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The best meal kit delivery services you can buy: Expert tested
As a busy, full-time worker, finding the time to make home-cooked meals every day of the week can be incredibly stressful. My husband and I would be lying if we said meal kit delivery services hadn't crossed our minds from time to time.
Meal kit services are an excellent option for people who have difficulty figuring out what to eat for dinner every night, especially when jobs, kids, errands, chores, and evening activities can get in the way of cooking. Meal kits eliminate the planning, grocery shopping, and recipe searching to create a delicious meal for you and your family.
With over 300 meal kit delivery service businesses in the US as of last year, I understand the intimidation of picking the right one for your dietary, scheduling, and budget needs. So, I tested the best meal kit services and ranked them on factors like ease of recipes, taste, and price, to help you return to the kitchen without a headache.
Also: Everything you need to build out a smart home
What is the best meal kit delivery service right now?
My top pick for the best meal kit delivery service is Gobble, due to its great-tasting options, easy-to-prepare recipes, efficient delivery service, high-quality ingredients, and reasonable cost per serving. Read on for the rest of my favorites that I tested.
The best meal kit delivery services of 2024
- Organized packaging
- Menu variety
- Fresh ingredients
- Cooking time could go over an hour
- Expensive, unless ordering larger quantities
Many other reviewers crown Blue Apron and Hello Fresh as their number-one picks, but after my testing, I was pleasantly surprised to find Gobble was the best. This meal kit surpassed my expectations with its organized packaging, convenience, and high-quality ingredients.
Gobble offers many tasty-looking meals on its menu that seemed like they might be difficult to put together quickly, which initially intimidated me. While some meals did take longer to cook than those from other services on this list, I was impressed by the variety of meal options, the quality of ingredients, and the great results. Gobble's extensive menu was a bit overwhelming. Still, the variety of meal options, like Classic Dinners, Lean & Clean Dinners, Premium Dinners, Summer Grilling, and more, gave me plenty to choose from. I chose three different pasta dishes and a dessert to bake. The ingredients were all very fresh, and they all tasted superb.
Review: I taste-tested Gobble and the pricier meal kit delivery service was worth the money
With each meal, you will receive a laminated paper introducing you to the dish, followed by an ingredient list, a list of allergens, and supplies to gather. The instructions were easy to follow and beginner-friendly, so people with little or no culinary skills will be just fine. Each meal includes a tiny "Did You Know" note at the bottom of the cooking instructions sheet, which explains fun facts about the dish.
Gobble also includes the meal calories per serving on the instruction sheet, so you don't have to calculate the nutritional information. I found this to be convenient, and helped me track my macronutrient intake more efficiently.
Although this meal kit is my first pick for freshness and ease of use, it is the most expensive in terms of cost per serving. It costs $12 per serving for two people for five days. If you can afford the higher price, the quality and convenience make it worth it.
Gobble features: Over 5 meal preference options to choose from | 2 or 4 servings | 2-5 meals per week
- Wide variety of recipes
- Meat substitute options like Beyond Meat
- Wine pairing option
- Costs more money per serving to upgrade to meals like steak
- A little costlier compared to most meal kits
Blue Apron is one of the most popular meal kit services, and that's for good reason. This meal kit service has a strong menu packed with various cuisines and meals. The variety of food prompted me to try foods I usually wouldn't cook during the week, expanding my palate and cooking skills simultaneously.
Blue Apron has something for everyone: classic American meals like pimento cheeseburgers with roasted potatoes to Asian fusion meals like seared steaks and ginger-scallion rice with spicy soy pan sauce and snap peas.
Blue Apron and Gobble meal kits are similar in ingredient quality, but I found Blue Apron's preparation instructions more difficult. If you're a novice in the kitchen, I would avoid certain meals from Blue Apron as they may challenge you. I had to re-read the instructions for some of my meals, which added to the preparation time. Still, it was worth it in the end.
An extra perk for Blue Apron is that you can pair wine with your meals. Blue Apron will match the perfect red or white based on your meal choices for the week for $10 a bottle or $70 a month (including shipping) for six bottles. While this will cost you extra, getting it all in one place makes sense if you're already buying wine with your home-cooked meals.
At $11 per serving for three two-person meals or $9 per serving for three four-person meals, Blue Apron lets you choose between Carb-Conscious, 30g of Protein, Keto-Friendly, Vegetarian, or 600 Calories or less meal options. Remember that upgrading to a "special" meal will cost you extra if you want a recipe that includes a pricier ingredient, such as steak.
Blue Apron features: Over 5 meal preference options to choose from | 2 or 4 servings | 2-4 meals per
- Variety of dietary options
- Quick meals
- Discounts for first-time buyers
- Recipes can become a bit repetitive week after week
- Not as much variety as other kits
When you think of meal kits, HelloFresh is likely to come to mind. After testing HelloFresh for a week, I found that its reputation holds true to its high level of freshness, quality, and convenience, but it lacks some of the spark and uniqueness of the other meal kits on this list.
HelloFresh's meal kits are perfect for health-conscious individuals who want their meals catered to their specific dietary needs. If that sounds like you, you can pick from different meal preferences such as Meat and Veggies, Family-Friendly, Fit and Wholesome, and Quick and Easy. There are also options like Salt-Conscious, Carb-Smart, or High Protein.
However, most of HelloFresh's recipes are very simple and start to taste similar to each other, with minor ingredient adjustments. On the other hand, these meals took the least time for me to put together, so they're best for people who aren't looking for complex, time-consuming recipes. Overall, I found the meals to be quite lacking compared to the other kits. They weren't bad in terms of quality, but also not great in terms of flavor.
HelloFresh is priced reasonably for meal kits at $10 per serving for three meals a week for two people.
HelloFresh features: 6 meal preference options to choose from | 2 or 4 servings | 2-6 meals per week
- Easy-to-follow directions
- Quick preparation
- Cheapest meal kit
- Not as much variety as other kits
EveryPlate is the most affordable meal kit on this list, but you don't have to worry about exchanging quality for price.
When I received my package from EveryPlate, I appreciated how each meal item created little waste. At first, I was hesitant because, given the lower price, I expected the ingredient quality to be poorer. But happily, I quickly found that this wasn't the case.
Apart from some pre-chopped carrots and pre-shredded cheese, every other vegetable was packed whole, and their vibrant colors made me excited to put these meals together.
Overall, you can expect EveryPlate's recipes to be of good quality and help you learn to cook and eat healthier.
EveryPlate's meal kits cost $5 per serving for five meals a week for two people, totaling $50. When you purchase your first box, you'll likely receive a discount of 50% off your first box or sometimes more.
EveryPlate features: 7 meal preference options to choose from | 2, 4, & 6 servings | 2-6 meals per week
What is the best meal kit delivery service?
Gobble is the best meal kit delivery service due to its easy-to-follow recipes, ingredient quality, and overall flavor.
Meal kit | Average cost per serving | Dietary preference options | Companion app | Subscription-based table table |
Gobble | $12-$17 | Classic, Lean & Clean, and Vegetarian | No | Yes |
Blue Apron | $8-$12 | vegetarian, carb-conscious, and 600 calories or less | Yes | Yes |
Hello Fresh | $9-$12 | Meat and Veggies, Veggie, Family Friendly, Flit & Wholesome, Quick & Easy, Pescatarian | Yes | Yes |
EveryPlate | $5-$7 | Meat and Veggies, Vegetarian, Quick & Easy, Nutrish & Delish, Family Favorite | Yes | Yes |
Which meal kit is right for you?
While every meal kit on this list provides the same type of service, your needs may differ depending on your cooking experience or budget.
Gobble was my favorite meal kit service thanks to its high-quality ingredients and delicious, easy-to-follow recipes. Blue Apron is the best option for adventurous chefs who want unique recipes. For those on a budget, EveryPlate offers the lowest price per serving of any other meal kit on our list. And for those with specific dietary restrictions or lifestyles, HelloFresh is the best option.
Choose this meal kit delivery service... | If you want... |
Gobble | The best overall option for a quick and delicious meal delivery service. Although it is the most expensive in terms of cost per serving, this meal kit has an extensive menu with high-quality ingredients. |
Blue Apron | Unique recipes with standout ingredients. If you want to expand your palette and cooking skills simultaneously, this meal kit is for you and your family. |
HelloFresh | A great blend of dietary options without sacrificing freshness, quality, and convenience. Perfect for health-conscious individuals who want their meals catered to their specific dietary needs. |
EveryPlate | The most affordable meal kit service. Perfect if you're simply looking for good-quality ingredients and a decent list of meals to help you learn to cook and eat healthier. |
How we test meal kits
To test meal kits, I looked at each meal kit's meal plans and meal options, and cooked several meals from all of the kits in my home kitchen. I chose to include and compare the most well-known and popular meal kits since they have built a reputation over the years and have a solid customer base. All the meal kits were compared at the two-serving, three-meal-a-week price point.
I only looked at subscription-based meal kit services, which include all the ingredients and recipes needed to cook a meal. I excluded ready-made meal services, which I consider a different category.
Factors to consider when choosing a meal kit
When testing the meal kits, I primarily considered the following factors, which will be key in making your own decision about which meal kit is right for you:
Taste: Simply, did these meals come out well, and how do they compare to each other?
Ease of recipes: How difficult was it as a new home chef to follow the instructions given in each recipe?
Ingredient quality: Were the ingredients included in the kit (particularly the meat and vegetables) fresh and high-quality?
Price range of plans/meals: How much is each meal per serving, and how many different meal plans does the service offer?
Do you have to get a meal kit delivered every week?
All the meal kit options I included on this list allow you to skip a week or even multiple weeks if you're going on vacation or if you simply don't want to receive a kit. You can cancel or skip a meal kit at any time, but pay attention to the skipping deadline, or you will be charged for the upcoming week.
Can you swap ingredients in a meal kit?
Some meal kit services let you swap out an ingredient or two when choosing your meals. Usually, you will see this option when you select a meal to add to your week, but you can always email customer service to find out if a simple swap is possible.
Are meal kit services and meal delivery services the same?
Both meal kit services and meal delivery services bring food to your door, but they are different. Like the ones mentioned above, meal kits provide you with all the ingredients (usually measured in the appropriate portions) and recipes to make a few meals each week. In comparison, meal deliveries are pre-cooked, usually frozen, and require you to heat them in the oven or microwave.
Are there alternative meal kits worth considering?
There are many meal delivery services out there to choose from, and it may be worth considering alternatives, depending on your budget and dietary preferences. But here are a few more choices that didn't make my top list that are worth considering: