Best Meal Delivery Services in Newark 2023: Top-Quality Picks

Choosing the best meal delivery service in Newark doesn't have to be complicated. There are options for everyone's preferences whether you like to cook or prefer not to. You can get meals that take as few as 10-15 minutes, prepared meals that can be heated up in 2-5 minutes, or even striking, Michelin Star-quality meals that will impress your entire family.

But there's a bit more to it than that. You may be wondering what exactly differentiates each service. Well, my team and I have exhaustively researched, tested, and validated 10 of the very best options for you this year. I’ve compiled the data and have rounded up the results in an easy-to-understand format.

Overall, I found Blue Apron to be the top choice in Newark for several reasons. Its internationally inspired meals and a huge selection of extras and add-ons could make it a true one-stop-shop for most of your dinnertime needs.

The Best Meal Delivery Services in Newark Reviewed

1. Blue Apron – Best Overall Meal Delivery in Newark

Key Features

• Choose from several Market items like holiday boxes, wines, and utensils

• Select from 25+ weekly recipes

• Opt for different diets like Veggie and WW-approved

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

Blue Apron is my top pick in Newark. It offers a staggering number of high-quality meals, many of which are internationally inspired. You’ll get meal kits and prepared meals across many cuisines and an impressive selection of extras and add-ons like wines, seasonings and salts, and holiday boxes.

For instance, you’ll find that the number of international cuisines offered is extensive. You can try options like Korean, Japanese, Middle Eastern, Chinese, Italian, French, classic and Latin American, and more.

In terms of plans, you’ll get the choice of 5. These include Chef Favorites, Wellness, Family Friendly, Fast & Easy, and Veggies. You can also easily mix and match across any of these on any of your orders if you want to switch things up a bit.

On the main menu, you’ll also find 2 more options – Signature and Signature for Four. These are essentially a collection of Blue Apron’s most popular meals. They include ingredients like steak, Italian sausage, pasta, chicken, pizzas, salads, and lots more.

Sometimes, it’s nice to know what you might be getting into first. All the instructions for each meal can be found by clicking on any menu item. That way, you could get a sense of what might be involved before placing your order.

One thing I should mention, though, is that all meals are processed in the same facility. As such, you do run the risk of coming into contact with all major allergens. These include milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soy. Because of this, Blue Apron (and I) recommend avoiding ordering anything if you have a severe food allergy.

The one thing I really love about Blue Apron is its Market items. You can order things like holiday boxes for Christmas, Thanksgiving, and other holidays, wine boxes, and a huge selection of kitchen utensils and tools like microwave ovens, pots, pans, spices, and tons more. It’s a truly impressive selection if you need to add anything to your order.

Your minimum order will have to be 2 meals of 2 servings each per week, up to a max of 4 meals of 4 servings each. If you go for the max order, you’ll only pay around $5.74 per serving.

2. Factor – Best Health-Centered Prepared Meals

Key Features

• Plans include Protein Plus, Keto, and Calorie-Smart

• Access 34 restaurant-quality prepared meals every week

• Add-ons like pancakes, breakfasts, macaroons, and more

• Current deal: Up to $276 off!

Factor is the top prepared meal delivery service for fitness-focused people, especially if you’re short on time. It offers an impressive selection of high-quality prepared meals that cater to those who want to maximize their health and well-being.

Factor’s meals are all free from gluten, antibiotics, and hormones, and you can consult with dietitians to help you achieve your health goals. You’ll also get a large selection of dietary options that are clearly labeled on the menu.

Plans include Chef’s Choice, Keto, Calorie Smart, Vegan & Veggie, and Protein Plus for those who like more protein. Of course, you can also mix and match across as many of these plans as you like if you want to try different things.

It’s also nice to see that the ingredients are GMO-free, the meats are pasture-raised and grass-fed, and the salmon is sustainably sourced. Factor truly goes above and beyond to deliver top-notch meals that make eating healthy super easy.

In terms of the actual meals, you can find different cuisines like Italian, Latin American, Cajun/Creole, Jamaican, Indian, and more. The menu doesn’t stay constant, so you may find different options depending on the current week.

You can also order a bunch of add-ons, too, like breakfast skillets, egg bites, pancakes, sausages, oatmeal, smoothies, keto cheesecake, keto macaroons, keto cookies, Southwest Picnic Pack with Spiced Chicken Salad, Quinoa and Corn Esquites, and lots of extra meats and proteins.

Protein add-ons include chicken breast, bison jalapeño bratwurst, pan-seared salmon, filet mignon (beef tenderloin), and even air-dried beef. Keep in mind that you could also get some veg add-ons like green beans and broccoli, for instance.

Lastly, the minimum order is 6 single-serving meals per week, but you can get up to 18. Also, the more you order, the more you’ll save per serving. If you order the maximum amount, you’ll only pay around $6.19 per serving.

3. HelloFresh – Best Family-Friendly Meals

Key Features

• Lots of 20-30-minute meal kits

• Good variety of difficulty (easy to difficult)

• Get access to the Pescatarian diet

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

HelloFresh is the most family-friendly meal delivery service since it offers meal kits that aren’t over-the-top and don’t contain a lot of fancy, exotic ingredients. This makes it a quite kid-friendly service as well.

You can order directly from HelloFresh’s Family Friendly meal plan to make sure you’re getting meals that suit everyone. It’s also a solid meal delivery service for beginner cooks and for those who like to have some leftovers for the next day.

As a beginner, for instance, you can easily cook cuisines like Thai, classic American, Italian, Latin American-influenced, Northern Chinese, French, Middle Eastern, and a few more. There are plenty of options on the menu, and it definitely takes some time to take it all in.

Specific plans you can choose from include Veggie, Meat & Veggies, Fit & Wholesome, Quick & Easy, and Pescatarian (which is somewhat of a rarity!). You can also mix and match across these as well. Though it’s not the largest number of meal plans I’ve seen, it’s still quite impressive.

You could use HelloCustom, though, which lets you replace the veg or carbs in your meal. For instance, the Golden Chicken Schnitzel could be sent to you with potatoes or broccoli. Or, Roasted Veggie Kale Salad could be shipped with chicken or steak depending on your preference.

In terms of meals, you can expect a variety of styles like meat, carbs, and veg, pasta, sandwiches, burgers and potato wedges, wraps, roll-ups, veg and meat bowls, and more. You could even grab some quesadillas which might be a fun treat for your kids.

There are also things like stews, stuffed peppers, salads, stromboli, and the French classic – gratin (I love gratin!). You really won’t find much higher-quality meals from many other competitors in my opinion.

If you want something specific, keep an eye out on the menu while choosing your meals. You can find items with labels like Protein Smart, Easy Cleanup, Spicy, Mediterranean, Calorie Smart, Easy Prep, and lots more. These labels make it super easy to find exactly what you’re looking for. Though, there aren’t any menu filters so you’ll have to eyeball the menu.

Finally, the minimum order is 2 recipes for 2 people per week, but you can get as many as 6 recipes for 4 people. If you decide on the maximum order, you’ll also only pay around $3.32 per serving.

4. Green Chef – Best for Certified-Organic Ingredients

Key Features

• Choose from 24+ meal kits

• Certified-organic produce and eggs

• Diets like Vegan, Protein Packed, and Keto

Green Chef is a value-packed service offering certified organic produce and eggs. It also offers a variety of plans like Keto, Protein Packed, Mediterranean, Vegan, and Gluten Free.

You’ll have a fairly easy time cooking with Green Chef, too, as it offers prepared sauces, marinades, and seasonings. Each meal kit also comes with detailed, color-coded instructions for easy preparation, with most only taking 20-30 minutes to prepare.

There are also lots of international meals for you to choose from, making the meal kits even more versatile. You can get cuisines like Thai, Mediterranean (Greek), Italian, Latin American, classic American, Middle Eastern, and more.

Maybe you’re in a rush and don’t like spending a lot of time cooking (like me). I think you’d be pleased to know that all meals can be cooked in 35 minutes or less.  And, there are even some options that only take 10 minutes. Now we’re talking!

But the vast selection of meals isn’t everything you get. I appreciate the large selection of add-ons like french toast, egg bites, breakfast tacos, muffins, oatmeal, and lots of extra proteins. Protein add-ons include salmon, shrimp, steak, ground meats like beef and turkey, chicken breast, and more.

In terms of allergens, keep in mind that all ingredients are packaged in the same facility. This means that, if you have a severe allergy, Green Chef shouldn’t be on your short-list of options this year. It can’t guarantee that you won’t come into contact with an ingredient that can hurt you if that’s the case. However, gluten-free meals are actually certified which makes them safe even for celiacs.

Lastly, you’ll have to get 3 meals for 2 people at minimum per week, but you’re free to get as many as 4 meals for 6 people. You do get a bit of a price break for larger orders – so if you opt for the max order, you’ll only pay about $5.99 per serving.

5. Home Chef – Best Meal Customization Options

Key Features

• Choose from 25+ meal kits or prepared meals

• Lots of add-ons and snacks

• Dietary options like low-carb, and calorie-conscious

Home Chef is one of the most popular meal delivery services in Newark. That’s because it offers an excellent selection of convenient meals to suit your needs. These include oven-, grill-, and microwave-ready prepared meals, and some <15-Minute options.

And most of the time, every ingredient comes already pre-portioned making prep, cooking, and cleanup as simple as it gets. I personally love spending as little time in the kitchen as humanly possible.

What I really like, though, is that the weekly menu is varied, signing up and ordering is a smooth and effortless experience, and the recipes are quite fool-proof. In terms of great fool-proof recipes, you can try out a number of cuisines like classic American, French, Italian, Mediterranean, Asian, and Latin American – to name just a few.

Each meal, no matter the cuisine, takes no longer than 50 minutes to prepare (at most) – but most tend to take around 15-30 minutes. If you want ones that take less time, keep an eye out for a few key labels on the menu. You’ll want to find the Express, Express Plus, and Fast & Fresh labels since these are the fastest meals.

One of my favorite aspects of Home Chef has to be its customization options. For example, you can easily replace the shrimp with chicken breast in the Mediterranean Shrimp dish. Another example is the Blue Cheese-Crusted Chicken which lets you replace the chicken with New York-style strip steaks or even pork chops.

For those of you who like buying add-ons and extras, you might get overwhelmed. There literally seem to be hundreds of options. These include bread loaves, apple crisp, cookie skillets, salads, lattes, breakfast croissants, waffles, coffee cake, smoothies, charcuterie boards, chocolate strawberries, crunch rolls, soups, tamales, chowders, mac and cheese, and a ton more.

But that’s not even all – you can also get a bunch of protein add-ons, too. These include things like chicken breast, strip steaks, Ahi tuna, salmon filets, Italian sausage, or Protein Packs which include a combination of some – or all – of the above.

Finally, your minimum order will have to be 2 recipes for 2 people per week, but you can get up to a maximum of 6 recipes for 6 people. Pricing starts at around $6.99 per serving if you opt for the maximum order.

6. Fresh and Easy – Best Fast, <15 Minutes Meals

Key Features

• Lots of prepared meals plus <15-Minute kits

• Select from over 25 recipes every week

• Diets like low-carb and low-calorie

Fresh and Easy is a Home Chef brand and is a collection of quick- or no-prep meals. It helps you get dinner on the table when you’re too busy to spend tons of time cooking. The meals come in several formats.

For instance, it offers oven-, microwave-, and grill-ready meals, <15-minute meal kits, and even entreé salads. The way you’ll find these is on the main Home Chef menu. All of the Fresh and Easy meals are labeled as Express or Express Plus.

Fresh and Easy’s meals and cuisines aren’t as diverse as Home Chef’s, but there are still plenty of options. You can expect international recipes like Japanese, Mexican, Mongolian, and some more basic, classic American ones. These include enchiladas, tacos, pork meatballs, shrimp with risotto, and more.

Keep in mind that you can get everything that’s available from the main Home Chef menu in the same order. It’s super easy to mix and match Fresh and Easy and Home Chef items. This includes any of the smoothies, snacks, sides, lattes, desserts, and anything else. Of course, that also means you can use the same Customize It tool.

What I like most, though, is that Fresh and Easy’s meals come pre-chopped, sliced, diced, washed, and portioned. This is one of the best features of Fresh and Easy in my experience and really makes cooking a breeze.

The minimum order is the same as Home Chef at 2 recipes for 2 people per week, up to 6 recipes for 6 people. Pricing starts at around $6.99 per serving if you get the max order.

7. BistroMD – Best for Dietitian-Approved Weight Loss Meals

Key Features

• Weight loss meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner

• Tons of extras, add-ons, and snacks available

• Lots of health-specific meal plans

BistroMD’s main goal is to help you lose weight and live a more health-conscious life. It accomplishes this in several ways – for one, it has weight loss plans for men and women and an abundance of other health-focused ones.

For instance, you can pick from plans like Heart Healthy, Gluten Free, Keto Flex, Diabetic Friendly, or Menopause. All of these plans have been carefully created and planned out by certified nutritionists and dietitians.

Any plan that you choose will also include support from a dietitian to help you attain your weight loss or health-related goal. This is the primary feature that differentiates BistroMD from any other competitor here.

Every meal that you get is prepared which means you won’t have to prep, cook, or clean. You also won’t have to weigh your food and log it into a calorie-tracking app. I don’t know about you, but to me, that sounds like a dream come true. I’m not a big fan of tracking calories!

But what about the meals? Well, you can get items for breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner. For example, for breakfast, you could get omelets, frittatas, oatmeal, and bagels.

Lunches and dinners include items like meatloaf, chicken with starches and veg, smoked BBQ pork, Pork Tenderloin With Mushroom Marsala, salmon, lasagnas, and much more. It’s nice to see that most meals tend to be whole foods-based.

Keep in mind that the meals come frozen. Though everything is prepared fresh, some people may not enjoy the texture of meals that have been thawed out and re-heated. However, it’s nice to see that the meals are of high quality despite the fact that they’re frozen.

They contain no added MSG, trans fat, or aspartame, and each one contains more protein than most other store-bought frozen meals. The site also claims that you’re getting meals certified by the USDA.

For those who are looking to try different things, there are a few cuisines to choose from. You could get anything from Caribbean, French-inspired, Italian, Latin American, classic American, and more.

Finally, the minimum order is lunch and dinner for 5 days per week, up to a max of breakfast, lunch, and dinner for 7 days. You can also get breakfast, lunch, and dinner for 5 days, or just lunch and dinner for 7 days if you prefer to make your own breakfast. Pricing starts at $8.24 per serving for the max order.

8. Marley Spoon – Best for Martha Stewart-Approved Meals

Key Features

• Get access to a large menu of 45+ weekly options

• Choose a variety of 30-minute meal kits that are super simple to prepare

• Select different diet plans like Health & Diet, Vegetarian & Vegan, Meat & Fish

Marley Spoon is the only company officially backed by Martha Stewart. This should already say a lot about the quality you can expect here. But that’s not all. It’s also committed to sustainability which means more recyclable packaging and carbon neutrality.

It also offers one of the largest selections of very high-quality meal kits, a diverse collection of diet plans, and family- and kid-friendly options. For example, some of the diets you can find include Low Carb and Calorie, Healthy, Kid Friendly, No Gluten Added, Nutritious, and many more.

Each meal is carefully designed and put together using high-quality ingredients. You’ll find that every meal has plenty of protein, carbs, and fats – unless, of course, you’ve opted for low-carb options.

And, despite the high quality, Marley Spoon’s recipes are very beginner-friendly even though some can appear a bit more complex. For instance, take the Easy Prep! Greek Pork Tenderloin. It’s one of the most straightforward recipes to prepare with only 6 simple steps.

Some of the cuisines on offer here include Greek, Italian, Latin American, Middle Eastern, Caribbean (Cuban), French, classic American, and some more. There appears to be something to please everyone here.

Marley Spoon does offer a few prepared meals, but it’s not the largest selection. You will get access to roughly 2 to 3 options every week. Another thing I want to bring to your attention is that it’s also been adding more sides and add-ons over time. Marley Spoon was never really known for having lots of those, but that seems to be changing.

You can get extras like desserts like brownies, rice pudding, cupcakes, oat bars, roasted fingerling potatoes, baked popcorn chicken, chicken flautas, and a few more.

Lastly, the minimum order here is 2 meals for 2 people, up to a max of 6 meals for 4 people. If you opt for the largest available order, you’ll only pay around $2.99 per serving.

9. Purple Carrot – Best High-Quality Plant-Based Meals

Key Features

• Access different meal types like breakfast, lunch, dinner, and items from the “plantry”

• Choose from a varied menu of eight prepared meals and 15+ meal kits

• Opt for different diets like vegan, high protein, low-calorie, and more

Purple Carrot might be the best option if you’re looking for plant-based, vegan meals. You can choose from roughly 15 vegan meal kits and 8 prepared meals at any given time in the form of breakfasts, lunches, and “Plantry” items.

It doesn’t offer any specific dietary plans, but lots of the prepared meals and meal kits cater to specific dietary preferences. You can grab meals that are soy-free, nut-free, gluten-free, <600 calories, and high protein. Each recipe or meal is clearly labeled so you can easily recognize what’s what. Just keep in mind that cross-contamination is still possible.

Best of all, Purple Carrot really makes the veggies the “star of the show” rather than relying on imitation meats and soy-based products. Lots of other companies offering vegan meals place too much emphasis on meat analogs.

The prepared meals can be heated up in your microwave within 2-3 minutes, and the meal kits take around 30 minutes to prepare. This brings up another great point – if you want to save time, I suggest opting for Purple Carrot’s “Less Prep” meal kits. These generally come with premade sauces and pre-washed, chopped, sliced, and diced ingredients for less hassle. If you like cooking but want to save more time, these are a nice addition.

In terms of cuisines, you’ll find that the meals are heavily internationally inspired. For instance, you can find things like Middle Eastern Tofu Shawarma, Mexican Mojo Rojo Black Bean Tacos, Palestinian Spiced Peppers, and even Korean-inspired Kimchi Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.

That said, don’t expect Purple Carrot’s meals to be very kid-friendly as they may not appreciate so many exotic, spicy ingredients. But for vegan adults, these dishes can help you break free from the mundane boredom of textured veggie protein.

The minimum order is 6 single-serving prepared meals per week (up to 10), or 3 2-serving meal kits per week, up to a max of 4 4-serving meal kits. If you go for the max order of meal kits, your price will be around $8.50 per serving.

10. Dinnerly – Most Affordable Meals in Newark

Key Features

• Easy-to-cook, fast meal kits

• Choose from 45 recipes per week

• Diet options like vegetarian, low-calorie, dairy-free, veggie

If you’re looking for the cheapest meals in Newark, Dinnerly is the answer. You won’t find more affordable meals anywhere else. For those of you who need to feed a larger family, this may just be your golden ticket.

But just because Dinnerly’s cheap doesn't mean it’s low quality. You still get plenty of meal options like Low-Cal, No Gluten Added, Kid Friendly, One Pot Meals, <30 Minutes, Veggie, Vegan, Dairy Free, and lots more.

For such an affordable service, it’s also great to see the variety of options. You’re getting well over 45 weekly meals spanning different cuisines. For instance, you can get tacos, pan-roasted steaks, lasagnas, Philly cheesesteak, turkey meatloaf, Mediterranean chicken pita, seafood chowder, noodle stir-fry, and so much more.

All of these meals and cuisines come in the form of either prepared meals or meal kits. There are definitely more meal kits though, with only around 8 prepared meals per week.

In terms of add-ons, sides, and snacks, there are tons of those, too. You can get anything from Marbled Tiramisu Cake, nachos, mini deep-dish pizza bites, soup, cupcakes, chile con queso, BEC (bacon, egg, and cheese) Stuffed Breakfast Bites, Denver Omelet Muffin Cups, rice pudding, and more. The options seem endless.

The Dinnerly minimum order is 3 meals for 2 people per week, up to a max of 6 meals for 4 people. Pricing starts at around $2.12 per serving for the max order. The max order really makes it worthwhile for very large families – especially if you have kids.

Quick Comparison Table

Tips for Choosing the Best Meal Delivery Services in Newark

Here’s what I took into consideration when choosing the best meal delivery services for this year. I recommend keeping these things in mind:

• Affordability: Check that the delivery service you want to choose offers pricing that’s reasonable for you. On this list, you’ll find options that cater to different budgets whether yours is large or small.

• Menu options: Make sure that your chosen meal delivery service in Newark has the type of cuisine you prefer and a decent selection of meals to choose from to support your needs. If you’re looking for daily meals, you’ll need a wide selection to prevent boredom.

• Convenience: Choose the type of meals you want, whether it be meal kits or prepared meals. Meal kits allow you to omit certain ingredients more easily but take a bit more time to make, and prepared meals are the most convenient with no prep and cleanup.

• Dietary needs: Opt for a meal delivery service that caters to your specific dietary preferences. You'll find options for keto, gluten free, Mediterranean, low-carb, calorie conscious, and many more on this list.

FAQ

Are Blue Apron meals already cooked?

Blue Apron offers a wide range of both meal kits and prepared meals depending on your cooking skill level, and the amount of time you can dedicate to cooking every day. There are also lots of cuisines you can choose from like Japanese, Italian, Korean, and many more, so you're sure to find something to please the entire family.

Which meal delivery service has the lowest fees?

In 2023, the most affordable meal delivery service is Dinnerly. It offers lots of weekly menu options that are both simple to prepare and quick to make. Best of all, it’s also family-friendly thanks to its low prices (prices start at $2.12 per serving).

Which meal delivery service is healthiest in Newark?

One of the healthiest meal delivery services in Newark is Factor. It offers a collection of prepared meals that cater to weight loss which means less time spent in the kitchen for you.

What is the most affordable prepared meal delivery service?

One of the most affordable prepared meal delivery services is Home Chef. You can get lots of different prepared meals like entreé salads, grill-, oven-, and even microwave-ready meals that don’t break the bank.

The minimum Home Chef order is 2 recipes for 2 people per week, but you can get up to 6 recipes for 6 people every week. Pricing starts at around $6.99 per serving if you go with the maximum order.

What is the easiest home meal delivery service in Newark?

The simplest meals in Newark are offered by Fresh and Easy. It offers a special lineup of meals that take no longer than around 15 minutes to make, at most. You can get prepared meals that are ready for the microwave, oven, or grill, or <15-Minute meal kits that make cooking a breeze.

Best Meal Delivery Services in Newark 2023 — Final Score