10 Best Meal Delivery Services in New Orleans 2022 Full List

The Big Easy is without a doubt one of the best food cities in the world. From po’ boys and jambalaya to beignets and chicory coffee, there’s a delicious dish for everyone to enjoy. Just because you live in a hotspot for Creole and Cajun cuisine, however, doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from a meal delivery service.

Services like HelloFresh and Blue Apron make it easy to prepare your own meals at home. Instead of stressing about meal planning and grocery shopping, the best meal delivery services let you simply pick out a selection of diverse dishes from a weekly-changing menu. All the portioning, prep, and dietary concerns are taken care of, meaning all you have to do is cook and enjoy.

What’s the Difference Between Meal Delivery and Food Delivery?

Meal delivery services like HelloFresh and Purple Carrot ship refrigerated ingredients and, in some cases, premade meals to your door. With meal kits, you can follow the provided recipes to prepare your own easy, delicious dinners. Prepared meals can simply be heated and eaten in a matter of minutes.

Food delivery services, on the other hand, are slightly different. Grubhub, Postmates, and other similar services provide delivery from any local restaurant for a small fee. Meals are chef-prepared and delivered to you hot, fresh, and ready to enjoy.

Our Best Meal Delivery Services in New Orleans Reviewed

1. Home Chef – Customizable Dinners for New Orleanians

Home Chef Best Features

• Nearly every dish can be customized with delicious proteins

• Entrée Salads, Oven-Ready Meal Kits, and other ways to save time in the kitchen

• Affordable daily dinners with prices as low as $6.99/serving

• Special Deal: Get 16 Free Meals!

Home Chef in a Nutshell

Our favorite thing about Home Chef is how customizable the whole experience is. Nearly every dish offered by this top-tier meal delivery service can be customized with different proteins, such as adding an extra portion or substituting chicken for steak. Home Chef also lets you select meals to suit how much time you want to spend cooking.

My colleague goes into more detail about just how easy these kits are in her expert Home Chef review.

Meals from the Culinary Collection, like the Truffle Mushroom Chicken featured above, allow you to flex your skills in the kitchen. For nights when you’d rather be at Preservation Hall listening to some old-fashioned New Orleans jazz, however, Home Chef offers quick and easy dinners too.

15-Minute Meal Kits function just as advertised, minimizing your time in the kitchen. Oven-Ready Meal Kits take convenience a step further, allowing you to simply toss all the ingredients in the included pan and stick it in the oven.

2. Blue Apron – Jazz Up Your Meals with Diverse Dishes in New Orleans

Blue Apron Best Features

• Multiple menu options ensure there’s something for everyone

• Sheet Pan recipes offer trendy dishes with easy cleanup

• New Wellness plan sponsored by WW (formerly WeightWatchers)

• Special Deal: Get $210 off! $100 gift card + $110 off your first 6 orders!

Blue Apron in a Nutshell

Blue Apron is one of the best-known meal delivery services in the United States thanks in large part to its diverse collection of dishes inspired by cuisines from around the world. The company offers familiar, New Orleans-inspired dishes like Cajun Chicken & Rice alongside more adventurous meals.

Our dedicated Blue Apron review goes more in-depth about delicious offerings like the vegetarian, One-Pan Udon Noodle Stir Fry pictured above.

Besides an ever-expanding selection of delicious meal kits to make at home, a personalized wine delivery service helps set Blue Apron apart from the crowd. For an average of just $10/bottle, you can enjoy six personalized wines every month to pair with your home-prepared Blue Apron dishes.

3. HelloFresh – Easy Dinners in the Big Easy

HelloFresh Best Features

• Expansive menu includes gourmet offerings, takeout favorites, “Taste Tours,” and more

• Up to four meals a week for four-person households

• The company is committed to sustainability and recyclability in its packaging

• Special Deal: 18 Free Meals Across 8 Boxes, First Box Ships Free + 3 Surprise Gifts

HelloFresh in a Nutshell

The great thing about weekly meal delivery services is how frequently the menu changes. For most services, including HelloFresh, you’ll have a new extensive menu to choose from every single week.

There’s plenty of room to enjoy Louisiana-inspired classics like the Cajun Blackened Tilapia (pictured above) as well as unique dishes you may have never tried before, like HelloFresh’s famous Firecracker Meatballs. Our dedicated HelloFresh review goes into greater detail on this service’s offerings.

As one of the largest meal delivery services around, you can rest assured that HelloFresh is great value, with recipes to suit every palate, including vegetarian, family-friendly, and calorie smart.

4. Sunbasket – Meal Kits and Prepared Meals for Any Diet

Sunbasket Best Features

• Meal kits as well as premade meals to suit your schedule

• Caters to nearly any diet you can think of

• Its market section functions as an online organic grocery

• Special Deal: $90 off Plus a Free Gift!

Sunbasket in a Nutshell

Life in the Big Easy is the envy of many, but the amazing food options are not without their drawbacks. Too many beignets from Cafe Du Monde or a taste for fried shrimp po’ boys may begin to affect your health. Luckily, meal delivery services like Sunbasket make it easier than ever to incorporate healthy ingredients into your lifestyle.

Sunbasket is an organic meal delivery service providing meals that cater to just about any diet you can think of. From paleo to vegan to the Mediterranean diet (our in-depth dedicated review discusses these offerings further), Sunbasket has meal kits and prepared meals to help you eat clean and live better.

The One-pot chicken and Spanish rice dish pictured above is just one example of Sunbasket’s healthier approach to food. With just 440 calories per serving, you can choose regular chicken thighs, organic chicken thighs, or organic chicken breasts as the main protein of this meal kit.

5. Freshly – Low-Processed, High-Protein Meals

Freshly Best Features

• High protein, low-carb meals to suit active lifestyles

• Delivery sizes range from 4 to 12 meals per week

• Meals are ready within three minutes in the microwave

• Special Deal: Save $125, Promo Code: SAVE125AFF

Freshly in a Nutshell

Freshly is a prepared meal delivery service with the mission of providing meals that are high in protein and nutrients but low in sugar and processed ingredients. My colleague’s Freshly review goes into more depth about this culinary mission.

All of Freshly’s dishes are individually portioned, ready for you to heat and eat in mere minutes. This makes it the perfect choice for people with active lifestyles who need clean, high-protein dishes but don’t always have the time to cook for themselves.

Get in touch with New Orleans’s French culinary roots with delectable dishes like the Dijon Pork Chop (seen above), which is loaded with 27g of protein. And, like all of Freshly’s offerings, it’s soy- and gluten-free.

6. Green Chef – Organic Meal Kits for Healthy Lifestyles

Green Chef Best Features

• Plant-Powered, Keto + Paleo, and Balanced Living meal plans

• All ingredients are certified organic

• Signature sauces and spice blends make it easy to add wonderful flavor

• Special Deal: Get $135 Off + Free Shipping

Green Chef in a Nutshell

Green Chef is a certified organic meal delivery service specializing in three overarching dietary plans. Rather than strictly adhering to any specific diet, Green Chef lets you choose between a low-carb plan (including both keto and paleo dishes) and a plant-based plan (including both vegan and vegetarian dishes). Our dedicated Green Chef review discusses these plans in greater detail.

Cajun crab cakes are one of my favorite dishes, but you owe it to yourself to try Green Chef’s totally vegan Artichoke “Crab” Cakes, pictured above. Served with quinoa, roasted red peppers, sautéed zucchini, and walnuts, this dish is a fresh-tasting and nutrient-packed take on the classic seafood staple.

7. EveryPlate – Ultra-Affordable Meal Kits for the Budget-Conscious

EveryPlate Best Features

• Ultra-affordable at just $1.49/serving

• Many dishes can be upgraded with premium sides and proteins

• Simple, streamlined menu with classic dishes and a few vegetarian options

• Special Deal: Get $1.49/meal + 20% off your next 2 boxes

EveryPlate in a Nutshell

One of the best things about meal delivery services is that they can help you manage your grocery budget. Pre-sorted ingredients reduce waste and simplify your shopping needs. If there’s one service that takes the savings to an extreme, though, it’s definitely EveryPlate.

You can read more about EveryPlate in our dedicated review, but the main thing that sets it apart from other services is its super-affordable prices. At just $1.49/serving, EveryPlate makes it easy to save money on your weekly meals. That’ll make it easy to afford an extra trip to the French Quarter this month!

With weekly meals at such an affordable low price, it’s easy to splurge on the occasional upgrade. Premium dishes like the Sweet Chili Salmon shown above are a perfect way to add some class to your daily dinners for just a few extra bucks.

8. Purple Carrot – Plant-Based Versions of All Your Favorite Dishes

Purple Carrot Best Features

• The menu includes delicious breakfasts as well as lunches and dinners

• Vegetarian extras are offered on the Plantry menu

• Options for meal kits and prepared meals

• Special Deal: Get $30 Off with code carrot30

Purple Carrot in a Nutshell

New Orleans is becoming a  great spot for vegetarian and vegan foodies alike. However, staying on a completely plant-based diet can be rough, if you don’t know where to shop. Fortunately, Purple Carrot can  help!

With a modest menu of around sixteen vegetarian/vegan dishes, Purple Carrot makes it easy for you to enjoy delicious plant-based breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Our dedicated Purple Carrot review discusses all its plans in detail.

Just try one of Purple Carrot’s delicious breakfasts and tell me it isn’t tasty! Surely, it’ll rank as one of the tastiest plant-based meals you’ve ever had. The savory Madras Curry Sweet Potatoes pictured above is a great option for a vegan dinner. Try it, and find out!

9. Grubhub – Local Restaurant Delicacies Delivered to Your Door

Grubhub Best Features

• Get delivery from local restaurants near you

• Delivery fees are usually just a few bucks

• Star ratings help you discover new and popular eateries

Grubhub in a Nutshell

For those nights when you just can’t be bothered to cook a meal, or for when you have a restaurant craving that must be fulfilled, Grubhub comes to the rescue.

Enjoy Bourbon Street delicacies like Creole Crab Cakes from the Olde NOLA Cookery without having to set foot outside your home. Grubhub’s website and app make it easy to sort through the best-reviewed restaurants that deliver to your address.

Whether you’re hungry for a local classic or even a chicken sandwich from Popeye’s, Grubhub has your back.

10. Postmates – Fast Food Bites and Convenience Items Delivered

Postmates Best Features

• Daily Deals and cheap delivery fees keep prices low

• Convenience items often available for delivery in addition to food

• Get fast food or local restaurant dishes delivered in about thirty minutes

Postmates in a Nutshell

One of Grubhub’s biggest competitors is Postmates, another food delivery service. Postmates differentiates itself from Grubhub in a few ways, so the decision between the two services is largely up to your individual needs.

Postmates doesn’t have a rating system like Grubhub does, but it does offer Daily Deals providing discounts like free shipping to select restaurants each day. In New Orleans, Postmates’ delivery fee is also usually cheaper – rarely more than three bucks! That means it can often be the most affordable way to get your fix of local restaurants like Poke Loa.

Best Meal Delivery Services for New Orleans: Comparison Table

Bottom Line: Are Meal Delivery Services in New Orleans Worth It?

No matter what your dietary needs and preferences, there’s bound to be a meal delivery service perfect for you. Today, New Orleans residents have access to all of the best meal kits and prepared meals on the market. And since a meal delivery service is often more affordable than traditional grocery shopping, you owe it to yourself to try one out!

Whether you’re a seasoned home cook or a total newbie in the kitchen, services like Home Chef and Sunbasket have something for you. If you’re trying to stick to a unique diet like paleo, then a meal delivery service is indispensable.

FAQ

What’s the most affordable meal delivery service in New Orleans?

EveryPlate is without a doubt the most budget-friendly meal delivery service in New Orleans. Prices start at just $1.49/serving, nearly half the usual average cost of popular meal kits like Blue Apron and HelloFresh. 

The only caveat is that this low price comes with a smaller variety of meals, especially for those of us with dietary restrictions. However, the base price is so low that it’s easy to splurge on some ingredient upgrades to add extra flair to your weekly meals.

What is the best university students’ meal delivery service in New Orleans?

When you’re a student, you have to be careful about what sort of meals you plan. If you live in a dorm, you often won’t have access to anything but a microwave. That’s why you’ll want to look for services offering prepared meals that simply need to be microwaved and enjoyed. 

Freshly provides healthy, single-serving meals that are easy to heat and eat. They’re the perfect daily meal for any college or university student.

What is the best paleo meal delivery service in New Orleans?

Green Chef is my favorite low-carb meal delivery service because of its delicious menu featuring both keto and paleo dishes. This diversity allows you to enjoy high-protein dishes without strictly committing to a particular diet.

If you want to adhere to a strict paleo diet, however, Sunbasket is another great choice that allows you to filter your menu to include only paleo dishes.

What is the healthiest meal delivery service in New Orleans?

Because “healthy” can mean different things to different people, there’s no single answer for the healthiest service in the Big Easy. Sunbasket and Green Chef are both organic and offer many diet options, making them great resources for folks looking to eat more healthily. 

Freshly also deserves recognition for its commitment to using natural, unprocessed ingredients.