10 Best Meal Delivery Services in Austin 2023: Updated! 

When you’re living in one of America’s fastest-growing cities, it's not uncommon to have a full schedule. Between the hustle and bustle of work and enjoying that Texas sunshine, it feels like there’s hardly enough time in the day to plan what you’re going to have for dinner.

Whether it’s just because you don’t have time to grocery shop, or you’re looking for an easier way to stick to a diet plan, meal delivery services can make life easier. I’ve even done the heavy lifting for you by listing the best out there right now.

I’ve tried, tested, and researched the best in Austin to bring you my top 10. While Home Chef wins the top spot for me thanks to its excellent customization options and range of meal types, every meal delivery service on this list has something to offer hungry Austinites. 

The Best Meal Delivery Services Reviewed

1. Home Chef – Best Overall Meal Delivery Service in Austin

Key Features

• Customize-It lets you swap, upgrade, or double-up on protein

• 25+ recipes available per week

• Dietary options include carb-conscious, and calorie-conscious

• Current deal: 75% Off Your 1st Box + 60% Off Your 2nd and 3rd Boxes!

As well as offering one of the most customizable meal delivery services out there, Home Chef is also easy to use, allowing you to be organized as you plan your week in food. 

It’s also an excellent choice for families, with options for up to six servings per meal, and busy individuals who just want something that’s quick to prepare. 

Home Chef’s secret weapon is its Customize-It feature. For example, the Garlic Sesame Pork Tacos (pictured) can be ordered with ground beef, shrimp, steak, or chicken if you prefer. You can also double-up on the portion size if you’re someone who likes plenty of leftovers! 

Our reviewer gave Home Chef high marks across the board, simply because this service does so many things well. 

Whether you want a premium meal kit for a special dinner with a friend, oven-ready meals or speedy 15-minute meal kits for busy weeknights, Home Chef has it covered.

2. Blue Apron – Best Meal Kits For Those Who Like to Host

Key Features

• Optional wine subscription 

• 19 recipes each week

• Dietary options include vegetarian, diabetes-friendly, and low-calorie

• Current deal: Enjoy $130 off across your first 6 orders

Whether you’re new to cooking or a seasoned pro, Blue Apron is a great way to elevate your kitchen skills thanks to its straightforward-yet-impressive recipes and varied menu.  

With a typical cooking time of 20-30 minutes per dish, Blue Apron meal kits are perfect for busy Austinites who want to enjoy restaurant-quality meals from the comfort of their own home. 

And, as well as a globally-inspired Signature and Vegetarian menu, you can also pick dishes from the Wellness plan, which offer lower-calorie ingredient alternatives and sync up with WW SmartPoints.

If you like a glass of something with your meals, Blue Apron also offers wine subscriptions that come with pairing and tasting tips. In fact, our reviewer was impressed with Blue Apron’s affordable wine selection – citing it as a great way to impress guests. 

Blue Apron also has some prepared meals on the menu – great for busy weeknights or for when you want to take a quick and tasty microwave lunch to the office.

3. Green Chef – Best Organic Meal Kits in Austin

Key Features

• USDA-certified organic 

• 30 recipes available each week

• Dietary options include keto, paleo, and plant-based

• Current deal: Get $250 Off + Free Shipping

Green Chef offers a flexible menu and allows you to choose the perfect plan and meal frequency for your lifestyle. You’ll find new recipes to choose from each week, offering only the freshest, seasonal produce and humanely-raised proteins available.

Green Chef is an especially good choice for people on specialized diets, too. Our reviewer, who tried Green Chef for themselves at home, reported that it has “one of the best keto- and paleo-friendly menus in the game”. While the company’s Plant-Powered menu is great for vegans and vegetarians.

All the meals are quick and easy, thanks to a select number of pre-measured and prepared ingredients, sauces, and seasonings. Impressive and healthy meals like the Almond-Crusted Barramundi (pictured) can be ready in just 35 minutes. 

I also love that Green Chef’s sleek, eco-friendly packaging keeps ingredients organized and helps cut down on waste.

4. HelloFresh – Best Meal Kits For Beginners

Key Features

• Tons of variety 

• 30+ recipes on the menu per week

• Dietary options include carb-smart, calorie-smart, vegetarian, and pescatarian

• Current deal: Get 25 free meals + free shipping + 3 surprise gifts

HelloFresh – the world’s largest meal delivery service – has mastered the art of providing meals that appeal to a wide audience. With high-quality ingredients and sustainably sourced proteins, HelloFresh meals are tasty, nutritious, and environmentally responsible. 

Every week, the service offers more than 30 easy-to-follow recipes with a blend of familiar, family-friendly meals and classics with a global twist. My colleague gave HelloFresh a try at home and admitted that “the final results looked impressive and I was surprised I’d made such tasty meals.”.

Some of the recipes come with customization options, too, and you’ll get some suggestions from HelloFresh based on the plan you’ve chosen. You can accept these choices or customize your box.

Plans like Veggie, Family Friendly, and Fit & Wholesome let you browse the meals that fit your needs, but you can order meals outside that list if you choose. The flexibility is what makes it so great. 

5. Purple Carrot – Best Vegan Meal Delivery Service in Austin

Key Features

• Plant-based breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks 

• 16+ dishes on the menu each week

• Dietary options include gluten-free, nut-free, and high protein

• Current deal: Get $30 Off with code carrot30

Austin has one of the best vegan restaurant scenes in Texas, but plant-based diners can still be limited in terms of choice. That’s not the case with Purple Carrot, because everything on the menu is 100% vegan-friendly.

Not vegan? No problem. Even if you just want to cut down on your animal protein intake, Purple Carrot’s meals (like the One Pot Chili Pie dish, pictured) will satisfy even the most dedicated of omnivores – take a look and see for yourself! 

We could all stand to eat more vegetables, and Purple Carrot makes it easy. Our reviewer tried Purple Carrot at home and praised its delightfully diverse collection of recipes.

There are around eight meal kits and eight prepared meals on the menu each week, plus a small selection of breakfast options (think chia puddings and decadent filled bagels), super-speedy lunches, and even snacks and store-cupboard staples from the Plantry. 

6. Marley Spoon – Best Family-Friendly Meal Kits in Austin

Key Features

• The first carbon-neutral meal delivery service

• 45+ meal kits to choose from per week

• Dietary options include vegetarian, vegan, no added gluten, and more 

• Current deal: Get $190 off Your First 4 Boxes!

You might expect the meal kits from Martha Stewart to feature lots of sophisticated ingredients and techniques that challenge your culinary skills. But after reviewing Marley Spoon at home, my colleague revealed that “the step-by-step methods made it easy to create Martha Stewart-level dishes in my own kitchen.”

Marley Spoon’s recipes certainly make cooking impressive meals easy. As well as a good selection of vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options, Marley Spoon also offers diverse  family-friendly and kid-friendly meals that’ll please even the pickiest of eaters. 

And while you also might expect to pay a premium price for Martha’s meal service, Marley Spoon is, in fact, very reasonably priced with meals starting at just $2.99 per serving with our deal. 

If you want to learn new skills and impress the whole family with new and exciting dishes, this meal delivery service is a great way to do just that! 

7. Freshly – Best Prepared Meals in Austin

Key Features

• Prepared in a gluten- and peanut-free facility

• 40+ meals to choose from, plus sides

• Dietary options include low-carb, low-calorie, and plant-based

• Current deal: Get $175 off your first 7 boxes!

Freshly is a prepared meal delivery service that’s an excellent option for busy singles, gym-goers, and those with limited kitchen skills or equipment. Choose from more than 40 different meals on the menu (which changes occasionally) and filter for dishes that are plant-based, gluten-free, low-sodium, and more.

The meals are also carb- and calorie-conscious, so they’re great for people who are trying to stick to a particular type of diet, as our our reviewer found out. 

If you want to have healthy, ready-to-eat meals to hand, Freshly is a great option since the dishes promise to be low in sugar with zero additives or nasties – a rare find when it comes to microwave meals! Keep them in the fridge and heat up whenever you need. 

8. Fresh and Easy – Best Quick-Prep Meals in Austin

Key Features

• Home Chef’s line of easy-prep meals

• 14+ dishes per week

• Dietary options include calorie-conscious and carb-conscious

• Current deal: Get 16 Free Meals!

With so much going on in Austin, it can be difficult to find the time to prepare supper. Luckily, even with those late nights, Home Chef’s Fresh and Easy line couldn’t be simpler to make. 

Fresh and Easy meals come portioned, chopped, and ready to cook. Dishes like the Shrimp a la King Risotto (pictured) come with an aluminium pan included, so all you need to do is assemble and bake. As our reviewer put it, you’ll “save loads of time and hassle!”

The recipes might be quick, but that doesn’t mean they sacrifice flavor. And, for those nights when you want to cook up something a bit fancier, you can still mix and match across Home Chef’s other menus to order in its traditional meal kits and Culinary Collection recipes. 

9. EveryPlate – Best Affordable Meal Kits in Austin

Key Features

• Meals from $1.49 per serving

• 21 recipes per week, plus extras

• Dietary options include vegetarian

• Current deal: $1.39/meal On Your 1st Box

While EveryPlate is the least expensive meal delivery service on my list, its filling comfort food will warm your heart and stick to your ribs. Our reviewer put EveryPlate to the test at home and said it was “a fantastic budget option for any household.”.

So how does EveryPlate do it? Well, the menu largely sticks to more pared-back ingredients and the company does little in terms of fancy packaging and ad campaigns. 

Adventurous eaters might find some of the meals a bit pedestrian and there are no offerings for specialized diets. But if you’re looking to feed the whole family on a budget, or especially picky eaters, you can find a lot to love about EveryPlate. 

While EveryPlate is not well-suited to vegans, the VeggiePlate menu is a bargain for vegetarians looking to enjoy tasty meals, like the Brussel Sprout & Shallot Flatbreads (pictured). Plus, the premium line brings you meals like Steak Frites with Roasted Garlic Butter for under $9 a serving!

10. Grubhub – Contact-Free Food Delivery in Austin

Key Features

• Free delivery on orders over $12 with Grubhub+

• Order from more than 500 Austin restaurants

• Good selection of perks and discounts available

Grubhub coveniently lets you order from your favorite local restaurants directly from your phone. Check out its website or user-friendly app to see which participating Austin restaurants deliver through Grubhub to your home. 

Known for offering frequent deals, Grubhub has a standard delivery fee – typically under $7. Or you can opt-out of delivery fees altogether with a monthly subscription to Grubhub+ for just $9.99 per month. You can also try Grubhub+ for free with a two-week trial.

Grubhub delivery is based on the restaurant network it serves in your area. For Austin, you can easily find food delivery 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including healthier dinner and lunch options like the bowls (pictured) from Galaxy Cafe. 

Quick Comparison Table

Tips for Choosing the Best Meal Delivery Service in Austin

With so many different meal delivery services to choose from, Austinites may find themselves confused as to which one is right for them. Here are my tips on finding the perfect fit: 

• Prepared meals or meal kits? Meal kits are a great opportunity to learn new recipes and techniques, but if you find you’re often short on time or lack kitchen space, prepared meals that you can heat-and-eat on the go/in record time might better suit your lifestyle. 

• Know your budget, but be flexible: Price is important, but it’s not the only thing. If the price of a latte is the difference between meals your family loves to eat and meals they tolerate, it’s a worthwhile investment. 

• Know your dietary needs: There are many services out there that offer meals especially for those on keto, paleo, gluten-free, and even plant-based diets. Seek out a service like Green Chef or Freshly which can cater to your needs.

• Don’t be afraid to switch. It may take some time to find a service that works for you. All the services on my list have easy cancellation policies, so feel free to shop around until you’re satisfied. 

Bottom Line: Are Meal Delivery Services in Austin Worth It?

They definitely are! 

Planning meals and shopping for groceries takes time that you could be spending with family and friends, enjoying the city’s social activities. Having meals or recipes delivered to your door ensures that you’re still eating delicious, nutritious food with minimum effort. 

In addition to saving you time and money, meal delivery services can help you stick with a specific diet plan and manage your dietary requirements. Prepared meals offer the ultimate in convenience, while meal kits can save the hassle of sourcing ingredients – and still help build your confidence in the kitchen.

FAQ

What is the best meal delivery service in Austin? 

Home Chef wins our award for the best meal delivery service in Austin thanks to its wide-ranging menu and customization options. While Home Chef may not be the ideal choice for those on more specialized diets, we think most Austinites will be entirely pleased with its crowd-pleasing recipes. 

What is the best prepared meal delivery service in Austin?  

Our pick for Austin’s best prepared meal delivery service is Freshly. Freshly’s prepared meals are delivered fresh (never frozen, though they can be for your convenience) and are created in consultation with in-house chefs and nutritionists. Busy singles and fitness-conscious Austinites will especially love these. 

What is the healthiest meal delivery service in Austin?

Green Chef, the first USDA-certified organic meal delivery service, is one of the healthiest meal delivery services in Austin. Green Chef’s meals average less than 675mg of sodium per dish, making them especially good for people watching their blood pressure, plus there’s a wide range of keto and paleo options, and plant-based meals too.