Last Updated on October 24, 2023 by Ryan
Every parent wants to get a healthy meal on the table for their family. However, between work, taking care of the kids, and cleaning the house, there isn’t much time left over for grocery shopping and cooking nutritious meals. Fortunately, at a time when people are busier than ever, meal prep companies are here to save the day with their multitude of options, including food subscription boxes.
These meal prep companies offer fresh and nutritious options that will help take some of the weight off your shoulders and let you get back to what you love the most. They’ll send everything you need to make delicious dinners right to your doorstep, including fresh ingredients and helpful recipe cards. You’ll be able to prepare tasty homemade meals that meet your family’s dietary needs in half an hour or less – even if you’re not much of a chef.
Best of all, the recipes are simple and easy to follow, and the ingredients are already portioned out for you. Now you can enjoy delicious food in the comfort of your own home with family and friends and without the guesswork.
The Best Meal Prep Companies
Hello Fresh
Hello, Fresh is easily one of the oldest and most popular meal prep companies around. With one of the most recognized subscription meal kits, they offer a variety of chef-created meals starting at $7.49 per serving. Kits include high-quality ingredients sourced straight from the farm as well as easy-to-follow recipes with clearly labeled nutritional info. Some recipes, such as their bulgogi chicken tacos or pork fiesta bowls, come together in twenty minutes or less.
Their plans allow you to select quantities for two to three people along with three to five recipes per week. Your options include recipes made with fruit, veggies, and other ingredients that are family-friendly or low-calorie. Even their varieties of protein are pretty extensive, featuring lots of lean protein and fish.
And to top it all off, Hello Fresh is pretty serious about their commitment to sustainability. A study showed that their dinners have a 25% smaller carbon footprint than meals made with store-bought groceries. They’ve also taken steps to minimize their packaging and offset their carbon emissions to help the environment even more. In short, this is a company that truly lives its values.
Blue Apron
Blue Apron has also been around for a good amount of time and has made a great reputation for itself. Simply put, this brand is a great way to be introduced meal kits. Their chef-designed, perfectly portioned recipes consist of one-pan dinners, Mediterranean meals, Weight Watcher-approved or diabetes-friendly options, and more. As their recipe kits are filled with fresh, non-genetically modified ingredients, you can feel confident that you’re serving your family healthy food. All of their recipes are easy to prepare and delicious.
Some examples of meals they’ve offered recently include harissa and honey-glazed chicken and vegetarian burgers topped with figs and goat cheese. They even have a wine subscription service that offers bottles designed to pair well with your dinners, which is a nice touch.
But it does get better: you can choose from a regularly updated menu featuring sustainable seafood, meat (including Beyond Meat), and some fairly unique spice blends. Blue Apron also features affordable meal plans for couples, families of four, and vegetarians. You can get between two and four recipe kits dropped off at your door every week. Each kit comes with pre-portioned ingredients and a recipe card that gives you step-by-step instructions, so dinner will be on the table in no time. Plans start at $7.49 per serving.
Dinnerly
Dinnerly is one of the most affordable meal prep companies, so it’s a great option for families on a budget. They offer simple, delicious meals that have around six ingredients, so they don’t take long to prepare. Starting at $4.29 a person, their stress-free meal kits revolve around easy-to-cook recipes with fewer ingredients that still taste great. Most of their recipes are also kid-friendly and will please the picky eaters in your family.
Some examples of meals you might get in your box include chicken piccata with lemony pasta and buffalo chicken pizza with fontina. Dinnerly even has great options for vegetarians, including stir-fried peanut noodles and nacho cheese enchiladas.
Another great thing about Dinnerly is that their meal kits are environmentally-friendly. They have minimal packaging and come with digital recipe cards, which cuts down on paper waste. If you want to try out Dinnerly for yourself, you can buy one of their meal plans for couples or families and get between three and six recipes delivered to your door each week.
Sun Basket
Chef-crafted and dietitian-approved, Sun Basket is a food subscription box that delivers delicious, mostly organic meals to customers all over the country. They have nearly twenty new dinners to choose from every week and offer lots of options for people on special diets. Whether you’re paleo, vegetarian, vegan, diabetic, or gluten-free, Sun Basket has meals that will suit your dietary needs. Some examples of meals you might get in your box are pork carnitas tacos with pickled onions and teriyaki tempeh stir-fried with steamed rice.
It’s worth mentioning that their recipes feature antibiotic and hormone-free meats along with seasonal ingredients. Most of Sun Basket’s recipes come together in thirty minutes or less, so you’ll be able to spend less time in the kitchen and more quality time with your family.
They even offer pre-prepared meals like mac and cheese and chicken tetrazzini – all you have to do is pop them in the oven. If you’re interested in trying Sun Basket, you can buy a subscription plan for two or four people and get up to four recipes delivered to you each week. You can even add extra items like beverages, snacks, soups, and lunches to your order to reduce your number of grocery trips and save time. Dinners start at $10.99 per serving.
Marley Spoon
Marley Spoon, a popular food subscription box, partnered with Martha Stewart in 2016 to bring delicious recipe kits directly to your door. They offer more than twenty different meals every week, so you’ll have lots of tasty options to choose from, even if you have a special diet. Marley Spoon caters to vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians, and people who can’t eat dairy or gluten. They even offer kid-friendly meals like a vegetable pot pie with herby parmesan biscuits and baked cheddar cheese and vegetable quesadillas.
Everyone in your family will probably love Marley Spoon, so consider signing up for one of their meal plans. They offer subscriptions for couples and families of four that allow you to get between two and four dinners delivered each week. Every meal kit comes with pre-packaged ingredients, photos of the finished recipes, and helpful six-step recipe cards that make cooking a breeze.
Green Chef
Green Chef is all about eating and living green. And while they aren’t one of the more well-known meal prep companies, they definitely should be! Their meal kits come with high-quality organic ingredients and crave-worthy recipes, such as mojito shrimp and creamy baked farfalle pasta. They also have meal plans to suit a variety of eating styles, including paleo, keto, vegan and vegetarian. So if some of your family members have special dietary needs, Green Chef has options for them.
This is also a great option if you are on a diet plan or want to back a company that features ethically sourced and sustainable ingredients. A USDA-certified organic company, their ingredients have no GMOs, toxic pesticides, irradiation, sewage sludge, antibiotics, growth hormones, or steroids. All of their recipes can be made in about 30 minutes thanks to pre-measured and prepped ingredients and sauces.
Ready to try it out? Green Chef offers affordable subscriptions for couples and families of four. The two-person plan comes with three dinners, while the family plan comes with two. If you want extra meals for the week, you can always order a second box.
EveryPlate
One of the singularly best meals subscription boxes for those on a budget, EveryPlate starts at $4.99 per serving. They offer 11 recipes to choose from every week that are easy to make and ready to eat in as few as 30 minutes. Order between three to five meals a week for two to four people. They also have even cheaper options available exclusively for students.
Home Chef
For those with a big appetite, Home Chef is the way to go. This company is all about customization. In addition to relatively large meal sizes, they offer options for a variety of different lifestyles. These meals are pretty unique, as they allow customization in the form of an upgrade, swap, or double-up on proteins for select meals. A limited number of their meal kits, including oven-ready options, can also be found on the shelves at Kroger. Their meals start as low as $6.99 per serving, which is not bad at all for the amount of specialization. It’s practically as good as homemade!
Gobble
Still healthy, this might be the easiest option of them all! If you really have no time but still want to cook at home, Gobble delivers freshly prepped dinners right to your door. Offering new recipes weekly, their chefs do all of the prep work so that you can cook a delicious meal in just 15 minutes. As their ingredients are packed separately, you can also leave out certain steps to achieve a dairy-free, nut-free or gluten-free version. Their meal plans start at $11.99 per serving.
Purple Carrot
Purple Carrot is a plant-based meal delivery service that makes trying new things fun. Their meal kits are available in servings for two to four people, starting at $9.99 a serving. Their plans include High-Protein, Gluten-Free, Quick & Easy, or a Chef’s Choice. In addition to their dinners, they also offer breakfast, lunch, and pre-packaged snacks. This company is a plant lover’s dream!
Sakara Life
A nutrition-based organic meal delivery program, Sakara Life helps people adhere to a whole-food, plant-rich diet that includes fresh, nutrient-dense, and delicious ingredients. These guys are some real experts, and they aim to help consumers look, feel and live better! They offer a variety of unique meal programs, from detoxes to a bride-specific plan. You can order up to three meals a day for up to five days a week.
Snap Kitchen
This company is all about focus. A meal prep service, Snap Kitchen is a good choice if you have specific health goals in mind. For example, whether you want to lose weight or gain muscle, you can select one of their dietitian-curated plans that align with your needs. Once selected, your food is prepared and delivered in the microwave and oven-safe containers. Meals are made fresh daily and have no added hormones, antibiotics, or artificial sweeteners. They are also 100% gluten-free.
Yumble
Yumble is a safe bet if you have kids, specifically picky-eaters. These lunches, dinners, and snacks are nutritionist-approved and feature carefully sourced fruits and veggies. Your kid can enjoy their favorite foods, like chicken nuggets and cheese quesadillas, after a quick 90 seconds in the microwave. With three plan options for six, eight, or 12 meals a week, prices start as low as $6.99 a serving. Now you have a good reason for both you and your kids to smile!
Daily Harvest
If you want healthy, plant-based small bites, check out Daily Harvest. Their fruit and vegetable-based snacks cater to a variety of dietary needs with over 80 different options to choose from. You can select a plan with the number of items you want (nine, 12, or 24) along with how often you want them delivered (weekly or monthly). Many people choose Daily Harvest purely for their smoothies, of which they have 21 options. In short, it’s all the snacking and variety that you could want (without the guilt)!
Veestro
An organic, vegan delivery service, Veestro offers chef-prepared meals starting at $9.90 each. Each of their menu items is marked so that you can select according to your dietary needs, including dairy, gluten, and nut-free. They are fully prepared so that you can simply pop them in the oven, microwave it or make them on a skillet. Their menu includes both entree and breakfast options.
Hungryroot
This one is just like going to the grocery store! Based on your preferences, Hungryroot sends you fresh groceries along with recipes to help you cook them. Their recipes are easy-to-follow, nutritious, and can be prepared in as few as 10 minutes. For an idea as to what types of meals they can help you cook, check out the list of fresh ingredients on their website, ranging from vegetables to grains and dressings.
Factor 75
With meals made fresh from scratch, Factor 75 delivers fully-prepared food straight to your door. Never frozen, all you have to do is heat it and eat. Choose a plan starting from four up to 18 meals a week. Prices start at $11.00 per meal. Their nutritious meals are grass-fed and pasture-raised, gluten-free, antibiotic-free, hormone-free, soy-free, and non-GMO. If you do eat meat, their selection of healthy choices is pretty noteworthy.
Real Eats
Talk about fancy! A premium meal prep delivery service, Real Eats offers both dinner and breakfast. Their plans allow you to choose between four to 12 meals a week for as little as $8.49 per meal. The healthy, chef-cooked meals rotate every week, each of which is about 600 calories or less. Options include high-protein, low-calorie, gluten-free, dairy-free, or plant-based selections. In addition to meals, they also offer some classy choices of proteins, sides, and snacks.
MealPro
The meal is all about custom, ready-to-eat, and nutritious meals. Perfect for those who live a fitness lifestyle, their protein-focused meals make it easy for you to get optimal nutrition without the fuss of cooking. With a 20 or 24-meal plan, choose from their a-la-carte menu or customize your meals. Using sustainable, natural, and high-quality ingredients, prices start at under $10 per serving. That’s some serious value!
Trifecta
With a rotating weekly menu, Trifecta is a good meal subscription box if you want to track macros. Their macro-balanced meals feature lean protein, complex carbs, veggies, and options that cater to a variety of lifestyles. Select up to four meals a day, averaging 350 to 500 calories each, for a five or seven-day plan. Trifecta works with several CrossFit, UFC, and Bodybuilding champions.
Many options to choose from!
In conclusion, getting a healthy dinner on the table doesn’t have to be a hassle. These meal prep companies make cooking homemade meals for your family a breeze. Their meal kits come with step-by-step cooking instructions and pre-portioned ingredients, which cuts down on cooking time. You’ll be able to get most meals on the table in 30 minutes or less and spend a lot less time on cleanup too.
If you are working on a budget and the above recommendations go over your desired price, check how to prep on a budget yourself at home!
Did we leave your favorite meal prep company out? Have you ever tried a food subscription box, or are you planning on trying one in the future? If you try out one of these delivery services, be sure to tell us about your experience. Happy eating!
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Which is the best-prepared meal delivery service?
Best for Keto: Factor.
Best Vegan: Mosaic.
Best Organic: Sprinly.
Best for Weight Loss: bistroMD.
Best Overall: Freshly.
Best Value: Daily Harvest.
Best Variety: CookUnity.
Best Gluten-Free: Epicured.
Is using a meal prep company worth it?
They don’t require a huge commitment and are also flexible. The service is actually good for the environment, despite the fact that the packaging might be daunting, especially if you do a lot of your shopping online. In a nutshell, we believe meal kit delivery services are completely worthwhile.
Which meal prep company is the cheapest?
Which food delivery service is the least expensive? The most affordable meal kits are offered by EveryPlate and Dinnerly, with most of their programs costing less than $6 per dish. The next category is HelloFresh and Home Chef, which provide portions for $7 to $8 per serving.
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Meet Kourtney, a fashion and beauty enthusiast who tells stories through style. To her, clothing is a language, and every accessory adds punctuation to her narrative. Kourtney explores vintage fashion markets on weekends, blending classic with contemporary to create a signature style that reflects her vibrant personality. Beyond aesthetics, she's a passionate advocate for body positivity and inclusivity in fashion, celebrating diversity to ensure everyone feels seen and embraced.
