People are undoubtedly looking for something healthy and more comfortable to eat at home, especially during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic situation.
Meal kits delivery service is an excellent answer for most homeowners and consumers who don’t want to waste time on meal planning and grocery shopping. Meal kit companies send you a weekly delivery of pre-portioned ingredients straight to your door.
It feels great to receive tasteful and healthy meals delivered right on your doorstep, right? Well, the best meal kit for every need does more than that.
Whether you’re on a keto diet, low-calorie diet, or simply love veggies, there are meal kit delivery services to serve your needs! But the question is – which meal kit service is right for you?
The choices are overwhelming. But don’t worry – We are here to help you find the best meal kit choice. We review the best healthy, organic, and even affordable meal kit delivery services and more.
Below you can find some of each service’s pros and cons, and at the bottom of the article, we share a comparison chart to give an overview.
So, let’s begin – What are the best meal kits?
Best Meal Kit Delivery Services For 2021
Blue Apron - Best Meal Kit Delivery Service for Indulging Dinner
At the end of a long day, it’s great to have the option to cook a delicious chef-designed meal that will make you feel like dining out in a good restaurant. Blue Apron is the best meal kit for that! It is even better when the meal kit’s cooking is made easy, with recipes that take only 20-40 minutes to cook, using friendly recipe cards.
One of the few things we like about Blue Apron meals is the unfamiliar ingredients you’ll find in many of their recipes. For us, these unknown ingredients boost curiosity and excitement when cooking and eating at home.
From our experience with the Blue Apron meal kit service, the use of high-quality ingredients is very much notable! Blue Apron is sourcing their high-quality ingredients per meal from a vast network of over 100 farmers, fisheries, and ranchers, all using sustainable farming practices, such as Reeves Farm, Vermont Creamery, and Sun Noodle.
Their suppliers never use any added hormones or sub-therapeutic antibiotics or beta-agonists, and all seafood is certified by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch.
Recommended Blue Apron Meals
- Pan-Seared scallops & caper butter with red rice & orange salsa.
- Calabrian shrimp & orzo with zucchini & parmesan – easy to cook meal kit, ready in 20 minutes.
- Southern-style chicken & creamy relish with green beans & rice – easy to cook meal kit, ready in 25 minutes.
- Vegetarian smoky brussels sprout & black bean tacos with roasted sweet potatoes.
- Steak & mashed purple potatoes with sautéed green beans & tomatoes.
- Za’atar-spiced chicken & farro salad with lemon-garlic labneh- WW approved meal kit, with only 580 calories per serving.
Meal Plans offered
With Blue Apron, you can choose to feed either two or four people, with two to four recipes per week. You can customize your meal plan according to your dietary preferences – with a vegetarian plan and wellness plan (including carb-conscious and WW Approved meal options).
TLDR; Main Blue Apron Benefits
- Amazing chef-designed recipes – delicious every time!
- Budget-friendly meal kit delivery service.
- Most FIRST meal kit service in the US.
- Wine pairing and wine club option.
- Travel destination recipes.
- Options for low-carb, low-calorie, and Weight Watchers approved meals.
Sunbasket - Best Easy To Cook Meal Kits For Special Diets
Justine Kelly brings her recipes to your home through Sun Basket. The famous chef offers you fresh organic ingredients that nutritionists approve. In each Sun Basket meal, you will find seasonal ingredients from top farms that are responsibly sourced, organic, and non-GMO. The meats are grass-fed and antibiotic-free, and the seafood is sustainable from trusted partners.
We love each Sunbasket organic meal; each recipe only takes 30 minutes or less prep time, and you’re ready to enjoy!
Another thing we like about Sun Basket is the fact that you can choose from over 25 meal options each week. The variety is endless and includes many styles of dishes – from Asian, Mexican, and all-time American classics with a healthy twist.
The Sun Basket meal kits support many diets, with a dedicated gluten-free friendly plan, vegetarian and vegan plant-based meals, Mediterranean meals, low-carb meal plan, and more.
The weekly Sunbasket menu includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner options, with many great add-ons to keep you eating healthy throughout the week – fresh organic pasta and sauces, grain bowls, healthy juices, fresh and premade proteins, and more.
Recommended Sun Basket Meals
- Vietnamese beef salad with zucchini ribbons and pickled vegetables – quick meal kit
- Mediterranean honey-harissa salmon with apple-cabbage slaw – quick meal kit
- Cheesy chicken Tetrazzini with mushrooms and a green salad – pre-cooked meal kit
- Rainbow quinoa–black bean tacos with guacamole and cabbage slaw – plant-based meal
- Peruvian-style halibut with lime and sweet potato – chef’s choice meal kit
- Hawaiian garlic shrimp with coconut rice – gluten-free quick meal kit
Plans offered
With Sun Basket, you can choose to feed either two or four people, with two to four recipes per week. You can customize your meal plan according to your dietary preferences. The company also offers a Fresh and Easy plan, with ready-to-heat meals in as little as 6 minutes.
TLDR; Main Sun Basket Benefits
- Fast and easy meal prep.
- Every meal includes sustainably sourced and organic ingredients.
- A wide selection of delicious and healthy meal kits.
- Eco-friendly packaging.
- Supporting many dietary restrictions like gluten-free, plant-based, vegetarian, paleo, and more.
- Options for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and healthy snacks.
- Ready to eat options available as well.
Dinnerly - Best Meal Kits with Affordable price.
Who doesn’t want meals like chicken Panzanella or risotto on a plate? With Dinnerly, You can level up your dinner time and save time with no need to go to the grocery store or spend a long time in the kitchen. All the recipes are designed to include only six ingredients, with five simple cooking steps, using online recipe cards.
But this joyous meal kit company service doesn’t end there. Consumers also get an extremely affordable price tag that doesn’t leave a big hole in their pockets – With meals start at $4.69 per serving!
The Dinnerly menu includes various culinary-styles every week and supports few popular diets like low calorie, low carb, and vegetarian recipes. The menu also features changing desserts for these of you with a sweet tooth.
Recommended Dinnerly Recipes:
- Mexican Street Corn Chicken Tacos with Lime Crema.
- Better-Than-Takeout: Beef Bulgogi Stir-Fry with Cellophane Noodles.
- Roasted Chickpea Gyro with Chopped Salad & Garlic Yogurt.
- Everything Bagel Seared Steak with Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes.
- Tuscan Rosemary Chicken with Parmesan Potatoes & Broccoli.
Plans offered
With Dinnerly, you can choose a two-people plan or a family plan for four people, each with three meals or more per week.
TLDR; Main Dinnerly Benefits
- Best affordable price, starting at $4.69 per serving!
- Diverse menu with 16 meals a week.
- Every meal is simple and easy-to-cook.
- Great for picky eaters.
- Support few diet plans – no-gluten added, dairy-free, vegetarian, low-carb, low-calorie.
- Dessert and protein variety pack option every week.
Home Chef - Best Meal Kit Delivery for Easy-to-Cook Meals
At the heart of Home Chef is the enjoyment of eating well at home. The company’s mantra is making home cooking simple and easy. They achieve this mission by delivering Simple and approachable recipes that put a twist on class favorites. And with 20 easy prep meal kits every week to choose from, Home Chef sends satisfaction and healthy living meals to many customer types.
This meal kit delivery company also boosts your mealtime with customized protein choices. You’ll love this option because it offers the flexibility to change the protein in your meals or add extra meat and chicken to your meal.
What surprised us the most when reviewing Home Chef’s fresh meal kits is their Fresh and ready meal plan. Say goodbye to a messy kitchen when ordering this plan, which includes Oven-Ready Meals, grill-ready meals, express 15-minute meal kits, and interesting entree salads:
- The oven-ready meals have all the ingredients you need pre-prepped and sometimes pre-made and a cooking tray. These Home Chef Meals may save you time and effort while cooking a delicious dish for your partner or family.
- The express 15 minutes meal kits are designed especially for busy people with no extra time to cook.
- The entree salad meals are designed for healthy light eating, no cooking required, and 5-minute prep time.
Best Meals to Try from the Home Chef Menu:
- Cheddar and apple brewpub burger with german-style potato salad
- Caramelized onion chicken with loaded potatoes and broccoli – quick and easy meal kit, ready in 15 minutes.
- Fajita chicken with Mexican-style rice and crispy jalapeños – oven-ready meal kit
- Sesame chicken and soy sriracha aioli with cilantro lime broccoli – oven-ready meal kit, low in calories with only 480calories per serving.
- Marsala pork meatloaf with parmesan broccoli and butternut squash – carb-conscious meal kit
- Korean-style steak tacos with cucumber ribbons and slaw
Plans offered
With Home Chef, you can enjoy a great deal of flexibility when it comes to meal plans. The company offers delivery for two, four, or six people, with a minimum of $50 per week.
You also have the option to subscribe to the Home Chef Fresh & Easy Plan, which includes meals designed for extra convenience. The menu also offers an excellent selection of protein packs as add ons to your order.
TLDR; Main Home Chef Benefits
- Consistently high-quality meals, full of fresh veggies.
- Customizing options – change or double the proteins in your selected meals.
- Fresh and Easy plan, with oven-ready meals, fast 15 minutes meals, and salads offered.
- Budget-friendly service.
- Vegetarian, carb-smart, and calorie-smart meals available.
Freshly - Best Meal Delivery for Healthy Eating Without Actually Cooking
Freshly is a weekly ready-to-eat meal subscription focused on easy healthy eating. It is most recommended to achieve weight loss goals and for those who follow gluten-free, high-protein, and low-on-carb diets. As opposed to other meal kit services, Freshly meals are all designed as a one-person serving – so it is also an excellent option for singles.
With 30 rotating ready-to-eat meals a week on the weekly menu, Freshly can save you some substantial time! No meal planning, no grocery shopping – and no cooking whatsoever! All you need to do is heat the meal in the microwave for 3 minutes.
Freshly has a super healthy food philosophy. Hence, the meals are all free of added sugars and processed foods. The company chefs use creative ingredients swaps to sneak in more veggies and healthier ingredients in the foods – Squash or cauliflower for extra creaminess effect, nut butter to thicken foods instead of flour (Freshly is 100% gluten-free) and honey instead of corn syrup or other artificial sweeteners.
Recommended Freshly Meals to Try:
- Beet & chicken risotto with roasted rainbow carrots – Only 630 calories per serving.
- Freestyle Beef lasagna with Cauli Pasta Ribbons & Three Cheeses – Only 480 calories per serving.
- Oven-baked chicken florentine with creamed spinach & parmesan – Only 450 calories per serving.
- White bean turkey chili bowl with basmati rice & cheddar cheese – Only 540 calories per serving.
- Chicken pesto bowl with sunny squash – Only 530 calories per serving.
- Sierra chicken bowl with cilantro-lime sauce – Only 410 calories per serving.
Plans offered
With Freshly, you have four plan options, diverse in the amount of meal you get per delivery – 4, 6, 10, or 12 meals per week.
TLDR; Main Freshly Benefits
- Meals come prepared and only need 3 minutes of heating.
- Nutritious and delicious meals.
- 100% gluten-free.
- Many high-protein and carb-conscious meals.
- No added sugars or processed foods.
- Freshly Fit plan for athletes and fitness special diets.
Hello Fresh - Best Meal kits for Classic Home-Cooked Meals
Hellofresh is one of the most popular meal kits services in the country. Do you have picky eaters at home? Don’t worry too much because Hello Fresh takes care of your challenge. How? It’s simple – this meal kit delivery service gives you a wide variety of classic and commonly loved recipes; you are sure to find something to satisfy everyone in your family.
Hello Fresh takes the first-hand experience in choosing each ingredient included in their meal kit, and the quality is notable.
We like the “dinner to lunch” feature that allows consumers to prepare tonight’s dinner with a twist – you can still serve the meal for lunch the next day. We also love the affordable price per serving of the Hello Fresh plans.
Recommended Hello Fresh Meals to Try:
- Sesame beef tacos with quick-pickled veggies & sriracha sour cream.
- Bellissimo bruschetta burgers with herby potato wedges & parmesan-roasted asparagus.
- Paprika Chicken in a Lemony Sauce with Pistachio Rice & Roasted Green Beans.
- Pork Katsu with Sesame Roasted Carrots & Ginger Rice.
- Peppercorn-Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Chive Butter, Asparagus, and mashed sweet potatoes.
Plans offered
With Hello Fresh, you can enjoy a great deal of flexibility in choosing your meal plan. You can create a subscription for two or four people, with two meals to five meals per week.
HelloFresh also offers more specific plans for the following special diets and needs- vegetarian, pescatarian, family-friendly, quick and easy, and calorie-smart.
TLDR; Main Hello Fresh Benefits
- Most popular meal kit service in the US.
- Suitable for couples and families.
- A large variety of 20 weekly meals.
- Competitively priced meal kits.
- Excellent ingredient quality.
Veestro - Ready to Heat Vegan Meals for Healthy Eating
Veestro is a one-of-a-kind meal delivery service focused on 100% plant-based meals to help you reach all your health goals. The company meals are Cooked from fresh, organic ingredients, with no added preservatives, and delivered to you frozen in one-person portion per meal.
Veestro is dedicated to supplying attractive and tasteful vegan meals that anyone- and not only vegans! – will enjoy eating. The extensive menu features meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner time.
The company also supports many dietary needs, like gluten-free meals, nut-free meals, high-protein meals, and weight loss meals.
Recommended Veestro Meals to Try:
- Sunrise wrap with vegan egg and veggies – breakfast meal.
- Spanish torta – Spanish breakfast layered with roasted veggies and topped with black bean sauce.
- Creamy Italian chick’n.
- South Indian coconut stew with cubed adashah and basmati rice.
- Lentil, potatoes, and spinach tagine.
- White bean, veggies, and quinoa skillet.
Plans offered
Veestro offers two main plans:
- a la carte plan – Choose your favorite meals, and get your 10, 20, or 30 meals delivered as a one-time purchase or subscription.
- Weight loss plan – with a mix and match combination of meals for 5 or 7 days a week, with three meals per day – sums up to approximately 1,200 daily calories intake.
TLDR; Main Veestro Benefits
- Meals come prepared and freshly frozen.
- Good variety of plant-based meal options.
- All organic ingredients, with no reservations.
- Also suitable for gluten-free, nuts-free diet and more.
- Dedicated full board weight loss plan – with around 1,200 calories per day.
- Meal options for breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Green Chef - USDA Certified Organic Company
If you wish to level up your diet plan, the Green Chef meal kit service can help. If you like versatility with your diet, Green Chef will give that. Consumers into Paleo to Keto, vegan, or vegetarian diet can choose from the different healthy and organic recipes from Green Chef.
Green Chef is a USDA-approved meal kit company. This certification ensures the highest standards of food quality in all meals. The premium ingredients you get with each delivery box come pre-measured and prepped, saving you lots of prep time. All you have to do is follow easy step-by-step recipe cards with photos.
Green Chef constantly innovating to being green and use the most eco-friendly packaging available for its meals. All packaging is made from recyclable, reusable, and/or compostable materials – except where it doesn’t meet food safety.
Recommended Green Chef Meals to Try:
- Porcini mashed potatoes with creamy mushroom gravy, sautéed carrots, and cabbage slaw – vegan meal.
- Shrimps & veggie hash with butternut squash, kale, tomato, Parmesan & hazelnuts – keto meal.
- Roasted rainbow carrots and fennel with rice, kale, dates & basil pistou – vegetarian meal.
- Truffle linguine with chicken, cremini mushrooms, peas & garlic – balanced living meal.
- Pork chops with shallot sauce, brown sugar, garlic mashed potato, roasted broccoli – balanced living meal.
- Maple barbecue meatloaves with Sautéed Brussels sprouts, carrots & dried cranberries – paleo meal.
Plans offered
Green Chef offers a variety of menus to cater to different lifestyles. Their plans include Balanced Living, Plant-Powered, and Keto + Paleo plans. Each plan is offered as a two or four people plan, with three or four meals per week.
TLDR; Main Green Chef Benefits
- Diverse diet plans – balanced living, keto+paleo, and plant-based meal plan.
- Easy to cook meals, using friendly recipe cards.
- USDA-certified organic meals.
Martha Stewarts & Marley Spoon - Family and KidS-Friendly Meal Kit Service
Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon meal delivery, as noted in the name, is a meal kit company owned by the queen of home cooking – Martha Stewarts! The company sends pre-portioned ingredients for Martha Stewart’s best recipes, all with only six easy cooking steps and less than 30 minutes of cooking time.
The company offers a great menu with 29 classic meals every week, with diverse options for special needs like Vegetarian, kid-friendly, no-gluten added, dairy-free, and more.
Cooking with Martha Marley Spoon means eating sustainably. The company is proud to offer amazing local seasonal ingredients and great artisanal produce.
Recommended Recipes to Try:
- Sweet Thai chili chicken stir-fry with snap peas & rice noodles
- Cheese ravioli with prosciutto, peas & basil
- Fried chicken tacos with charred corn salsa & chipotle mayo
- Korean chicken lettuce cups with rice
- Pan-seared chicken with warm potato-snap pea salad
- Veggie sweet potato chili with greens rice
Plans offered:
With Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon, you can enjoy a great deal of flexibility, with a subscription for two or four people, with two to six recipes per week.
TLDR; Main Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon Benefits
- Martha Stewart’s best recipes.
- Easy to cook recipes, designed to be ready in 20-30 minutes.
- Great quality of ingredients.
- 29 recipes to choose from each week.
- Meal options for a dairy-free, low-calorie, vegetarian diet, and more.
Summary chart
| GOOD FOR | WEEKLY MEAL SELECTION | PLANS | SPECIAL RECIPES | PREP WORK | ORGANIC? | |
| BLUE APRON | Indulging upscaled Dinners for singles and couples | 11 | 2 or 4 people | Weight watcher Low carb Vegetarians | 20-45 minutes | No |
| SUN BASKET | Healthy organic meals with effortless prep | 20+ Many add-on options | 2 or 4 people | Oven-ready Low-calorie Lean and clean Meditteranean Pescatarian Gluten-free friendly Diabetics-friendly Vegetarian Vegan Paleo Low-carb | 15-30 minutes Also offer oven-ready meal kits | Yes |
| HOME CHEF | Easy classic meals with a twist. | 20+ Protein packs | 2, 4, or 6 people | Pescatarian Oven-ready Fast salads Vegetarians Carb-conscious low-calorie | 5-35 minutes Also offer oven-ready meal kits | No |
| DINNERLY | Easy-to-cook meals that are super-affordable. Great options for picky eaters. | 16 Desserts Protein packs | 2 or 4 people | Vegetarians Kid-friendly Dairy-free Soy-free Low-carb Low-calorie | 20-40 minutes | No |
| FRESHLY | Healthy eating with no cooking required Great options for athletes and bodybuilders | 30+ | 4,6,10,12 single meals per week | Gluten-free High-protein Low-on-carb Dairy-free Soy-free Freshly fit for athletes | No cooking needed | No |
| VEESTRO | Plant-based eating with no cooking required | 30+ Breakfast options | 10,20 or 30 meals per delivery | Vegan Gluten-free Dairy-free Egg-free Weight loss Nuts-free High-protein | No cooking needed | Yes |
| HELLO FRESH | Classic delicious meals | 20+ Protein-packs | 2 or 4 people | Vegetarian Pescatarian Oven-ready Pan sheet Low-calorie | 20-40 minutes | No |
| GREEN CHEF | Organic meals for specific diets | 9+ on each plan | 2, 4, or 6 people | Vegan Vegetarian Paleo Keto Low-calorie Gluten-free friendly | Up to 30 minutes | Yes |
| MARTHA & MARLEY SPOON | Classic home-cooked meals | 26 protein-packs | 2 or 4 people | Vegetarians Kid-friendly Dairy-free Soy-free Low-carb Low-calorie | 20-30 minutes | No |
Final Notes
We at The Meal Kit Review want to give the best meal kit plan for you through this review.
We love meal kits because they offer convenient and healthy living for everyone, so we hope this review is a big help. Using meal kits, you will reduce time spent on meal planning, grocery shopping, and meal prep.
With so many different options, each with a different focus – which meal kit service do you like? Which recipes do you like to try? That is where this review can help.
Once you made your choice, give it a try now, and don’t forget to use our great beginners’ promotion!
