Best Meal Delivery Services

Meal delivery services are all the rage right now, and with good reason. You can now have gourmet meals delivered right to your door for an affordable price. But before you jump on the bandwagon you need to pick which one you want to try first, and with the literal thousands of options out there it can be overwhelming. Lucky for you, I’ve taken the liberty to find and research the best choices (so you don’t have to). Here are the best meal delivery services for every type of person or family — you’re bound to find something to excite your taste buds without emptying your wallet.

Freshly

Freshly prides themselves on four key things: convenience, healthiness, deliciousness, and sustainability. Unlike the other meal delivery services on this list, Freshly provides its customers with pre-cooked meals that are ready in two minutes or less — this completely cuts out the hassle of preparing your lunch/dinner. One of my favorite parts of this company is that all their food is gluten-free, high in protein and low in carbs, never made with processed sugars, and always cooked with natural ingredients. This deliberate choice in food really shows that they care about their customers’ individual health (which I love). While there’s a common misconception that if something is gluten-free or sugar-free that it must automatically be a bland pile of mush, this is just plain wrong. On top of nutrition, Freshly also focuses on making your food taste good (because who wants to live their life eating unsatisfying meals?). They have four packages that you can choose from, including four meals per week for $49.99, six meals per week for $59.99, nine meals per week for $89.99, and 12 meals per week for $107.99.

If you haven’t realized by now I’m all about recycling and reducing waste, and Freshly gets major points in my book for making sure that all of their packagings can be recycled. So, all you have to do is clean off the plastic that’s been holding your food and chunk it in the recycling bin. Freshly is in my top two meal delivery services (along with Terra’s Kitchen) because of this very reason. Freshly would be best for individuals who are gluten-free and/or live very hectic lives and have little time to prepare good, clean meals.

Subscribe to Freshly now and get 30% off your first order using our link!

Burgabox

Ah, burgers, one of the staples of the America (along with baseball and capitalism). What’s not to like about a perfectly cooked piece of meat sitting on a lightly baked bun covered in condiments and piled high with tomatoes, lettuce, bacon, and basically anything else imaginable? Well, Burgabox provides you with the tools to make tantalizing burgers (like the one previously described) in the comfort of your own home. Burgabox differs from the other meal delivery services in this roundup because it’s not something that you’d order every day. Each package is usually $65 for the burger and two sides — so it’s probably more of a special occasion or gift meal delivery service. Although, if you just love burgers and fries and have the funds to support it, no one would judge you for indulging. Each burger kit comes with two (or four if you choose) burgers, mac n’ cheese, and fries. Meleah, one of Earn Spend Live’s co-founders, gave this box a try and absolutely loved it. You can read her review here, but as pertaining to the contents of the box she said the portion sizes were huge. You definitely want to be a meat lover if you’re going to try BurgaBox because you’re going to get a lot of just that. This is perhaps the most classic American meal delivery service I’ve ever come across and would actually be perfect for celebrating the Fourth of July or Memorial Day with a group of friends.

Subscribe to BurgaBox of the Month Club now and get $15 off using our coupon code INUVO15!

HelloFresh

If you’re looking for delicious meals at a fraction of the price, HelloFresh is the meal delivery service for you. I know affordability is something important to all of us, and HelloFresh is actually the cheapest option on this list of best meal delivery services. But, while most of us equate cheap with low-quality, that’s not the case with this meal delivery service. HelloFresh prides themselves on providing fresh (hence the name) seasonal fruits and vegetables to all their customers. Along with good produce, HelloFresh also offers different options in terms of packages. You can choose between the family ($8.74 per meal), vegetarian ($9.99 per meal), and classic ($9.99 per meal) plans depending on how many people you’re needing to feed and what kinds of meals you’re looking to eat.

One major advantage of this company is their customer service. HelloFresh is always quick to respond to emails and calls and even notifies you of problems that arise before your box even arrives at your door. HelloFresh would be great for someone who’s bored of the same three recipes they’ve perfected over the years. My only complaint about this meal delivery service is that they aren’t very food allergy friendly — basically, none of their meals are gluten- or dairy-free. But, if you don’t have any food sensitivities or have chosen to cut out any foods from your diet, HelloFresh is a great meal delivery service to subscribe to. Also, because of the price, virtually anyone can afford this service. No grocery shopping plus tasty meals equals happy bellies and sound minds!

Subscribe to HelloFresh now!

Blue Apron

Image via Blue Apron

I absolutely love Blue Apron, and not just because of the obvious reason (their food is the bomb!), but also because Blue Apron has allowed me and my family to experience an insane amount of new flavors and meals that we wouldn’t have ever been able to dream up on our best day. Aside from that, they partner with small farms to get the majority of their produce. This means that by subscribing to Blue Apron each month, you’re helping a small business succeed (I would buy this meal delivery service for that reason alone). Also, because their ingredients come from local farmers, each box is packed full of fresh, tasty food.

As if you needed any more convincing, Blue Apron doesn’t repeat a single recipe for a year. So, you can eat a new, exciting, flavorful meals every day. You won’t be able to get this amount of variety with any other delivery service. They have two packages: a two-person plan ($9.99 per serving) and a family plan ($8.99 per serving). Like HelloFresh, Blue Apron isn’t extremely courteous of food limitations, but with all its other benefits I don’t mind making the necessary adjustments. This meal delivery service would be great for those who are passionate about contributing to small businesses, love trying new foods, and also need something that’s going to be affordable.

Subscribe to Blue Apron now and get $30 off your first order!

Green Chef

Image via Green Chef

For those of us who have severe (or even minor) food allergies, Green Chef is a godsend. It has options for those who are lactose- and gluten-intolerant and will also tweak packages for your personal needs. They have six plans available: gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, vegan, omnivore and carnivore. As far as price goes, each plan is unique but they start at $10.49 per meal — which is a steal for the amount of food and food adaption. This customization is unmatched and really gives them the upper hand in my opinion compared to some of the other best meal delivery services. Another great thing about Green Chef is that you can actually pick the exact day that your box is delivered, which is convenient for those of us with hectic schedules.

If you don’t have food limitations and just like experimenting, you can actually jump around between plans each week or month — so one week you could try omnivore and the next gluten-free. This just adds to the variety that I was talking about earlier (I mean there are seriously sooo many options!). This meal delivery service would work for just about anyone, especially those who have food allergies or are extremely adventurous eaters. All in all, Green Chef takes the worry out of cooking with limitations and can allow you to enjoy eating again (at least that’s what it did for me).

Terra’s Kitchen

Image via Terra’s Kitchen

Terra’s Kitchen is one of the best meal delivery services for two reasons: the food is nutritious and health-conscious, and they ship your food in a sustainable vessel which cuts out the unnecessary plastic waste. As someone who has struggled with extreme food allergies for the past few years, it was comforting to browse this website and see all the options that were available for me to eat. Usually, when I click the gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free boxes on other websites my options dwindle to a handful of choices but with Terra’s Kitchen, I had more options than I could consume in a full month. Another thing that impressed me about Terra’s Kitchen is how healthy and balanced each and every meal was — so you could chow down knowing you’re getting the right nutrients your body needs.

Aside from the plethora of food options, I absolutely fell in love with Terra’s Kitchen’s innovative vessel idea. I’m extremely environmentally conscious and used to stress over the sheer amount of plastic waste I was having to throw away with each meal delivery service I received. So, here’s how it works: each month you’re mailed something they call a “vessel” which can be most closely compared to a small mini-fridge. You take the food items out of the vessel and then slap a provided return label on the box and send it right back (cutting out all the waste). All ingredients come pre-chopped and sectioned off in individual containers to keep your food fresh and intact during transportation. The price of each serving ranges from $9.99 to $18.99 (for this month in particular) which is far more expensive than most other services. But, since you’re paying for quality, conservation, and nutrition, it’s well worth the few extra bucks. This meal delivery service is optimum for someone who’s environmentally aware and willing to do little things to reduce their individual waste as well as someone who values healthy, nutritious food.

Purple Carrot

Calling all vegans, you can now have diet-friendly meals delivered right to your door. Purple Carrot is all about living healthy and eating your fair share of vegetables — so if you don’t absolutely love veggies I would suggest looking at one of the other best meal delivery services on this list. With Purple Carrot, you have the option of choosing between three different plans: one to two person plan with three meals a week ($68 per week), three to four person plan with two meals a week ($74 per week), and a performance plan which feeds one to two people three meals a week ($78 per week). The high-performance plan, in particular, is always gluten-free and is perfect for athletes or highly active individuals who need more protein and nutrients. While two and three meals might seem like too little for those of you who are looking for a meal delivery service to provide all of your meals, the portions are large and one meal can actually last two or even three days.

The biggest downside of this meal delivery service as compared to others is the fact that you can’t specifically choose your own meals. But, you can avoid having to pay and consume dishes you don’t like by easily skipping a week. If you’re vegan, looking to explore healthy eating, someone who only wants prepared meals half the time, or an athlete that needs to monitor exactly what you put into your body, then Purple Carrot is right for you.  

Takeout Kit

Image via Takeout Kit

If you’ve used a meal delivery service before, you know that with all the dishes flooding in it can be hard to cook (and eat) all the food that you receive before it goes bad. This seems a little counter-intuitive to the purpose of these subscription boxes, which is to lessen the burden and stress of coming up with meals to cook every day/night. Rachael Lake experienced this problem firsthand and decided to do something about it — and just like that, the company Takeout Kit was born. Takeout Kit is unique from any of the other best meal delivery services on this list because their food has a two-month shelf life (yes, you read that right, TWO months). Each month has a different theme from around the globe so you’ll never get burned out from the same old meals like you could if you were cooking yourself — one can only be so creative.

As far as price goes, there’s no set amount for a single meal, it just depends on what dish you want. But, overall, meals range from $7.00 to $9.00. The preparation time might be slightly longer than other services like Purple Carrot but it’s worth the wait — I mean it’s hard to go wrong with dishes like Thai Crab Curry and Jasmine Rice, Burmese Curry Noodles, and Spanish Paella with Chorizo and Artichokes. This meal delivery service is perfect for the busy businesswoman who frequently travels or spends late nights at the office, or the working mom who likes to defer from the meal plans every once in awhile.

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