11 Best Meal Delivery Services & Kits of 2024
In a perfect world, we would all have the time and energy to cook healthy, nutrient-dense meals for ourselves and family members whenever we want. However, life seems to sometimes get in the way, whether that's a busy work schedule, overcommitting on weeknight plans, or just experiencing a feeling of exhaustion from everything going on around us. Factors like these can make it difficult to find the energy necessary for grocery shopping, meal planning, and the actual cooking itself. Because this is such a common experience for people, meal delivery services and meal kits have become a popular solution in the last few years.
Meal delivery services and meal kits are similar, but there are some differences between the two. A meal delivery service is exactly as it sounds—a company sends you pre-made meals, delivered straight to your door. These meals may be fresh, frozen, or refrigerated, and they require little to no effort at all. Meal kits are also a delivery service where a company sends food straight to your door, but these kits often contain groceries and easy-to-cook recipes for you to cook the meals yourself. Most companies specialize in just one type of service, but some also offer both. Deciding on which is best for you may depend on your time, energy, and budget.
To help you choose which is best for you, we put together a list of 11 popular meal delivery services and meal kits that can make healthy eating this year a whole lot easier. Read on to find a favorite, then check out The 7 Best Stores to Buy Groceries Online in 2024.
Hungryroot
Hungryroot's slogan is that they are "the easiest way to eat healthy," and we can confirm that they make the process pretty darn easy. You have an incredible amount of control over the weekly meal process, as Hungryroot acts more like a grocery store that sends you all the ingredients you need to make recipes rather than a meal delivery service.
This AI-supported delivery service analyzes your food preferences and then sends you a box of hand-picked, nutritious groceries and suggests easy recipes to use these groceries. You'll get items like fresh produce, grains, sauces and dips, meat and seafood, bread, snacks from your favorite brands, and more. All you have to do is take a simple quiz at the beginning of your sign-up process to help them figure out the best plan for your dietary needs. If you don't like the meals they suggest? No problem. You have complete autonomy over which recipes and snacks are in your delivery.
Pricing varies depending on the plan you choose. Each delivery has both groceries and recipes, and the amount depends on how many people you're feeding. Costs start at:
- $68 per delivery of 3 2-serving recipes ($11.39/serving), and you can skip a week or update your plan anytime
Thistle
Thistle is for individuals looking for pre-made, ready-to-eat meals that are healthy and full of nutritious ingredients. The company says that they "believe in the power of plants and in eating a rainbow of foods packed with nutrients, phytochemicals, and antioxidants," and their healthy, delicious meals prove that to be true.
You can get breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and juices delivered to you based on your dietary needs and goals. Your process with Thistle begins with a simple quiz. You'll then choose your plan and select your weekly meals from their menu.
Thistle currently delivers to the West Coast; New York City, NY; Philadelphia, PA; Washington D.C.; Arlington, VA; parts of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Massachusetts; the greater Boston area; Rhode Island; Connecticut; Chicago, IL; Phoenix, AZ; and will launch in Atlanta, GA winter 2024. You can find out if Thistle delivers to your area here.
Pricing varies depending on the quantity and frequency of purchases you make, and you can choose to have a delivery once or twice a week. Some examples of pricing include:
- Plant-based protein only, with 1 breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack: $58.74 per box
- Meat only, with 1 breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack: $65.25 per box
Methodology
Calling themselves "The ultimate luxury nutrition program," Methodology delivers pre-made meals that you can heat in five minutes or less and can fit with vegan, Mediterranean, Keto, vegetarian, low-fat, or Paleo eating plans.
You can shop their tasty meal options based not only on your dietary preferences but on your desired cuisine, such as Asian, American, European, and Latin/Spanish food.
The pricing varies depending on a few factors. Each option gives you five meals per week delivered on Mondays. But you can choose whether you want breakfast included or not, whether you want standard or large sizes, whether you want meat, seafood, vegan, or all three, and how long you want your program to last.
An example of how much you'd pay per week for:
- All meals (including breakfast) for 5 days, standard size meals, meat + seafood, for 4 weeks: $429.00 per week
Factor_
With Factor_, you'll get "chef-prepared, dietitian-recommended, ready-to-eat meals" delivered straight to your door. The meals are never frozen, and you can choose from a variety of dietary preferences, like Keto, "Calorie-Smart," flexitarian, "Protein Plus," and "Vegan & Veggie." They truly make nutritious eating as easy as possible.
Pricing varies depending on the quantity of meals you purchase per week, and each meal is a single serving. Cost ranges from:
- 6 meals per week: $13.49 per serving ($80.94 per box)
- 10 meals per week: $12.49 per serving ($124.00 per box)
Purple Carrot
Purple Carrot is a 100% vegan subscription meal service that makes it easy to cook and eat plant-based meals at home. You can choose between a meal kit, a prepared meal plan, or both!
Each box is an opportunity to learn and experience something new with easy-to-read recipes, and fresh, high-quality, and perfectly portioned ingredients. With breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, Purple Carrot offers a variety of plant-based options every week.
Pricing varies depending on the quantity and frequency of meals you purchase per week:
- Meal Kit meal plan with 3 2-serving meals per week: $13.25 per serving ($79.50 per week)
- Prepared Meal plan with 3 days of Lunch & Dinner (6 total meals): $13 per serving ($78 per week)
Sun Basket
Sun Basket ships fresh, USDA-certified organic, and sustainable ingredients and recipes right to your door. The company supports customers who have dietary restrictions, including gluten-free, paleo, Mediterranean diet, Diabetes-friendly, vegetarian, pescatarian, and low-carb. Sun Basket options include an array of meals and the company offers breakfast, lunch, and snack items to completely round out your day (for an additional fee).
They also give back by donating to Feeding America and local food banks.
Pricing ranges depending on the quantity and type of meals ordered:
- Meal Kits (serves 2): Starts at $11.49 per serving
- Fresh & Ready (serves 1): Starts at $9.99 per serving
Blue Apron
Like Purple Carrot, Blue Apron offers two options: meal kits and prepared & ready meals. The company's chef-designed recipes include balanced Mediterranean meals, quick one-pan dinners, and classic dishes. The company uses responsibly sourced, quality ingredients like fresh produce, sustainable seafood, and exclusive spice blends. Dishes take anywhere from 25 to 45 minutes to prepare and cook, change weekly, and are between 500 and 800 calories per serving. You have the option to choose from Chef Favorites, Wellness, Family Friendly, Fast & Easy, and Veggies for your meal kit theme (and you can choose more than one option!). Prepared & Ready meals come in three options: 600 Calories or Less, 30g of Protein, and Carb Conscious.
For their meal kits, you can choose between 2 and 5 meals per week and 2 or 4 servings per meal. (Total price shown includes a $10.99 shipping fee.)
- 2 2-serving meals: $12.49 per serving ($60.95 total)
- 3 2-serving meals: $10.99 per serving ($76.93 total)
- 4 2-serving meals: $9.99 per serving ($90.91 total)
- 5 2-serving meals: $9.49 per serving ($105.89 total)
For their Prepared & Ready options, you choose between 6, 8, and 10 single-serving meals. (Total price shown includes a $10.99 shipping fee.)
- 6 single-serving meals: $13.49 per serving ($91.93 total)
- 8 single-serving meals: $12.99 per serving ($114.91 total)
- 10 single-serving meals: $12.49 per serving ($135.89 total)
Hello Fresh
Hello Fresh is the largest meal-kit provider in the United States. Their kits include easy-to-follow recipes with clear nutritional information, high-quality ingredients sourced straight from the farm, and convenient meal kits that fit perfectly in the fridge (perfect for those with tiny appliances). Hello Fresh's main point of difference is that they work with an in-house registered dietitian to conceive all of their meals and they give customers detailed nutrition fact labels on their recipe cards (and website).
Pricing ranges depending on the quantity ordered:
- 2-person plan with 3 recipes each week: $9.99 per meal ($59.94 box total)
- 4-person plan with 3 recipes each week: $9.99 per meal ($119.88 box total)
Home Chef
Home cooking is much more simple with Home Chef's meal plans. Kits that are pre-prepped, portioned, and ready to cook with little to no clean-up? Sign me up! With meal options like slow cooker dinners, grill-ready meals, and dinner-sized salads, meals can be ready in a pinch. Their recipe cards include wine and beer pairings along with calories, fats, carbohydrates, protein, fiber, and sodium values.
Pricing ranges depending on the quantity ordered:
- 2-person plan with 3 recipes each week: $59.94 weekly total
- 4-person plan with 4 recipes each week: $149.84 weekly total
Gobble
Don't expect to spend time boiling pasta or chopping garlic to make a sauce when you use Gobble. These kits help you save time by sending you ingredients like pre-cooked rice, pre-made sauces, and even pre-cooked meat on occasion. The company promises that you will be enjoying a fresh, home-cooked meal in just 15 minutes.
Gobble offers two choices of kits: their classic kit that provides traditional and seasonal meals that are ready in just 15 minutes and their Lean and Clean kit that provides 15-minute recipes that are 600 calories or less, low carb, and feature lean proteins and no filler grains.
Pricing ranges depending on the quantity and frequency of meals ordered:
- 2-person plan with 3 recipes each: $14.99 per meal ($89.94 total)
- 4-person plan with 3 recipes each: $11.99 per meal ($143.88 total)
EveryPlate
EveryPlate is the least expensive meal kit subscription service of the bunch while still providing grade-A ingredients and recipes. The service offers 30 meals to choose from each week and rotates options weekly. Once you pick your meals, you receive the ingredients and recipes on your doorstep. EveryPlate offers 6-step recipes with varying degrees of time commitment, ranging from 15 minutes to an hour and everything in between!
Pricing ranges depending on the number of people (2, 4, or 6) and number of meals (3, 4, 5, or 6). A few examples of pricing for a select number of plans:
- 2-person plan with 3 recipes each: $7.49 per meal ($44.94 total)
- 4-person plan with 4 recipes each: $5.49 per meal ($87.84 total)
- 6-person plan with 5 recipes each: $4.99 per meal ($149.70 total)
This story has been updated since its original publish date to include additional entries and remove offerings that are no longer available.
