Eat Clean Review 2024: Is It Worth It?

Overview

Eating a nutritious, balanced diet isn’t always easy, especially if you’re a busy professional. Consistently eating meals that fuel your body with all the necessary micronutrients is more difficult than it seems. But there is a way. In this Eat Clean Review, you’ll find out if it’s the right fit for your needs.

I’ve tested out Eat Clean for myself and have rounded up all my findings. If you’re looking for a convenient way to ensure you’re fueling your body with all the necessary nutrients, Eat Clean might just be your answer. It’s a service best suited for single individuals or even couples looking for healthy prepared meals.

Overall, I like Eat Clean because of the range of healthy prepared meals that take only 2 to 3 minutes to heat up. You can choose from several popular diets like keto and paleo. There’s also a variety of cuisines and you can order regular or large portions, which I’ve not seen elsewhere.

Eat Clean’s Menu: Healthy Prepped Meals (Best for Singles)

Eat Clean provides prepared oven- and microwave-ready meals that are single-serving. 

These meals are great if you’re following a more restrictive diet like paleo, plant-based, or even keto. The Paleo and Keto plans are completely grain and gluten-free, so it’s a good option if you are sensitive to these ingredients.

Meal Options: Choose From 4 Plans (With Internationally Inspired Recipes) 

You get a good selection of meals from a range of different cuisines. These include Latin American, Indian, classic American, Italian, Caribbean (Cuban), Chinese, Hawaiian, and more. Each dish is relatively basic, which means it’ll be suitable even for the pickiest of eaters.

There are 4 plans you can choose from – Keto, Paleo, Traditional, and Plant-Based. The Keto, Paleo, and Traditional plans have a good selection of protein options. These include chicken breast, chimichurri chicken, pulled pork, grass-fed ground beef, shrimp, ground turkey, turkey sausage, and steak.

In terms of the Plant-Based plan, you’ll get a decent selection of veggie-based proteins such as beans, chickpeas, vegan chicken strips (Chik’n), and beyond sausage.  It doesn’t highlight the veggies as much as vegan-specific service Purple Carrot, but I still appreciated the variety of veggie options available. My girlfriend tried the Buffalo Cauliflower Florets with Yucca Fries meal from the Plant Based menu. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out much like the image on the Eat Clean website – this was the case for several dishes I tried.

Eat Clean offers between 6 to 20 meals (in batches of 2 to 14) every week and recipes get rotated weekly. If you want to check the new menu for the following week, it gets updated every Thursday at 12 am (midnight) EST. As such, it recommends that you order something right away if you like it as that specific meal may no longer be available the following week.

There’s also a Decent Selection of Breakfasts & Snacks 

You’ll find a few different breakfast choices. I tried the Chocolate Glazed Donuts and Vegan Patty from the vegan menu. I’m not sure if I was supposed to heat the donuts but Eat Clean has very limited details regarding the heating and preparation of its meals. Check out my cooking and eating section for more on this. 

Other breakfast items include regular pancakes, keto-friendly pancakes, scones, whole wheat blueberry-stuffed French toast, and paleo almond blueberry bread. Again, Eat Clean doesn’t exactly have the largest selection of meal types but it’s nice to see at least some variety. For example, the Tex Mex Scrambled Eggs and Pork Bacon meal can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

You’ll be able to choose from a few snack options during sign-up. But you won’t find broader add-ons like shakes and juices or extra protein choices like you get with Factor. However, it does allow for choosing between regular and large portions, with the latter costing around $1 more per meal than the standard sizes. I ordered regular portions and found them a decent size, but large portions could be a good choice for athletes or those with larger appetites. 

Very Little Customization (But That’s to Be Expected From a Service That Delivers Preppred Meals)

Before you sign up, you can choose the type of diet you prefer. However, you can pick meals from any of the plans each week. If you like to eat a balanced diet in general but want to throw in some plant-based meals as well, it’s easy to mix and match. However, you can’t customize individual meals, which is pretty standard for services offering premade dishes.

You also can’t exclude any specific ingredients or view any type of allergens that each meal may contain. For that reason, I highly recommend being extremely cautious here if you have any serious, life-threatening allergies. You can check the general ingredients for each meal on the website before placing your order but you won’t find a list of the complete ingredients.

Even the packaging appears very vague about the specific ingredients used in the meals. The Buffalo Chicken Breast meal lists “buffalo sauce” as an ingredient, but I had no clue what it actually contained. Eat Clean’s Terms of Service highly recommends that you avoid the service if you have severe allergies. We have a great list of the best allergy-friendly meal delivery services if you’re interested.

During signup, you can choose to avoid particular allergens, but again I have no idea which meals these apply to and it will probably reduce the number of suitable options you can eat each week. 

If you want the ability to see specific allergens listed, I’d recommend checking out Factor instead. Not only does it list all ingredients plus allergens, but it also allows you to mix and match across meal plans like Chef’s Choice, Keto, Calorie Smart, Vegan & Veggie, and Protein Plus.

One redeeming quality, however, is that Eat Clean offers several meals in each diet category. Though not the most impressive range I’ve ever seen, you can see it has tried to cater to different dietary preferences.

Eat Clean’s Menu at a Glance 

My Unboxing Experience With Eat Clean: Pretty Good, but There’s Room for Improvement

My Eat Clean meals arrived in insulated bags and contained 3 ice packs. The box was 1 of the cleanest packages I’ve received, with no signs of dirt or wear. Inside, the box's contents were tightly and efficiently arranged. Surprisingly, the box contained 3 ice packs instead of the usual 2 most other services send, ensuring that all items remained cool and fresh.

The packaging materials, including the box and insulation, were recyclable curbside. However, the gel ice packs used for cooling, which are not recyclable, pointed to an area needing improvement. While these disposable ice packs seem to be a common choice among meal delivery services, this is an area where Eat Clean could improve its sustainability practices.

All the meals come packed in this box in separate containers along with ingredient labels. Every meal has nutritional data printed right on it as well including protein, carbs, fat, and total calories.

You should store your meals in the fridge and eat them within 5 days. Eat Clean doesn’t recommend freezing the meals for longer than a day or 2. Only freeze them if you won’t be able to eat them by the expiration date.

Each meal arrives fresh and has never been frozen before. It’s up to you whether you want to take the risk and freeze your meals for later or try to consume them within around 3-5 days for optimal freshness.

Each food container is 100% recyclable and BPA-free. These are easy to recycle using your city’s recycling program. I read on the website that packaging can be returned to Eat Clean by leaving it outside for collection. This wasn’t communicated to me and I haven’t been asked to return anything so it could be outdated information or depend on your location. 

Eating With Eat Clean: Not Bad, but Not Great Either

Eating with Eat Clean is as simple as heating up your meals in the microwave or oven. If you’re using an oven, the meals might take around 15-30 minutes to heat up, depending on how quickly it preheats. For microwaves, start with around 2 minutes and add 30 seconds at a time if your meals are still cold.

It’s a good idea to consume the meals as quickly as possible without freezing them for the best results. If you order enough meals for 1 week, I highly recommend using the meals with sensitive ingredients first like shrimp or chicken. Veggie-only or beef meals may last longer in the fridge.

Eat Clean meals offer the convenience of being always refrigerated and never frozen, although I have to admit I couldn’t taste the difference. I’ve tested frozen meals before and Eat Clean’s didn’t taste any fresher – they tasted more like reheating leftovers. This wasn’t the case when we tried meals from Factor, a similar service with a wider selection of diets, add-ons, and more.

The cooking instructions could also be much clearer. I decided to cook some of my ingredients in a skillet to retain the crispy texture, for example. If you don’t have any kitchen know-how, it might not be the best choice for you – even though the meals are technically fully prepared. 

Lastly, I recommend plating up Eat Clean’s meals before serving to enhance your enjoyment of the dish like I did with the Coconut Crusted Chicken. I didn’t do this for most of the dishes to save on washing up, but it did make a difference to how tasty it looked.

Shortlist of My Favorite Meals

Buffalo Chicken Breast With Loaded Yukon Mash

This dish was really satisfying and my number 1 meal for the week. Both the baked chicken and mashed potatoes, which don't rely on being crispy, reheated well in the microwave. This highlights a useful tip: dishes that need crispiness might be better off in the oven, a suggestion not provided by Eat Clean.

The buffalo sauce was unexpectedly complex and flavorful, offering a generous topping to the thick, juicy chicken. The mashed potatoes were another high point. Made with Yukon Gold potatoes, known for their rich texture, and loaded with cheese and turkey bacon, they created a decadent side dish that perfectly balanced the meal.

Chicken Tikka Masala With Organic White Rice

My exploration of Chicken Tikka Masala across various meal delivery services has become a peculiar personal challenge. Eat Clean’s version really stood out. Having been underwhelmed by Blue Apron's attempt at a similar dish, I found Eat Clean's mastery of this cuisine impressive. An exceptional dish especially for microwave preparation.

Its overall success hinged not only on the well-seasoned and moist chicken but also on the quality of the Basmati rice, which was aromatic and retained a pleasing texture. This was a notable improvement over Blue Apron's short-grained, flavorless rice. The sauce, crucial to any Chicken Tikka Masala, was generously portioned, richly spiced, and carried a great heat.

12 Hour BBQ Pulled Pork With Sweet Plantain Mash

Coming from Kansas City, a haven for BBQ enthusiasts, I approached this dish with a mix of curiosity and skepticism, not expecting it to live up to my hometown's standards. Yet, reheating it in the microwave was surprisingly effective. It reminded me of the pulled pork my mother used to prepare in a slow cooker. 

The sweet plantain mash is an intriguing alternative to the usual mashed potatoes, offering a denser, stickier texture. This creative twist highlights Eat Clean's unique side dishes. However, the zucchini alongside the pork felt misplaced, as if it were an attempt to sneak vegetables into the dish, which didn't quite resonate with the comfort food I wanted.

Almond Crusted Chicken Tenders With Homestyle Honey Mustard

I prepared the Almond Crusted Chicken Tenders in a pan instead of the microwave for a crispier outcome. Although they crisped up reasonably well, I felt that they might have been slightly overcooked before I started. The almond crust was a passable alternative to traditional breading which aligns with the keto-friendly aspect of the meal. 

The meal's simplicity, consisting solely of chicken tenders and a homestyle honey mustard dipping sauce, was an interesting nod to keto dietary preferences. This straightforward approach to dining might suit occasional keto meals, but for someone not strictly following a keto diet, the novelty could wear thin.

Coconut Crusted Chicken With Sweet Potato Wedges

Unlike the previous almond-crusted tenders which set a high bar, this Coconut Crusted Chicken dish fell short of expectations. The single, large piece of breaded chicken turned out to be flat and notably dry. This was disappointing, especially following the enjoyment of the almond tenders. This made it a less enjoyable meal.

On a brighter note, the sweet potato wedges reheated fairly well, despite their awkward size. Too large to be fried yet too small to be deemed anything other than oddly shaped chunks. However, as a potato enthusiast, this was a minor issue. I opted to reheat this dish by frying to improve the texture.

The perplexing pink sauce, on the other hand, left me indifferent. Its ingredients aren’t mentioned on either the website or the packaging. The enigmatic condiment added more mystery than flavor. Although I did eat this meal a full week after delivery, which could excuse some of the dish's shortcomings.

Recipes Summary

FAQ

How do you heat up Eat Clean meals?

All of the meals can either be heated up in your microwave or oven. If using a microwave, they’ll be hot in around 2-3 minutes, depending on your microwave’s power output. Meals in the oven take anywhere from 15-30 minutes to heat up. Check my cooking and eating section for more details.

Is it easy to cancel Eat Clean?

You can do this by logging into your account dashboard. You can also contact the customer support team via phone and email if you prefer. Cancelations must be completed by no later than the deadline for changes stated in your online account.

Is Eat Clean good for weight loss?

Eat Clean’s prepared meals can help you hit your weight loss goals more easily than cooking on your own as each meal has the exact calorie number printed directly on it. Therefore, you wouldn’t have to calculate calories on your own.