8 Best Low-Calorie Meal Delivery Services of 2021

A meal delivery is only as good as its calories, right? 

If you love the look of a meal delivery service or kit, but want to keep your calories on the downlow, then here are the best low-calories meal kits, just for you. 

I’ve researched well over 20 meal kits with low-calorie options (yes, it's a tough job, but someone has to do it!), and here’s my definitive guide! 

All in all, I found Diet-to-Go to have the best low-calorie plan, as the kit has literally been designed just for weight loss (and it really gets results!). 

Short on Time? Here Are the 8 Best Low-Calorie Meal Delivery Services of 2021: 

• Diet-to-Go – Best all-inclusive low-calorie for weight loss plan 

• Sunbasket – The best for low-calories and special diet options

• HelloFresh – Great for either quick meal prep or prepared low-calorie meals 

• Comparison table
  

• FAQ 

What to Look For in the Best Low-Calorie Meal Delivery Services 

Low-calorie meal delivery services have one main difference: some of them offer you fully prepared low calorie meals that you just need to heat up and eat, while others give you all the ingredients, and require you to assemble and cook the meals yourself. 

Bearing this important difference in mind, here are some other important things to be on the lookout for, when choosing your low-calorie meal delivery service! 

Low-Calorie Meal Prep Delivery Services 

Choosing what to eat on a low-calorie diet is almost as exhausting as having to source the ingredients yourself. With a low-calorie meal prep service, you get all of the recipes carefully portioned out, with clear instructions on how to make your meal; it means you have to cook the meals yourself (although, it should be noted, the level of which you need to cook and assemble the ingredients can vary between meal kit providers). 

You should look for these things when choosing a preferred meal kit for low-calorie diets: 

• How the cooking instructions are represented - are there visual cues, and are these clear enough for you to follow (this is especially important if you’re not that much of a natural in the kitchen!) 

• The quality of the ingredients - some meal kits use only 100% organic ingredients. If this is important to you, you should be on the lookout for this. 

• The level of assembly and cooking - your meal kit is there to help make your life smoother. If you find yourself exasperated at having to assemble and then take your ingredients, you might want to look into a meal kit where you just need to cook your meal instead. 

Low-Calorie Prepared Meal Delivery Services

This type of service will offer you low-calorie meals that have already been cooked, and maybe even frozen, and you need to heat them up. 

If the sound of this prompts horrible memories of gloopy, dry and tasteless TV dinners, then you have nothing to worry about...but, there are still a few things you should take into consideration! 

• The method of heating up your meal - is it by microwave, oven, or both? Do you have the equipment you need in your kitchen? 

• The packaging your meal arrives in - do you need to remove the meal from its packaging, or can you heat it up as is? 

• The state of your meal at arrival - will it be frozen, or just pre-cooked? If frozen, how long can it stay stored in the freezer for, or will take to defrost? 

• The storage life of the meals - how long will they last in either the fridge or freezer (or both)? Also, how that will impact your next order. 

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

Once you know which type of meal kit you'd prefer to use, then there are still a few things you need to know about before settling on a specific meal delivery service: 

• How flexible is the subscription? Is there a la carte or one-off ordering, or do you need to be hooked into the weekly subscription? If so, how easy is it (and quick) to cancel that process? 

• How varied is the menu? A few of the low-calorie meal kits especially have a somewhat more limited menu (isn’t that just always the way with diet food?), so you should check in my rundown below how much meal variation there is, and if it's enough to keep you happy and well-fed. 

• Is there free shipping, and if not, how much will shipping cost you? While some of the below meal kit delivery options I've given you have free shipping, others will see you pay anywhere between $6.99 - $19.95 shipping fee, either weekly or monthly. That’s something that should be costed into your budget when ordering low-calorie meal delivery service. 

Our Best Low-Calorie Meal Delivery Services Reviewed

1. Diet-to-Go – All-In-One Weight Loss That Really Works

Diet-to-Go’s Best Features 

• Over 500 low-calorie meals to choose from

• Entire plan is designed for weight loss - and it gets results!

• Professional coaching, working on your mind set, with diet analysis and dietitian access

• Local pickup available for greater flexibility and lower cost 

Diet-to-Go in a Nutshell 

If you're looking to lose weight without having to compromise on a variety of meals on offer or taste, or even if you're the laziest cook in the world (read: you don't even want to cook), then Diet To Go is the one for you. Check out my colleague’s experience with Diet-to-Go in this review ! 

Not only will you have a range of 500+ meals to choose between, but this is an all-in-one meal plan...meaning you will easily be able to stick to it! You'll get meals across breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, as well as some excellent extra support - a diet analysis, a dietitian ready and waiting for your questions, and extra blogs and support. 

2. Sunbasket – Low-Calorie, Speciality-Diet Friendly Meals

Sunbasket’s Best Features 

• Low calorie-specific plan available, with innovative and exotic culinary options

• Filter out all of your allergens and food avoidances  

• Easily swap your protein options in each meal, when available 

• Enjoy low-calorie meals for all the family, with the family plan 

Sunbasket in a Nutshell 

Sunbasket is always my go-to for anyone with a specific dietary plan, with its 10 different specialty diets on offer. For low-calorie eaters, however, here’s something extra special - a range of tasty, exotic options for all types of diets: vegans, paleo, diabetics...the sky’s the limit with Sunbasket! 

Find out more in our expert Sunbasket review .

That and, you won't be slaving over a stove dreaming of forbidden goodies...Sunbasket commits itself to a mostly under-30 minute prep and cook time per recipe, huge portion sizes (yes, even for the low-calorie options!)  and even a whole-family good time too. 

3. HelloFresh – Quick, High-Quality Low Calorie Plans

HelloFresh’s Best Features 

• Under-20 minute meal prep, one-pot recipes and more for a stress-free mealtime

• Quality low-calorie meal plans to suit your budget

• Edit your delivery up to 5 days before it's due

• High-quality, from farm-to-table ingredients you’ll love 

HelloFresh in a Nutshell 

Giving you a whole Calorie Smart plan , Hello Fresh gives you 20 options a week to choose from, across your desired number of meals (for 2 or 4 diners). I really loved how easy it was to filter out anything taking longer than 20-minutes to prepare (you can see how this works in my colleague’s HelloFresh review ). 

Hello Fresh isn't only going to save you calories: it’ll save you your food budget too, as it's one of the lowest-priced meal prep services on the market (and not just for low-calories). I also really liked that you have the option to pause or edit your delivery 5 days before it's due, which is more time than with other meal kit services. 

4 Fresh n’ Lean – 100% Organic, Low-Calorie Meals

Fresh n’ Lean’s Best Features 

• Completely pre-cooked meals, just heat them up and eat them up! 

• Dedicated low-calorie plan

• Your order, your way: either one-off or weekly subscription

• Meal choices across breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner

Fresh n’ Lean in a Nutshell 

What’s better than having a whole, dedicated low-calorie plan, you ask? Having one that you both don't need to cook, and that’s 100% organic, is what! With Fresh ‘N Lean, your meals are pre-cooked, so you just need to warm them up and eat at your leisure! That makes calorie counting a lot easier right? 

You can learn more about how this works in our dedicated Fresh n’ Lean review . 

Fresh ‘N Lean does just that. On the weekly subscription, you'll have your meals set for you, or you can order off the a la carte menu whenever you like. 

5. MagicKitchen – 11 Dietary-Specific Plans with Low-Calorie Options

MagicKitchen’s Best Features 

• Order either a la carte or whole meals - your order, your way 

• No cooking required - just heat and eat your meal! 

• Special diets catered for, including 

• Discounts for larger orders 

MagicKitchen in a Nutshell 

Whether you're dairy-free, diabetic, a senior, vegetarian or anything in between, MagicKitchen will serve you a range of calorie-controlled pre-cooked meals! 

You’ll get a choice of receiving 1-3 meals per day on the plan you choose, with a range of 60 meals on offer, rotated monthly. Choose from a range of plans, a la carte ordering or menu-complete ones. Then, you just need to heat up your meals when they arrive, and you'll be eating delicious, calorie-controlled food in minutes (all catered directly to your special diet)! 

6. Freshology – All in One Meal Plans for Weight Loss

Freshology’s Best Features 

• 500+ meal options for youth to choose from

• No cooking or prep - heat up your meal and get eating! 

• Professional weight loss support included on all plans 

• No need to think about your next meal - this is an all-in-one solution 

Freshology in a Nutshell 

Take the hard part out of weight loss and low-calorie diets: Freshology has you covered with its all-inclusive 5- or 7-day plans . 

From the company behind Diet To Go, Freshology will give you full-on professional support if you have questions or otherwise! You’ll find over 500+ meals rotated monthly to choose between, across your different meal options. You can see the results I got on its 5-day plan, in my Freshology review !

7. BistroMD – Low-Calorie Meal Service Designed for Weight Loss

BistroMD’s Best Features 

• All-in-one low-calorie and weight loss meal plan

• No cooking needed - just heat up your meal and eat it! 

• Choose from 5 plans, all designed for medically-minded weight loss

• Every meal covered - for weekdays and weekends!

BistroMD in a Nutshell 

BistroMD does things a little different to other weight loss meal plans on my list: since it was developed by a physician specializing in bariatric medicine, it seeks to teach you to eat right for the long-term, not just help you to lose weight in the short-term. There are 5 plans (including Gluten-Free/affiliateLink], Menopause/affiliateLink], and Heart Healthy/affiliateLink]), all helping you to eat right for your weight loss. 

Learn more in our expert BistroMD review .

You’ll have 150 different options across your plan’s breakfast, lunch, dinner and 2 snacks. Then, all you need to do is heat up your meals, and eat them! 

8. Nutrisystem – 9 Different Plans Helping You Lose Weight Your Way

Nutrisystem’s Best Features 

• 9 different plans to help you lose weight, fast! 

• Easy-to-prep meals, teaching you to make healthier food choices for the long-term

• Eat healthier version of your favorite foods

• Flex meals for a la carte ordering 

Nutrisystem in a Nutshell 

With 150 delicious food options over 9 (!!!) different plans, I'm confident Nutrisystem can find you a specialized, delicious plan for weight loss - even if you're looking to do it together with another person (check out the Partner Plan !). 

With weight loss consultants and dietitians offering you extra support, I found Nutrisystem to have a fantastic effect in a very short amount of time (check out my Nutrisystem review

 for details!). You’ll need to prepare the meals yourself, but it's easy, quick and you'll learn how to keep your weight loss for the long term!

Best Low-Calorie Meal Delivery Services: Comparison Table

FAQs

What is the best meal delivery service for weight loss?

Diet-to-Go . It's an all-in-one system that actually gets results. This is due to its all-in-one meal plan, as well as its range of offline support from dietitians and a supportive online community too!

Which is the healthiest meal delivery service?

Meal delivery services like Sunbasket and Fresh n’ Lean have 100% organic ingredients, and specific food plans for today’s most popular dietary requirements. 

Has anyone lost weight with Freshly?

They have indeed! And it’s easier than ever with Freshly’s new FreshlyFit meal plan . All meals are low on calories, and you can even find high-protein and low-carb options if you’re looking to fuel a more active lifestyle.

Is HelloFresh good for dieting?

HelloFresh has plenty of low-carb and calorie-smart recipes to choose from. With all of the macronutrients clearly laid out on the HelloFresh, you can get a food subscription box of meal kits that are aligned with your wellness and nutrition goals.