10 Best Healthy Meal Delivery Services 2021: Easy + Healthy

Eating well is a great reason to sign up for one of the many healthy meal delivery services on the market. With nutritionally balanced, portion-controlled, and tasty food on your doorstep every week, it’s hard to go wrong. Whatever your health goals – weight loss, reducing your carbs, or simply eating a more balanced diet – there’s a healthy meal delivery service out there for you.

To save you the legwork, we’ve researched the most popular healthy meal delivery services to find the best options. We’ve compared a range of factors, including price, menu variety, and handy menu filters that make it easier to find the healthiest choices.

No matter your reason for embarking on a new eating regimen, our round-up will help you to find the right meal delivery service for your lifestyle, cooking level, and budget.

Short on Time? Here Are the Best Healthy Meal Delivery Services of 2021

• Home Chef – Best overall healthy meal kit

• Sunbasket – Best variety of healthy menus for specialty diets

• Blue Apron – Best selection of healthy gourmet meal kits

• See 7 more healthy meal delivery services

• Comparison table

• FAQ 

Our Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service Kits Reviewed

1. Home Chef – Best Healthy Meal Kit Overall

Home Chef Best Features

• A mix of precooked and meal kit options – plan for that busier day (or two!) of the week with an easier dinner

• Clear instructions – you don’t need to be an expert to make great meals

• Freedom to pick and choose – use the flexible “Customize It” tool to upgrade or swap out ingredients

• Delivery Rank special discount available – Get $80 off plus free shipping from Home Chef

Home Chef in a Nutshell

With Home Chef’s Calorie-Conscious meals (<625 calories per serving) and Carb-Conscious meals (<35 grams per serving), you can easily choose dishes that help you reach your health goals. It’s simple to customize meals to include nutritious ingredients and cut down on more indulgent options. You can also exclude allergens when you first sign up.

There’s a huge choice, with recipes that change each week and a variety of meal types to suit different lifestyles. You may have heard of oven-ready dishes – well, Home Chef takes it up a notch with grill-ready meal kits as well! Find more on the menu options and plans in this expert Home Chef review.

Home Chef delivers its meals in eco-friendly, recyclable boxes to 98% of the US with deliveries scheduled Monday to Friday.

2. Sunbasket – Best Variety of Healthy Menus for Specialty Diets

Sunbasket Best Features

• Organic meal kits and precooked options – cook one night, then enjoy a heat-and-eat meal the next

• Choice of healthy meal plans – including paleo, vegan, and gluten-free

• Plentiful portions – enjoy some of the most generous servings on the market

• Delivery Rank special discount available – Get $90 Off & 4 FREE Gifts
  

Sunbasket in a Nutshell

Sunbasket has one of the widest varieties of healthy choices on the market, with 10 specialized plans to keep you on track with a healthy diet.

Get the full list in our dedicated Sunbasket review. No matter which menu you choose, meals all fall into the 500-800 calorie range. There’s plenty of flair and flavor on your plate for exciting food that doesn’t sacrifice anything to healthy eating.

The meal kits take 30ish minutes to prepare and come with easy-to-follow recipes that make it almost impossible to mess up. There’s also a ready-meal option for healthy eating with no effort.

Sunbasket delivers weekly between 8 am-9 pm, Monday to Thursday, with shipping available across the whole country (except for some locations in New Mexico, Montana, and North Dakota).

3. Blue Apron – Best selection of Healthy Gourmet Meal Kits

Blue Apron Best Features

• Weight Watchers-friendly – teams with WW to provide diet meals

• Packed with flavor – offers sophisticated, gourmet-quality meal kits

• Encourages healthy living – with the Wellness 360 program

• Delivery Rank special discount available – Save $110 on your first 4 boxes with Blue Apron

Blue Apron in a Nutshell

Blue Apron’s meal kits require some basic cooking skills. But if you want to eat healthy gourmet food, Blue Apron provides you with fresh, tasty ingredients and clear instructions. (And if you get confused while cooking, the Blue Apron app can walk you through each step as you cook.)

If you’re dieting, Blue Apron has teamed up with WW (formerly Weight Watchers) to bring you a weekly selection of lower-calorie pre-proportioned meals. Blue Apron’s Wellness 360 program offers meals featuring fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. Eating healthy has never been tastier.

If you’re curious, check out our full-length review of Blue Apron.

In most areas, Blue Apron delivers Tuesday through Saturday throughout the continental United States.

4. HelloFresh – Family-Friendly Healthy Meal Kits

HelloFresh Best Features

• Top-quality ingredients – including Colavita olive oil, Villari Brothers meats, and Narragansett Creamery dairy products

• An assortment of meal kits – including one-pot wonders, 20-minute meals, and craft burgers

• Value for money – more affordable than some other meal kits

• Delivery Rank special discount available – Get $80 off plus free shipping from HelloFresh

HelloFresh in a Nutshell

No matter which HelloFresh plan you choose, you’ll be spoiled for choice. Between all four plans (which include veggie and low-calorie options) you get a choice of around 25 different recipes. You can also filter out meals with ingredients you don’t want.

Read more on how the plans work in this full-length HelloFresh review.

If you’re looking for tasty, healthy options that the whole family can enjoy, this is a great place to start. You can choose meals set at different difficulty levels and there’s even a Family Friendly meal plan. This gets you a curated menu of HelloFresh’s kid-approved recipes that will (hopefully) tempt the fussiest eaters in the house. With such simple-to-follow recipes, you can get them involved in the cooking as well!

HelloFresh delivery is available throughout the continental US. The majority of deliveries arrive Wednesday to Friday, however certain locations can get their parcel from Saturday to Tuesday.

5. Green Chef – Sustainable Healthy Meal Kits

Green Chef Best Features

• Organic, gluten-free meal kits – the first certified organic meal delivery service

• Prepared ingredients – makes cooking healthy meals a breeze

• Choice of specialized healthy plans – including paleo and keto options

• Delivery Rank special discount available – Get $80 off plus free shipping from Green Chef

Green Chef in a Nutshell

Green Chef is a great choice for anyone looking to eat healthier. If you follow a specific diet, menus cater to paleo, keto, and plant-powered diets, and for those who like a bit of everything, there’s a Balanced Living menu. While you can’t pick and choose meals between the different plans, you can switch to a new plan as long as you give seven days’ notice.

The meal kits include pre-measured (and in many cases prepared) ingredients. To make things really simple, the ingredients and recipes are color-coded so you know exactly what you need. We talk more about this in our detailed Green Chef review.

Deliveries are sent in insulated boxes guaranteed to keep food fresh until the end of the day. Delivery is offered from Monday to Saturday, depending on location. Green Chef delivers across the US with the exception of Alaska, Hawaii, and certain parts of Louisiana. Shipping costs $8.99 a week.

6. Veestro – Easiest Plant-Based Healthy Meals

Veestro Best Features

• Prepared frozen vegan meals – just heat them in the oven

• Organic ingredients – more than 96% of the ingredients are organic

• Kid-friendly – meals like Baked Mac ‘n Cheez are aimed specifically at children

• Delivery Rank special discount available – Get $40 off with Promo Code AOWERPLANT30 at Veestro

Veestro in a Nutshell

Veestro takes all the hassle out of eating healthily. The meals are frozen, but don’t let that put you off. These are not reheated airline meals! They’re made from 96% organic ingredients and are all preservative-free. Veestro covers more dietary requirements than just vegan, including kosher (which is super unusual), as well as gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, low-calorie, and high-protein.

Choose one of three plans (which includes a weight-loss option), then filter out the meals with ingredients you don’t eat to get a menu customized to your needs.

Learn more about the menu and meal plans in our expert Veestro review.

The meals keep for up to eight weeks in the freezer. When you’re ready to eat, just heat in the oven, stove, or microwave. Veestro’s shipping is free with auto-deliveries.

7. Freshly – Chef-Prepared Healthy Meals

Freshly Best Features

• Prepared for you – fresh meals ready to go in minutes

• Certified gluten-free meals – no need to worry about cross-contamination

• Ideal for singles – every prepackaged meal is designed for one

• Delivery Rank special discount available – Save $60 with Promo Code LAUNCH15 from Freshly

Freshly in a Nutshell

With around 30 fresh meals to choose from each week, you’ll be spoiled for choice with Freshly. They’re all totally gluten-free, nutritionally balanced, and around 350-600 calories each (most clock in at 500 calories). In each weekly rotation, 20 meals are guaranteed to be under 500 calories, at least eight have less than 35 grams of carbs, and a minimum of eight meals are dairy-free.

Read more about Freshly’s menu and how it works in our expert Freshly review.

Freshly makes it easy to change the number of meals you receive each week. But remember, the more you order, the cheaper they become. They’re all quick to heat up, so you’ll be enjoying your food in just three minutes. Shipping is determined at checkout and depends on location and the number of meals ordered. Delivery is available in the continental US only.

8. Purple Carrot – Eclectic Healthy Vegan Meal Kits

Purple Carrot Best Features

• 100% plant-based – delicious, eclectic vegan dishes

• Options for three meals a day – opt for dinner only or add breakfast, lunch, and snacks

• Shipping fee included – no minimum order necessary

• Delivery Rank special discount available – $20 off and free shipping with Purple Carrot

Purple Carrot in a Nutshell

Purple Carrot is a totally vegan meal kit with several recipe categories: gluten-free, high protein, and quick and easy. If you don’t have any specific requirements, there are also “Chef’s Choice” meals, which offer internationally inspired recipes.

For each category, there are eight meals available and each takes about 30 minutes to cook (though some can be a bit more complicated).

Meals average 500-800 calories a serving and include complex carbohydrates from nuts, vegetables, legumes, seeds, and fruits, coupled with lean proteins and healthy fats. You can learn about the meal plans in our dedicated Purple Carrot review. You can choose either a two-serving plan (with three or four meals a week) or a four-serving plan (including two or three meals each week).

9. EveryPlate – Most Affordable Healthy Meals

EveryPlate Best Features

• Budget meal-kit option – meals cost $4.99 a serving

• Meals change each week – endless choices of new and exciting dishes

• Straightforward recipes – most meals take just half an hour

• Delivery Rank special discount available – Save $80 on your first 3 deliveries from EveryPlate

EveryPlate in a Nutshell

EveryPlate offers fuss-free, low-cost meals. While EveryPlate may not have some of the bells and whistles of other meal kits, it’s still a great way to eat healthier. There are no specific health plans on offer (like keto, low-carb, or vegan) but you’ll find a good selection of weekly, portion-controlled meals. We discuss the menu and plans in this dedicated EveryPlate review.

With an emphasis on “home-style recipes,” you can choose to feed either two or four people and get three to five meals a week. Each recipe comes with clear instructions to help you put together a delicious, healthy meal. If you have a particular allergy, allergen information is clearly marked on each recipe and on the recipe cards you receive.

Shipping is extra and costs $8.99 per box, no matter which plan you choose. EveryPlate delivers from Tuesday to Saturday, depending on location.

10. Fresh n' Lean – Best Organic Prepared Healthy Meals

Fresh n’ Lean Best Features

• Prepared in advance – fresh meals, ready in minutes

• Certified gluten-free and organic – all ingredients are safe for celiacs

• Fixed plans – no need to spend time choosing what you eat (but you can on the à la carte menu, if you want)

• Delivery Rank special discount available – Get $20 off your first box then 15% off all orders with Fresh n’ Lean

Fresh n’ Lean in a Nutshell

Fresh n' Lean has five healthy eating plans: Keto, Protein+, Paleo, Plant-Based, and Low-Carb/Low-Cal Plant-Based, so you should find the right plan for your individual health goals. With prepared meals that are ready in just a few minutes, it’s hard to think of an easier option for fuss-free healthy food.

Unless you order the à la carte plan, you can’t choose your meals – this helps keep costs down. However, you can let the company know of any requirements or allergies and it’ll do its best to cater to these needs. Each plan gets you enough food for a full week, although there’s the option to only order lunches or dinners if you want to vary what you’re eating.

Our expert describes that and more in our Fresh n’Lean review.

Orders are sent in insulated boxes that can be recycled in most locations. Shipping across all 50 states takes place each Friday.

Best Healthy Meal Delivery Services: Comparison Table

What to Look For in the Best Healthy Meal Delivery Services

All meal delivery services offer a huge selection of menus, health claims, and price points. It’s easy to get confused by the number of options, so we’re breaking it down for you:

Healthy Meal Kit Services

• High-quality products – From fruit and veggies to proteins and sauces, you want the ingredients to arrive in optimum condition.

• Logically packaged ingredients – Whether the ingredients and recipes are color-coded like Green Chef or use another system, the service should group together the ingredients so you can easily find what you need for each recipe.

• Ingredients prepped how you like – If you’re a beginner, you might be more comfortable with a meal kit service that does some of the chopping and dicing for you.

• Stress-free recipes – Don’t get caught up with how good a meal looks on screen. As well as liking the dishes, you need a service with recipes that suit your skill level. A 15-minute meal, like one from Home Chef might be perfect to start with, then you can work up to a more complicated dish once you’ve honed your skills.

Healthy Prepared Meal Delivery Services

• Shelf life – One advantage of a frozen meal delivery service, such as Veestro, is you can store the meals in the freezer and just dip into them when you feel like it. Fresh meals can often be frozen, too, but make sure to check all use-by dates so you don’t run the risk of spoiling your food.

• Heating methods – Whether you go for fresh or frozen, most prepared meals can be heated using a range of methods: in the microwave, on the stove, or in the oven. Be sure to check for exact details so you don’t choose a microwave-only meal when you only have an oven (and vice versa).

• Cookware included – Some prepared meals are shipped in or with microwavable containers or oven-safe pans to make cooking even easier.

What to Look For in Both Prepared Home Delivery Meals and Meal Kits

• Commitment-free plans – Finding a healthy meal delivery service is a bit like online dating: things often look good on screen but don’t live up to expectations in real life! Make sure you pick a plan with a flexible change or cancellation policy in case the service you choose isn’t as tasty or convenient as you wanted. 

• The right menu – Some meal delivery services have a lot of choices but don’t switch their menus very often (if ever). Others have fewer choices but offer a brand new menu every week. A set menu is the best option if you prefer finding what you like and sticking to it, while ever-changing menus will suit those who like trying out new tastes and ingredients.

• Extras like breakfast or snacks – If you’re trying out a healthy meal service to change your lifestyle, it might be beneficial to have more than lunch or dinner taken care of. Look for a service with options to cover all of your mealtimes – like breakfast and snacks – to keep you eating healthily throughout the day.

• Shipping costs you can live with – When considering which meal delivery service works for you, factor in the recurring shipping fees because they can turn a budget option into a more expensive choice. On the other hand, don’t be swayed by free or cheap shipping – the food is still the most important element.

How Healthy Meal Delivery Services Work

The Difference Between Regular Healthy Meal Plans & Meal Delivery Services

Let’s start by making one thing clear: there are healthy meal plans that are NOT related to meal delivery services. 

Healthy meal plans are a guide. Based on your needs, they give you a detailed plan for every meal you should be eating day-to-day. From YouTube videos to blogs, many meal plans and health coaches promise to keep your eating on track.

All those choices can make picking a meal plan daunting, and that indecision can set you back in pursuing your health goals.

Meal delivery services take meal planning and grocery shopping out of the equation. Choose your desired meal plan, and the rest is done for you. All you have to do is pick your dishes, unbox your food, prepare, then eat!

Healthy Meal Delivery Service Plans Explained

Health plans and meal delivery services tend to go together well, so no matter what sort of health or diet aims you have, there’s bound to be a service to suit your needs.

Some of these meal delivery services help you lose weight, like Blue Apron’s WW weight-loss meals. Formerly Weight Watchers, WW has been helping people lose weight for nearly 60 years. WW helps plan Blue Apron’s WW menu and also sponsors local and virtual support groups.

Then there are lifestyle and diet-oriented plans, such as low-calorie menus, low-carb options, or vegan, and vegetarian choices. Sunbasket’s 10 different diet plans cover most of today’s most popular diets. These are great if you’re new to a diet and are in the process of phasing out your old way of eating.

While some meal services offer plans arranged by diet, others let you subscribe based on how many meals you need. That’s the case with Freshly, which allows you to order between four and 12 meals a week from each of its menus.

Healthy Meal Delivery Service Prices

The price of healthy meal delivery services runs from the low (around the $5 mark) to about the same as you’d pay for a nice meal in a restaurant. While it’s hard to be specific, one thing to remember is that the more specialized the service, the more costly the meals will be. Organic meals, for example, generally start at around $9 per serving. There’s also the cost of shipping (we’ll go into more detail on that next), which can add up.

Another point to consider is how often you’re charged. Monthly deliveries tend to be cheaper and work out to a lower per-meal price. The same is also true for services that are flexible in how many meals you can order – they tend to get cheaper per serving the more you order.

A meal delivery service may seem like a lot of money upfront, but you also have to take into account how much you’re saving, and that goes far beyond just the cost of the food. There’s the cost of traveling to the store, plus the cost of ingredients that would otherwise end up sitting unused in your pantry.

Plus, you’re saving yourself the stress and time of meal planning, which can feel priceless.

How Healthy Meal Service Shipping Works

Depending on where you live and which service you go for, you might be able to choose your delivery day. This means if you have a specific day you like to cook, you can plan the delivery around your schedule. Other services offer more limited options and don’t always deliver to more remote locations as frequently.

There are also differences in how much (if anything) services charge for shipping and delivery. Some bundle it into the price of the meals, because they know how much we all love “free” shipping. Others charge you shipping up to a certain order amount, while others charge delivery on every single order.

Whatever you pay, most meal delivery services have some sort of tracking mechanism in place, whether it’s a dedicated app or through the shipping company (e.g., you can track your order on the FedEx site).

If your box is about to show up and you're far from home – don’t worry. All services send their meals out in refrigerated/insulated boxes packed with ice packs or dry ice to keep your food fresh until you can get to it. If that sounds like it’s probably also packed with loads of plastic, you’d be right, which is the only downside.

Although some companies like Green Chef really do try to be as environmentally friendly as possible, there’s no escaping the fact that you’re going to have a lot of packaging to deal with when you open your box. Most of it should be recyclable, but that could depend on your location so that’s something to bear in mind.

How to Pause, Skip, or Cancel Your Orders

Unlike some other services (hey, phone company!) meal delivery services are easy to sign up for and also bid farewell to. That makes sense given that people tend to test out a few services and are looking for companies that make it easy to do so.

Generally, if you want to skip, pause, or cancel your subscription, all you need to do is find the button in your account settings and, with a click or two, you’re done. Others make it a little harder and ask you to either send an email or call customer services to speak to a rep in person.

The only thing to be aware of is that while it’s easy enough to make changes to your membership, don’t leave it to the last minute. With rare exceptions, you have to let the company know what you want to change or if you want to pause or cancel at least five days in advance (and some require seven). Miss the deadline and you’re going to be stuck paying for a delivery you don’t want. You’ve been warned!

When is a Meal Service NOT Right For You?

Meal delivery services are a great solution to the constant need for healthy groceries in the pantry and the eternal question, “what are we eating tonight?” But they’re not for everyone and not every service is right for everyone.

If you suffer from serious food allergies, such as severe celiac disease, or you have Crohn’s disease or diabetes, you should probably stay away from meal delivery services, healthy or otherwise. The exception is if the company explicitly states it has systems in place to avoid cross-contamination.

To be on the safe side, though, if you have any medical condition, you should consult with your doctor before signing up for any meal delivery service to ensure you aren’t jeopardizing your health.

Aside from medical issues, a particular meal delivery service might not work for you for scheduling reasons (e.g., you like to cook Sundays and the only day you can get delivery is on a Wednesday), or the menu is not as exciting as you hoped. It’s totally individual, but there are enough choices out there that you should find the right service for you.

FAQ

Which is the best heart-healthy meal delivery service?

Fresh n’ Lean not only offers specialized diets for vegetarians, those following a keto lifestyle, or those trying to get their diabetes under control, its dishes are also calorie-controlled and made using heart-healthy ingredients. 

Which is the most affordable healthy meal delivery service?

EveryPlate has figured out a system that makes it cheaper per serving than pretty much every other meal delivery service on the market. That’s because it only offers relatively few choices each week and doesn’t encourage customization.

No matter which meal kit you choose, remember that the per-serving price isn’t the full story. Always make sure you add in the shipping costs to understand exactly how much a particular delivery service will cost you.

Are Blue Apron meals healthy?

Blue Apron has lots of healthy offerings, including a specific wellness plan. If you’re looking for family-friendly vegan meals, Veestro is a better choice. Home Chef also has a range of healthy, calorie-conscious meal kits.

Which is the most healthy meal delivery service?

That depends on exactly what you want from your meal delivery service! There are plant-based dishes from Veestro or Purple Carrot. You can also order paleo, keto, vegan, gluten-free and nutritionally balanced meals from Fresh n’ Lean.

Which meal delivery service is best for weight loss?

With the help of WW (formerly Weight Watchers), Blue Apron can help you cook healthy portions of diet-friendly gourmet food. Veestro also has a weight-loss plan for vegan prepared meals. 

Are meal delivery services healthy?

Meal delivery services like Home Chef only use fresh ingredients that are sent or prepared when they’re at their best. Many are free of allergens and they all help to keep portion sizes under control, which is one of the biggest causes of obesity.

That doesn’t mean the food isn’t delicious. Far from it! The healthy meals are exciting and varied and will give your taste buds a welcome workout.