9 Best Healthy Meal Delivery Services 2023: (Prepared + Kits)

Signing up for a meal delivery service that’s healthy can be a bit of a challenge. The term “healthy” means many different things, depending on who you ask. Finding the right service offering the types of ingredients and foods you personally deem healthy is anything but easy or simple.

The best healthy meal delivery services today offer mostly whole foods-based meals that are rich in nutrients. Also, you should be able to immediately see the calorie content of each meal, along with the macronutrient profile including carbohydrates, protein, and fat.

So how exactly do you know what the healthiest meal delivery service is for your needs? Fortunately, I’ve extensively researched, tested, and rounded up the best healthy meal delivery services if you’re looking for nutrient-dense foods, or to lose some weight. I’ve found that Home Chef offers the largest number of meals below 600 calories than any other competitor.

1. Home Chef  – Best for Carb-Conscious and Low-Calorie Meals

Key Features

• Health-focused options – access a variety of sub-600 calorie meals

• Recipe selection – choose from 25+ unique recipes per week

• Dietary options – get healthy meals including carb- and calorie-conscious

• Current deal: Get 18 Free Meals (50% off your first 4 boxes)!

Home Chef surprised me a lot by providing a ton of different meal options, especially if you’re somebody health-focused. If you’re looking for low-Calorie and low-carb meal options, Home Chef is the best option for you.

You can get access to 25+ unique recipes per week, at least one-third of which are focused on very low calories or low carbohydrates. You can also customize various protein options in many meals. If you’re looking to lose weight, control your weight, or live an overall healthier lifestyle with few processed ingredients, you might find that Home Chef fits that bill nicely.

An added bonus that I personally really like is that you don’t have to cook if you don’t want to. Home Chef offers lots of low-prep, quick meals along with heat-and-eat options that are still healthy. Some meals can be cooked in as little as 15 minutes, and the heat-and-eat options can be heated up in five minutes or less.

2. Blue Apron – Best for Nutritionist-Approved Weight Loss Meals

Key Features

• Weight loss – access nutritionist-approved and Weight-Watchers recommended options

• Recipe selection – order from the dedicated Wellness menu

• Dietary options – choose from lots of low-calorie meal options

• Current deal: Enjoy $180 off across your first 6 orders

Blue Apron works closely with nutritionists and Weight Watchers to create recipes that set you up for weight loss if that’s your mission. I like that you can sort by the Wellness category as soon as you land on the menu so you don’t have to spend much time finding these healthy meal options.

Something I noticed about low-calorie food is that it can get quite boring thanks to the relative lack of fats and carbs. With Blue Apron, the good thing is that there are so many different weekly options that you may find it hard not to find something you’ll like.

If you’re a busy health professional or regular gym-goer, you might like that Blue Apron also offers delivery on weekends. This could make your life significantly easier and more convenient so you can spend more time getting into shape instead of waiting around for your delivery during the week.

3. Green Chef – Best for Organic Keto, Paleo, and Mediterranean Meals

Key Features

• Certifed organic – USDA-certified organic meal delivery service

• Unique recipes – select from 24 weekly recipes

• Dietary options – access a good array of diets including paleo, keto, and vegan

• Current deal: Get $250 off + free shipping

If you’re looking for the single best healthy meal delivery service, Green Chef could be the best option for you since it offers organic ingredients. Of course, not all ingredients can be “certified organic” like sea salt and wild salmon – but everything that can be certified, Green Chef offers including produce and eggs.

Another thing I like about Green Chef is that, if you have a large, health-focused family, you’re able to order meals for up to six people every week. That’s more than I’ve seen from most – if not all – other meal delivery services.

Although Green Chef doesn’t offer any prepared meals, it does pre-chop and pre-prepare many of the ingredients including sauces and marinades which leaves you with little prep. Simply cook up all the ingredients, and eat, which saves you a lot of time.

4. HelloFresh – Good Selection of Balanced, Lower-Calorie Meals

Key Features

• Health-oriented meals – choose healthy meals from the Fit & Wholesome category

• Recipe selection – choose from 30+ unique recipes every week

• Quick delivery – get your recipes with super-fast shipping

HelloFresh offers a larger selection of balanced, lower-calorie meals than a lot of the competition. You’ll find that there are plenty of choices that can help you keep your total carb and calorie counts in check.

Additional diets that support a healthy lifestyle include vegetarian, pescatarian, omnivore, and healthy plans. Overall, HelloFresh is also quite family-friendly with recipes that kids will recognize and enjoy. You can also order up to 24 servings per week which can help you if you have a larger family.

Just make sure you have plenty of kitchen tools available as not all of the required ones are listed on the website. But as long as you regularly cook at home, you should have everything you need.

5. Purple Carrot – Healthiest Meal Delivery Service for Vegans

Key Features

• Low-calorie meals – access plant-based meals that are all sub-700 calories

• Menu selection – choose from a mixture of 20 weekly meal kits and prepared meals

• Meals for every occasion – choose from several breakfasts, lunches, and dinners

Purple Carrot is a double-whammy in my experience since it offers plant-based, vegan-only meals, all of which are below 700 calories. This makes it a no-brainer to me if you’re a health-focused vegan looking to get in shape or drop some excess weight.

If you’re a busy professional who also goes to the gym or works out outside of the home, you’ll be pleased to know that Purple Carrot also offers prepared meals along with meal kits. The prepared meals can all be heated in under five minutes – and most of the meal kits can be prepared in under 40 minutes. There are even some which can even be cooked in under 25 minutes.

As well as the meals, you can order extras from the Plantry section. The items here change regularly but some examples of items you might see are Hummus, Tahini, Pesto, Dairy-Free Goat Cheese, and Pumpkin Spice Cookies.

6. Marley Spoon – Good Service for Health & Diet-Related Meals

Key Features

• Health-focused meals – choose from a large variety of healthy meals

• Menu selection – select from 45+ weekly meals

• Dietary options – choose from low-carb, low-calorie, and nutritious meal options

Marley Spoon offers a variety of different cuisines within its menu including Mediterranean, American, and Italian. There are at least 15 recipes weekly that fall within the Health & Diet category if you’re watching your weight or simply want to be healthier.

This is a service endorsed by Martha Stewart, so you’ll find the boxes and ingredients to be of the highest quality as well. Many of the meals on offer also fall into the low-calorie and carb-conscious categories to help you hit your weight loss goals.

For any questions that might arise, you’re welcome to view the Marley Spoon FAQ section on the website, use the contact form, or even call directly to speak with somebody for help.

7. Fresh & Easy – Fastest Healthy Meal Kits

Key Features

• Fast meal prep – Cook your meals in 15 minutes or less

• Recipe selection – choose from 30+ unique recipes per week

• Dietary options – choose from low-carb and low-calorie meal options

Fresh & Easy is part of the Home Chef brand, so you’ll find all of the same benefits like low-calorie and carb-conscious options. The only real difference is that all of the meals from this category can be prepared in 15 minutes or less.

As a fitness person myself, that’s something I can appreciate. This can help you save tons of time to do other things so you definitely aren’t compromising quality for the speediness of preparation and cooking.

8. EveryPlate – Best Budget-Friendly Healthy Meal Delivery Service

• Affordability – healthy meal options starting from $1.49/serving

• Recipe selection – choose from 18+ unique recipes per week

• Dietary options – choose from four plans, including vegetarian

Though EveryPlate doesn’t necessarily advertise any specific low-calorie or carb-conscious options, I’ve found most of its meals fall somewhere between 500 to about 750 calories. Of course, some fall below that, and some above – this is just a rough average of what you’ll find.

What I like most about EveryPlate that I think you’ll also appreciate is its affordability. If you’re a busy health-conscious individual looking to stay fit and lose weight on a budget, there probably isn’t a better option out there.

You’ll be able to choose from around 18 weekly meal kits, all of which take 30 minutes or less to prepare. This, of course, isn’t quite as convenient as prepared meals, but I see two benefits here. For one, you can omit any ingredients when you’re doing the cooking, and the cost savings more than make up for the time spent in the kitchen, in my experience.

9. Grubhub – Best Instant Food Delivery with Healthy Options

Key Features

• Food delivery service – meals are ready to eat upon delivery

• Restaurant selection – order from any restaurant in your area that offers Grubhub

• Dietary options – caters to almost every diet

With Grubhub, it’s pretty easy to get as healthy a meal as you want. Based on the availability in your city, you’ll be able to choose from any restaurant that supports Grubhub – so, it’s really up to you where you order from, and what you order. That means you’re free to order the healthiest meal available from a restaurant near you.

That’s one way in which Grubhub separates itself from the rest of the services discussed here. It’s not a subscription-based service which brings with it two benefits. On the one hand, you don’t have to subscribe for recurring deliveries, and the deliveries you do order are delivered within 30-60 minutes which can be a lifesaver if you’re very busy.

Quick Comparison Table

Tips for Choosing the Best Healthy Meal Delivery Services

These are the main things I looked at when selecting the best healthy meal delivery services:

• Low-calorie options: Choose a healthy meal delivery service that’s actually healthy by offering lots of low-calorie and carb-conscious choices.

• Ingredient selection: Select high-quality, whole-foods-based, and preferably organic ingredients to help support your health, weight, or fitness goals.

• Meal type: Go with a healthy meal delivery service that offers either meal kits, fast meal kits, or prepared meals, depending on your skill level and time available to dedicate to cooking.

• Affordability: Find an affordable meal delivery service. As we all know, eating healthy isn’t always cheap – so I recommend finding a service that can give you the healthiest meals possible while also not breaking your budget.

Bottom Line: Home Chef is the Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service

I think that Home Chef, is the best healthy meal delivery service as it offers tons of meals below 600 calories, and offers lots of low-carb options as well. Additionally, it even accomplishes this while providing meal kits, and prepared meals that are oven- and grill-ready.

It also features several low-calorie, nutritious meal options across several cuisines including American, Chinese, Italian, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern. If you’re not too sure about any aspect of Home Chef, ordering, or your account in general, I liked seeing the inclusion of a phone number which makes it quick and simple to get in touch with somebody.

FAQ

What is the best healthy meal subscription? 

There isn’t one single best healthy subscription service – however, if you’re looking for one of the best meal delivery services featuring healthy meals, I recommend checking out Home Chef. It offers an abundance of meals under 600 calories, and also offers a solid selection of carb-conscious meals if you’re looking to control or reduce your weight.

What is the cheapest healthy meal delivery service?

In my experience, EveryPlate offers some of the lowest prices when it comes to healthy meal delivery services. You’ll get access to roughly 18+ weekly meal options that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less, and an abundance of low-calorie dishes that can support a healthy lifestyle and weight loss in general.

Do meal plans work for weight loss?

From a purely technical standpoint, you can eat any food known to man and still lose weight – it’s all about controlling the number of calories you’re consuming versus the number of calories your body needs. With that in mind, a healthy meal delivery service like HelloFresh can certainly help you on your weight loss journey as it offers several carb- and calorie-conscious meal options.

What is the healthiest food to order for delivery?

There isn’t one single healthiest food you can order for delivery. The term “healthy” in and of itself doesn’t really mean anything and is subject to a high degree of interpretation. It could mean low-calorie, low-fat, whole, and unprocessed foods, foods low in sugar, or any number of other combinations of ingredients – depending on who you ask.

However, for example, if, by healthy you mean foods rich in organic micro and macronutrients, and meals based on whole foods versus processed foods, I recommend looking at Green Chef. 

Best Healthy Meal Delivery Services in 2023 – Final Score: