Trying to keep up a social and professional life in mint juleps, Wildcats games, and the Kentucky Derby takes time, and so does planning and cooking dinner. Fortunately, I have a list of Louisville’s 10 best meal delivery services.
Who am I, you ask?
I’m a professional meal delivery service reviewer. In my official capacity, I’ve sampled meals, consulted colleagues, examined ingredient lists, and scoured the web for prices. While Home Chef takes our top spot, every meal delivery service on our list has something to offer.
Vegan University of Kentucky students, working Louisville families, and amateur chefs looking to up their game can all save time and improve their quality of life. Whatever your dietary preferences or needs, we have a meal service – and discounts! – that you’ll love.
Home Chef – Louisville’s best meal delivery service in 2023
Green Chef – Louisville’s best organic meal delivery service
HelloFresh – Louisville’s most efficient meal delivery service
Fresh and Easy – Home Chef’s quick prep meal delivery service
EveryPlate – Louisville’s cheapest meal delivery service
Try out Home Chef meals at your local Kroger supermarket
25+ recipes available per week
Dietary options include Carb-Conscious, and Calorie-Conscious
Current deal: Get 18 Free Meals (50% off your first 4 boxes)!
Home Chef wins our gold medal simply because it does so many things so well. Our reviewer tried Home Chef at her home and declared “Overall, I had a pretty perfect experience.”
Home Chef’s menu gives you an excellent range of choices. You can cook a gourmet-quality meal at home from Home Chef’s Culinary Collection, or enjoy the convenience of their Easy Prep and Oven Ready meals.
But the secret weapon in Home Chef’s arsenal is its Customize-It feature that lets you swap or double up on proteins. You can order the Pretzel-Crusted Glazed Pork Chop pictured above with chicken breasts or salmon filets.
Home Chef also offers breakfasts, desserts, bread, and additional protein packs as add-ons. You can try out Home Chef meal kits at your local Kroger, then take advantage of our special discounts when you subscribe.
Adventurous menu with a wide variety of world cuisines
24 recipes available each week
Dietary options include keto, paleo and plant-based
Current deal: Get $250 off + free shipping
If eating organic is important to you, Green Chef is the first USDA certified organic meal delivery service. All eggs and produce are 100% organic, and all Green Chef meats are humanely raised, often on local and family farms.
Louisville locals on a keto diet will love Green Chef’s keto meals, while vegans and vegetarians will enjoy the plant-based options. But you can choose from any of Green Chef’s weekly recipes and sample a variety of world cuisines.
Green Chef is one of the more expensive services on our list, but our Green Chef reviewer notes “for the extra spend, you’ll get high-quality ingredients, more specialized recipes, and exciting cuisines.” Green Chef’s recipes are easy to follow and meal kits arrive with prepped sauces, produce, and seasonings.
Hall of Fame tag lets you find meals that are customer favorites
30+ recipes on the menu per week
Dietary options include carb-smart, calorie-smart, vegetarian, and pescatarian
HelloFresh is the world’s largest meal delivery service and provides meals to customers from Louisville to Luxembourg and points in-between. This German conglomerate offers a large selection of meals made with locally sourced farm-fresh products and has the art of meal delivery down to a finely-tuned science.
Our reviewer tried HelloFresh for herself and found that its customer service was “hands-down outstanding.” HelloFresh’s filters let you choose recipes by prep and cook time, so you don’t find yourself overwhelmed on a busy night. And since you can order up to six recipes for four people (24 servings) per week, feeding hungry families is a snap.
HelloFresh not only has top-quality food, but it also offers generous portion sizes. When you’re preparing meals like the Apricot-Sumac Chicken pictured above, you’ll be happy to have something left over for tomorrow’s lunch.
Home Chef’s line of easy-prep meals
13+ easy-prep meals per week
Dietary options include Calorie-Conscious and Carb-Conscious
Home Chef’s oven-ready and easy-prep meals have proven so popular that Home Chef has launched Fresh and Easy. Fresh and Easy delivers Home Chef’s easiest recipes so that you and your family can enjoy supper without worries about prep or cleanup time.
As our Fresh and Easy reviewer puts it, “you’ll save loads of time and hassle!” And if you feel like cooking something more complicated, you still can order regular Home Chef meal kits on the Fresh and Easy plan.
Meal kits on the Fresh and Easy plan come portioned, chopped, and pretty much ready to cook. You may have to throw a few ingredients together or do some basic prep, but in under 30 minutes, you’ll be enjoying meals like the Creamy Tuscan-Style Chicken Pasta pictured above.
Tasty, convenient meals at an exceptional price
18+ unique recipes per week
Menu options include VeggiePlate, Family Friendly, Quick & Easy
With prices starting at $1.49 per serving, EveryPlate is Louisville’s most inexpensive meal delivery service. But discount prices don’t mean subpar food. After sampling its food, our reviewer said “it’s exceedingly easy to love EveryPlate.”
So how does EveryPlate do it?
EveryPlate’s menu focuses on hearty but delicious comfort food with high-quality but basic ingredients like Griddled Dijon burgers (pictured above). You get fewer choices with EveryPlate, though 18 recipes a week is nothing to sneeze at.
There are no customization options on the available meals, and while it offers vegetarian meals EveryPlate doesn’t have meals for niche diets like keto, paleo, or gluten-free. But if you’re looking to feed hungry mouths on a budget and want fresh, nutritious family-friendly fare, you’ll love EveryPlate.
Blue Apron’s Wellness plan has tasty, healthy meals
19+ meals per week, plus add-ons
Dietary options include Vegetarian, Diabetes-Friendly, and Wellness
Many Blue Apron recipes are inspired by global cuisines, and its Wellness menu is inspired by the heart-healthy Mediterranean Diet. But there’s also a great selection of classic comfort food with a twist, like the Spicy Shrimp Lo Mein with Carrots and Green Beans pictured above.
While Blue Apron offers high-quality meals, its prices are surprisingly affordable. With our discounts, you can enjoy Blue Apron with meals starting at $5.74 per serving. Our reviewer tried Blue Apron at home and felt it sits at the sweet spot between high-quality meals and reasonable prices.
Kitchen novices will appreciate Blue Apron’s app, which provides video how-to demonstrations to accompany the already straightforward recipe cards. And if you don’t feel like cooking, Blue Apron also offers a selection of prepared meals you just heat and eat.
Vegan breakfasts, lunches, and dinner plus snacks from the Plantry
12 meals and 8 prepared meals on the menu each week
Dietary options include gluten-free, nut-free, and high protein
Louisville is the best place in Kentucky for vegan food, but avoiding animal products can still be a struggle. Purple Carrot’s menu is 100% plant-based. For example, the Eggplant Parmesan pictured above uses vegan mozzarella.
Not vegan? No problem! Our reviewer tried Purple Carrot and declared it “a perfect choice for vegans and omnivores who want to learn how to turn veggies into delicious and satisfying meals.”
Purple Carrot’s meal kits teach you how to cook tasty vegetables and introduce you to adventurous recipes and unfamiliar ingredients. But most Purple Carrot meal kits can be prepared in 30 minutes or less, and Purple Carrot also offers fully prepared meals for those with limited cooking skills or kitchen equipment.
Marley Spoon is one of the first carbon neutral meal delivery services
45+ meal kits to choose from per week
Menu options include Vegetarian & Vegan, Under 30 Minutes, No Added Gluten
You may feel a bit intimidated at trying recipes curated by uber-homemaker Martha Stewart. But Marley Spoon also offers a number of Family-Friendly and Kid-Friendly meals that will please even picky eaters. And Marley Spoon’s Under 30 Minutes meals are ready in … well, you know.
Even Marley Spoon’s most ambitious recipes are divided into six steps with clear instructions. Our reviewer tried Marley Spoon at home and said “The step-by-step methods made it easy to create Martha Stewart-level dishes in my own kitchen.”
Marley Spoon recipes expect you to have things like balsamic vinegar, a Microplane grater, and oven-ready skillets in your kitchen. You may want to check the recipes before ordering to check if you have all the required utensils at home.
Unlimited free deliveries on orders over $12 with Grubhub+
Order meals from over 475 Louisville restaurants
Vast array of menu options
Sometimes you get a culinary itch that you just have to scratch. Maybe it’s a plate of loaded nachos from Barrel Bar & Grill (pictured above, though you might be craving the wings or onion rings too). Or maybe you want a meal from another restaurant. In those hungry moments, Grubhub is there for you.
Grubhub picks up your meal from a participating establishment and delivers it to you. You can’t beat that convenience. And with a Grubhub+ subscription, you get special deals from local restaurants and free delivery on orders over $12.
Takeout food isn’t always healthy, and takeout meals can put a strain on your budget. But for the convenience and the wide range of choices, it’s tough to beat Grubhub.
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Our Rating | |||||||||
Our Rating | 9.4 | 9.6 | 9.5 | 9.3 | 7.7 | 9.2 | 9.1 | 8.8 | 9.0 |
Starting Price | |||||||||
Starting Price | $7.99 Per Serving | $5.99 Per Serving | $3.32 Per Serving | $7.99 Per Serving | $1.49 Per Serving | $5.74 Per Serving | $8.50 Per Serving | $2.99 Per Serving | |
Minimum Order | |||||||||
Minimum Order | 2 meals for 2 people | 3 meals for 2 people | 2 meals for 2 people | 2 meals for 2 people | 3 meals for 2 people | 2 meals for 2 people | 3 meal kits for 2 people/6 prepared meals | 2 meals for 2 people | Varies by supplier |
Meal Types | |||||||||
Meal Types | Kits, speedy kits, oven-ready | 30-minute meal kits | Meal kits, speedy kits, prepared meals | Oven- & grill-ready, kits, prepared | 30-minute meal kits | 20 - 60 min. meal kits | Meal kits, prepared meals | 30 min. meal kits | Prepared |
Prep Time | |||||||||
Prep Time | 5-50 min | 25-40 min | 5-50 min | 15-30 min | 20-45 min | 5-45 min | 3-40 min | 20-40 min | 0 |
Active Deals | |||||||||
Active Deals |
Louisville residents have lots of meal delivery services to choose from, but sometimes all those choices can get overwhelming. To help you find the service that suits you best, here are some professional pointers.
Don’t settle: Look for a meal delivery service with a menu that fits your diet needs. You shouldn't try to find one or two things you can eat on a more general menu.
Price is important, but it’s not the only thing: Times are tough and money’s tight, but if the difference between a 10-meal plan you love and one you grudgingly tolerate is $0.50 a serving, that’s only $5 a week.
Know your cooking level: Meal kits are great if you want to expand your culinary experience. But if you have limited cooking skills or kitchen equipment, you may do better with prepared meals or easy-prep meal kits.
Don’t be afraid to switch: All our listed services have easy cancellation policies, so moving to another meal delivery service is easy. If you aren’t satisfied with your current meal delivery service, try another!
We give Home Chef our award for Louisville’s best meal delivery service in 2023. Home Chef wins thanks to its broad menu and its Customize-It feature which allows you to swap or double up proteins on many recipes.
With prices starting at $1.49 per serving, EveryPlate is Louisville’s cheapest meal delivery service. EveryPlate keeps its prices down by offering simple but filling meal kits with a focus on family-friendly comfort food.