10 Best Meal Delivery Services in California 2023: Ranked

You’re looking for a good meal delivery service in California? You’ve come to the right place. I’ve compiled this list of 10 great meal delivery services in California. The top slot on the list goes to Home Chef, a great meal delivery service that’s customizable and flexible.

If you try out Home Chef’s “Customize It” tool, you’ll see how it allows you to tailor its meals to your liking. With that at its disposal, it’s a tough competitor to beat. It's reasonably priced, endorsed by Rachael Ray, and has a pretty extensive selection.

Of course, if, for some reason, you’re not as impressed by Home Chef as I am, there are nine other options on the list to choose from. So, let’s go through them, one by one.

The Best Meal Delivery Services in California Reviewed

1. Home Chef – Best Meal Delivery Service for Customization in California

Key Features

• Step-by-step recipes for easy cooking

• 25+ different recipes each week

• Meals suitable for different skill levels

• Current deal: Get 60% off your first three boxes

When it comes to flexibility and customization, Home Chef is the go-to meal delivery service. It offers three different menus to choose from: Calorie-conscious, <30 minutes, and Carb-conscious. That may not seem like much, but when you add in the Home Chef Customize-It tool, the sky’s the limit!

Check out this dedicated Home Chef review written by one of my colleagues to learn more about the company. The Customize-It Tool allows you to swap out, double up, or even upgrade any of the proteins in your meal. Want to change chicken out for pork in the Bacon Buffalo-Style Chicken? Not a problem – you can even choose sirloin steaks too.

So, if you’re planning an outing to the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium, check out Home Chef and its Customize-It tool first! You can fill up on a tasty meal like Creamy Chicken and Orzo Soup. It’ll give you the fuel you need to enjoy your sightseeing.

2. Blue Apron – Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service in California

Key Features

• Large Cookbook that lists numerous off-menu recipes

• 29+ unique recipes and Market items every week

• Modest selection of microwaveable meals for a quick heat and eat

• Current deal: Enjoy $110 off across your first 5 orders

When it comes to healthy eating, Blue Apron is one of the top meal delivery services in the country. It offers four quality menu options: Signature for Two, Vegetarian, Wellness, and a Signature for Four plan. Additionally, it’s partnered with WW (formerly Weight Watchers) to provide even better healthy foods for weight control.

See this detailed Blue Apron review my colleague wrote for an even more extensive discussion of the company. Blue Apron also offers customization options for Signature for Two plans (six meals) and Signature for Four plans (three meals). This allows you to add ingredients, swap them out, or upgrade them as appropriate.

It’s all good to know if you’re planning a California trip to Disneyland with the kids. You have to eat healthily and be in top shape. After all, Mickey’s a tough mouse to track down sometimes – and your kids are sure to love him.

3. Green Chef – Best Keto & Paleo Meal Delivery Service in California

Key Features

• Selections can be mix and matched across all meal plans

• 30+ unique recipes each week

• 6 dietary options: Keto & Paleo, Vegetarian, Vegan, Mediterranean and more

• Current deal: Get $250 off + free shipping

Green Chef is well-regarded for its Keto + Paleo menu option. That’s one of the more difficult dietary preferences to come by. Fortunately, though, Green Chef takes that challenge on and fills that absence quite nicely.

See this excellent Green Chef review my colleague wrote to learn more about the company and its offerings. Green Chef meals often contain a number of pre-prepped ingredients to speed up your preparation time. Plus, its produce and eggs are certified organic.

So, if you’re looking to do a tour of Alcatraz Island, fill up on a solid Green Chef meal. Whether it's the Keto + Paleo, Mediterranean, or something else, it’ll give you good fuel for your adventure.

4. HelloFresh – Best Family-Friendly Meal Delivery Service in California

Key Features

• Basic, easily-followed recipes

• 30+ options every week

• 6 different menus: Family-Friendly, Veggie, Meat & Veggie, and more

• Current deal: 18 free meals + first box ships free + 3 surprise gifts with code DR18HF

HelloFresh is well-known as a family-friendly meal delivery service. In fact, it’s even been endorsed by Neil Patrick Harris. It’s also highly regarded as a provider of healthy meal kits. Its ingredients come straight from the farm to give them that authentic flavor and edge.

You can find out more in this dedicated HelloFresh review. My colleague will give you all the info you need. HelloFresh also allows you to upgrade your meals to Gourmet recipes – although that costs a little extra. And you can even get add-ons.

Just think, you can start your family night at the Aquarium of the Pacific and then round off the evening with a HelloFresh meal the whole family can help prep, make, and then eat together. It doesn’t get better than that!

5. Purple Carrot – Best Plant-Based Meal Delivery Service in California

Key Features

• High-protein and gluten-free meals every week

• Offers both microwavable meals and meal kits

• Offers a Celebration box – a 3-course meal

• Current deal: Get $30 off with code carrot30

Throughout the California meal delivery service scene, Purple Carrot is the go-to for plant-based eaters. Whether you’re a vegetarian or vegan, you’ll find Purple Carrot is the perfect meal service for you. Purple Carrot offers dinners, lunches, breakfasts, and even a “Plantry” for plant-based add-ons and snacks.

Go to this well-crafted Purple Carrot review by one of my colleagues to find out more. Purple Carrot is on a mission to get more people to eat more plants. Not only is it healthier for people, but it’s also healthier for the planet, too!

So, if you’re out on an adventure at the Municipal Rose Garden, you can end your day with a tasty plant-based meal from Purple Carrot.

6. Marley Spoon – Best California Meal Delivery Service Endorsed by a Celebrity

Key Features

• Family-friendly and vegetarian recipes available

• 45+ different recipes every week

• Market add-ons

• Current deal: Get $270 off your first 8 boxes!

The TV Kitchen Legend Martha Stewart is the name behind Marley Spoon. And that says a lot to anyone who’s involved in the food business. She adds a variety of signature spice blends, plus a number of superb special recipes.

You can find out more about Martha Stewart and Marley Spoon in this dedicated review by one of my colleagues. Marley Spoon uses trusted suppliers in conjunction with high-quality ingredients to produce tasty, healthy meals.

So, after a day spent at the Getty Center checking out all there is to see, you can come home and prepare one of Martha Stewart’s personally selected recipes. It’s sure to be a big hit – both with you and your family!

7. Freshly – Best California Meal Delivery Service for Prepared Meals

Key Features

• Meals that are shipped fresh

• 40+ unique recipes every week

• Meals sized for a single person

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

The focus of Freshly is to deliver fresh meals, hence the name. Freshly will prepare and cook your meals, and then proceed to ship them in chilled (not frozen) containers. Once you get the meals, you simply have to heat them up in the microwave. This usually only takes about three minutes.

Check out this dedicated Freshly review by one of my colleagues to learn more. Freshly provides step-by-step heating instructions on every package. If you desire, you can heat the meals in an oven – just make sure to swap out the microwave-safe tray with something suitable for oven use.

Imagine, you spend a day at Santa Monica Pier and come home a trifle worn and tired. You need to eat, but just don’t have the energy to cook. You can pop a Freshly meal in the microwave, heat it up, and chow down in just a few minutes.

8. Fresh and Easy – Easiest Meal Delivery Service in California

Key Features

• Offers prepared meals as well as meal kits

• 20+ unique recipes per week

• Virtually no clean-up

• Current deal: Get 60% off your first three boxes!

An offshoot of Home Chef, Fresh and Easy prides itself on providing a simple, easy to understand meal delivery service. It offers five different kinds of meals: Fast & Fresh, Oven Ready, Grill Ready, 15 Minute Meal Kits, and Entree Salads. Each is tailored to a different kind of customer need.

See this dedicated Fresh and Easy review by one of my colleagues to learn more about the company and the meals it offers. One of the company’s biggest selling points is that it makes use of the same “Customize It” tool that you’ll find on the Home Chef site. Awesome, right?

It’ll serve you well if you’re in a rush to see the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway and need something quick and easy to eat. Fresh and Easy gives you options. Try a 15-minute meal kit and you’ll be on your way in no time.

9. EveryPlate – Best Low Price Meal Delivery Service in California

Key Features

• Optional Premium meals

• 17 recipes every week

• Four dietary plans including Meat & Veggie, Veggie, Family Friendly, and Quick & Easy

• Current deal: $1.39/meal on your 1st box

If you’re interested in an inexpensive meal delivery service in California, but you’re on a tight budget, EveryPlate may be the service for you. It’s the lowest-costing meal delivery service I’ve ever reviewed with prices starting at $1.49 per serving.

This dedicated EveryPlate review, by one of my fellow writers, discusses the company and its services in depth. EveryPlate offers four different dietary preferences: Meat & Veggie, Veggie, Family Friendly, and Quick & Easy.

If, after a quick visit to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, you need a tasty, but low-cost meal, look no further than EveryPlate. An EveryPlate meal kit is sure to satisfy without costing too much.

10. Grubhub – Best California Food Delivery Service

Key Features

• Picks-up and delivery food from most nearby restaurants

• Offers a huge number of meals through multiple 3rd parties

• Many dietary options as determined by 3rd parties

As a food delivery service, Grubhub is different from the above-listed meal delivery services.
Grubhub will pick up your meals from nearby 3rd party restaurants and bring them to you. With Grubhub as your go-between, your options are virtually limitless.

Grubhub also offers a few special programs. The first of these is Grubhub+ – a service that waives delivery fees on orders greater than $12. The next program is Grubhub Perks – a service that lets you access special deals and discounts from multiple member restaurants.

So, no matter where you are in California, be it Los Angeles or Sacramento, with Grubhub you have access to a whole host of restaurants and a vast number of special deals. Food is a phone call away!

Quick Comparison Table

Tips for Choosing the Best Meal Delivery Service in California

I’ve created this short list of tips to assist you in doing your own research about Meal Delivery Services in California. Using this information, you can rank any meal delivery service according to your own preferences.

• Customizability: One excellent way to rank a meal delivery service in California is its customizability. A service that lets you tailor the specifics of its meals to your liking deserves high ratings.

• Dietary Options: Another factor to consider when ranking a meal delivery service in California is the number and kinds of dietary options the service offers. If you’re looking for keto food, for example, some services are better equipped to tailor meals to that preference than others.

• Selection: This is somewhat subjective, but usually the more menu items a meal delivery service in California offers, the better. However, it’s possible for a service to offer too many options. That’s rare, but it can happen.

• Price: No matter what meal delivery service in California you pick, price is always an issue. Generally speaking, most people want the lowest possible price without sacrificing quality.

Bottom Line: The Best Meal Delivery Service in California

After comparing and contrasting all the different strengths and weaknesses of all these meal delivery services in California, Home Chef takes the top slot. Its “Customize It” tool gives it a powerful versatility that’s difficult to beat.

It offers over 25 different recipes with varying levels of difficulty. Plus, Home Chef provides easy-to-follow instructions. Considered altogether, the company is a juggernaut.

FAQ

What is the Most Flexible California Meal Delivery Service?

The most flexible California meal delivery service is Home Chef. That’s, basically, the factor that earned it the top spot in this list. It has a great “Customize It” tool that allows you to tailor the proteins on many of its meals.

Which Is the Best California Meal Delivery Service To Lose Weight?

The best California meal delivery service to lose weight is Blue Apron. Blue Apron has partnered with WW (formerly known as Weight Watchers). It offers a number of meals that are officially WW-approved. Plus, it has a Wellness menu that’s also good for health and weight loss.

What Is the Best California Meal Delivery Service for One Person?

The best California meal delivery service for one person is Freshly. Most meal delivery services provide two-person meals. Freshly is different. All its meals are portion-sized for a single person. With Freshly, you can place an order for 12 meals and not eat the same thing twice!