Author: onetop10.com

HWhether you’re too busy to shop, want to save precious time, or just don’t want to spend hours in the store, shopping for groceries online is incredibly convenient. But with all the different online grocery services out there, choosing the best one for you can take longer than going to a physical store.

In our guide to the best online grocery shopping sites, we break down all the costs, how different services work, their pros and cons, and more to make your online grocery shopping experience unique.

Breaking Down Our Top 10 Choices: Which Is Best For Your Needs

• HelloFresh – Delicious and responsible ingredients
• Home Chef – Quickly prepare pre-portioned food packages
• Factor – Nutritional advice and coaching
• Instacart: Multiple Delivery Options and Membership Discounts
• Public Goods – Organic and sustainable food
• Fulton Fish Market – Premium Seafood
• Kroger – Regular Coupons and Discounts
• Vital Choice: Responsibly sourced seafood
• Rastelli’s – Premium Beef, Chicken and Pork
• Delivery: Easy online ordering and same-day delivery

The Lowdown on the Top Grocery Delivery Services

HelloFresh

• $8 shipping per order
• 2 meals a week for 2 people
• 5 days after placing the order

HelloFresh is ideal for people who don’t want to waste time creating menus and purchasing products, because they do all the work for you. HelloFres sends you a carefully packaged box with assorted seasonal ingredients and recipe cards for meals that take less than 30 minutes and just 6 steps. Many of the meal ingredients are already prepared, chopped or combined, saving you time. Meal options can be tailored to your dietary needs. HelloFresh can save you money on groceries because you’ll get exactly what you need to prepare special meals. Their food appeals to a variety of cuisines and is suitable for everyone in your family.

HelloFresh is known for its excellent customer service. You can manage your subscription preferences on their easy-to-use website or stop shipping during the week if necessary. Any issues or questions are easily resolved using the website’s live chat feature or by calling a customer representative over the phone. HelloFresh delivers any day of the week, anytime between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. m. and 8 p.m. m., which means your package could arrive when you are at work or after lunch, so plan accordingly. HelloFresh can be a great option for people who are stuck in the kitchen or looking for a way to stop ordering takeout so frequently.

Pros

• Adjustable for different dietary preferences.
• Convenient shortcuts like pre-chopped ingredients
• An easy-to-manage subscription that you can renew or cancel at any time

Cons

• The cost per serving means that ordering for a large family won’t save you money.
• The recipe card text is small and cluttered, making it somewhat difficult to follow.

Home Chef

• Shipping is free on orders over $45
• 2 meals a week for 2 people
• 4 days after placing the order

Home Chef is ideal for people who want to quickly get a home-cooked dinner on the table without relying on takeout (again!). s meal prep kits are quick to prepare with most coming together in less than half an hour. Meals are classified by level of difficulty and type of cuisine. It’s easy to choose meals based on your preferences and ask for extras like extra protein. For those in a hurry to prepare a home-cooked meal, Hc is ready to cook in the oven, grill or microwave.

Home Chef allows you to create a flavor profile so that future recommendations reflect your preferences. You can choose your food up to 5 weeks in advance to order it once and have it ready for a while. You can skip delivery during a specific week or cancel your plan at any time. Home Che recipes are clearly explained, making it easy to cook and prepare dinner with minimal effort. hc lets you swap out or double your protein at certain meals, and you can even upgrade to a premium cut for an occasional splurge. If you are ordering just for yourself, please note that the minimum order quantity is 2 servings, so choose a dish that you would like to repeat at another meal. Home Chef meals can be ordered online or purchased at various grocery chains nationwide.

Pros

• Customize your meals (up to 30 options per week) by swapping or doubling proteins
• Meal plans come with easy-to-follow instructions so you learn real skills
• Some meal kits are completely ready in the oven or on the grill and only take 15 minutes to prepare.

Cons

• Options are limited for people with special diets or food allergies.
• You can order for 2, 4 or 6 people, so singles will find it less useful.

Factor

• Free
• 2 meals a week for 2 people
• MW The date depends on the zip code.

Factor features more than 20 healthy meals a week, developed by nutritionists, made with fresh ingredients and prepared by the company’s chefs. The food is high quality and contains no antibiotics, hormones, GMOs or refined sugar. Filter Factor’s weekly menu based on your dietary needs such as paleo, low calorie, low carb, keto or vegetarian.

Food stays fresh for up to 10 days and can be frozen to eat later. Factor also offers nutritional advice and tips to help you eat healthy. If you’re looking for an easy way to live a healthier lifestyle, Factor may be the food delivery service for you.

Pros

• The food is served ready.
• Variety of special food options.
• Does not charge shipping costs

Cons

• No family meal plans
• There aren’t many vegetarian options.

Instacart

• From $5.99
• $10
• Only 1 hour

Instacart is a great online grocery delivery service offered in many cities in the US and Canada. Work with local stores to offer you the best service. It’s worth the extra expense to save you time and money traveling to and from the store and avoid impulse purchases. This is what makes this service invaluable to many of its customers.

When you shop with Instacart, you can make sure you never go without because same-day delivery is available. There is excellent customer service and if they make a mistake with a shipment and something doesn’t ship, they will ship it to you as soon as possible or refund your money immediately.

Pros

• Customers can interact with buyers.
• Order history makes it easy to reorder the same items
• Offer coupons and online sales.

Cons

• Shipping fee
• You need to trust the buyer with your product selection.

Public Goods

• Varies by location and order size, free on orders over $45 or subscription over $100
• Nobody
• One day to another up to 10 working days

public Goods believes in taking care of yourself and the planet at the same time. That’s why it offers a wide range of everyday essentials that are both healthy and sustainable. Spanning the spectrum from groceries and staples to health and body care, vitamins and supplements, cleaning products and daily necessities, Public Goods products are designed to be eco-friendly, good for the body, and also elegant.

All Public Goods products are non-toxic, paraben- and sulfate-free, and pure. There are also vegan and gluten-free options, and everything is GMO and cruelty-free. Products are also sustainable and responsibly sourced, offsetting your carbon footprint with every order. So whether you’re using these items to fill your stomach, make your beds, or clean your windows, Public Goods helps you feel good and rest better knowing you’re making responsible decisions with every purchase.

Pros

• Organic product line
• Healthy. No chemicals, parabens or sulfates.
• Non-GMO, vegan and gluten-free options
• Shipping is free on some orders

Cons

• Free shipping threshold even for members
• It may take up to 10 business days

Fulton

• Free
• Nobody
• 2 days

If seafood is your thing, you’ll love the Fulton Fish Market. It is one of the largest fish markets in the country and has possibly the largest variety of seafood. You can choose from the usual premium dishes such as grouper, halibut, perch, salmon, tilapia and trout. Or try something new and discover a new favorite like sea urchin, eel or sashimi.

Fulton Fish Market offers all the fresh, frozen, smoked and salted seafood you could want. And best of all, shipping is free! Build your own box or let Fulton Fish Market select the catch of the day, the best cuts available at the time, for a more eclectic menu. You can even order grocery add-ons to boost your fish-based meals, such as condiments and rice.

Pros

• Widest variety of seafood around.
• Fresh fish is delivered free of charge
• Trusted name and customer friendly policy

Cons

• Cannot replace regular grocery shopping
• You must order $99+ to get free shipping

Kroger

• Free or $3.99 to $11.95
• Nobody
• 2 hours, same day, next day

Kroger is a popular supermarket chain that also offers online grocery delivery. You can choose between same-day or next-day delivery, and Kroger even offers to deliver your groceries in two hours or more. There are also plenty of schedules, so you don’t have to worry about losing an entire day because the delivery service ran out of available slots.

Kroger has a loyalty program for members. You can earn points for purchases and then use them to pay for more purchases or simply enjoy cashback by transferring it to your PayPal account. Kroger has a great platform with helpful features like shopping lists for easy ordering.

Pros

• Membership card benefits
• Easy digital coupon clipping
• High quality fresh produce.

Cons

• High shipping fee
• Delivery is available in certain areas only

Vital Choice

• Free shipping over $98, otherwise $6.95-$12.95
• Perishable orders: $65
• 1 to 7 business days depending on items ordered, next day optional

Vital Choice is all about superior food quality. The online grocery service with a difference offers sustainable, ethical sourcing practices and organic products to consumers who want to change the world inside and out. Vital Choice carefully selects suppliers, checking for humane practices and the highest quality proteins. Choose from wild-caught seafood and pasture-raised beef.

Vital Choice also has many helpful tools and tips on the site. You can become environmentally educated by reading its core values, watching professional cooking videos created by chefs, or exploring the handy instruction section on grilling, desalting, and other cooking methods.

Pros

• Responsibly sourced seafood and organic produce
• A wide variety of fresh and frozen fish and seafood.
• Quality assurance
• Monthly reminder before subscription renewal

Cons

• Unable to customize subscription boxes
• No 24/7 live chat support

Rastelli’s

 

• $25 on orders under $100 $10 on orders over $100 Free shipping on orders $200+
• Nobody
• within 5 working days

Rastelli’s is a family-owned business that delivers premium, fresh frozen protein anywhere in the continental United States. Local Service believes in quality and only partners with farmers and fishing companies who share their passion for humanity and sustainability. All proteins are responsibly and humanely sourced. In addition, these proteins do not contain antibiotics, hormones or steroids. Just clean and delicious.

• Rastelli’s has several subscription options, and you can also order individual items or shop a la carte. Orders arrive frozen instantly within five business days. And you get free shipping on orders of $200 or more. Choose from a huge variety of proteins including beef, pork, chicken, lamb and seafood. Or choose plant-based proteins like VBites burgers and plant-based hot dogs.

Pros

• Great selection of proteins, even plant-based.
• Sustainable, antibiotic-free and humanely grown
• Easy ordering options

Cons

• Cannot ship to Canada, Hawaii or Alaska
• You cannot choose your own delivery days/windows

Shipt

• $7 to $35, over $35 free
• Busy and homebound people
• only 1 hour

When you lead a busy lifestyle and don’t know where to find time to do your weekly shopping, Shipt is a great solution. All you need to do is connect or use the app to select the store you need. Then simply fill your cart, pay, and wait for scheduled delivery.

One of the best things about Shipt is that if you realize you need to buy something quickly, you can ship your order and have it at your doorstep in as little as an hour. You know you can trust buyers to choose the best products available and deliver all of their food in perfect condition.

Pros

• Chat option is available for immediate changes.
• Customer support is available 24/7/365.
• You can place your order online or through the app.

Cons

• Available only at select local stores
• It does not offer delivery from restaurants or retailers.

Here’s How We Rated The Best Online Grocery Services

To evaluate these best online grocery delivery services, we dug deeper to find out how they work, what they offer, and what the pros and cons are. We’ve done extensive research to evaluate how grocery delivery sites can:

• Save your time
• Save your money
• Help yourself with your diet
• Become more productive

With coronavirus being a buzzword on everyone’s lips these days, online grocery services are certainly booming. But these services were already popular even before this disaster. If you love the idea of convenient, fast, easy and time-saving grocery shopping, then it’s time to enter the 21st century with the latest in online shopping. Read on to find out what all the fuss is about.

Grocery Delivery: 2023 Style

Online grocery services truly benefit consumers across the spectrum. From busy moms who don’t have time for… well, everything (and still manage to do it all) to ambitious working bees looking to advance in their fields, online grocery services provide convenience and ease. and efficiency that the average consumer looks for in everything today. Here are some of the benefits this convenient service can add to your busy life:

Time-saving

Nobody has time to waste these days. From students to parents, entrepreneurs and everyone in between, the one thing we all have in common is a serious lack of time to waste. Any service that allows us to free up our valuable time is worth exploring. Without a doubt, online food services are a real time saver. Even if you’re lucky enough to avoid the traffic coming into the store, it takes time to find a place to park, load your cart, and do those all-important price comparisons on those $5.99 bulk cookies. And that’s not to mention the line at the checkout.

All of this adds up to valuable hours that you can use for more important and, of course, more fun activities. The great thing about choosing to order online is that it constantly puts you back on your busy schedule, allowing you to do more of what you want. When you shop for groceries online, you eliminate traffic, parking, searching through the aisles, and most importantly, waiting in line. This way you will get your food and toiletries without wasting so much time.

Convenience

In addition to saving time, online grocery services provide convenience. First of all, clicking on a product online cannot be compared to braving the sensory explosion of a standard supermarket aisle. Alternatively, online grocery services are neatly organized into products and categories that you can browse or simply search for individual products you want directly. Either way, it eliminates all the extra stress that usually defines a typical grocery store visit.

And of course, having your groceries delivered right to your door is the most convenient. Who likes carrying shopping bags to the store and back?

Cost-effective

Online grocery stores charge a small fee to deliver your purchases to you. But if you use the right services, you’ll save more than you spend on that small service fee. The best online grocery stores have online coupons, easy price comparison tools, and many even include loyalty programs that allow you to earn reward points when you shop online. This way, you’ll get the benefits of convenience and time savings, as well as savings on your weekly grocery shopping.

When you use online grocery services, you buy what you need, what’s on your list, and nothing more. Then you end up saving a lot on all those little things you never needed or wanted.

Saves your waistline

Similarly, online supermarkets will also help you save calories. Research has shown that when you only get the items on your list and aren’t swayed by sales and attractive packaging, you eat healthier. After all, it’s not that much of a stretch to look at a photo of a Lay bag.

Plus, online grocery services offer healthy meal bundles to help you stay healthy and save cooking time. These meal kits give you all the ingredients you need to prepare delicious, nutritious meals for you and your family. Choose from homemade classics to exotic flavors and more, and have all the ingredients ready to cook, easy-to-follow instructions, and serving suggestions. The meal kits you order from most online grocery stores will also have your diet already balanced. So there’s no calorie counting to do and you know you’re getting all the essential nutrients in one dish.

How to Choose the Best Online Grocery Services for You

The most important factor when choosing the best online grocery service for you will be the delivery options. After all, if an online store has all the delicious food you want but doesn’t deliver it to your neighborhood, well, that’s just a travesty. So be sure to start your search by clarifying this important detail first. Some online grocery services offer in-store pickup. This is another convenient service that saves you a lot of time by doing the shopping for you, so you can stop by the store after work, pick up your groceries, and have all the groceries you need stocked and ready to go without hassle. or worry. . shopping time gap.

Once you know you can ship items, check the selection, coupon availability, and any savings programs (like loyalty programs or other rewards programs) that may help you get the best deals. If you need special items, such as gluten-free or diabetic foods, make sure the online grocery stores you choose stock those items regularly.

Meal planning is one of those things that, when you start, you say, “How could I live without it?”

There is literally no downside to meal planning. It eliminates the tedium of daily decisions because you already know what’s on the list and saves time, headaches, hassles, and ultimately, money. No more last minute trips to the expensive local supermarket because you forgot an ingredient. You no longer have to order tanks because you don’t know what to do or you don’t have an empty pantry. No more awkward silences when your kids keep asking, “What’s for dinner?”

Meal planning is literally one of the easiest ways to make your life easier. And luckily, there are plenty of apps out there to help you plan your meals just the way you want them. We’ve rounded up the 10 best meal planning apps on the market, so whether you want an app that creates meal plans for you, stores your recipes, orders ingredients online, or helps you stay healthy, you’re sure to find one. Is it right for you?

1. Mealime

Mealime is a great meal planning app for anyone who wants to maintain a healthy eating pattern. All you need to do is create a profile, add your food preferences, and the app will generate a list of meal options, including keto, paleo, and vegan. You then select your weekly meals and the ingredients can be automatically added to Amazon Fresh or Instacart.

How much does Mealime cost?

Mealime is a free app, but you can upgrade to Pro for $5.99 per month or $49.99 per year.

2. Paprika Recipe Planner

Paprika is a recipe manager and meal planner in one. You can build your recipe collection by entering your favorites manually or saving them to the app directly from the web. A nice feature is that recipes can be automatically scaled up or down to fit the number of servings you need. Other extras include keeping the screen on while working on a recipe and built-in cooking timers. One of the best features is that Paprika creates a personalized shopping list based on your meal plan, consolidating ingredients as needed so you don’t gain weight from overbuying.

How much does Paprika cost?

The main disadvantage of paprika is that it is not free. The cost ranges from $5.99 to $29.99 depending on the device you use. And your membership may not sync across devices. If you purchase for Windows, you will need to purchase a separate app for your iOS or Android device.

3. PlateJoy

PlateJoy is the ultimate app for people who want to eat healthy, spend hours in the kitchen, and have special dietary restrictions. When you sign up, you take a lifestyle survey that includes questions about your food preferences, allergies, calorie goals, exercise routine, and general schedule. The app then creates a personalized meal plan for you, complete with breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Plans are created by dietitians who are available for consultations by phone or chat.

And what meal planning app would be complete without offering an automatically generated shopping list based on your meal plan? Shopping List can be integrated directly with Instacart and other grocery delivery services to kill 2 birds with one stone.

How much does PlateJoy cost?

PlateJoy offers a 10-day free trial, but after that, this health service will cost you. Users can choose between a 6-month subscription for $69 and a 12-month subscription for $99. However, if you are at risk for type 2 diabetes, some insurance policies will cover the cost of PlateJoy’s diabetes prevention program.

4. Plan to Eat

Launched 10 years ago, Plan to Eat is an easy-to-use meal planner and recipe organizer designed to help you stay organized, eat healthy, and save time and money. It’s marketed as a DIY app, which means there’s no recipe database, but rather you choose what you eat and how you plan your week. You can upload your own recipes or import them from the web. When you create a weekly menu, ingredients are added to your shopping list, which you can sort based on your supermarket layout. You can also create a favorites list where you can add custom favorites so you never have to worry about forgetting them or typing them over and over again.

Nutritional information is provided for each recipe and you can add notes and comments. Plan to Eat also allows you to share recipes and meal plans with friends and family.

How much does Plan to Eat cost?

The cost is $4.95 per month or $39 per year after a 30-day free trial.

5. Cozi Recipe Box & Dinner Planner

Cozi is best known as a family organizer that includes shared calendars, to-do lists, a family diary, and other features. One of those other features is the Cozi Recipe Box & Dinner Planner, which lets you save recipes from your favorite websites, add ingredients to your shopping list, and create your family’s weekly meal plan. Cozi has some interesting additions, such as cooking mode, which allows the screen to stay on while you follow a recipe, and the ability to connect multiple devices.

How much does Cozi Family Organizer cost?

Cozi Family Organizer is a free app and all of its meal planning features can also be used for free. However, if you want an ad-free option, you can pay a few extra dollars per month.

6. Pepperplate

Pepperplate is a meal planning app that allows you to organize your tried-and-true recipes while also getting suggestions for new recipes you might like. can become your digital cookbook that not only stores recipes, but also helps you create menus and plan your week.

Like some of its competitors lets you share your favorite recipes with family and friends. Plus, it lets you create shopping lists from your weekly menu plan (although it doesn’t direct you to an online grocery delivery site). Pepperplate also has a cooking mode that lets you keep the screen on so you don’t have to touch your phone with greasy hands.

How much does Pepperplate cost?

There are 2 special features of Pepperplate. It is available on several devices including Google Play, iTunes, Amazon App Store, Windows Store, and Nook. And it’s free! In other words, it offers many of the same features that other meal planning apps do, but at no cost to you.

7. BigOven

BigOven is a meal planning app that includes its own collection of half a million recipes to choose from. At the same time, it allows you to import recipes from the web or take photos of handwritten recipes and upload them to the app. Recipes can be organized by categories and filters so you can easily find the food you want. When you add meals to your schedule, you can add ingredients to your shopping list.

The really cool aspect of BigOven is the Use Up Leftovers feature, which allows you to enter the ingredients you want to use and the app will generate recipe options for you. The main drawback of the app is that not all features are available in the free version.

How much does BigOven cost?

If you want the full list of BigOven benefits, the $2.99/month or $24.99/year plan is worth spending. There is a free trial available for both so you can try it out without obligation.

8. Eat This Much

Eat This Much is a meal planner and calorie counter combined. When you sign up, you enter personal information, including your height, weight, and health goals. You also provide information about your food preferences (paleo, vegetarian, vegan, Mediterranean, etc.), how much you want to spend, and your schedule. The app then creates a meal plan for you, along with a list of ingredients that can be purchased from online grocery sites.

You can also import recipes from the web or manually, calculate the calorie count of popular restaurant dishes, and use the unique barcode scanner to find out the nutritional value of packaged foods. Eat This Much also includes a pantry feature, so once you’re done shopping, you can track what items you have in your pantry so you don’t overeat.

How much does Eat This Much cost?

With Eat This Much, you must choose the paid option to use the meal planner. The premium plan costs $4.99/month when you pay annually or $8.99/month when you pay monthly.

9. Allrecipes Dinner Spinner

Allrecipes has been around for years and has established itself as the authority on user-reviewed recipes. Their Dinner Spinner app has a community of over 50 million cooks and 50,000 recipes. Basically, it is a social app that revolves around food. It has a feed that gets smarter the more you use it, providing suggestions based on the chefs you follow and the recipes you cook. You can search for recipes based on keywords, ingredients, dietary restrictions, and time limitations.

How much does Allrecipes cost?

Allrecipes is available on multiple devices and is completely free.

10. Prepear

Prepear is considered the ideal meal planning app for foodies, so it’s no surprise that many popular food bloggers have teamed up with it has a database of over 100,000 rated recipes uploaded by its community of users. You can also upload your own recipes and set your food preferences so that only relevant recipes are shown to you. Once you find recipes you like, you can include them in your weekly meal planner. The ingredients are added to your shopping list, which you can order from the app.

Like Allrecipes Dinner Spinner, Prepear includes a social feed that allows you to interact with and be inspired by friends.

How much does Prepear cost?

Prepear has a free version and a paid version for $59 a year.

Save Time, Money, and Frustration

As you can see, each of the top 10 meal planning apps has its own angle and area where it shines. The one thing they all have in common is that they will save you time, money and frustration. While it may take a brief adjustment period to get into the habit of meal planning, once you do, your life will never be the same.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, the average American adult spends approximately 44 minutes on each trip shopping for food. This doesn’t even take into account the time spent preparing and cleaning up the meal, which according to the same report takes up to an hour.

It’s no surprise that the food delivery industry has boomed in recent years, helping people avoid trips to the supermarket, save time in the kitchen and potentially spend less money by reducing food waste.

But before you jump into the action, check out our research so you’re fully informed about what our top picks for the best meal delivery services have to offer.

Our Top 10 Best Meal Delivery Services for 2023:

• HelloFresh – Best Overall Food Delivery Service
• Home Chef: best for flexible plans
• Factor: Great for dietitian-approved, restaurant-quality recipes
• Martha & Marley Spoon: Best for Improving Your Culinary Skills
• EveryPlate: Best for affordable, family-friendly meals
• Green Chef: Best for Organic Ingredients
• Nutrisystem: the best for weight loss
• Fresh and easy – great for comfort meals with little to no preparation
• Freshology – Best for Serving Diet and Reheated Foods
• Trifecta: ideal for prepared and low-calorie meals

Our Methodology: How We Reviewed the Best Meal Delivery Services

We’ve evaluated the most popular food delivery services to help you decide which ones are worth your time and money. Our experienced dietitians and nutritionists ordered, selected, prepared and tested each of these meals to evaluate the following:

• User experience and customer service.
• Subscription Flexibility
• Variety of meal plan.
• Quality of ingredients
• Recipe precision.
• Preparation difficulty level.
• The overall taste of the food.
  

  A Closer Look at the Top 10 Meal Delivery Services

  HelloFresh

  

HelloFresh makes it possible to enjoy fresh, healthy meals with minimal preparation. Former Pastini executive chef Ron Stewart tried HelloFresh and was “amazed by the quality of the ingredients and the ease of preparing exceptional meals,” calling his recipes “delicious, nutritious and balanced.”

Each week, HelloFresh lets you choose from over 100 recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Each kit includes simple step-by-step recipe cards with fresh, pre-measured ingredients to help you get dinner on the table in less than an hour.

This service is best for individuals and households without strict dietary requirements, although they also offer low-carb, low-calorie meals. You can review the ingredient information for each meal individually before ordering, including nutritional value and allergens, as well as any additional items you may need.

Why do we choose HelloFresh? You can easily customize or cancel meal delivery and subscription at any time. The meal is not overly complicated and reduces the need to purchase ingredients other than those supplied for each recipe.

Our experience. We love that HelloFresh lets you know in advance what dishes you need so you can prepare a meal as soon as your delivery arrives. It was also convenient that their extensive menu also allowed us to swap out proteins.

Read the HelloFresh review

PROS

• Adjust, skip or cancel your delivery and subscription at any time
• Change, swap or upgrade 12+ sides and proteins every week
• Competitive price

CONS

• No keto or paleo meal delivery plans
• Limited flexibility for allergy sufferers

Home Chef

Home Chef is a catering service designed for chefs of all levels. Each shipment provides recipe cards with step-by-step instructions and photos. Hartman et al. shows that improving cooking skills encourages healthier eating habits and therefore improves nutrition. This makes Home Chef a great tool for achieving better health by teaching you new recipes and techniques.

Choose from more than 20 recipes each week and change the proteins to your liking. Home Chef allows you to filter and eliminate recipes with specific allergens such as tree nuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, mushrooms, fish and shellfish. However, they cannot guarantee that their food is completely free of cross contamination.

Why do we choose Home Chef? Its pre-portioned and partially prepared ingredients make food preparation and cleanup easier and faster, while eliminating food waste.

Our experience. We found that Home Chef’s recipe cards are easy to follow and the meals are large enough to comfortably feed a hungry adult. We loved being able to save our recipe cards in the binder (included with your first order) at any time.

Read the Home Chef Review

PROS

• Customize the type of protein on your plate
• Filter and remove recipes with specific allergens
• Meal kits are available at Kroger-owned grocery stores.

CONS

• Some ingredients may contain artificial colors, sulfites and/or sweeteners.
• The weekly minimum order is $47.96, not including shipping.

Factor

Factor is a chef-created, dietician-approved food service that provides an affordable way to heat and serve meals for a healthy diet. Marie Sabat, nutritionist and president of Body Designs, notes that they are “worth the extra money” and offer “many options for someone trying to follow a certain diet.”

Factor makes your nutritional and ingredient information transparent, so you can filter out recipes that may not meet your health goals. Their meals range from 300 to 900 calories, giving you an easy way to lose weight depending on which low-calorie meals you choose.

Why do we choose Factor? In addition to Factor’s microwave and oven-ready meals, they also offer nutritious add-ins such as juices, smoothies, cookies, desserts, and breakfasts.

Our experience. Although the recipes were often high in fat, the ingredients were clean and high quality. We loved being able to develop the right diet plan for us with a free consultation with one of their registered dietitians.

Read the review of factors

PROS

• Do not prepare, heat and serve food.
• Many dietary options
• Includes a 20-minute initial consultation with a nutritionist.

CONS

• Not suitable for families as the meals are single use.
• Mainly high fat ketogenic meals.

Martha

Martha & Marley Spoon is a custom catering service serving fresh, pre-portioned ingredients.

The recipes come straight from celebrity chef Martha Stewart’s kitchen and each includes “labels” that make it clear if they are dairy-free, gluten-free, or kid-friendly. They also automatically fill your box with recipes based on your previous tastes, but you can customize and choose your dishes.

The food comes fresh in an insulated box with six-step recipe cards. If your pantry is missing an ingredient, you can add items to your order through the online marketplace. The company recommends freezing animal proteins within two days of delivery and vegetables within four days for optimal flavor, nutritional value and freshness.

Why we chose Martha & Marley Spoon. They offer a hands-on way to explore new flavors and learn new cooking techniques from a celebrity chef.

Our experience. Martha & Marley Spoon produced better quality meals than many of the restaurants we frequent. Preparation took a few minutes longer than other food delivery companies, but the experience was worth it.

Read the Martha and Marley Spoon Review

PROS

• A variety of health-based options.
• Master new cooking techniques and explore new flavors.
• Fresh and top quality ingredients.

CONS

• The meal plan includes lunch options only.
• There are no completely allergen-free eating plans.

EveryPlate

EveryPlate is for those who want simple, delicious meals for the whole family. Choose from a variety of 25 different recipes each week from their Meat & Veggie, Veggie, Family Friendly, Quick & Easy and Nutrish & Delish menus.

Frozen meals come carefully packaged in an insulated box to ensure freshness. EveryPlate does not recommend refreezing ingredients, so they should be refrigerated once opened and consumed within five days of delivery.

Because EveryPlate focuses on profitability, it does not cater to special diets other than vegetarianism. Review the ingredients in each recipe before placing your order to ensure the meals meet your dietary needs.

Why we choose EveryPlate. Their recipes require no fancy or special tools, encouraging new cooks to get into the kitchen and prepare delicious, convenient meals in a matter of minutes.

Our experience. EveryPlate’s easy recipes made it easy for us to get meals on the table quickly, reduce food waste, and minimize cleanup. However, we found the portions a little small.

Read the EveryPlate review

PROS

• No special kitchen utensils needed.
• The most affordable prices.
• Simple recipes

CONS

• Limited options for people with allergies or special diets.
• small portions

Green Chef

Green Chef is chef-driven and offers nutrient-dense meals made with farm-fresh organic produce and premium proteins. Upgrade your order with breakfast dips, treats and sides.

Each dish comes with pre-measured and mostly prepared ingredients, including homemade sauces and marinades, as well as a recipe card with special tips from the chef. Some dishes may require more preparation, such as dicing, chopping, peeling, and grating.

Green Chef is currently not allergy friendly, but you can review each recipe’s ingredient list for more detailed information.

Why do we choose Green Chef? Green Chef serves high-quality, organic ingredients for delicious, healthy meals, and every recipe has been tested by trained chefs.

Our experience. We appreciated how Green Chef took us out of our comfort zone to try new spices and interesting dishes. The ingredients were fresh and tasty, although the recipes took longer than expected (about 45 minutes).

Read the green chef review

PROS

• Certified organic, farm-fresh products and premium proteins
• It adapts to many diets.
• Eco-friendly packaging

CONS

• Additional food preparation required
• It does not serve people with allergies.

Nutrisystem

Nutrisystem is a science-based meal delivery service designed to help you lose weight with a high-protein, low-glycemic approach. Take the guesswork out of finding the perfect balance of protein, carbs and fat. When you sign up for Nutrisystem, you get a personalized four-week weight loss plan and guide.

There are personalized plans for men, women, couples and diabetics. Depending on your gender, health goals, and the package you choose, your order may include frozen and/or prepared foods. Some Nutrisystem meals require heating, while others can be eaten right out of the box. Information about your chosen package, including recipe ingredients, nutritional labels, and cooking instructions, is available to you when you sign up.

Why do we choose Nutrisystem? Nutrisystem’s four-week guide plan includes a full range of breakfasts, lunches, dinners, shakes, and snacks to keep your weight loss on track.

Our experience. We found the accompanying NuMi SmartAdapt™ app helpful in knowing what and when to eat, as well as tracking our progress and activity.

Read the Nutrisystem Review

PROS

• More than 135 foods to choose from
• A companion app for weight loss
• The shelf life of food is up to 18 months.

CONS

• Limited flexibility of substitutions.
• Expensive upfront for a monthly subscription

Fresh and Easy

Fresh and Easy is a Home Chef meal delivery service that offers prepared meals. Choose from oven- and microwave-ready meals made with the same fresh, standard ingredients Home Chef is known for. You can also try a 15-minute meal kit, which requires quick assembly of pre-portioned ingredients.

Most meals are full main courses, although sandwiches, salads and “extras” are also offered. Fresh and Easy does not cater for special dietary restrictions.

Why do we choose fresh and easy? They offer the same quality standards as Home Chef with less customization aimed at providing economic value to consumers.

Our experience. We found it fresh and easy, perfect for preparing healthy meals quickly, and we were surprised by how little cleanup it required. We wish they had more options for vegetarian-like diets.

Read a new and easy review

PROS

• The same high quality standards as Home Chef
• Oven and microwave ready.
• Fully prepared, pre-portioned meals are ready in 15 minutes or less

CONS

• Limited customization options
• Does not cater to diets.

Freshology

Freshology offers a menu of restaurant-quality meals to eat for people looking to lose weight or maintain a healthy lifestyle. Menu options offer balanced portions of dietitian-approved meals that are heart-healthy, low-sodium, calorie-controlled and nutritionally balanced.

Freshology meals have no added preservatives, so deliveries should be refrigerated immediately to ensure maximum freshness. Foods have a shelf life of seven days, although they can be frozen if needed and must be thawed before reheating. Customers within a certain distance of a Freshology kitchen are entitled to receive fresh, unfrozen food twice a week in cold-box insulated boxes.

At this time, Freshology does not offer gluten-free meals for people with celiac disease, nor any kosher or vegan plans. However, their Keto-Carb30 menu is low carb if you want to avoid bread. Nutritional information and individual ingredients can be found in each recipe.

Why we chose Freshology? Freshology offers hot and cold meals that make healthy and wholesome food more affordable. Use fresh, local ingredients to ensure delicious and satisfying meals, sourcing organic ingredients whenever possible.

Our experience. It was nice that we never had to think about what was for breakfast, lunch or dinner. We loved that the meals came fully cooked and could be enjoyed cold or heated up, just as we would with leftovers from our favorite restaurants.

Read the Freshology review

PROS

• Includes breakfast, lunch, dinner and condiments.
• Lists of meals to eat in just two to three minutes with no prep required
• Restaurant quality, nutritionally balanced food.

CONS

• Shipping costs $19.98/week
• It is not ideal for families.

Trifecta

Trifecta is a fitness-focused food delivery service developed by medical and nutrition experts. Intended to help you burn fat and build muscle, it is ideal for weight loss.

When you sign up, choose how many entries per week you want from their Clean, Paleo, Whole30, Keto, Vegan and/or Vegetarian programs. Although you can’t choose which meals you want, you can exclude up to two main ingredients from each order, such as beef, duck, pork, nuts, mushrooms and fish.

They offer an app in their App Premium plan that allows you to customize your dietary needs and use custom macro tracking features. It also includes fitness educational resources and gives you access to community tips to stay motivated.

Why we chose the Trifecta. They offer fully prepared, organically sourced meals with tasty and nutritious ingredients. Their online app is designed to remove obstacles to achieving your weight loss goals.

Our experience. We feel good about eating ingredients from local family farms. We also loved how your app helped us decide what to eat for our macro goals.

Read the Trifecta review

PROS

• Mobile app with macro tracking
• Ingredients from local and family suppliers.
• Delivery areas include Hawaii and Alaska.

CONS

• You can’t choose which meals to receive
• It is not ideal for families as it only offers one meal.

How to Compare the Best Meal Delivery Services

Use the comparison chart below to check if the lunch box delivery service of your choice serves your area. From there, decide if you want a heat-and-serve meal kit or one that requires some time to prepare and cook.

Make sure your nutritional needs and health goals are met, as some companies don’t offer vegan or gluten-free options, for example. Finally, compare meal delivery services that will provide you or your family with the right amount of food each week.

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How Does Meal Delivery Work?

Once you select and sign up for a meal subscription service, you must select the number of meals and servings you want to receive each week. You will then be directed to a page of recipes curated based on your taste and the package you selected.

Explore meals and see how long each recipe takes to prepare. Unlike regular grocery delivery, a meal delivery kit provides pre-portioned ingredients and recipe preparation instructions. Heat and eat services require no preparation and are ready to devour after quick and easy reheating in the oven or microwave.

What Are the Advantages of Meal Kit Delivery Services?

There are quite a few benefits to using a meal kit delivery service, including:

• Convenience. Busy schedules can make cooking difficult. Food delivery services send all the ingredients needed for each recipe right to your door. It is not necessary to leave the house or plan what you are going to do each week. These packages offer high-quality foods and often come with easy-to-follow instructions.
• Waste reduction. A survey by LendingTree found that 31% of respondents overspend “almost always,” even when they are prepared with a shopping list. Meal delivery packages come complete with everything you need to prepare a meal, allowing you to purchase the exact amount of produce you need and prevent unused produce from spoiling in the refrigerator.
• Variety. Food delivery services bring to life an endless variety of recipes. Try a few new foods a week to keep things interesting.
• Position control. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, between 30% and 40% of food in the United States is wasted each year. Meal kits make it easy to reduce waste with balanced, pre-portioned meals.
• Health. A survey by Finder shows that 74% of American adults spend $4,073 a year on prepared food instead of cooking at home. Meal kits can offer an affordable option to order healthy food on a budget.
• Special diet plans. Some meal packages can also be tailored to dietary needs, such as low-sodium, low-calorie, or low-glycemic options. These are useful for those who want to lose weight or have heart conditions or diabetes. Foods in most restaurants or grocery stores are often not labeled with this dietary information.
• Save time. The ingredients are already pre-measured and the recipes take approximately 30 minutes to prepare. Fully prepared meals only need an oven or microwave to heat up in less than three minutes.

What Do You Get in a Meal Kit Delivery?

The content of each delivery varies depending on the meal kit you choose and the plan you choose.

However, the standard set includes the following:

Packaging: Most services deliver packages with ice packs in a reusable or recyclable insulated box to keep ingredients fresh or slightly cold.

Composition: In each package you will find all the ingredients you need to prepare the meal of your choice. This can include fresh produce, proteins, spices, sauces and marinades. Ingredients are pre-measured and sometimes even pre-cut for assembly and cooking.

Recipe card. A meal delivery kit usually contains a recipe card with simple instructions and pictures. You get all the nutritional information for the food, as well as how to modify the recipe for various dietary restrictions.

Choosing the Right Meal Delivery Service for Your Needs

There are several factors that go into choosing a meal kit delivery service for yourself. Consider your budget per serving, your dietary needs, and whether you prefer ready-to-eat meals or grab-and-go packages. From there, consider other factors such as ingredient supply, stability, and available recipes.
Here’s a quick look at our picks for food delivery excellence across all categories:

• Best food delivery services overall: HelloFresh, Home Chef, Factor_
• Best meal delivery services: Martha & Marley Spoon, Blue Apron
• Best Organic Food Delivery Services: Green Chef, Fresh & Easy, Sun Basket
• Best Paleo Meal Delivery Services. Hello chef fresh, green, purple carrot.
• The best vegan food delivery services. EveryPlate, Freshology, Veestro
• Best Vegetarian Food Delivery Services: Purple Carrot, Blue Apron
• Best Keto Meal Delivery Services: HelloFresh, Factor_, Fresh N Lean

Best Food Delivery Services for Weight Loss: Nutrisystem, Trifecta, Factor

Prepared Meal Services

The best prepared meal delivery services can reduce meal prep time with prepared meals at your

doorstep. This makes them ideal for starting a new diet, juggling a busy schedule, or dedicating more time to life outside the kitchen.

Vegetarian Meal Services

Vegetarian food delivery services are the perfect option for vegetarians or those who want to include more vegetables in their diet. For example, Veestro offers fresh, chef-made meals with clean ingredients—no meat, fish, dairy, eggs, or honey.

Vegan Meal Services

Vegan food delivery services like Green Chef offer free-range animal and animal-derived products, such as eggs, milk, cheese, and honey. Purple Carrot is also completely vegan and made entirely of plant-based ingredients. A plant-based diet may include meat substitutes such as tofu or use plant-derived ingredients.

Gluten-Free Meal Services

HelloFresh and Sunbasket are ideal for people struggling with digestive upset caused by gluten. These and other gluten-free food delivery services also help with celiac disease, a disease that causes gluten (a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye) to damage the lining of the small intestine, causing medical complications over time.

Organic Meal Services

Organic food delivery services like Freshology offer food packages made with organic ingredients and clean products. This means that ingredients come from certified organic suppliers who undergo annual compliance checks. They have stricter guidelines that do not allow pesticides and herbicides that can harm the immune system with regular use.

Weight Loss Meal Services

Nutrisystem and Diet-to-Go can provide meal delivery services for weight loss with various carbohydrate and/or calorie restricted diet plans. They help you feel full without overeating, which is a major deterrent to weight loss. Diet-to-Go has a keto package that replaces carbs with fat to speed up your metabolism, while Nutrisystem offers high-protein, low-calorie meals.

Keto Meal Services

Ketogenic eating plans take a low-carb, high-fat diet approach to replace carbohydrates with healthy lipids to help the body burn fat instead of sugar for energy.

Fresh and easy makes it more convenient to follow the ketogenic diet, providing nourishment for those who are carb conscious.

Paleo Meal Services

Paleo food delivery services deliver food based on the idea that we should eat the types of foods that early humans ate. These generally include meat, fish, vegetables and fruit and exclude dairy, grains and processed foods, which our ancestors did not have access to.

Home Chef lets you enjoy paleo-friendly meals by customizing your meal proteins and salads to follow these guidelines.

Diabetic Meal Services

BistroMD and Magic Kitchen are two of the best diabetic meal delivery services that can help you better manage your blood sugar levels with low-sugar, low-carb meal plans.

How Much Do Meal Delivery Services Cost?

Meal delivery service prices range from $4 to $12 per serving, depending on how many meals you order per week, the portion size, and the source of the ingredients.

Because companies offer different pricing structures that can seem complicated, the best way to compare meal plans is to look at how much each serving costs.

Cheapest Meal Delivery Services

Among the most budget food delivery companies, EveryPlate has the lowest prices at $4.99/serving across the board. However, HelloFresh, one of the best meal delivery services we’ve reviewed, charges between $7.49 and $8.99/delivery, which is still competitive compared to most meal kit services.

Expensive and High-End Meal Delivery Services

For those with a more refined palate, Green Chef provides upscale meals from $11.99 to $12.99. They feature USDA certified organic produce ingredients and a wide variety of recipes. They also source the best organic produce from local farms.

Meal Delivery Shipping Cost

Most companies will refuse to ship if your total order exceeds a certain total amount. For example, with Plating, shipping is $7.95/order, but is waived if your order is over $60. Shipping is free with Home Chef if your order is over $45.

How to Choose and Compare Meal Delivery Services

There are many food delivery services, each with unique offerings. Some offer only vegan or gluten-free options, while others are more family-friendly and offer home-cooked meals that everyone can enjoy.

Before ordering a meal delivery kit, there are a few things you should consider:

• Budget: Choose a food delivery service that fits within the desired price range you want to spend on weekly meals.
• Dietary needs. Consider whether the service meets your dietary preferences and needs. For example, some meal kits let you filter recipes for dairy, gluten, or nuts, or let you choose an all-keto or low-carb plan. Others focus solely on providing rich meals without considering allergens or special dietary needs.
• Required doses: how many people will eat with you? Consider whether you will have overnight guests, travel plans, or additional dinner guests. If you want an extra serving for lunch, you can make two servings for dinner.
• Delivery area: not all services are available everywhere in the US, so please check to see if your area is covered. Most meal kit services ship to all states except Hawaii and Alaska.
• Preparation time: Consider whether you want to spend time cooking and improve your cooking skills by learning new recipes and techniques. Otherwise, choose fully prepared meals that only require heating.
• Nutrition. Make sure the food delivery service you choose meets your nutritional or health goals. For example, if you want to increase your protein intake or decrease your carbohydrate intake, check to see if these options are available.

Food Pack Reviews. Food delivery service reviews like the ones above can give you an idea of what it’s like to use the service, its reliability, and overall quality. Read them carefully and check for patterns of complaints or praise.

Who Uses Meal Kits?

Customers can opt for meal delivery packages to simplify meal times. They may be busy families with no time to cook, wanting to experience new flavors and/or wanting to learn new culinary skills. Because many meal delivery packages are tailored to specific diets, consumers are more likely to follow a particular diet and improve their nutrition, according to a study by researchers Huichen Zhu and Ruopeng An.

More Meal Delivery Services and Companies We Reviewed

In addition to our list of meal kit delivery services, our certified dietitians and nutritionists have reviewed other meal kit services, including the following:

• My Patriot Supply – Best for Hearty Meals on Camping Trips
• Dinner: Best for Dining on a Budget
• Splendid Spoon – Best for Vegan and Gluten-Free Meals
• Fresh N Lean: The Best USDA Organic, Heatable, Ready-to-Eat Foods
  

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Summary

Our picks for the top 10 food delivery services are: HelloFresh, Home Chef, Factor, Martha & Marley Spoon, EveryPlate, Green Chef, Nutrisystem, Fresh and Easy, Freshology, and Trifecta.

How much time do you spend providing sufficient, nutritious meals for yourself and your family? Meal kit delivery services are an ideal way to save time and money while allowing you to do what you love. Additionally, with balanced and portioned meals, a meal subscription plan will not result in a reduction in your overall diet.