The Best Meal Delivery Kits
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Our Picks For The Top Meal Delivery Kits
- 1. Top Chef Meals
- 2. Home Chef Meal Service
- 3. Blue Apron Meal Delivery Service
- 4. GreenChef Meal Delivery Service
- 5. Splendid Spoon Meal Delivery Service
- 6. Gobble Meal Delivery Kit
- 7. Amazon Meal Kits
- 8. Purple Carrot Meal Service Kits
- 9. Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon Meal Kit
- 10. EveryPlate Meal Kits
- 11. Sunbasket Meal Service
- 12. Dinnerly Meal Service
- 13. Daily Harvest Meal Kit
- 14. Hungryroot Meal Kits
- 15. FreshNLean Meal Delivery Service
- 16. HelloFresh Meal Delivery Kit
- 17. Veestro Meal Delivery Kits
- 18. Everytable Meal Service
- 19. Home Chef Fresh And Easy Plan
- 20. Diet-to-Go Meal Kits
- 21. Snap Kitchen Meal Kit Delivery Service
- 22. Freshly Meal Service
- 23. Sakara Meal Kits
- 24. Yumble Kids’ Meal Delivery Kits
Unlike other meal kits, this service lets you choose both your entree and the sides that go with it, making each meal fully customizable. The recipes are developed by dietitians to be friendly for a variety of diets, including diabetic, low sodium, renal, keto and gluten-free. All of the meat, poultry and seafood is hormone- and antibiotic-free.
Fully CustomizableWhat makes this meal kit delivery service stand out is that you choose the entrees and the vegetables separately, letting you customize your meals.
Each week is jam-packed with meal options, from easy-to-make oven-ready dinners to gourmet options like steak. Each kit comes with easy-to-follow recipe cards complete with pictures to help guide you through the process. If you're on a special diet, there are also carb- and calorie-conscious options, as well as vegan and vegetarian meals.
Customizable Meal OptionsWith this meal delivery service, you can easily switch out or double the protein options, or otherwise personalize each plate.
Instructions for each of the meals are easy to follow, helping you create tasty dinners in minutes. Serving sizes are plentiful and the options make it easy to find something even finicky kids will like. All ingredients are fresh and responsibly sourced, and the packaging is designed with recyclability in mind.
Sustainable OptionConsumers who are focused on the environment will love this service, which uses sustainable ingredients.
This plant-based meal kit delivery service is perfect for those who are nutrition-conscious. Each recipe indicates allergens and the sauces and dressings that come in each kit stand out for their impressive flavor. Everything is pre-measured and prepped so you simply need to follow easy instructions.
Flavorful Vegetable-Based MealsThe clean recipes in these meals are packed with flavor to make eating veggies fun.
Buying Guide
Takeout can be expensive, but cooking every meal at home quickly gets old. In recent years, a fun alternative to both options has popped up. Meal delivery kits are more expensive than buying the ingredients yourself but less expensive than takeout from your favorite restaurants. Some newer meal delivery kits are even as cheap as fast food.
But there’s no shortage of meal delivery kit services. There are so many, in fact, that it can be tough to choose just one. It’s important to know the different types of meal kit services so that you can narrow it down to those that interest you most.
Meal kits can be very convenient. Some services specialize in easy prep time. Kits with microwavable meals can be perfect for busy families. There are some that arrive with ingredients already chopped, saving you prep time. If you prefer the oven to the microwave, you can even find kits with meals that just have you piling everything into a provided pan and sticking it in the oven.
If you’re on a special diet, there are plenty of meal kits with plans for vegan, keto and calorie-conscious people. Some also offer help with food sensitivities, while others are perfect for the meat lover, even giving you the option of ordering double portions.
What to Look For
- One thing to look at while you’re pricing plans is the cost of shipping. Some services offer free shipping, while others charge you as much as $9 or $10 per box. You’ll probably find some meal kits that base shipping charges on your location.
- Meal delivery services typically have limited delivery days. That means you may only be able to choose between a Tuesday or Wednesday, for instance, or maybe a Friday or Saturday. If you opt for a kit with fresh ingredients, keep in mind that you may need to serve those within three days of arrival, which may not fit well with your family schedule.
- Packaging can be extreme with meal delivery services. Food has to be shipped with ice and plenty of padding, so you’ll have quite a bit to jam into the recycle bin. If you’re environmentally-conscious, some meal delivery kits use both eco-friendly and recyclable packaging.
- Although meal delivery services typically require a monthly subscription, you can skip multiple weeks at any time. You can even pause your service and pick it up again a few months later.
- Grocers are getting in on the meal delivery kit trend. You may see a display at your local grocery store. If you use Amazon Fresh, they also have meal kits available for delivery.
More to Explore
They may be everywhere you look now, but meal delivery services are nothing new. One of the earliest companies to provide the service is Omaha Steaks, which was founded as Table Supply Meat Company in 1917. That company began delivering food to homes in 1952. Schwan’s started as an ice cream delivery company that same year and later expanded to other food options.
But meal kits as we know them today got their start in Sweden in 2007. Founded by a Swedish mother of three, Middagsfrid, which means “dinner peace” in English, delivered groceries to households. Meal kit services came to U.S. households in 2012 and the market exploded when Blue Apron, Hello Fresh and Plated all started up the same year. Home Chef came along soon after, followed by an ongoing slate of competitors.
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