10 Best Meal Delivery Services In Denver 2023: Easy & Healthy

Meal delivery services can help you avoid grocery shopping and take the hassle out of choosing meals and prepping ingredients. Some will even deliver fully prepared meals to fill your fridge for the week.

I’ve curated a selection of the best meal delivery services in Denver, so all you have to do is choose from the list. You’ll find a selection of the best meal kit and microwave-ready meal delivery services that cover a wide range of dietary needs and cuisine preferences.

Blue Apron wins my top spot for its overall great service features and healthy gourmet recipes. And have no fear, every service on my list has something to offer hungry Denverites. Curious? Read on and learn how you can eat faster, better, and healthier!

The Best Meal Delivery Services in Denver Reviewed

1. Blue Apron – Best Overall Meal Delivery Service for Denver

Blue Apron’s Signature menus are available for 2 and 4 people, and these are great for omnivores. Blue Apron also offers diabetes-friendly meals and a Vegetarian menu for couples.

It has a great Wellness plan that makes dieting much less of a chore. The restaurant-quality, WW-approved meals come in at just 530 calories per serving. The Spanish-Spiced Chicken with Currant Couscous, Vegetables, and Labneh (pictured above) is just one of the many offerings you can try.

My colleague who reviewed Blue Apron found it one of the best services for beginners. You can find the complete recipe on the website and read through each step in advance, or click the Cook Along button for a slideshow version of your recipe – with pictures. There are even some videos available.

Most recipes need about 25 to 30 minutes of prep time, but you can also choose from 3 microwave-ready meals each week that only take 5 minutes to heat. Prepared meals include all the same high-quality ingredients as Blue Apron's meal kits, with recipes like Miso-Sesame Chicken with Brown Rice and Vegetables.

What I like about Blue Apron's service is that it sells its custom spice mixes, offers wine pairings, and even sells kitchen utensils. Blue Apron is known for its seasonings, in which you'll find a range of flavors from Cajun to Togarashi. Plus, if you find a kitchen utensil you don't own that's needed for a recipe you just ordered, you can buy it from Blue Apron's Market.

Blue Apron prioritizes ingredient quality by ensuring proteins are humanely sourced and produce is sustainably farmed. So you can eat high-quality recipes without worrying about added hormones or antibiotics in your food.

There are some customization options available, but they could be better. Usually, you’ll just get the choice to swap a protein. Customizing recipes for allergies or other diets like paleo, keto, or gluten-free isn’t possible unless you want to make swaps from your own pantry. 

The shipping materials are only about 85% recyclable. If you order meal delivery regularly, that 15% can really add up. You'll find clear guidelines on the website about how to recycle each packaging piece, but this level of recyclability doesn't compare with other services like Marley Spoon, which is a 100% carbon-neutral service.

That said, you'll have little-to-no food waste from your delivery since ingredients are pre-portioned for each recipe. And if you have no food allergies and don't mind spending about 30 minutes food-prepping for a home-cooked dish, Blue Apron is a great option.

Blue Apron's minimum order is 2 meals of 2 servings each per week, but you're free to order as many as 4 meals of 4 servings each per week. Pricing starts at around $5.74 per serving for the maximum order.

2. Factor – Best Healthy Microwave-Ready Meals

Registered dietitians design and approve all of Factor's microwave-ready meals, ensuring each recipe has a healthy balance of macronutrients. So all you busy Denverites can rest easy eating Factor's meals on those on-the-go days when you only have a few minutes to prepare your meals.

You can even schedule a complimentary session with a registered dietitian (RD). Most services only allow you to do this after you order, but with Factor, you can speak with an RD before. This free consultation is great for those of you who need to ensure that Factor's meals are right for your dietary needs.

I like Factor’s meal plans because they cover a wide range of diets. The 5 plans include High Protein, Keto, and Vegetarian, which you can mix and match as you prefer. 

Meals are prepared by professional chefs and delivered fresh – never frozen. The menu changes weekly and includes 35 recipes and 40+ add-ons each week. The cuisine is primarily American and Mediterranean. 

Factor prioritizes sourcing high-quality, humane, and sustainably grown ingredients. Each recipe is made with non-GMO and mostly organic produce. All poultry and eggs are cage- and antibiotic-free, all meats are pasture-raised or grass-fed, and the salmon is sustainably sourced.

Add-ons are best for people eating keto and not great for vegans, since many of Factor's extras are keto-friendly desserts, meal bundles, and smoothies with milk bases. You'll find keto-friendly desserts like Strawberry-Mascarpone Cheesecake, Peanut Butter-Chocolate Macaroons, and a Chocolate Brownie Shake. Vegans will be better off trying Green Chef, instead.

Regardless of your diet, you'll find something on the main or add-on menus. Each recipe is tagged according to which of the 5 plans it best accommodates. My colleague found the colored tags on the menu really easy to navigate when they reviewed Factor. 

Plus, Factor's recipes are integrated into the most popular food tracking apps: LoseIt, Carb Manager, and MyFitnessPal, so you can easily record your Factor macros. For ultimate convenience, you can even order up to 18 meals per week and round those out with protein smoothies for a complete week of fully prepared meals.

Factor's shipping materials are industry-standard recyclable. You can reuse gel packs and meal trays and recycle cardboard, plastics, and insulated liners according to the recycling system in your zip code.

Ordering and managing your Factor subscription is super easy, too. You can download the iOS and Android-compatible mobile App from the App Store or Google Play, or sign up via the desktop website. The FAQ is simple to navigate, the chatbot provides accurate responses, and the 24/7 live chat is very convenient for last-minute questions or order change requests.

The minimum order is 6 meals per week with a maximum order of 18. Pricing starts at $6.19 per serving for the maximum order.

3. HelloFresh – Most Diverse Meal Kits For Denverites

HelloFresh is the world’s largest meal delivery service. When you sign up, you can select from 6 meal plans including Meat & Veggies, Veggie, Family Friendly, Fit & Wholesome, Quick & Easy, and Pescatarian. You can mix and match plans for a greater variety of options.

You’ll find 60+ meal kit recipes on the menu each week. These are primarily American cuisine with some Mediterranean and Mexican influences. Recipes range from crowd-pleasing favorites like Mushroom and Chive Risotto (pictured) to date night-worthy premium picks like Garlic Herb Butter Shrimp and Lobster Tails.

If you’re on a specialized diet like keto or paleo, you won’t find much on this menu. As a low carb/keto eater, I wouldn’t choose HelloFresh to fill my fridge. It’s possible to read through each recipe and determine whether macronutrients match my diet, but that’s too much hassle. Green Chef would be a better pick if you follow a specialized diet. 

Most recipes take about 30 minutes to prepare, but prep times range from 10 to 50 minutes. For busy nights, HelloFresh also offers One-Pot Wonder and Quick & Easy meals, which only take 10 to 15 minutes of prep time.

You’ll also find 4 or 5 recipes tagged “10-minute lunches” each week, which are usually salads and sandwiches. The BBQ Pulled Pork Sando with Gouda, Pickles, and Slaw only takes 10 minutes to prep, which isn’t only time-friendly for busy families but a crowd-pleaser for kids.

HelloFresh labels its most popular recipes with a yellow Hall of Fame tag and lists them at the beginning of each weekly menu. If you’re unsure what to choose on your first order and are open to trying something new, you can fill your order with these top-rated options after you’ve created your account.

Ingredients arrive pre-portioned and separated according to each recipe, but they still require some chopping, trimming, washing, patting dry, seasoning, and frying. HelloFresh sends you a binder in your first order, and 3-hole punches each recipe card to keep as future reference.

If there’s a problem, HelloFresh’s customer support team is there to help. Our reviewer tested HelloFresh’s service and found that its customer support was “hands-down outstanding.”

HelloFresh’s minimum order is 2 recipes for 2 people per week, and you can get up to 6 recipes for 4 people per week. As you toggle through prices, you’ll see that per-serving prices decrease as you order more meals. Pricing for the biggest order starts at $3.32 per serving.

4. Green Chef – Best Certified Organic Meals in Denver

All Green Chef meal kits are super healthy and take around 30 to 45 minutes to prepare.  The recipes are adventurous and feature a wide variety of world cuisines, however, they’re still easy to follow as meal kits arrive with pre-prepared sauces and seasonings, and pre-portioned produce.

You can choose from 7 diet plans, including Keto, Protein Packed, Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, Mediterranean, and Fast & Fit. Fast & Fit meals are calorie-conscious and only take around 25 minutes of prep time.

Whatever diet plan you choose, you can order any of Green Chef’s weekly recipes. Plans are more like filters than they are limitations on what you order. Though the meals on your plan will show up at the top of the list, you can order from the whole menu.

Keto dieters will love Green Chef’s meal selection, with offerings like Spicy Tunisian Chicken with Pistachio Cauliflower Rice and Spicy Lemon Carrots (pictured). Its plant-based menus will keep vegans and vegetarians satisfied, too.

While Green Chef is one of the more expensive services, new customer discounts help. And as our Green Chef reviewer notes, “the premium cost makes sense when you consider the quality of the ingredients.” All eggs and produce are organic, all seafood is sustainably harvested, and all meats are humanely raised.

Ingredients arrive pre-portioned and packaged according to the recipe, and each recipe is separated into recyclable paper bags. I like when services pre-portion recipes because that leaves me with very little food waste. It’s also super convenient for meal prep.

Our reviewer noted prep time took an extra 15 to 20 minutes longer than estimated for each recipe. Despite the extra prep time, though, the recipes are simple to follow. Novice chefs just might want to factor in a little extra time to get dinner on the table. 

Prices start at $5.99 per serving, which is much more affordable than organic salad takeout, but it's a bit more expensive than grocery shopping and prepping on your own. You can order 6 to 24 servings per week.

5. Home Chef – Best Overall Meal Delivery Service in Denver

Home Chef’s prices, variety, and customizations are just as competitive as HelloFresh. While it’s hard to beat HelloFresh’s offering of 60+ recipes per week, Home Chef still offers 30+ meal kits of primarily American comfort food with some internationally inspired dishes.

Its meals offer something to please just about everyone. Home Chef’s Crispy Onion-Crusted Chicken and Jalapeño Cornbread Cakes pictured above will satisfy families and sophisticated palates alike. 

Home Chef also scores big points for its Customize-It feature, which lets you swap or double up on proteins in many recipes. You can replace pork with chicken breasts, order an extra serving of salmon filets, or replace ground beef with pork chops. Our reviewer found that customized proteins typically come with an upcharge, so be sure to double-check your order total.

Protein upgrades also include premium cuts of meat like filet mignon or sirloin steak for those wanting to prepare a gourmet meal. And for the adventurous and creative chefs – you can order enough extras from Home Chef’s menu to create complete meals with proteins, veggies, sides, and desserts.

You can also order a different serving size for each recipe, while most standard meal kit delivery services will only let you choose one serving size for the whole order.

Home Chef loses points because it doesn’t cater to specialized diets, including vegetarians. While you can customize proteins, you can’t exclude or exchange other ingredients. This service is best for omnivores who have no allergies or special dietary needs.

I like that you can choose your weekly delivery day. Many areas have Monday through Friday delivery day options, but you’ll need to type in your zip code to see which days are available to you. You can even sign up to receive text message updates directly from the carrier, or check your delivery status via Home Chef’s mobile app.

Prices start at $7.99 per portion, and you can order 2 to 6 recipes per week for 2, 4, or 6 people. That gives you 4 to 36 portions per week, which is about 12 more portions than the average meal delivery service!

6. Fresh and Easy – Home Chef’s Quick Prep Meal Delivery Service

Fresh and Easy is a selection of Home Chef’s easiest recipes, which is great for you Denverites who are pressed for time. Fresh and Easy meals come portioned, chopped, and ready to cook. Our Fresh and Easy reviewer found that they saved loads of time and hassle.

These recipes typically take 15 minutes or less to prep. The Salmon and BLT Salad with Tuscan Herb Butter pictured above is worthy of a date night, yet can be prepared in just 15 minutes.

What I find convenient is that you can still order from Home Chef’s entire menu if you feel like cooking something more complicated. Home Chef’s menu includes 20+ recipes per week, which expands your recipe options. You’re free to mix and match Fresh & Easy and Home Chef meals as you please and add any extras from Home Chef’s main menu.

Fresh and Easy is one of the services with the easiest meal prep options next to meal delivery services like Factor, which only offer microwave-ready meals. You can choose from all the Home Chef extras including more easy prep and fully prepared meals like premixed salads, breads, frittatas, soups, and sides. You’ll even find microwave-ready desserts like a Blueberry Lemon Butter Cake.

You can also customize proteins in recipes just as you can on the Home Chef menu. So you can swap fish for meat in some meals.

However, there’s a downside to Fresh and Easy’s menu. You won’t find specific diet plans on Fresh and Easy or Home Chef’s menu. If you follow keto, paleo, or vegan diets, you might want to select a different service on this list, like Green Chef. You might find some recipes that fit your diet, but you’ll have to sift through ingredient cards on the main menu to find them.

Your minimum order is also the exact same as Home Chef – 2 recipes for 2 people per week, and the maximum is 6 recipes for 6 people. Prices are the same as Home Chef’s and start at $7.99 per serving if you go with the maximum order.

7. BistroMD – Calorie-Conscious Plans Designed by Dietitians

All BistroMD meals are low calorie and designed by a Ph.D. dietitian with more than 20 years experience helping people lose weight and her team of registered dietitians who customize your weekly meal plans. BistroMD is ideal for individuals hoping to transition to a low-calorie diet.

Meals are designed to complete a 1,200 or 1,400 calories per-day meal plan. Each meal is around 400 to 450 calories, with calorie counts and nutritional information labeled clearly on each meal. Check out my colleague’s deep dive into BistroMD’s complete meal delivery service in her review.

You can’t make any ingredient swaps within meals since they’re designed to be part of a strictly planned and portioned calorie-conscious diet. BistroMD also doesn’t focus on ingredient sourcing, so you won’t find wild-caught, grass-fed, or organic options on the menu like you might with a service like Green Chef. 

Despite these limitations, you’ll get balanced low-calorie meals made of whole foods. Each meal contains proteins, complex carbs, and healthy fats with macro balances according to the meal plan you choose.

All meals arrive fully prepared and frozen in individually portioned packages, so all you have to do is defrost, heat, and eat. I like how convenient this is since all decisions about food consumption are removed from your daily trips to the fridge. Often the hardest part of following a diet is deciding what to eat for each meal, a decision which this service completely removes.

However, what’s not clear is how long the meals are frozen before they arrive. For this reason, I’m not a fan of services that rely on freezing food. I prefer receiving fresh and never frozen meals, like with Factor.

For each plan, you can choose 2 or 3 meals for 5 or 7 days. If you choose 3 meals for 7 days, that’s 21 meals per week, which removes any thoughts about whether you’ll have a diet-friendly meal in your freezer or fridge. Pricing for the maximum plan of 21 meals comes out to $8.24 per serving.

8. Trifecta – Great Build-Your-Own Meals

Trifecta offers prepared meals including a build-your-own meal plan called Meal Prep. You can create meals from meat and fish, complex carbs like brown rice, and veggies like broccoli and asparagus, which arrive fully prepped using simple ingredients like olive oil, garlic, onion, thyme, and rosemary. 

You’ll also find Classic, Keto, Paleo, Vegetarian, Vegan, and Whole30 plans. Each plan offers breakfasts and entrees that can eaten for lunch or dinner. The maximum order of servings you can have with Trifecta is 21 per week (14 entrees and 7 breakfasts).

Each meal is individually and conveniently portioned in microwave-ready trays. I like when meals arrive in microwave-ready trays because you can easily save food for later and reuse the trays for storing other foods.

Trifecta has zero preservatives and artificial, processed, or refined ingredients in any of its foods, and the produce is rotated seasonally so you get the freshest produce available. You can read more about unboxing Trifecta’s different meal plans here.

The biggest downside of Trifecta’s menu is that you can’t see what recipes are available for each plan except for the Classic plan. The Classic is Trifecta’s a la carte menu from which you can choose 9 recipes that include breakfasts. Some recipes rotate each week and include breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.

Trifecta offers a nutrition-tracking app, which is great for all you health-conscious Denverites who want to track meal macros. All recipes are integrated into the app for easy nutrient tracking, and you can scan barcodes of other products you might add to your meals.

Keep the price in mind, as this can be one of the more expensive services on this list. For a full week of 7 breakfasts and 14 entrees, you’ll pay over $300 per week. Price per serving starts at $6.00.

9. Purple Carrot – Best Vegan Meal Delivery Service in Denver

Everything on Purple Carrot’s menu is 100% plant-based. The Mile-High City has a good vegan restaurant scene, but avoiding unwanted animal products in your food can still be a challenge. Purple Carrot easily meets this challenge with meal kits, prepared meals, and easy-prep kits.

The menu is smaller than most meal kit delivery services, but all recipes rotate each week, so you still get fresh weekly recipe options. There are 12+ meal kit recipes, including 5-minute breakfasts, easy 15-minute lunches, and dinners that are ready in just 30 minutes.

Despite the smaller menu, I find the cuisine options varied, and more for adventurous palates. You’ll find a mix of Mediterranean, Indian, Asian, and Southeast Asian-inspired recipes every week. Each meal kit is packed with veggies, herbs, and spices, and features veggies as the star flavors of each dish.

What I appreciate about Purple Carrot’s menu is its prepared meal options. You’ll find 8 recipes that rotate each week, as well as snacks and pantry staples in the Plantry. That means you can try a different prepared recipe each day of the week, every week.

Purple Carrot’s microwave-ready meals include the same cuisine variety as its meal kit menu. You’ll find options like the Indian-inspired vegan Golden Aubergine Korma with Carrot Biryani. Fully prepared meals come in microwave-ready, recyclable trays – all you have to do is heat in the microwave for 2 to 5 minutes.

I like that Purple Carrot doesn’t rely on meat substitutes for flavor or protein. Instead, it brings vegetables to the foreground, with creative plant combos like Hoisin Tofu Steaks with Sticky Rice and Spinach Poppy Seed Salad, pictured above. After trying Purple Carrot at his home, our (omnivorous) reviewer praised its “diverse collection of recipes inspired by cuisines around the world.” .

Purple Carrot also has a High Protein plan, which has at least 20 g of protein per serving. Finding enough protein on a plant-based diet can be tough, but Purple Carrot’s High Protein plan makes it heat-and-eat level easy.

Pricing for the maximum order starts at $8.50 per serving, while the prepared meals are $13, regardless of the number you order. You can order a minimum of 3 meal kits for 2 people, and a maximum of 3 meal kits for 4 people per week. Prepared meals come as single portions and can be ordered in bundles of 6, 8, or 10 meals per week.

10. Marley Spoon – Learn to Cook Like Martha Stewart

If you want plenty of easy and delicious home-cooked meals, you’ll be satisfied with this menu curated through the partnership between Marley Spoon and Martha Stewart. Most meals are classic American comfort foods, but you’ll find a nice balance of internationally-inspired recipes for the more adventurous palates.

Marley Spoon’s menu boasts 100+ recipes each week, which is well above the average of all the meal delivery services I’ve reviewed! The menu includes entrees, sides, Premium meals, microwave-ready meals, and desserts. This variety is welcome, especially since there aren’t extensive dietary and allergy accommodations.

Recipes arrive as meal kits with all ingredients measured and pre-portioned, so you’ll get exactly what you need. You’ll still need to perform some basic prep like chopping, dicing, and slicing, but cooking instructions are easy to follow.

If you feel like getting fancy, you can select Marley Spoon’s Premium meals, listed at the bottom of the main menu. There are about 35 Premium recipes each week. These include higher-quality cuts of meat, organic ingredients, and richer flavors as you’ll find in the Organic Truffle Butter Steak (pictured).

What’s impressive about Marley Spoon is its attention to being environmentally friendly. First, meals are designed to reduce food waste by providing the exact amount of ingredients each recipe needs. This means less packaging use, less garbage production, and less food waste. My colleague’s in-depth review shows how this service is able to do just that.

Second, Marley Spoon’s service is 100% carbon neutral. Being carbon neutral means that any carbon-based materials used to fuel Marley Spoon’s service are 100% offset by carbon-eliminating projects like planting trees. So all sustainability and environmental preservation-focused Denverites can rest assured that your delivery will have zero carbon footprint.

Marley Spoon has also recently introduced recipe customization. This is not as extensive as Home Chef, but you now have a chance to exchange certain ingredients (usually proteins).

Marley Spoon's entire menu is potentially subject to allergen cross-contamination. People with severe allergies may be better suited to a more specialized meal delivery service.

Impressively, Marley Spoon manages to maintain affordable per-serving prices starting at $2.99. You can order 2 to 6 recipes per week for 2 or 4 people. Given Marley Spoon’s affordable price point, type of cuisine, and maximum order amount, this can be a great service for couples or small families.

Quick Comparison Table

Tips for Choosing the Best Meal Delivery Service in Denver

Since Denver is a dense metropolitan city, you have lots of meal delivery services options. Here are some professional pointers for choosing the meal delivery service that’s right for you.

• Consider your diet: If you have specific dietary requirements, look for a meal delivery service with a dedicated menu. For example, a vegan will do better with 100% plant-based Purple Carrot than a service like Factor that offers 2 or 3 vegan meals weekly and primarily caters to omnivores.

• Prioritize flavor despite minor cost disparities: Everyone wishes to save money, but enjoying your meals is equally important. If the tastier service costs an extra $0.50 per serving compared to the cheaper service, that's just $6 a week extra on a 12-serving plan. Paying $6 a week for culinary delight is definitely worth it.
  

• Consider your culinary skill level: You may want to start with easy prep meals if you’re a complete beginner in the kitchen. Home Chef’s and HelloFresh’s recipes are famously easy to follow and will walk you through cooking basics like chopping, dicing, frying, and baking. Otherwise, you can try Green Chef’s kits that require a bit more culinary experience.

• Try different services: All the services on my list have easy cancellation policies. If you’re curious about another meal delivery service or dissatisfied with your current one, don’t be afraid to try another.

FAQ

What’s the best meal delivery service in Denver?

Blue Apron is my pick for the best meal delivery service in Denver thanks to its high-quality ingredients, easy-to-follow gourmet recipes, and WW-aligned menu. While Blue Apron might not work for people on specialized diets, it’s the best choice for most Denverites.

What’s the best prepared meal delivery service in Denver?

Factor is the best fully prepared meal delivery service in Denver. You can choose from a range of healthy, microwave-ready meals each week across several diets.

What is the most affordable meal delivery service in Denver?

Starting at just $2.99 per serving, Marley Spoon is the cheapest meal kit delivery service on my list. For this price, you’ll get 100+ recipes per week, mostly American comfort cuisine, and decent vegetarian options.

What’s the best paleo meal delivery service in Denver?

Trifecta is the best paleo meal delivery service in Denver since it offers a dedicated Paleo plan using all the high-quality ingredients it offers throughout its entire menu. All meals arrive fully prepared and fresh – never frozen – so you can heat and eat them as soon as they arrive at your doorstep.

What is the healthiest meal delivery service in Denver?

Green Chef is the healthiest meal delivery service in Denver if eating organic is your version of healthy. You can choose from 6 meal plans to match your diet that include Keto, Vegetarian, Vegan, Mediterranean, Gluten-Free, and Fast & Fit (calorie-conscious and prep times of 25 minutes or less).

Best Meal Delivery Service in Denver in 2023 — Final Score