their four juice flavors. The pineapple turmeric basil juice ($4 per juice) sounded super interesting, and sure enough, it was as tasty as it was vitamin-packed. The option to go to my fridge instead of a 9-dollar-a-pop juice shop with a hipster barista is worth it in and of itself for me.
In terms of variety, if you’re planning to factor in Factor into breakfast, lunch, and dinner, too, you certainly can and will not get bored of your options. There are even dessert options, too — the dark chocolate peppermint keto-friendly cheesecake was my personal favorite.
The very best part of this kit for me was the ability to feel like I was having a fancy meal without any of the work. For those who truly don’t want to or don’t have time to cook, the grab, micro, and go method is a definite perk.
Best Budget: EveryPlate
Pros:
- A huge amount of super fresh veggies, large seasoning and sauce packets and big portions of dry ingredients such as rice and pasta
- At only $4.99 per serving, this is one of the best bangs for your buck, without sacrificing flavors or fresh ingredients
- Smaller recipe cards for easy storage, but still very easy to read and follow with extra tips included
Cons:
- No options for vegans or other dietary preferences other than vegetarian and pescatarian
Sample Plans: Meat & Veggies, Family Faves, Quick & Easy, Calorie Smart, Veggie
EveryPlate is an affordable option from the Hello Fresh family. The kit includes recipe cards, fresh produce, meat and fish coming packaged on ice, and a brightly colored box that arrives on your doorstep for no supermarket stops along the way. For less cash than any fast food meal, the options are also healthier, and the produce that came in my box was all fresh and full-sized, overflowing out of the box.
Editor Approved Meals: Spicy Black Bean and Pepper Quesadilla, Chicken Scallopini & Lemon Garlic Sauce, Tunisian-Spiced Beef & Apricot Tagine
As I was cooking up my chicken sausage tomato soup ($5.99), I noticed the recipe cards had some other helpful tips to save food waste. There were also plenty of helpful notes to reassure a home chef who is just starting out.
After devouring the soup — a great meal for any winter’s day — I checked out the site to see what other offerings they had. Each week, they lay out 16 different meals to choose from, ranging from chicken, pork, and beef to fish and veggie-based. The plans are customizable for your household’s needs, allowing you to order for two or four people, three to five meals per week. The best part is that no matter the combination, each standard meal is $5.99 per serving.
Best for Weight Management: Trifecta
Pros:
- Wide variety of meals for those on a special diet, like Keto, paleo, vegetarian, vegan and more
- Comes with extras like weight management coaching, diet plans and more on the app or on your account
- Ability to order from different plans, in order to try different diets
- Ability to cancel or pause your plan at any time
Cons:
- Shipping is $9.99
- Not for families, as meals are all single-serve and not enough for leftovers
Sample Plans: Clean Meal Plan, Paleo & Whole30 Approved Meal Plan, Plant Based, Keto Meal
These aren’t just pre-packaged, portion-controlled meal kits. Instead, expect a trifecta of support, with meals, coaching, and tracking, too.
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. However, for those who want a whole-body and mind experience when it comes to healthy eating and lifestyle, you can add a lot more from Trifecta. For the purposes of this meal-centric article, we won’t get too into it but note that you can also use their personalized health plan services, community support resources, and fun daily activities and challenges to keep you motivated.
Back to the food at hand — and in fridge — there are a variety of options to choose from when selecting your meal plan. I wanted to try their Clean Meal Plan ($110.99/week), which uses fresh and clean ingredients with a variety of proteins and vegetables, as well as their Vegan Meal Plan ($99.99/week), which you can read more about here.
When receiving my box, I loved that all of the items were packaged with the meals clearly labeled, helping me choose which I wanted to eat now and stick in the fridge and which I wanted to freeze for later — you can freeze the meals for up to three months in the freezer, or leave them for up to seven days in the fridge. The label also included cooking instructions, for which you can use the microwave or a stovetop/oven.
To really put the flavors and textures to the test, I used the microwave, and to my delight, the rice was cooked to perfection, the sausages were left juicy, and the packaging was cool enough to touch. One note: since these meals are in sustainable packaging, the bottom may get soggy, so it is advised to use a plate underneath. Otherwise, the meals provided enough food for a full meal (maybe add fresh fruit on the side) and made me feel more energized than if I had grabbed a different freezer meal from the grocery store.
Best Easy to Prepare Gobble
Pros:
- The box comes with super generous portions of fresh produce and pantry staples such as rice that can be saved for later or fed to a hungry crowd
- You’ll get quantity and quality, as the fish and steak were both fresh and tasty
Cons:
- Recipe cards are a bit harder to follow than some due to their small size, but easier to store and reuse for later
- No cook time estimations on the cards, but when timed, even a full steak meal was under 30 minutes, prep to plating
Sample Plans: Classic Dinner, Lean & Clean
Not only for Thanksgiving, Gobble is the meal kit that serves up generous turkey-day-sized portions no matter the season.
The first thing I noticed about Gobble was just how much fresh produce I received in my order. For the beautiful Italian flat iron steak meal, which is supposedly two servings, I got a huge bag of ripe cherry tomatoes and an entire bundle of green onions. Even though this meal’s side was a creamy polenta, I could have just as well made a side salad of marinated tomatoes with the leftovers. For my miso-baked salmon, I got a giant bag of fresh broccoli and a ton of jasmine rice. During the unboxing alone, it was evident that Gobble values quantity and quality. One last thing that didn’t go unnoticed? The four balls of cookie dough that came with my meal, not that I had any room left in my stomach after the meal to come. A second dessert stomach is a thing, right?
Another thing to note was the smaller, more compact recipe cards. While they are so much easier to save and store in a kitchen drawer than full-sized pieces of paper, they are also a bit more cramped in terms of directions and information. I couldn’t find an estimated cook or prep time like on other companies’ cards, and the cooking directions were a bit complicated looking as they follow a more crowded paragraph format.
After gathering salt, pepper and oil, not included in the box, I decided to pick the steak as my meal, as I was making this for a filling dinner after a long day at work (well, work is cooking meal kits, so I can’t complain). While cooking red meat has always been a subject of some fear for me, the steaks were already cut into two portions, so my hand-to-raw-meat interaction was a breeze and isn’t bad even for the more squeamish.
Since there wasn’t an estimated time on the recipe card, I set my own timer. The total time for my medium-rare meal came out to 29 minutes and 33 seconds, prep work included. For a full steak dinner that yielded enough for two portions and leftovers of the polenta and veggies, this is the kit for hungry families who want to spend some quality time together in the kitchen.
Best Plant Based: Purple Carrot
Pros:
- Totally versatile, plant-based meals that don’t sacrifice taste
- Great for plant-based eaters or an easy introduction for non-vegans to try it out
- Fresh ingredients, all pre-packaged per meal, for easy prep and meal planning for the week.
Cons:
- A a bit more prep work, but worth the extra chopping time for the taste
- Everything was included (even baking soda and butter) except for oil, salt and pepper
Sample Plans: Meal Plans, Prepared Meals, Frozen
100% plant-based, 100% stands up to the taste test, too.
Purple Carrot is one of the vegan and vegetarian-friendly meal kit boxes that friends have been telling me to try for a while now, and I’m so glad I did. Though I am a carnivore through and through, I found that Purple Carrot is a great introduction to vegan eating.
Editor Approved Meals: Lemon-Basil Mafaldine, Crispy Black Bean Tacos, Udon Noodle Crunch
For a healthy lunch on the go (or a no fuss dinner), the brand has a prepared line I thoroughly enjoyed. The Thai Peanut Fried Rice? Delicious and only 2 minutes to heat in the microwave. However, I don’t mind slicing and dicing in the kitchen, so I wanted to try one of the meal kits, too.
When choosing a meal to cook, I knew I wanted something that I loved already in its original meaty form, made vegan, to really put the box to the test. I picked the vegan chick’n and dumplings ($14) with oyster mushrooms and green beans, which had a hefty cook time of 40 to 50 minutes, according to the recipe booklet.
After I had chopped everything down to size and foraged for my mushroom heads (well, I picked them apart from the woody stems, but it sure felt like foraging), 15 minutes had already ticked by. The rest of the cook was pretty straightforward, used minimal dishes, and came out almost exactly like the photo, albeit a bit more soupy of a sauce.
Did this vegan dupe stand up to comforting chicken and dumplings? Absolutely. And I didn’t feel like taking a food-coma nap afterward since all the ingredients were so light and nutritious. Another pro: everything was included in the box except salt, pepper, and oil, as they made sure to package vegan butter, flour, baking soda, and thyme into pre-measured baggies.
For those who do want to eat plant-based for all three meals of the day and then some, the site does offer a lot of different options, changed up every week. On the site now, curate your box with eight different dinner options, two breakfasts, two lunches and six different snacks from an array of vegan companies.
Best Affordable: Dinnerly
Pros:
- Dinnerly is one of the most affordable meal kits out there, perfect for families and new chefs alike.
- Vegetarians will rejoice at their meat-free offerings
- Digital recipe cards are on the site, so no need to keep a paper copy.
Cons:
- Make sure to check your zip code for delivery, as some areas in the Midwest and others are not eligible as of the time of publication
- Everything was included except for pantry staples like flour, salt, pepper and eggs, so be sure to check recipes before heading to the store if needed.
Sample Plans: Low Carb, Under 30 Minutes, One Pot Meals, Low Calorie, Kid Friendly, Dairy Free, No Added Gluten
Dinner is served, and fast!
We reviewed this kit back in 2020, but sadly, since they hadn’t yet offered delivery to Minneapolis, I had a colleague test the meals. This year, it was my home in Brooklyn that allowed me to try the delicious meals, as they do ship to New York as well as most of the contiguous US states (you can check by entering your area code on the site) from three warehouses in New Jersey, Texas and California.
The thing that sets this meal kit apart is the affordability, as I was shocked to see that portions start at just $4.69, with options for a two-person box or a family-sized box of four portions. You can choose between three and six meals per week, and pick if you want the box to be vegetarian. Best of all, they’re offering $140 off your first five boxes, which is pretty rad. When you visit the website, just click redeem, and a promo code saving you up to 37% is applied to your order.
As a carnivore myself, I left the box unchecked and ordered three meals, trying to see the full range of options when it came time to cook, prep, and clean up. I loved to see that many meals only required one pot or pan, while others on the weekly menu are listed as 30-minute meals or meals with no knife required — perfect for cooking with the kids and those with no knife skills.
Editor Approved Meals: Oven-friend Cheese Ravioli with Tomato Dipping Sauce, Cheesy Cauliflower Parm with Romaine Wedge, Boston Cream Cupcakes
A few other things I noticed while cooking up my Buffalo Fried Chicken Sandwich ($5) was just how fresh the ingredients were, admiring the tiny head of butter lettuce and the soft dinner rolls. This was a 30-minute meal, and it truly was, as I was able to toss the green beans in the oven and work on the chicken at the same time, without feeling stressed or getting too messy.
One thing to note is that the Dinnerly recipe cards are digital, so don’t be alarmed when opening your box and they aren’t there. I personally like this for recycling’s sake, but it was a bit tricky not to touch my computer with oily hands when trying to scroll to the next step. The plus side is that the recipes live online, so there is no need to store sticky cards on your bookshelf or try and photocopy for later.
Best Organic: Green Chef
Pros:
- Great for those with allergies in the house, as the cards indicate allergens in each basket ingredient
- Super fresh-tasting fish that comes on ice in the box
- Each meal takes six steps to complete, usually under about 35 minutes, perfect for quick lunches and dinners
Cons:
- None to note
Sample Plans: Mediterranean, Plant Based, Protein Packed, Gut & Brain Health, Keto, Gluten-Free, Calorie Smart
The green cousin of Hello Fresh, Green Chef stands out as a traditional meal kit with better-for-you options. When researching all the kits on the market, I noticed that Green Chef offered the first Keto options for those following a fad diet trend. Now, they offer an array of other options, too, from vegetarian to plant-based to paleo.
Another highlight is the allergen-friendly notes on the cards, as there are indications on each ingredient that say if it could trigger an allergy, for example, an “SH” next to the shrimp and an “S” next to the sesame sauce for those with a soy allergy.
Editor Approved Meals: Saucy Chicken Tacos with Mango Slaw, Spiced Chicken with Lemon Yogurt Sauce, Cheesy Italian Meatloaves
I went with the sesame shrimp noodle bowls from their gluten-free menu, which claimed to take 25 minutes to cook. The cooking itself stood up to the pretty picture on the recipe card, and so did the cooking time, a great sign for those who only have a half-hour lunch break or don’t want to cook for hours only to eat in minutes. The kit came with everything I needed, sans salt, pepper and cooking oil, so make sure you have those on hand.
Best Sustainable: HelloFresh
Pros:
- Easy to customize meals and skip weeks. Can order meals for two or four people, with two to six meals per week
- Easy-to-follow and aesthetically pleasing recipe cards in the box for each meal
- Accurate estimates for prep and cook time for an easy weekly schedule.
- Produces 31% less carbon emissions than a traditional supermarket
Cons:
- Make sure to have kitchen staples such as salt, pepper, butter and oil in the house, as they are not included in the box.
Sample Plans: Meat & Veggies, Fit & Wholesome, Family Friendly, Under 20 Minutes, Pescatarian
HelloFresh and hello, easy directions for gourmet-looking meals.
Once you’re ready to cook, each meal is laid out in six easy steps. How they can make both one-pot pasta and a full steak meal in just six steps is beyond me, but it works and makes meals manageable for all skill levels.
I decided to go big or go home with my test cook, choosing a steak with mushroom cream sauce and roasted potatoes and carrots for a Monday night dinner. HelloFresh packages each set of ingredients conveniently into individual brown paper bags. Once unpacked, I did a quick wash and dry for the produce, and the rest of the meal was pretty straightforward.
I timed the cook, and sure enough, it was pretty close to the estimation on the cards — 47 minutes for me for a slightly more well-done steak and an older oven for the crispy potatoes.
Best Paleo: Eat Clean
Pros:
- Meals start at under $10
- Options for breakfast, lunch, dinner and some select snacks
- Options for Keto, paleo and plant-based diets as well as a traditional diet
- Food was incredibly seasoned, especially for a reheated meal
Cons:
- Not a ton of options on the weekly menu, especially for larger plans
- Some meals have smaller portion sizes
Sample Plans: Traditional, Paleo, Keto, Plant Based
Eating clean has never been so easy — plus, the cleanup was also pretty clean, too.
Eat Clean is a prepared meal delivery service, that not only takes the grocery shopping out of the equation like a typical meal kit, but also takes care of most of the prep work, cooking and cleaning. The meals arrive in a pre-packaged and pre-portioned tray that is microwave safe, or you can opt to open the pack and use an oven-safe dish to reheat the food in minutes. And yes, packaging is recyclable.
This service is great for those with ample fridge space and less ample time to cook healthy meals, as you can load up on as many as 14 meals per weekly delivery, which is also the lowest cost per meal, at $9.60. On to the nutrition aspect, the packaging wrapped around each tray has detailed nutritional information, plus, the website does a great job of describing each menu item, outlining all of the ingredients as well as health information. For those on a specific diet, you can also choose from plant-based meals, Keto and paleo.
Editor Approved Meals:
I opted for a random selection of meals this go around, but would also like to note that the service does carry a variety of options for breakfast and snacks, in addition to lunch and dinner, should you want to plan for busy mornings or an eventful day with little time to snack. I went the dinner route, and happily ate BBQ pulled pork with sweet plantain mash off of the traditional menu, as well as Kung Pao chicken with sweet potato noodles from the paleo menu. Both were extremely flavorful, not skimping on seasonings at all. Portion sizes are on the somewhat smaller size, but the meals themselves were filling, each coming with a protein and a veggie for the meals I chose.
Best Prepared Meal Delivery: Thistle
Pros
- Many options for breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Meals come in plastic take-out-style containers for easy lunch-packing on the go
- Each item arrives fresh and has the eat-by date printed on the label for easy meal planning
Cons
- Some areas of the United States are not available for shipping as of Jan. 2024
- Not a ton of weekly options to customize your box with
Forget heat-and-eat when you can just dive in!
For many of Thistle’s meals, this is the case, which makes healthy eating all the easier. The ready-to-eat meals come in super easy-to-transport plastic containers, a la a work cafeteria, or a fast-casual restaurant. Better yet, many of the lunches, like salads and bowls, don’t even need to be heated up, making for a perfect meal on the fly.
When it comes to fresh veggies and vegan meals, I can be skeptical that the produce will retain its crunch upon delivery or that the meat (or meat alternatives) will arrive a soggy mess. However, I was thrilled to bite into my Monday Kale Pesto Pasta Salad to find excellent crunchy roughage and al dente pasta. I didn’t realize you could also add chicken to the meal when ordering my weekly stash, so I added my own at home, but this is also a great solution to add more filling protein or to make carnivores happy.
The other thing to note about freshness is the packaging. Thistle takes care to label each breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack (yes, snack! My Smashed Sonoma Chickpea Snack Plate was delicious!) with the day you should eat it. Since I ordered for Monday – Wednesday, it was easy to organize my fridge by day so I could simply eat down the line. Check out their current menu. Looks good, right? Note: Thistle is one of the rare meal kits that does delivery multiple times per week, so should you want more than three days’ worth of food at a time, you can simply schedule another delivery for mid-week.
Best for Groceries: Hungryroot
Pros:
- Plans can include full meals, snacks and sweets — perfect for mindful eating all day
- A super fun and unique combination of a grocery delivery service with options to choose recipes as well — great to re-stock the fridge and help spark inspiration for meal planning
- Great for those who like to cook on their own terms but also enjoy a new recipe now and then
Cons:
- The recipe card is found on the back of your order receipt and is not too colorful, but it gets the job done
If you find yourself rooting around your kitchen all day for meals and snacks, Hungryroot may be the best choice for you. Its mix of branded items and other brands is a great way to explore new products.
When I first signed up to make my profile, I was taken through a fun, almost Buzzfeed-style quiz that had me pick and choose my favorite types of foods and think about my eating habits. To be honest with myself, I was sure to check the boxes for liking sweets and snacking, skipping breakfasts, and adding snacks to my dinners. At the end of the quiz, you are presented with a customized plan of meals and servings, as well as the option to add on breakfasts, snacks and sweets.
While some of the food is Hungryroot brand, such as the veggies, pasta, meat, and rice, some of the other items, including snacks, desserts, and even the buns for my burgers, were from other unique brands. This was actually really cool to see, as by ordering one box, I was exposed to new products that I can now go out and buy on their own when I run out — looking at you, Pipcorn cheese balls!
I chose to cook a Hungryroot brand spinach feta turkey burger on an Ozery OneBun multigrain bun with Hungryroot avocado crema. The burgers came in pre-formed, pre-cooked patties and were super easy to pan-sear while the buns toasted, all in all, totaling about 10 minutes total for a healthy and hearty lunch. The burger itself was delicious, and something I would seek out in a grocery store to buy again.
While this particular meal was on the easy side, while browsing the site, I was happy to see a whole range of options, including groceries to have in the fridge, which I found to be super unique and well-needed in the traditional meal kit space.
This company is great for those who have a culinary mind and like cooking their own recipes but also like trying new ones, especially with healthy ingredients and fun new products. Plus, it saves a trip to the grocery store and scrambling to plan a weekly menu on the spot.
Best for Busy People: Daily Harvest
Pros:
- Great selection of meals, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinks and desserts
- Perfect for on-the-go eaters, busy people who forget to eat but want to be nutritious.
- Most meals heat up in the microwave or stovetop in under 10 minutes, others need to be blended and some you can eat frozen (ice cream and frozen treats)
Cons:
- Make sure to let ice cream thaw 10 minutes before digging in (I know it’s hard) to get a creamier texture
Sample Items: Smoothies, Grain Bowls, Pasta, Flatbreads, Soups
Daily Harvest truly means daily, as I happily ate a breakfast, lunch and a dessert in one sitting when diving into my box of frozen meals and snacks.
They keep it simple; everything comes frozen on dry ice (careful with kids if they help with the unboxing process!) and ready to either reheat, blend, or in the case of ice cream, thaw and enjoy. Since there wasn’t much to actually cook, I took a look at their site while my sweet potato and wild rice harvest bowl was heating up in the microwave and my ice cream tempering on the counter. The site has loads of options, ranging from smoothies ($9) and lattes for a quick drink or start to the day, followed by oat and chia bowls for breakfast, harvest bowls ($10), flatbreads and soups for lunch or dinner, bites for, well a quick bite, and scoops for dessert, which is Daily Harvest’s name for their non-dairy ice cream.
Their plans range by items, not by servings or meals per week like other companies, which is great for those who don’t abide by traditional meal times, are busy and need quick bites during the day or simply love pre-made but super nutritious meals in a snap.
My sweet potato bowl took about four minutes in the microwave, and I was surprised by how well it turned out. I’d never microwaved avocados or white beans before and was expecting a less-than-savory texture, but was instead given a well-cooked but still fresh tasting meal in under five minuets flat.
All in all, Daily Harvest is a great kit to have on-hand and in-freezer at all times, whether it be as part of your daily routine or a great fall back when waking up late and needing a quick smoothie or bowl or a dinner for the family on busy nights.
Meal kits compared
| Name | Price | Shipping | Diet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martha & Marley Spoon | $6.49+ | Free over $45 | Most all diets, low calories, dairy-free, low carb, vegan, vegetarian |
Blue Apron | $7.99+ | $9.99 | Most all diets, low calories, dairy-free, low-carb, vegan, vegetarian |
| Home Chef | $7.99+ | $11.99 | Most all diets, vegetarian, carb-conscious, calorie-conscious |
Factor | $6.50+ | $9.99 | Most all diets, Keto, low calorie, vegetarian, vegan |
| EveryPlate | $2.39+ | $9.99 | Most all diets, low calories, dairy-free, low-carb, vegan, vegetarian |
| Trifecta | $104.93+ (around $15 per meal) | $9.99 | Most all diets, vegan, Keto, paleo, vegetarian, macro-conscious |
| Gobble | $11.99+ | Free on first box, then $8.99 | Most all diets, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free |
| Purple Carrot | $13.25+ | Free on orders $100 or more | Plant-based/vegan |
Dinnerly | $4.69+ | $11.99 | Most all diets, low calorie, low carb, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free |
| Green Chef | $5.20+ | $9.99 | Most all diets, Keto, paleo, gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian. |
| HelloFresh | $4.99+ | $9.99 | Most all diets, vegetarian, vegan, carb-smart, calorie-smart |
| Eat Clean | $8.60+ | $9.99 | Most all diets, plant-based, Keto, paleo |
| Thistle | $10.00/meal | Price varies | Plant-based, dairy-free, gluten-free |
Hungryroot | $65+ per delivery | Free on orders over $70, $6.99 otherwise | Groceries; most all diets |
Meal Kit FAQ:
What is the difference between a meal kit and a meal delivery service?
Well, this one is a bit tricky, as both are included in this roundup, and there is some overlap. A meal kit is usually a subscription-based program that sends ingredients and recipes to your home. A meal delivery service may be the above, or be pre-cooked meals or grocery items in addition or instead of ingredients for a specific meal.
Do you need to subscribe to the meal kit?
Most of the time, yes! Usually a subscription is needed to try the meals, however, some companies also have a marketplace that sells items a la carte.
How often do offerings and menus change?
Typically, sites will switch up their meal offerings on a weekly basis.
Do I have to be a good cook to use a meal kit?
No! Meal kits come in many different skill levels, from simply microwaving to more intensive chopping and cooking. They can also be a great way to learn how to cook and teach children.
How are meal kits sustainable?
Meal kits are sustainable because they use more efficient supply chains, reduce food waste, and lower transportation emissions.
What to look for when choosing a meal kit:
Diet: Pay attention to the dietary options each service caters to, from vegetarian and vegan to Keto and paleo.
Household Size: Count the number of people in your family and then account for how much they eat to best calculate how many servings you need to feed everyone. Some kits detailed above have larger portions, while others are single-serve only.
Budget: Meal kits and services have a wide range of prices. Some offer free shipping, while others have a minimum spend, and other specialty or health-related plans may cost more.
Time: Think about how long you want to be cooking for each night. Some meals require 30 or more minutes to cook, not including cleaning up. Others are microwavable and thus don’t require clean-up time, either.
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