The best meal kits don't just save you a trip to the grocery store; they solve the much more annoying problem of figuring out what to cook when you're tired, busy, or staring into the fridge at 6 pm pretending shredded cheese is a dinner plan.
After testing dozens of meal kits and prepared meal delivery services over several years, we've found that the right service for you depends on how you eat. Some kits are better for learning new recipes and cooking more at home, while others are designed for nights when chopping an onion feels ambitious. Some services are much better at handling dietary restrictions, portion sizes, and subscription flexibility than others.
Meal kits still cost more than buying groceries yourself, ranging from $8 to $20 per serving, depending on the plan. Still, for many people, they can be cheaper, healthier, and a lot less wasteful than relying on takeout several nights a week.
Learn more about how Insider Reviews tests and researches kitchen products.
The best meal kits at a glance
| Service | Best for | Dietary options | Subscription flexibility |
| Blue Apron | Overall quality and flexibility | Vegetarian, wellness-focused | No subscription required; à la carte ordering available |
| HelloFresh | Quick dinners | Family-friendly, vegetarian | Easy skips and pauses |
| Factor | Prepared meals | Keto, high-protein | Cancel anytime |
| Sunbasket | Special diets | Paleo, gluten-free | Flexible weekly plans |
| Home Chef | Variety | Carb-conscious, vegetarian | Customizable weekly |
| Purple Carrot | Vegan | Fully plant-based | Easy weekly skips |
How we tested meal kits and meal delivery services
We've tested dozens of meal kits over several years, evaluating them for ingredient quality, recipe clarity, prep time accuracy, dietary flexibility, packaging and delivery, and overall value. For prepared meals, we tested 56 meals from eight different brands to compare flavor, texture, portion sizes, and reheating performance.
Best meal kit service for overall quality and flexibility
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.
What we like
What we don't like
One of the original meal kits that set off the craze, Blue Apron still feels like the service for people who genuinely enjoy cooking, not just assembling pre-portioned ingredients as quickly as possible. In our testing, its recipes were consistently more thoughtful and flavorful than most competitors', with restaurant-style touches that felt a little more interesting than the usual weeknight dinner rotation. Plus, Blue Apron lets customers order meals à la carte without committing to a subscription, which removes a lot of the pressure that comes with trying a meal kit for the first time.
The recipes require actual cooking, but not in an overwhelming way. Most meals took around 30 to 45 minutes during testing, and the instructions were among the clearest we tried. Deliveries also arrived reliably, with fresh produce and neatly packed ingredients, and fewer quality-control issues than we encountered with some competing services.
Blue Apron can get expensive once you start adding premium meals and shipping fees, so it's not the cheapest option on this list. Still, if you want the best balance of recipe quality, flexibility, and overall cooking experience, it remains the service we'd recommend to most people first.
Best meal kit service for quick dinners
If you're looking for a no-fuss dinner that is quick and easy to prepare, HelloFresh's meals come together in about 20 to 30 minutes.
What we like
What we don't like
The meal kit we recommend to anyone who wants to cook at home more often, but realistically has about 30 minutes to get dinner on the table (and limited patience) is HelloFresh. Of all the services we tested, it had the most accurate prep-time estimates, and most meals came together in the promised 20 to 30 minutes. That sounds like a small thing until you've tested enough meal kits that claim "quick prep" and somehow still find you sauteeing onions at 8:15 pm.
The recipes lean simpler than Blue Apron's, but that's the appeal. Meals are approachable, satisfying, and manageable. One of our favorite recipes during testing, the Tuscan Shrimp and Orzo, took less than half an hour to make but still tasted balanced and flavorful. We also like that HelloFresh makes dietary preferences easier to navigate than some competitors do. Vegetarian users can filter menus, and the service offers enough add-ons, snacks, and pantry staples to cover several weeknight meals.
If there is a downside, some recipes can start to feel competitive after a while, especially if you gravitate toward the quickest meals on the menu. Still, for busy households, beginner cooks, or anyone trying to break a takeout habit without dramatically changing their routine, HelloFresh remains one of the easiest meal kits to stick with long term.
Best meal delivery service for prepared meals
Factor provides healthy, flexible, and delicious meal plans designed by dieticians, for people with busy lives.
What we like
What we don't like
The clear winner in our testing of prepared meal delivery services is Factor. The company understands something many of its competitors don't — foods that taste good fresh don't always taste good after six minutes in a microwave. After trying 56 pre-made meals, Factor consistently delivered the best texture, strongest flavor, and most satisfying portions, especially for high-protein meals.
The menu leans heavily toward protein-forward, lower-carb meals, with options for keto, calorie-cutting, vegetarian, and vegan diets. Factor's meals arrive fresh and should be eaten within about a week, which makes a noticeable difference. Creamed spinach stayed creamy, shrimp didn't develop a rubbery texture, and rich sauces reheated without separating. You can freeze the meals, though we found some side dishes (we're looking at you, cauliflower mash) lose texture after thawing.
We also appreciate how easy it was to store and rotate through Factor's meals during busy weeks. New menu options are added regularly, and the meals feel designed for people who are trying to eat better without having to cook. It's one of the more expensive meal services we tested, but it's also one of the few that consistently tastes like how real chefs cook them.
Check out our full Factor meal delivery review.
Best organic meal kit for special diets
Sunbasket impresses from start to finish. It sources organic produce and pays attention to details, including oft-neglected meal components like flavorful sauces.
What we like
What we don't like
The meal kit for people who read ingredient labels, care about where their meat comes from, and don't want "healthy" dinners to feel like a punishment is Sunbasket. The service uses mostly organic produce, responsibly-raised proteins, and some of the freshest ingredients we received during testing. Its sauces were also easily the best of any meal kit we tried, which honestly surprised us, because healthy meal kits often overcorrect into bland territory.
The menus are especially good for people with dietary restrictions, and you can sort meals by paleo, diabetes-friendly, gluten-free, vegetarian, dairy-free, and more without having to decode tiny menu flags. Sunbasket also cuts down on prep work in some smart ways, with ingredients like pre-chopped squash and ready-to-cook cauliflower rice, which make weeknight cooking feel significantly less work.
Sunbasket is pricier than some competitors, but if ingredient quality and flexibility matter more to you than the absolute lowest cost per serving, it's worth the upgrade.
Best meal delivery service for variety
Home Chef makes dinner more interesting without the complication. Its weekly rotating menu has more than a dozen recipes, which include customization options, easy-prep meals, and protein packs.
What we like
What we don't like
With one of the broadest menus of any meal kit we tested, Home Chef is especially good for households where everyone wants something different. One person can order a carb-heavy pasta, another can pick something protein-forward, and somehow both arrive in the same box. The service isn't built around strict dietary lifestyles, but for flexible eaters who get bored easily, the flexibility is hard to beat.
The ordering process is also refreshingly straightforward. Swapping proteins, skipping weeks, and filtering recipes by cook time or meal type all felt intuitive during testing. And while Home Chef doesn't lean heavily into extras or wellness branding, it delivers consistently good meals. Sometimes you just want dinner.
One thing we particularly liked: the menu includes both traditional meal kits and faster, oven-ready or microwavable options, including some meals sold at Kroger stores.
Read our full Home Chef review.
Best vegan meal delivery service
As plant-based diets become more popular, Purple Carrot steps in with delicious and hearty meals that never compromise nutrition, taste, and creativity.
What we like
What we don't like
Proving that plant-based meal kits don't have to feel limiting, Purple Carrot is our top pick for the best vegan meal kit service. The recipes were some of the most creative we tested, with bold sauces, interesting textures, and filling meals that made eating less meat feel surprisingly easy. Even as non-vegans, we found ourselves bookmarking recipes to make again later.
Purple Carrot is an especially good option for anyone trying to transition toward (or stick to) a more plant-based diet because the meals feel approachable without being boring. Just know that some recipes are more involved than others and may require additional appliances like a blender or food processor, which can mean more cleanup at the end of the night.
*Above prices were verified at the time of publication
What to look for in a meal kit delivery service
Meal kits vs. prepared meals: Already prepared meals save the most prep time because you just heat them up and enjoy. However, meal kits give you more flexibility in what ingredients you choose to include. Plus, the meals tend to taste better as they are freshly cooked, so you have a better chance of getting a delicious meal sight unseen. We found that the reheated texture and taste varied widely. If you're not sure what type is right for your needs, consider a service that provides both.
Pricing: Most of the services we looked at cost about $10 per serving, plus or minus $3. You can usually save a few dollars by ordering more meals each week or by signing up for a long-term contract. Also, you can often find discounts and promo codes when trying out a new service.
Dietary needs: Many services have menus that cater to common dietary needs, but it's not always a robust selection. If you eat a vegan, gluten-free, low-sugar, keto, or other diet, look for a service that has plenty of weekly menu items that will meet your needs. Purple Carrot and Sunbasket are geared specifically for dietary restrictions.
Flexibility: You want to be able to change your meal plan as you travel or your needs change. Look for a service that lets you pause for a week or two and adjust the number of meals you receive. During a particularly busy week, you might not have time to cook even from a kit, so consider your schedule and how willing the service is to accommodate.
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 require more work to prepare. We considered whether recipes require kitchen tools beyond basic pots and utensils, whether the kit provides whole or prepped ingredients, and how much time passes from start to finish.
Menu variety: If you're going to order from one of these services regularly, you'll want a variety of options. We noted which services had rotating menus or frequently 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, and whether you could curate your box of meals or if there were pre-made bundles.
Dietary restrictions: We looked for meal kits that can be enjoyed by most 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 | ♦ | ♦ | ♦ | ♦ |
Meal kit delivery service FAQs
Are meal kit delivery services worth it?
Generally, meal kit delivery services are worth the price if you don't want to deal with the hassle of finding recipes, making a shopping list, and heading to the grocery store to grab the right ingredients. We think they're especially worth it for busy people, those trying to reduce their food waste, or folks who are always looking to try a new recipe.
What are the cons of meal kit delivery?
The biggest con of meal kit delivery is that they're expensive. But with grocery costs increasing, you might not actually be saving much money buying ingredients yourself.
Also, meal kit packaging is substantial, bulky, and not always made with eco-friendly materials. And there are limited options available, which poses a problem for picky eaters or those with dietary restrictions.
Finally, even the most basic meal kits still require cooking effort and preparation time. It's not difficult to find excellent pre-made meals, though.
What are the different types of meal kit delivery services?
Typically, meal kits contain ingredients and a recipe, with various levels of preparation required. Depending on the service, this could look like pre-cut ingredients that you cook and season, or a box full of fresh meats and veggies that you chop and prepare yourself.
Freshly prepared meals arrive fully ready to eat, so you just need to pop them in the microwave or oven to enjoy. A few brands even offer frozen meals.
You 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.
