What Is The Best Delivery Service To Work For

When searching for the best meal kit or meal delivery service, you've got options. There are menus and delivery options at prices to suit just about anyone looking for an easy weeknight dinner with little to no hassle. With dozens of options in the burgeoning meal delivery category, you've got to do some scouting to find the best fit. Just know there's a meal kit for you somewhere -- and we're going to help you find it.

We're living through the peak era for meal delivery with a meal option available for just about any dietary restriction, taste, lifestyle, skill level and budget. The best meal kit delivery service is one that makes mealtime easier on you, fits your tastes and injects a little fun into meal prep and cooking without breaking the bank. If you've been scrolling the web trying to find the one that suits you, we've sussed out the best meal kits for every category: the budget-friendly, vegan and vegetarian meal kits, keto and paleo meal delivery and more. We've been personally cooking and eating (and eating some more) to find the most delicious and best overall meal kit services in 2021. If you've got a discerning palate or special criteria for your meal kit service -- keto, vegetarian, organic, adventurous -- this guide should help you find the best match for your dinnertime style.

And if cooking is not your thing, check out this list, which will help you find the best meal delivery service for your needs.

What are meal kits?

Meal kits are boxes of premeasured ingredients for completing full recipes that get sent to your home along with recipes and tips. From there, you make some of the easiest (and often very delicious) dinners without having to hit the grocery store. Meal kits can come as often as you want them and you can get recipes that will feed two, four or sometimes as many as six people. Even if you're just looking for recipe inspiration and help with shopping and prep a couple of nights a week, a good meal kit delivery service can (ahem) take a load off your plate and keep youeating healthily.

How much do meal kits cost?

If you score one of the cheaper, budget-friendly meal kits you can get meals as low as $5 per serving. Most run in the $10 a serving range while the more premium services including Green Chef and Martha & Marley Spoon cost more like $12 or $13 per serving. Nab a cheaper one and it might even save you some money on cooking from scratch, and definitely if you're subbing them in for regular takeout or delivery.

You'll also often findpromotional offers for new customers that make a meal kit super cheap to try and with features like being able to skip weeks and cancel anytime there is little risk in trying a meal kit. Pausing your plan is great if you're a calendar master and an account-management ninja. You can dabble in any or all of these meal delivery services and choose, week by week, which best suits your eating and cooking needs versus what you already have in the fridge.

Who are meal kits good for?

If you're new to cooking and the idea of starting a complex recipe from square one feels daunting, the best meal kits will take much of the legwork out of meal planning and preparation. In no time, you'll be able to knock out a tasty chicken parmesan, turkey meatloaf or pan-roasted salmon.

The meal kit delivery programs run the gamut too and there are great options for experienced home cooks.Sunbasket , Martha & Marley Spoon, Green Chef and Purple Carrot all have simple recipes but also more complex meal kit projects to undertake.

Meal kits are also good for those trying to eat healthy since it's easy to keep track of what you're eating with the provided in-depth nutritional information, including carbs, calories, sugar, sodium, protein and more. Many meal kit services even offer specific diet plans that filter out foods that don't fit a dietary preference or restriction, like gluten-free, diabetes-friendly, keto or carb-conscious, paleo, low-sugar meals, plant-based and more.

Even for the pickiest eater, there's something about a box arriving with all the fresh ingredients to make a relatively easy and healthy recipe. A meal kit delivery service can also help you avoid the nightly debate about what you're going to actually make for dinner and save a trip to the grocery store if you're missing breadcrumbs or flour. Instead, you have a foolproof meal plan with preportioned ingredients: Whatever meal comes in the box is the meal you make (and the meal selection is extensive). For us indecisive folks, this is an incredible perk.

Read more: Don't feel like cooking? Check out the best prepared meal delivery

What is the best meal kit service?

That's the million-dollar question, right? With seemingly endless options, how do you find the best meal kit service for your situation? Bright and colorful meal delivery boxes from the likes of Freshly,Home Chef,Sakara Life Purple Carrot andGobble are now a staple delivery for busy home cooks -- take a peek at some of your neighbors' doorsteps -- but each has its own set of unique features along with strengths and weaknesses, often based on their target audience. While different boxes may offer a meal plan that falls into a niche (such as vegan, paleo or gluten-free), many source recipes and menus from chefs, culinary teams, nutritionists and grocery experts and curate them to be delivered into the kitchens and hands of home cooks everywhere with weekly menus with delicious ingredients. (Watch this: The best meal kit for you).

Best overall meal kit

Sunbasket

Chowhound

Sunbasket not only has the best meal kits, by our admittedly subjective calculations, but they're also some of the best for you too. Healthy and fresh are common favorite meal kit descriptors, but Sunbasket goes a step further with lots of organic, non-GMO, sustainably and responsibly raised ingredients. Basically, the box took the trip to the farmer's market for you and the thoughtful meals are as delicious as they are interesting. In a test of all the leading meal kit services, Sunbasket came out on top.

Sunbasket's recipes are developed by Justine Kelly, a San Francisco chef known for her work at the James Beard Award-winning Slanted Door restaurant and it shows. Many of Sunbasket's easy and delicious meals made with organic ingredients are nutritionist-approved (500 to 800 calories per serving) and most meals take only 30 minutes to prepare.

The meal kit service gives you options for these nutritious meals too -- you'll be able to choose from a selection of six to 18 different organic meal recipes each week, including paleo, vegan meal, vegetarian and gluten-free meals, so you'll always get what you want. Sunbasket delivery is available in 36 states and shipments arrive on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.

Beyond the great meal kits, Sunbakset offers premade "Fresh and Ready" meals ($9 per meal). There's also an enormous market of grocery items that can be added to your weekly order including meats, fish, cheese, snacks, breakfast foods and more. See how much we loved the meal delivery service in our full review of Sunbasket.

Subscription: For three Sunbasket meals each week, you'll pay $74.93 for the two-person plan (or the $12 price per serving) and $143.87 for the four-person Sunbasket plan ($11 per serving), with a $6 shipping fee either way.

Best for picky eaters and families with kids

Home Chef

Home Chef

Home Chef boasts over 38 meal kits to choose from in any given week -- more than any other service -- including oven-ready meals and one-pan dinners. I tested Home Chef myself and loved how much customization you can do from week to week like swapping the protein in your meal choices from chicken to pork to fish or double the protein if you're feeling especially carnivorous. You can even double the portion size of an entire meal if you're planning on entertaining the following week or just want more leftovers for lunches and snacks.

These flexible features make Home Chef stand out from the pack. Other modifications from the meal delivery service include ordering antibiotic-free protein instead of the standard version or adding plant-based meats like Impossible Beef instead of regular meat. Meal kits, recipes and ingredients are pretty standard in their offering (which is what keeps Home Chef an efficient meal delivery kit for the masses). Examples include meal kit options such as Chipotle Chimichurri Mini Pork Meatloaves with Roasted Sweet Potato and Garlic Peppercorn Salmon Scampi with Garlic Cream Gemelli and Broccolini.

One new and unique offering from the meal delivery service is their oven-ready meals, which come with everything you'll need to make the meal including the cooking tray (no messy kitchen and no dishes). See an example of an oven-ready meal from Home Chef here.

Subscription: Starting at $8 per serving with additional premium Home Chef recipes offered at market price.

Read our Home Chef review.

Best for comfort food

Freshly

Freshly

A few of these meal kit service options provide fully cooked, ready-to-eat meals to your doorstep. Freshly is a good one if you desire wholesome, tasty comfort foods such as peppercorn steak, penne bolognese or chicken and rice pilaf. The oven ready meal options are prepared right before delivery and are never frozen. With minimal reheating required by you, it's like having Mom cook dinner for you in your kitchen, without having Mom live with you. (Sorry, Mom.) Read our full review of Freshly to learn more about the prepared meal delivery operation.

Subscription: $9 to $12.50 per serving, with up to 12 servings per week. Shipping is free.

Read our Freshly review.

Best for those on a budget

EveryPlate

At just $5 per serving -- even cheaper with a sign-up offer -- and an emphasis on delicious, hearty meal options and generous portion sizes, EveryPlate is the best cheap meal kit service I tried. 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 delivery service such as meatloaf, burgers and pasta dishes but everything I made was solid. Best of all, you can score 18 meals for only $3.33 each, with free shipping on your first order. You'll also have the ability to skip or cancel anytime. Check out this full review of EveryPlate to find out how much I liked the affordable meal kit service.

Subscription: Each serving is only $5. Each weekly box includes three recipes with either two or four servings apiece. Snag a sign-up offer and get meals starting as low as $2 per serving.

Read our EveryPlate review.

Best intro to meal kit delivery

Blue Apron

Blue Apron

Blue Apron is largely accepted to be the granddad of meal kit delivery programs in the US. The eight weekly menu choices available range from simple pastas to delicious international options, with a seafood and vegetarian option always available. With even the simplest recipes, you might find an unfamiliar component or two on the recipe card, and the website often highlights these ingredients as an educational opportunity.

Recipes are tagged with helpful keywords such as "customer favorite," "quick and easy," "great for grilling" and so on. Occasional promotions include a menu from guest celebrity chefs, or recipes that highlight popular travel destinations. An optional wine pairing service is also offered and Blue Apron is constantly launching special menus to help you prepare a festive spread for big food holidays like the Super Bowl and Thanksgiving.

See how Blue Apron compares to HelloFresh in our head-to-head review of the two popular meal delivery services or see my full review of the original meal kit service and how it holds up in 2021.

Subscription: Price per serving ranges from $7.49 to $10, with options to prepare two to four recipes per week and two or four servings per recipe.

Best for those committed to cooking but who have no time

Gobble

Brandy Yowell

Gobble takes the template from the old guard of meal delivery kits but speeds it up by prechopping and part-cooking many of the components so that all recipes have a prep time of 15 minutes or less. Despite the "fast food" angle, each menu from this food kit delivery service has a sophisticated and worldly vibe. Weekly recipe choices are cleverly categorized into From the Range, From the Ranch, From the Sea and From the Earth options. When I tested Gobble's meal kits they were a little hit or miss but the hits were big including a fantastic tofu pad Thai and a very tasty and quick salmon with cilantro pesto. You can also make substitutions to your recipes like swapping fish or steak in for chicken or upgrading to organic meats -- generally, at an added cost.

Subscription: Gobble meal kits are mostly $12 per serving and there are no complicated plans or pricing. You can select recipes for two to four servings of two or three (or more!) recipes but the difficult choices end there. It's certainly not the cheapest meal kit service we tried but with all the prep Gobble does for you, it is a solid choice for someone who wants to spend less time cooking and more time eating.

Best for those with designer food allergies

HelloFresh

HelloFresh

HelloFresh is all about making the customer happy no matter how particular. While you won't find high-end, gourmet food, it's all very good and the brand makes it easy on folks with special diets by tagging each recipe accordingly. Whether you are allergic to (or avoiding) dairy, gluten, soy, nuts and so on you can sort recipes very easily with HelloFresh. It also makes sticking to a diet plan like keto or paleo a snap.

HelloFresh's portion sizes are also generous, and it's pretty affordable if you order meals for a family. A "dinner to lunch" element is a unique twist that provides the home cook a variation on tonight's dinner to serve as a tasty portable lunch tomorrow. HelloFresh has a ton of recipes too so it should be easy to find something everyone will like. Plus, they'll allow you to make substitutions. Learn more about the convenient and flexible meal kit service in this full review of HelloFresh.

Subscription: Options range from $7.50 to $10 per serving, with options for two to four recipes per week and two or four servings per recipe, customizable along with Classic, Veggie and Family plans.

Best for organic eaters

Green Chef

Green Chef

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. No matter which diet you're following (for health or personal reasons) you'll be able to find a Green Chef plan that works for you, especially if eating organic food is important.

Because it offers so many different diet plan choices, this also makes Green Chef one of the most versatile meal kit delivery services since you get a plethora of different tasty menu options per week. I tried a week's worth of Green Chef meals and while some recipes were better than others, you could definitely taste the higher caliber of organic ingredients.

Subscription: $12-$13 per serving for a two-person Green Chef subscription at three meals/week; $11 per serving for a four-person Green Chef subscription at two meals/week.

Best for vegans and vegetarians

Purple Carrot

Purple Carrot

Considering Purple Carrot's meal kits are all 100% plant-based, it's no surprise they took the top spot for vegans and vegetarians looking for easy meal kits.

Purple Carrot takes its plant-based recipes pretty seriously and the goal is to help you create tasty and nourishing dinners the old-fashioned way, using fresh vegetables, grains, legumes and other whole foods. If you're new to veganism and looking for only some plant-based or faux meat products like Impossible Beef that imitates the real thing, you might be better off with a service like HelloFresh.

There are about eight recipes to choose from each week. I tested a full week's worth of meals -- which you can read about in my full Purple Carrot review here -- and enjoyed everything I had. Out of all the vegan meal kits I've tried, Purple Carrot's provided me with the best knowledge of and practice for cooking vegan cuisine and its ingredient mainstays like lentils and grains. Purple Carrot also introduced me to some really interesting sauces and condiments like cashew cream and other nut-based "dairy" products.

A Sample menu might include Lemon-braised chickpeas with rosemary and cashew cheese, green curry lentils with brown rice and vegetables and broccoli and cheddar soup with miso garlic croutons. There are also breakfast meal kit add-ons starting at $6 per serving.

Subscription: Purple Carrot meals are between $9 and $12 per serving, depending on how many servings per meal you order. A box of three meals per week for two people will cost about $72. Shipping is free.

Best meal delivery FAQs

Which meal delivery service is cheapest?

Meal delivery can be had for very little money. In fact, some of the cheapest meal kit services have plans that will net you servings as low as $5 per serving. EveryPlate and Dinnerly are the two cheapest meal kit services in 2021 with plans down around $5 per serving. Those are followed by HelloFresh, Blue Apron and Home Chef which all cost about $9 or $10 per serving. The most expensive meal kit services are Sunbasket, Green Chef and Martha Stewart and Marley Spoon which can cost anywhere from $11 to $15 per serving depending on your plan.

Prepared meal delivery services (no cooking required) can also be had for as little as $6 per meal. Freshly and Daily Harvest are among the cheapest meal services that we've tried -- and liked.

Read more:Best cheap meal delivery services in 2021

Which meal delivery service is best for diet and weight loss?

Certain meal delivery services are better than others if you're looking to lose weight, cut carbs or keep to a specific diet. Home Chef is the meal kit service with the most options to follow specific diets and substitute out foods that don't adhere to your nutrition plan. HelloFresh also has lots of keto and paleo options. If you're on Weight Watchers, Blue Apron has the WW point system integrated to make it easy to keep to your goals.

For prepared meal delivery, Fresh n' Lean is my pick for the best low-carb keto meals. Pete's Paleo is the best service for sticking to a paleo diet. Veestro, Daily Harvest and Mosaic Foods are three great options for vegetarian and vegan meal delivery. And if you're looking for the best meal delivery for diabetics, BistroMD and Diet-to-Go are two services with a range of targeted meals and recipes.

Read more:Best healthy meal delivery services for 2021

What is the difference between meal kits and meal delivery?

Meal kit services like Blue Apron and Sunbasket will send all the ingredients to make healthy easy meals but you still have to cook. but all you'll need to do is follow the included recipes and eat so no trips to the grocery store or searching for recipes online. Usually, the ingredients arrive premeasured, and certain recipes can take as little as 20 minutes to complete from start to finish. Meal kits generally have to be cooked within a few days of arriving or the food will start to spoil.

Meal delivery services such as Freshly, Fresh n' Lean and Mosaic Foods send actual meals that are all ready to heat and eat. No cooking involved. Meals often arrive frozen and can be stored in the fridge for a few days or the freezer for a few weeks or even months.

Read more: Best meal kit delivery service for 2021

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The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.