10 Best Meal Delivery Services 2023: Ranked By Our Experts

With a veritable smorgasbord of meal delivery services on the market, choosing just one may feel like an overwhelming task. With services offering everything from prepared meals to plant-based recipes, gourmet dining experiences to family-friendly menus, and more, how do you decide which one is right for you?

My colleagues and I have spent the year eating our way through the most popular meal kits and prepared meals to help you find the perfect match for your palate. And with our combined experience and in-depth research, I’ve selected 10 of the very best meal delivery services for 2023.

Home Chef comes in at number one due to its customization options and huge range of easy, low-prep kits that make home cooking a breeze. Whether you need help sticking to a diet, feeding a picky family, or just want to save time in the kitchen, there’s a service on this list for you!

The Best Meal Delivery Services Reviewed

1. Home Chef – Best Meal Delivery Service for Customization

Key Features

• Impossible meat and other vegetarian options available

• 30+ customizable meal kits and prepared meals each week

• Many dietary options including calorie-conscious and nut-free

• Current deal: 75% Off Your 1st Box + 60% Off Your 2nd and 3rd Boxes!

Home Chef is one of my favorite meal delivery services thanks to its highly customizable menu and variety of preparation options. Our tried-and-tested review goes into more detail, but suffice to say, Home Chef gives you the power to choose your culinary destiny!

This widely-popular meal kit lets you swap, upgrade, or double-up on the protein in many recipes, making it easy to tailor the menu to your tastes (I like to swap in Impossible Burger to make things veggie-friendly). There’s also an extensive menu of add-ons like salads, snacks, and desserts that you can add to any order.

Home Chef’s 15-Minute Meal Kits and Fast & Fresh prepared meals are perfect for people needing quick and easy solutions for weeknight dinners. 

Home Chef is also a great choice for families, with the option to order up to six servings for most menu items. With prices starting at $6.99 per serving, Home Chef’s meals are accessible to everyone.

But that’s not all Home Chef has to offer! Meals from the Culinary Collection – like the Honey-Ginger Salmon pictured above – feature premium ingredients and more elaborate cooking techniques.

2. HelloFresh – Best Family-Friendly Meal Kits

Key Features

• Crowd-pleasing recipes, including Easy Prep and Cook Together options

• 30+ unique recipes per week

• Many dietary options including Fit & Wholesome, Veggie, and Pescatarian

• Current deal: Get 25 free meals + free shipping + 3 surprise gifts

In many ways, HelloFresh is the gold standard for meal kits. It offers easy recipes and fresh ingredients at an affordable price – starting at $3.32 per serving, making it an ideal service for just about anyone. Our tested HelloFresh review has the full scoop on why it’s so popular across the US.

I also found HelloFresh to be the best meal delivery service for families with picky children. The menu is full of modern takes on beloved North American dishes, and you can even choose the dedicated Family Friendly plan to ensure you only receive tasty, kid-friendly meals. You can order up to four servings of six recipes each week.

HelloFresh offers an ever-changing menu, but the service doesn’t shy away from bringing back its most popular dishes either. These Hall of Fame meals – like the Black Bean and Poblano Flautas pictured above – are guaranteed to be a hit.

3. Blue Apron – Best Meal Delivery Service for International Cuisine

Key Features

• Choose from meal kits, prepared meals, and even wine

• 19 unique recipes per week

• Dietary options include healthy WW-approved recipes

• Current deal: Enjoy $130 off across your first 6 orders

My experience with Blue Apron has shown that it offers an irresistible combination of quality ingredients, stress-free recipes, and tons of variety, with everything from no-hassle one-pan dishes to more adventurous meals and plenty of globally-inspired flavors.

Though its dietary options aren’t as expansive as other services on my list – see Green Chef and Freshly for that! – Blue Apron is constantly expanding its offerings. Partnerships with WW (formerly Weight Watchers) and Beyond Meat (bringing a range of plant-based meals to the menu) prove that this service is one to watch.

My colleague’s review offers a closer look at dishes on Blue Apron’s menu that are sure to both satisfy your tastebuds and introduce your palate to unique twists on classic dishes.

But the best part of this service is Blue Apron’s pricing. Though I expected such a varied and exciting menu to come with a premium price tag, I was pleased to discover that plans start at $5.74 per serving.

4. Green Chef – Best Certified Organic Meal Delivery Service

Key Features

• Many ingredients arrive peeled and chopped for painless prep

• 24 unique recipes per week

• 6 dietary and meal options including Keto + Paleo, Fast & Fit, and Vegan

• Current deal: Get $250 Off + Free Shipping

Green Chef stands out for its commitment to organic, ethically sourced ingredients and sustainable practices. It can be on the pricier end of the scale, but our introductory deal lets you try it for $5.99 per serving.

This makes it a great meal kit option for anyone striving to eat cleaner and healthier. Our in-depth review goes into more detail on the ingredients, recipes, and everything else that makes Green Chef the best organic meal kit delivery service.

Green Chef’s menus are organized by meal preference, like Fast & Fit, Gluten-Free, and Vegetarian. But you won’t get boxed into anything: you have access to the full menu every week.

Green Chef’s menu caters to a wide variety of dietary needs, and plans are available for up to six people. That means even larger families have the option to enjoy organic meals like the Lemon-Butter Barramundi.

Green Chef only offers meal kits, but they are some of the easiest to put together. Many ingredients come pre-prepped and pre-measured for stress-free cooking. Green Chef’s streamlined recipes make it easy to try out healthier eating habits – and stick to them.

5. Marley Spoon – Most Sustainable Meal Delivery Service

Key Features

• Martha Stewart-approved recipes and signature spice blends

• 45+ unique recipes per week

• Multiple dietary options including low-carb, gluten-free, and dairy-free

• Current deal: Get $190 off Your First 4 Boxes!

At first, I thought Marley Spoon’s biggest draw would be its partnership with homemaking guru Martha Stewart. However, I quickly found a lot more to love!

As my colleague’s tried-and-tested Marley Spoon review discusses, the collaboration allows diners to enjoy a range of Martha-approved recipes and her signature sauces and spice blends. This service’s benefits, however, reach far beyond its celebrity ambassador.

One of Marley Spoon’s most impressive features is its commitment to reducing its global footprint. On the website, you’ll find detailed information on packaging, including the sustainably sourced cardboard it uses for its shipments, and how the company reduces emissions.

The company is dedicated to carbon neutrality, easily making Marley Spoon one of the more eco-friendly meal delivery services. With prices starting at $2.99 per serving, it’s wallet-friendly too.

6. EveryPlate – Best For Meals on a Budget

Key Features

• Comfort-food classics, including seafood and veggie dishes

• 18 unique recipes per week

• Recipe categories include Veggie and 30 Min or Less

• Current deal: $1.39/meal On Your 1st Box

It can sometimes feel like you’re spending a lot of money when you buy a week’s worth of meals at once. With EveryPlate, though, this isn’t the case.

With tasty, high-quality dishes starting from just $1.49 per serving, EveryPlate is one of the cheapest meal delivery services available – and worth every cent. I wrote more about my experience cooking EveryPlate meals in this dedicated review.

Of course, you don’t get to be the most budget-friendly meal delivery service without some compromises – for example, it’s not great for people who have allergies or specific dietary needs – but I did enjoy having the option to add premium meals to my order for an extra fee.

EveryPlate’s affordable prices make it easy to save money, so I loved being able to splurge on the occasional gourmet meal, like the Tomato Garlic Scallops pictured above.

Like its parent company HelloFresh, EveryPlate is a great option for families with picky eaters. You can order up to four servings of five family-friendly meals each week.

7. Purple Carrot – Best Vegan Meal Delivery Service

Key Features

• Enjoy plant-based meal kits and prepared meals

• 20 unique recipes per week

• Many dietary options including gluten-free, nut-free, and high-protein

• Current deal: Get $30 Off with code carrot30

Though many of the services on this list cater to plant-based lifestyles with a limited selection of vegan meals, Purple Carrot stands out for its purely plant-based menu and ability to coax amazing flavor into its dishes.

You can read more about my own experience of this service in my Purple Carrot review. I tried several dishes for myself to see if they were worth the starting price of $8.50 per serving (spoiler alert: they absolutely are).

Purple Carrot’s menu celebrates plants for what they are rather than relying on meat substitutes. You won’t believe the great dishes that come from such seemingly simple ingredients! Beyond dinner, you can add breakfast, lunch, and pantry items to your weekly order.

The service offers prepared meals, too, so you can enjoy amazing vegan dishes even if you don’t have time to cook from scratch. Even with the meal kits, I found that many veggies come pre-chopped, making meal prep a breeze!

Whether you’re a dedicated vegan or just trying to incorporate more plant-based foods into your diet, you’ll view veggies and vegan food in a whole different light when you sign up. I think Purple Carrot offers the best vegan meal kits you can buy.

8. Freshly – Best Gluten-Free Meal Delivery Service

Key Features

• Order between 4 and 12 prepared meals each week

• 40+ unique recipes per week

• Multiple dietary options including gluten-free, dairy-free, and plant-based

• Current deal: Get $175 off your first 7 boxes!

Freshly’s food philosophy involves cutting the sugar, preservatives, and processed ingredients often found in ready meals in favor of fresh, nutritious food. Each single-serving, premade meal promises to be tasty, healthy, and easy to prepare.

My colleague tried and tested this service, and their review discusses the ins and outs of Freshly’s mission and menu in greater detail.

Choose from a range of categories, including FreshlyFit, Purely Plant, and the Signature Collection, all of which feature single-serving, microwavable meals starting at $6.90 per serving.

You’ll find healthy takes on comfort-food classics, like Chicken Cordon Bleu and Pork Chile Colorado (shown above), as well as paleo-friendly, high-protein, and low-carb dishes, perfect for those with active lifestyles.

9. Sunbasket – Best Organic Meal Delivery For Any Diet

Key Features

• Pick up breakfast, snacks, specialty ingredients, and more

• 30+ unique recipes per week

• Multiple dietary options including gluten-free, soy-free, and diabetes-friendly

• Current deal: $90 off Plus a Free Gift!

Sunbasket does a brilliant job of catering to a range of different diets, with plans that include Diabetes-Friendly, Gluten-Free, Paleo, and more. Regardless of your plan, you’ll find prices starting at Price: Missing Product sunbasket per serving.

You can also mix and match across the plans – including adding the brand’s single-serving Fresh & Ready meals to your box for those particularly busy lunchtimes or weeknights. Our Sunbasket review dives into the numerous dietary options and plans.

The Pinto Bean and Hominy Pozole Rojo pictured above is a great example of Sunbasket’s flavorful offerings. Not only is it suitable for a range of diets (including vegetarian and gluten-free) it can also be whipped up in 20 minutes!

10. Nutrisystem – Best Meal Delivery Service For Weight Loss

Key Features

• Studies show an average weight loss of 15lb in two months

• 150+ unique recipes in rotation

• Limited dietary options including vegetarian and diabetes-friendly

• Current deal: 50% Off All Plans + Free Shipping!

If your goal isn’t just to be healthy, but specifically to lose weight, then Nutrisystem may be the best service for you. Starting at just $8.54 per serving, these premade meals are designed to help you shed some pounds.

Nutrisystem’s plans are all-encompassing daily menus that seek to replace your favorite dishes with healthier alternatives. This includes both frozen and shelf-stable meals and snacks.

My colleague’s review dives deeper into Nutrisystem’s offerings and what you can expect on the menu, but look out for plenty of guilt-free offerings that are low in calories yet high in fiber and protein.

Quick Comparison Table

Tips for Choosing the Best Meal Delivery Service

Based on me and my team’s experiences testing and writing about meal delivery services, I’ve narrowed down the top markers for high-quality meal kits. Here are a few things to look for when picking the best meal delivery service for you:

• Flexible plans: You don’t want to get penalized for skipping a week if you’re going out of town, right? The best services make it easy to tailor your subscription to your needs.

• Menu variety: Nobody wants to eat the same thing every day. The best meal delivery services offer varied menus with plenty of choices or dynamic menus that change every week.

• Support for dietary preferences: Whether you’re gluten-free or pescatarian, you should be able to order meals that cater to your needs without stress or uncertainty.

• Affordability: Meal subscriptions work out much cheaper than regular takeout, but in order for it to remain a long-term solution, it should fit within your budget. Make sure to factor in recurring shipping costs, too. 

• Ingredients: Everything in your box should be ethically sourced and fresh. Many services also make it easy to get organic and non-GMO options, too. 

• Stress-free prep: Whether you’re following a recipe or reheating a prepared meal, you should be able to enjoy your food within a set time frame (usually a few minutes for ready meals and up to 30 minutes for meal kits). 

Bottom Line: Are Meal Delivery Subscription Boxes Worth It?

Yes! Whether you’re in a home-cooking rut and bored of eating the same thing every week or want to spend less time and headspace getting dinner on the table, a meal delivery service could be just the thing. They are also a great way to stick to a new diet, and generally eat healthier. 

Taking away the stress of planning, grocery shopping, and meal prep are the obvious benefits of having your meals delivered regularly to your door, but it can save you money, too. We have new customer coupons for all of the services I’ve recommended above, so why not try a few and see which one suits you best?

FAQ

What’s the highest rated prepared meal delivery service?

The top service on my list, Home Chef, offers a selection of prepared meals in addition to its meal kits. Its Fresh & Easy plan includes microwavable meals as well as oven-ready meals and other low-prep options.

Check out this discount to save on your first Home Chef order!

Which meal delivery service is easiest?

Prepared meal delivery services like Freshly are the quickest and easiest to enjoy. You can order up to 12 single-serving meals each week, and all that’s standing between you and dinner is three minutes in the microwave!

What’s the healthiest meal delivery service?

I found Sunbasket to have the most diverse range of healthy diet plans, and it uses only organic ingredients where possible. From vegan to low-carb to gluten-free, both its meal kits and prepared meals contain healthy, fresh, and premium ingredients.

Green Chef is another great service that made my top ten, which offers nutritious, veg-packed recipes. It’s also 100% certified organic and features veggie, keto, and paleo plans.