10 Best Meal Delivery Services in Washington, D.C. 2023: List
Washington D.C. is a busy place. There’s lots going on. All the time. If you’re looking for a great D.C. meal delivery service to save you time and money while keeping you well-fed with healthy, nutritious food, you’ve come to the right place.
I’ve analyzed the top 10 meal delivery services in the city. I’ve run the numbers. And I’ve dug through all the details – so, you don’t have to.
My choice for the top spot goes to Home Chef. Home Chef has a large, 30+ meal menu and the best customization tool that I’ve seen. It’s got easy-to-follow recipes. And the company has recently taken on Rachael Ray to contribute her talent to the exercise. Altogether, that makes Home Chef a juggernaut.
Short on Time? Here Are the Best Meal Delivery Services in Washington, D.C.
Home Chef – Best customizable meal delivery service in Washington, D.C.
Blue Apron – Best meal delivery service in Washington, D.C. for healthy eating
Green Chef – Best Washington, D.C. meal delivery service for keto & paleo
HelloFresh – Best Washington, D.C. meal delivery service for the whole family
Purple Carrot – Best plant-based meal delivery service in Washington, D.C.
The Best Meal Delivery Services in Washington, D.C. Reviewed
1. Home Chef – Best Customizable Meal Delivery Service in Washington, D.C.
Key Features
Clear, easy-to-follow recipes
30+ different recipes every week
Meals for different types of cooking ability
Current deal: Get 60% off your first three boxes
The hallmark of Home Chef is versatility and customization. To begin, Home Chef provides three different menu plans: Carb-conscious, Calorie-conscious, and <30 minutes. From there, you have the option of using Home Chef’s powerful “Customize It” tool that lets you double up, swap out, or even upgrade the proteins for certain recipes.
Additionally, the company has brought on culinary pro Rachael Ray to be the face of the company and provide a number of her personal recipes. You can learn more about Home Chef in this dedicated review written by one of my colleagues.
So, in the event you take a day visit to the White House, you can come home and make the experience complete with a customized meal from Home Chef. Now, that’s what we call a happy ending!
2. Blue Apron – Best Meal Delivery Service in Washington, D.C. for Healthy Eating
Key Features
Online cookbook listing a vast number of off-menu recipes
30+ unique recipes every week
A small collection of microwaveable meals
Current deal: Enjoy $110 off across your first 5 orders
Blue Apron offers four different types of menu plans: Signature for 2, Signature for 4, Vegetarian, and Wellness. The company also has an agreement with WW (formerly known as Weight Watchers) and offers a number of meals that are WW-approved.
All in all, it’s a great meal delivery service for healthy eating. You can find out more about Blue Apron in this excellent review. It also offers customization tools for six meals in its Signature for 2 plan, and three meals in its Signature for 4 plan.
So, for your next outing in D.C., you can check out the Martin Luther King, Jr. Monument to get a sense of culture, history, and national pride. And when the day’s all done, you can come home to a great healthy meal from Blue Apron.
3. Green Chef – Best Washington, D.C. Meal Delivery Service for Keto & Paleo
Key Features
Ability to mix and match meals across different menus
30+ unique recipes each week
6 dietary options: Keto + Paleo, Mediterranean, Gluten-Free, and more
Current deal: Get $250 off + free shipping
The Green Chef claim to fame is its offerings of Keto and Paleo meals. It makes it a great choice for health gurus and fitness fans alike. Keto and Paleo diets tend to be more difficult to find among meal delivery services, but, fortunately, Green Chef is there.
It’s also worth noting that Green Chef eggs, and produce are certified organic. The recipes are simple to follow. And much of the food is pre-prepped. Learn more in this Green Chef dedicated review by one of my fellow writers.
A Green Chef meal could provide a great ending to an awesome day spent exploring the U.S. Capital by bike. You can rent one. Have a blast. Then go home to a delicious, healthy meal to fuel back up.
4. HelloFresh – Best Washington, D.C. Meal Delivery Service for the Whole Family
Key Features
High quality, farm fresh ingredients
50+ different recipes every week
6 menu plans: Meat & Veggie, Pescatarian, Veggie, and more
Current deal: 18 free meals + first box ships free + 3 surprise gifts with code DR18HF
HelloFresh is a great family-friendly meal delivery service that offers great, farm fresh ingredients that help it provide some of the healthiest meals around. The recipes the company offers are easy to follow and usually fairly reasonable in terms of the time required to prepare.
HelloFresh also has a handful of “Gourmet” recipes each week that are of the highest quality, but cost a little extra. Check out all the HelloFresh perks in this excellent review by one of my colleagues. The company also has an online Cookbook that contains hundreds of off-menu recipes ready for you to look through.
You can take the whole family to root for the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Start the day with a family outing to a baseball game and end the night with a great, family-friendly meal.
5. Purple Carrot – Best Plant-based Meal Delivery Service in Washington, D.C.
Key Features
Offers both meal kits and prepared meals
Offers a 3-course Celebration meal
Offers a Plantry section with vegan and vegetarian extras
Current deal: Get $30 off with code carrot30
If you’re a vegan or a vegetarian, Purple Carrot is the Washington D.C. meal delivery service for you. The Purple Carrot menu is entirely plant-based. It offers breakfasts, lunches, and dinners crafted entirely from plants. In fact, it has no meat on its site at all!
Purple Carrot is out to get people to eat more plants. It’s not just for your health, but for the health of the planet too! Learn more in this Purple Carrot dedicated review.
So, if you’re planning on an all-day outing to the National Gallery of Art, start the day off right with a Purple Carrot breakfast. It’ll give you all the fuel you’ll need to tour the museum and enjoy the day!
6. Marley Spoon – Best Celebrity-Endorsed Meal Delivery Service in Washington, D.C.
Key Features
Offers vegetarian and family-friendly recipes
45+ varied recipes every week
Step-by-step, easy-to-follow, recipes
Current deal: Get $270 off your first 8 boxes!
Martha Stewart is the face of Marley Spoon. And she brings far more than just a pleasant smile. As a TV cooking legend, Martha brings a selection of her own exquisite recipes she’s developed over her many years in the business and a number of special spice blends.
In addition to Martha, Marley Spoon also has an app to help you manage your account, your orders, and other details of your subscription. You can learn more about Martha Stewart and Marley Spoon in this dedicated review by one of my colleagues.
How does this sound for a way to spend a Saturday? Check out the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and come home to an exciting Marley Spoon meal designed by Martha Stewart. Great, right?
7. Freshly – Best Meal Delivery Service for Prepared Meals in Washington, D.C.
Key Features
Provides meals sized for one person
40+ varied recipes each week
Dietary options include Purely Plant, FreshlyFit, and Signature Collection
Current deal: Get $175 off your first 7 boxes!
Freshly is well-known for providing meals that can be heated in the microwave in just a matter of minutes. Freshly meals are pre-prepped and chilled (not frozen) for transportation. When they arrive, they should be stored in the refrigerator. Heating usually takes three minutes or less.
If you prefer, you can cook the Freshly meals in an oven. You just have to swap out the microwave-friendly dish it comes in with something more suitable for an oven. You can learn more in this dedicated Freshly review by one of my fellow writers.
When you’re in Washington D.C., the site of the U.S. government, can you resist going to see the International Spy Museum? That sounds like a blast to me! But fill up on a Freshly meal, first. It’s quick. It’s easy. And it’s nutritious.
8. Fresh and Easy – Best Quick and Easy Meal Delivery Service in Washington, D.C.
Key Features
Very little clean up
Pre-portioned meals are offered
5 different meal kit options: Fast & Fresh, Grill Ready, Oven Ready, and more
Current deal: Get 60% off your first three boxes!
Fresh and Easy is a spin-off company of Home Chef. The goal of Fresh and Easy is to provide a quick, simple-to-understand meal delivery service that offers fresh meals. All five of its different meal kits are made with that idea in mind.
In addition to its diverse collection of meal kits, it also offers the Home Chef “Customize It” tool to make its service that much more attractive. You’ll learn more about Fresh and Easy in this excellent company review written by one of my colleagues.
When you’re in Washington, D.C. you can check out the Newseum (a museum about journalism) and wrap the night up with a quick, easy meal by Fresh and Easy. Sounds tasty, eh?
9. EveryPlate – Best Low-Cost Meal Delivery Service in Washington, D.C.
Key Features
Recipes that detail allergen information
17+ different recipes every week
4 meal menus: Meat & Veggie, Veggie, Quick & Easy, and Family Friendly
Current deal: $1.39/meal on your 1st box
If you’re looking for an inexpensive meal delivery service in Washington, D.C., EveryPlate is the choice for you. The whole EveryPlate business model is designed to keep its prices low. In fact, prices start at $1.49 per serving.
Check out this dedicated EveryPlate review to learn more about the company and its services. One of the only drawbacks is specialty dietary concerns. If you need gluten-free, soy-free, vegan, or something like that, EveryPlate may offer one or two such meals a week, but probably not more. That’s very limiting in choice.
So, if you want an inexpensive meal before checking out the Arlington National Cemetery then EveryPlate may have the right choice for you.
10. Grubhub – Best Food Delivery Service in Washington, D.C.
Key Features
Offers to pick up meals and deliver them from a variety of restaurants
Nearly unlimited number of recipes each week
Virtually no limits on dietary options
Grubhub differs from the preceding nine services because it’s a food delivery service and not a meal delivery service. This means that Grubhub, itself, does no cooking or meal prep. You place an order to a 3rd party restaurant through Grubhub and Grubhub sends a driver to retrieve your meal and deliver it to you.
Grubhub also has a few special programs worth mentioning. First, is Grubhub+. This program waives delivery fees on any order over $12. Second, is Grubhub Perks. This program allows you to access and take advantage of certain specials provided by any of the 3rd party restaurants.
So, if you find yourself tired after a day spent at the Library of Congress, you can order almost anything through Grubhub and, then, relax. Because the work is done for you.
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| Our Rating | |||||||||
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| Starting Price | |||||||||
| Starting Price | $5.99 Per Serving | $5.74 Per Serving | $3.32 Per Serving | $6.99 Per Serving | $1.49 Per Serving | $8.50 Per Serving | $6.90 Per Serving | $6.99 Per Serving | $2.99 Per Serving |
| Minimum Order | |||||||||
| Minimum Order | 3 meals for 2 people | 2 meals for 2 people | 2 meals for 2 people | 2 meals for 2 people | 3 meals for 2 people | 3 meal kits for 2 people/6 prepared meals | 4 prepared meals | 2 meals for 2 people | 2 meals for 2 people |
| Meal Types | |||||||||
| Meal Types | 30-minute meal kits | 20 - 60 min. meal kits | 20 - 30 min. meal kits | Kits, speedy kits, oven-ready, prepared | 30-minute meal kits | Meal kits, prepared meals | Prepared meals | Oven- & grill-ready, kits, prepared | 30 min. meal kits |
| Prep Time | |||||||||
| Prep Time | 25-40 min | 5-45 min | 15-40 min | 5-50 min | 20-45 min | 3-40 min | 3 mins | 15-30 min | 20-40 min |
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Tips for Choosing the Best Meal Delivery Service in Washington, D.C.
This list can be used as a guide to help in your search for the best meal delivery service for you. Check out these tips below:
Customization: One key factor to look at when ranking meal delivery services in Washington D.C. is customizability. Any service that offers meals that can be tailored to your particular tastes is worth some serious exploration.
Menu Selection: Another factor to consider when ranking meal delivery services in Washington D.C. is the selection. Generally, the more recipes a service offers, the more desirable that service is. Unless you’ve stumbled across a service that simply lists too many and you’re just overwhelmed by options. But, normally, that won’t happen.
Dietary Options: The importance of this factor varies from individual to individual. If you’re looking for meal delivery services in Washington, D.C. offering plant-based meals, naturally, those services that offer a good selection of vegan and vegetarian meals will draw your attention.
Cost: This is another factor that’ll likely vary according to the individual. If you’re on a shoestring budget, an inexpensive service will be best. Of course, for some people, money just isn’t an issue and you can pick any service irrespective of price.
Bottom Line: The Best Meal Delivery Service in Washington, D.C.
After being reviewed and ranked, the best meal delivery service in Washington, D.C. is Home Chef. You can check out the versatility and flexibility offered by Home Chef’s “Customize It” tool on its site. It’s really hard to beat. In addition to that, it provides really nutritious, healthy food at a reasonable price and over 30 different recipes.
Of course, it still may not be to your liking for whatever reason. If so, you’ve got nine other options to look over. Each with its own strengths and weaknesses.
FAQ
Are Meal Delivery Services Healthy?
Broadly speaking, most meal delivery services are healthy. Some, like Blue Apron, for example, stand out a little more than others in this regard. But, as a rule, most services make specific mention of the quality of their ingredients on their sites.
When researching the different companies, I often see that they use organic ingredients, farm fresh ingredients, and similar criteria when they make their meals.
What Meal Delivery Service Is The Cheapest?
EveryPlate is, easily, the least expensive meal delivery service I’ve ever reviewed. Currently, it offers meals starting at $1.49 per serving. There are always a few trade-offs, of course. Generally, EveryPlate usually offers less than 20 total recipes per week.
And that has consequences: you usually can’t find much selection for certain dietary needs (like gluten-free, vegan, etc…).
What Is The Difference In Meal Delivery Service vs. Grocery Shopping?
Meal delivery services send you the ingredients or a meal already prepared. Grocery shopping requires you to take time to go to the store and find what you want. Meal delivery services usually save both time and money when compared with grocery shopping. You’ll only be getting the ingredients you need in the quantities you need. That means less wasted food and less wasted money.
In terms of time, you do your shopping from a computer. No walking down aisles. No spending hours at the grocery store. Additionally, there’s prep time to consider. The meal delivery service Freshly, for example, provides you with meals that can be heated in 3 minutes. That translates into massive time savings.
