Choosing the right meal delivery service can transform your dinner routine, whether you’re aiming to save time, eat healthier, or simply explore new cuisines. With a plethora of options available, finding the “best” can feel overwhelming. We’ve rigorously tested a range of meal delivery services to bring you our top recommendations, catering to various needs and preferences. This guide breaks down the Best Meal Delivery Services based on criteria like taste, convenience, dietary options, and overall value, helping you make an informed decision.
What to Look for in a Top Meal Delivery Service
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Image: Ingredients from a meal delivery service kit neatly arranged on a countertop, ready for cooking.
The ideal meal delivery service is subjective and depends on individual priorities. Some users prioritize convenience above all else, opting for fully prepared meals that require minimal effort. Others seek the satisfaction of cooking but desire pre-portioned ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes. Meal delivery services have evolved to meet diverse needs, offering everything from ready-to-cook meal kits to fully prepared, heat-and-eat meals, delivered fresh or frozen. The key is to identify your personal needs and choose a service that aligns with them.
Beyond personal preferences, certain factors are universally important when evaluating a meal delivery service. Reliability and food safety are paramount – you need a service that delivers on time and ensures the quality and safety of its ingredients. Variety in menu options and catering to dietary needs are also critical. A good service should offer a diverse menu and accommodate various dietary restrictions and preferences. Recipe clarity is crucial for meal kits; even experienced cooks appreciate well-written, easy-to-follow instructions. Finally, consider the ease of cleanup and, of course, the taste and visual appeal of the meals themselves. A satisfying meal delivery service provides delicious, filling dishes without excessive kitchen hassle.
Signing up for a meal delivery service is typically straightforward. The process usually involves entering your delivery zip code, selecting the number of meals and servings per week, and specifying any dietary preferences. Based on your selections, the service will present curated meal options, which you can then customize, sometimes even modifying individual ingredients.
Our Top Picks: The Best Meal Delivery Services
Best Overall Meal Delivery Service
Hungryroot
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Image: Hungryroot logo and product shot, highlighting their meal delivery service.
What We Loved: As a regular Hungryroot user, the appeal is clear: it’s a fantastic option for those seeking time efficiency without compromising on flavor or ingredient quality. Hungryroot’s meal kits stand out by combining semi-prepared and raw ingredients. The semi-prepared components often include sous vide meats that require a quick sear or roast to finish, alongside pre-made sauces like classic pesto or vibrant chimichurri. Ingredient quality is a strong point, featuring organic or sustainably sourced proteins and dairy, and flavorful spice blends from Spicewalla. Hungryroot also innovatively incorporates plant-based alternatives, such as swapping in plant-based options for items like sour cream onion dip.
Considerations: While generally impressive, not every dish was a home run. The General Tso chicken ‘n veggie skillet, for instance, lacked depth, tasting somewhat one-dimensional rather than achieving a balanced sweet and spicy profile. Hungryroot’s per-portion cost is on the higher end, yet it’s often less expensive than a comparable grocery store haul.
Hungryroot Key Specs:
- Number of Dishes per Week: 8
- Servings per Week: 16
- Price Per Meal: $21
- Average Prep Time: 14.5 minutes
- Average Calories Per Meal: 587
- Sample Meals: Shredded pork and guacamole tacos, rigatoni alla vodka with chicken sausage, chicken and chickpea bowl with avocado lime dressing, General Tso chicken ‘n veggie skillet, roast pork chop saltimbocca, swordfish salad, turkey meatloaf and roasted broccoli, chicken shawarma tacos
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Image: Fresh Hungryroot ingredients unpacked and displayed on a kitchen countertop.
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Image: A Hungryroot meal being prepared in a pan, showcasing the cooking process.
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Image: A neatly packaged Hungryroot meal kit displayed on a wooden surface.
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Image: A beautifully plated Hungryroot meal, ready to be eaten.
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Image: Inside a Hungryroot box, showcasing the organized packaging of meal components.
Another Excellent Meal Delivery Service
Marley Spoon
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Image: Marley Spoon branded box and fresh meal kit ingredients displayed in a home kitchen.
What We Loved: Marley Spoon delivers recipes alongside all the necessary groceries, making it an ideal service for those who want to eliminate the “what’s for dinner?” dilemma and skip grocery shopping, but still enjoy the cooking process. While not designed for quick meals, Marley Spoon excels in delivering flavorful and texturally satisfying dishes. Standout meals like sausage, rapini, and gemelli pasta satisfied Italian food cravings, and the comforting meatloaf with caramelized onion gravy was a highlight. Marley Spoon emphasizes higher-quality proteins, including sustainably sourced farmed salmon, and provides clear, mostly straightforward recipes, avoiding unnecessary complicated steps.
Considerations: Marley Spoon meals required the longest preparation time, averaging around 44 minutes from start to finish. Although recipes were generally easy to follow with minimal fussy steps, the cleanup often involved a significant number of dishes. While cook-at-home kits typically assume you have basic staples, some Marley Spoon recipes required butter and flour, which were not included in the kit, which might be unexpected for some users.
Marley Spoon Key Specs:
- Number of Dishes per Week: 5
- Servings per Week: 10
- Price Per Meal: $9.99
- Average Prep Time: 44 minutes
- Average Calories Per Meal: 832
- Sample Meals: Cheese buldak, seared salmon with citrus butter sauce, pumpkin-coconut curry with shrimp, Martha’s best sausage and broccoli rabe gemelli, meatloaf with caramelized onion gravy
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Image: Fresh Marley Spoon meal kit components neatly displayed on a kitchen counter.
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Image: Organized Marley Spoon ingredients on a wooden surface, highlighting fresh produce.
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Image: Pre-portioned Marley Spoon ingredients ready for a quick and easy cooking experience.
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Image: Beautifully plated Marley Spoon meals, showcasing the final product.
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Image: Marley Spoon ingredients in organized paper bags, simplifying meal preparation.
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Image: A single serving of a Marley Spoon meal, plated and ready to enjoy.
Best Plant-Based Meal Delivery Service
Purple Carrot
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Image: Purple Carrot logo and product shot, emphasizing their plant-based meal kits.
What We Loved: Purple Carrot’s delivery included a mix of convenience and cooking engagement, featuring three quick heat-and-eat meals and two ready-to-cook meal kits. A surprising highlight was the tasty cocoa-flavored sunflower cereal with pistachio milk, reminiscent of popular childhood cereals. The heat-and-eat meals were generally satisfactory, though some leaned heavily on chili for flavor. The ready-to-cook meals, including a chickpea dish and farro with lentils, came with clear, user-friendly recipes, each requiring about 25 minutes of prep time.
Considerations: While the service offers plant-based options, some dishes evoked a nostalgic but not entirely positive “vegan-flavored” profile, reminiscent of early vegan cuisine. The Veggie Wow Bao, in particular, was described as having this distinct flavor and a doughy texture.
Purple Carrot Key Specs:
- Number of Dishes per Week: 6
- Servings per Week: 11
- Price Per Meal: $13.25
- Average Prep Time: 14 minutes
- Average Calories Per Meal: 450
- Sample Meals: Chickpeas alla faux-dka, creamy mac ‘n cheese, veggie wow bao with spicy gochujang dipping sauce, Seven Sundays sunflower cereal (with real cocoa) and Táche pistachio milk, egg and cheese burrito with potatoes and tomatillo salsa, Lebanese farro with lentils and crispy dates
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Image: Fresh and vibrant Purple Carrot meal kit ingredients displayed on a wooden surface.
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Image: A diverse selection of plant-based ingredients from a Purple Carrot meal kit.
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Image: A comforting bowl of plant-based soup from Purple Carrot.
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Image: A finished Purple Carrot meal, plated and ready to eat.
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Image: A close-up of a Purple Carrot plant-based meal in a bowl.
Best Heat-and-Eat Meal Delivery Service
Factor
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Image: Factor logo and product shot, highlighting their ready-made meal delivery.
What We Loved: Factor meals are an excellent solution for those prioritizing time-saving convenience without sacrificing healthy, flavorful meals. Factor offers a variety of dietary options, including keto, low-calorie, high-protein, and vegan/vegetarian. The delivery consists of fresh, pre-packaged, single-serving meals that are ready to eat after just two to three minutes in the microwave. Standout dishes included the bleu cheese filet mignon and blueberry pancakes with turkey sausage. The sample pack also featured low-carb and vegetarian options, and comfort food classics like chili mac.
Considerations: While convenient, Factor meals generally lacked intense flavor profiles, tasting adequate but not particularly exciting. One dish, the smoky Gouda chicken, was likened to standard hotel convention fare. As fresh, pre-packaged meals, they contain preservatives to extend shelf life, resulting in relatively high sodium levels, averaging in the mid-800 milligram range and reaching up to 1,060 milligrams in some meals. Being fully prepared, Factor also comes with a higher per-serving cost.
Factor Key Specs:
- Number of Dishes per Week: 9
- Servings per Week: 9
- Price Per Meal: $12.99
- Average Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Average Calories Per Meal: 628
- Sample Meals: Bleu cheese filet mignon, blueberry pancakes, Louisiana shrimp with smoked Gouda cauliflower grits, smoky Gouda chicken, chipotle roasted salmon, queso fundido and ground beef, chicken and mushroom cauliflower risotto, smoky tofu and baked beans, beef chili mac
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Image: A single Factor ready-made meal, plated and ready to be heated and eaten.
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Image: Stacked Factor meals in their packaging, highlighting the ease of storage and use.
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Image: Factor’s ready-to-eat blueberry pancakes with turkey sausage.
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Image: Factor’s vegetarian ready-made meal option.
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Image: A balanced and portioned Factor ready-made meal.
Other Meal Delivery Services Considered
Also Good
Not Recommended
Frequently Asked Questions About Meal Delivery Services
What is the Most Affordable Meal Delivery Service?
To accurately assess the cost-effectiveness of a meal delivery service, it’s essential to focus on the price per portion. Many services utilize a tiered pricing structure where the cost per meal and per portion decreases as you order more meals or portions. Among the services reviewed, EveryPlate offered the lowest per-portion cost, at approximately three dollars per person per meal. While the reviewer found the food less appealing to their refined palate, for budget-conscious consumers, EveryPlate represents a very affordable option.
What is the Best Meal Delivery Service for Couples?
The “best” meal delivery service for two depends on what you and your partner seek. If you enjoy cooking from scratch, Marley Spoon stood out for its excellent meals and appropriate portion sizes for two. For those who prioritize speed and dislike cooking, Factor provided the best-tasting ready-to-eat meals. However, for couples wanting to share the same dish, ordering two servings of each Factor meal is necessary.
Which Meal Delivery Service is Top-Rated Overall?
The ratings were based on the value each service provides—convenience, portion control, time savings, etc.—balanced against the quality of the food. Considering the varying priorities people have when choosing a meal delivery service, if a single “best” must be chosen from the tested group, Hungryroot emerges as the top recommendation. This is based on its combination of time efficiency, portion and calorie control, ingredient quality, and overall flavor and texture of the meals. While it’s a pricier option, the reviewer notes saving over $200 monthly compared to regular grocery shopping, highlighting its overall value proposition.
Why Trust Our Meal Delivery Service Expertise?
- Greg Baker, a multi-time James Beard Award-nominated former chef from Tampa, Florida, conducted this review.
- His expertise extends to reviewing kitchen essentials for Serious Eats, including knife sharpeners and charcoal chimneys.
- For this comprehensive meal delivery service review, Greg rigorously tested 11 different services, preparing and sampling 67 dishes, evaluating them on ease of preparation, meal quality, packaging, and delivery.
Read about our extensive testing process to find the Best Subscription Boxes, including meal kits.
