6 Best Frozen Meal Delivery Services in 2024

Many meal delivery services deliver frozen meals, but these aren’t like what you’ll find in the freezer section of your local grocery. These ingredients are flash-frozen, which locks in their nutritional value and – more importantly – all the flavor. 

It can be hard to find the right frozen service for your tastes as different services cater to different diets and cuisines. I’ve done the research and consulted with my expert colleagues to bring you the best frozen meal delivery services on the market today. I’ve also included a few options that arrive fresh but are suitable for home freezing.

BistroMD is my top contender. All of the single-serving meals arrive frozen and our reviewer was impressed with the dry ice that kept everything cold in transit. The service has a huge menu of flash-frozen meals that fit into different health programs. Meals are created by dietitians and cooked by professional chefs.

The Best Frozen Meal Delivery Services Reviewed

1. BistroMD – Best for a Huge Frozen Recipe Selection

BistroMD is a frozen meal delivery service that prepares many tasty and healthy dishes. It offers over 150 meals designed by expert nutritionists every week. There are distinct plans divided by gender and health concerns.

What’s on the Menu?

You'll have 25 to 150+ recipes to choose from, depending on your chosen plan. In general, each category has over 100 dishes except for Keto Flex (85+) and Vegan (25+). Check out our tested BistroMD review to learn more about the available programs.

You'll also find nutritious snacks on the BistroMD menu. They can help you lose weight thanks to the combination of high-quality protein and fiber that assists in burning fat. You can find various cakes and cookies on offer, as well as proteins and juices.

Your meals should last up to a year in a frozen state. To prepare them, defrost them in a refrigerator for a couple of days. Upon thawing, they should still be safe for consumption in the next 2 or 3 days.

What Makes It Special?

You can choose between 7 programs depending on your needs or preferences:

• Vegan – meals without animal ingredients 
• Menopause – dishes designed for the nutritional needs of older women
• Diabetic – recipes with lean proteins that help regulate blood sugar levels
• Keto Flex – for a flexible low-carb, high-fat diet 
• Heart Healthy – meals with controlled sodium and saturated fat levels
• Gluten Free – meals lacking wheat, rye, and barley
• Signature – the standard menu of all weight loss recipes

The company offers a lot of flexibility regarding its meal plans. You can choose between a 5-day or 7-day program. Select either a Full Program with breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, or just Lunches & Dinners. If you opt for Full Program, you’ll get My Night to treat yourself to anything you’d like to eat. Once you place your order, BistroMD’s licensed nutritionists will create a customized meal plan meeting your individual needs.

Is It Good Value?

The doctor-designed program includes 3 meals per day as well as snacks. This service frequently ranks highly among the best weight-loss meal delivery services on the market.

Ordering more meals at once from BistroMD can save you money. The price per serving starts at $6.59 for a full 7-day program that includes 20 meals. Note that the price per meal for the Lunches & Dinners 5-day program will be higher. Also, you'll need to pay a flat-rate shipping fee of $19.95 to get your order.

2. Nutrisystem – Best Weight-Loss Partner Plans

Nutrisystem is a solid choice if you're looking to lose weight. It's a well-established meal delivery service with many specialized diet programs. I love its partner plan for couples who live together, but it has many options for singles as well.

What’s on the Menu?

Nutrisystem clearly highlights which meals are frozen on its menu. The large menu includes a mix of fresh and frozen options. Dishes are inspired by a range of cuisines from American to Chinese.

The company's menu includes 3 main meals plus snacks and desserts. Breakfast options include oatmeal, rolls, and waffles. Lunch and dinners include soups, hamburgers, pizzas, and other dishes featuring protein and veggies. There’s a decent range of snacks to keep you full between meals, including cream bars, sandwiches, and cakes.

You’ll find meals suitable for a range of diets including omnivorous, diabetic, and carb-conscious. If you're plant-based, though, consider subscribing to BistroMD, which has a dedicated vegan plan.

What Makes It Special?

The service recommends a unique diet of 6 small meal replacements each day. While there are many prepared meals on the menu, healthy snacks make up most of your diet. Expect to eat a lot of bars and similar snacks if you sign up for this service.

You can choose plans for men, women, partners, and seniors. I liked that these programs offer balanced recipes and let you supplement them with your favorite groceries. 

You can order frozen, fresh, and shelf-stable options from Nutrisystem. We found it easy to sort through the a la carte menu, as there’s a separate category for frozen items. We also noted that fresh and frozen items are shipped separately in our dedicated Nutrisystem review.

Is It Good Value?

Nutrisystem has highly nutritious foods that have a pretty long shelf life, ranging from 6 to 18 months. It's worth noting that the Best by date printed on the packaging relates to freshness, not safety. So even if you consume meals after their expiration date, they could still be safe to eat if you store them properly.

The company ships its food throughout the contiguous US and overseas locations. These include Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, and other territories and possessions. Shipping is free if you pre-pay for 2 or more months.  

The cost per day depends on the plan you select. The cost for the most affordable option starts at $9.64 per day.

3. Diet-to-Go – Best for Meal Preferences Customization

Diet-to-Go is the right choice if you're after a service offering plan customization. It boasts 5 meal plans, and you can customize each upon placing an order. That way, you can personalize the mealtime to suit your taste and fit your lifestyle.

What’s on the Menu?

The service has a 5-week rotation cycle for its meals. It has a variety of dishes, and you might even see the same dishes on the menu throughout different cycles. Note that you'll start with the meals of the 4th cycle if you sign up during the 3rd week of the cycle. Read our in-depth review to learn more about meal rotations. 

The company offers a wide range of international cuisine-inspired meals. These include Thai, Mediterranean, Indian, and Caribbean recipes among others, but there are also plenty of American classics, too.

Every meal you receive comes ready to eat. This means no chopping or dicing – you can enjoy nutritionally balanced meals with minimum prep and no cleanup.

What Makes It Special?

The service has the following plans:

• Balance – standard menu of calorie-controlled food 
• Balance-Diabetes – heart-healthy meals that help control blood sugar
• Keto-Carb30 – low-carb, high-fat dishes for keto and similar diets
• Vegetarian – balanced, dietitian-approved recipes without meat
• Mediterranean – dishes with fish, fruits, veggies, and nuts

You may receive fresh or frozen dishes, depending on where you live. If you're near the service's commercial kitchen, you'll get fresh food in insulated boxes with cool packs. But if you're further away, you'll receive a box with frozen meals packed with dry ice. The amount of dry ice depends not only on your location but on the climate, too.

Is It Good Value?

The company's recipes suit anyone seeking to lose weight or lead a healthy life. It formulates recipes by following the recommendations of the USDA and other national health associations. And Diet-to-Go prepares food in state-of-the-art kitchens.

The shelf life of Diet-to-Go's recipes isn't long because they contain no preservatives. For this reason, they’re typically safe to eat for 4 or 5 days when refrigerated. You can keep them in your freezer for up to a month. If you prefer a frozen meal delivery service whose meals can last longer, check Nutrisystem. 

The cost of a weekly plan depends on a few factors you can customize. The number of days you want to receive meals (5 or 7), the number of daily meals (2 or 3), and whether you choose to include seafood or not are some. Still, the price per meal starts at $4.60. The shipping cost is $19.98 nationwide, regardless of the plan.

4. Green Chef – Best Organic Meal Kit Delivery Service

Green Chef is one of the best organic meal delivery services in the USA, and for good reason. It's the first CCOF-certified organic meal kit, and it sources sustainable produce, eggs, meat, and seafood whenever possible.

What’s on the Menu?

The Green Chef menu is divided into Meals and Add-ons. Meals comprise lunch and dinner options featuring various ingredients. Some of the primary ingredients in those dishes are chicken, beef, pork, chickpeas, and mushrooms. Add-ons include breakfast options, desserts, and proteins like salmon filets.

Helpful tags let you select meals that suit your taste and dietary preferences. These include Keto, Quick & Easy, and Gluten-Free. You'll also find serving times accompanying every product so you can make an informed decision depending on how much time you have to cook.

You'll receive fresh ingredients that you can freeze if you like. You can either freeze them upon delivery or after preparing the meal. Just remember to thaw them properly before use. For safe thawing, it's best to defrost frozen ingredients in the fridge, microwave, or cold water, but never at room temperature.

What Makes It Special?

You can narrow down suitable options conveniently by stating your preferences. Click on Our Plans in the header and choose suitable categories from Keto, Plant Based, Quick & Easy, Gut & Brain Health, Gluten Free, Mediterranean, Protein Packed, and Calorie Smart options. Consult our detailed Green Chef review to learn more about these plans. 

Green Chef doesn't use artificial preservatives to extend the shelf life of its ingredients. So you should consume its food within 5 days of delivery if you decide to keep it fresh. Seafood has a shorter shelf life, lasting up to 3 days.

Is It Good Value?

Green Chef doesn't allow ingredient customization to preserve the nutritional value of its meals. Therefore, carefully review the ingredients of your selected meals to ensure that they align with your dietary preferences and restrictions.

The number of meals determines your cost per serving. The price per portion starts at $9.99 for the largest order that includes 4 meals and serves 6 people. The minimum order, which comes at the highest cost per serving, is 3 meals for 2 people. Additionally, you'll have to pay a flat rate delivery fee of $9.99 per box.

5. Blue Apron – Best for International Meals

Check Blue Apron if you're looking for a service providing great value for your money. Its menu features a variety of meals that come in 2 or 4 servings, which is perfect for couples and families. Its ingredients are sourced from small farms that practice sustainable cultivation techniques. 

What’s on the Menu?

The company's Meal Kits menus consist of 16 or so different weekly recipes, depending on the number of servings. I like that you can see recipes as far as 4 weeks in advance. When I browsed the menu, I found a variety of proteins available, including steak, fish, chicken, and tofu.

You can specify preferred meal types to narrow down suitable options when personalizing your Meal Kits selection in the Pricing section of the website. Available options are:

• Chef Favorites – top choices
• Wellness – approved by nutritionists
• Family Friendly – kid favorites
• Fast & Easy – short serving time
• Veggies – plant-based recipes

You also choose a full menu of Prepared & Ready meals that arrive fresh. Blue Apron doesn’t recommend freezing these meals.  Also, you can find fresh heat-and-eat meals with up to 2 servings in the Add-Ons section that are suitable for a range of dietary needs.

What Makes It Special?

You can freeze most ingredients and save them for later use. Just remember to follow the USDA's safe food handling recommendations when thawing them. If you decide not to freeze some of the ingredients, Blue Apron covers you with a 7-day Freshness Guarantee.

You have access to every item on the menu, no matter which plan you sign up for. Your selections will, however, affect your recommended meals. Check out our in-depth Blue Apron review for more info.

You can replace the main ingredient in selected dishes with Blue Apron. For example, you can swap out chicken breasts for shrimp in Garlic-Caper Chicken. Many meat-based meals also have an option to “Make it Vegetarian,” and you also have the option to add extra protein to vegetarian recipes.

Is It Good Value?

The cost per meal varies depending on the number of servings you purchase. For instance, if you order a maximum of 5 meal kits with 4 servings, the price per portion will be $4.00. You can order a minimum of 2 Meal Kits of 2 servings or 4 prepared meals per week. You'll also have to pay a shipping fee of $10.99, regardless of the size of your purchase.

Note that you can manually add more meals if you wish. Also, you can place separate orders to have both meal kits and heat-and-eat dishes on the menu. Or simply buy kits 1 week and ready-to-eat meals the next.

6. HelloFresh – Best Dish Personalization Service

What’s on the Menu?

The company has a selection of over 100 weekly menu options, even though it advertises 45+ meals on its main page. It accompanies dishes with useful labels that help dieters choose meals that suit their dietary needs and habits. 

Useful tags include Asian Flavors, Fast & Fresh, and Hall of Fame. There are also tags that inform you about prep time and diet types, such as Veggie and Protein Smart.

The menu is mostly omnivorous, but you’ll find many diet-friendly options as well. Pescatarians will be satisfied with the selection of fish dishes, and there are several plant-based meals for vegans and vegetarians. There are also low-carb and low-cal recipes.

What Makes It Special?

You can freeze your HelloFresh ingredients, although the company advises using its ingredients within a few days of delivery for optimal freshness. From my research, I found that most of the ingredients can last up to 2 months in the freezer if stored in their original packaging. If you open them before freezing, they should remain safe for about a month.

Is It Good Value?

The minimum order you can place with HelloFresh is 2 weekly meals for 2 people. The maximum purchase is 6 recipes for 6. Although larger boxes will cost more overall, you’ll get the best per-serving value for a larger order, with higher per-serving prices for smaller orders. For example, 6 meals for 4 people cost just $107.75 for the first order if you use our link. Shipping costs are the same no matter the size of your weekly box. 

Quick Comparison Table

Tips for Choosing the Best Frozen Meal Delivery Service

Here are a few things to bear in mind when deciding which frozen meal delivery service is best for you.

• Think about your dietary goals. If you engage in regular physical activities, such as jogging or working out, a high-protein diet might suit you best. If you’re aiming to shed some pounds, prioritize low-calorie meals like those from BistroMD.
  

• Figure out how much time you have or are willing to spend in the kitchen. You have the option to choose between meal kit and prepared meal services. If you're a passionate cook who relishes time spent in the kitchen, go for Green Chef, for example. 

• Order more servings to pay less in the long run. Purchasing more meals lowers the cost per meal. This strategy saves you on shipping costs since most services charge a flat-rate delivery fee, regardless of the box size. So, if you have freezer space, consider buying in bulk.

• Check delivery terms. Delivery schedules vary from 1 meal delivery service to another. While some have set delivery days, others are flexible, allowing you to choose your preferred delivery day. Additionally, some companies use their own delivery network, while others rely on third-party carriers like FedEx and UPS. Check with customer support to see what options are available if you're not home when the shipment arrives and how flexible the drivers can be. Lastly, verify if the company delivers to your area. Consider subscribing to Nutrisystem if you reside in a US territory or dependency outside of the continental US.

FAQ

Should seniors consider frozen meal delivery services?

Yes, seniors should think about subscribing to frozen meal delivery services. While cost may be a factor, maybe their insurance can help with some of it. And many companies, such as Diet-to-Go, provide healthy meals based on seniors’ specific dietary needs.  

Are frozen meal delivery services affordable?

The services on my list represent many different price points. With many companies, the price per serving also depends on the number of meals you purchase. HelloFresh offers reasonably priced recipes boasting great value for money.  

What are the best frozen meal delivery services for weight loss?

BistroMD is a great option for those looking to lose weight. It has over 150 weekly meals and weight-loss plans catering to various categories of dieters. Its meals can stay frozen for up to a year.  

Best Frozen Meal Delivery Service in 2024 – Final Score