Finding the best crock-pot meal delivery services can be quite a challenge. Many services focus on quick meals or oven-ready dishes, often overlooking the unique needs of slow cooker users. If you appreciate the convenience and flavors of crock-pot meals, you may find yourself struggling to identify a suitable option that offers a variety of crock-pot-friendly recipes.
Fortunately, I've put 6 of the most popular crock-pot meal delivery services to the test. I thoroughly evaluated each service's menu variety, ingredient quality, cooking times, and customization options. As a result, I've compiled a comprehensive review to help you make an informed decision.
Among the options I checked out, Marley Spoon emerged as the clear winner. Offering a wide range of creative and delicious crock-pot recipes, it stands out for its commitment to high-quality ingredients and commitment to sustainability. However, there are still some other great options. Read on to discover more about my findings.
One Pot recipes great for crock-pots
Dozens of unique recipes per week
Diets like calorie- and protein-conscious
Current deal: Up to $235 off through 5 orders
Marley Spoon doesn’t disappoint with its thoughtfully curated, wide cuisine variety. You’ll find something for every palate between the internationally-inspired and hearty classic American meals.
The company is endorsed by Martha Stewart, which indicates that you can expect quality here. You can get a good range of cuisines including classic American-inspired Easy Prep! Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad, Latin American-influenced Fast! Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas, or even Chipotle-Honey Pork Tacos.
The most crock-pot-friendly meals are those tagged One Pot Meal. This means you typically cook most ingredients in 1 skillet, pot, or on 1 baking sheet. Instead of this, you can place ingredients in your crock-pot and slow roast for as long as necessary. Each of the meals above is crock-pot friendly.
In terms of ingredients and dietary preferences, there appears to be a laundry list of options. Many labels and tags, such as Low-Calorie, No Added Gluten, Fish, Meat, Kid Friendly, Healthy, Optional Spice, Veggie, and Low Carb, indicate key features of the meals they accompany.
You’ll find a small selection of prepared meals on the menu, too. You can get around 4 to 5 prepared meals on those nights that you may be too busy to wait for a crock-pot meal. However, it doesn’t offer the largest selection of prepared meals. If you want more prepared meals, definitely check out Blue Apron instead.
Something else unique is Marley Spoon’s focus on sustainability. It’s among the few fully carbon-neutral meal delivery services. Plus, it ships out mostly recyclable materials, which you can learn more about in our tested Marley Spoon review.
Marley Spoon usually has a few dozen crock-pot-friendly meals on offer. But it doesn't have filters to help you sort out dietary requirements. On the bright side, you can switch ingredients in select meals to better suit your needs and preferences.
The minimum order is 2 meals for 2 people per week, up to 6 meals for 4 people. If you choose to order the maximum number of meals, you can also save some money and only pay $4.99 per serving.
Dinnerly’s meals are the most affordable on this list. But just because it’s affordable doesn’t mean it’s low quality. You still get a respectable number of dietary preferences and cuisines.
Look for the One Pot Meal label on the menu if you want to quickly find meals that work in a crock-pot. Not all of the One Pot Meals will work in a crock-pot, so it’s up to you to decide which you’re comfortable with trying.
Still, lots of the meals work in a crock-pot. Take the Pulled Pork Stuffed Baked Potato, for example. The pulled pork is a perfect candidate for your crock-pot. Another prime candidate for your crock-pot is the Tex-Mex Beef Chili. Check out our in-depth Dinnerly review for more menu information.
Menu tags include No Added Gluten, Vegan, Low-Calorie, Healthy, Low Carb, and more. Cuisines on offer include Italian, French-inspired, classic American, Tex-Mex, and lots more which is very similar to the Marley Spoon menu.
Dinnerly’s menu isn’t easily filterable, though, which means you’ll have to search the recipes manually. Press “ctrl + F” on your Windows PC or “command + F” on your Mac. Then type “One Pot Meal”, “stew”, “soup”, or “chili” to find recipes that will work for your crock-pot.
You can customize various Dinnerly meals to suit your preferences. For ingredient swap options, check out meals with the Customizable label. Note that some replacements may come at an extra cost.
Dinnerly chooses quality, tasty ingredients for its meals. While the recipes avoid complex or rare components, they are still hearty and nutritious. What's more, the Customizable label accompanying many recipes means there's a broader selection of crock-pot-compatible dishes than first meets the eye.
The minimum order is 2 servings for 2, up to a maximum of 6 meals for 4 people. Dinnerly is already pretty affordable, but if you go for the largest order, you can save even more money. For the largest order, you’ll only pay $3.99 per serving.
Easily customizable recipes
Weekly recipes and groceries
Dietary options include veggie, vegan, and paleo
Hungryroot's best features are its customizability and variety. There are hundreds of recipes on the menu, 20+ of which are soup and stew kits you can easily cook with your crock-pot.
You can select from many dietary preferences, including vegan, veggie, pescatarian, gluten-free, and nut-free. Something I did notice, however, is that the site could be simpler to use. You won’t be able to see any items before filling out the questionnaire, which is something to keep in mind.
The recipes will feature ingredients that you can “set and forget” in your crock-pot for ultimate convenience. Some easy crock-pot-friendly recipes include the Bison Chili, Hearty Veggie Minestrone, and the Shrimp and Turkey Sausage Gumbo.
You can add crock-pot-friendly a la carte groceries and snacks to your cart but only after selecting the order minimum. Select ingredients to build your own soup, stew, or roast recipes. With this feature, you’re getting the best of meal delivery services and a grocery store since you can select from 100+ grocery items.
To choose recipes, you'll have to take a customization quiz first, during which you can specify the types of foods you eat. You can also specify when you eat, what primary flavors you prefer, which meals you normally eat, and even what appliances you use to cook. There are several appliances to choose from – including a crock-pot.
After the questionnaire, Hungryroot will fill your cart with recommended crock-pot-friendly recipes. Read our full Hungryroot review for a step-by-step guide to the whole process.
HungryRoot caters well to specific dietary preferences and picky eaters. But a major drawback is the frequent recurrence of certain ingredients across recipes. Also, you'll have to complete the questionnaire, which takes some time, to see offerings. I find this inconvenient for people seeking a quick glance at menu options to determine the service's fit for their needs.
The minimum order here is 6 servings of lunches, dinners, or a mix of both. There’s also the option of adding up to 10 breakfasts, 12 snacks, and/or 10 sweets servings. Pricing starts at around $8.99 per serving.
Meals without a subscription
Crock-pot-friendly meals every week
Diets include low-calorie and vegetarian
Blue Apron may be known for its diverse weekly recipes without a subscription, but it’s also a surprisingly useful option for anyone who relies on a crock-pot or slow cooker. With flexible ingredients, customizable proteins, and several recipes that adapt well to low-and-slow cooking, it fits neatly into a lineup of services that support hands-off meal prep.
While Blue Apron doesn’t offer a dedicated crock-pot category, its 100+ weekly recipes include plenty of dishes that translate well to slow cooking. Hearty stews, braises, chilis, pulled meats, and robust pasta bakes often appear on the rotating menu, and many Assemble & Bake or longer-cook-time meal kits can be adapted for a crock-pot with minimal adjustments.
Blue Apron’s filtering tools make browsing for crock pot-friendly meals even easier. You can sort by total cook time or active cook time, which helps you identify recipes that require minimal hands-on prep, ideal for slow cooking. We cover these in more detail in our tested Blue Apron review.
The mix of global flavors – ranging from Italian braises to Asian-inspired broths – helps keep crock pot cooking more interesting than the typical “dump and simmer” routine. Even if you’re tweaking the preparation method, the flavor foundations are solid and designed to hold up over longer cooking periods.
Blue Apron’s flexibility is a major perk for crock-pot users. Because meals are individually priced and you can shop without a subscription, you can plan your slow-cooker week dish by dish. This is especially handy if you want to load up on heartier recipes one week and choose quicker options the next. The ability to view menus up to four weeks ahead also helps you plan slow-cooker nights in advance.
The Customize It feature means you can swap proteins to better suit crock pot methods, such as trading chicken breast for thighs or upgrading to a slower-cooking cut like pork roast when available. These swaps can give you more control over how well the meal adapts to crock-pot techniques.
Beyond that, Blue Apron excels at flavor development, which naturally benefits crock-pot cooking. Meals that highlight aromatics, spice blends, rich sauces, or slow-building flavors tend to become even better when cooked low and slow, making the service a good fit for cooks who want depth without extra effort.
Meals are individually priced, but Blue Apron offers solid value across the board, particularly once you realize that many of its heartier kits can stretch into leftovers when slow-cooked. Weekly shipping costs extra, so it’s worth considering add-ons like Blue Apron+ (free shipping for frequent orders) or Autoship & Save (5% off) if you plan to order multiple crock-pot–friendly meals each month.
Even without the extras, Blue Apron delivers consistent quality for the price, and its adaptable recipes give crock-pot fans a convenient way to embrace slow cooking without the repetitive meals that often come with the method.
100% vegan prepared soups, grain bowls, and more
Convenient menu filters
Dietary options include low-sodium and low-carb
If you’re looking for 100% plant-based crock-pot meals, Splendid Spoon is your best bet. It offers a range of soups, grain bowls, and smoothies to simplify healthy eating. While it doesn’t specifically design its meals for crock-pot use, its ready-to-eat soups can be easily heated and served using a crock-pot.
The soups and grain bowls can serve as bases for many veggie or omnivore crock-pot recipes. All Splendid Spoon foods contain zero artificial sweeteners and 100% non-GMO produce. Read our full Splendid Spoon review to find out more about the menu.
One of my favorite crock-pot-friendly meals is the Channa Potato Soup Stew. It contains chickpeas, curry, and ginger, which really comes together the longer you slow-cook it in your crock-pot.
Besides soups, you can order smoothies, noodles, homemade dishes, and shots to enrich your weekly menu. These options vary from several to dozens per week. Some options I found during my review of the best crock-pot meal delivery services on the menu were Roasted Tomato Risotto (the best-selling dish), Meatball Marinara Noodles, and Blackberry Basil Smoothie.
Where Splendid Spoon really shines is with its wide array of dietary preferences and menu filtering options. You can find anything from Higher Fiber and Higher Protein to Lower Calorie, Carb, Fat, Sodium, and Sugar. You can also choose to omit lots of ingredients like sesame, soy, cilantro, and more.
If you want, you could even filter down the menu by health benefits and texture. You’ll have access to more than 25 menu filters. For instance, there are options for blood sugar-friendly, gut healthy, immune boosting, and skin-friendly recipes. You’ll also find textures and flavors like creamy, hearty, spicy, rich, saucy, tangy, tart, and more.
Splendid Spoon may be the right choice for picky fans of crock-pot meals. Just keep in mind that the more you filter down the menu, the fewer options you’ll be presented with. This is especially the case if you’re looking specifically for crock-pot-friendly meals as there’s already a fairly limited selection in that regard. For a bigger selection, check out Hungryroot.
Ordering with Splendid Spoon is pretty simple as well. All you have to do is fill your box with any item on the menu. Box sizes come in 7, 14, and 21 meals. The cost per item starts from $9.99.
Order groceries from your favorite grocery store
Complete control over your recipes
Wide variety of premade slow-cook seasonings
With Instacart, the only limitation is your imagination, which is why I included it on my list. If you can think of it, you can make it. Just place an order for your favorite crock-pot-friendly ingredients, and you’re all set to start cooking.
Instacart is a grocery delivery service that'll do all your grocery shopping and delivery. You can create your list of crock-pot recipe ingredients and select them from Instacart's online store. Alternatively, you can search for crock pot recipes within Instacart (pictured below) and shop the recommended ingredients. You’ll receive items within 1 hour to 1 week – depending on Instacart Shopper availability and store hours in your area.
You can get any item from any grocery store that has partnered with Instacart, just like you could if you went in person. Read our in-depth Instacart review if you want to find out more about exactly how it works.
You can also order Instant Pots to add to or upgrade your cooking appliance options. Instant Pots function as pressure cookers and crock-pots.
Once your order is placed, Instacart Shoppers shop for your groceries, so you don't have to leave the house. And, if an ingredient isn't available, your Shopper can contact you via the Instacart app to offer you the next best alternative.
Instacart partners with over 900 of the most popular retailers and local shops across the country. Type in your zip code on the website to see available stores and groceries in your area. If pickup is easier, Instacart offers pickup locations depending on your zip code.
Instacart is a great choice if you prefer cooking with ingredients you select than someone else. Also, it provides you with the flexibility to have your purchase delivered to your doorstep or pick it up where you find it convenient. However, people on a limited budget may find this service inconvenient, as it's more expensive than going to the grocery store. Prices at Instacart start at $9.99 per month.
Top Plans | ||||||
Top Plans | ![]() | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Our Rating | ||||||
| Our Rating | 9.2 | 9.2 | 9.2 | 9.6 | 8.6 | 8.6 |
| Best Offer | ||||||
| Best Offer | $4.99 Per Serving | $3.99 Per Serving | $8.99 Per Serving | $5.60 Per Serving | $9.99 Per Serving | $9.99 Per Serving |
| Minimum Order | ||||||
| Minimum Order | 2 meals for 2 people | 3 meals for 2 people | 3 meals for 2 people | 2 meals for 2 people | 5 lunches | $10 worth of items |
| Meal Types | ||||||
| Meal Types | 30-60 min meal kits | 30-minute meal kits | Groceries, meal kits | 5 - 60 min meal kits and prepared meals | Prepared Meals, Juices & Smoothies | Grocery delivery |
| Prep Time | ||||||
| Prep Time | 20-40 min | 20-45 min | 5-15 min | 5-45 min | 0-3 min | varies |
| Active Deals | ||||||
| Active Deals | ||||||
Here are the factors I took into account when selecting the best crock-pot meal delivery services for this year. I strongly advise considering these points when making your choice to ensure you're getting the most from your crock-pot meals:
Wash, peel, cut, and/or chop your produce, and place it inside your crock-pot with your chosen meat. Then, slow-cook the ingredients together on low-to-medium heat for 4 to 6 hours, or until it’s all done. Once you’re satisfied that everything is cooked, turn off your crock-pot and let the meal rest for 15 to 30 minutes.
If you need some recipe ideas, check out Blue Apron. It offers a variety of gourmet meals that are perfect for crock-pot-style cooking.
Yes, absolutely – however, only certain things can be cooked in a crock-pot. For example, some of the best candidates for crock-pot cooking are soups, stews, meats like roasts such as beef and pork, chicken, turkey, ground (or minced) meats, and veggies.
If you want a wide variety of crock-pot friendly meals, I suggest having a look at Marley Spoon. It offers a respectable number of One Pot Meals that you can slow-cook in your crock-pot for enhanced flavor, tenderness, and richness.
Stews, soups, and chilis are some of the easiest crock-pot meals to prep and leave to cook. For instance, Splendid Spoon offers a variety of stew and soup recipes that are perfect candidates for your crock-pot.



Zoran Trifunovic is a writer at DeliveryRank. As a self-proclaimed gourmet, he relishes the opportunity to share his culinary expertise with both readers and colleagues. Starting out as a travel writer, Zoran has since explored other writing avenues, producing blog posts, product reviews, and guidebooks on a diverse range of topics. In addition, he has experience in crafting writer's guidelines and building WordPress websites.