JUMP TO Section Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.- Best overall
- Best for quick dishes
- Best pre-made
- Best organic
- Best for variety
- Best vegan
- How we test meal delivery kits
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Cooking can feel like a chore, especially during a busy week. Most of the time, it is finding a recipe, figuring out what ingredients you have, and shopping for difficult-to-find spices that keep you out of the kitchen. With the best meal kit, you can (re)discover your inner chef and save yourself from ordering takeout for the fifth night in a row.
While the meal kit space seems more crowded than ever these days, there are certainly a few standouts. The best meal kit for you depends on your dietary preferences and restrictions, level of customization desired, portion size, menu variety, and budget. And, if you're feeling less culinary inclined, check out our guide to the best meal delivery services.
Learn more about how Insider Reviews tests and recommends kitchen products.
Here are the best meal kits we tried in 2023
Best overall: Blue Apron
If you're looking for creative recipes, thoughtful kit design, and the inspiration necessary to start cooking more for yourself, Blue Apron is the way to go.
Best for quick dishes: HelloFresh
If you're looking for a no-fuss dinner that is quick and easy to prepare, HelloFresh's meals come together in 20 to 30 minutes.
Best pre-made: Factor
If you want to skip cooking all together, Factor's pre-made meals tasted great and are reasonably priced.
Best for special diets: Sunbasket
Sun Basket impresses from start to finish, from its sourcing of organic produce to its attention to detail when it comes to oft-neglected meal components like flavorful sauces.
Best for variety: Home Chef
Home Chef offers a weekly rotating menu that has more than a dozen recipes, which include customization options, easy-prep meals, and protein packs.
Best vegan: Purple Carrot
As plant-based diets become more popular, Purple Carrot steps in with delicious and hearty meals that never compromise nutrition, taste, and creativity.
Best overall: Blue Apron
Shipping: $10.99 a box
Plans: Start at $7.99/serving. Options for 2 or 4 people, and 2-5 recipes per week
Delivery areas served: Continental US
Scheduling: Skip upcoming orders 5 weeks in advance, cancel or pause online
Special diets: Vegetarian, pescetarian, low carb, and low calorie options
Pros: Familiar recipes with a twist, wine pairing suggestions, easy-to-follow directions, options for both two and four-person families
Cons: Lots of upsells that quickly make it expensive, shipping cost isn't included
Blue Apron, probably the most recognized name in the world of meal kits, offers well-composed, flavorful, and creative takes on dinner, featuring high-quality ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes. Every time we've received a delivery over the last few years, it has been on time, completely accurate, and neatly packaged.
The sizable weekly menu is filled with delicious and thoughtful recipes that make it difficult to choose just a few per week. There are plans and options for omnivores, vegetarians, and health-conscious eaters. The portions are decent, and sometimes there are enough for leftovers.
We love that the service is customizable, with meal plans for two-person and four-person families, as well as add-ons like meat and seafood bundles, spice blends, and premium meals from celebrity chefs. One downside to all the extra options is that there seems to be a regular upsell from the base $7.99 per serving and you can quickly end up spending double that if you factor in premium meals and shipping. The service is flexible, however, and you can skip an upcoming order if you don't need it.
Rounding out the Blue Apron service is a companion wine subscription, which we've previously reviewed. The wines are directly paired with meal kits, so your entire dining experience is covered.
Read our full review of Blue Apron's Mediterranean diet recipes.
Best for quick dishes: HelloFresh
Shipping: $9.99 per order
Plans: Start at $8.99/serving. Options for 2 or 4 people, and 2-6 recipes per week
Delivery areas served: Continental US, plus select ZIP codes in Honolulu, Hawaii and Anchorage, Alaska
Scheduling: Skip upcoming orders in advance. You can cancel your account online
Special diets: Vegetarian, pescetarian, low carb, and low calorie options
Pros: Fast prep times, regular promotions to bring the total price down
Cons: Some meals may be too simple, shipping cost isn't included
Of the many meal kits we tested, HelloFresh had the most accurate estimated preparation times, and they rarely exceeded 30 minutes. For cooks with busy schedules, the service makes it easy to squeeze in a full and complete home-cooked meal.
Even though you won't be spending that much time cooking, the final meals are interesting and delicious. For example, the Tuscan Shrimp and Orzo was easy to prepare, requiring nothing but shrimp, orzo pasta, and roasted tomatoes, but was still a flavorful meal that took about half an hour to prepare.
Like its competitors, HelloFresh has a recipe archive where you can get the instructions for all your favorite meals (not just the ones that are on the docket this week). And if you have dietary restrictions, HelloFresh lets you select a veggie-friendly menu right from the get-go, helping to avoid sifting through recipes that you won't be able to eat.
HelloFresh also has some add-ons, including snacks, desserts, pantry basics, and produce.
Best pre-made: Factor
Shipping: Free
Plans: Starting at $10.99 per meal, 6-18 meals per week
Delivery areas served: Continental US
Scheduling: Boxes arrive weekly, but you can skip a week anytime
Special diets: Vegetarian, vegan, high protein, keto, low carb, and low calorie options
Pros: Good portion sizes, multiple protein options, variety of add ons, freezer-friendly
Cons: Limited allergy-friendly options, meals are protein heavy and have limited carbs and starches
We tried 56 pre-made meals from eight different services, and Factor came out on top. The meals tend to have generous protein portions and be lower in starches and carbs. You can also choose from calorie smart, keto, vegetarian, or vegan meals.
Unlike some pre-made meal services, Factor meals don't arrive frozen and are meant to be eaten within seven days. They are freezer-friendly, though you can lose some texture in the final product. When I froze one dish, I ended up with a wonderful garlic pork tenderloin, but a watery Asiago cauliflower mash.
The Factor chefs are well aware of the limitations of reheated food. Instead of including crunchy elements, a texture almost impossible to get in the microwave, the meals are full of foods that do well when reheated. For example, you'll see things like creamed spinach, polenta, and shrimp in a cream sauce. Overall, this made for a more successful menu.
Two to three new meals are added to the menu every week, so there's a good variation for regular customers. Also, these meals are easy to store because they're flat on the bottom and top — great for stocking your freezer.
Check out our guide to the best meal delivery service.
Best for special diets: Sunbasket
Shipping: Free on your first order; $7.99 per order afterwards
Plans: Start at $11.49/serving. Options for 2 or 4 people, and 2-5 recipes per week
Delivery areas served: Most areas in the continental US, except MT, ND, and parts of NM
Scheduling: Skip upcoming orders in advance. You can cancel your account online
Special diets: Vegetarian, pescetarian, gluten-free, paleo, low calorie, low carb, Mediterranean, and diabetes-friendly options.
Pros: Organic ingredients and responsible sourcing, health-conscious recipes that take many dietary restrictions into account, tasty sauces
Cons: Slightly pricier than competitors due to ingredient sourcing, shipping cost isn't included after your first order
As a USDA-certified organic company, Sunbasket stands out for its use of organic produce and clean ingredients.
Over 99% of the produce it sources is organic, and it takes seasonality seriously when developing its recipes. In addition, it provides responsibly raised meats and poultry, focusing on antibiotic- and hormone-free meats, pasture-raised or grass-fed animals, and wild-caught seafood. Sunbasket will impress anyone who takes sourcing seriously and wants to eat more responsibly and sustainably.
When you sign up for Sunbasket, you can choose a pre-curated plan based on certain dietary preferences, such as paleo, pescetarian, or diabetes-friendly. Or, mix and match meals yourself. It's easy to sort the menu by features like soy-free, dairy-free, or ready in under 20 minutes.
When it comes to the actual cooking process, Sunbasket looks to make things as easy as possible and takes care of some of the more tedious components for you. For example, butternut squash will come to you pre-cut, and cauliflower rice comes pre-ground so you don't have to pull out your food processor. The sauces are also premade, not to mention the tastiest of all the meal kits we tested.
Sunbasket is much more than an organic meal kit-only service. It provides add-on options like egg bites, yogurt drinks, and granola from vetted brands that tend to be paleo, gluten-free, vegan, and/or Non-GMO Project Certified.
Read our full Sunbasket review.
Best for variety: Home Chef
Shipping: $9.99 per order
Plans: Start at $7.99/serving. Options for 2, 4, or 6 people, and 2-6 recipes per week
Delivery areas served: "98% of the US," according to the website.
Scheduling: Skip upcoming orders 5 weeks in advance. You can cancel your account online
Special diets: Vegetarian and keto-friendly options
Pros: Well-designed recipes and website, customization opportunities, large menu, large serving size option
Cons: Not ideal for those with dietary restrictions, not as many extras as competitors
Omnivores who love eating anything and everything can appreciate Home Chef's large and diverse menus. The range of cuisine and ingredient should appease even the pickiest of eaters.
Although there are ways to make the recipes vegetarian, Home Chef isn't the best for people with certain dietary restrictions, but it does work well with everyone from couples to large families (you can order up to eight servings) who enjoy exploring all types of food.
The online experience feels streamlined and intuitive, so even newcomers to the meal kit world will feel immediately at ease. You can skip meals and add or substitute protein options without any trouble, plus filter recipes of cook time and meal type.
All in all, Home Chef is simply a consistent and enjoyable meal kit experience. It doesn't have extra frills like snacks, breakfast, or wine, but you never feel like you're sold short in terms of recipe variety. If you need a meal right away, you can even find Home Chef microwavable meals at your local Kroger store.
Read our full Home Chef review.
Best vegan: Purple Carrot
Shipping: Free
Plans: Start at $11/serving. Options for 2 or 4 people, and 2-4 recipes per week
Delivery areas served: Continental US
Scheduling: Skip upcoming orders in advance. You can cancel your account online
Special diets: All meals are vegan. Gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free, low calorie, and high protein options
Pros: Delicious and filling recipes for people who are on plant-based diets or who are interested in starting one
Cons: Slightly pricier than competitors due to ingredient sourcing, requires more kitchen tools
It's easy to join the plant-based lifestyle, thanks to all the new brands cropping up and services like Purple Carrot that cater to these specific needs. Plant-based diets are healthy and better for the planet because it requires less water and produces fewer carbon emissions to grow ingredients than to raise cows and other livestock.
Purple Carrot is especially great for people who are transitioning to a more plant-based diet or aren't sure how to cook meat or dairy. It shows you how there are always creative workarounds and flavor combinations, resulting in filling, delicious recipes like Warm Japanese Yam & Shiitake Salad and Parmesan Gnocchi with Melted Summer Squash & Basil.
Plus, most of its non-produce items are organic, though all other ingredients can vary on organic or non-GMO status.
Changing your eating habits is never easy, but Purple Carrot makes the shift just a little more manageable. I'm not strictly plant-based, but I am trying to eat less meat, and Purple Carrot gave me nice inspiration for how I could continue eating this type of diet, even if I don't personally continue the subscription.
Compared to other meal kits I've tested, I noticed Purple Carrot does require blenders and food processors often to make its sauces, so make sure you have these appliances on hand and are prepared for a little extra cleanup afterward.
How we test meal delivery kits
Whenever we tested a new service, our first priority was that the meals tasted good. Any service that didn't pass our taste test was not included in this guide. The rest of our criteria evaluated how easy it was to prepare and customize the services, as well as the menu variety.
Ease of preparation: Meal kits are intended to make cooking at home easier, so we noted which brands have recipes that took more work to prepare. We considered if recipes required kitchen tools beyond basic pots and utensils, if the kit provided whole or prepped ingredients, and how much time passed from start to finish.
Menu variety: If you're going to regularly be ordering from one of these services, you'll want a variety of options to choose from. We noted which services had rotating menus or regularly added new meals and if there were multiple portion sizes available.
Delivery: We looked for services that delivered to a large geographical area, as well as how easy it was to skip, pause, or change scheduled deliveries.
Customization: People have different mealtime needs and wants, so we evaluated the customization of each meal kit. We looked at available add-ons, like wine or side dishes, as well as whether you could curate your own box of meals or if there were pre-made bundles.
Dietary restrictions: We looked for meal kits that can be enjoyed by the majority of people, regardless of dietary restrictions. Below we listed each of our top picks and the dietary options they offer.
| Vegetarian | Plant-based | Low calorie | Gluten-free | Vegan | |
| Blue Apron | ♦ | ♦ | ♦ | ||
| Factor | ♦ | ♦ | ♦ | ♦ | |
| Sunbasket | ♦ | ♦ | ♦ | ||
| Home Chef | ♦ | ||||
| HelloFresh | ♦ | ♦ | |||
| Purple Carrot | ♦ | ♦ | ♦ | ♦ |
Connie Chen Connie Chen is a former senior reporter on the Insider Reviews team, where she led coverage of home textiles, home entertaining, and food and drink. While at Insider, she specialized in all the things that enhance life at home, from the most comfortable bed sheets and fluffy pillows to cool online wine clubs and bartender-approved cocktail shakers. She combined rigorous testing methods, conversations with professionals, and active knowledge of the home and kitchen space to help readers get the most out of their money. When she's not changing duvet covers or washing towels twice a day for articles, she loves talking about and trying the newest snacks, drinks, and food gifts. You can see more of her testing process and other behind-the-scenes of being a product journalist on her Instagram @connayreviews. Connie joined Insider Reviews as an early member in 2017 and has also reported on products and services in the style, tech, fitness, travel, and e-learning spaces, with a particular interest and expertise in emerging startups. She has represented the team at CES and moderated panels on media business and the future of retail. Connie graduated from UC Berkeley with degrees in media studies and business administration, which help inform her perspective on and coverage of industry trends, as well as the competitive e-commerce landscape at large. Read some of her work: The 4 best cocktail shakers in 2021 The 7 best women's bathrobes in 2021 The 5 best wine openers and corkscrews we tested in 2021 The 5 best bed sheets we tested in 2021 The 5 best cordless vacuums we tested in 2021 12 direct-to-consumer kitchen startups that are changing the way we shop for cookware and knives 8 tableware startups changing the way we shop for dishes Even chefs experience cooking burnout — here's how they get re-inspired in the kitchen How businesses create successful virtual experiences 50 cookbooks from famous restaurants across the US that will help you recreate their best dishes at home Learn more about how our team of experts tests and reviews products at Insider here. Learn more about how we test kitchen products. Read more Read lessYou can purchase logo and accolade licensing to this story here.
Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at reviews@businessinsider.com.
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