13 Best Meal Delivery Services for 2023, Tested and Dietitian-Approved

Getting a healthy meal on the table can be a difficult task, especially after a long day.

Finding the time to shop for ingredients, plan meals, and cook just isn’t possible for some people who lead busy lives working, caring for a family, or running a household.

There are a number of healthy meal delivery services available. However, they differ in meal types, suitability for various diets, quality of ingredients, variety of flavors, and cost.

Healthline editors and registered dietitians tried over 25 of the most popular meal delivery services on the market to help you decide which service is right for you.

Whether you’re interested in prepared meals for singles or healthy meal kits for families, keep reading to see our picks of the 13 best meal delivery services.

We tested more than 25 meal delivery services. To determine the best, we considered the following factors:

• Ingredient quality and freshness: We tried every service and paid close attention to the freshness of the ingredients upon delivery. We gave extra points to services that featured higher quality items, such as organic produce and grass-fed beef.
• Menu variety: To keep your taste buds happy, we looked for menus offering a good variety of flavors and ingredients. We also included services that cater to specialty diets, such as vegan, gluten-free, and low carb.
• Taste: We personally tried each service to make sure the meals are tasty and satisfying.
• Ease of preparation: We tested each service to find out whether the meals are easy to make or require an extra set of hands in the kitchen. We also noted whether the meals took longer than the company’s estimated time to prepare.
• Nutrition: We included services that offer nutritionally balanced meals. Most of the services listed here offer meals containing lean proteins, whole grains, healthy fats, and a generous serving of vegetables. Registered dietitians also reviewed all the services.
• Price: We included options to suit a range of budgets. The meal delivery services on our list range from $4.99 to $14.49 per serving, with EveryPlate being the most affordable option.
• Vetting: All the services included have been thoroughly vetted to ensure that they meet Healthline’s medical and business standards. You can read more about Healthline’s vetting process.

Disclaimer: All of the services tested below were tried by Healthline writers or editors, who received the meals for free. All opinions are our own.

Best meal delivery service overall

Sunbasket

• Why we love it: Sunbasket is our pick for the best overall meal delivery service thanks to its high quality ingredients, exciting flavor combinations, and large variety of menu options.
• Price: starts at $11.49 per serving for meal kits and $9.99 per serving for Fresh & Ready meals
• Shipping: $9.99
• Menus: Gluten-Free, Paleo, Carb-Conscious, Mediterranean, Pescatarian, Vegetarian, Keto-Friendly, and Diabetes-Friendly

How it works: This popular healthy meal kit delivery service offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner options prepared with whole, nutrient-dense ingredients.

Each week, you can select 2–5 recipes, with two or four servings each, from the extensive rotating menu.

For those short on time, Sunbasket also offers single-serving Fresh & Ready meals, which take just 4 minutes to heat in the microwave.

The company offers meals that fit into a number of popular dietary patterns, and all recipes are approved by an in-house dietitian.

What our tester says

“Sunbasket was by far my favorite meal delivery service. The ingredients arrived fresh, the flavor combinations were delicious and not ones I’d regularly make, and most entrees took 30 minutes or less to prepare.

“I also enjoyed the Fresh & Ready meals — the White Chicken Chili was my favorite — though I still prefer the taste of the meal kits over the convenience of the premade dishes.

“Read more about why this meal kit delivery service was my favorite in this comprehensive review.”

— Kelli McGrane, MS, RD, Nutrition Editor II

Best prepared meal delivery service

Factor

• Why we love it: Factor, formerly known as Factor 75, offers chef-created, dietitian-approved, fully prepared meals that reheat well, are nutritionally balanced, and are satisfying to eat.
• Price: starts at $10.99 per serving
• Shipping: $10.99
• Menus: Chef’s Choice, Keto, Calorie Smart, Vegan & Veggie, and Protein Plus

How it works: Made with fresh, never-frozen ingredients, Factor meals can be heated and enjoyed within minutes.

Factor offers a weekly rotating menu and allows customers to build their own custom box with 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, or 18 meals per week.

Customers can choose meals based on dietary preferences, including vegetarian, gluten-free, keto, low carb, paleo, and dairy-free.

What our tester says

“I’m usually skeptical when it comes to prepared meals, since it’s hard to compete with freshly made dinners. However, Factor pleasantly surprised me. Not only were the dishes flavorful, but the textures of the ingredients were also spot-on.

“Specifically, the salmon was moist and not fishy, the chicken was juicy, and the vegetables were tender without being mushy. Even the quinoa in the Herbed Quinoa Pesto Bowl had a soft yet chewy texture.

“See why Factor won out as my pick for the best prepared meal delivery service in our comprehensive review.”

— Kelli McGrane, MS, RD, Nutrition Editor II

Best healthy meal delivery service

Green Chef

• Why we love it: Green Chef is a healthy, certified organic meal kit subscription service that provides ingredients and easy-to-follow instructions for creating nourishing meals.
• Price: starts at $11.99 per serving
• Shipping: $9.99
• Menus: Keto, Mediterranean, Vegan, Vegetarian, Fast & Fit, Protein Packed, and Gluten Free

How it works: With six meal types to choose from, Green Chef caters to several dietary patterns, including keto, paleo, and plant-based, as well as anyone who is simply looking to improve the quality of their diet.

Customers can choose to receive weekly, biweekly, or monthly shipments with 2–4 meal kits each.

Keep in mind that because it offers two, four, or six servings per meal, Green Chef is also a great option for families.

What our tester says

“Deserving of the best runner-up for meal kits, Green Chef meals were the fastest and easiest to make, as many of the ingredients came chopped or shredded.

“Perhaps most importantly, the meals were flavorful and fresh and contained a generous portion of vegetables — an aspect that’s often lacking with other meal delivery services. Read my full review after trying 1 week of Green Chef meals.”

— Kelli McGrane, MS, RD, Nutrition Editor II

Best meal delivery service for families

HelloFresh

• Why we love it: HelloFresh offers more than 100 menu options each week, including several kid-friendly recipes. Additionally, because HelloFresh is moderately priced, it’s a more realistic choice for families on a budget.
• Price: starts at $8.99 per serving
• Shipping: $9.99
• Menus: Veggie (vegetarian), Quick and Easy, Pescatarian, Family Friendly, Fit & Wholesome, Meat & Veggies

How it works: HelloFresh is an ideal option for families with children. The service offers more than 100 menu items to choose from each week, including many that would appeal to younger kids.

Most of the recipes are fairly straightforward and take 30 minutes or less to prepare. Because of this, HelloFresh is also great for families who want to get their older kids involved in the kitchen.

The meals are packed with vegetables and highlight flavors from around the world, and most are kid-friendly.

You can order 2–6 meal kits per week with two or four servings each.

What our tester says

“As a dietitian and mom of two, I appreciated that HelloFresh offered lots of healthy options that were still kid-friendly. I appreciated that the ingredients arrived organized by recipe, which made it easy to get dinner started every night.

“My kids also really liked the meals, especially the Salmon in a Creamy Lemon Chive Sauce with Roasted Potato Wedges & Lemony Zucchini. I have saved several of my HelloFresh recipe cards to make again later because we enjoyed the recipes so much.

“You can read more about my experience trying HelloFresh in this hands-on review.”

— SaVanna Shoemaker, MS, RDN, LD, Healthline writer

Best meal delivery for quick dinners

Home Chef

• Why we love it: Home Chef offers several types of easy-prep meal kits, including Oven Ready, Fast & Fresh, Express, and meal bundles such as pizza and salad. These meal kits make it easy to get dinner on the table, especially on busy weeknights.
• Price: starts at $7.99 per serving
• Shipping: $7.99–$13.99
• Menus: Calorie Conscious, Carb Conscious

How it works: Home Chef is a meal kit service offering a variety of family-friendly recipes, as well as several easy-to-prepare meal kit options.

Home Chef’s Oven Ready meals come ready to bake in oven-safe trays. The service also offers Express meals, which take about 15 minutes to prepare, and Fast & Fresh meals, which are healthier options that can be prepared quickly.

Additionally, Home Chef offers add-on bundles that can make quick and easy meals, such as soup and salad or pizza and salad.

With Home Chef, you can order 2–6 meals per week for two, four, or six people.

What our tester says

“My family really enjoyed trying Home Chef. We tried two meals from their Carb Conscious selections: Chicken Lorraine and Turkey Burrito Skillet.

“Everyone really liked the Chicken Lorraine. It came together really quickly, and the sauce for the chicken was delicious. I was pleasantly surprised by how much my kids liked the Turkey Burrito Skillet too — especially since it was full of vegetables. We would definitely use the service again if we ever needed some easy, quick weeknight meals.”

— SaVanna Shoemaker, MS, RDN, LD, Healthline writer

See how Home Chef compares to HelloFresh in our head-to-head comparison.

Best meal delivery service for weight loss

Trifecta Nutrition

• Why we love it: Featuring dietitian-designed meals that are calorie- and portion-controlled, Trifecta Nutrition is one of the best options for those looking to lose weight.
• Price: starts at $11.42 per serving
• Shipping: $9.99
• Menus: Clean, Paleo, Keto, Vegan, Vegetarian, and Whole30

How it works: Trifecta Nutrition delivers fresh, fully prepared meals that are suitable for several popular diet patterns, designed to be nutritionally balanced, and made with whole foods.

Meals are also calorie- and portion-controlled, making this a good option for those interested in losing weight.

To suit a variety of needs and preferences, Trifecta offers meal plans with 5, 7, 10, or 14 entrees per week. You can also choose to add 7 breakfasts to your delivery.

Just keep in mind that meals are selected for you, though you can purchase extra proteins and side dishes individually.

Learn more about how this prepared meal delivery service can support your nutritional goals in our comprehensive review.

What our tester says

“Trifecta’s meals feature a good amount of variety of ingredients and textures. I also found that the foods maintained their flavor and texture, even after reheating.

“With that said, as you can only avoid up to two ingredients and meals are preselected for you, the service isn’t ideal for picky eaters. I also found that I occasionally needed to add a few extra spices and seasonings to add a little oomph to certain dishes.”

— Rachael Link, MS, RD, Healthline writer

Best plant-based meal delivery service

Purple Carrot

• Why we love it: Purple Carrot makes it easy to eat more plant-based meals by offering creative flavor and ingredient combinations as well as a line of prepared meals for dinner in a flash.
• Price: starts at $11 for meal kits and $13 for prepared meals
• Shipping: $10, or free for orders of $85 or higher
• Menus: plant-based

How it works: Catering to those who are vegan, Purple Carrot provides customers with nutritious plant-based ingredients to prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It also sells premade snack foods.

The meal delivery service offers two- and four-serving meal plans and allows you to order 2–4 meal kits per week, so it’s a good choice for couples and families.

For those short on time, the service offers single-serving microwaveable meals, as well as Less Prep meals, which are recipes that feature shortcuts to help you put dinner on the table faster, such as pre-chopped vegetables.

You can choose 6, 8, or 10 of these meals per week, which are ready to heat and enjoy.

What our tester says

“While the recipes took a bit longer to prep and cook compared with other meal kits I tried, I appreciated the variety of flavors and textures in each dish.

“If you’re looking for creative plant-based recipes and don’t mind spending a little extra time in the kitchen, chances are you’ll really enjoy Purple Carrot.

“Read more about the types of meals I made and how long they took to prep in my full Purple Carrot review.”

— Kelli McGrane, MS, RD, Nutrition Editor II

Best meal delivery service for singles

Splendid Spoon

• Why we love it: Easily stackable in the fridge or freezer, Splendid Spoon’s prepared soups, noodle dishes, entrees, and smoothies are a convenient option for singles.
• Price: starts at $8.67 per serving
• Shipping: $12.99, or free for orders with 10+ items
• Menus: gluten-free, plant-based menu with the ability to filter by dietary need

How it works: Splendid Spoon is a plant-based meal delivery service offering a variety of frozen prepared meals and snacks, all of which are vegan and gluten-free.

The company has several plans to choose from, which include breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner. Depending on which plan you select, you can customize your order with a wide range of ready-to-eat smoothies, soup and grain bowls, noodle bowls, and Dishes, which are larger entree items.

Though Dishes are designed to be a bit more filling than other items on the menu, you still may need to pair each entree with a side, such as fresh fruit, plant-based yogurt, or nuts, depending on your calorie needs.

The company also offers on-demand boxes if you prefer to occasionally stock up on your favorites rather than commit to weekly deliveries.

What our tester says

“While I’m not a fan of some of the company’s health claims around its wellness shots and reset days, I thoroughly enjoyed every meal and smoothie I tried.

“Although the noodle bowls were frozen, I found their texture to be great after reheating — I still regularly crave the Vegan Meatballs & Marinara Noodles. I also appreciated that the smoothies were tasty but not overly sweet.

“See which items I’d order again in our comprehensive review.”

— Kelli McGrane, MS, RD, Nutrition Editor II

Best organic meal delivery service

Daily Harvest

• Why we love it: Designed to help people eat more fruits and vegetables, Daily Harvest’s meals are based around sustainably sourced produce, most of which is certified organic.
• Price: starts at $6.79 for meals, with some items (such as Bites and Lattes) available for less
• Shipping: free
• Menus: plant-based

How it works: Daily Harvest is a meal delivery subscription company that offers healthy smoothies, snacks, and meals made from high quality plant-based ingredients.

Though the company is best known for flavorful and nutrient-dense smoothies, it also offers oat bowls, chia bowls, flatbreads, harvest bowls, and energy bites.

Customers create their own boxes, which can be delivered weekly or monthly and include 9, 14, or 24 items.

What our tester says

“Overall I found the items easy to prepare and particularly enjoyed the smoothies, oat bowls, chia bowls, and snack bites.

“However, some grain and harvest bowls were a bit too mushy for my liking and not filling enough for a full meal.

“Find out more about the products I tried and which were my favorite in my Daily Harvest review.”

— Rachael Link, MS, RD, Healthline writer

Best cheap meal delivery service

EveryPlate

• Why we love it: Owned by the parent company of HelloFresh and Green Chef, EveryPlate is an affordable, family-friendly alternative to pricier meal kit services.
• Price: starts at $4.99 per serving
• Shipping: $10.99
• Menus: Meat & Veggie, Veggie, Quick & Easy, Nutrish & Delish, and Family Friendly

How it works: EveryPlate is designed for people without dietary restrictions or preferences and features five meal plans to choose from.

The Veggie plan features vegetable-forward recipes that aren’t necessarily vegetarian or vegan, while the Nutrish & Delish plan includes meal kits that contain fewer than 650 calories per serving.

When signing up, customers can choose to receive 3–6 meals per week with two or four servings each.

What our tester says

“Compared with others on this list, EveryPlate’s flavor and ingredient pairings aren’t quite as exciting. Plus, while EveryPlate’s ingredients are good quality, I found Green Chef’s and Sunbasket’s meat and seafood to be a bit better.

“Still, EveryPlate is a great option if you want the convenience of a meal kit at a more affordable price. After all, the ingredients arrive fresh, the recipes are easy to follow, and the meals are tasty.

“Learn more about this budget-friendly meal kit delivery service in my comprehensive review of EveryPlate.”

— Kelli McGrane, MS, RD, Nutrition Editor II

Best prepared meal delivery service for families

Mosaic Foods

• Why we love it: Offering a line of bake-and-serve frozen meals, Mosaic Foods makes it easier than ever to serve a balanced, veggie-packed meal that the whole family can enjoy.
• Price: $19.95 per family meal ($4.99 per serving), $5.99+ for individual meals
• Shipping: free for boxes with 12 or 18 items, otherwise $9.99
• Menus: plant-based

How it works: While most prepared meal delivery services offer only single-serving entrees, Mosaic’s lineup includes dishes to serve a family of two or four, along with single-serving smoothies, soups, veggie bowls, and oat bowls.

Each week, you can build your own box with 6, 12, or 18 items from the full menu.

All of Mosaic’s Family Meals come fully prepared and frozen, so you can keep a stack of quick and nutritious dinner options in your freezer.

What our tester says

“Mosaic’s Family Meals were a hit in my household. While my husband and son loved the flavors and textures, I appreciated the plant-forward and nutritionally dense ingredients.

“Plus, as the entrees are stored, baked, and served in the same container, cleanup was a breeze.

“The only downside was that some of the meals took more than 75 minutes to reheat in the oven.”

— Kelli McGrane, MS, RD, Nutrition Editor II

Best prepared meal delivery service for kids

Nurture Life

• Why we love it: Nurture Life provides nutritionally balanced, dietitian-designed meals that are ready in 1 minute or less.
• Price: starts at $7.49 per meal ($3.75 for smoothies)
• Shipping: $8.99
• Menus: kids’ meals, finger foods, smoothies, snacks

How it works: Designed by dietitians, Nurture Life makes it easy and convenient to serve your kids healthy meals. In addition to kid-friendly entrees, the service offers superfood smoothies, snack bites, and finger foods — precut entrees that are suitable for babies and toddlers.

Each week, you can order 6, 9, 12, or 15 items. The company offers discounted rates for boxes that contain more items.

Nurture Life meals are prepared in a facility that’s free of peanuts and tree nuts, except for coconut. You can also filter meals to avoid common allergens, such as eggs or milk, though there is a risk of cross contamination.

What our tester says

“As a mom and registered dietitian, I loved how quick the meals were to reheat and that each entree contained a balance of protein, carbs, and vegetables.

“My 18-month-old also seemed to be a fan. He particularly loved the egg bites with sweet potatoes and kept asking for more of the Berry-Full smoothie — a win for a veggie-avoidant toddler since the smoothie contains avocado and kale.

“I just wish that there were more vegetarian meals and some vegan ones, as my son tends to prefer meatless dishes.”

— Kelli McGrane, MS, RD, Nutrition Editor II

Learn more about Nurture Life in our comprehensive review.

Best meal delivery service for beginners

Blue Apron

• Why we love it: Blue Apron provides a range of simple, easy-to-make recipes that can help you build confidence in the kitchen while bringing more diversity to your diet.
• Price: starts at $7.99 per meal
• Shipping: $9.99
• Menus: Chef Favorites, Veggies (plant-based), Wellness, Family Friendly, Fast & Easy

How it works: Blue Apron offers a variety of oven-ready meals and flavorful meal kits, many of which are easy to prepare and feature fresh and seasonal ingredients.

You can order 2–4 meals per week with two or four servings each and can choose from an assortment of meals on the Chef Favorites, Veggies, Wellness, Family Friendly, and Fast & Easy menus.

Optional add-ons are available, including salads, soups, proteins, and heat-and-eat meals.

What our tester says

“Overall, I enjoyed my two Blue Apron meals and saw plenty of other recipes that I would’ve been excited to try as well.

“While it doesn’t cater to many specialty diets, based on the price, ingredient quality, and recipe variety, I’d say it’s tied with Green Chef as my second-favorite meal kit delivery service.”

— Kelli McGrane, MS, RD, Nutrition Editor II