10 Best Senior Meal Delivery Services 2022: Easy & Healthy

The over-50s crowd are relying more and more on meal delivery services to take the pain out of mealtimes, removing the need for trips to the supermarket and standing in the kitchen for hours on end.

But which companies are the best at offering a health-conscious, reliable, and customer-friendly service to seniors? I’ve tested and reviewed the competition and found the best options for the senior population.

The Best Meal Delivery Services for Seniors Reviewed

1. Home Chef – Best Meal Delivery Service for Seniors 2022

Key Features

• Home Chef’s Customize It feature lets you choose exactly the meal you want

• 25 different menu options each week + Protein Packs and extras

• Menus include Carb Conscious, Calorie Conscious, Vegetarian

• Current deal: Get 16 Free Meals!

Home Chef rises to the top of our lists simply because it does so many things so well. Most seniors will love Home Chef’s tasty, convenient meals. Our reviewer described her week with Home Chef as ”a pretty perfect experience.”

Home Chef offers a range of meal types for every skill level, from standard 30-minute kits to time- and cleanup-saving oven-ready meals. You can prepare a Culinary Collection meal for a special occasion or try lower-calorie Fresh Start senior dinners.

Home Chef really shines with its Customize It feature. If certain proteins don’t agree with you, most Home Chef recipes let you choose a different protein. Home Chef filters let you avoid common allergens like shellfish and nuts when selecting meals.

While Home Chef may not be suitable for seniors with highly specialized dietary needs, its wide variety of choices and excellent ingredients make Home Chef our top senior meal delivery service.

2. Factor – Best Healthy Prepared Meals for Seniors

Key Features

• Ongoing support and nutrition coaching programs available

• 29+ menu options weekly plus Factor+ soups and wellness shots

• Menus include Vegan & Veggie, Keto, Calorie Smart

• Current deal: $120 Off! Code: DELIVERYRANK120

If you’re cooking for one, Factor’s single-serving prepared meals can ensure you get a regular supply of healthy, GMO-free meals with lean protein and fresh, mostly organic vegetables.

Factor’s breakfast entrees and desserts give you healthy options for every meal of the day.  As our Factor reviewer noted, “imagine having more energy from eating well, plus getting more free time on your hands.”

When you sign up with Factor, you get a free 20-minute consultation with a registered dietitian and access to Factor’s nutrition coaching programs. Not only do you get tasty prepared meals, you even get professional help in meeting your health and weight goals!

With prices starting at $5.50 per serving, Factor is one of the more expensive services on our list. But if you want to preserve your mobility and independence, Factor may be a great investment in your health.

3. HelloFresh – Best First Meal Delivery Service for Seniors

Key Features

• Seasonal and locally sourced ingredients

• Over 30 different recipes each week

• Menus include Calorie Smart, Veggie, and Quick and Easy

• Current deal: 16 Free Meals + 3 Gifts + Free Shipping

HelloFresh is the world’s largest meal delivery service, and its delivery and customer service teams run like a smoothly oiled machine. Its meal kits lean toward comfort foods with fresh vegetables, high-quality meats, and clear, easy-to-follow instructions.

HelloFresh’s extensive experience allows it to provide fresh local ingredients at very reasonable prices. Its delivery networks and packaging ensure your orders are correct and your meals remain cold upon arrival. Our reviewer said the customer service was, “arguably the best I’ve ever had.”

Because HelloFresh offers up to 24 servings a week, it works for seniors sharing living space in Golden Girls arrangements. If you and your housemates are tired of takeout every night, you can eat better and healthier for less.

4. Blue Apron – Great for Seniors with Adventurous Palates

Key Features

• Seasonal ingredients sourced from local, family-run farms

• 19 recipes each week

• Dietary plans include Vegetarian, Wellness, and WW-Approved

• Current deal: $130 off across your first 6 boxes!

Blue Apron offers an excellent variety of cuisines and ingredients in its weekly menus. Basil Pesto Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Pistachio Breadcrumbs may sound intimidating, but Blue Apron’s recipe cards and app videos make cooking delicious, interesting meals easy.

Blue Apron also has a “Freshness Guarantee” and promises that each ingredient will arrive fresh and ready to cook or the company will make it right. It works with over 100 family-run farms to source local and seasonal ingredients.

You might expect that all this fresh gourmet food comes at a high cost, but at $1.24 per serving, Blue Apron is one of the most inexpensive services on this list. If you want to eat better but are on a tight budget, a Blue Apron subscription can keep you well-fed for less than you might expect.

5. Silver Cuisine – Best Meals for Seniors with Medical Needs 

Key Features

• Food developed by a medical doctor and cooked by chefs

• Over 150 meal options in each plan

• Dietary options include Diabetic, Low Carb, Menopause, and more

Silver Cuisine topped the charts as a senior meal delivery provider. Developed as a branch of BistroMD, Silver Cuisine stemmed from Dr. Caroline Cederquist’s passion for providing senior citizens with easy, quality meals aimed at keeping them in good health for longer.

It continues to offer high-quality, health-conscious, and varied meal plans for customers of all dietary requirements, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack options. Meals are flash-frozen and are stored in your freezer until you’re ready to eat them.

Silver Cuisine often runs special offers and discounts and rewards regular customers. The website offers additional nutritional information, including descriptions of certain foods’ impact on the body, and blood sugar advice.

6. Diet-to-Go – Best Weight-Loss Community

Key Features

• Weight loss plans from a company with over 30 years in the diet industry

• 10-21 different menu options + substitutions

• Dietary options include Diabetic, Keto-Carb, and more

• Current deal: Save 50% Off

Diet-to-Go is a serious plan for those who want to lose weight. If you’re a senior who’s struggling with your waistline, Diet-to-Go is a time-tested way to drop pounds and inches.

Diet-to-Go provides two or three low-calorie nutrient-dense meals each day to ensure you get the vitamins and minerals you need. And Diet-to-Go’s weight loss community and its app can give you the support you need to resist temptation and master healthier eating habits.

With plans ranging from 1,200 to 1,600 calories per day, Diet-to-Go is a pretty aggressive weight loss plan. Talk with your physician before starting any weight loss diet. But if you’re a senior who wants to lose weight without losing nutrients, Diet-to-Go may work for you.

7. Sunbasket – Organic Meals for Seniors on Any Type of Diet

Key Features

• Fresh, colorful ingredients delivered from farm to table

• 35+ entrées, plus breakfast, lunch, and snack items each week

• Dietary plans include Diabetes-Friendly, Mediterranean, Paleo, and more

• Current deal: $90 off Plus a Free Gift!

Planning healthy meals can be tough when you’re trying to stick to a specialized diet. Sunbasket has dedicated Paleo, Diabetes-Friendly, Mediterranean, Lean & Clean, Gluten-Free, Carb-Conscious menus, and more!

Sunbasket’s meals are organic and ethically sourced, with entrees from a wide range of global cuisines. Whether you want gluten- and dairy-free Braised Beef Panang Curry or vegan Quinoa and Tofu bowls, Sunbasket is there for you.

Our reviewer said that Sunbasket’s menu was ”by far one of the best I’ve seen.” While Sunbasket is one of the more expensive services on our list, it offers delicious, organically-certified, healthy meal kits and prepared meals to suit most specialized senior needs.

8. Green Chef – Carefully Curated Organic Meals for Seniors

Key Features

• Vibrant, seasonal produce direct from the farm to your door 

• Nine to 12 recipes each week

• Dietary plans include Keto + Paleo and Plant-Powered

• Current deal: Get $130 Off + Free Shipping

Green Chef was the first meal service to receive USDA Organic certification and caters to a health-conscious and discerning market. You choose between their Keto + Paleo plan, their vegetarian and vegan Plant-Powered plan, or their Balanced Living plan.

While other services offer enormous menus, Green Chef gives you a choice of between nine to 12 recipes each week. Green Chef meals use sustainable, high-quality ingredients in their meal kits, then send them with sauces prepared and vegetables fully chopped.

Green Chef offers less flexibility than many plans and is one of our more expensive services. But if you place a premium on menus featuring clean proteins and fresh organic vegetables, Green Chef will teach you how to make restaurant-quality meals at home.

9. Freshly – Healthy, Delicious Ready-Made Meals for Seniors

Key Features

• Healthier versions of the comfort foods you love

• 50+ meals to choose from each week

• Dietary plans include Purely Plant, Freshly Fit, and Signature Collection

• Current deal: Save $125, Promo Code: SAVE125AFF

Even if you have limited kitchen space, Freshly can help you eat better. Freshly offers prepared meals with less sugar and fewer processed ingredients.

If you’re trying to lose weight, each week Freshly offers at least 20 meals that come in under 500 calories, along with a selection of dairy-free and low-carb meals. All Freshly meals are gluten- and peanut-free and nutritionally balanced.

Freshly meals take just minutes to cook, so you can have a plate of Homestyle Chicken (pictured above) on your table in less than five minutes. Our reviewer said Freshly struck “a good balance between health and convenience.”

While Freshly is a good bit cheaper than Factor, it still offers a wide range of food choices, and the images of the food are certainly among the most visually appealing and interesting.

10. Veestro – 100% Plant-Based Prepared Meals for Seniors

Key Features

• Tasty, fully-prepared 100% plant-based meals

• Over unique recipes per week

• Dietary options include soy-free, nut-free, and kosher

• Current deal: Save 35% Off! Code: EAT35

Plant-based diets have shown benefit in relieving hypertension and inflammation, but sticking to a plant-based diet can be hard. Veestro makes it easier with ready-made vegan meals made from high-quality produce.

For those who are curious about going vegan, or just want to eat more plants, Veestro offers comfort foods like Meatless Lasagna (pictured above). Getting more vegetables is easy when your veggies taste like the meals you’ve always loved.

If you keep kosher, Veestro has a kosher menu you can enjoy with meat or milk. And if you want to lose a few pounds, Veestro also offers a special catered weight-loss plan.

Because Veestro offers weekly, biweekly, or monthly deliveries, it’s easy to order the meals you need and keep them in the freezer as part of a vegan diet or as a nice supplement of healthy, tasty vegetables.

Quick Comparison Table

Tips for Choosing the Best Senior Meal Delivery Services 

Here are some things to consider when you’re shopping for a senior meal delivery service.

• Know your needs: If you have specialized dietary requirements, look for a service that caters to those needs rather than trying to find appropriate items on a general menu.

• Consider your funding options: As a senior, you may be eligible for financial meal assistance. Getting meals delivered to your door can be much cheaper than other care facilities.

• Figure out how many meals you need: Do you just want a few dinners each week, or do you need a complete menu that handles all meals?

• Don’t be afraid to change providers: It may take you some time to find the meal delivery service that’s right for you, and all our listed services make it easy to cancel if you’re not satisfied.

Bottom Line: Are Senior Meal Delivery Services Worth It?

All of the services we reviewed understand the need for seniors to receive health-focused, varied tasty meals that can be cooked quickly and easily.

Senior meal delivery services offer you freedom from the kitchen and the supermarket. They can prevent falls and help alleviate the stress and exertion that comes from preparing your own meals.

Perhaps most important of all, senior meal delivery services can help you prolong and preserve your independence.

For all those reasons, senior meal delivery services are definitely worth it!

FAQ

Which meal delivery service for seniors is the best? 

Home Chef's Customize It feature and its wide variety of choices put it well ahead of other meal delivery services. Catering to different health requirements and focusing on chef quality, there truly is something for everyone.

Which meal delivery service for seniors is the cheapest?

With a starting price of $1.24 per serving, Blue Apron lets senior customers eat healthy, tasty meals for less than the cost of many takeout meals.

Which seniors’ meal delivery services offer free delivery? 

Veestro offers free shipping on all auto-delivery orders.

Are there meal delivery services for seniors without subscription plans? 

Silver Cuisine has no contracts and no minimum orders, so you can place orders without fear of being locked into a recurring obligation.

Veestro offers one-time a la carte orders, although you’ll pay 10% more for your order.