Meal kits hit the sweet spot with consumers who don’t have the spare time to plan their meals and spend hours at the grocery store or simply don’t want to. Meal delivery services bring pre-portioned ingredients with easy preparation, or pre-made meals, straight to your doorstep.
However, getting a once-a-week delivery can be too much for some people. Because of this, you might think signing up for a meal kit subscription is not for you.
Meal Kits With No Subscription – Is There Such Thing?
Since we started reviewing meal kits a few years back, we have learned that almost all are operated as a subscription service only. You would have thought you could just order them whenever you wanted without requiring you to subscribe—but that is, in fact, very rare!
A small number of services, like Blue Apron, may offer one-off orders for their meal kits, but this is quite unusual and often more pricey than subscription models. Most meal kit companies, like Home Chef, Green Chef, and Martha and Marley Spoon, are subscription-only.
However, with all meal kit service subscriptions, you can skip weeks of delivery, change your plan to get a box delivered only every other week (or more), and cancel with no extra fees or commitments. These options give you more control over your subscription and fit it to your needs.
To help you find a meal kit service with a flexible subscription that works for you, we’re breaking down the best meal kits to try in 2024. We recently re-checked these services and their offerings to keep our info up-to-date and add more flexible meal services to support your needs.
Short on Time? Here Are the Best Meal Delivery Services With Flexible Subscriptions For 2024
- #1 Best For Cheapest Meal Kits: EveryPlate
- Best For Variety of Affordable Meal Kits: Dinnerly
- Best For Organic Meal Service: Green Chef
- Best Variety For Classic Meal Kits: HelloFresh
- Best For Large Variety of Prepared Meals: Factor
- Best For Easy-Prep Meal Kits: Home Chef
- Best For Healthy Martha Stewart Meals: Martha & Marley Spoon
- Best Full Week Prepared Low-Calorie Meal Plan: BistroMD
- Best For Chef-Designed Meal Kits: Blue Apron
In-Depth Review of the Best Meal Delivery Services With No-Subscription Or Flexible Subscription
1. EveryPlate – #1 Best For Cheapest Meal Kits
Pros and Cons
EveryPlate Pros
- The most affordable meal kit delivery service
- It is easy to skip a week, pause, or cancel subscription
- Tasty meals are simple and easy to make
- There is a good variety of meal styles to choose from each week
- Supports low-calorie, pescatarian, and vegetarian diets
EveryPlate Cons
- Ingredients don’t come packed per recipe
- Some premium recipes on the weekly menu cost extra money
About the Service
EveryPlate is an affordable meal kit service designed to make meal kit delivery convenient and budget-friendly. They keep recipes and packaging simple to pass the savings on to you.
Our 2024 meal kit testers appreciated the simple yet delicious recipes from EveryPlate and the high-quality ingredients we received.
What Do You Get?
To receive EveryPlate, you need to create an account and subscribe, but it’s easy to pause, skip weeks, or cancel after you sign up. You can get a box to serve 2, 4, or 6 people, with anywhere between 3 to 6 meals in the delivery.
EveryPlate’s menu has around 30 recipes to pick from each week, plus add-ons of sides, quick meals, proteins, desserts, and more.
Yummy Meals To Try From EveryPlate
- Cream of Mushroom Soup with Garlic Bread
- Bacon & Gouda Smothered Chicken with Green Beans & Crispy Potatoes
- Chicken Sausage & Tomato Linguine with Parmesan
- Crispy Ginger Pork Rolls with Cabbage, Carrots, & Chili Lime Drizzle
What Do Customers Think Of It?
Overall, EveryPlate customers appreciate the convenience of the meal kit service, which lets them skip the meal prep hassle at an affordable price.
On Reddit, @Doxiejoy says, “I’m 98 boxes in and I feel it’s made meal planning so much easier.”
Another Reddit user, @mentalcandy0702, shared their EveryPlate experience, saying, “I’ve found the food quite delicious and easy to prepare.”
2. Dinnerly – Best For Variety of Affordable Meal Kits
Pros and Cons
Dinnerly Pros
- Budget-friendly & simple meal kit delivery service
- There is an excellent variety of 100+ meals and add-ons to suit even picky eaters
- It is easy to pause or cancel your subscription or skip weeks
- Recipes to support many dietary needs – even gluten-free-friendly and low-carb!
Dinnerly Cons
- Meals are simple and can lack more adventurous cooking
- Ingredients don’t come pre-sorted per recipe
About the Service
The simple story behind Dinnerly is that it offers a cheap meal kit delivery service with easy and tasty meals! They provide many crowd-pleaser meals ideal for kids and picky eaters. Recipes are simple, using fewer ingredients, which keeps costs low.
Our meal kit review testers were impressed with how tasty the meals were, even though they were simple and easy to make.
What Do You Get?
Dinnerly is a weekly subscription meal kit service that allows you to skip weeks, pause, or cancel at any time. When signing up, you can get meals for 2 or 4 people and receive between 2 and 6 meals in each box.
The weekly menu offers 100+ meals, plus a market with add-on options for breakfasts, snacks, and more.
Yummy Meals To Try From Dinnerly
- Low-Carb Garlic-Butter Sirloin Steak with Creamy Ranch Wedge
- One-Pot Pizza Tortelloni with Fontina
- Salmon Cakes with Dijonnaise & Romaine Salad
- Low-Cal Oven-Fried Buffalo Cauliflower with Ranch Wedge Salad
What Do Customers Think Of It?
Dinnerly customers appreciate this meal kit’s value and the simple recipes that are picky-eater friendly.
On Reddit, user @Qbzax says, “Dinnerly is great! By far best value.”
Another Redditor, @mtoomtoo, says, “It’s pretty basic, but sometimes basic is nice when you’re looking to whip something up in half an hour or less.”
3. Green Chef – Best For Flexible Organic Meal Kit Service, With No Hidden Commitments
Pros and Cons
Green Chef Pros
- USDA-certified organic produce
- Tasty and upscale chef-designed recipes
- Plans to support your diet, such as Meditteranean, Keto, or Plant-Based
- Offers add-ons for breakfast, lunch, and even supplements
Green Chef Cons
- It can be pricey compared with others
- Traditional meal kits only – no prepared meals
About the Service
Green Chef is a USDA-certified organic meal kit service that delivers healthy, easy-to-make meals weekly. Its sourcing and delivery methods emphasize sustainability.
Our meal kit testers love the delicious, creative recipes that incorporate fresh produce, even for meat & veggie dishes.
What Do You Get?
Green Chef requires setting up an account and subscription but allows you to easily pause, cancel, or skip a week at any time. When signing up, you can pick to get a box for 2, 4, or 6 people, with either 3 or 4 dinners each week.
You can pick a dietary preference, such as Plant-Based, Keto, or other, to get recommended meals and still shop the full menu of 80+ weekly recipes and market add-ons.
Yummy Meals To Try From Green Chef
- Herbed Organic Chicken & Fig Kale Salad with scallion bulgur, pistachios, and lemon crema
- Sesame Ginger Pork Bowls with lime rice, bell pepper, onion, Sriracha, and peanuts
- Orange-Chili Salmon over Dirty Rice with chimichurri mango slaw and scallions
- Corn & Bean Stuffed Peppers with kale, creamy chimichurri sauce, and rice with roasted tomatoes
What Do Customers Think Of It?
Green Chef customers appreciate the specific diet support and consistently tasty recipes from the meal kit service.
Reddit user @ketouk, who follows the Keto diet, says, “ I’ve done Green Chef a few times now, and I’ve been amazed. The food tasted good and kept me full.”
Another Redditor, @lindasek, says this about their Green Chef experience: “In my opinion, it’s great and my favorite out of the few I tried.”
4. HelloFresh – Best Variety for Classic Meal Kits
Pros and Cons
HelloFresh Pros
- Huge variety of weekly recipe options
- Plans to suit different diets such as veggie, Pescatarian, and family-friendly
- Clear, easy-to-follow, full-color recipe cards
- High-quality, pre-measured ingredients
HelloFresh Cons
- It doesn’t cater to specialty diets like Gluten-free or Keto
- Some recipes may require special kitchen tools
About the Service
HelloFresh is America’s most popular meal kit service, delivering traditional meal kits with classic recipes right to your door. Their menu has a wide variety of weekly recipes, and you can also shop the HelloFresh market for add-ons.
Our 2024 meal kit reviewers appreciate the consistent quality of HelloFresh ingredients and the easy-to-follow, delicious recipes.
What Do You Get?
HelloFresh is a flexible weekly meal kit delivery subscription that lets you easily skip weeks, pause, or cancel. You can choose to get meals to serve 2, 4, or 6 people, with between 2 to 6 meals in the box.
When signing up, you can pick a preference for recipe recommendations. Each week, you’ll have access to the full menu of 100+ recipes plus the HelloFresh market with add-ons of sides, desserts, snacks, and more.
Yummy Meals To Try From HelloFresh
- Vegan Maple Carrot Power Bowls with Turmeric-Toasted Couscous & Lemony Hummus
- Street Cart-Style Turkey Bowls with Yellow Rice, White Sauce & Pitas
- One-Pan Beef Stir-Fry Tacos with Tangy Slaw, Sriracha Mayo & Wonton Strips
- Soy-Glazed Salmon with Rice plus Chili-Roasted Green Beans, Picked Cuke, & Sweet Heat Aioli
What Do Customers Think Of It?
HelloFresh loves that this meal kit’s easy recipes teach them to cook and take the mental work out of meal planning.
On Reddit, @interpretersarah reviews two years with HelloFresh, noting that “I learned to cook things in new ways and use ingredients I had yet to consider using together.”
Meanwhile, @anxious_kangaroo_511 has this to say about their HelloFresh experience: “ I hate to plan and grocery shop. It’s nice having things sent to me that are ready to be cooked.”
5. Factor – Best For Large Variety of Prepared Meals
Pros and Cons
Factor Pros
- Fully prepared meals are ideal for busy schedules
- Fresh, nutritionally balanced recipes
- Supports many diets, including Keto, Calorie Smart, and Vegan & Veggie
- Offers free nutrition coaching to support your diet and wellness goals
Factor Cons
- Meals are single-serving only
- No traditional meal kit options
About the Service
Factor specializes in providing nutritionally balanced, fully prepared single-serving meals. The meals are fresh, never frozen, and ready for you to reheat and eat – perfect for busy schedules!
Our meal kit testers enjoy the variety of options on the weekly menu for delicious, perfectly portioned premade meals.
What Do You Get?
Factor meals come in single-serving, microwave-ready containers. You can get 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, or 18 meals in your weekly box. They are a subscription service but make it easy to pause, skip a week, or cancel your subscription.
Yummy Meals To Try From Factor
- Smoky Gouda Chicken with Roasted Red Potatoes & Parmesan Green Beans
- Roasted Red Pepper Tortellini & Italian Sausage with Parmesan Haricot Verts
- Spicy Sweet Potatoes & Peanut Sauce with Coconut Rice & Miso-Roasted Green Beans
- Roasted Garlic Butter Salmon with Celery Root-Cauliflower Mash & Parmesan Broccoli
What Do Customers Think Of It?
Factor users like the convenience of ready-made meals and the support for various dietary needs.
@MySRT4Un4Seen on Reddit says he and his wife love the convenience and that “We both work from home and Factor cuts down on prep time.”
Another Reddit user, @Stinkisthebestword, says, “Im a big fan of Factor especially if you’re someone who has certain dietary goals.”
6. Home Chef – Best For Easy-Prep Meal Kits
Pros and Cons
Home Chef Pros
- Options for oven-ready, microwave-ready, express, and traditional meal kits
- Great customization options to swap out proteins and sides
- High-quality, pre-portioned ingredients
- There is a good variety of tasty, classic recipes with an upscale twist
Home Chef Cons
- Limited weekly options for certain categories
- Some traditional meal kit items arrive pre-made to reduce cooking time
About the Service
From classic 30-minute meal kits to fast and convenient meal options—prepared meals, 15-minute meal kits, grill-ready meals, and oven–ready meals—Home can meet almost every need. Moreover, the service offers meals for a vegetarian, carb-conscious, or low-calorie diet to promote healthier eating habits.
In 2024, our testers appreciated Home Chef’s great customization options and the variety of classic recipes with a twist.
What Do You Get?
Home Chef is a weekly plan where you can get meals to serve 2, 4, or 6 people, with anywhere from 2 to 6 meals in your box. You can easily skip a week, pause, or cancel your subscription from the online account.
With Home Chef, you will give your preferences up front to choose between quick meals, oven-ready meals, fast and fresh microwaveable meals, or meal kits—or mix and match! You can also choose to get recommended recipes for diet support, such as Calorie-Conscious, Keto-Friendly, Vegetarian, and more.
Yummy Meals To Try From Home Chef
- Asian-Style Steak Noodles with Broccoli
- Garlic Soy Butter Chicken with Edamame Rice
- Butternut Squash, Fig, and Blue Cheese Risotto with Walnuts
- Dijonaise Pork Medallions with Lemon Dilly Green Beans
What Do Customers Think Of It?
Home Chef customers like the variety of meal options and the consistently tasty recipes.
On Reddit, @IAmMikky says they love Home Chef and says, “I prefer their meals to any other kit I’ve tried.”
Redditor @rackhan120790 is a WW member who uses Home Chef, saying, “I really enjoy the meals I receive and it helps me keep variety in my diet.”
7. Martha & Marley Spoon – Best For Healthy Martha Stewart Meals
Pros and Cons
Marley Spoon Pros
- Many kid-friendly crowd-pleaser options each week
- The menu includes traditional meals, one-pot easy options, and prepared meals
- Good variety of diet support, including vegetarian and low-carb meals
- Easy-to-follow, fancy, chef-designed recipes teach you to cook
Marley Spoon Cons
- The menu includes Premium recipes that cost extra
- Some recipes require advanced techniques and tools
About the Service
Martha and Marley Spoon is the meal kit company owned by home-cooking queen Martha Stewart. It brings chef-designed meals to your doorstep. This service offers a great variety of crowd-pleaser meals in many recipe styles, including Martha’s Best meals.
Our testers appreciated the easy-to-follow recipe cards and the delicious flavors in the Martha & Marley Spoon meals.
What Do You Get?
Marley Spoon is a flexible subscription where you can customize your plan, skip weeks, or cancel anytime. When signing up, you pick to receive meals with 2 or 4 servings, with between 2 and 6 meals in your delivery.
The Marley Spoon menu has 100+ weekly recipes, including extra simple one-pot recipes and microwave-ready prepared meals. You can also shop the market for add-ons, including sides, quick lunches, and more.
Yummy Meals To Try From Martha & Marley Spoon
- Family Friendly! Chicken Alfredo Roll-Ups with Spinach & Readymade Chicken
- Cheddar-Chive Biscuits & Sausage Gravy with Fried Eggs & Jammy Tomatoes
- Pork Katsu with Sriracha Mayo & Lemon
- French Onion Impossible Ground Strongaoff over Egg Noodles
What Do Customers Think Of It?
Martha & Marley Spoon customers like the generous portions and the excellent, tasty recipes.
Reddit user @throwaway564858 says, “The MS meals have all been really delicious.”
Another Redditor, @KlatuuBarradaNicto, says of Marley Spoon, “Their quantities are more than sufficient and their recipes are great!”
8. BistroMD – Best Full Week Prepared Low-Calorie Meal Plan
Pros and Cons
BistroMD Pros
- Fully prepared meals are great for busy schedules
- Doctor-designed meals to support your diet and health
- Plans can include breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Extensive menu with a great variety of dishes
BistroMD Cons
- Meals arrive frozen
- Single-serving options only, no family plans
About the Service
BistroMD is a doctor-designed wellness meal kit with fully prepared, nutritionally balanced meals. The meals are designed to support various wellness diets and come flash-frozen so they can be easily reheated and eaten.
Our BistroMD testers in 2024 liked that the meals were low-calorie yet flavorful and satisfying.
What Do You Get?
When signing up for Bistro MD, you enter into a contract-free subscription that can be paused or canceled at any time. You can also skip weeks to get meals on a schedule that fits your needs. All meals are single-serving, and you will choose to receive the Full Program (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) or Lunches and dinners only, with the option to get enough food for five days or a full seven days.
With BistroMD, you can choose a specific diet, from a general wellness program to Heart-Healthy, Gluten-Free, Diabetic-Friendly, and more.
Yummy Meals To Try From BistroMD
- Chicken Egg Roll Bowl with Cauliflower Fried Rice
- Grilled Salmon with BBQ Sauce
- Vegetable Red Curry with Tofu
- Pork Tenderloin with Mushroom Marsala
What Do Customers Think Of It?
BistroMD customers like that the meals are easy to prepare and help support wellness goals like weight loss or specific conditions.
Regarding their recent BistroMD experience, @EntropyAhoy on Reddit says, “They’re pretty good and I’ve lost weight with them.”
Reddit user @catladycleo says, “I personally love it because it’s just frozen and reheats like it was just cook freshly.”
9. Blue Apron – Best For Chef-Designed Meal Kits
Pros and Cons
Blue Apron Pros
- Offers market meal kit deliveries with no subscription
- Huge menu of chef-designed recipes
- Prepared & ready, quick recipes and traditional meal kits
- Unique ingredients and seasoning blends
Blue Apron Cons
- Non-subscription box options are limited with less flexibility
- Not as many dietary supports as other meal kits
About the Service
Blue Apron was the first meal kit delivery service in the US. The service has withstood the test of time and remains a well-loved meal kit brand—and one of the few that lets you order single boxes without a subscription!
Blue Apron offers creative chef-created dishes with pre-portioned ingredients and restaurant-quality flavors. The menu includes a fancy meal kit option, a few ready-to-eat meals, and recipes with easy and fast meal prep.
What Do You Get?
Blue Apron offers one of the only true no-subscription meal kits through their Market. These options include the Fast & Easy Meal Kit, Date Night Craft Meal Kit, and more, designed to let you try the service without a subscription.
You can also get a flexible subscription plan delivery with a greater variety of options—you can skip a week or cancel at any time. The plans serve 2 or 4 people, with between 2 and 5 meals in the box.
Yummy Meals To Try From Blue Apron
- Sambal-Glazed Salmon & Cilantro Rice with Marinated Carrots & Sesame Broccoli
- Soy-Glazed Meatloaf with Sesame Roasted Potatoes & Sauteed Bok Choy
- Four Cheese Enchiladas with Rice & Vegetables
- Grilled Steak & Creamy Mushroom Sauce
What Do Customers Think Of It?
Blue Apron customers enjoy making recipes and believe the ingredients and meals are always high quality.
On Reddit, @WanderWorlder has this to say about Blue Apron: “It’s always fresh and the ingredients I’ve gotten are good quality.”
Redditor @mostlynights is a long-term Blue Apron customer who says, “Cooking the meals is a fun activity for me, and I enjoy the variety.”
How Do You Skip Weeks on Meal Kit Delivery Subscription Services?
Though most meal kit services require a subscription, skipping weeks is easy. Once you’re signed into your account, you can easily manage your delivery online through the website or app.
For example, see the “skip week” process for Dinnerly and HelloFresh meal delivery services below. We assure you that almost every other meal kit offers a similar easy-to-follow process for skipping a delivery.
Here Is How You Skip Weeks In A Few Easy Steps With Dinnerly
- Log into your online account, then click “Orders” to view your weekly meal selections.
- Select the delivery week or weeks you wish to skip.
- Click “Skip This Order” to confirm that you want to skip.
Here Is How You Skip Weeks In A Few Easy Steps With HelloFresh:
- Log into your online account and go to the “My Menu” section.
- Click on the “Edit Delivery” option
- Select “Skip This Week” for the weeks you wish to skip.
- Answer the question about the reason for skipping the week and press “Skip This Week”.
As you can see, skipping a week is straightforward and can be done for weeks ahead! You simply need to do this before the cutoff date for the next delivery.
Since the terms of skipping weeks can differ between services, please make sure to check your chosen services’ policies so you meet the cutoff. We don’t want you to get charged for meals you didn’t want to get!
HelloFresh edit delivery page
HelloFresh skip this week page
Are Meal Kits Worth It?
Yes! We’ve been reviewing meal kits for many years and think these services are worth it.
Here are some clear advantages of using meal kits:
- Meals delivered to your door.
- Flexible without a huge commitment.
- Fewer trips to the grocery store.
- Easier meal planning.
- Less food waste.
- Chef-designed meals at home.
- High-quality of ingredients
- Support for your diet with less effort.
- Diversify what you eat at home.
- Many have healthy meal options for a better balanced life.
If you are looking to simplify preparing home-cooked, healthy meals, it’s worth trying a meal kit.
Our Methodology – Why Trust Us?
The Meal Kit Review has been reviewing the various meal kits on the market for many years, and we bring our expertise to help you make informed decisions. Our team takes a hands-on approach to our process, going through every step of signing up for and enjoying each meal kit service – and re-testing them to keep our reviews updated.
Read more about our review process and why you should trust us here.
Bottom Line
As you can see, most meal delivery services are offered only as subscription-based services. However, a few let you order one-off boxes, and many meal kits offer flexible subscriptions that make it easy to try them out.
The best way to start with meal kit services is to try a few dishes from each company. That way, you can get a good understanding of the meal styles and which you will like!
One thing is for sure—a meal kit service will help you minimize the time spent planning a balanced menu and going to the grocery store. Moreover, it will enable you to try different flavors and broaden your culinary horizons.
We hope this detailed review helped you choose the best flexible or no-subscription meal delivery service to match your needs!
