There are plenty of options when it comes to meal kits, so we tested the most popular brands to find the best meal delivery service for every kind of cook.
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Best Overall: Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon
Why We Love It: Marley Spoon stood out for its restaurant-quality flavors, straightforward recipes and hearty portions. Our only criticism was how some ingredients are packaged. Read our Marley Spoon review.
Current Offers: Get 45% your first box with free shipping, then save on your next four orders.
Why We Love It: HelloFresh impressed us with its flavorful, thoughtfully designed meals. We also loved the easy ordering process and flexible add-ons, though prep times occasionally ran longer than expected. Read our HelloFresh review.
Current Offers: Get 10 free meals and a free NutriBullet Ultra Plus on your third box with code TMB10NUTRIB.
Why We Love It: Our testers found EveryPlate delivers robust, satisfying meals for as little as $4.99 per serving. Expect fewer recipe filters and the need to supply some basic pantry ingredients, though. Read our EveryPlate review.
Current Offers: Pay just $2.99 per meal on your first box, plus score 10% off one month with code TMB299MFB.
Why We Love It: Gobble stood out for its pre-prepped ingredients and ultra-fast cooking times, making it especially approachable for beginners. However, it wasn’t the most flavorful meal kit we tried. Read our Gobble review.
Current Offers: Take $100 off your first four boxes and score free shipping.
Why We Love It: We praised Green Chef’s organic ingredients and complex flavor combinations, though the total prep and cook time occasionally exceeded the recipe estimate. Read our Green Chef review.
Current Offers: Get 50% off your first box, then take 20% off for two months.
Why We Love It: Blue Apron impressed testers with gourmet, restaurant-style dishes and rich flavors. Like many other kits we tested, the recipes often required more time and effort to prepare than advertised. Read our Blue Apron review.
Current Offers: Take $25 off your first two orders with code WELCOME25.
Why We Love It: Sunbasket’s semi-prepared kits make cooking fast and convenient. The creative recipes are also a bonus. Just know that the premade meals don’t always match the quality of the kits. Read our Sunbasket review.
Current Offers: Take $90 off your first four boxes, plus score free shipping.
Why We Love It: Even meat eaters were impressed by Purple Carrot’s creative plant-based dishes and strong flavors. Pricing transparency and delivery flexibility were the only noted issues. Read our Purple Carrot review.
Why We Love It: Tempo impressed testers with satisfying microwave-ready meals that require zero prep. The weekly menu is relatively small, which could hinder creative cooks. Read our Tempo review.
Why We Love It: Home Chef earned high marks for its flavorful meals, easy instructions and strong keto-friendly selection. However, our testers noticed occasional pricing discrepancies. Read our Home Chef review.
Current Offers: Enjoy meals for $4.99 a serving and get free dessert for life.
Editor’s Note: Most offers are available only to new subscribers, while supplies last. Check each merchant’s terms and conditions for full details.
ANNAMARIE HIGLEY/TASTE OF HOME
What to Look for When Subscribing to a Meal Kit Delivery Service
With more meal delivery service options than ever, how do you choose the right one? Reviews (like ours!) can help, but it’s also important to consider factors like cost, flexibility, dietary needs, ingredient quality, and how much cooking effort you’re actually up for.
Below, we break down the key things to look for—with helpful insights from two experts: Debbie Petitpain, MBA, RDN, Spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Rachel Kirk, food blogger at LaughingSpatula.
Dietary needs and nutrition balance: If you or a family member has specific dietary needs like gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, vegan, keto or low-sodium, choose a service that clearly labels its meals and offers variety within those categories. “Always review the ingredients for allergens or undesirable additives, as well as sodium and added sugar levels,” says Petitpain. “Portions should meet your daily caloric and nutrient needs. Be realistic—if you’re cooking for two but one person usually eats double, you may need to increase your order.” She also recommends looking for meals that provide a mix of food groups, offering balance between protein, fiber and healthy fats.
Cooking complexity and cleanup: Some meal kits are streamlined for ease, while others can feel like full-on cooking classes, with lots of steps and dishes. If you’re a beginner, look for services that offer simple prep and clear instructions. If you love spending time in the kitchen, go for kits with more complexity and gourmet flair.
Ingredient quality: Not all meal kits are created equal when it comes to ingredient freshness and sourcing. If ingredient quality is important to you, check whether the service offers organic options, locally sourced produce, or sustainable meat and seafood.
Customization and flexibility: Whether you’re dealing with picky eaters or just like a bit of variety, customization options can be a game-changer. If you have a picky eater at your table, opt for a meal service with enhanced customization features. Some services offer the ability to swap proteins, double portions, or even mix and match side dishes—so look for those features if flexibility matters to you.
Cost vs. value: Meal kits can be convenient, but they aren’t always the most budget-friendly option—especially if you’re feeding more than two people or hoping for leftovers. That said, for busy weeks or special situations, the tradeoff in time and planning might still be worth it. Some services also offer family-sized meals or budget tiers, so explore those if cost is a concern.
EMIKO FRANZEN FOR TASTE OF HOME
Industry Trends for 2026
In order to keep up with ever-changing consumer preferences, here’s how the best meal delivery services are adapting, according to Karen Todd, RD and owner of The Supplement Dietician.
Easy-to-read labels: Todd notes that overall, customers are prioritizing protein and fiber in their diets as well as whole ingredients. Clear, easy-to-read labels allow them to see exactly what they’re eating. “Consumers are reading the labels and making sure they are getting 20-30 grams of protein in a meal as well as 5-10 grams of fiber,” she explains. “Similar to what we see with dietary supplement use, consumers are looking for clean, easy-to-pronounce ingredients without additives and are choosing foods with natural antioxidants or prebiotic benefits.”
Pre-prepared meals: More customers are looking for fresh or frozen pre-prepared meals. “I’ve seen this shift with the working adults without kids and the elderly,” says Todd. “Either they do not have time for the meal preparation, or it can be difficult to follow the instructions, cut the produce and handle additional clean up.” Companies like HelloFresh, Purple Carrot and Blue Apron have begun offering prepared meals that can be heated up and eaten quickly. Here are the best prepared meals we’ve tested.
Sustainability: “If you have been on a meal subscription service, you know that the boxes and packing can be excessive,” says Todd. “Sustainability is another trend I’ve noticed in 2026. Some consumers are seeking a reduction with outer packaging and shipping boxes.”
MOLLY ALLEN FOR TASTE OF HOME
How We Found the Best Meal Kit Delivery Services
This list is based on our sampling of each of these meal delivery services. We tested over a dozen options, well beyond the favorites you see here. Most of the health—or diet-based winners are based on feedback provided by nutritionist Nancy Snyder, who attempted to verify the legitimacy of recipe labels.
While weighing the actual taste and flavors of the recipes in each box, we also factored in the aforementioned criteria. This included value (i.e., price versus quality), freshness, recipe techniques and instructions, cleanup, recipe variety and more. We judged and rated each criterion on a scale of 1-5 for each service, then added it together for a total score. Only the highest earners made our list.
In our latest tests, we tried 13 services and prepared between four and six recipes from each. That’s roughly 115 servings of meals that we plated! Additionally, we collected more than 2,000 data points and spent a collective 225 hours on this test, including researching, ordering, cooking, cleaning and note-taking.
Since many of the services are very similar, we also did comparison testing. We evaluated the ingredients, waste and cleanup commitment of the most popular services on the internet.
FAQ
Who are meal delivery kits best for?
Everyone! They cut down on time spent grocery shopping and meal prepping, so they’re ideal for those with busy schedules or anyone looking to revamp their meal routine. Whether you’re gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, vegan or somewhere in between, there’s a meal prep service for you.
Are meal delivery kits healthy?
It depends. Most meal delivery services offer a wealth of recipes, so if you prefer veggie-packed, gluten-free or low-carb meals, there are likely options. However, some services offer indulgent meals that are too caloric for a single meal. It’s a good idea to check out the meal variety offered by each service and choose accordingly. From there, on a weekly basis, read through ingredients, allergens and nutritional facts before you order your box.
Do meal delivery services save you money?
Meal delivery services certainly help save money if you frequently order takeout or dine at restaurants. However, they can get expensive week after week because most don’t include everyday groceries like eggs, bread or everyday produce.
Are any meal delivery services worth it?
They totally can be! While they generally work out to be more expensive than shopping and cooking for yourself (outside of any promos or special offers), they can save you a ton of time and stress. That, in itself, can be entirely worth the cost of the subscription. Plus, you’ll get to try new meals and flavors you may not think to cook yourself!
Who has the best ready-to-eat meals?
Our favorite heat-and-eat meals come from Tempo, which specializes in that type of meal delivery. We’ve also enjoyed the ready-to-eat meals from Factor, another service that exclusively provides microwaveable meals.
Why You Should Trust Us
These meal kit delivery services were tested by various Taste of Home team members, all with varying degrees of cooking expertise. No matter where you fall on the culinary spectrum, you can be sure that the services on this list are within your capabilities based on our authentic testing methodology. Our testers’ needs, wants, and budgets reflect those of the average shopper. Plus, since many factors can affect delivery, we tested most services several times to ensure the experience was consistent for multiple testers.
We also aren’t new to testing this product category. In addition to several meal kits, our team has reviewed meat and chicken delivery services like ButcherBox, Snake River Farms and Good Chop. Our testing extends to grocery services, like Misfits Market and Thrive Market, as well.
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