Top 9 Meal Delivery Services for a Mediterranean Diet 2022

Like the Mediterranean diet, meal delivery services are becoming increasingly popular with health-conscious people. They can save you time on planning menus and shopping for fresh, healthy foods. But which one is best for you if you follow the Mediterranean diet?

Several services will deliver Mediterranean staples like fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and healthy fats directly to your door as a meal kit with recipes. Some will even pre-chop your vegetables or send you prepared meals you just need to heat and serve – it all depends on how much time you’re willing to spend in the kitchen.

If you’re looking for the best Mediterranean diet meal delivery services, you’re in luck! We think Sunbasket is the best, but the other services on our list all offer excellent Mediterranean options.

Our Best Mediterranean Diet Meal Delivery Services Reviewed

1. Sunbasket – Best Overall Meal Delivery Service for Mediterranean Diets

Sunbasket Best Features

• Optional lunch, breakfast, snack, and grocery items are available

• 100% organic and sustainably harvested ingredients in Sunbasket meal kits

• Fresh & Ready options on the table in a few minutes for busy evenings

• Special Discount for new customers - Get $90 Off & 4 FREE Gifts From Sunbasket

Sunbasket in a Nutshell

Thanks to its dedicated Mediterranean plan offering 6-7 meals per week, Sunbasket wins our award for best Mediterranean diet delivery service. You can learn more in our detailed Sunbasket review.

Sunbasket also offers lunch and breakfast meals as well as grocery items like sustainably raised Faroe Island salmon fillets and raw or precooked organic chicken. If you want to try a new Mediterranean recipe, you can be sure Sunbasket’s ingredients are always top-quality.

Quality comes at a price, and Sunbasket is one of the more expensive meal delivery services on our list. But if you want to live the Mediterranean lifestyle, Sunbasket’s weekly deliveries of fresh organic fruits and vegetables, as well as lean, sustainably sourced proteins, make healthy eating easy and delicious.

2. Home Chef – Biggest Range of Mediterranean Diet-Friendly Meals

Home Chef Best Features

• Over 30 weekly menu choices help ensure you find the meals you want

• Home Chef’s customization options make it the most flexible meal delivery service on the market

• Home Chef meal kits and prepared meals also available at your local Kroger supermarket

• Delivery Rank special discount available – Save $80 Over Your First 4 Orders

Home Chef in a Nutshell

Home Chef doesn’t have a dedicated Mediterranean menu like Sunbasket, but many of its 30+ weekly dishes are well suited to the Mediterranean diet. Home Chef regularly scores high in our rankings, as you can see in our detailed Home Chef review.

Thanks to Home Chef’s Customize It feature, you can make most other meals fit a Mediterranean diet plan with a few swaps here and there. Want to cut back on red meats and eat more fish? Make your Sirloin Steak and Maitre d'Hotel Butter with salmon fillets instead. Love risotto but don’t care for tuna? Order your Ahi Tuna Toscana and Creamy Parmesan Farro Risotto with chicken or salmon instead.

Home Chef sends sustainably sourced and locally harvested ingredients, with some organic options. Its flexibility and wide range of menu offerings make it tough to beat.

3. HelloFresh – Best Seafood and Vegetarian Meals for a Mediterranean Diet

HelloFresh Best Features

• HelloFresh’s customization options can make many of its meals  Mediterranean-friendly

• Wide selection of seafood and vegetarian entrees

• Calorie Smart options for those with weight loss goals

• Delivery Rank special discount available – Get $80 Off + Free Shipping

HelloFresh in a Nutshell

When you choose HelloFresh’s Pescatarian plan, HelloFresh will select seafood and vegetarian entrees for you. Most of these should suit Mediterranean dieters just fine. There are some cream-based sauced in the mix, but the Mediterranean diet recommends moderation in dairy products, not abstinence. See our detailed HelloFresh review for more.

HelloFresh will suggest meals for you based on the plan you’ve chosen but you can manually pick from the whole menu. You can swap out your Chickpea Tinga Tacos for Pecan and Walnut Crusted Chicken and get lean protein along with a serving of nuts. And HelloFresh’s creative vegetarian main dishes and side dishes make it easy to get your recommended daily requirement of vegetables.

While HelloFresh concentrates on bringing you high-quality produce and meats, it offers few organic options. If eating organic is important to you, Sunbasket or Green Chef might be better choices.

4. Green Chef – 100% Organic Mediterranean Meals to Your Door

Green Chef Best Features

• Green Chef is a USDA-certified organic company

• Meal kits from Green Chef arrive with much of the meal prep completed

• Deliveries come in 100% recyclable packaging

• Delivery Rank special discount available – Get $80 Off + Free Shipping

Green Chef in a Nutshell

Green Chef doesn’t have a dedicated Mediterranean plan, but many of its meals are well suited to the Mediterranean diet. Entrees like Italian Shrimp & Creamy “Rice” and Baked Ricotta Chicken with Pesto Green Beans would leave Ancel Keys, founder of the Mediterranean diet, asking for seconds. Our detailed review will tell you more about what to expect from Green Chef.

When you sign up, you have to choose between the Plant-Powered (vegetarian), Balanced Living (omnivore), and Keto + Paleo plans. Each menu gives you nine choices a week and you can only choose meals from your selected plan rather than a mix and match approach. In this way, Green Chef offers less flexibility than many other services.

Meal kits include 100% high-quality organic ingredients. This is an ideal meal kit for beginners in the kitchen (or those pressed for time) as sauces and marinades come fully prepared and many vegetables arrive pre-chopped.

5. BistroMD – Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Meals Designed by a Doctor

BistroMD Best Features

• Gluten-free meals tested to FDA gluten-free standard

• Over 150 chef-prepared menu items on each rotating six-week menu

• Meals contain no MSG, aspartame, or trans fats

• Delivery Rank special discount available – Get 25% Off + Free Shipping

BistroMD in a Nutshell

If you’ve been trying to drop pounds on the Mediterranean diet, BistroMD’s prepared meals can help. Every BistroMD subscription includes free consultations with a dietitian andBistroMD’s five-day or seven-day programs offer both lunch and dinner with optional breakfast.

Licensed dietitians and nutritionists create delicious daily meals that provide all the nutrition you need with only 1,200 to 1,400 calories. Most dishes are compatible with the Mediterranean diet but we go into more detail on the menu in our full BistroMD review.

Losing weight couldn’t be any more convenient as BistroMD’s flash-frozen meals like Blackened Chicken with Creamy Smoked Paprika Sauce need only be reheated. For dieters who take their health seriously, this is a complete professionally designed weight loss program.

BistroMD caters to several other diets, including Gluten-Free, Heart-Healthy, Diabetic-Friendly, and Menopause programs.

6. Blue Apron – Most Affordable Mediterranean Diet Meal Delivery Service

Blue Apron Best Features

• Sophisticated meal offerings at a surprisingly reasonable price

• Blue Apron’s WW partnership means many Mediterranean diet-friendly offerings

• Blue Apron app walks you through the steps as you cook

• Delivery Rank special discount available – Save $110 On Your First 4 Boxes

Blue Apron in a Nutshell

Blue Apron’s Wellness menu was inspired largely by the Mediterranean diet. You’ll find meals like Crispy Skin Salmon and Romesco Lentils with Sweet Peppers and Lemon Yogurt that feature fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. You can read more in our full Blue Apron review.

The Mediterranean diet recommends a glass or two of red wine each day so you could take advantage of Blue Apron’s optional wine delivery to select states. And if you’re dieting to lose weight, Blue Apron has also teamed up with WW (formerly Weight Watchers) to offer low-calorie but nutrition-dense meals.

For all it offers, Blue Apron’s prices are modest. Entrees start at just $7.49 per serving. For around $120 a week, Blue Apron’s Signature for 4 plan provides four tasty and healthy suppers to a four-person family.

7. Purple Carrot – Best Vegan Meal Delivery for a Mediterranean Diet

Purple Carrot Best Features

• Options to add lunch, breakfast, and dessert items

• 100% plant-based Mediterranean diet-friendly meal options

• Purple Carrot offers free shipping on all orders

• Delivery Rank special discount available – Get $20 Off & FREE Delivery

Purple Carrot in a Nutshell

Purple Carrot doesn’t have a dedicated Mediterranean diet plan but all Purple Carrot’s entrees are suitable for people eating the Mediterranean way. They contain lots of fruits, vegetables, and nut proteins with healthy unsaturated fats. Since all Purple Carrot meals are entirely plant-based, they contain no red meat or other animal products. See our full Purple Carrot review for more information.

The menu lets you filter gluten-free, under 600 calories, and high-protein recipes. And Purple Carrot also offers breakfast and lunch options, as well as vegan marshmallows, chocolate, and cheese in its Plantry (for those treat days).

Keeping up on your recommended six to seven daily servings of fruits and vegetables can be tough. Purple Carrot makes eating enough veg easy, with meals like Mediterranean Stuffed Sweet Potatoes and Summer Vegetable Ciabatta.

8. Factor – Best High-End Prepared Meals

Factor Best Features

• Track your Factor meals on MyFitnessPal, Lose It!, Cronometer, and Carb Manager

• Free 20 minute consultation with a diet counselor

• Antibiotic and hormone-free, gluten-free, and non-GMO, guaranteed

• Delivery Rank special discount available – $90 off Over Your First 3 Orders

Factor in a Nutshell

Factor meals start at $11.50, making it the most expensive meal delivery service on our list. However, Factor’s prepared meals have received many positive reviews for their taste and freshness and most run between 500-750 calories. Its weekly menu includes items like Mediterranean Chicken with Chickpea Mash and Vegan Mushroom Marsala with Leek Risotto.

See everything on offer in our detailed Factor review.

Like its parent company HelloFresh, Factor starts by picking menu items for you based on your signup choices. Factor aims at fitness dieters with excellent fish, veggie, and chicken choices. There’s a new menu each week, with filters for ketogenic, spicy, low carb, vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, and other requirements.

You also have the option to order Factor+ add-ons, ranging from pre-cooked Pan Seared Salmon to smoothies, soups, and wellness shots.

9. Diet-to-Go – For Mediterranean Dieters Wanting to Lose Weight

Diet-to-Go Best Features

• Crafted with healthy ingredients to keep blood sugar and cravings stable

• Meals include sides, condiments, and fruit to take the guesswork out of dieting

• Heat-and-eat meals make learning new eating habits easy

• Delivery Rank special discount available – Save $100 on Your First 5 Weeks

Diet-to-Go in a Nutshell

Diet-to-Go recipes are certified by the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association. It doesn’t have a Mediterranean plan but many of its plans can help you lose weight or even manage diabetes. (If you’re diabetic, though, check with your physician before signing up for any meal delivery service.) Our Diet-to-Go review has more info on its healthy prepared meals.

As you might expect from a weight-loss-focused service, Diet-to-Go’s meals are calorie- and portion-controlled. Licensed dietitians create the menu and trained chefs make them. The Keto-Carb30 plan provides no more than 30 grams of net carbs a day and its Balance Diabetes menu clocks in under 45 grams of carbs with meals also lower in fat and sodium.

The focus at Diet-to-Go is more on short-term weight loss than long-term maintenance. Many of its entrees allow you to substitute in Mediterranean-friendly ingredients, and heat-and-eat meals like Harissa Salmon and Basil Parmesan Chicken give you an easy onramp into healthier lifestyle choices.

Best Meal Delivery Services for Mediterranean Diet: Comparison Table

What is the Mediterranean diet?

In the early 1950s, biologist Ancel Keys discovered that men in the United States had a ten-fold risk of heart attacks over Mediterranean men.

Mediterranean men ate a diet rich in olive oil, fruits, vegetables, and pasta with smaller portions of meat, fish, and dairy products. American diets were much higher in saturated fats. 

In 1959, Ancel and Margaret Keys released Eat Well & Stay Well, and in 1975 released How to Eat Well and Stay Well the Mediterranean Way. While those original books focused on Greek, Spanish, and Italian cuisine, newer Mediterranean diet books also incorporate the cuisine of the Levant, North Africa, and Provençal France.

The Mediterranean diet is not a weight-loss diet (though you may lose some pounds simply by cutting out unhealthy food). Instead, it revolves around:

• Daily consumption of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains

• Healthy fats like olive oil

• Weekly intake of fish, poultry, beans, and eggs

• Moderate portions of dairy products

• Limited intake of red meat

Many studies have suggested the Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of diabetes and heart disease, and recent research indicates that it may slow the progression of dementia. The benefits of olive oil, the Mediterranean diet’s primary fat, are also well-documented in numerous studies.

What We Look For in the Best Meal Delivery Services

Meal delivery services offer two primary options: meal kits and prepared meals. Meal kits come with ingredients and instructions for preparation. A prepared meal is, as the name suggests, ready-made. You simply heat it up and you’re ready to go.

The Best Meal Kit Services

Your meal kit arrives with almost all the items you need to cook dinner. However, most meal delivery services expect you’ll have staples like oil, salt, and milk on hand. An instruction card tells you how to turn those ingredients into a tasty meal.

When we’re looking at meal kit services, some things we examine closely include:

• Cooking times – Most meal kit meals require 30-60 minutes of preparation. Many services offer quicker kits for busy nights, like Home Chef’s “15-Minute” and “Oven Ready” meal kits.

• Quality ingredients – We look for meal kit services that provide a variety of fresh foods and that offer organic, locally sourced, and sustainably harvested ingredients.

• Clear recipes – Are the kit instructions easy to follow? What level of cooking experience do they require? Does the service’s app provide video instructions or other pointers if you get confused?

The Best Prepared Meal Delivery Services

Post-WWII America saw the rise of “TV dinners” – prepared meals that went from freezer to oven. These meals were high on convenience but lacked everything else. Today’s prepared meals are much more nutritious. They’re prepared fresh and delivered to your door. You simply heat them up or toss them in the freezer for later.

When reviewing prepared meal delivery services, we check things like:

• Fresh or frozen? – Are the meals sent chilled in a refrigerated box or do they arrive frozen? If they’re delivered fresh, how long can they be kept in the freezer?

• Clear ingredient lists – Does the prepared meal delivery service specify any possible allergens like milk or tree nuts? Does it list all ingredients including any preservatives or artificial flavorings?

• Specialization – Does the prepared meal delivery service cater to weight-loss clients like Diet-to-Go? Does it have options for people with specialized needs like diabetics, athletes in training, or people with gluten sensitivities?

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

When rating either prepared meals or meal kits, here are some things we look at.

• Flexible plans, no commitment – If you need to skip a delivery, how easily can you reschedule? If you find the service doesn’t work for you, how difficult is it to cancel your subscription?

• Lots of recipe options – How many menu choices do you have each week, and how many opportunities do you have to customize each menu item to your preferences?

How Mediterranean Diet Meal Delivery Services Work

The Difference Between Regular Mediterranean Diet Meal Plans & Meal Delivery Services

A meal plan can give you Mediterranean recipes and even provide coaching. But they don’t do your shopping for you. A Mediterranean diet meal delivery service plans your meals, provides you with recipes, and delivers the ingredients to your door.

Meal Kits v.s. Prepared Meals: Which is Right For You?

Meal kits from services like Blue Apron arrive in a box containing your ingredients and a recipe card explaining how to cook them. You’ll need a kitchen space with basic cookware to make them.

Prepared meals from BistroMD and Diet-to-Go come fully prepared. When you open the box you find a single-serving tray that resembles an airline meal. But unless you spend a lot of time in first class, these meals are tastier than anything you’re going to eat in flight! They can usually be heated in the microwave or oven.

Meal kits take longer and require more effort than prepared meals that only need to go in the microwave. But meal kits offer you a chance to add your own cooking touches in preparation or leave out any ingredients you don’t like. You can toss a little extra thyme or leave out the chili if you like milder food. With prepared meals, what you get is what you eat.

Some meal delivery services, like Sunbasket, offer both so you don’t have to choose between one or the other. Green Chef splits the difference by sending you meal kits with pre-chopped vegetables and prepared sauces.

Mediterranean Diet Delivery Service Plans Explained

When you sign up for a meal delivery service, you select how many people you’ll be feeding and how many dinners you want to order per week. You then choose your meals from the menu.

Some services take an a la carte approach. You go through their menu and pick out the meals you find most appealing. Others offer plans catered toward specific needs and diets. These plans ensure you only get meals suited to your diet and save you from scrolling through screens of irrelevant options.

Many meal delivery services take a middle-of-the-road approach. They’ll make automatic choices for you based on your preferences, then let you edit the menu to make changes.

Mediterranean Diet Meal Delivery Service Prices

Prices usually depend on two variables:

• How many servings? – The price per serving generally goes down the more meals you order.

• What did you order? – While Home Chef’s salad entrees start at $6.99 per person, premium Culinary Collection meals like Scallop and Mushroom Risotto with Garlic and Parmesan can cost as much as $20.99.

A two-person household ordering four meals a week from Green Chef’s Balanced or Plant-Powered menus will pay $11.49 per serving, or $22.98 a meal. Add in $8.99 shipping and you’re spending over $100 a week.

A four-person household on Blue Apron’s Signature for 4 menu will pay $7.49 a serving for four meals a week, or $29.96 a meal. Shipping is free so you’ll pay around $120 a week. (Blue Apron’s Signature for 2 plan charges $9.99 a serving).

How Mediterranean Meal Service Shipping Works

When you sign up for a delivery service you usually get the option to select your delivery day. Some services offer more delivery days than others depending on where you live. Your zip code and distance from the nearest distribution center may also mean you have fewer days to pick from. Shipping costs vary and some services offer free delivery with minimum orders.

Your meals arrive in insulated boxes that will keep your food cool (or frozen) for a while. Packaging styles vary, but the meal delivery service industry has got chilled shipping down to a science. You don’t have to panic if you get stuck in traffic – your meal kits will be fine when you get home.

How to Pause, Skip, or Cancel Your Orders

The specific cancellation process varies between services but it’s usually quite simple. For example, with Home Chef, you go to your app, navigate to Your Upcoming Orders, scroll to the week you want to be removed from your schedule, and click Skip Week. You can also go to Edit Meals and click Skip this Delivery. Home Chef sends a confirmation email and the process is complete.

If you want to pause, skip, or cancel an order, make sure you get your request in before the cut-off time for that particular service lest you get stuck with a bill and a box of food you didn’t want.

When is a Mediterranean Diet Meal Service NOT Right For You?

The Mediterranean diet has many health benefits, but it’s not a substitute for medical care. If you have a condition like diabetes or Crohn’s you should check with your doctor before any radical diet changes.

While many of these delivery services offer meals with gluten-free ingredients, they still might cause problems if you have severe celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. You should contact the service directly to ensure it explicitly avoids all gluten cross-contamination.

Bottom Line: Is a Mediterranean Diet Meal Delivery Service Worth It?

Short answer: Absolutely.

Long answer: Meal delivery can be expensive, especially services that cater to specialized diets. But your time is valuable too, and meal delivery services will save you the headache of shopping and meal planning. Mediterranean diet meal delivery services are also cheaper and far healthier than most takeout meals.

If you want to improve your kitchen skills, or if you’re just getting started on the Mediterranean diet, a meal delivery service can introduce you to new cooking techniques and ingredients.

To learn more about meal delivery services, check out our list of the Best Meal Delivery Services of 2022.

FAQ

Which meal delivery service is best for the Mediterranean diet?

Because of its plan specifically tailored for the Mediterranean diet, Sunbasket is our top choice. You can also easily search the weekly menu using the Mediterranean Diet Type filter.

Does Blue Apron have a Mediterranean diet plan?

With lean proteins and emphasis on fresh fruits and vegetables, Blue Apron’s Wellness meals are strongly inspired by the Mediterranean diet. Blue Apron also offers WW Meals for those dieting for weight loss.

How much does the Mediterranean diet plan cost?

If you sign up for the Mediterranean menu at Sunbasket, prices start at $10.99 per serving for meal kits. Green Chef’s Plant Powered meal kits start at $9.99. If you order from Blue Apron’s Wellness Menu on its Signature For 4 plan, meals are $7.49 a serving. 

How do you plan a Mediterranean diet?

One of the best ways to plan a Mediterranean diet is by letting someone else plan it for you! A meal kit delivery service provides the ingredients and recipes you need to eat the Mediterranean way and can help you master the ins and outs of your new diet.