10 Best Meal Delivery Services for Athletes 2022: For Fitness

As an athlete, your days are often structured around your workouts, with limited free time. Even though your diet is as important as training, sometimes it’s hard to juggle everything – including planning balanced meals, food shopping, and prep.

Our experts have put numerous meal delivery services through their paces, and I’ve pulled together a list of the top 10 specifically for athletes. No more struggling to count macros and calories – these services do it for you.

Plus, the meals come in varying forms and cook times – from one-pan meal kits to prepared meals ready in minutes – making them easy to sneak into your busy schedule. You can also order snacks to fuel yourself between meals and satiate that post-workout appetite.

HelloFresh is my overall top choice. It balances great value meal kits and a varied weekly menu with a specialized Fit & Wholesome plan that makes it easy for athletes to find recipes with leaner proteins and fewer calories. 

The Best Meal Delivery Services for Athletes Reviewed

1. HelloFresh – Best Overall Meal Delivery Service for Athletes

Key Features

• Simple recipes – with easy-to-follow instructions 

• Fresh ingredients – seasonal, farm-fresh produce

• Low calorie options – look out for the Calorie Smart tag

• Current deal: 16 Free Meals + 3 Gifts + Free Shipping 

HelloFresh makes sure you never get tired of your meals, with more than 30 recipes to choose from every week. That means you get to enjoy the flexibility of planning your meals for the week, without the hassle of shopping and prep.

HelloFresh also prioritizes sustainably sourced proteins and farm-fresh produce, so it’s especially great if you’re trying to be mindful of the foods you’re consuming. You can learn more about the quality of HelloFresh’s ingredients in my colleague’s expert review.

Choose from plans like Meat & Veggies, Pescatarian, and Fit & Wholesome –  the latter of which is specially designed for an active and healthy lifestyle. You can order as many as four portions of a recipe if you’re bulking up, and carb-smart options are available as well.

Servings start at just $3.79, making HelloFresh an affordable way to fuel your body. 

2. Freshly – Best For Lean, Prepared Meals

Key Features

• Quick and easy – all meals are ready in three minutes

• Paleo- and keto-inspired – high-protein and low-carb dishes

• Great variety – pick from more than 40 meals

• Current deal: Save $125, Promo Code: SAVE125AFF

Freshly offers a whole menu category called FreshlyFit, which has been created to fuel athletes and anyone with an active lifestyle. These prepared meals have been designed by pro chefs and are delivered to your door fresh, ready to heat and eat.

The focus of FreshlyFit is the macronutrients that make up each dish. Not only are the meals high in protein and great for those with allergies (almost all are gluten-free and many are dairy free), they’re also packed with veggies to ensure you’re getting the vitamins you need.

Unlike HelloFresh, Freshly offers single-serving meals, and you can order up to 12 meals each week. Find out more about how the plans work in our in-depth Freshly review.

Freshly meals start at $7.74 per serving.

3. Sunbasket – Best For Organic & Sustainable Ingredients

Key Features

• Caters to many diets – 10 plans to choose from

• Exciting, innovative recipes – lots of global-inspired dishes

• Clean ingredients – organic produce, wild-caught fish, and hormone-free meat

• Current deal: $90 off Plus a Free Gift! 

Depending on how much time you like to spend in the kitchen, Sunbasket has got the right plan for you. Whether you want meal kits for those quieter days or Fresh & Ready prepared meals for the perfect post-workout dinner, you can have it all.

You can also mix and match across Sunbasket’s plans, allowing you to try new and inventive flavors each week, with a helpful filter identifying meals that are less than 600 calories.

Even better, Sunbasket backs all its deliveries with a 100% money-back guarantee, ensuring you’re happy with every single dish. Find out more about this, and how the subscriptions work, in our expert review.

Sunbasket’s generous menu has a real Mediterranean feel, so you'll get the best out of lean meats, seafood, and fresh, organic veggies.

Servings start at $5.99, which reflects the high quality of the ingredients. Fortunately, you can use our discount to bring down the price!

4. Fresh n’ Lean – Best For Fresh, Chef-Prepared Meals

Key Features

• Get breakfast, lunch, and dinner – and snacks, too

• Athlete-friendly diets – Protein+, Keto, Low-Carb Vegan, and more

• Certified organic ingredients – locally sourced and GMO-free

• Current deal: $20 off 1st Box + 15% Off All Orders 

Fresh n’ Lean allows you ultimate freedom in your meal planning for the week. Choose from six different plans with up to three meals a day. Or you can purchase dishes a la carte if you want even more flexibility.

My colleague goes into more detail on what sets Fresh n’ Lean apart in this expert review.

What’s also great about Fresh n’ Lean is that you can add extras from the Bulk menu – this includes additional protein or sides like quinoa and brown rice. It even has snacks such as oatmeal, breakfast muffins, and coconut-almond buttercups. 

Similar to Freshly, everything on the menu takes around three minutes to heat and serve. All Fresh n’ Lean’s meals are certified gluten-free, and with two dedicated vegan plans, it’s great for those with allergies or intolerances.

The price per serving starts at $7.93.

5. Pete’s Paleo – Best Seasonal Paleo Meals

Key Features

• Locally sourced ingredients – rotating seasonal menu

• Allergen-free – zero gluten, dairy, or soy

• Flexible plans – order as needed or subscribe

Pete’s Paleo offers the freshest paleo meals delivered weekly to your door. With an emphasis on organic and locally sourced ingredients, you can expect tons of seasonal variety week by week.

Unlike most other services, Pete’s Paleo doesn't give you the freedom to choose your meals if you sign up to a plan. Instead, once you’ve selected your protein preferences, your meals are curated for you – great for anyone who wants to put their meal planning on autopilot.

The company always outlines the macronutrients for each meal. It’s even partnered with the MyFitnessPal app, allowing you to track full meals, sides, or snacks at the click of a button.

The meals are heavy on protein and high in calories, at around 500 to 600 per dish. However, if you’re looking for low-calorie options, the Pete's Paleo Lite plan offers smaller portion sizes.

Prices start at $15.25 per single-serving meal.

6. Green Chef – Best Allergy-Friendly Meals

Key Features

• Coeliac-friendly – certified gluten-free Keto + Paleo plan

• Eco-friendly packaging – recyclable and reusable materials

• Creative and tasty recipes – chef-crafted and internationally inspired

• Current deal: Get $130 Off + Free Shipping

With Green Chef, you’ll find a wide variety of organic vegetables and creative, exciting ingredients in your box every week.

All its plans cater to keto, paleo, vegan, and vegetarian diets. The recipes marked Fast & Fit are not only calorie-conscious, but ready in just 25 minutes or less – perfect for those busy weeknights when you’re home late from the gym.

Perhaps the only downside – especially when compared to fellow organic service Sunbasket – is that the menu is more limited when it comes to the number of recipes to choose from each week. But this can be beneficial if you aren’t especially picky and you don’t want to spend much time making choices.

Get the full scoop on how Green Chef works in our full-length review.

Easy-to-follow recipe cards are included, along with prepped ingredients and mixed spice blends and sauces to make cooking a breeze.

Servings from Green Chef start at $6.00.

7. Diet-to-Go – Best Calorie-Controlled Meal Plan

Key Features

• Portion-controlled – great for athletes on rigorous diets

• Nutritionally balanced – cover all your macronutrients

• Four plans to choose from – Balance, Balance-Diabetes, Keto-Carb30, and Vegetarian

• Current deal: Save 50% Off 

Diet-to-Go offers prepared meals that are flash-frozen to ensure all the nutrients are maintained. This service allows you to enjoy calorie-controlled meals without having to worry about what to eat week after week.

All the meals provided follow either a 1,200 or 1,600 calories per day plan, and are based on a nutritionally balanced scale comprising 50% carbohydrates, 25% protein, and 25% fat.

The plans include keto and diabetes-friendly options, as well as a vegetarian one. Learn more about each one in our Diet-to-Go review.

By subscribing, you also gain access to a registered dietitian, nutritionist, and certified health coach to help support you in your fitness goals. If you're looking for a community space that’ll help you stay on track – in addition to meal delivery – you're in the right place!

Diet-to-Go prices start at Save 50% Off per serving.

8. Home Chef – Best For Variety & Customization

Key Features

• Premium ingredients – organic proteins available

• Great for families – order up to six servings per meal 

• Easy Prep and Oven-Ready options – lunch ready in 10 minutes

• Current deal: Get 16 Free Meals! 

Home Chef’s recipes are familiar and fast – perfect for when you need a meal in a snap. You can customize your order to feed up to six people at a time, or just have plenty of leftovers to help hit all of your macronutrients through the week.

You can learn more about how Home Chef works in my colleague’s expert review.

There are Carb-Conscious and Calorie-Conscious meals available, and – even better – you can control the protein type and quantity in every dish with the Customize It feature. 

So if you want to double-up on chicken or shrimp, you're able to do so (for an extra charge). Some recipes even allow you to switch the protein altogether or upgrade to organic.

You can also add protein packs to your order, including ground turkey, chicken breast, salmon fillets, and Italian sausages. That's great news for your muscles, right? 

Home Chef servings start at $6.99.

9. Veestro – Best Organic Vegan Meals for Athletes

Key Features

• Wide variety – more than 50 meals to choose from

• Flexible plans – choose 10, 20, or 30 meals when you need them

• Ready in minutes – prepared meals just need to be heated

• Current deal: Save 35% Off! Code: EAT35 

All the ingredients used in Veestro’s meals are organic and plant-based, so it couldn’t be easier for anyone trying to stick to a vegan diet. With tons of dishes to choose from, you’ll find a wide variety of lean, plant-based protein.

With the likes of Venus Williams and Colin Kaepernick often promoting the benefits of a vegan diet, it’s certainly viable for even the most intense competitive training.

Veestro allows you to choose 10, 20, or 30 meals to be delivered at a time. All arrive frozen, which means you can have healthy meals to hand, to help you to transition to an entirely plant-based diet if you’re not quite there just yet.

We go into more detail in this in-depth Veestro review.

Everything is packaged in an insulated box to ensure the meals stay frozen until you receive them. You can use your microwave, oven, or skillet to heat them up.

Meals from Veestro start at $7.16 per serving. 

10. Ice Age Meals – Best Macro-Balanced, Keto-Friendly Meals

Key Features

• Fresh, organic ingredients – free from dairy, gluten, and preservatives

• Build your box – choose 12, 16, 30, or 56 meals

• Sampler options – for those who can’t decide

Ice Age Meals offers keto and paleo meals designed by the company’s head chef, Nick Massie, who is well-known in the CrossFit community. All the dishes are frozen, and free of GMOs, dairy, gluten, and preservatives.

With an extensive menu of 45 dishes and the option to order up to 56 meals at a time, there’s plenty to sift through. Or, if you’re having a hard time choosing, try the sampler boxes and rest assured that the meals will be lean and balanced with all the macros you need.

The menu categories include Keto, Paleo, and Paleo + Rice, and each meal is around 500 calories, so hearty enough to satisfy your body after a challenging training session. 

Prices start at $9.74 per serving.

Quick Comparison Table

Tips for Choosing the Best Meal Delivery Services for Athletes

If you’re not sure what to look for when choosing the best athlete-approved meal delivery service, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Time efficiency: How much time do you have between workouts or training? If you prefer to cook your own meals when you have the time, consider a meal kit service like HelloFresh. If your schedule is tight, prepared meals like the ones from Freshly might be better for you.

• Balanced macros: Let’s be real: as an athlete, what matters most about your food is exactly how much of everything you’re getting. A service like Sunbasket provides the key nutritional info for each meal and ensures everything is perfectly balanced.

• Special dietary requirements: If you have any restrictions or preferences, choose a service that caters to your needs. Sunbasket and Diet-to-Go are both good options here. 

• Generous portions: If you’re training hard, the last thing you want is to lose weight. In order to maintain strength or even bulk up, you need portions tailored to your needs. Home Chef lets you double the protein in each dish if you want.

Bottom Line: Are Meal Delivery Services for Athletes Worth It?

With quick-cook options and set plans, meal delivery services are a great way to help you train hard and stay in shape. They’re also great for helping you save time by cutting out grocery shopping or meal prep entirely.

If time outside of your workouts is limited, rather than spending hours shopping, prepping, and cooking, why not seek out a meal delivery service to take care of all that for you?

All the nutritional information on the ones I’ve listed here is readily available, either directly on the packaging or online, which makes tracking your macronutrients easier than ever.

FAQ

What is a good meal plan for an athlete?

HelloFresh came top of my list as the best meal delivery service for athletes. With its colorful and varied menu, including plenty of calorie-smart and high-protein options, anyone with an active lifestyle is sure to find meals they’ll love week after week.

You even have the option of a family-sized order, which is excellent if you need to feed more people or if you want leftovers for additional meals throughout the week.

What is the best dinner for bodybuilders?

Fresh n’ Lean is my top choice for bodybuilders, with its Protein+ and Bulk menus. You can add additional sides, veggies, and proteins to your order to make sure you’re hitting all your macronutrients in each meal.

What is a good lunch for athletes?

Sunbasket is my top pick for athletes who want quick and easy lunches. Alongside its meal kits, it offers super speedy prepared meals – including paleo and carb-conscious dishes – as well as ready-to-eat proteins, grain and noodle bowls, deli snacks, and more.