10 Best Meal Delivery Services in New Jersey: 2023 Update

Many meal delivery services send quality and affordable food to New Jersey residents. There are meals to suit every diet, skill level, and budget, but choosing the best one can be tricky. That's why I’ve set out to find the 10 best meal delivery services in New Jersey that offer great value for money.

All the services I recommend on my list use high-quality ingredients and feature flexible delivery options. I’ve included a range of DIY meal kits and prepared meals, and options to suit a range of budgets, from premium organic options to simple budget kits.

In the end, Blue Apron came out on top. It’s an affordable option with plans that cater to various dietary requirements. Plus, you can order dishes from many international cuisines.

The Best Meal Delivery Services in New Jersey Reviewed

1. Blue Apron – Best Overall Meal Delivery in New Jersey

Whatever diet you follow, you'll likely find dishes that suit you on Blue Apron's menu. The meal kits include freshly-sourced ingredients with first-class produce, meat, and sauces. And you typically won't need much time to get the meal ready. You can prepare the majority of them in 40 minutes or less.

Blue Apron publishes its menu for the next 4 weeks, so you can pick your meals and build up a meal plan well in advance.

Blue Apron sorts its main dishes into the following categories:

• Signature for 2 – featuring meat, Beyond Meat™, and diabetic-friendly dishes

• Vegetarian for 2 – boasting high-quality produce free of meat

• Wellness for 2 – comprising nutritionist-approved dishes

• Signature for 4 – healthy, family-friendly options

Blue Apron has a selection of add-ons comprising oats, soups, burritos, cupcakes, and more. You can prepare most of them in between 5 and 30 minutes. Read more about the menu and add-ons in our in-depth Blue Apron review.

You can also personalize your meal kit by choosing any number of the following categories when selecting your plan:

• Chef Favorites

• Wellness – healthy dishes that work with WW (Weight Watchers)

• Family Friendly – dishes most kids like

• Fast & Easy – time-saving recipes

• Veggies – plant-based dishes

The Blue Apron menu is user-friendly, allowing you to browse its meals quickly. I found tags such as Fast & Easy, Ready to Cook, and Make it Vegetarian particularly useful. The latter, for example, highlights meat-based dishes that can become vegetarian. On the flip side, you can add meat to some vegetarian dishes.

Blue Apron caters to pescatarian, calorie-conscious, and carb-conscious dieters. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the meal delivery service has diabetic-friendly dishes, which is unusual for a mainstream service. Despite this, Blue Apron won't be the right fit if you're a vegan. If so, better to turn your attention to Factor.

You can order wine and kitchen tools via Blue Apron's website in addition to dishes and desserts from the main menu. Wines will cost you a fraction of the price you can see in a supermarket because the service buys those directly from wineries. The kitchen tools available include pans, aprons, microwaves, graters, and scrubbers.

The more meals you order, the lower the cost per serving you'll pay. Meal prices start at $5.74 per serving. The minimum order is 2 meals with 2 servings per week. The maximum order is 4 meals with 4 servings.

2. Factor – Best for New Jersey Niche Dieters

Factor's menu has meals to suit a range of tastes and dietary requirements. A quick scroll through the menu shows many options for keto and high-protein diets. Other niche dieters that will be happy with the meal selection are vegetarians, vegans, and calorie-conscious dieters. 

Pay attention to the tags on each meal to learn if it's right for you. The Protein Plus tag can be found on over half of the menu’s recipes. You should prioritize those if you're an active person that lifts weights, runs, or cycles, for example. There’s also a good selection of keto dishes, and Calorie Smart dishes, which feature less than 550 calories.

You can choose up to 5 of the following categories to customize your plan:

• Chef's Choice – balanced recipes recommended by professional chefs

• Keto – recipes with low-carb ingredients

• Calorie Smart – dietitian-approved dishes featuring less than 550 calories per serving

• Vegan and Veggie – veggie-forward, meat-free dishes

• Protein Plus – protein-rich dishes with 30+ grams of protein per meal

You can get meal recommendations from Factor to narrow down the menu, but you can't customize individual dishes. If you notice that the meal has an allergen you're sensitive to, you can only choose another dish. Unlike Factor, Blue Apron allows you to switch certain ingredients in selected meals.

Factor has around 35 chef-prepared meals suitable for lunch or dinner. Some meals stay on the menu for a few weeks, while the New tag highlights anything new. If you prefer to stick to proven specialties, choose recipes with the Top-Rated label – but be quick since they tend to sell out. You can learn more about the menu in our 

Aside from the mains, you can order various breakfasts, desserts, and drinks from the Add-ons menu section. Smoothies, juices, oats, and pancakes are some available extras.

Factor has meals from various international cuisines, including Mexican, Indian, Italian, Thai, and Mediterranean. Of course, you can order American dishes, too, and these make up the majority of the menu.

You can also schedule a free nutrition coaching session with an expert dietitian. It takes around 20 minutes, and our reviewer was particularly impressed with this session..

You can order between 6 and 18 prepared single-serving meals. The price per serving starts at $6.19. The more meals you purchase, the lower the cost per serving will be. You'll also need to pay the flat rate delivery fee of $9.99, regardless of the number of dishes you order.

3. HelloFresh – Great Meal Diversity for New Jerseans

The HelloFresh menu is made up of meals that suit various tastes and lifestyles. The website promises over 30 weekly meals, and when I last checked, I found closer to 60. These are sometimes the same basic recipes with slightly different ingredients, such as Roasted Garlic and Zucchini Flatbreads one week and Zucchini and Tomato Flatbreads the next, or the same pasta dish with a change of protein.

HelloFresh goes the extra mile to help you narrow down suitable options. It'll take you just a quick look while scrolling the menu to learn if the meal is spicy, vegan-friendly, or protein smart, for example. You'll also find the time and skill level needed to prepare each meal. There are no filters but the tags on each recipe are easy to spot.

HelloFresh tags its top-performing dishes with a Best Recipe label. Besides those, pay attention to those labeled Hall of Fame and Premium Picks, which highlight customer favorites and top-quality ingredients. Other useful tags for quick options include the 10-Minute Lunch and Fast & Fresh tags.

If you're a picky eater, you can use HelloCustom to personalize dishes. This useful feature is available with all meal plans, allowing you to swap ingredients in certain recipes. Note, however, that the swaps are quite limited. If you need more freedom to customize dishes, check out Blue Apron. 

HelloFresh publishes its menus 6 weeks in advance. That way, you can build your monthly meal plan and check ahead to see if your favorite recipes are coming up. See what our reviewer ordered when they gave HelloFresh a try at home.

You can personalize your menu by choosing up to 6 preferences:

• Veggie

• Pescatarian

• Quick & Easy

• Family Friendly

• Meat & Veggies

• Fit & Wholesome

You'll get personal recommendations at the top of HelloFresh's menu based on whichever category you choose, but you’ll always have access to the full menu.

The menu includes a range of international cuisines, including Mediterranean, Italian, Mexican, and Caribbean dishes, among others. There are many classic American recipes as well, especially on the Family Friendly plan. 

Another thing I like about HelloFresh is its cookbook, which includes lots of its past recipes. There you'll find over 2,500 tried-and-tested recipes that you can access at any time.

If you need help, customer support operates 24/7. You can also find answers to various questions in the comprehensive FAQ section. Consider downloading HelloFresh's highly-rated app from Google Play or App Store to order on the go.

You can order from 2 to 6 servings for 2 or 4 people per week. The cost starts at $3.32 per serving for the largest order, and the fewer dishes you order, the higher the price per serving you’ll pay.

4. Green Chef – Best for Organic Food in New Jersey

Green Chef is a premium meal delivery service specializing in top-quality food. It's the first certified organic provider by CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers) to offer meal kits meeting its strict organic guidelines. You'll find organic fresh produce and eggs, among other ingredients, on its menu.

Sometimes, Green Chef can't secure organic components for its meals. In those cases, the company guarantees ingredients of the highest quality and lets its clients know of this through labeling and communication. Green Chef always sources seasonal ingredients for its dishes.

You can choose from 30 weekly meal kits on offer. Tags accompanying most dishes will help you narrow down options while browsing the menu. Common tags include keto, gluten-free, and veggie. Our reviewer tried several different Green Chef meals – you can read about their experience here.

Green Chef customers can check out the menus 3 weeks in advance. If you prefer planning even further in advance, check out HelloFresh, which publishes its menus for the next 6 weeks.

You can mix and match across the following 7 plans:

• Keto – carb-conscious recipes lacking gluten, soy, and grains

• Vegetarian – plant-forward recipes without meat

• Mediterranean – veg-heavy dishes with healthy fats

• Fast & Fit – calorie-conscious servings

• Vegan – plant-based options

• Gluten Free – meals free of gluten and soy

• Protein Packed – high protein levels for active people

Green Chef's menu caters to a good range of specialized, healthy diets. It has specialties from various international cuisines besides American – these include Italian, Middle Eastern, Mexican, and Chinese.

You can prepare most meals in up to 40 minutes, which is a little longer than some other services. Keep in mind that you also can't customize recipes. Home Chef is a better option if you want to be able to swap the protein in each dish. 

Besides meal kits, Green Chef offers a selection of add-ons. Find toast, small bites, muffins, and oatmeal among other treats. You can prepare most of them in 20 minutes.

The minimum weekly box you can order from Green Chef is 3 meals for 2 people. The biggest meal kit order is 4 servings for 6 people. The price per meal starts from $5.99 and applies to the biggest box. If you order fewer weekly recipes, the cost per serving will be higher.

5. Home Chef – Best for Building a Long-Term Meal Plan

Home Chef is a great service for building a long-term meal plan as it publishes menu options for the upcoming 6 weeks. You’ll find 30+ meals each week.

Another thing I like about Home Chef is the opportunity to customize most dishes. If you suffer from an allergy or don't like certain ingredients, you can filter those out when choosing a plan. Some elements you can avoid are sesame, mushrooms, peanuts, shellfish, and tree nuts. When my colleague reviewed Home Chef, they also found they could swap the protein in selected dishes with the Customize It feature.

You can also choose calorie-conscious and carb-conscious options when setting up a plan. Recipes for carb-conscious dieters contain less than 30 grams of carbs, and calorie-conscious options feature up to 600 calories.

Home Chef's options cater well to those following a mainstream diet. If you follow a balanced, pescatarian, or high-protein diet, you'll find lots of options on its menu. But if you follow a veggie or plant-based diet, Green Chef will give you more choices.

Home Chef has a 100% satisfaction guarantee in place. If you’re unhappy with any ingredient or dish, you'll get compensation when ordering next time. Alternatively, you may get a same-value product as a replacement. 

It’s easy to change, skip, or cancel an order, too. You can skip a delivery in a few clicks by navigating to Your Upcoming Orders. If you want to cancel your subscription completely, you can do this online from your account.

The minimum weekly order is 2 servings for 2 people. The maximum order is 6 servings for 6 people per week. The price per meal depends on the ordered amount and reduces as the order size increases. The cost per meal is $7.99 for the maximum purchase. New Jerseans also have to pay a flat-rate shipping fee of $10.99 per delivery.

6. Fresh and Easy – Quick Prep Recipes with High-Quality Ingredients

Fresh and Easy is a Home Chef line of quick and easy-to-prepare meals suitable for those who want good food but are pressed for time when it comes to prep. It comprises recipes featuring high-quality ingredients – and you can prepare most of them in less than 15 minutes.

Fresh and Easy meals come pre-portioned and ready to use. You likely won't need to slice, chop, or peel any of the ingredients, which makes them great for beginner cooks.

Another great thing about these recipes is the oven- and grill-ready packaging. If you order oven-ready dishes, your meal kit arrives with an oven-safe tray. Grill-ready specialties come in a grill-safe bag.

Thanks to ready-to-use packaging, you won't have to use your pans and pots. For that reason, having Fresh and Easy meals involves little to no cleanup. Find out more about putting together these easy-prep meals in our Fresh and Easy review.

Besides quick meal kits, you’ll find some prepared meals and salads. These are the best options for eat-and-run diners. Simply toss prepared meals into a microwave for a few minutes to heat them. As for salads, you'll simply need to mix fresh ingredients together.

You'll always have access to the full Home Chef menu as well as the Fresh and Easy section. That way, you'll be able to mix and match meals from both menus. You'll also have the opportunity to choose your dietary preferences when signing up and to use the same Home Chef personalization tools, including Customize It.

The biggest downside of this line is the lack of diet-specific dishes, such as keto and vegan. Keto dieters should try Factor’s prepared meals instead, while Purple Carrot offers low-prep kits and prepared meals for vegans.

Contact Home Chef customer service if you have any inquiries or concerns about the Fresh and Easy line of meals. You can search the comprehensive Help Center for useful information too, just bear in mind it will all come under Home Chef’s branding.

You can order as few as 2 recipes for 2 people and up to 6 recipes for 6 people per week. The cost per recipe starts at $7.99 and applies to the maximum order. The fewer meals you purchase, the higher the price per meal will be. New Jersey residents pay the shipping fee of $10.99 per delivery on top of the order.

7. BistroMD – Flexible Weight-Loss Solutions

BistroMD provides low-calorie dishes ideal for weight loss. Customers subscribing to any of its plans will eat healthy meals designed by certified dietitians and prepared by expert cooks. While some people who are trying to lose weight eat less and skip meals, BistroMD encourages you to do the opposite with filling yet calorie-controlled dishes.

Breakfasts have around 250 calories, while lunches and dinners have around 300. Snacks have up to 200 calories. You can see what our reviewer thought of the menu  in their review – as well as the claim that many BistroMD clients see results in less than 10 days once they start their weight-loss diet. 

BistroMD is the only service on my list to have male- and female-designed plans. You can further customize your diet by choosing one of the following programs:

• Signature – featuring 150+ recipes

• Gluten Free – over 100 meals without wheat, barley, and rye

• Heart Healthy – 100+ dishes with less than 3.5 g of fat

• Keto Flex – 85+ recipes that are less restrictive than the traditional keto diet

• Diabetic – 100 options with less than 25 g of carbs

• Menopause – 100+ dishes to help dieters deal with hormone changes

You can choose a Full Week (7-day), Work Week (5-day), or Custom program. Choose whether to get just lunches and dinners or add breakfasts, too. The full 7-day program includes 7 breakfasts and lunches, 6 dinners, and My Night (a free night to treat yourself as you wish). The Work Week plan comes with 5 lunches and dinners.

BistroMD caters to more diets than just weight loss. You're likely to find suitable options if you're a vegetarian or a vegan, too. However, you may want to take Trifecta into consideration if you're a fan of the paleo diet.

Besides American, you’ll find many Mediterranean specialties on the menu. If you prefer dishes from other international cuisines, such as Indian, Mexican, or Chinese, check out some of the other options on my list such as Blue Apron, whose Wellness Plan is also good for weight loss.

The price per serving depends on the program you choose. It starts at $8.24 for the full 7-day program consisting of 20 dishes (7 breakfasts and lunches and 6 dinners). The cost per serving increases the fewer dishes you order. On top of the order, you'll have to cover the delivery cost, which is $19.95 for New Jersey residents.

8. Trifecta – Versatile Meal Plan Builder

Trifecta is among the best meal delivery services for creating a personalized plan. Whichever plan you choose, you can personalize the number of entrées (5, 7, 10, or 14) and include or leave out breakfasts. Trifecta chooses the dishes for you each week but you can exclude up to 2 ingredients from a list including chicken, duck, tree nuts, shellfish, and mushrooms.

Licensed dietitians design Trifecta’s meals to meet various dietary requirements. Every week, the company offers 25 chef-selected and portion-controlled dishes.

Choose between 6 plans to create your dining experience:

• Keto – carb-conscious meals

• Paleo – grain- and dairy-free specialties

• Clean – protein-rich recipes with whole grains

• Whole30 Approved – portion-controlled and nutritionally-balanced meals

• Vegan – food based on plant proteins

• Vegetarian – macro-balanced meals with plant-based proteins

All Trifecta's meals come pre-cooked and ready for heating. Check each label for heating instructions. You may need to use an air fryer, stovetop, microwave, or conventional oven. You can find out more about cooking Trifecta’s meals in our full review.

You can also order proteins, carbs, and vegetables individually under the Meal Prep tab to build your own meals. This is ideal if you have a strict diet and want full control over your meals, although you’ll have to calculate your own nutrition macros. Bear in mind that these sides typically come with 4 servings each.

Trifecta sources organic ingredients for its meals whenever possible. Trifecta's Paleo, Clean, and Whole30 Approved meal plans include mostly organic vegetables in their dishes. However, to get a USDA certification, it has to secure at least 95% of organic components for its meals. If you prefer a USDA-certified provider, try Green Chef, which topped our list of the Best Organic Meal Delivery Services. 

Trifecta’s menu is made up of only American dishes. If you prefer international cuisines such as Italian or Middle-Eastern specialties, check out Blue Apron instead.

The price of your weekly order depends on your chosen plan, the number of entries, meal prep options, and whether you include breakfasts. The lowest cost per serving is $6.00. Note that the fewer meals you order, the higher the cost per dish will be.

9. Eat Clean to Go – Best Service for Portion Control

Eat Clean to Go lets you choose the portion size of your dish. You can choose from Regular Portions and Large Portions, although the latter will be more expensive, but not much. You can specify the size when selecting a plan.

The number of servings will change depending on your chosen portion size. If you opt for Regular Portions, you can choose between 6, 10, 12, and 14 dishes. In the case of Large Portions, you can order 4, 6, 10, or 12 servings. Our in-depth review goes into more detail about the ordering process. 

Eat Clean supports 4 diet types and these are:

• Traditional

• Plant Based

• Keto

• Paleo

You can find dishes suitable for weight loss and maintenance, too. While some recipes have less than 200 calories, most others have up to 550 calories. Carb levels range from a few grams to several dozen grams. And if you wish to treat yourself to a high-calorie meal from time to time, Eat Clean has satisfying options, like Turkey Sausage Breakfast Pizza.

Select a dish to see its ingredients and nutritional information. Besides calorie- and carb-related info, you'll find data about proteins, dietary fiber, fats, and sugars.

Note that you can't customize individual meals. If you find an unwanted ingredient, all you can do is skip the recipe. Home Chef is a much better option for customization.

Eat Clean to Go delivers prepared meals that just need to be heated for a few minutes. You can also heat food in a traditional oven, but it’ll take longer. Depending on the dish, oven heating can take around 30 minutes.

The price per meal depends on the number of servings and the size of the portion. The cost is lower the more dishes you order and starts at $8.60 per serving. New Jerseans also have to pay a shipping fee ranging from $9.99 to $17.99, depending on the number of selected dishes. The portion size doesn't affect the delivery cost.

10. Purple Carrot – Best for Vegans and Vegetarians

Purple Carrot specializes in plant-based dishes catering to vegan dieters. There’s no meat, cheese, eggs, or anything else animal-based on the menu. If you crave healthy and delicious food without animal-based proteins, you'll find Purple Carrot a great option.

This meal delivery service has meal kits and prepared meals on offer. While meal kits are ideal for those who want to cook, prepared meals are great if you’re short on time. You'll typically find 12+ meal kit options and 8 ready-made recipes on the menu. 

You'll find dishes classed as Dinners, Breakfasts, and Lunches. There are only around 2 breakfasts and lunch options per weekly menu. Breakfasts are available in 4 servings, lunches in 2 servings, and dinners in 2 and 4 servings. In addition, you can choose snacks and extras from the Plantry.

Purple Carrot also has a Less Prep category for quicker meal kits. Meals falling into this class are similar to classic meal kits but feature pre-chopped ingredients and ready-made sauces. Less Prep dishes also cut cleanup times since they usually require fewer utensils for preparation. Look out for the Less Prep tag on the menu.

Purple Carrot buys organic and non-GMO ingredients for its meals. But it sometimes faces limitations in getting those. Fans of organic food may be better off checking out Green Chef – a USDA-certified organic company.

You can easily browse the Purple Carrot menu. I appreciate the basic info accompanying each meal featuring prep times and ingredients. You can also easily see which meals are gluten-free or high-protein. 

Purple Carrot’s menu includes a variety of international cuisines, which you can read about in our full review. Among others, you'll find Italian, French, Vietnamese, Middle Eastern, and Caribbean recipes. Vegan twists on American classics are available, too.

The cost per serving depends on whether you choose meal kits or prepared meals and the number of servings. The minimum weekly meal kit order is 3 meals with 2 servings. The maximum meal kit order is 3 meals with 4 servings. If you opt for prepared meals, you can order 1 serving for 6, 8, or 10 meals. The price per serving starts at $8.50.

Note that you'll have to pay a $10 shipping fee if your order is under $99. Otherwise, you'll get free delivery.

Quick Comparison Table

Tips for Choosing the Best Meal Delivery Service in New Jersey

Now you know what the best meal delivery services in New Jersey are. Here’s how to choose which is best for you. Read on to find out more.

1. Determine your short- and long-term dietary goals. People recovering from surgery might want to eat high-calorie food, while others might be looking for a weight-loss service, like BistroMD. Physically active people and those trying to lose weight may benefit from high-protein plans like Green Chef offers.

2. Understand your culinary experience. Order meal kits if you enjoy working in the kitchen and experimenting with recipes. This approach requires some time (usually 30 minutes) but can help you learn new skills. Prepared meals like those from Factor may suit you better if you're more of an eat-and-run person. They usually require near-zero preparation and cleanup.

3. Set your budget. My shortlisted services provide great value for money, but their prices vary by a large margin. Consider ordering more servings for the best value as you’ll usually pay a lower cost per dish. Check out the delivery policy to see if some services waive shipping fees for orders exceeding a certain amount of money.

4. Check the available delivery options. Some services provide delivery on certain days, while others offer a selection of delivery days. Check their flexibility and whether the courier is comfortable leaving the box at your doorstep or with a neighbor if you're not in.
   

FAQ

What is the most affordable meal delivery service in New Jersey?

Blue Apron is the most affordable meal delivery service in New Jersey. Its meal kits provide great value for money, with prices starting from $5.74 per serving.

What is the best healthy meal delivery service in New Jersey?

Green Chef is the best healthy meal delivery service in New Jersey. It's a USDA-certified organic company buying only high-quality ingredients. It also offers meal kits for a range of healthy diets including keto, gluten-free, and plant-based.

What is the best diet meal delivery service in New Jersey?

Factor is the best meal delivery service for niche dieters. It provides prepared dishes for a range of diets including vegetarian, vegan, and keto, among others. 

Best Meal Delivery Service in New Jersey in 2023: Final Score