Meal kits deliver everything to your door: the exact amount of ingredients you need, including fresh produce and meat (if that’s your thing), as well as recipes to help you make a chef-worthy meal. So whether you are a working parent, a busy student, looking to eat healthier, or just have run out of ideas on what to cook for dinner, meal kits make cooking a whole lot easier. There are many brands of meal kits on the market today that cater to anyone’s dietary restrictions, time limit, and budget. We’ve rounded up the best meal kit services to help you choose which one is right for you to get you back in the kitchen. Tovala: Ingredients and cooking method delivered to your door What’s great about HelloFresh is that if you are a first-time user, there are discount codes that can get you up to five boxes (five weeks of meals) at a highly discounted price ($28.14). Otherwise, it’s priced average as far as meal kits go at $9.99 per serving for three meals a week for two people. However, as someone who has personally used this service, after a few weeks, you may notice recipes start to repeat or are at least very similar to ones you’ve recently had with just minor ingredient adjustments. Pros
Easy-to-follow directions for any level chef Quick mealsDiscounts for first-time buyers
Cons
Recipes can become redundant/repetitive week after weekNot enough variety as other kits
An extra perk for Blue Apron is that you can pair wine with your meals. Blue Apron will match the perfect red or white based on your meal choices for the week for $10 a bottle or $69.99 a month (including shipping) for six bottles. While this will cost you extra, if you’re already buying wine to have with your home-cooked meals, it makes sense to get it all in one place. Keep in mind that if you want a recipe that includes something like steak, it’ll cost you extra to upgrade for a “special” meal. Also, Blue Apron only offers three dietary options, which is the least amount on our list. Pros
Unique recipes Meat substitute options like Beyond Meat
Cons
Meals are hard to recreate in the future since ingredients can be too unique or difficult to come by for the average person Costs more money per serving to upgrade to meals like steak rNot as many dietary options (only three)
The company is a certified USDA organic company, so rest assured that all the ingredients that come to your door are premium organic. Green Chef takes pride in its green practices like recyclable packaging, offsetting 100% of its direct carbon emissions and plastic packaging in every box, and producing less food waste since the ingredients are perfectly portioned. In addition, Green Chef’s website explains what all its packaging materials are made from and how you can recycle or get rid of them in a sustainable way. Green Chef is by far the most expensive option on this list, so it’s not for the budget-minded chef. Also, its meals are more eccentric and feature standout flavors, so if you’re looking for signature everyday recipes, this may not be the meal kit option for you. Pros
Has the option for a six-person meal Lots of different dietary options (six)Has a gluten-free option
Cons
The average serving for a two-person meal is $13.49 Not really options for signature, everyday meals, more so unique with big flavors
Because it’s the cheapest on the list, don’t expect expensive or over-the-top ingredients. Instead, EveryPlate is great for simple meals like tacos, pasta, burgers, and bowls. Every week offers 17 different meals to choose from, so your options are almost limitless. One drawback is that EveryPlate does not offer meals for specific dietary needs like gluten-free or vegan. And while the price per meal is low, keep in mind that you’ll still need to pay $9 for shipping. Pros
Cheapest serving for two peopleOption of five meals per week
Cons
Doesn’t cater to specific dietary needs such as gluten-free or vegan Still must pay $9 for shipping
Like most other options on this list, Sunbasket has recipes that cater to different dietary restrictions, including soy-free, no added sugar, dairy-free, and diabetes-friendly. You can also filter recipes by the time it takes to cook a meal and by total calories. Each week, you can choose from various meals, including breakfast, lunch, and snack options like granola, grab-n-go bars, and nuts. Sunbasket also offers fresh and ready meals that you can pop in an oven or microwave if you don’t feel like cooking from scratch but still want healthy options during the week. While Sunbasket is a great option for some, families may find its meal choices less family-friendly than other meal kit services, especially if you have picky eaters. Also, it is more on the expensive side for meal kit pricing at $11.49 per serving. Pros
Lots of meal options and recipe filters to fit your needsOffers breakfast, lunch, and snack options
Cons
Expensive per serving Limited family-friendly meal options
We only looked at subscription-based meal kit services, which include all the ingredients you need to cook a meal and the recipes, and chose not to include ready-made meal services, which we consider a different category.
If you’re literally starting from scratch as a cook, Tovala is a great place to start since not only do you get meal ingredients delivered to your door, but you get an all-in-one smart oven as well. This option is definitely a splurge compared to the other meal kits since the included oven is $200, but once you have the stove, the meal plans start at $11.99 per meal with the option to skip or cancel at any time.
In addition, you can utilize the stove for meals outside of Tovala’s weekly meal plans, so it’s a win-win if you just moved into a new home or apartment and don’t have appliances yet.
Gobble: Cook a meal in half the time
Gobble’s meals take meal kits for busy people to the next level by including all the ingredients you need and chopping, peeling, and measuring them for you. This means you can make a meal in 15 minutes or less since you just have to factor in the actual cooking time rather than the prep time.
Pricing for Gobble falls in the average range for meal kit delivery services at $11.99 per serving, no matter if you choose two- or four-person meals.
