We tested over a dozen meal delivery services — these are the ones we recommend
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Our editors tried meal delivery services from popular brands like Blue Apron, Home Chef, Factor and CookUnity. Here's what we thought.Courtesy Zoe MalinIf you're constantly struggling with dinner recipes or feeling overwhelmed by the time it takes to meal prep, it may be time to consider a meal delivery service. These services send either pre-made meals or perfectly portioned ingredients with step-by-step recipes directly to your door. It can decrease the amount of money you spend on groceries, make meal planning less stressful and help improve your cooking skills — all while catering to dietary needs like pescatarian or gluten-free, experts say.
I spoke to chefs, nutritionists and recipe developers about what to look for in a meal delivery service to determine the best one for you. I also highlighted NBC Selected editor favorites that we’ve tested and reviewed, plus expert-recommended options.
Best prepared meals overallCookUnity$50.36$100.72CookUnityLearn moreBest meal kit service overallHome Chef$39.96$79.92Home ChefLearn moreBest prepared with varietyFactor$34.98$69.96FactorLearn moreBest for beginnersBlue Apron$undefined$87.51Blue ApronLearn moreBest budget-friendlyEveryPlate$29.57$66.91EveryPlateLearn moreBest for dietary restrictionsBistroMD$109.90$219.80BistroMDLearn moreBest kit for vegan cooksPurple Carrot$83.00$108.00Purple CarrotLearn moreBest for adventurous cooksHungryroot$undefined$91.92HungryrootLearn moreSee 5 MoreRelatedselectedselectedAre plastic cutting boards useful kitchen tools or a breeding ground for microplastics? Here’s what to knowWant more from NBC Selected? Sign up for our newsletter, The Selection, and shop smarter.
Below, I included NBC Selected staff-favorite services that we’ve tried and loved. The chefs and nutritionists I spoke to gave us their recommendations for the best meal kit delivery services to try across a variety of budgets, tastes and diets. I included both meal kit services (which send out individual ingredients) and pre-made meal services.
$50.36$100.72CookUnityNow 50% offWhat to knowPrice is based on eight meals per week with new member discount applied.
CookUnity is an NBC Selected staff favorite. Depending on the amount of meals you want each week, you can choose from a range of plans, with subscriptions of anywhere from four to 16 meals. The service provides a rotating menu of ready-made options each week, or you can let CookUnity pick them out for you based on your preferences (like your choice of protein) or any dietary restrictions like vegetarian, vegan, low-carb and gluten-free. You can also flag any allergies or foods you don’t like, and the service will notify you if they appear in any meals on the menu.
Our reviewers found CookUnity's pre-made meals to be varied, delicious and fit several dietary restrictions.Courtesy Zoe Malin“I started using CookUnity because I felt like I was spending so much money on groceries but still eating boring food everyday like sandwiches and salads,” says former NBC Selected social commerce editor Sadhana Daruvuri. “Now, I can enjoy a variety of delicious meals while still spending about the same amount I’d spent on groceries before.”
NBC Selected senior editor Nikki Brown is also a CookUnity fan and gets four meals delivered each week, so dinner is taken care of most days. “I’m sure there will be a time in my life when I am able to cook dinner every night but that’s not the case right now — I’ve tried switching up how I shop, rearranging my kitchen and meal prepping, all in hopes of cutting down on how much I spend on takeout but nothing worked until I got CookUnity,” she says. Brown loves browsing and picking her meals each week: “It feels like grocery shopping, except I don’t have to push a cart or carry bags,” she says.
All CookUnity meals come packaged in a reusable bag that you can send back to the company to fill it back up. Courtesy Zoe MalinIt’s also a favorite of NBC Selected reporter Zoe Malin: “The convenience is unbeatable — the meals show up at my door at the beginning of the week, and knowing all I need to do to cook dinner is pull the wrapper off a meal and warm it up makes my evenings totally stress-free,” she says. However, Malin notes there is some more prep work involved than other services she’s tried. “I did have to take out some components of meals before I microwaved them, like a kale salad or coleslaw, which was a bit tricky and caused me to do more dishes — normally, I’d reheat and eat meals out of the same disposable containers they came in,” she says.
The meals also come in a small reusable bag that you can send back to the company instead of having to break down boxes every week. The meals come fresh and have a refrigerated shelf life of about four to seven days.
$39.96$79.92Home ChefNow 50% offWhat to knowPrice is based on four meals per week for two people/servings with new member discount applied.
Home Chef’s rotating weekly menu includes more than 30 meals to choose from. You can also select from a variety of menu options catered to your preferences, including 15-minute meal kits, grill- and oven-ready kits and special occasion meals. Before ordering, you’ll be prompted to take a quiz that personalizes your menu based on your tastes, serving size and delivery preferences. When looking at individual menu options, each meal shows the estimated time it takes to make. The customizability makes this a standout service for our experts, who emphasize that you can easily choose the amount and type of protein in each meal. Ben Leonard, a chef and food educator with more than 15 years of experience, says the service is best for “families, kids or people with any dietary restrictions” due to its variety of meal selections and customizable features.
$34.98$69.96FactorNow 50% offWhat to knowPrice is based on 10 meals per week with new member discount applied.
Factor is another favorite of mine that I’ve used regularly and love for its varied meal options, quick and easy prep time and detailed nutritional information cards. The service provides a rotating weekly menu of over 30 pre-made meals and caters to a number of dietary needs and preferences, including keto, paleo, low-carb, vegetarian, plant-based and high protein. You can choose from five plans, ranging from four meals to 18 meals per week. Factor also lets you schedule a complimentary consultation with a registered dietitian to answer nutrition questions or determine if a Factor subscription is the right choice for you.
Factor's meals are ready to eat in under 10 minutes and you can heat them up in the same disposable container they come in.Courtesy Mili Godio“Factor is incredibly reasonably priced for the quality of health-oriented food they offer,” says Ariane Resnick, a special diet chef and certified nutritionist. She especially likes that chefs design the meals but dietitians approve them, and the fact that they don’t cater to just one special diet. “I think a lot of people want to try eating plans like keto and vegan, but don’t know where to begin — meal options like this let them explore something new without overcommitting and discover if a diet suits their taste preferences, their individual dietary needs and their budget before diving too deep,” she says.
$87.51Blue ApronWhat to knowPrice is based on four meals per week for two people/servings.
Blue Apron recently switched from offering meal delivery plans to a weekly rotating menu that you can order from à la carte without needing a subscription. You can also sign up for a Blue Apron+ Membership, which gets you free shipping, unlimited access to meals from cooking, home and travel shows through Tastemade+, and members-only perks. You can choose between a monthly and yearly membership.
If you don't sign up for a membership, the prices for each meal kit or pre-made meal depends on the number of servings you choose. While Blue Apron does require some cooking chops based on the difficulty level of its recipes, Leonard recommends the service for beginner cooks who hope to “learn from the beginning and hone their basic skills.”
If you’re strapped on time, Blue Apron also offers over 30 pre-made meal options per week. I tried the brand’s Prepared & Ready meals for a week and was impressed by how easy they are to prepare — the meals were ready in under five minutes when I heated them up in the microwave. Plus, there were plenty of meals to choose from, and they tasted so good that it felt like I was eating a homemade meal. Keep in mind, however, the brand does not cater to many dietary restrictions or specific dietary plans like gluten-free and keto.
$138.88Splendid SpoonWhat to knowPrice is based on 12 meals per week.
I tried Splendid Spoon for a week and loved their large variety of clean-ingredient entrees.Courtesy Zoe MalinSplendid Spoon offers over 50 healthy ready-made meals and snacks that include smoothies, soups, noodle bowls and dishes — and everything is gluten-free. Your cart automatically fills with the service’s bestsellers, or you can manually swap in your favorites.
In addition to entrees and snacks, I also tried Splendid Spoon's smoothies. They were filling, tasted delicious and easy to store in my fridge.Courtesy Zoe Malin“I recommend Splendid Spoon for anyone who wants healthy meals in a flash — they taste as healthy as they are, which is a downside for some and a bonus for others,” says Resnick, who was sent a few boxes by the brand to try out. She says she enjoys the selection of juices and smoothies and the convenience of thawing one at a time. Although you can’t pick the number of meals you get per plan like most other delivery services, Splendid Spoon lets you customize the frequency of your meal deliveries: weekly, every other week or once a month.
$39.91$79.92HelloFreshNow 50% offWhat to knowPrice is based on four meals per week for two people/servings with new member discount applied.
Something to noteNothing to note at this timeHelloFresh is one of my favorite no-frills meal kit delivery services — the recipes are easy to follow (which, as a non-cook, is key for me), the meal options are varied and the food ends up tasting great. The popular service offers a great mix of dishes in its weekly rotating menu, which can appeal to everyone in the family (including kids), says Leonard.
HelloFresh has a variety of meal selections that fit different dietary restrictions, including vegetarian and pescatarian diets.Courtesy Zoe MalinYou can customize your weekly meal settings by selecting from six preferences: Quick & Easy, Pescatarian, Family-Friendly, Fit & Wholesome, Veggie and Chef’s Choice/Meat & Veggie. The service appeals to several dietary restrictions, which impressed our NBC Select editors. “I was pleasantly surprised by how many HelloFresh meals fit my gluten-free and pescatarian diet, although you definitely have a lot more options if you don’t have dietary restrictions,” says Malin, who tried the service for a week. “Overall, cooking the meals was straightforward and the portion sizes were filling.”
You’ll automatically receive meals that fall under your specific preferences, or you can choose the meals you want each week. You can also swap proteins and sides if the weekly recipes don’t quite fit your preferences. The service also offers 14 veggie meals (including up to two vegan meals) in its Classic Plan each week.
$121.92SunbasketWhat to knowPrice is based on four meals per week for two people/servings with new member discount applied.
Sunbasket offers both ingredient-based meal kits and pre-made meals, all of which consist of high-quality ingredients and organic produce, according to the service. You can choose from 10 meal plans, including chef’s choice recipes and pre-made Fresh & Ready meals, as well as paleo, gluten-free, vegetarian and diabetes-friendly options. The Fresh & Ready option lets you receive single-serve meals to heat in the oven or microwave in just a few minutes. If you don’t feel like committing to a single plan, the service lets you mix and match with over a dozen meals from its weekly rotating menu.
Sunbasket sends the specific ingredients in the exact amount you need to make your recipes.Courtesy Zoe Malin“Since I follow a gluten-free and pescatarian diet, I can usually only eat one or two offerings off a meal delivery service’s weekly menu. But that wasn’t the case with Sunbasket: There were almost too many delicious dishes to choose from, and each one I tried came with an easy to follow recipe,” says Malin, who tried Sunbasket for a week. “And don’t sleep on the fresh and ready meals — they taste like homemade meals, but all you do is warm them up in the microwave.”
Sunbasket has recipes that fit multiple diets, including plant-based eaters and carnivores.Courtesy Zoe MalinBoth Resnick and Lisa Moskovitz, a registered dietitian and CEO of NY Nutrition Group, recommend Sunbasket as their top choice for healthy meal kits. “It has a variety of options that can be modified for carnivores and strictly plant-based eaters alike,” says Moskovitz. Most of Sunbasket’s packaging is also recyclable or compostable, using sustainable material like recycled and virgin craft paper and 100% shredded recycled paper filling, according to the brand.
$29.57$66.91EveryPlateNow 56% offWhat to knowPrice is based on four meals per week for two people/servings with NBCSELECT149 discount applied.
Try Everyplate at $1.49 per meal and $1 steak with code NBCSELECT149 on EveryPlate’s website.
EveryPlate was my introduction to preparing real home-cooked meals when I got my first apartment, and at a great price point. The service has a weekly rotating menu with over a dozen options, including vegetarian, low-calorie and even quick meals that you can prepare in 30 minutes or less. The service then delivers a kit complete with ingredients and recipe cards for your selections. To me, EveryPlate’s meal options offer variety and fulfill most of my cravings for the week. And as someone without much cooking experience, the recipes are easy to follow.
When choosing your plan, you can highlight your specific dietary and meal preferences, including veggie, quick and easy, and family-friendly. Based on those preferences, the service will show you the most relevant recipes first (though you’ll still have access to all of the recipes on the weekly menu).
$83.00$108.00Purple CarrotNow 23% offWhat to knowPrice is based on four meals per week for two people/servings with new member discount applied.
Though Purple Carrot's meals are all vegan, they still had a ton of flavor and delicious ingredients.Courtesy Zoe MalinResnick calls Purple Carrot’s meal kits a “wonderful blend of familiar and innovative.” Because the meals are fully plant-based, the service can be an easy way for people to “add more plant foods into their diets without having to fully convert to veganism,” she says. Purple Carrot offers both prepared meals and meal kits, so you can choose whether you want to cook or simply heat up your dinner or lunch. In addition to plant-based meals, Purple Carrot provides several gluten-free recipes to choose from, as well as gluten-free pre-prepared meals. After selecting whether you want meal kits or pre-made meals, you can customize the number of dinners you get per week — these range from two to four meal kits and six to 10 pre-made meals. Deliveries take place on Mondays, Tuesdays or Wednesdays depending on your shipping location, and you can choose to skip a delivery on any given week.
$109.90$219.80BistroMDNow 50% offWhat to knowPrice is based on 20 meals per week with new member discount applied.
If you’re looking for healthy, ready-to-eat meals, BistroMD lets you choose from over 150 chef-prepared meals based on your dietary needs. “BistroMD prides itself on being ‘doctor-designed’ and therefore is more medically therapeutic than most other companies,” says Moskovitz.
You can choose from seven plans: signature (which includes chef-prepared meals for those with limited dietary restrictions), gluten-free, heart healthy (which offers meals containing less than 600 milligrams of sodium and 3.5 grams of saturated fat), keto, vegan, diabetic-friendly and menopause-friendly. Once you choose your plan, BistroMD gives you multiple selections for the number of meals you get per week. The service also offers an EATS (Essential and Tasty Snacks) program that provides healthy snacking options for an additional charge.
$91.92HungryrootWhat to knowPrice is based on four meals per week for two people/servings with new member discount applied.
Technically, Hungryroot isn’t a meal kit service. Instead, the NBC Selected editor-favorite service is a grocery delivery method that offers a lot of the same benefits and customizations as other meal kits on this list — you take an initial quiz on your preferences and dietary needs, and Hungryroot creates a personalized grocery plan. In addition to delivering fresh food for the week, it also sends you specific recipes based on the groceries you order. You can also edit your delivery every week in case you want a specific ingredient or food item.
With the ability to choose the type of meal you want (breakfast, lunch or dinner) and to customize the groceries you get, Hungryroot essentially “allows you to be a bit more adventurous and cook from the hip, or also follow the recipes exactly,” says Leonard.
I consulted with our experts about which features to consider when shopping for meal kit delivery services. Here are the most important ones to remember:
The biggest factors to consider when shopping include the price per meal/serving, the quality of the ingredients, the amount of time you’re willing to dedicate and your own cooking ability.
The price of meal kit delivery services varies based on several factors, including the quality of meals and ingredients you’re getting, the frequency of your deliveries, how many people you’re cooking for and the meal plan you choose. More budget-friendly services like EveryPlate and Dinnerly will typically cost around $5 per serving, while most other popular services like HelloFresh will cost anywhere between $8 and $11 per serving. If you’re looking at more premium or diet-specific services like Sunbasket and Green Chef, they will cost you approximately $12 to $15 per serving.
Take advantage of trial offers, says Daniel Shumski, a recipe developer and cookbook author. “So many meal kits and delivery services offer great introductory prices — it’s worth trying around to find one that fits your taste and budget,” he says.
The time you’re willing to allocate to preparing, cooking and plating your food can help determine which meal delivery service is right for you. If you’re choosing a plan that sends you all the ingredients, you should be prepared to take the time needed to prepare each dish, says Christine Wansleben, owner and culinary director at Mise En Place, which offers cooking classes, private events and more. You’ll also need to ensure you’re cooking the meals as soon as possible since the ingredients can be easily perishable, she adds.
For those who don’t have as much time during the week, ready-to-eat meal delivery services are typically the best option.
Generally, meal delivery services have specific rules and procedures in place to ensure their ingredients are high-quality and trustworthy, according to the experts we talked to. But if you’re extremely particular about the freshness and origin of your ingredients, you should likely skip these services and shop on your own.
For those looking to meet specific nutritional goals, Moskovitz recommends paying attention to the individual ingredients in each meal plan, the nutrition facts and the portion sizes. “Don’t just assume that because it’s homemade or marketed as ‘healthy’ that it’s the healthiest option for you,” she says.
Certain meal delivery services will offer a variety of options for those with dietary restrictions. However, Resnick notes there’s one caveat: Those with medical issues, such as shellfish allergies or celiac disease, should be mindful of possible cross-contamination.
“Companies are usually forthright about shared equipment, but eaters with food intolerances should exercise caution,” she says. “That said, for special diets that are usually choice-based, such as veganism or low carb, I think these services are an excellent choice.”
Before committing to a specific plan, you should consider when you’ll be able to receive these meals to avoid ingredients spoiling or not getting delivered, according to Resnick. Most services will offer customizable delivery plans to choose what days you want to receive your weekly delivery — if you know you won’t be there, most services will let you skip a week (but keep in mind there is usually a cutoff time to select this option).
Meal kits are usually less expensive than dining out or ordering delivery from a local restaurant, according to our NBC Select staff reviewers. However, it all depends on the specific meal delivery service you choose; some are more expensive than others because of premium meal options, organic ingredients and delivery rate, experts say.
There are plenty of benefits to meal delivery services, including saving you time at the grocery store (or avoiding a trip altogether) and meal planning. Plus, it avoids buying too much of an ingredient that will probably go bad in a few days.
“Meal delivery services and kits offer the ability to eat fresh food without wasting anything or having leftovers you don’t want,” says Resnick.
They’re also a great option for culinary beginners because they offer a great opportunity to learn and try out new skills in the kitchen. “I appreciate that they offer people who don’t cook well a hands-on way to learn, and that they allow those who are averse to prep work the ability to avoid it while still eating fresh food,” says Resnick.
At NBC Selected, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
I’m an updates editor at NBC Selected who has extensive experience covering meal delivery services, including prepared, gluten-free and vegetarian meal services. For this article, I spoke to six experts about what to consider when shopping for a meal delivery service and how to determine the best one for you. Experts also shared their favorite meal delivery services to try out.
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Mili GodioMili Godio is the updates editor for NBC Selected. Her expertise lies in wellness, skin care, hair care and pets.
