Getting dinner on the table can be challenging after a long day of working, caring for family members, or otherwise leading a busy life. Whether you live alone or with a crowd, planning meals, shopping for ingredients, and prepping before you cook are time-consuming tasks. Take-out and delivery can be fast, but pricey. And depending on what’s near you, restaurants may not offer all the options you want for your diet and tastes.
To the rescue? Meal kits that deliver fresh ingredients paired with easy-to-follow recipes so you can get a homemade meal on the table fast.Some even send you ready-to-heat-and-eat food.
A few things to keep in mind:
- These meal delivery service companies surged in popularity during the initial months of the pandemic, but have seen a drop-off in business of late. That means they’re competing aggressively for your business, with plenty of offers of savings and discounts. Search RetailMeNot for coupons and discounts before you sign up as well as the individual site of the plan you’re interested in. If you’re flexible, shop around from one plan to the next to find the biggest savings.
- Most meal kits make it easy to pause your subscription if you’re planning on heading out of town or just want to skip a week or two. Same with canceling, but often people are late to make these adjustments to their plan. Make sure you log in and handle your business in time (each service is different so read the fine print!). Once you’ve committed to a week and are past the window to pause/cancel, you have to pay the full amount, even if you aren’t home to eat it.
- You’ll get one delivery per week, so perishable ingredients will have to be stored in your fridge or freezer. Don’t order more than you have room for or can cook within the window before products expire.
- When these services first launched, they were typically pre-prepped food that you cooked on your end, but increasingly they are offering heat-and-eat options as well so you can have all sorts of flexibility right at your fingertips.
- If you have food allergies or sensitivities, these companies are typically great with labeling so you know what you are and aren’t getting. Do read the online nutrition information carefully each time, even if you’re re-ordering the same meal, as ingredients can change.
- Meal kit companies are aware consumers want as much environmentally-friendly packaging as possible. There are expected to be increasing improvements on this front. Welcome news!
The industry is constantly evolving, so even if you’ve tried a meal kit in the past, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the new options. Wondering which meal kit is best for you? Below is a list of seven great meal kit plans, and why they might work for you.
The Seven Best Meal Kits to Try
Blue Apron
A big-name player in the meal kit game, Blue Apron was first to the market in this now-crowded space. They offer not only their signature meal kit subscriptions, but also a wine plan. The company also sells kitchen tools and pantry staples such as spices, making this a great option for a chef who is still setting up a new kitchen or a student living off-campus.
You tell Blue Apron if you’re feeding two or four diners, and how many meals (two, three, or four) you want delivered to your household each week. There are over 50 meals from which to choose so you should be able to find plenty that appeal to you and others in your household.
Cost: Costs vary, and prices drop the more people you’re feeding and how often. For example if you sign up for Blue Apron for two people to receive two meals a week, it’s $11.99 per person per serving, plus $9.99 shipping, while a household of four people getting four meals a week is only $7.99 per serving plus $9.99 shipping.
Special dietary options: Blue Apron doesn’t offer specific dietary plans, except for a Signature for 2 Vegetarian Plan, but there is quite a bit of flexibility when choosing each week’s meals, and if you tell them your preference, they’ll customize the offerings so you see your preferences first (but you can order from the whole list of options).
Their recipes include meals that are vegetarian, carb conscious, 600 calories or less and diabetes-friendly, with a range of meat, fish, seafood, poultry and vegetarian choices. With easy substitutions, recipes can be adjusted to your own needs and tastes, and allergens are disclosed online.
How to skip/cancel: To skip a week or more, or cancel your subscription, use the Blue Apron app or log in to your account online. You’ll need to do this at least six days ahead of when your order is supposed to ship.
How to save: If you’re a doctor, nurse, hospital employee, first responder, member of the military, a senior 55 or older, government worker, or a student or a teacher, verify your status through ID.me and get $110 off and free shipping on your first order. (And right now, everyone who signs up for Blue Apron will get that discount, so act fast!)
Hello Fresh
Hello Fresh is another big player in meal kits, offering a wide variety of menus — they say they offer their customers a choice from 100 meals each week. Choose if you’re cooking for two or four people, and if you want anywhere from two to six recipes per week.
Cost: Costs range. Meals for two people, two times per week costs $11.99 per serving plus shipping. Meals for four people, six times per week is $7.99 per person plus shipping. (As you can see, they’re very competitive with Blue Apron’s rates.)
Special dietary options: The company offers 10 veggie options each week and one vegan option. You can also customize the plan to be beef-free, pork-free, seafood-free, veggie, family-friendly, calorie smart, quick, or variety. There are no gluten-free, vegan, or nut-free menu plans, but labeling is excellent and the company is committed to avoiding cross-contamination in the production process.
How to skip/cancel: Skipping or canceling are both simple to do once you’re logged into your account. Be aware to skip/pause/cancel, you must do so by 11:59 p.m. PST five days prior to your next scheduled delivery. Anything after that and you will be charged.
How to save: Hello Fresh is known for offering great deals to entice new members to sign up. For example, right now students get 15% off of every box and free shipping through UNiDAYS and there are other great offers happening all the time.
EveryPlate
Looking for affordability? EveryPlate to the rescue, with a budget-conscious meal kit delivery plan. The company says they keep their prices down by using less packaging and offering recipes that emphasize value and convenience over higher-end, gourmet meals that other companies might. They offer 17 meals to select from each week and you can also choose add-ons, like a chocolate lava cake (hey, now!) or roasted broccoli with parmesan.
Cost: Choose if you’re cooking for two or four people, then the number of meals per week (ranges from three to six). Three meals for two people per week is $6.49 per meal, while six meals for four people per week drops down to just $4.99 per serving. Shipping is additional.
The company does have some “premium” meals that are an extra $3.99 a serving, which you can add if they appeal to you.
Special dietary options: There are vegetarian meals each week, but otherwise no special dietary options are available.
How to skip/cancel: Skip a week (or up to four) so long as you do it at least five days prior to the delivery date at 11:59 p.m. CT before your delivery is scheduled. You can cancel at any time with the same timing. — so long as you do it five days prior to your delivery.
How to save: As of press time, if you give EveryPlate your email address, you’ll be charged only $1.49 per meal for your first delivery, and through UNiDAYS, students save 20% off of their next two boxes.
Home Chef
Home Chef is a nice pick for larger households. Got a bigger group to feed? Home Chef will send two, four, six or eight servings and anywhere from two to six recipes per week. They offer a lot of flexibility with their meal plans, too. Sign up and select whether you’re going to be choosing recipes where you do the cooking using their fresh, pre-portioned ingredients or prefer their Fresh and Easy plan, which is low- or no-prep recipes to save you time.
Then you’ll get 20+ meal options to choose from as well as 18 extras. You can also choose to get your delivery weekly, biweekly, or monthly, or switch it up week to week.
Added fun: They even let you take a quiz to see what kind of chef you are.
Cost: It’s hard to get a sense of the cost of Home Chef, but a company spokesperson shares that meals start at $9.99 per serving ($7.99 if choosing family meals), plus shipping. They also offer extras — like desserts, breakfast items, appetizers, and beverages — you can add on to your order. The minimum order cost is $35 per week for two meals with two servings each, plus the cost of shipping, which varies.
Special dietary options: One cool option is the “Customize It” feature on some Home Chef recipes, which gives you the option to customize the type of protein you’d like in your dish. Otherwise, they don’t offer meals for specific diet plans, but they offer at least three calorie-conscious (less than 625 calories per serving) meals each week and three carb-conscious (less than 35 grams per serving choices as well.
How to skip/cancel: Adjust frequency, skip a week, or cancel, you have to do so in your account before 12 p.m. CST on the Friday prior to the scheduled delivery week.
How to save: Right now, save $30 off your first three boxes and $26 off your fourth. Students get a special discount once they verify their status through Student Beans.
bistroMD
Depending on your health needs, bistroMD may be a helpful program for you. This is a doctor-designed food delivery service that offers five different programs to lose weight in a balanced and safe way: standard (good for anyone looking for healthy meals that can support weight loss), diabetic (these contain 25 grams or less of net carbs per serving), keto flex (low-carb recipes), heart healthy (less than 600 mg of sodium and under 3.5 grams of saturated fat per meal), menopause (meals designed to keep blood sugar and insulin levels stale) and gluten-free.
bistroMD meals are pre-made, so they don’t require cooking, and the service serves one person.
Choose from the Full Program 7 Days, which sends you seven breakfasts, seven lunches, and six dinners; Full Program 5 Days is five of each breakfasts, lunches, and dinners; or just lunch and dinner for five or seven days.
Special dietary options: As noted above, bistroMD can accommodate a wide range of food preferences and needs, so it can be helpful for users who are looking for specific diets, such as people who are managing diabetes, looking to lose weight, eat keto, or want heart-healthy menus.
Cost:
- Full Program 7 Days – $219.80
- Full Program 5 Days – $187.35
- Lunch & Dinner 7 Days – $188.86
- Lunch & Dinner 5 Days – $149.90
- Shipping is an additional $19.95
How to skip/cancel: Skip a week by updating your account before Wednesday, 5 p.m. ET. Cancel or pause at any time with the same timing.
How to save: Right now they are offering 25% off and free shipping on your first order.
Mosaic Foods
If you’re a vegetarian, check out Mosaic, a meal delivery service that offers healthy vegetarian options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, in both individual and multi-eater portions (the company says that family meals should serve two adults and two younger children).
Choose if you want delivery weekly, every other week, every three weeks or every four. The company offers a six-item box, 12-item box or an 18-item box. Fill it up with your choice of soups, entrees, smoothies, oat bowls, pizza, or Mosaic+, which are meals created by top chefs from New York especially for the company.
They offer a 100% guarantee, promising users, “If you don’t love your meals, we’ll issue a full refund, no questions asked.”
Cost: Find the cost of menu items through their meal selector page — prices range depending on what you add to your cart. A few examples: Peanut Tofu Bowl ($9.99), family-sized BBQ ‘Meatloaf & Sweet Potato Mash ($19.99), Cherry Berry Smoothie ($7.99) and Golden Milk & Blackberry Oats oat bowl ($5.99). Note that if you order a 12-item box, you get free shipping, which is a $10 value, and with an 18-item box, you receive free shipping plus an additional $10 off.
Special dietary options: Labeling here is great, so depending on what ingredients you do or don’t want to have, you can avoid them easily. Some meals are vegetarian and others are vegan, so there’s no meat, seafood or poultry anywhere to be found.
How to skip/cancel: To cancel, email them at support@mosaicfoods.com — the cutoff is as follows: East Coast Tuesday/Wednesday delivery: 3 p.m. EST the Sunday prior; West Coast Thursday/Friday delivery: 3 p.m. EST/ 12 p.m. PST the Tuesday prior; East Coast Friday delivery: 3 p.m. EST the Wednesday prior.
How to save: Right now you can save $15 off your first box.
Purple Carrot
Vegan eaters or those just interested in exploring more plant-based meals will love Purple Carrot, an entirely vegan food delivery program. You can select from meal kits where you do the cooking, heat-and-eat options or a combo of the two. Then, choose if you’re serving two or four people, and whether you want three or four meals a week. One more fun option: each month they offer a new, limited-edition Celebrations Box with ingredients for a seasonal, limited-edition three-course meal with an appetizer, entree and dessert for two people for $75.
Purple Carrot also has a few more snack and side items for sale if you’d like to do some extra shopping on the side in their “Plantry.”
Cost: Breakfasts begin at $4.50 per serving; lunches $9; and dinners $11.
Special dietary options: They have a gluten-free plan. Otherwise vegans and vegetarians will be very happy here. If you have more Qs about nutrition or allergens or other dietary restrictions, use their helpful Live Chat option.
How to skip/cancel: Skip, pause (up to 10 weeks) or cancel the Tuesday one week prior to your next expected shipment by 11:59 p.m. EST.
How to save: New users receive a $20 discount on their first order.
Honorable Mentions
Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon
Martha’s delivery service! She offers 45+ recipes to pick from each week, with five categories: Health & Diet, Vegetarian & Vegan, Meat & Fish, Under 30 Minutes and Family-Friendly.
Dinnerly
Dinnerly is another affordable option with meals starting as low as $4.99 per serving and 45+ recipes offered each week. Verify your hero status (say you’re a member of the military, a teacher, government employee, medical worker, etc.) with ID.me for 50% off your first box and free Shipping, and then 15% off of your next seven orders.
The post The 7 Best Meal Kits to Try in 2023 appeared first on The Real Deal by RetailMeNot.
