Editors And Nutritionists Put The Top Meal Delivery Services To The Test (2024)

Meal delivery services are super popular (and for good reason). They make whipping up breakfast, lunch, and dinner so much more convenient, or not even necessary if you opt for a prepared meal delivery service. But meal kits are also convenient, since food is delivered right to your door with pre-portioned ingredients and step-by-step instructions.

Whether you're looking for the best meal delivery service for singles (hear! hear!) or have a family to feed, meal kits get you in the habit of planning ahead and cooking your own food—a tried-and-true weight loss strategy if that's your goal, says nutrition counselor Samantha Cassetty, RD. Plus, they help you get inventive with your daily meals, since they help you increase the variety of what you're eating. One day you could be munching on a healthy salmon recipe, and the next on a high-protein soup. But, not all programs are created equal.

The hard part about meal delivery services is choosing which one is actually right for you.

So before you commit to one service. Here's what you should look out for.

Of course, first you want to make sure the meal delivery service fits into your budget. "It’s important to assess not only the affordability, but also the value for money," says registered dietitian Claire Rifkin. "Quality of ingredients, portion sizes, and the overall convenience factor play significant roles here." Rifkin also recommends to be mindful of hidden fees such as shipping charges, membership fees, or minimum order requirements which can affect the overall cost.

If you follow a certain kind of eating lifestyle, like a gluten-free or keto diet, you should choose a meal delivery service that can accommodate your specific dietary restrictions. The meal service should provide nutritionally balanced meals that adhere to dietary guidelines, says Rifkin. "This includes a proper balance of macronutrients and adequate micronutrients."

Think about whether you're just looking to supplement your cooking or looking to avoid it altogether. This will help you determine how many meals you should order per week, and then you should choose a meal delivery service accordingly. "In my opinion, the gold standard for a meal delivery service is one that allows for easy adjustments to the number of meals received each week, including options to pause, cancel, or modify orders without significant penalties," Rifkin says. Choosing a service that allows for these modifications will make it so that you're not wasting money on foods you don't need, like when you're on vacation or have extra time to cook that week, she adds.

If you want to avoid diet fatigue, while ensuring your meals are rich in diverse nutrients, Rifkin recommends ensuring the meal delivery service has a great variety of weekly meal options—that includes regularly updated menus that incorporate seasonal ingredients, and dishes from various cuisines to encourage trying new foods, Rifkin says. "The more varied your diet is, the more nutrients you are likely intaking, which is an important part of meeting your nutrient needs and staying healthy."

Meal delivery services deliver their food in different ways, from fresh to frozen, to once a week or on specific days. "Consider the packaging, preparation required, and whether meals come fresh or frozen," says Rifkin. "The meal's state upon arrival (ready-to-eat, needing heating, or requiring some preparation) impacts convenience; but you should also think about the fact that fresh meals are generally better in taste and quality," she adds. On the other hand, frozen options can preserve nutrients effectively without preservatives.

When it comes to packaging, if you value sustainability, environmentally-friendly, minimal, and recyclable packaging, likely is best, Rifkin says.

Finally, you'll want to make sure that the service delivers to your area, whether they deliver on days that work for you, and how well the meals are preserved during transport, says Rifkin. "Flexible delivery times, consistent and reliable delivery services, and ensuring meals arrive in good condition are critical for food safety and quality," she explains.

For the past few years, Women’s Health editors, including our lifestyle and commerce editor Jasmine Gomez and associate e-commerce editor Lily Wohlner, tested the bestselling, most popular, and top-rated meal delivery services. Our team consulted 10 nutritionists and dietitians, and then evaluated thousands of customer reviews and ratings to narrow down the best meal delivery services for a wide range of dietary preferences, budgets, and family sizes.

Below, see the absolute best meal delivery services money can buy, from the healthiest options to the easiest. Keep scrolling to find the best editor, nutritionist, and dietitian-approved meal delivery services.

There’s a reason why Hungryroot has become increasingly popular with meal planners: It’s so darn easy. All you need to do is take their quiz, and then the site will fill your cart with all kinds of healthy groceries. When the box arrives at your door, it’s not only filled with the food your quiz indicated you might like, but with chef-curated recipes using the groceries in your cart along with snacks and desserts.

Dietitian Anita Mirchandani, RD, is a fan of it, too. "I like that Hungryroot helps you plan out your total intake depending on your preferences," she says. "It's also priced well with high-quality ingredients that cater to a variety of dietary restrictions." As someone who lives in NYC with no time to trek it to the grocery store, WH contributor Neha Tandon is also a big fan. "Hungryroot is amazing because not only do they partner with all my favorite brands, they also cater to my specific dietary needs. I'm pescatarian, prefer to eat gluten-free, like to keep my carb intake low, and am dairy-free," she says. Tandon says that she also likes that all the dishes come together super fast for a really delicious meal.

Vegans (or just veggie lovers!), step right up. Purple Carrot's entirely vegan meal-delivery service delivers pre-portioned ingredients that'll help you discover some seriously fun and unique recipes you'll love showing off to your friends (though you'll likely want to keep everything to yourself).

Each meal comes with nutritional information and serves at least two people. So, if you’re cooking for one, that leaves you with a balanced lunch for the next day—a great idea for a no-brainer healthy lunch, says Sharon Palmer, RDN, author of Plant-Powered for Life. It's priced a bit higher than some of the other services out there, but it's a great option if you can afford it. Tandon, who has tried a bunch of meal delivery services, says it's one of the most delicious ones she has ever tried. "I had a vegan zucchini flatbread last year that I still can't stop thinking about," she says. "It wasn't as high in protein and veggies as I'd like, so I did end up supplementing a lot of dishes with my own ingredients, but there's no doubting that these dishes were absolutely delicious and easy to whip up on a weeknight."

Blue Apron is a meal delivery kit beloved by many for lots of good reasons. It's super health-conscious and easy for people on-the-go. They've even released a fairly new line of fresh, pre-made, and non-frozen meals called Prepared & Ready, so you don't have to worry about re-heating a cold meal.

Vegetarians and vegans are big fans, too, because Blue Apron offers an entire vegetarian meal plan. The weekly boxes include pre-portioned ingredients for either two or four servings so you can cook healthy meals for yourself or the whole family.

Associate health and wellness editor Tianna Soto is currently trying the service, and she has liked what she has eaten so far. "I loved the [buttery noodles] meal from Blue Apron! I came home super hungry from work one day and it was really helpful to have a pre-made dinner ready for me," she previously told Women's Health. Testers overall say they enjoy the flavor profiles of most Blue Apron meals and that the service is more creative with their dishes than some other meal services.

Big-name chefs like Einat Admony and Esther Choi joined forces with wellness experts to create recipes that are weight-loss friendly and amateur-proof for this meal-delivery service. Plus, the company also caters to specialty diets from keto to paleo, gluten-free, vegan, and even those looking for low-calorie options. So yeah, you could say that CookUnity is a good choice for anyone who's low on time but still wants chef-prepped meals from the comfort of their own couch.

Assistant love and life editor Addison Aloian tested the service for our review of the best prepared meal delivery services, and she said she was pleasantly surprised. "The previous meal kits I've tried have left me hungry after and craving protein, but not CookUnity," Aloian told Women's Health. "Not only are the meals delicious and super satiating, but they're also cooked the day they arrive at your doorstep, so they're super fresh," Aloian said.

If you're looking for flavorful dishes, CookUnity's creative meals likely won't disappoint. Expect super artistically-crafted dishes like salmon with avocado sauce and cucumber salsa or a sesame ginger tofu poke bowl. Your work-from-home lunches are about to get a serious upgrade.

While, of course, it's important to always listen to your body and what it needs, Factor's delivery service works with dietitians to build a variety of portion-controlled plates as an expert-approved guide. But, what makes Factor truly unique is that when you sign up for the pre-portioned meals, you're also getting free consultations with registered dietitians.

Nutritionist and registered dietitian Brenna Wallace, RDN, notes that one of the most common mistakes when using a meal delivery service can be that you may order meals that aren't catered to your lifestyle. "That's why I'd recommend Factor to my clients," she says. "The regular consultations can seriously help cater to your lifestyle."

Soto also raves about Factor. "Factor 75 is SO delicious—I was literally shocked at how good it was from the first bite—and their meals have saved me time and energy over the past few weeks," Soto previously told WH in our review of the best prepared meal delivery services.

Created by an actual MD as a weight loss service to help patients, BistroMD is the perfect middle ground between a meal delivery service and personalized health plan. Choose between four different weight loss programs: standard, gluten-free, diabetic, or menopause.

Your weekly box will either include five to seven full days of breakfast, lunch, and dinner—or, five to seven days worth of just lunch and dinner. Once your plan is picked, registered dietitians on the BistroMD team will create a custom diet plan based on your taste preferences and weight-loss goals. Plus, you can update your profile with likes, dislikes, and health changes at any time and your meal plan will be adjusted.

Testers say this a great plan if you have weight loss or other health goals, like lowering your sodium intake. That being said, a few found BistroMD's meals to be less flavorful than those of other brands. They say that the food is more on the under-seasoned side, which is a plus if you're trying to improve a certain circ*mstance of your health, like eating fewer calories, less fat, etc.

Attention, keto and paleo lovers: You’re gonna love Fresh N’ Lean. The company offers pre-made protein-packed, gluten-free, and fiber-rich meals that get delivered straight right to your door. There are a bunch of different meal delivery plans at your disposal here (including keto, paleo, low-carb, vegan, etc.), and one option even allows you to order in bulk, if you so desire. Everything they deliver is approved by their dietitians and prepared from scratch in Moosic, Pennsylvania.

Dietitian Erin Palinski-Wade also recommends Fresh N' Lean if you're trying to work on nutrition or fitness goals. "These ready-to-heat meals can be customized to a variety of dietary needs from keto to vegan and everything in between," she previously told Women's Health in our review of the best prepared delivery meals. "They offer a large variety of menu options and allow the flexibility to order individual meals all the way up to 14 meals per week."

Green Chef's USDA-certified organic meal kit offers tons of options for a variety of different dietary needs and preferences, from vegetarian to gluten-free and paleo diets. The dishes and recipes offered are all super unique. Many people say they feel like they're getting fancy restaurant-level food straight at home.

A lot of the dishes come with pre-made sauces and dressings, which can be a serious timesaver. But, Kaufman suggests scanning the nutritional facts for the sugar content in your meals, as dressings can sometimes be packed with this weight-loss saboteur. And, if the sauce isn’t vital for you, just feel free to cut it out.

As a whole, Kaufman gives this service her nutritionist stamp of approval because it offers a variety of plans that suit mostly everyone's dietary needs and restrictions, all while being relatively low in sodium, high in protein, and loaded with healthy, satiating fats such as olive oil.

Nied says that Green Chef reignited her excitement for cooking after having a baby. "It was that good. The recipes are a bit more involved but so worth the extra effort." She also liked that the ingredients were super fresh, and says her finished meals tasted even better than her usual takeout. "My favorite part of each meal by far was the sauce, which I proudly made myself and couldn't stop talking about while eating every last bite."

Odds are that you’ve seen a celeb post about Sakara at least once in your life. The Kate Hudson and Hillary Duff-approved meal delivery service focuses on super fresh ingredients in pre-made meals. Every plant-based meal box comes with a schedule that tells you what to eat every day with the goal of weight loss, digestive improvement, a boost in energy, and more.

Here’s how it works: Sakara meals come twice a week to make sure you're getting the freshest ingredients possible. While the menu is typically set each week so you can’t pick and choose your meals (they offer up to three per day plus snack options), the delivery service actually switches up what they’re serving every seven days so you'll almost never get the same meal more than twice.

Executive health and fitness director Jacqueline Andriakos tried the service in search of better energy leading up to her wedding. "The impact of eating so much fresh produce and whole foods blew my mind. I had not felt so alert, regular (if you know what I mean), and clear-headed in months,"Andriakos says. The service also inspired her to cook more. "The week of meals motivated me to continue cooking plant-heavy, anti-inflammatory dishes at home afterward," she adds.

Read more: Sakara Review

Nutrisystem’s meal delivery service focuses on eating smaller, more balanced meals throughout the day. Their personalized plans will give you breakfast, lunch, and dinner—some meals come frozen and some come fresh—options with healthy snacks in between, meaning you can eat six times in one day without wondering if you’re going overboard on your portions. You can also adjust your eating plan to focus on your specific health needs, whether you need to lower your sodium intake or have been advised to go vegetarian.

If weight loss is your goal, testers say that Nutrisystem makes it easier to achieve it, since the service's meals come portion-controlled. However, testers say the meals don't feel as fresh and flavorful as those other services provide. One tester also found the pricing to be a little steep for frozen meals.

If your cooking abilities max out at boiling water, you’ll definitely take an interest in Splendid Spoon, the delivery service that focuses on shipping pre-made vegan and gluten-free meals straight to your door. The company’s hearty dishes include creamy korma, butternut squash noodles, and shepherd's pie (are you drooling yet?). "If you are on a health journey and are overwhelmed by which nutrient-dense foods to eat, Splendid Spoon foods are for you," says registered dietitian Johane Filemon. "The ingredients are wholesome, nutrient-dense, and include lots of beneficial properties that can help you maintain good gut health, support brain health, and provide energy."

Besides being fully vegan and gluten-free, you can even opt out of certain ingredients preferences like cilantro, nuts, mushrooms, soy, or even spice. Their protein-packed smoothies are a fan-favorite for people who are often on-the-go, too. Testers say that they love that Splendid Spoon meals come with a short list of recognizable ingredients, so you know you're not getting any weird chemicals in your food. If you're watching your carb-intake, one tester says that Splendid Spoon meals do tend to lean towards them, so it's something to be conscious of before ordering.

Big on organic fruits and veggies? Totally feel you there. That’s what makes Daily Harvest's fully plant-based, gluten-free meal plan great for people who want to easily incorporate more whole, plant-based foods in to their diet.

Nutritionist and author of The Flexitarian Diet, Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, recommends that all her clients keep a few of Daily Harvest's meals in their freezer at all times. "It's perfect for days when my clients may need some help getting more nourishing fruits and vegetables in their diet in a delicious way," she says.

The Daily Harvest plan is super customizable, so you can choose how many items you want to order and how often you want them delivered. Whether you’re looking for smoothies, soups, flatbreads, and more that you only have to blend or reheat, you can prob satisfy your cravings on Daily Harvest. A sweet bonus: They even have Daily Harvest Scoops, plant-based ice creams, in mouth-watering flavors like Cold Brew + Roasted Espresso Bean Chip and Pistachio + Toasty, Buttery Hazelnut Crunch.

Andriakos has subscribed to Daily Harvest for years, primarily for their smoothie blends. "I am so lazy when it comes to making smoothies (too much chopping and blending and cleaning for me, womp), she says. "The smoothie cups make it so easy to throw one together quickly and do not have any unrecognizable ingredients—just delicious fruits and veggies." She also enjoys adding a scoop of protein into her smoothies in order to get more of the macronutrient every day. "I'm a firm believer in finding healthy shortcuts if you can, and Daily Harvest is just that for me," she says.

Read more: Daily Harvest Review

Known as the straightforward, easy-to-follow meal-delivery service, Hello Fresh is also pretty helpful if weight loss is your goal. “Their staff dietitian evaluates the meals before they are put on the menu to ensure they’re both healthy and balanced,” says nutritionist Leah Kaufman, RD, CDN. All your ingredients come pre-portioned, so all you need to do is follow the simple recipe provided to get a fresh, home-cooked meal. It's great for kitchen beginners or aspiring home chefs.

Another plus: Each dish is low in sodium and oil and comes with a nutrition label that can be found on their website. Knowing that info can help you stay within the appropriate amount of calories per day if that's something your nutritionist has recommended you monitor. Becker gives Hello Fresh her stamp of approval, too, noting that the brand is focused on a lot of sustainability efforts.

WH fitness contributor Jennifer Nied says she loves the the concept of getting all the ingredients and whipping up a recipe for the whole fam. "The recipes were easy to follow, so I'd recommend them to anyone who is just learning to cook." Her only con is that the meals were a little lower on veggies than she typically likes. "I also prefer to pick more high-quality proteins, but it's great in a pinch," she says.

Traditional, authentic Indian food is hard to find in the Western world. That's where Cumin Club comes in. They leverage a team of Indian chefs to craft meals like paneer butter masala, moong dal (lentils), and saag (a creamed spinach curry). Everything comes preservative-free in freeze-dried packets, and all it takes is five minutes of boiling water to get a hot meal on your table. For a maximum of $100 per week, you get a serious bang for your buck.

You'll love hosting friends over for a meal (and nobody needs to know you didn't make it yourself). Because all you need is hot water, these make a great gift to the college student in your life. Tandon says she's also a fan of Cumin Club's food because it tastes homemade. "I have no clue how, but their freeze-dried meals come together in like fifteen minutes max and actually taste exactly like the food I've had come out of my mom, aunt, or grandmother's kitchen," Tandon says. She also loves that she recognizes all of the ingredients. "I thought that the ingredients list would be scary, but everything actually looks like the exact ingredients I'd use to cook myself. I seriously don't know how they do it."

Meal delivery services can be healthy if you want them to be. Most services allow you to customize your meals online, so if you want your doorstep deliveries to align with your health goals, go right ahead and start tailoring your plan. According to Mirchandani, meal delivery services that offer gluten-free, vegan, hormone-safe, and diabetic-friendly options are what to look for if you want to stay on the healthy side.

The short answer? It depends on which one you choose. Long answer: The cheapest meal delivery services include (but are not limited to) Hello Fresh, Daily Harvest, and Cumin Club. If you typically eat out a lot, you'll save a ton of money on a meal delivery service. But if you already cook at home, you may end up spending about the same amount of money. That said, a meal delivery service has the added value of helping you achieve any health goals you may have, like controlling your portions, losing weight, cutting out certain foods, or eating more organic produce. They also help you skip a trip to the grocery store, so you spend more time focusing on daily activities that you actually want to do.

Meal delivery services typically offer easy subscription management through online profiles or mobile apps. While some require you to answer questions or contact customer service for cancellation, you can find assistance in the FAQ section or by reaching out to their support team if you have any concerns.

• If you want to save money: Fresh N' Lean, Splendid Spoon, Daily Harvest, Blue Apron, Factor, Hello Fresh, Cook Unity, Cumin Club
• If you want to prioritize health: BistroMD, Sakara, Daily Harvest, Methodology, Nutrisystem, Factor, Purple Carrot, Green Chef,
• If you have specific dietary restrictions: Hungryroot, BistroMD, Splendid Spoon, Daily Harvest, Nutrisystem, Factor, Purple Carrot
• If you like to cook your own meals: Hungryroot, Blue Apron, Hello Fresh, Green Chef,
• If you're on-the-go: Fresh N' Lean, BistroMD, Sakara, Methodology, Nutrisystem, Factor, Cook Unity, Purple Carrot, Cumin Club
• If you want to try new foods: Cook Unity, Cumin Club, Pete's Real Food
• If you're vegan: Splendid Spoon, Sakara, Daily Harvest, Purple Carrot

• Leah Kaufman, RD, CDN, is a nutritionist with her own practice.
• Sharon Palmer, RDN, is author of Plant-Powered for Life.
• Brenna Wallace, RDN, is a nutritionist and registered dietitian in Chicago.
• Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, is a nutritionist and author of The Flexitarian Diet.
• Johane Filemon,RDN, is a registered dietitian at Wonderfully Nutritious.
• Erin Palinski-Wade is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes care and education specialist at EKP Nutrition Communications.
• Claire Rifkin, MS, RDN, is an NYC-based women’s health dietitian and founder of the telehealth private practice Claire Rifkin Nutrition.

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