The 6 Best Meal Delivery Services for Families

The last thing busy parents need is a never-ending grocery list and cumbersome meal prep. We've found the best meal delivery services for families with various needs and budgets.

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Toh We Tried It The 6 Best Meal Delivery Services For FamiliesTMB STUDIO (2), ANNAMARIE HIGLEY/TASTE OF HOME (2)

Imagine coming home after a long day and finding a perfectly portioned dinner on your front stoop. Suddenly the soccer carpool and late Zoom meeting don’t seem so overwhelming because you know a family-friendly homemade meal is just 30 minutes away.

The best meal delivery services for families remove the stress of meal planning, grocery shopping and all the chopping. We’ve tested nearly 10 services and narrowed these down as the best for families in particular. Our recommendations will leave more time (and energy!) to gather around the table together.

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Dinnerly Meal Kit TMB Studio

Best Overall for Any Family

Dinnerly

Dinnerly checks all the boxes as the best meal delivery service for families. It’s an affordable option that’s flexible enough for any family, both in terms of recipe customization, and cancellation and pause options. It helps save money with its cheap meals (starting at $4.99 per serving) and its elimination of suppertime food waste from leftover ingredients. Dinnerly can keep costs low with digital recipe cards and fewer ingredients per recipe.

The recipes are in no way lacking, though—our Dinnerly review confirms it. I was obsessed with the Seared Cheddar Bratwurst with Horseradish Cream and German Potato Salad. And your kids will love the Tex-Mex Stuffed Zucchini Boats and the Oven-Baked Tilapia and Chips.

Pros

  • Perfectly portioned ingredients that create little to no food waste
  • Accurate prep times
  • Fresh ingredients
  • Delicious recipes that yield hearty servings
  • Eco-conscious packaging
  • Affordable

Cons

  • Requires a decent amount of cleanup
  • Recipes must be accessed by phone or computer

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Everyplate Meal Kit TMB Studio

Best for Budgeting Families

EveryPlate

If you’re looking for an affordable way to try meal delivery services, check out EveryPlate—tied with Dinnerly as the cheapest service on this list. It’s a super-flexible option with simple recipes that taste anything but. Perfect for beginners and old pros alike, EveryPlate offers classic, vegetarian, family-friendly and easy meal plans.

The app is easy to use and lets you skip weeks or cancel without hassle. The pre-portioned ingredients are always fresh, and the colorful recipe cards make following the recipe easy. Plus, we love that you can add extra protein like ground beef or chicken breasts to keep on hand for busy nights. Speaking of, have you tried these meat delivery services?

Some family-friendly options from their menu include Tortellini Chicken Sausage Bolognese and Creamy Corn & Bacon Chowder. I raved about the latter in my full review of EveryPlate.

Pros

  • Affordable
  • Helpful recipe cards that outline steps and ingredients
  • Plentiful portions
  • Quality ingredients
  • Flexible cancellation policy

Cons

  • Inaccurate prep times

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Gobble Meals packages Molly Allen for Taste of Home

Best for Busy Families

Gobble

Other meal delivery services offer the occasional 15-minute meal, but Gobble promises that all its meals take 15 minutes. Woah! Although our tester needed more than 15 minutes to finish some recipes, you can count on Gobble to be quick. (Read her full review.) Gobble’s menu is smaller than others, but you can add salads, soups, sides and even desserts to make the experience your own. Plus, you can input your preferences and allow the service to auto-select recipes for you. That’s a big score for families with packed schedules!

Although the recipes are fast, they still serve up plenty of food—and with high-quality ingredients. Some of the ingredients even arrive already chopped or sliced! Meals like the Bistro Cheeseburger, enjoyed by our tester, or the Chicken Tortellini Alfredo will keep the whole family’s hearts and tummies happy.

Pros

  • Very little prep work—these do take close to 15 minutes!
  • Generous portions
  • Auto-selection option
  • Flexible cancellation
  • Fresh ingredients

Cons

  • Some food waste
  • Small menu
  • Pricier than some other options

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Hello Fresh Meal Prep Service Annamarie Higley/Taste Of Home

Best for Families with Younger Kids

HelloFresh

HelloFresh offers flavorful meals that can be thrown together in 30 minutes, which is a must when you have young kids scurrying around the house. Each meal is tested more than 200 times to ensure it’s delicious and easy to prepare. The contributing writer for this article, Carrie Madormo, was a former recipe tester for HelloFresh, and she attests that the company is tireless about making sure chefs of any experience level can easily follow their recipes to create something tasty. Moreover, I’ve tried HelloFresh three times, and I concur that the recipes would appeal to kids and adults alike.

The meal plans are flexible and easy to cancel or skip. You can even tell them which foods your family (or, honestly, your kids) won’t eat to guarantee each meal is a winner. Child-friendly favorites include One-Pan Beef Enchiladas Verdes and Homestyle Turkey & Biscuit Pot Pie. Some meals are even explicitly labeled as “Make Ahead Kids Eats,” “Family Dinner” and “15-Min Kids Lunch” to make for quick picking each week.

Pros

  • Well-rounded, tasty recipes
  • Requires straightforward tools and techniques only
  • Informative recipe cards
  • True to cook/prep times

Cons

  • Considerable cleanup
  • Pricier than some other options

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Blue Apron Meal Kit Annamarie Higley/Taste Of Home

Best for Families with Older Kids

Blue Apron

Blue Apron is one of the original meal kit delivery services, but it’s fancier than most. Sure, Blue Apron offers everyday favorites, but it also offers adventurous health-conscious choices and premium dishes for special occasions. All the recipes I tested felt sophisticated—but without much intensive work. (Hoisin Pork Belly & Miso Ramen, anyone?) This can especially be said for the company’s line of Ready to Cook recipes.

Blue Apron has special meal plans, too, with options such as plant-based, WW-approved, diabetes-friendly and carb-conscious. We love that ingredients are responsibly sourced, too. Your teenagers, college-age kids or bold middle-schoolers will savor each bite. Some customer faves include Ravioli, Pancetta & Prime Beef Bolognese and One-Pan Udon Noodle & Spicy Peanut Stir-Fry. Note, however, that the fanciness of these meals is reflected in the price.

Pros

  • Elevated, low-effort meals
  • Quality produce
  • Virtually no food waste
  • Accurate prep/cook times
  • “Ready to Cook” recipes

Cons

  • Recipe cards aren’t as comprehensive as some competitors’
  • Some inconsistencies with ingredients
  • Recipes might be too unconventional for some kiddos

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Mosaic plant based Food Madi Koetting/Taste of Home

Best for Health-Focused Families

Mosaic Foods

Mosaic Foods is a vegetarian frozen-food service that delivers veggie-packed meals the whole family will love. And before you say, “I can’t get my kid(s) to eat a single veggie, let alone a veggie-packed meal,” don’t worry, Mosaic’s got you. The beauty of Mosaic’s plant-based meals is their ability to mask veggies so kids don’t even know they’re there.

Taste of Home Product Reviews Home Editor, Madi Koetting, tried one of Mosaic’s family casseroles and said, “As a kid at heart, I appreciate Mosaic’s ability to make it taste like I’m not eating a whole plate of veggies.”

Some family meals, like the vegetable pot pie, are more veggie-forward than, say, the pasta options. There are also vegan, low-carb and gluten-free meals. Yet, there are still at least four veggies in each one, so you can feel good about the whole family getting their daily greens. The best part? Meals come ready to bake and serve so you can spend more time with the kiddos than cooking in the kitchen.

Psst! Did you know produce delivery is a thing?

Pros

  • Vegan, vegetarian, low-carb and gluten-free offerings
  • Family-friendly flavors
  • Heat-and-eat meals that require no ingredient prep
  • At least four vegetables in every meal

Cons

  • Pricier than some other options
  • Some meals reheat better than others

What to Look for When Subscribing to a Meal Delivery Service

Here’s what to consider when choosing a meal kit:

  • Price: The best meal delivery service for families fits within a budget.
  • Familiarity: Keep an eye out for those that feature kid-approved recipes with familiar foods and fun flavors.
  • Taste: Although the recipes are kid-friendly, you want the service’s offerings to appeal to the adults in the house, too.
  • Ingredients: Prioritize services that send fresh, responsibly sourced, potentially name-brand ingredients.
  • Flexibility: Life happens, especially when you’re responsible for other humans, so meal delivery services should be flexible. Look at the cancellation and pause policies.

Why You Should Trust Us

These meal kit services were tested by our team of editors. Although they’re experts at curating gift guides and testing products, they’re not culinary professionals. They’re home cooks with busy schedules and regular kitchens—just like you and the meal-prepper in your family. When cooking the recipes in their homes, they replicated the authentic experience of any consumer of these meal kit delivery services. You can trust their needs, skills and budget match those of an average shopper.

How We Choose the Best Meal Delivery Services for Families

We chose the best meal delivery service for families by cooking two to three recipes from each. Then, we evaluated the services based on the aforementioned criteria. We noted overall value (i.e., price versus quality), family-friendliness, freshness, and ease and taste of the recipes. We’ve tested nine meal delivery services but only a portion of those made this list based on how suitable they are for families.

Additional research contributed by Carrie Madormo, Taste of Home writer

Annamarie Higley
Annamarie is Taste of Home’s Shopping Editor and previously worked on the brand’s magazine and special issues. It was during this time she tapped into her love language, gifts, and spearheaded the print holiday gift guides in 2021 and 2022. She’s thrilled to continue creating gift guides full time for the shopping team, in addition to testing and reviewing products, spotlighting viral gadgets and editing freelanced content. A midwestern transplant from the San Francisco Bay Area, she enjoys hiking, crafting and—you guessed it!—shopping and cooking.