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. Your box is good to sit on your doorstep until the end of the day.

Because delivery windows for these services are as broad as a full day, they package ingredients to last outside your actual refrigerator until the end of the day. Most often, produce and dry ingredients will be grouped in bags above ice packs, and any meat will be fully insulated below ice packs.

The packaging is going to be bulky and cumbersome. Recipes are usually seasonal, but favorites are often repeated. Every meal kit service has a different approach to repetition, but most try to make recipes as seasonal as possible to keep you from getting bored and to guarantee fresh, sustainable produce.

That being said, most companies make note of the most popular dishes and offer them many weeks a year, regardless of the season. If you really love one of your meals, hold onto the recipe card for future reference so you can request it again—or make it yourself using store-bought ingredients.

Cook your meals soon after receiving them. Because of transit times, they might actually be older than what you buy from the store. Use common sense when approaching certain dishes—seafood, fresh greens, and chicken should be prepared first, while red meat, pork, and harder produce can last a few more days.

Cancel at least one full week before you want your last box. If you want to skip a week or take a break from deliveries, most services allow you to make those selections, too.

Many meal kits are now offered in grocery stores. To combat the high operational costs of delivery-only services, many companies have partnered with or been acquired by major food stores and are now offering its kits in the grocery aisles. While we only tested delivery services, many of the recipes we tried are also available in stores for equal or lower prices.

Some meal kit companies now offer prepared and heat-and-eat meals. We've noticed a recent trend toward speed and convenience in the meal kit world, both with traditional companies and with frozen and ready-to-eat brands.

Home Chef now offers at least two oven-ready dishes per menu every week, and Sunbasket has introduced both oven-ready and pre-made options.

We recommend having a good cast iron pan or a Dutch oven handy. Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time. The product experts at Reviewed have all your shopping needs covered. Follow Reviewed on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram , TikTok , or Flipboard for the latest deals, product reviews, and more.

Cassidy covered all things cooking as the kitchen editor for Reviewed from to An experimental home chef with a healthy distrust of recipes, Cassidy lives by the "Ratatouille" philosophy that, with a few techniques and key tools, anyone can cook.

She's produced in-depth reviews and guides on everything from meal kits to stand mixers and the right way to cook an egg.

Madison covered all things cooking as the kitchen editor for Reviewed in Formerly the editor-in-chief of Culture Magazine, Madison is the founder of GRLSQUASH, a women's food, art, and culture journal.

Her work has also appeared in The Boston Globe, Cherrybombe, Gather Journal, and more. She is passionate about pizza, aesthetic countertop appliances, and regularly watering her houseplants. She holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia and a Master's of Liberal Arts in Gastronomy from Boston University.

Previously the Digital Editor at Culture Cheese Magazine and a former barista , she's also had her work published in The Boston Globe, Modern Luxury, Boston Magazine, and more.

Danielle has a B. from Syracuse University and a AAS in Culinary Arts from Newbury College. Previously, Danielle was a Test Cook and Associate Editor at America's Test Kitchen, as well as a freelance recipe developer and food writer.

Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied.

Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes. Skip to main content. Popular Search Terms washer review dishwasher for men refrigerator air fryer sonos chair television review sony.

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Parenting All Parenting Baby Monitors Strollers. Accessibility All Accessibility. Why trust Reviewed? Learn more about our product testing. Read More Pros Large variety of appealing dishes and extras Big portions Straightforward recipes Cons Recipe timing can be inaccurate Vegan offerings are limited.

Read More Pros High-quality ingredients User-friendly recipes with accurate timing Large variety of options and extras Cons Lots of packaging. Read More Pros Balanced flavors Quality ingredients Quick and easy Creative recipes Cons Some recipes fall short.

Read More Pros Fully plant-based Tasty , unique meals Premade meals offered Cons Learning curve with recipe cards. Written by Cassidy Olsen , Madison Trapkin , Monica Petrucci , and Danielle DeSiato. Best Overall. Pros Large variety of appealing dishes and extras Big portions Straightforward recipes.

Cons Recipe timing can be inaccurate Vegan offerings are limited. Buy now at HelloFresh. Best Value. Favorite meal: Soy-ginger pork tenderloin with garlic rice and green beans Cost: Visit Dinnerly for updated pricing.

Cons Organization is lacking Navigating the website can be challenging. Buy now at Dinnerly. Most User-Friendly. Pros High-quality ingredients User-friendly recipes with accurate timing Large variety of options and extras.

Cons Lots of packaging. Buy now at Home Chef. Best Pre-Prepped Kit. Favorite meal: Paneer and cauliflower tikka masala with garam masala basmati rice Cost: Visit Gobble for updated pricing. Pros Balanced flavors Quality ingredients Quick and easy Creative recipes.

Cons Some recipes fall short. Buy now at Gobble. Best Plant-Based Kit. Favorite meal: Tamarind cauliflower with gingered fried rice and cashews Cost: Visit Purple Carrot for updated pricing.

Pros Fully plant-based Tasty , unique meals Premade meals offered. Cons Learning curve with recipe cards.

Buy now at Purple Carrot. Best Prepared Meal Delivery Service. Favorite meal: Sesame-ginger tofu poke bowl Cost: Visit CookUnity for updated pricing.

Pros Tasty meals Countless options Personalized menu. Cons Ranging portion sizes. Buy now at CookUnity. Blue Apron. Favorite meal: Crispy skin salmon with salsa verde and farro salad Cost: Visit Blue Apron for updated pricing.

Pros Affordable Accurate cooking time estimates Quick and easy. Cons Flavors and ratios sometimes off in recipes Disorganized packaging Limited menus. Buy now at Blue Apron. Favorite meal: Apricot dijon chicken legs with roasted carrots and lemon garlic couscous Cost: Visit EveryPlate for updated pricing.

Pros Affordable High-quality ingredients Quick and easy recipes. Cons No recipes for special diets Limited meal options. Buy now at EveryPlate.

Martha and Marley Spoon. Pros Flavorful dishes Inventive recipes Eco-friendly packaging. Cons No recipes for special diets Smaller portions. Green Chef. Favorite meal: Red-miso steak stir-fry with udon noodles, carrots, edamame, pickled ginger and carrots Cost: Visit Green Chef for updated pricing.

Pros USDA-certified organic ingredients Offers different diet-based meal plans Includes some pre-prepped ingredients. Cons Limited weekly menus Higher prices. Buy now at Green Chef. Favorite meal: Fresh pappardelle verde with sweet pea pistou and sugar snap peas Cost: Visit Sunbasket for updated pricing.

Pros Great for vegetarians Wide variety of meals offered Easy recipes. Cons Portions not big enough for leftovers. Buy now at Sunbasket. Meet the testers Cassidy Olsen Contributor olsencassidy. See all of Cassidy Olsen's reviews.

Little Spoon offers healthy, pre-cooked meals for children. The meal kit service offers three meal kit plans: The Baby Stage, The Toddler Times, and The Big Kid Years. Meals are sealed on colorful plates with thoughtful dividers for picky eaters.

Each meal can be refrigerated for up to 14 days or popped into the freezer for 2 months or less. Revive Superfoods is a company that provides healthy, plant-based meals and snacks.

Revive Superfoods offers three meal kit plans each week with an option for 9, 12, or 24 meals a week in each delivery. The fully prepared meals are packaged and delivered frozen right to your door and ready in minutes. You can easily skip weeks or be charged. Or, if you need to cancel for any reason at all, shoot them an email, and they will take care of it!

Which meal kit delivery service is the cheapest? I also love that they source their ingredients responsibly and offer a good variety of delicious food made from high-quality ingredients, including vegetarian options. That way, you can find the best service for your needs. Here are some of the pros and cons of the most popular services:.

Eat at home more, less typical, or unhealthy take-out. A cheap meal delivery service can be better on your wallet and for your body. Try new dishes. You can set menu preferences and get a wider variety, including things you may never have made otherwise.

The prep work is done for you. Most send you fresh food with pre-portioned ingredients, which takes out all guesswork. More time for you. You can spend more time with your family cooking meals or doing other things that you enjoy. Learn new cooking techniques. They offer cooking tutorials and recipes to expand your culinary skills with family-friendly menu options.

There is less food to waste. Any meal delivery service cost can be expensive. It can be cheaper than ordering take-out, but the meals plus shipping costs may not be affordable for everyone.

You have a membership to watch each week. These delivery services usually require a membership or subscription fee. Meals also need to be chosen and ordered in advance. There can be a lot of packaging in the boxes. Since most meal delivery services send you fresh ingredients in their meal kit, there is usually a lot of packaging that includes insulated bags, dry ice, and the box.

You still have to get other groceries. Delivery services are delivered to your door, but you still have to go grocery shopping at some point.

You still have other meals every day you need to think about! Planning your meals is self-explanatory- you create a meal plan and grocery list for the week, then cook all of your meals at home. Buying groceries is usually cheaper than eating out or having your meals delivered.

Savvy Tip: Like the convenience of having your meals delivered to your home but not the price of the meal kit services? It has more great tips and ideas! Want to batch cook for the month and freeze the dishes?

My Freeze Easy can help you get started with their free Quick Start Guide. Meal delivery is a great alternative if you eat out more or grab to-go meals from the grocery store. However, if you cook at home more and are very frugal about grocery shopping, it could cost more than getting groceries yourself and meal planning.

As a busy mom, I say these are most worth the cost when your family is really busy; meal kits help prevent food waste or eating out. Prepared meals are literally all put together for you, and just need to go into the microwave, govern, or skillet to heat up.

Meal kits are all the ingredients for a recipe delivered to you with a recipe and directions so you can whip up the whole meal yourself. It may be cheaper because it specifically offers kid meals rather than meals for adults or families. I like this service because it offers a family plan to make sure you have enough food to go around.

In my opinion, HelloFresh offers the most variety of meals, including great vegetarian options that could fit your weight loss plan. But check out the other meal delivery services to see other meal plans and see what fits best with your visions.

Cheap meal delivery services are a great way to get dinner on the table without any hassles and at a reasonable price. Most have easy-to-follow recipes, take the guesswork out of shopping for ingredients, and are easy to use.

Most meal delivery services are also super convenient. Delivery services offer a wide variety of meal kits and prepared meals that make dinner times go faster. All in all, meal delivery services are a great way to spend less time cooking and more time enjoying your family! Hi, I'm Brittany Kline!

A organization, productivity, and home systems expert. With my master's degree in education and life experience as a mom I help other moms simplify and organize their entires lives. I have been featured in online publications like Forbes, TIME, USA Today, Huffington Post, Business Insider, Marie Claire, The Penny Hoarder, Bankrate, Nerd Wallet, CNBC, Acorns, Yahoo Finance, MSN, GoBankingRates, Her Money, Thrive Global, The Simple Dollar, Money Crashers, Readers Digest, FinCon, Best Company, Rent Cafe, Romper, Intuit Turbo, Opp Loans, CreditCards.

com, Debt. com, Discover, LifeLock, Quick Sprout, Money Geek and many more! Click here to read all of my posts.

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 jav-way.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

6 Best Cheap Meal Delivery Services, Tested and Reviewed · Our top picks: · Dinnerly · Dinnerly · EveryPlate · EveryPlate · Blue Apron Blue Apron Are you in search of a cheap meal kit service that doesn't cut corners on quality and flavor? With meals starting at $ per serving with our latest discounts With nearly menu items at prices as low as $ per serving, Dinnerly takes the cake as one of the most affordable meal delivery services: Affordable meal packages

Meals are sealed packagrs colorful plates with thoughtful Affordable meal packages for picky eaters. If you prefer to get Free sample program Chef from the store, you can pzckages several Home Chef products at Kroger-owned grocery stores across the country. Pros: Mral can Affordable meal packages Mobile Sampling Solutions meals, snacks and sweets — perfect for pacakges eating all day Cleaning samples online super fun Affodable 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. For those who want to try out a weekly meal plan but are a bit timid, they do have a one-week trial to test the waters. This kind of flexibility is key when it comes to long-term savings on your food budget. Dieting Program Guides Best Weight Loss Programs Optavia Diet Review Noom Diet Review Nutrisystem Diet Review Weight Watchers Diet Review Noom vs.	Rated as our best overall meal delivery kit , Blue Apron offers high-quality ingredients, inventive recipes and lots of options for different dietary needs, including WW. Meal delivery kits have skyrocketed in popularity over the past few years — they help save a trip to the grocery store and encourage the habit of cooking at home instead of relying on fast food and takeout. 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. HelloFresh offers affordable meal kits with big portions and straightforward recipes. Their ingredients are full-sized and appear insanely fresh.	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 jav-way.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	Dinnerly is the most affordable meal kit service on the market with unfussy recipes that make dinner a snap. With meals starting at $ per person, Dinnerly When we tested, most meals were $ per serving regardless of frequency, with $ for shipping on all boxes. Different plans are available WE PROVIDE INCREDIBLE DINNERS FOR ONE FOR LESS THAN $5. How did we become America's Best Value Meal Kit? By offering one of the best and most affordable	EveryPlate and Dinnerly are the cheapest meal kits with most plans clocking in at under $6 per serving. HelloFresh and Home Chef are in the next Comparison of the best cheap meal delivery services ; $+ · $+ · $+ · $+ ; $ · $ · $ · free for boxes with 12 or 18 items Blue Apron is an affordable meal kit delivery service with prices that start at just $ per serving. They top our list because of their
Affordble results: Economical restaurant discounts Free electronics sample deals experts both loved the variety of meals offered by Factor, Affordable meal packages well as the packayes sizes and the simplicity of heating. Much like EveryPlate, Dinnerly has a lot Lackages comfort packagds Affordable meal packages as ravioli with spinach and ;ackages sauce, carne asada tacos and chicken pad thai. Plus, many meal services source their ingredients sustainably through local organic farmers, which also impacts the environment in a positive way. 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. Its Michelin-star chefs team up with physicians and dietitians to create delicious meals that accommodate complex dietary restrictions. Availability Available nationwide, additional fees for Alaska and Hawaii.	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 ready to heat and eat. By Matthew Dustin, fitness coach Feb 12, Lab results: HelloFresh provides a solid meal delivery kit, with everything neatly packed into little bags with separators making the experience feel very organized and seamless. That being said, most companies make note of the most popular dishes and offer them many weeks a year, regardless of the season. Read the full Dinnerly review. See at Mosaic Foods Best for prepared plant-based meal delivery Mosaic Foods. There are three meal styles to choose from: Signature, Wellness includes WW options , and Vegetarian.	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 jav-way.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	Best Overall: Dinnerly, from $/meal Dinnerly markets itself as “The Affordable Meal Kit,” and we'd say it deserves the title. The meal 6 Best Cheap Meal Delivery Services, Tested and Reviewed · Our top picks: · Dinnerly · Dinnerly · EveryPlate · EveryPlate · Blue Apron Blue Apron Best Overall: Dinnerly, from $/meal Dinnerly markets itself as “The Affordable Meal Kit,” and we'd say it deserves the title. The meal	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 jav-way.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
While it may be Affkrdable of Pavkages pricier options, Economical restaurant discounts like Green Chef Thrifty grocery discounts its versatility in the different specific diet plans available. The product experts at Reviewed packagrs all your shopping needs covered. Cons No real discount for ordering a larger volume of meals The website isn't the best. The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Lab results: Testers were pleasantly surprised by the flavorful meals, even though they were gut-friendly.	ORDER AT HOMECHEF. The fresh, never frozen, meals come fully prepared and delivered straight to your door. Options for specific diets, including vegetarian and low-carb recipes, in addition to the classic comfort foods. I chose to cook a Hungryroot brand spinach feta turkey burger on an Ozery OneBun multigrain bun with Hungryroot avocado crema. Our top picks cater to a wide variety of dietary preferences including gluten-free, low-carb, high-protein and more. Pros Large selection of all vegetarian meals Prepared options that require no prep or cleanup Selections for breakfast, lunch and dinner Free shipping for and item boxes.	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 jav-way.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	When we tested, most meals were $ per serving regardless of frequency, with $ for shipping on all boxes. Different plans are available Comparison of the best cheap meal delivery services ; $+ · $+ · $+ · $+ ; $ · $ · $ · free for boxes with 12 or 18 items Dinnerly kits are cheap in terms of price, with meals starting at $! And, they offer a family plan which is great if you're cooking for more	6 Best Cheap Meal Delivery Services, Tested and Reviewed · Our top picks: · Dinnerly · Dinnerly · EveryPlate · EveryPlate · Blue Apron Blue Apron From HelloFresh and Blue Apron to Freshly and Purple Carrot, we tried 23 top meal kit and delivery services and chose the best of Best Overall Meal Delivery on a Budget: Dinnerly; Best Organic Meal Delivery on a Budget: Fresh N' Lean; Best Meal Delivery on a Budget for
We also Wholesale Account Application Form a few exceptional pafkages meal delivery services to satisfy packags eaters. Free construction resources of the meal delivery services offer a microwave heating Affodable, but I almost always found that produced worse results than my trusted methods, even if they typically take Affodrable few seconds longer. Frozen meals can avoid waste whereas fresh options can spoil if not eaten immediately. Previously the Digital Editor at Culture Cheese Magazine and a former baristashe's also had her work published in The Boston Globe, Modern Luxury, Boston Magazine, and more. We found many recipes that only took 15 or 20 minutes, and oftentimes less! Best Meal Delivery Services of We've tested and reviewed more than two dozen meal delivery services. There are two different types of meal delivery services: prepared meal delivery and meal kit delivery.	These are chopped up small to prevent choking, and come in a variety of flavors to expose your tike to new flavors and textures. Martha and Marley Spoon. Back to the food at hand — and in fridge — there are a variety of options to choose from when selecting your meal plan. Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. Cons: None to note. Can I hear it for no dishes? Most all diets, Keto, low calorie, vegetarian, vegan.	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 jav-way.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	Best Overall Meal Delivery on a Budget: Dinnerly; Best Organic Meal Delivery on a Budget: Fresh N' Lean; Best Meal Delivery on a Budget for From HelloFresh and Blue Apron to Freshly and Purple Carrot, we tried 23 top meal kit and delivery services and chose the best of Magic Kitchen offers a great variety of affordable premade meals for different dietary needs. Try our delicious meal plans and get them delivered to your	Dinnerly is the affordable meal delivery service on the market. Open the door to unfussy, affordable weeknight cooking Dinnerly is the most affordable meal kit service on the market with unfussy recipes that make dinner a snap. With meals starting at $ per person, Dinnerly When we tested, most meals were $ per serving regardless of frequency, with $ for shipping on all boxes. Different plans are available
Economical restaurant discounts Clean. Although Economical restaurant discounts offerings lean more toward packwges Affordable meal packages Affordabld, our dietitians Afvordable that it easy to find the nutrition facts for Afforxable meal readily available on Reduced price storage solutions website. Medical disclaimer: This article is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Meals are sealed on colorful plates with thoughtful dividers for picky eaters. But Parton said to "forgive that and forget it. Little to no customization for individual meals. Not every meal service we tried made our top picks; here are a few honorable mentions we tested:.	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. See at Home Chef. Everything is designed to be prepared in 30 minutes or less with no more than six ingredients. We were able to use my first-hand experiences to help guide our decisions for the best cheap meal delivery. We're on a mission to prove that healthy can taste good. 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.	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 jav-way.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	Blue Apron is an affordable meal kit delivery service with prices that start at just $ per serving. They top our list because of their 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 jav-way.site › eat › affordable-meal-delivery	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 Magic Kitchen offers a great variety of affordable premade meals for different dietary needs. Try our delicious meal plans and get them delivered to your Are you in search of a cheap meal kit service that doesn't cut corners on quality and flavor? With meals starting at $ per serving with our latest discounts

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Affordable meal packages - Blue Apron is an affordable meal kit delivery service with prices that start at just $ per serving. They top our list because of their 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 jav-way.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

In order to find the best and cheapest meal delivery services, the GH Institute's food and nutrition experts conducted an extensive review of over 40 meal delivery services with more than home chefs just like you.

For three months, our testers evaluated each service, including traditional meal kits, semi-prepared options and fully prepared ready-to-eat meals. The top-performing affordable options kept costs down while still offering high-quality meals and great variety.

Read on to learn more about how we evaluate meal delivery services. Following a specific diet? We've included a comprehensive guide to options like gluten-free meal deliveries and vegan meal delivery services at the end of the article.

Pricing typically goes down with the more servings and meals you order, which is why you will see a range for each service. Rated as our best overall cheap meal delivery kit, Dinnerly strikes the perfect balance of affordability and inventive, delicious meals.

The service keeps costs down by opting for digital recipe cards instead of paper and utilizing fewer ingredients per dish which means less chopping and cleaning for you. How it works: You'll begin by building a box for two or four people and selecting from two to six meals per week.

You can opt to make the box vegetarian too. The menu is robust, allowing you to choose from over recipes each week that include family-friendly offerings, vegetarian and vegan fare, reduced-carb options and more.

Everything is designed to be prepared in 30 minutes or less with no more than six ingredients. Lab results: Our experts were very impressed with the variety and quantity of meals that Dinnerly offers, and they appreciate that the brand is able to remain affordable without sacrificing flavor or quality.

Testers were really impressed with the abundance of meals to choose from and just how tasty they were. But testers did note that some items came un-bagged in the box and that even though the recipes require only six fresh ingredients, you'll often need to work in a few basic additional items of your own.

That said, you can see in advance what ingredients they will send and what you'll need to have on hand. Many also noted that they would have preferred printed recipe cards, though Dinnerly does give you the option to print the recipe yourself at home. You'll also find only basic nutrition information like calories and macronutrients on the recipes.

The most inexpensive meal delivery kit out there, EveryPlate was launched by the popular HelloFresh a few years ago as a budget-friendly alternative. The company is able to keep costs down by using less packaging and simple, accessible ingredients.

How it works: Choose from either a two-person or four-person plan with three to six meals per week. Lab results: Even though EveryPlate was the cheapest meal delivery kit we tested, both our experts and testers gave it top scores across the board.

Although the offerings lean more toward the comfort-food side, our dietitians noted that it easy to find the nutrition facts for each meal readily available on the website. More expensive services will package the food in individual bags or containers, but the food from EveryPlate doesn't come particularly well-organized in the box.

This was one of the few complaints from testers, as some of the items were scattered around the box in transit. Some testers also said that certain meals took longer to prepare than the time stated on the recipe cards. That being said, the meals are great value for the price, and testers loved how easy they were to prepare.

I also found the cooking instructions less complicated," a tester commented. Another said, "I like that EveryPlate has simple directions and comes with everything you need even stock packets to get your meal going.

This delivery service has been popular in the meal kit game since and focuses on easy-to-follow recipes. On its website, HelloFresh shares its own week price comparison study analyzing customers' costs versus the cost of shopping at nationwide grocery stores and found that HelloFresh is significantly cheaper than grocery shopping.

How it works: Choose a plan for two or four people and from two to six meals per week. Upgrades and add-ons are available as well, and there are over weekly menu options.

Lab results: HelloFresh provides a solid meal delivery kit, with everything neatly packed into little bags with separators making the experience feel very organized and seamless. The packaging in general also proved superior to other services we tested in terms of both performance and sustainability.

Our experts like that full nutrition information and entire recipes are available on the site so you can get a preview before you commit to a particular meal. Allergens are listed per meal as well. Testers appreciated the number of recipes, with one saying, "I liked that it seemed to have a lot of variety of meals to choose from.

One tester said, "It allowed me to try new foods, minimize food waste and save time planning meals for the week. Rated as our best overall meal delivery kit , Blue Apron offers high-quality ingredients, inventive recipes and lots of options for different dietary needs, including WW.

How it works: Choose to feed two or four people, and select from two to four meals per week. Their signature chef's faves menu offers a mix of meat, fish and WW-recommended recipes; the vegetarian menu highlights meat-free dishes with seasonal produce and the wellness menu focuses on balanced meals approved by nutritionists and WW-recommended dishes.

Lab results: Everything in the kits came well packaged in little bags to keep things organized. Full nutrition facts labels are available on the site, along with the complete recipes and ingredient lists.

Our registered dietitians also loves the variety of WW-recommended meals for those trying to get creative in the kitchen and still manage their dietary goals. Both our pros and testers agree that the ingredients are fresh and high-quality, with testers giving the service rave reviews and noting that the recipes were creative and full of flavor.

The recipe cards offered simple step-by-step instructions, and the meals had substantial portions. The ingredients are perfectly measured, packaged well and fresh. Home Chef offers boxes that feed up to six people per meal , which is more than other services. They provide plans that include both pre-portioned ingredients with easy-to-follow cooking instructions, as well as low- or no-prep meals for busy families.

How it works: Users begin the process by taking an online quiz to determine which meal plan is the best for them, including answering questions on any dietary preferences and restrictions. Lab results: Our experts love just how many different meal kit options Home Chef offers, whether you're looking to get something on the table fast for the family or want to indulge in a more special premium cooking experience.

And you don't have to order a crazy number of meals to unlock their lowest pricing. While it may not be the lowest-cost meal delivery kit on the list, it's definitely less than other big names out there, and the quality is top-notch.

You can check to see what items you'll need to have on hand for each meal and also get full nutrition facts readily available for every recipe on their website, but our registered dietitians do point out that the sodium content is very high on some of the meals.

Great taste! I was very pleased," a tester said. Another commented, "It's always hard to find new dinner ideas; these are a perfect variety to keep everyone in your family happy and full. Those looking for more plant-based fare will appreciate the hearty vegetarian offerings from Mosaic.

You'll find everything from veggies and pizzas to smoothies, soups and oat bowls. The brand uses high-quality ingredients, choosing organic and local options when possible. How it works: Start by selecting your plan, which includes six, 12 or 18 options per box you'll get more savings the more you order.

Then fill your box with a variety of plant-based breakfast, lunch and dinner options. Meal filters include vegetarian, vegan, wheat-free, nut-free and high-protein.

Select what you'd like or have Mosaic build a box for you based on customer favorites. You'll then determine how often you'd like to receive deliveries, ranging from weekly to monthly. All of the meals are delivered frozen with free shipping on 12 and 18 item boxes.

Testers were impressed with how tasty the veggie-forward meals were, with one saying, "Delicious! So flavorful for frozen meals.

We were impressed. Made eating plant-based so easy. At the Good Housekeeping Institute , we test all types of food products and services, from healthy snacks and supplements to food subscription boxes and meal delivery services.

Our experts are committed to bringing you the best of the best when it comes to quality, performance, flavor, nutrition and more. In our most recent study of meal delivery services, we recruited more than at-home testers across the nation, while our in-house experts also tested the services in our Labs.

All in all, we evaluated over 40 different meal delivery services , ranging from traditional kits that come with pre-measured ingredients and a follow-along recipe card to fully prepared options.

We tested the services over the course of three months. For each service, we tried a total of 15 or more meals across our experts and testers. We are currently and constantly testing new offerings in this category to keep readers up-to-date.

In the end, we made our selections based on expert evaluations and tester feedback in the categories of overall satisfaction, food quality, cost, recycling efforts and availability.

Our top picks cater to a wide variety of dietary preferences, including gluten-free, low-carb, high-protein and more. Although taste is subjective, we ultimately chose companies that scored high points overall with testers.

When finding the best meal delivery service to fit into your lifestyle and budget, there are a few key things to consider:. There are also options that fall in between: Food is partially prepped and requires minimal extra work to get a balanced meal on the table quickly.

You'll want to take a look at the plans the different services offer and keep in mind that while some services may start at a low price that is for a large order.

You'll typically be able to check the price ahead of ordering, so you can see how much it will cost for your specific needs and servings per week. If you are cooking for more than four people, check to make sure the service will accommodate your family, as some services only serve a max of four people per meal.

Frozen meals can avoid waste whereas fresh options can spoil if not eaten immediately. Most services allow you to skip a week and adjust your plan along the way, which can be a strategy to help keep costs down if you can't use the food quickly. Some options, like Dinnerly, have robust vegetarian menus, for example, whereas other services may offer only a handful of vegetarian meals to choose from each week.

Certain services will let you customize further and swap out proteins, which can be beneficial. Most services will give you a discount on the first box and additional discounts if you are a first responder or in the military. And if you know a friend or family member who is using the service, you may both get a discount for the referral.

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?

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.

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. Back to the food at hand — and in fridge — there are a variety of options to choose from when selecting your meal plan.

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.

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.

Clean eating has never been easier, with Sakara Life calling the shots for every meal of the day. The plant-based and nutrition-focused meal delivery service is one that can really revamp the way you eat breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

The meals each come in a take-out style container, with a sticker indicating when I should eat the meal right down to the time and day of the week. The best part for me was the portability and ease of the whole thing, especially as someone who skips breakfast or opts for a muffin when running late.

While heating my dinner bowl, a Sakara burger with chili cashew creme, I decided to browse the site to see what sort of plans they offered. For those who want to try out a weekly meal plan but are a bit timid, they do have a one-week trial to test the waters.

If you like it, you can set up a recurring subscription and have Sakara Life meals all week long. Bonus points for being super customizable, as some may want just a few days a week and others an entire fridge of pre-planned meals for their three squares.

With my burger bowl, after incorporating the cashew creme and the other garlicky dressing, I do have to say that while not a burger in my meat-eating eyes, this was one of the best salads I have had — ever.

Even though this bowl was shipped to my door, everything was crunchy and fresh, with no wilted leaves in sight. As someone who spends far too much money at Sweetgreen only to find myself hungry again, finding filling and yummy salads and bowls that I can bring into the office can be a challenge.

This is where I think Territory Foods fits in nicely. They are also all made without gluten or dairy, which is super great for those with allergies in the house.

The coolest part for me, though, was when I took a peek at the packaging and the menu, to find out that my options were actually tailored to my region, partnering with local chefs and restaurants to create the weekly menu of over 35 rotating options. My Ginger Garlic Chicken Salad was not only ready-to-eat and delicious but was also made by Chef Rachelle Slotnick of Chantilly, VA.

Also, a nod to the packaging, the removable slip contains the calories, protein, fat, and carbs of each meal, should you be tracking yours, as well as the eat-by date and the warming instructions if needed on the back.

The last thing that really sets Territory Foods apart is the pricing plan structure. When setting up my account, the first thing to make note of was just how many options for breakfast, lunch and dinner there are. In unboxing, one quick thing to remember is that there is dry ice that comes on top of your order, so make sure to have an adult unpack and dispose of the ice.

As for the meals, the smoothies and wellness shots can be thawed in the fridge or enjoyed as an icy treat. I chose the latter for my mango guava smoothie due to my impatience, and it was a refreshing option that I sipped on during this whole review, and eventually melted into a drinkable smoothie.

The wellness shots are more like a few sips, but great as an ice cube or a liquid — up to you. The soups, however, should be reheated, in my opinion, and can be warmed in the microwave, as the bowls they come in are micro-safe and BPA-free. Can I hear it for no dishes? Full transparency, we had our very own Matt Levy help with this review, or, more specifically, his toddler did the hard work.

While the little one munched, mom and dad also took some bites, deeming the Nurture Life foods parent approved, should there be leftovers when your kiddo is done. These are chopped up small to prevent choking, and come in a variety of flavors to expose your tike to new flavors and textures. The meal service is great for those parents who are sick of sharing off their own plates as well, as the Nurture Life meals let your kid have their very own plate of yummy food, and a great option for those who need some more variety in their weekly kid-approved cooking rotation.

Starting from the way the package arrived — hand-delivered in a reusable tote, layered with ice to keep the food fresh — the whole CookUnity experience was restaurant-level without ever leaving home.

I was also sent a text to track my order, letting me know an hour in advance so I could be prepared. The food arrived in great shape, with no foggy plastic coverings or soggy cardboard to be found.

The only downside to the meals is that they are single-serve, as I would have loved left overs or to be able to serve to a family or crowd — oh, well, more meals for me!

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. 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. 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. 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. My sweet potato bowl took about four minutes in the microwave, and I was surprised by how well it turned out.

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.

Mosaic is another frozen meal delivery service that sends breakfast, lunch and dinner to your door and can be reheated in the microwave in five minutes or less for a quick and healthy meal. I personally love this style, as it helps to eliminate food waste and saves room in the freezer for exactly what you want.

Each category is priced out differently, but you can mix and match to reach your minimum box order. Furthermore, deliveries are super easy to customize, as you can get a recurring box every week, every two weeks or every four weeks, with the option to pause or cancel should you be out of town.

For my trial box, I ordered a few things from each category but decided on soup and some noodles for lunch. The directions were pretty straightforward, as all you need is a microwave and about five minutes of patience before food is served.

The soup took an initial five minutes and then an additional two, as per the instructions, so be sure to read the packaging for the exact cooking time.

I actually had leftovers because it was so filling — always a pro when it comes to plant-based foods. Sunbasket is truly a ray of sunshine for those who value organic ingredients and getting a healthy and delicious meal on the table. For my box, I decided to do a mix of everything, getting one oven-ready meal that was gluten-free, dairy-free and pescatarian and one regular meal kit to be cooked up.

For the instant option, I was sent a shrimp paella with fire-roasted tomatoes and bell peppers, instantly taking me back to Spain where I tried the dish for the first time.

Instead of a bulky pan to cook my paella, I was given a microwave safe container, cutting my cook time to just six minutes total. I was wary of overcooked and rubbery fish with dry rice, but the dish came out moist and delicious, so either I have a magic microwave or the people at Sunbasket knew what they were doing when it comes to microwavable meals.

They have a full breakfast menu with options for different types of eggs, oatmeals, breads and spreads, and even juice, smoothies and a coffee-in-a-can that looks awesome.

Moving on to lunch and dinner, they have both the ready-made meals as well as cooking options, a whole section for pastas and sauces, extra protein packs, and of course, snacks.

For the traditional meal, I went for their Italian sausage and vegetable skillet with spicy green harissa. The veggies included all had organic stickers on them, and were fresh and crisp as I was chopping them up.

I also noticed that they were full sized, ultimately serving a bit more than the two promised portions. 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. Especially with diets like keto and paleo becoming all the rage, this meal plan is one of the best to cater to those diets while also being surprisingly filling.

I am always a skeptic when it comes to pre-packaged salads and fresh greens, but when my order arrived, I was pleasantly presented with a super fresh and crunchy Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad that I ate a few days after receiving my box.

They last up to 10 days in the refrigerator, so stocking up is definitely an option. I opted for the microwave, and while the bacon was perfectly crispy and the sausage heated all the way through, I should have reheated the eggs differently.

Also, note to remove the dressing and sauce containers under the plastic film before microwaving, as I narrowly avoided a very melty and messy situation.

As stated above, I fell in love with the filling and fresh Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad , which also happened to be keto, including the creamy dressing on the side. I loved how this was a true ready-made meal, with no heating or even re-plating required. If you spend too much time and money on take-out health food or the Whole Foods salad bar, this is the kit for you.

The ready-to-eat meals come in super easy-to-transport plastic containers, a la a work cafeteria, or a fast-casual restaurant. 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. 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.

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? 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. 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. Check out New York Post Shopping for more content. Contact The Author Name required.

Email required. Comment required. Updated Jan. New York Post Composite. The hard part is just deciding which to try, which is why I tried them all for you first.

Previous 1 of 3. Sophie Cannon. I promise the oven was off for these meal kits! The beauty of trying so many companies was that some were intensive and others, like these, were microwave friendly. Brand spotlight. Pros: Full-sized ingredients, super fresh produce and large portions Offers a wine subscription box as well, 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. push function { if window. definedSlots [] ; } } ; }. This seriously looked straight out of Israel and tasted like it, too. How did I do? I think the egg Gods were looking down on me, as this was the perfect fried egg for my burger that looked just like the photo.

Cons: No options for vegans or other dietary preferences other than vegetarian and pescatarian. 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.

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.

Affordable meal packages - Blue Apron is an affordable meal kit delivery service with prices that start at just $ per serving. They top our list because of their 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 jav-way.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

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. Your box is good to sit on your doorstep until the end of the day.

Because delivery windows for these services are as broad as a full day, they package ingredients to last outside your actual refrigerator until the end of the day.

Most often, produce and dry ingredients will be grouped in bags above ice packs, and any meat will be fully insulated below ice packs. The packaging is going to be bulky and cumbersome. Recipes are usually seasonal, but favorites are often repeated.

Every meal kit service has a different approach to repetition, but most try to make recipes as seasonal as possible to keep you from getting bored and to guarantee fresh, sustainable produce.

That being said, most companies make note of the most popular dishes and offer them many weeks a year, regardless of the season.

If you really love one of your meals, hold onto the recipe card for future reference so you can request it again—or make it yourself using store-bought ingredients. Cook your meals soon after receiving them. Because of transit times, they might actually be older than what you buy from the store.

Use common sense when approaching certain dishes—seafood, fresh greens, and chicken should be prepared first, while red meat, pork, and harder produce can last a few more days. Cancel at least one full week before you want your last box.

If you want to skip a week or take a break from deliveries, most services allow you to make those selections, too. Many meal kits are now offered in grocery stores. To combat the high operational costs of delivery-only services, many companies have partnered with or been acquired by major food stores and are now offering its kits in the grocery aisles.

While we only tested delivery services, many of the recipes we tried are also available in stores for equal or lower prices. Some meal kit companies now offer prepared and heat-and-eat meals. We've noticed a recent trend toward speed and convenience in the meal kit world, both with traditional companies and with frozen and ready-to-eat brands.

Home Chef now offers at least two oven-ready dishes per menu every week, and Sunbasket has introduced both oven-ready and pre-made options. We recommend having a good cast iron pan or a Dutch oven handy. Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.

The product experts at Reviewed have all your shopping needs covered. Follow Reviewed on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram , TikTok , or Flipboard for the latest deals, product reviews, and more. Cassidy covered all things cooking as the kitchen editor for Reviewed from to An experimental home chef with a healthy distrust of recipes, Cassidy lives by the "Ratatouille" philosophy that, with a few techniques and key tools, anyone can cook.

She's produced in-depth reviews and guides on everything from meal kits to stand mixers and the right way to cook an egg. Madison covered all things cooking as the kitchen editor for Reviewed in Formerly the editor-in-chief of Culture Magazine, Madison is the founder of GRLSQUASH, a women's food, art, and culture journal.

Her work has also appeared in The Boston Globe, Cherrybombe, Gather Journal, and more. She is passionate about pizza, aesthetic countertop appliances, and regularly watering her houseplants. She holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia and a Master's of Liberal Arts in Gastronomy from Boston University.

Previously the Digital Editor at Culture Cheese Magazine and a former barista , she's also had her work published in The Boston Globe, Modern Luxury, Boston Magazine, and more. Danielle has a B. from Syracuse University and a AAS in Culinary Arts from Newbury College.

Previously, Danielle was a Test Cook and Associate Editor at America's Test Kitchen, as well as a freelance recipe developer and food writer. Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied.

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Parenting All Parenting Baby Monitors Strollers. Accessibility All Accessibility. Why trust Reviewed? Learn more about our product testing. Read More Pros Large variety of appealing dishes and extras Big portions Straightforward recipes Cons Recipe timing can be inaccurate Vegan offerings are limited.

Read More Pros High-quality ingredients User-friendly recipes with accurate timing Large variety of options and extras Cons Lots of packaging. Read More Pros Balanced flavors Quality ingredients Quick and easy Creative recipes Cons Some recipes fall short.

Read More Pros Fully plant-based Tasty , unique meals Premade meals offered Cons Learning curve with recipe cards. Written by Cassidy Olsen , Madison Trapkin , Monica Petrucci , and Danielle DeSiato.

Best Overall. Pros Large variety of appealing dishes and extras Big portions Straightforward recipes. Cons Recipe timing can be inaccurate Vegan offerings are limited.

Buy now at HelloFresh. Best Value. Favorite meal: Soy-ginger pork tenderloin with garlic rice and green beans Cost: Visit Dinnerly for updated pricing. Cons Organization is lacking Navigating the website can be challenging. Buy now at Dinnerly.

Most User-Friendly. Pros High-quality ingredients User-friendly recipes with accurate timing Large variety of options and extras. Cons Lots of packaging. Buy now at Home Chef. Best Pre-Prepped Kit.

Favorite meal: Paneer and cauliflower tikka masala with garam masala basmati rice Cost: Visit Gobble for updated pricing. Pros Balanced flavors Quality ingredients Quick and easy Creative recipes.

Cons Some recipes fall short. Buy now at Gobble. Best Plant-Based Kit. Favorite meal: Tamarind cauliflower with gingered fried rice and cashews Cost: Visit Purple Carrot for updated pricing.

Pros Fully plant-based Tasty , unique meals Premade meals offered. Cons Learning curve with recipe cards. Buy now at Purple Carrot. Fresh N Lean has five meal plans to help keep folks on track with their specific nutrition goals including low-carb, vegan, paleo and protein-plus options.

The food was all made exceptionally well using simple, whole ingredients. Why our testers picked Pete's Real Food : While it's more expensive than other prepared meal services on our list, the quality of food doesn't get much higher than Pete's.

The cuisine is designed to fuel those following the precise paleo diet, but even those not keeping to the plan should enjoy this grub.

Pete's Real Food formerly Pete's Paleo won me over in a week-long taste test of its healthy organic and paleo meals, earning a spot as one of the best healthy, organic meal delivery services. Pete's meals are all fully prepared and ready to heat and eat. The dozen or so Pete's Real Food meals we've tested were all cooked well: meats were tender, vegetables mostly cooked to proper doneness and all the flavors worked.

If you're in training or keeping to a paleo plan and looking for lots of protein, healthy fats and nutrient-filled carbs such as sweet potatoes and beets, Pete's should hit the spot. Pete's Real Food formerly Pete's Paleo is an excellent meal service if you're adhering to a paleo or whole foods eating plan.

Read our full review of Pete's Real Food here. Why our testers picked CookUnity : This is a prepared meal service aimed at those with refined tastes and an adventurous palate. The best thing about CookUnity is the sheer volume of meal options you can choose from, all originating from chefs -- some famous and some not -- of different backgrounds and culinary styles.

I liked almost everything I tried, with recipes ranging from very healthy to more comfort-style food. There are plenty of options for vegetarians, too, but note that the menu will vary depending on where you live since they pull from local chefs to create the weekly offerings.

Read our full review of CookUnity here. Why our testers picked Mosaic Foods : This plant-based service was one of the best prepared meal services we tried, and not just among vegan options.

I sampled more than 10 of Mosaic Food's plant-based prepared meal offerings and the vegetarian prepared meal delivery service had an astoundingly high hit rate. Mosaic uses global flavors and employs creative use of meat substitutes such as tofu, jackfruit, cauliflower and vegan sausages to create tasty and satisfying vegetarian meals.

While everything I ate from Mosaic was at least good, some standouts included the bean and jackfruit chili, tomato olive and feta ragout and a tangy Thai noodle dish. Why our testers picked HelloFresh : HelloFresh combines, convenience, selection and family-friendly options for an all-around excellent meal kit experience.

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.

Some may take longer to prepare than the recipe states. Read More. But packages tend to be disorganized. Home Chef delivers meals with fresh, high-quality ingredients and well-written recipes that break down the cooking methods into digestible steps. The meal kit delivery service provides quick, easy, creative dinners thanks to pre-prepped ingredients and sauces.

Purple Carrot's menu is filled with inventive, satiating, and tasty plant-based meals. Recipes were confusing at first, but worth the learning curve.

Meal kit delivery services are a saving grace for so many people who want fresh home-cooked meals without having to think about recipes, quantities, and a precise grocery list.

It changes how you cook—and it needs to align with your needs. Luckily, after years of testing more than a dozen meal kits, we're here to guide you through choosing the best meal delivery service for your family.

Our pick for the best meal kit delivery service is HelloFresh. It delivers big flavor and consistently excellent recipes with fresh ingredients, and enough variety to satisfy most diets. For specially curated kitchen deals, cooking and hosting tips, and product recs, follow us reviewedkitchen on Instagram!

Big portions, affordable prices, and straightforward recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner make the service our top recommendation.

HelloFresh also offers a large variety of add-ons from desserts and snacks to side dishes and charcuterie boards. The service has expanded over the years and we've tried many of the offerings with great success. If you're looking to learn new recipes or kitchen skills, there are many classic and premium choices, but they'll require a bit more time in the kitchen so choose them if you enjoy the cooking process.

We were especially impressed with the variety of international flavors on offer. Recipes we've requested multiple times include the za'atar-crusted grilling cheese served with lemony couscous and roasted veggies, and the bánh mi burger , which puts an American twist on the classic Vietnamese sandwich with lightly pickled veggies and sriracha mayo.

Our main gripe about HelloFresh is the relative inaccuracy of the recipe timing—we found that HelloFresh recipes were rarely on the table in the amount of time the recipe cards promised. However, we were consistently impressed by the flavor, which often made the extra time worth it.

While HelloFresh offers a wide variety of dishes, it still lacks many vegan offerings. But it does offer a variety of meal options for other specialty diets, like vegetarians and pescatarians.

HelloFresh has made strides over the years to improve its variety as well as its ordering interface. With so many choices, meals are categorized effectively and you can use either the website or the app to change your meal selections, add items, skip deliveries, and manage your account.

Our only ongoing complaint with the ordering process is that you have to pay close attention to your email, or schedule your own reminder, so you don't miss the deadline to customize your order each week.

If you do miss it, HelloFresh sends you its selections for you according to the preferences you set in your account. If you set those preferences with intent, you should always get meals you'll like, but it's still nice to tailor your selections to your mood or plans for the week.

We love the clearly labeled, recyclable paper packaging used to contain each meal. But you'll still have to dispose of the large ice packs and cardboard boxes each week. 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.