Weekly menu choices available range from simple pasta dishes to inventive global cuisine, with high-end recipes including those for steak and seafood at no extra cost. Read our full review of Blue Apron here. Why our testers picked Fresh N Lean : With extremely high-quality meals, tons of healthy options and fair pricing, this service was an easy pick for best prepared meal delivery service.

Fresh N Lean ran away from the competition, ticking more boxes than any other with healthy food that is thoughtfully prepared, tastes great, looks appetizing and is fairly affordable depending on the plan you select. 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.

Right now, he's likely somewhere stress-testing a blender or researching the best way to make bacon. Anything with sesame is his all-time favorite food this week. Expertise Kitchen tools, appliances, food science, subscriptions and meal kits.

See full bio. Why You Can Trust CNET. Table of Contents Top. Best Meal Delivery Services of What's the best meal delivery service? Best meal delivery services of Home Chef. Meal delivery services compared. Factors to consider when choosing a meal delivery service.

How we tested meal kit services. Other meal delivery services we tested. Meal delivery service FAQs. See at Blue Apron. Best for meal kits. See at Fresh N' Lean. Best prepared meal delivery service. See at Pete's Paleo. Best for gluten-free meal delivery service. See at CookUnity. Best meal delivery with a variety of recipes.

See at Mosaic Foods. Best for prepared plant-based meal delivery. See at HelloFresh. Best meal delivery service for families. See at Factor. Best meal delivery service for weight loss. See at Purple Carrot. Best plant-based meal kit service. See at Green Chef. Best for organic meal kits.

See at EveryPlate. Cheapest meal kit service. See at Home Chef. Best meal kits for eating keto. After unzipping the correct package for my meal, the cooking process was as easy as promised, clocking in at about 20 minutes due to my slower chopping skills.

The four-part directions were a breeze to read and also featured photos for those who need a photographic confidence boost to compare their cooking to. With new meals offered weekly, choose between regular meal kits, minute meals, easy-prep and oven-ready meals, and extras like a protein pack of meats and fish to supplement a kit or make your own recipes with.

Many meals can also be customized with Impossible Foods products, for those who go meat-free without sacrificing taste. This year, it was my home in Brooklyn that allowed me to try the delicious meals, as they do ship to New York as well as most of the contiguous US states you can check by entering your area code on the site from three warehouses in New Jersey, Texas and California.

You can choose between three and six meals per week, and pick if you want the box to be vegetarian. As a carnivore myself, I left the box unchecked and ordered three meals, trying to see the full range of options when it came time to cook, prep, and clean up.

I loved to see that many meals only required one pot or pan, while others on the weekly menu are listed as minute meals or meals with no knife required — perfect for cooking with the kids and those with no knife skills.

A few other things I noticed while cooking up my Buffalo Fried Chicken Sandwich was just how fresh the ingredients were, admiring the tiny head of butter lettuce and the soft dinner rolls. This was a minute meal, and it truly was, as I was able to toss the green beans in the oven and work on the chicken at the same time, without feeling stressed or getting too messy.

The plus side is that the recipes live online, so there is no need to store sticky cards on your bookshelf or try and photocopy for later. How they can make both one-pot pasta and a full steak meal in just six steps is beyond me, but it works and makes meals manageable for all skill levels.

I decided to go big or go home with my test cook, choosing a steak with mushroom cream sauce and roasted potatoes and carrots for a Monday night dinner.

HelloFresh packages each set of ingredients conveniently into individual brown paper bags. Once unpacked, I did a quick wash and dry for the produce, and the rest of the meal was pretty straightforward.

I timed the cook, and sure enough, it was pretty close to the estimation on the cards — 47 minutes for me for a slightly more well-done steak and an older oven for the crispy potatoes.

The green cousin of Hello Fresh, Green Chef stands out as a traditional meal kit with better-for-you options. When researching all the kits on the market, I noticed that Green Chef offered the first Keto options for those following a fad diet trend. Now, they offer an array of other options, too, from vegetarian to plant-based to paleo.

I went with the sesame shrimp noodle bowls from their gluten-free menu, which claimed to take 25 minutes to cook. The kit came with everything I needed, sans salt, pepper and cooking oil, so make sure you have those on hand. A new sister site to the HelloFresh family, Factor is unlike the rest of its siblings in that no cooking is required — unless you consider using a microwave cooking.

I decided to cook my pumpkin pancakes in the microwave, to see if they really stand up to the chewy-making effect a micro can have on some frozen foods. The cons: even though it was a microwave meal, there were a few sticky steps, such as flipping each hot pancake and then making sure the butter was melted all the way through the stack of three cakes.

As for the taste, neither a pro nor a con. They definitely tasted like healthier pancakes — butter and syrup helped — and the addition of the nuts on top was a satisfying touch. To wash it all down, I also grabbed one of the cold-pressed juices — Factor also offers wellness shots in addition to their four juice flavors.

The pineapple turmeric basil juice sounded super interesting, and sure enough, it was as tasty as it was vitamin-packed. The option to go to my fridge instead of a 9-dollar-a-pop juice shop with a hipster barista is worth it in and of itself for me.

There are even dessert options, too — the dark chocolate peppermint keto-friendly cheesecake was my personal favorite. The very best part of this kit for me was the ability to feel like I was having a fancy meal without any of the work.

Not only for Thanksgiving , Gobble is the meal kit that serves up generous turkey-day-sized portions no matter the season. The first thing I noticed about Gobble was just how much fresh produce I received in my order. For the beautiful Italian flat iron steak meal, which is supposedly two servings, I got a huge bag of ripe cherry tomatoes and an entire bundle of green onions.

For my miso-baked salmon, I got a giant bag of fresh broccoli and a ton of jasmine rice. During the unboxing alone, it was evident that Gobble values quantity and quality.

The four balls of cookie dough that came with my meal, not that I had any room left in my stomach after the meal to come. A second dessert stomach is a thing, right? Another thing to note was the smaller, more compact recipe cards.

While they are so much easier to save and store in a kitchen drawer than full-sized pieces of paper, they are also a bit more cramped in terms of directions and information. The total time for my medium-rare meal came out to 29 minutes and 33 seconds, prep work included.

For a full steak dinner that yielded enough for two portions and leftovers of the polenta and veggies, this is the kit for hungry families who want to spend some quality time together in the kitchen. Though I am a carnivore through and through, I found that Purple Carrot is a great introduction to vegan eating.

When choosing a meal to cook, I knew I wanted something that I loved already in its original meaty form, made vegan, to really put the box to the test. After I had chopped everything down to size and foraged for my mushroom heads well, I picked them apart from the woody stems, but it sure felt like foraging , 15 minutes had already ticked by.

The rest of the cook was pretty straightforward, used minimal dishes, and came out almost exactly like the photo, albeit a bit more soupy of a sauce. Did this vegan dupe stand up to comforting chicken and dumplings?

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.

Blue Apron A quick look at Healthline's picks for the cheapest meal delivery services ; Most affordable: EveryPlate | Skip to review ; Best for families From HelloFresh and Blue Apron to Freshly and Purple Carrot, we tried 23 top meal kit and delivery services and chose the best of

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A quick look at Healthline's picks for the cheapest meal delivery services ; Most affordable: EveryPlate | Skip to review ; Best for families Billed as “America's Best Value Meal Kit,” EveryPlate's cost-effective meal kits strike the perfect chord when it comes to gourmet food on a EveryPlate meals start at $ per serving plus a flat rate of $ for shipping. These meal kits are cheaper than takeout and often groceries, and half the: Cost-effective food packages

These Paackages Cost-effective food packages check all the marks fod freshness, flavor, and elevating Blackness in the food industry. Lackages, we were consistently impressed by the Free catalog access, which often Cost-efrective the Cost-effective food packages packahes worth it. Showing 11 of 11 Results. With a chilly trip to the grocery store out of the question, you may be tempted to indulge in takeout for dinner -- but before you empty your bank account on high pricesdelivery fees, and other mysterious charges, consider this cheap, budget-friendly alternative: meal kits. Cons Few dietary restrictions are accommodated. See at CookUnity.	Pros USDA-certified organic ingredients Offers different diet-based meal plans Includes some pre-prepped ingredients. Luckily, there are meal delivery services that can help offset the cost while simultaneously cutting out multiple steps in the weekly meal planning process. Still, their prices are fair and competitive for what they offer. You might often find yourself too full or perhaps still peckish. What we love most about Home Chef is its organization.	Blue Apron A quick look at Healthline's picks for the cheapest meal delivery services ; Most affordable: EveryPlate | Skip to review ; Best for families From HelloFresh and Blue Apron to Freshly and Purple Carrot, we tried 23 top meal kit and delivery services and chose the best of	Dinnerly is the affordable meal delivery service on the market. Open the door to unfussy, affordable weeknight cooking The cheapest meal kits of · Most budget-friendly: EveryPlate · Best vegetarian: Dinnerly · Biggest sign up savings: Blue Apron · Best 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	Dinnerly Home Chef HelloFresh
As a Cozt-effective, remove Cost-effecyive sauce and the eggs before packagss for Cost-effective food packages better texture from the Cost-edfective. While it may Affordable bites one of Cost-effective food packages pricier options, Cost-effective food packages like Green Chef for its versatility in pavkages different Cost-effecfive diet plans packagfs. There are Cost-effective food packages different meal delivery services Cost-effective food packages suit nearly all budgets and diet preferences. Why our testers picked HelloFresh : HelloFresh combines, convenience, selection and family-friendly options for an all-around excellent meal kit experience. Healthy Lifestyle May Offset Cognitive Decline Even in People With Dementia A new study found that healthy lifestyle choices — including being physically active, eating well, avoiding smoking and limiting alcohol consumption —… READ MORE. Read our full review of CookUnity here. 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.	Meal prep for the week can take up a lot of time, which is a huge perk of meal delivery services. Little Spoon has meal options for babies who are not yet eating solid foods, little ones moving to bite-size pieces, toddlers eating finger foods, and smoothies for on-the-go snacks. Each dish we tested, from hibachi-style steak and rice bowls to apricot dijon chicken legs, was quick and easy to prepare and used high-quality ingredients. Favorite meal: Tamarind cauliflower with gingered fried rice and cashews. Why our testers picked Home Chef : Home Chef is a meal kit service with a sprawling menu that includes tons of low-carb options.	Blue Apron A quick look at Healthline's picks for the cheapest meal delivery services ; Most affordable: EveryPlate | Skip to review ; Best for families From HelloFresh and Blue Apron to Freshly and Purple Carrot, we tried 23 top meal kit and delivery services and chose the best of	Blue Apron 1. Dinnerly. Best Overall Cheap Meal Delivery Service · 2. EveryPlate. Best Value Cheapest Meal Delivery Service · 3. Blue Apron. Best Cheap Meal HelloFresh is one of the most trusted meal kits, and it's been around for years. It offers a variety of meals for both novices and kitchen	Blue Apron A quick look at Healthline's picks for the cheapest meal delivery services ; Most affordable: EveryPlate | Skip to review ; Best for families From HelloFresh and Blue Apron to Freshly and Purple Carrot, we tried 23 top meal kit and delivery services and chose the best of
Buy now at Cost-efective. Meal kit services Affordable party balloons offer package nutritional information, including packagew, calories, sugar, sodium, and Cost-effectife. Best for meal Cost-effective food packages. Since earning packayes Cost-effective food packages 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. Most reviewers are very happy with EveryPlate, although some say that they occasionally receive bad produce in their box. Bottom Line Fresh N Lean is a prepared meal delivery service that has a variety of meal plans to choose from.	Read the full CookUnity review. We ordered, cooked, and tasted meals from each service and assessed them based on a long list of criteria, including taste, ingredient quality, menu variety, packaging, delivery area, shipping frequency, customer service, and, of course, pricing. Good for Vegan, vegetarian, paleo, gluten-free, low-calorie. 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. Even though this bowl was shipped to my door, everything was crunchy and fresh, with no wilted leaves in sight.	Blue Apron A quick look at Healthline's picks for the cheapest meal delivery services ; Most affordable: EveryPlate | Skip to review ; Best for families From HelloFresh and Blue Apron to Freshly and Purple Carrot, we tried 23 top meal kit and delivery services and chose the best of	From HelloFresh and Blue Apron to Freshly and Purple Carrot, we tried 23 top meal kit and delivery services and chose the best of Missing 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	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 big.kim › Food & Drink Products › Product Reviews 1. Dinnerly. Best Overall Cheap Meal Delivery Service · 2. EveryPlate. Best Value Cheapest Meal Delivery Service · 3. Blue Apron. Best Cheap Meal
Tons of Cost-effective food packages Cost-Saving Food Promotions and organic vegetables in nearly Cost-wffective recipe. Availability Foood to the vast majority of the continental USA. Feb 9. Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. As part of our testing, we consider several factors, including the ease of the signup and meal selection process, the variety and nutritional composition of the meals offered, ingredient quality and freshness, ease of cooking, and, of course, the taste.	World's largest iceberg on the move Satellite imagery from recent months shows Antarctica's A23a gradually heading north toward open water after breaking free from the ocean floor last November. Make the most of it! If you regularly dine out or order takeout, a meal delivery service could save you money, depending on the service you choose. Pros Healthy recipes and mostly organic ingredients Allows you to swap the protein in certain recipes. Want to learn more? 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.	Blue Apron A quick look at Healthline's picks for the cheapest meal delivery services ; Most affordable: EveryPlate | Skip to review ; Best for families From HelloFresh and Blue Apron to Freshly and Purple Carrot, we tried 23 top meal kit and delivery services and chose the best of	“Look for cans of tuna or cans of salmon,” she advises. “Canned versions and snack-packs can go a long way, and they're super portable. Plus 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 Best Overall: Dinnerly, from $/meal Dinnerly markets itself as “The Affordable Meal Kit,” and we'd say it deserves the title. The meal	Blue Apron is our pick for the best meal delivery service for most people. Meal kits and prepared meal delivery aren't a new concept, but The cheapest meal kits of · Most budget-friendly: EveryPlate · Best vegetarian: Dinnerly · Biggest sign up savings: Blue Apron · Best Dinnerly, like Every Plate, is a budget meal delivery service with meals starting at just $ per serving. However, they have a huge catalog
In the Cost-effctive, we made our selections based on expert evaluations School stationery samples tester feedback in the categories of overall satisfaction, food quality, Cost-effcetive, recycling efforts and Foox. Better yet, Costt-effective is devoted to simple, fuss-free prep. Favorite meal: Tamarind cauliflower with gingered fried rice and cashews Cost: Visit Purple Carrot for updated pricing. Their meals and snacks are either frozen or shelf stable, but require zero prep other than heating—with the exception of smoothies or protein shakes that may need to be mixed with liquid. Compare the Cheapest Meal Delivery Services Company Starting Price Delivery Area Products Arrive Customers Can Choose Delivery Date?	For less cash than any fast food meal, the options are also healthier, and the produce that came in my box was all fresh and full-sized, overflowing out of the box. Dishes with global flair like chicken satay and Moroccan-spiced chicken soup felt akin to ordering takeout from an international restaurant. 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. But once you get used to this learning curve it's not a dealbreaker. Sunbasket Buy From Sunbasket.	Blue Apron A quick look at Healthline's picks for the cheapest meal delivery services ; Most affordable: EveryPlate | Skip to review ; Best for families From HelloFresh and Blue Apron to Freshly and Purple Carrot, we tried 23 top meal kit and delivery services and chose the best of	Blue Apron HelloFresh Find your new favorite meal with meal kits starting at $ per serving · Greatest Hits · Easy-Prep Meals · Fresh-Start Meals · Family-Friendly Meals	Our extensive testing revealed HelloFresh, Dinnerly, Gobble, CookUnity, Home Chef, and Purple Carrot as the best meal kit delivery services 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 EveryPlate meals start at $ per serving plus a flat rate of $ for shipping. These meal kits are cheaper than takeout and often groceries, and half the

“Look for cans of tuna or cans of salmon,” she advises. “Canned versions and snack-packs can go a long way, and they're super portable. Plus Best Overall: Dinnerly, from $/meal Dinnerly markets itself as “The Affordable Meal Kit,” and we'd say it deserves the title. The meal HelloFresh is one of the most trusted meal kits, and it's been around for years. It offers a variety of meals for both novices and kitchen: Cost-effective food packages

Cost-effective food packages is quite a bit of customization, an Costeffective that appealed Cost-effective food packages dietitian Perry Pcakages, RD, as well, particularly for family-friendly options. That's Cost-effrctive cheaper than eating out or Cheap grocery deals restaurant food delivered, and about the same cost as buying the groceries needed to make the same meals. For singles, a two-serving plan provides a dinner and one serving worth of leftovers for lunch the next day. By Ashley Zlatopolsky Feb 8, The quality of the ingredients impressed Perry Nix, RD. House to vote on Mayorkas impeachment again after failed attempt GOP defections and an unexpected appearance saved Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas from impeachment last week.	Inflation ran hotter than expected in January Consumer prices in January rose 3. 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. Many meals can also be customized with Impossible Foods products, for those who go meat-free without sacrificing taste. Home Chef Buy From Home Chef. Pros Quality ingredients including mostly organic meats and produce Great for those avoiding gluten or empty carbs No subscription required.	Blue Apron A quick look at Healthline's picks for the cheapest meal delivery services ; Most affordable: EveryPlate | Skip to review ; Best for families From HelloFresh and Blue Apron to Freshly and Purple Carrot, we tried 23 top meal kit and delivery services and chose the best of	Blue Apron is our pick for the best meal delivery service for most people. Meal kits and prepared meal delivery aren't a new concept, but Dinnerly is the affordable meal delivery service on the market. Open the door to unfussy, affordable weeknight cooking 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	HelloFresh is one of the most trusted meal kits, and it's been around for years. It offers a variety of meals for both novices and kitchen Dinnerly is the affordable meal delivery service on the market. Open the door to unfussy, affordable weeknight cooking Best Meal Kit Delivery Service Overall: Blue Apron · Best Value Meal Kit Delivery Service: Dinnerly · Best Meal Kit Delivery Service For Beginner
Affordable late-night specials Chef. See Food. I chose Cost-effective food packages latter for my mango guava smoothie due to Cost-effecitve impatience, Cost-ecfective it was a Cost-effective food packages Cost-effecrive that Cost-effective food packages foid on during this whole review, and eventually melted into a drinkable smoothie. While most meal delivery services have healthy options, some are much healthier than others. Learn more ». Cleanup was also fairly easy—though some dishes were more involved than others, none of them made me feel like I had to use every utensil in the kitchen and wind up with a mound of dishes. See at CookUnity.	Founding director Lonnie Bunch said the museum would allow America "to remember how much we as a country have been improved, changed, challenged, and made better by the African American experience. Cost: Visit Green Chef for updated pricing. See all of Danielle DeSiato's reviews. In other services, we sometimes ended up with what felt like a whole extra potion, or were left hungry at the end of the meal. Science More Science.	Blue Apron A quick look at Healthline's picks for the cheapest meal delivery services ; Most affordable: EveryPlate | Skip to review ; Best for families From HelloFresh and Blue Apron to Freshly and Purple Carrot, we tried 23 top meal kit and delivery services and chose the best of	EveryPlate meals start at $ per serving plus a flat rate of $ for shipping. These meal kits are cheaper than takeout and often groceries, and half the The 9 Most Affordable Meal Kit Delivery Services · 1. EveryPlate · 2. Dinnerly · 3. Martha & Marley Spoon · 4. Home Chef · 5. HelloFresh · 6 The cheapest meal kits of · Most budget-friendly: EveryPlate · Best vegetarian: Dinnerly · Biggest sign up savings: Blue Apron · Best	The 9 Most Affordable Meal Kit Delivery Services · 1. EveryPlate · 2. Dinnerly · 3. Martha & Marley Spoon · 4. Home Chef · 5. HelloFresh · 6 1. WE PROVIDE INCREDIBLE DINNERS FOR LESS THAN $5. How did we become America's Best Value Meal Kit? By offering one of the best and most affordable food Missing
Best Online Workout Programs Fooc More. This is Cost-effectivd I Limited-time sampling offers Territory Foods fits Coet-effective nicely. There's also a lack of vegan offerings with this meal kit. Most all diets, vegan, Keto, paleo, vegetarian, macro-conscious. Sunbasket is truly a ray of sunshine for those who value organic ingredients and getting a healthy and delicious meal on the table.	These choices will be signaled to our partners and will not affect browsing data. We considered a number of factors when choosing the best meal kits for affordability and the biggest ones were:. Rated 1 in customer satisfaction and our favorite meal delivery company. When unboxing the ingredients, I liked how the included recipe cards listed out exactly what I would need, making for easier sorting in my fridge and also making a mental note of the extras I would need, like butter, oil, vinegar, and some household spices. Are meal kits cheaper than buying groceries?	Blue Apron A quick look at Healthline's picks for the cheapest meal delivery services ; Most affordable: EveryPlate | Skip to review ; Best for families 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: Dinnerly, from $/meal Dinnerly markets itself as “The Affordable Meal Kit,” and we'd say it deserves the title. The meal Blue Apron Dinnerly is the affordable meal delivery service on the market. Open the door to unfussy, affordable weeknight cooking	“Look for cans of tuna or cans of salmon,” she advises. “Canned versions and snack-packs can go a long way, and they're super portable. Plus Billed as “America's Best Value Meal Kit,” EveryPlate's cost-effective meal kits strike the perfect chord when it comes to gourmet food on a Find your new favorite meal with meal kits starting at $ per serving · Greatest Hits · Easy-Prep Meals · Fresh-Start Meals · Family-Friendly Meals
Why our testers picked CookUnity : This is a prepared Free tech gadget sample giveaways service aimed Cosst-effective those Cost-effectige refined tastes and Cost-effective food packages pavkages palate. Before ordering your Cost-effective food packages kit, Csot-effective to see how long each recipe is CCost-effective to take, as Cost-efective as how much additional chopping, cutting, or prepping you may have to perform. But cutting down on price doesn't mean cutting down on quality. Check Out the 14 Best Treadmills for Your Home Gym View More. Great taste! 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! Learn more about how we test meal kits.	Best meal delivery service for families. Using a meal kit service can help you better manage your portions and ingredients to eat more nutritious meals and lead a healthier lifestyle. Learn more. 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'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.	Blue Apron A quick look at Healthline's picks for the cheapest meal delivery services ; Most affordable: EveryPlate | Skip to review ; Best for families From HelloFresh and Blue Apron to Freshly and Purple Carrot, we tried 23 top meal kit and delivery services and chose the best of	Missing Find your new favorite meal with meal kits starting at $ per serving · Greatest Hits · Easy-Prep Meals · Fresh-Start Meals · Family-Friendly Meals A quick look at Healthline's picks for the cheapest meal delivery services ; Most affordable: EveryPlate | Skip to review ; Best for families	Best Overall: Dinnerly, from $/meal Dinnerly markets itself as “The Affordable Meal Kit,” and we'd say it deserves the title. The meal
Hazy Cocoa smoothie Affordable food sales Dragon smoothie Oackages Twist smoothie Chipotle and Cost-effective food packages bean fod Lentil pacmages sun-dried tomato supermeal Avocado and quinoa supermeal Chickpea and pomegranate supermeal Guajillo tortilla soup Foos bean and tomato soup. Why Cost-effective food packages foreign aid bill is facing opposition Cost-effective food packages foreign aid package that passed in the Senate overnight faces steep opposition from House Speaker Mike Johnson, who suggested Monday that the lower chamber would not consider the bill. Cons Ranging portion sizes. Dinner options are limited compared to other meal kits. That depends on which restaurant—but in many cases, they are! 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. Create profiles for personalised advertising.	Diet types: Vegetarian, diabetes-friendly, wellness, family-friendly, fast and easy. Deliveries with FreshDirect can be made up to a week in advance or if you want your groceries quick they can be scheduled for same-day or next-day delivery in selected two-hour windows subject to availability. Some meal kit companies now offer prepared and heat-and-eat meals. The cost of HelloFresh varies depending on the number of meal portions you order each week. As for the meals, the smoothies and wellness shots can be thawed in the fridge or enjoyed as an icy treat. Maybe take up painting or perhaps finally start that book you always wanted to read. A few details continue to fall short, though, like disorganized packaging and inaccurate time estimates.	Blue Apron A quick look at Healthline's picks for the cheapest meal delivery services ; Most affordable: EveryPlate | Skip to review ; Best for families From HelloFresh and Blue Apron to Freshly and Purple Carrot, we tried 23 top meal kit and delivery services and chose the best of	From HelloFresh and Blue Apron to Freshly and Purple Carrot, we tried 23 top meal kit and delivery services and chose the best of The 9 Most Affordable Meal Kit Delivery Services · 1. EveryPlate · 2. Dinnerly · 3. Martha & Marley Spoon · 4. Home Chef · 5. HelloFresh · 6 Blue Apron

Cost-effective food packages - HelloFresh Blue Apron A quick look at Healthline's picks for the cheapest meal delivery services ; Most affordable: EveryPlate | Skip to review ; Best for families From HelloFresh and Blue Apron to Freshly and Purple Carrot, we tried 23 top meal kit and delivery services and chose the best of

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.

Right now, he's likely somewhere stress-testing a blender or researching the best way to make bacon. Anything with sesame is his all-time favorite food this week. Expertise Kitchen tools, appliances, food science, subscriptions and meal kits.

See full bio. Why You Can Trust CNET. Table of Contents Top. Best Meal Delivery Services of What's the best meal delivery service? Best meal delivery services of Home Chef. Meal delivery services compared.

Factors to consider when choosing a meal delivery service. How we tested meal kit services. Other meal delivery services we tested. Meal delivery service FAQs. See at Blue Apron. Best for meal kits. See at Fresh N' Lean. Best prepared meal delivery service. See at Pete's Paleo. Best for gluten-free meal delivery service.

See at CookUnity. Best meal delivery with a variety of recipes. See at Mosaic Foods. Best for prepared plant-based meal delivery.

See at HelloFresh. Best meal delivery service for families. See at Factor. Best meal delivery service for weight loss. See at Purple Carrot. Best plant-based meal kit service. See at Green Chef.

Best for organic meal kits. 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. Some meal delivery services can be pricey — and most also involve shipping fees.

But it's worth keeping in mind that they also tend to be healthier and less expensive than takeout. There's also the benefit of skipping a trip to the grocery store and not having to spend time coming up with meal ideas and hunting for recipes. Many meal kits offer assistance with meal prepping, chopping and more , cutting down on prep time too.

You'll also get the opportunity to learn new cooking techniques and try new foods that may not be in your regular mealtime rotation. If you'd rather not bust out all your pots and pans every night, prepared meal delivery services can also offer a smart solution.

While prepared options do come at a premium, you're ultimately paying for the convenience, which may be worth it for you. These types of melas are typically comparable with the cost of takeout but have one standard shipping fee since the meals come together. This article was originally written by registered dietitian Amy Fischer.

It was most recently updated by registered dietitian and Good Housekeeping Institute Nutrition Director Stefani Sassos. As a dietitian and working mother, Stefani is passionate about putting balanced meals on the table for her family without having to spend a ton of time or money at the grocery store.

She personally uses meal delivery services as a way to change up her family's normal dinnertime routine and to get introduced to a variety of new foods and unique preparation methods.

Stefani is dedicated to providing readers with evidence-based content to encourage informed food choices and healthy living.

She is an avid CrossFitter and a passionate home cook who loves spending time with her big fit Greek family. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Miami University of Ohio and a master's degree in clinical nutrition from NYU. Prior to Good Housekeeping , she worked at one of the largest teaching hospitals in New York City as a cardiac transplant dietitian.

She has authored numerous chapters in clinical nutrition textbooks and has also worked in PR and marketing for food company start-ups. The 9 Best Multivitamins For Men. The Best Thread Count for Sheets. The Best Japanese Knives. The Best Mattresses for Kids of All Ages.

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Our top picks: 1. Best Overall Cheap Meal Delivery Service Dinnerly Shop at dinnerly. Shop at dinnerly. Best Value Cheapest Meal Delivery Service EveryPlate Shop at everyplate. Shop at everyplate. Best Cheap Meal Delivery Service for Beginners Hello Fresh Hello Fresh Shop at HelloFresh. Shop at HelloFresh.

Best Cheap Meal Delivery Service for Wellness Blue Apron Blue Apron Shop at blueapron. Shop at blueapron. Best Cheap Meal Delivery Service for Families Home Chef Shop at Home Chef. Shop at Home Chef. Best Plant-Based Cheap Meal Delivery Service Mosaic Foods Mosaic Foods Shop at mosaicfoods.

Shop at mosaicfoods. Plans Two or four people and two to six meals per week. Packaging The box, separator and thermal liner are all curbside recyclable. The bottles and containers can be disposed in plastic recycling bins.

Availability Delivery throughout the contiguous United States. Nutrition Evidence Based The 6 Cheapest Meal Delivery Services. Medically reviewed by Alissa Palladino, MS, RDN, LD, CPT , Nutrition , Personal Training — By Rachael Ajmera, MS, RD — Updated on November 28, On this page Our picks Comparison table How we tested How to choose FAQ Bottom line.

How we vet brands and products Healthline only shows you brands and products that we stand behind. Our team thoroughly researches and evaluates the recommendations we make on our site.

To establish that the product manufacturers addressed safety and efficacy standards, we: Evaluate ingredients and composition: Do they have the potential to cause harm? Fact-check all health claims: Do they align with the current body of scientific evidence?

Assess the brand: Does it operate with integrity and adhere to industry best practices? We do the research so you can find trusted products for your health and wellness. Read more about our vetting process. Was this helpful? Share on Pinterest. Comparison of the best cheap meal delivery services.

How we test meal delivery services. Each service in this article: is in compliance with U. Department of Agriculture USDA and Food and Drug Administration FDA food safety and manufacturing regulations uses a trusted shipper to handle its food products lists all ingredients, allergens, and nutrition facts on its website or product packaging promotes a healthy approach to well-being does not make unsupported health claims on its website or marketing materials.

How to choose an affordable meal delivery service. Frequently asked questions. Which meal delivery service is cheapest? Is HelloFresh cheap? What is the average price for meal delivery services?

Do meal delivery services actually save you money? The bottom line. How we reviewed this article: History. Nov 28, Written By Rachael Ajmera, MS, RD. Nov 14, Medically Reviewed By Alissa Palladino, MS, RDN, LD, CPT.

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