Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service (2024): Healthy Eating Has Never Been Easier

Once upon a time, “meal delivery” meant “pizza delivery,” and that was about it. In 2024, however, “meal delivery” can mean a lot of things—your favorite takeout via DoorDash, last-minute grocery delivery from Instacart, or food subscription boxes with ready-made meals or fresh ingredients and recipe cards. 

Looking for the latter? You’re in luck. After weeks of testing the best meal delivery services, we’ve created a comprehensive guide to the best healthy meal delivery services for our nutritionally minded folks.

We taste-tested about 40 services, but that’s not all we did. We also: 

• Had registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) Perry Nix review every service we tried to break down the good and the bad
• Compared pricing across all services we tried to understand the industry standard (and who’s charging too much) 
• Replaced our usual diets with meals from these services to see what it’s like to rely on them
• Fed the meals to our families and significant others for extra opinions on taste, quality, and portion sizes 

Medical disclaimer: This article is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. For health advice, contact a licensed healthcare provider.

Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service

• Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service Overall: BistroMD
• Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service for Dietary Restrictions: Hungryroot
• Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service for Weight Loss: Fuel Meals
• Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service for Keto Diets: Trifecta
• Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service for Families: Home Chef
• Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service for Plant-Based Diets: Purple Carrot
• Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service on a Budget: Factor Meals
• Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service for Paleo Diets: Paleo on the Go
• Healthy Meal Delivery Service for Singles: Daily Harvest
• Best Organic Healthy Meal Delivery Service: Green Chef

Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service Overall: BistroMD

Good for: Balanced, nutrient-dense meals with a wide range of flavor profiles 

Best Overall

BistroMD

GGR Score: 4.27

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Product Highlights

• Doctor-designed meal plans 
• May help improve metabolism and aid with weight loss
• Weekly frozen meal deliveries
• Variety of meal plans including vegan, keto, and diabetic

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Program is based on science behind metabolism correction
• Options to skip a week
• Packed in oven-safe, BPA-free trays
• Support from registered dietitians

Cons

• Programs don’t allow you to order less than 10 meals
• Expensive subscription
• Shipping is not free

Bottom Line

BistroMD was designed by a doctor to help folks struggling with weight loss. BistroMD addresses insulin-resistance and aids a healthy metabolism with lean protein and high-fiber foods to keep you full in addition to low glycemic carbohydrates to stabilize blood sugars. You’ll find a meal plan that works within your dietary restrictions including gluten-free, vegan, or keto.

BistroMD is a prepared meal delivery service with a focus on doctor- and dietitian-formulated meals for specific health needs. For instance, BistroMD offers plans for heart health, diabetes, menopause, and weight loss, as well as vegan, gluten-free, and keto programs. 

Registered dietitian Perry Nix is a fan of this approach. “BistroMD recognizes that weight loss isn’t easy and that an ‘eat less, exercise more’ approach doesn’t work for everyone,” she says. “Instead, these meal plans focus on fueling your metabolism, stabilizing your blood sugar, and keeping you full and satisfied so you can burn more calories and utilize energy efficiently.”

Perry warns, though, that very low-calorie diets can stall weight loss over time¹. It’s important to make sure you’re not eating too little as you try to lose weight, which may sound counterintuitive but can lead to a significant slowdown of your metabolism.

Lauren Strong, certified personal trainer, GGR staff writer, and product tester, sampled a variety of BistroMD meals. Ultimately, she gave the service 4 out of 5 stars for taste, saying it’s “pretty darn good for these being both health-conscious and frozen.” 

She agrees with Perry that the portion sizes could’ve been a little more generous, rating them a 3.5 out of 5. “This is the drawback to this meal service,” she says. “Most meals are under 400 calories, with most being in the mid-300s. I just don’t think thats enough for active folks.”

RELATED: Best Meal Delivery for Weight Loss

Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service for Dietary Restrictions: Hungryroot

Good for: Picky eaters or people with specific dietary needs

Best for Dietary Restrictions

Hungryroot

GGR Score: 4.4

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Product Highlights

• Grocery delivery meets meal kit
• Meal delivery service that sends you ingredients based on recipes you like
• Many recipes only take 10 minutes to prepare
• Starts at $70 per box

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Simple and quick
• Caters to many styles of eating
• Can add on groceries to your order

Cons

• You do have to cook
• Have to meet plan minimum each week (though you can adjust your minimum on a weekly basis)

Bottom Line

Hungryroot offers a unique take on meal delivery, in that you find a recipe you like, and the company will send you all of the ingredients to make it. There are many options for types of food to choose from, and you can even order extra groceries that you might need as well. You do have to cook though, so if that's not interesting to you, this won't be the right plan.

Whatever your dietary needs—dairy-free, low-carb, gluten-free, high-protein, soy-free, nut-free, low-calorie, pescatarian—Hungryroot can make healthy eating easier for you. My favorite thing about Hungryroot is that it really gets to know you through the get-started quiz. It’s the most in-depth assessment I’ve seen across meal prep companies. 

Kate Meier, GGR Head of Content and product tester, also gives an affirmative nod to the quiz, saying she appreciates Hungryoot’s commitment to allowing subscribers to customize their meal plans. You can also use Hungryroot for groceries, with add-ons like fresh produce, extra protein, and sauces and dips. She does admit the process is a little confusing at first because of the combo of groceries and meal kits with recipes. 

Kate loved the food, giving Hungryroot a 5-out-of-5 rating for taste and a 4.5-out-of-5 for ingredient quality. “Everything is so fresh, and you don’t need to do any seasoning because most foods are prepared already for you with spices,” she says. “Everything is high-quality; they use humanely raised meat and dairy, and a lot of organic fruits, vegetables, and grains/grains. I did have some things, like a bell pepper mix, that weren’t organic. However, in terms of quality, everything is so fresh and crisp.”

According to registered dietitian Perry Nix, Hungryroot is filling a gap left by most other meal delivery services. “Hungryroot helps you find the best plan for your dietary needs and preferences,” she says. “They include groceries and recipes made without common food allergens like soy, nuts, shellfish, and eggs, which is hard to find in other meal service plans.”

RELATED: Best Gluten-Free Meal Delivery

Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service for Weight Loss: Fuel Meals

Good for: Simple meals for streamlined weight loss

Best for Weight Loss

Fuel Meals

GGR Score: 4

Check Price Use code GGR50 at checkout to save 50% on your first order

Product Highlights

• Meal prep meal delivery service
• Can get breakfast, lunch, and dinner delivered
• Meals start at $13.91
• Weekly or bi-weekly delivery

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Can order breakfast, lunch, and dinner options
• Meals are fresh

Cons

• No customizations of the meals available
• Calories may be too low for some
• Expensive

Bottom Line

Fuel Meals offers two dedicated meals plans—muscle gain and weight loss—catered to both men and women. You can choose to have all daily meals delivered, or stick to just lunch and dinner, on a weekly or bi-weekly delivery cadence. One downside is that there's no customization of the meals.

Fuel Meals specialize in creating pre-made, heat-and-eat entrees with well-balanced macronutrients (protein, carbs, and fat) that can support people during their weight loss journey with a good amount of customizations available for people with certain dietary needs. “The meals are high-protein, low-fat, and include a moderate amount of carbs,” says registered dietitian Perry Nix. “This balance supports muscle growth and provides enough energy to help you power through your workout.”

Nix points out that most of these meals resemble your traditional bodybuilding meal prep, so you’re going to see a lot of chicken, rice, broccoli, and sweet potato. Like a lot. There’s also a lack of options for vegans and people with certain allergies, so the variety gets a 3 out of 5.

Weightlifting coach Kate Meier and Precision Level 1 Nutrition Coach Nicole Davis tried the meals and scored their meals a 4 out of 5 on taste. “I found myself adding adding vegetables to the meal, or adding a sauce or a spice to get more out of it,” Kate says in our Fuel Meals review.

“I agree with Kate in that some of them I wanted a bit more spice or flavor,” Nicole adds. “The bison burger for instance, the sauce was really good but the actual patty itself was under-seasoned.”

The two agreed that the microwaveable meals earned a 5 out of 5 for prep and cleanup (there’s virtually none), though there were differing opinions on the portion size. Nicole said it was enough for her, while Kate said she felt hungry after eating her meals. They settled on a 4 out of 5 in that category.

The $12-$14 price per meal range is about average for most companies, though we have an exclusive Fuel Meals discount code you can use to save even more money.

Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service for Keto Diets: Trifecta

Good for: Premade keto meals 

Best for Keto

Trifecta

GGR Score: 4.1

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Product Highlights

• Meal plans or bulk meal options available
• All food is pre-made and arrives fresh (but you can freeze it)
• Six different menu plans, including clean, Whole30, paleo, keto, high-protein vegan, and high-protein vegetarian
• Meals are delivered weekly, but you can cancel anytime
• High-quality ingredients, with a focus on organic, locally sourced, and sustainable ingredients whenever possible

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Several types of meal plans available
• Can also choose a bulk meal prep option
• Can get breakfasts as well as entrees
• The company prioritizes high-quality ingredients
• Some customization available

Cons

• Expensive, but ingredients are high-quality
• Limited personalization available

Bottom Line

Trifecta combines convenience with healthy eating. While all meals are pre-cooked and pre-portioned, the ingredients are high-quality and preservative-free.

The keto diet—with its high fats and little-to-no carbs—may be one of the most difficult diets to stick to, especially without advanced preparation. Trifecta makes keto dieting easier than ever with prepared, microwaveable keto meals. In fact, Trifecta is one of our top picks for the best meal delivery for weight loss. 

The service’s keto meal plan features dishes like Chicken Bacon Primavera, Chicken Tender Parmesan, and Tex-Mex Chicken. Kate Meier, GGR’s senior director of content and a weightlifting coach, liked the salmon meals and egg scrambles.

Kate and her friend Sarah, who tried the meals for our Trifecta Meal Delivery review, says the taste of the meals was hit or miss, with some being thrown out after one bite and others being reordered because of how good they were. “For context, I eat pretty plainly and don’t use a crazy amount of spice,” says Kate, who rated the taste a 4 out of 5.

You can edit your meals to your liking or have Trifecta’s chef pick them for you, though Sarah went with the latter option and was stuck with meals she didn’t like. For that reason, the ordering process received a 4 out of 5. One area that received perfect marks is the ease of preparation because these meals can simply be microwaved and they’re ready to eat.

RELATED: Best Keto Meal Delivery Service

Registered dietitian Perry Nix ays the meals are well made with a good combination of lean protein, complex carbs, and veggies. “Complex carbs often used in their meals include wild rice and quinoa, both of which provide lasting energy,” Nix explains.

She warns, however, that some of the meals might be too low in calories. “You’ll likely want to add snacks between meals to meet your energy requirements for the day,” she says.

Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service for Families: Home Chef

Good for: Parents in need of fresh, healthy recipes for their families 

Best for Families

Home Chef

GGR Score: 4.1

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Product Highlights

• Can choose from meal kits, pre-made meals, or grill-ready ingredients
• Recipes can accommodate two, four or six people, and you can get up to six meals per week
• No specific meal plans, but you can narrow down your choices
• Menu changes weekly, with up to 30 meals to choose from
• Requires a subscription, but you can cancel or skip a week anytime

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Menu changes weekly to prevent food boredom
• Options for meal kits or pre-made meals
• Can skip a week if you don’t need a delivery
• Can accommodate larger groups and families (many meal delivery services cap out at four servings per recipe)
• Reasonably priced

Cons

• Doesn’t accommodate a lot of dietary restrictions
• Options can be limited if you’re on a specific diet
• Requires a subscription (that you can skip or cancel, but you have to remember)

Bottom Line

Home Chef is a meal delivery service that gives you options between meal kits, heat-and-eat meals, and grill-ready selections. It does require a subscription, but you can cancel any time or skip a week if you don’t want a shipment.

Thinking of and executing dinner every night can be tiring, especially if you have little ones running around, which is why we recommend Home Chef for parents wanting one less thing to worry about. It’s easily one of the best meal kits because of the wide variety of foods that can satisfy adventurous and picky eaters.

Cooking can also teach your children healthy eating habits from a young age. “Eating home-cooked meals, whether using food from a meal kit or the grocery store, is linked to improved diet quality,” says registered dietitian Perry Nix.

RELATED: HelloFresh vs Blue Apron vs Home Chef

Our product tester, Emily Chidester, has been using Home Chef consistently since September 2022, and she rates it positively for taste (5 out of 5), ingredient quality (4 out of 5), variety (5 out of 5), and portions (5 out of 5). 

“I’ve tried a few different meal delivery kit services and this is by far the best,” she says. “My husband and I love these meals, frequently getting more than the three we typically order because they are so easy to make and are delicious.” She adds that even on weeks they don’t order a box, they’ll make some of the recipes with store-bought ingredients because they are just that good. 

“The portion sizes are typically perfect, leaving my husband and I both satisfied after eating,” Emily continues. She explains that meal kits can be adjusted to accommodate different serving sizes (two, four, six, or eight) and that there are separate family meals that make four, eight, 12, or 16 servings.

The only real downfall of Home Chef, Emily points out, is that there aren’t really any options for specific meal plans. You can filter by “Vegetarian,” “Calorie Conscious,” and “Carb Conscious,” as well as for “dislikes” that can help you avoid common allergies or dislikes like seafood, shellfish, tree nuts, soy, and gluten.

On the upside, Perry loves that Home Chef creates balanced meal kits with a variety of nutrient-dense ingredients, and also offers premade meals on the weekly menu. It’s the best of both worlds if you’re looking for a meal kit delivery service and a prepared meal delivery service in one—we all have days when a microwave single-serving meal is all we can manage.

Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service for Plant-Based Diets: Purple Carrot

Good for: Vegan meal options

Best Plant-Based

Purple Carrot

GGR Score: 4

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Product Highlights

• Vegan meal kits and prepared meals
• Breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and pantry items available
• Boxes ship weekly
• Quick prep options (meals that take less than 25 minutes)
• Most non-produce items are organic

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Has meal kits and prepared meals
• Can choose from the whole menu
• All meals and snacks are available
• Menus change weekly

Cons

• Can’t mix and match meal types
• No option for add-on proteins
• Maxes out at 4 meals per week
• Limited meal choices

Bottom Line

Purple Carrot offers vegan meal kits and prepared meals. There are no specific meal plans, but you can choose from the full menu, which includes breakfasts, lunches, dinners and “plantry” items—add-on products like brownie bites and salad dressing. You can’t mix and match meal types, though.

Those in need of chef-crafted vegan meals will love Purple Carrot. Even our product tester, GGR performance editor, and certified nutrition coach (CNC) Anthony O’Reilly found the meals tasty and satisfying, and he doesn’t even come close to eating a vegan diet. 

“Everything was fresh and delicious,” Anthony says, and the portions were “actually quite generous for a plant-based meal service. I always felt full. My favorite was the sloppy Joe (with tofu instead of meat). Considering this was a plant-based meal service I was quite happy with how everything came out.” He gave the service 5 out of 5 points for taste and ingredient quality; and 4 out of 5 points for portion size and variety.

Purple Carrot is not just for vegan dieters: It’s also a good choice for individuals interested in exploring more plant-based meals. Thanks to the creative menu and ready meals, customers of this service will soon realize that eating a vegan diet is not as boring, bland, difficult, or nutritionally deplete as some like to make it seem.

Registered dietitian Perry Nix says, “Purple Carrot strives to make plant-based eating accessible and enjoyable by delivering recipes and ingredients to prepare nutritious meals in your own kitchen.” 

Perry has one callout about the service: “While Purple Carrot does offer some pre-made meals, this probably isn’t the best meal service if that’s what you’re looking for. Their pre-made meal selection is limited, and you’ll run out of options quickly.”

According to Anthony, the cherries on top are that all of the packaging is recyclable, and it was super easy to cancel his subscription—he didn’t even have to interact with a human. That’s a win for introverts and busy people!

RELATED: Best Plant-Based Meal Delivery

Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service on a Budget: Factor Meals

Good for: High-quality ingredients and lots of meal options for a lower price

Best on a Budget

EveryPlate

GGR Score: 4.03

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Product Highlights

• Meal kit delivery service with five menu plans to choose from
• Kits included pre-portioned ingredients and recipe cards
• Approximately 26 recipes to choose from each week
• Recipes serve two or four people
• Can opt for three to six recipes per week

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Low price per serving
• Can mix and match from all meal plans
• New menus drop weekly
• Most meals take less than 30 minutes to prepare

Cons

• Doesn’t cater to any specialized diets
• No substitution options
• Not a lot of focus on ingredient quality

Bottom Line

EveryPlate is a low-cost meal kit delivery service that offers new meals weekly. If you don’t have dietary restrictions or need to follow a specialized diet, it could be a good option for you.

Are you looking for the cheapest meal delivery service? Then, you’ve got to take a look at Factor, where meals start are as low as $11.50. Yes, there are cheaper options out there but they want be as nutritious as Factor meals, formerly known as Factor 75, so this is an area where you have to spend a little more to get good value.

Meals range in calories from 350-900, which registered dietitian Perry Nix says makes it a good option for people with different health and fitness goals. “This wide range in calories makes Factor appropriate for those wanting to lose weight and those who just want to eat more nutrient-dense foods without cutting calories,” she says.

Certified personal trainer and former competitive triathlete Amanda Capritto tested it out for our Factor Meals review and called it “the only meal service I tried that had ample portions” and gave it a 4.5 out of 5 in that category.

“These meals can fill up a triathlete in the middle of a tough training block, so they can fill up just about anyone,” Amanda continues. “Some of these are quite high in calories for one meal (750-800), just something to be cognizant of depending on your goals.”

Amanda was born and raised in Louisiana, so her tastebuds have become accustomed to well-seasoned food (shoutout Tony Chacheres). Her assessment of the food’s taste was “Better than OK, but not great.” She rated it a 4 out of 5. “I think my expectations were a little too high due to all the rave about this brand,” she says. “I can make better food for sure, but the convenience makes the ‘just-decent’ taste more tolerable.”

One thing she couldn’t complain about was the ease of cooking and cleanup, since there wasn’t any. These are microwaveable meals, so they get a 5 out of 5 in ease of preparation.

Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service for Paleo Diets: Paleo on the Go

Good for: Quick, easy paleo meals

Best Paleo

Paleo on the Go

GGR Score: 4.35

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Product Highlights

• 100% Paleo and AIP-friendly
• Plans include 8, 12, or 16 items 
• Can subscribe or buy one time
• Easy to follow instructions

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Wide variety of options
• Seasonal meals available
• Meals are ready after a few minutes in the microwave

Cons

• No smartphone app to manage subscription
• No free shipping

Bottom Line

Paleo on the Go is a meal service for people who would like to follow the paleo diet. They offer a wide range of foods, including bundle packages and seasonal items. The price range varies based on the items you choose to order.

Although the paleo and autoimmune protocol (AIP) diets aren’t meant to be followed long term, there are few meal delivery options for people who want to stick with it for a while. That’s where Paleo on the Go comes in.

“Paleo on the Go doesn’t lock you into a subscription, which is ideal for anyone starting an elimination diet that won’t last more than several weeks,” says registered dietitian Perry Nix. “Few other meal delivery services cater strictly to paleo and AIP diets, so Paleo on the Go definitely fills this gap in the meal service arena.”

We had former paleo dieter Frieda Johnson test out this service, and she says it’s on par with the foods she made herself, earning it a 5 out of 5 on taste (only five companies received such marks in our testing). “I will note that most of the meals recommend reheating in the oven, not the microwave, and this really does make a difference; the only meal I was disappointed by was the one that I microwaved,”Frieda adds. “I highly recommend using the oven! It takes longer but is worth it.”

Even the baked goods, usually an afterthought in other meal deliveries, tasted exceptional. “A bit of a mealy texture, but that’s hard to avoid with paleo baked goods,” Frieda says.

The portion sizes also hit it out of the park and scored a 5 out of 5. “There were some meals I couldn’t finish,” Frieda says.

Really, the only complaint Frieda had was the price, with most entrees costing around $20. “I would have loved to have these meals at the time I was paleo, if they weren’t horrendously expensive,” she says. “I do think these are high-quality meals, but I have a hard time justifying the expense, even with the higher cost of many paleo/AIP ingredients.”

Healthy Meal Delivery Service for Singles: Daily Harvest

Good for: Individuals who need single-serving, ready-to-eat meals 

Best for Singles

Daily Harvest

GGR Score: 3.8

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Product Highlights

• Frozen plant-based meal delivery service 
• Smoothies, grain bowls, flatreads, and soups
• Plant-based milk options available
• Recyclable packaging

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Frozen, nutrient-dense food
• High fiber content
• Free shipping
• Ability to skip a week and modify delivery schedule
• Manage your account on the iOS app or website

Cons

• Will not satisfy high-protein diets
• Some meal are under 300 calories

Bottom Line

Daily Harvest is a plant-based frozen meal delivery service that will provide you wholesome, nutrient-dense meals and snacks. The menu is made up of low-calorie smoothies, grain bowls, flatbreads, and soups. If you’re looking for a meal delivery service that supports high-protein diets, this is not the subscription plan for you.

For those in need of ready-to-eat meals for one person, Daily Harvest is a worthy option. Amanda Capritto, a certified personal trainer, is a big fan of their smoothies and oat bowls. Morgan, a former NCAA Division 1 swimmer and a friend of GGR, is particularly fond of the Passion fruit-pineapple smoothie.

Unfortunately, that’s all we can really recommend. Daily Harvest has recently expanded into full-fledged meal options, which Amanda wasn’t a fan of. “The flatbread that I ordered was not good; I could have made a better flatbread with store-bought ingredients,” she says. The rice bowls are okay, but nothing special. Overall, the flavors are pretty bland and I had to spice up every meal with additional ingredients (except the smoothies).” The smoothies alone would’ve received a 5 out of 5 on taste, but we dropped the score down to a 3.75 out of 5 due to the other meals we tried.

If you stick with the smoothies, we think it’s a worthwhile investment, especially because there’s very little cooking or prep work needed. “The fact that all the fruit and such is already cut up and you don’t have to deal with any waste, like peels, is a big bonus,” Amanda says. “Overall, it’s much easier than making things from scratch.”

It received high marks in the sustainability category, a perfect 5 out of 5, because they’re committed to using recyclable materials and cutting down on waste. “When you order from Daily Harvest you’re getting sustainably-sourced fruits and vegetables,” registered dietitian Perry Nix says. “The company values organic farming and biodiversity, which promotes more nutrient-rich soil and is better for the planet.”

RELATED: Best High-Protein Meal Delivery

Best Organic Healthy Meal Delivery Service: Green Chef

Good for: Individuals who only eat organic ingredients

Best Organic

Green Chef

GGR Score: 3.92

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Product Highlights

• Certified organic meal kit delivery service
• Meal kits can feed two, four, or six people
• New menus drop weekly; you can choose from 32 meals each week
• Add-ons, like prepared breakfasts and salads, available for an extra charge
• Delivers almost everywhere in the continental U.S.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Offers several specialized diet plans
• Can mix and match meal plans
• New meals drop weekly
• Most ingredients are organic and high-quality

Cons

• On the expensive side (but ingredients are organic)
• Shipping fee

Bottom Line

If you want high-quality and/or organic ingredients, Green Chef is a good option that can feed two to six people per recipe. There are several specialized diets to choose from, and you can mix and match from weekly menus to suit your needs.

Green Chef is a “no-brainer” for people who only want to eat organic meals, says Nicole Davis, nutrition coach, GGR senior editor, and product tester. With Green Chef, you aren’t getting just organic produce: The entire menu is USDA-Certified Organic, including grains, sauces, seasonings, and proteins. 

RELATED: Best Organic Meal Delivery

Nicole mentioned that she was disappointed in the portion sizes, finding them a bit too small for her—and much too small for her active, six-foot-two husband. Otherwise, Nicole liked Green Chef and found most of the meals tasty and fresh. 

She gave Green Chef 4.5 out of 5 stars for taste and for ingredient quality. “I tried four dinners as well as the breakfast bundle, which had oatmeal, egg white bites, muffins, and two recipes to make,” she says. “The Monterey jack cheese-smothered chicken with mushrooms and squash was delicious. So were the chicken burrito bowls. The oatmeals were just fine—a good option to eat quickly in the morning.”

Registered dietitian Perry Nix says Green Chef is unique in that it’s completely USDA-Certified Organic. This is tough to do because individual ingredients require certification, so it shows Green Chef’s commitment to organic agriculture. 

 For more, check out our in-depth Green Chef Reviews.

Other Healthy Meal Delivery Services We Tried

We’ve covered our top picks for the best healthy meal delivery; now let’s look at some others we tested that didn’t make the cut this time.

• Sunbasket: Sunbasket is a good service with a large number of meals to choose from; however, we found the ingredient quality lacking (2.75 out of 5) in comparison to its competitors. 
• CookUnity: CookUnity provides single-serve meals cooked by popular chefs, which you can reheat at home. The menu is a la carte and rotating, but the service area is limited compared to other options.
• Splendid Spoon: Splendid Spoon offers smoothies, soups, pastas, juices, and wellness shots, and a limited amount of entree dishes. While the options are nutritionally rich, there aren’t many to choose from compared to other services. 
• Sakara Life: Sakara Life is a meal delivery service and a wellness coaching service. The food is good, but really expensive (1 out of 5 for price per serving), and probably not worth it for most people. Read our full Sakara Life review.
• Blue Apron: Blue Apron is a great service with a wide range of balanced meals. According to registered dietitian Perry Nix, “The plans are limited as far as dietary preferences go. There’s no gluten-free, keto, or vegan plan. There’s also no diabetic, heart healthy, or weight loss plan, however, some meals could fit into these dietary patterns.”

How We Picked and Tested the Best Healthy Meal Delivery Services

Our top picks aren’t random. Our team of product testers, which includes certified nutrition coaches, personal trainers, and athletes from recreational to Olympic, spent several weeks testing more than 40 meal subscription boxes. We also consulted with registered dietitians to get an expert’s take on these services. 

Price Per Meal

Meal delivery services can get expensive—quickly. We analyzed the cost per serving of all of the subscriptions to get an understanding of the industry standard and find out which companies are more budget-friendly and which would be considered luxury by most standards. Here’s how we rated companies for pricing: 

• To get a 1, $16 or more per meal 
• To get a 2, $14-16 per meal 
• To get a 3, $10-14 per meal
• To get a 4, $8-10 per meal
• To get a 5, less than $8 per meal

Taste and Ingredient Quality 

Our meal delivery testers rated the overall taste of the meals they tried, as well as the quality and freshness of the ingredients. Points were docked for ingredients that arrived in bad shape or, in some cases, inedible. Taste is subjective, but we did take note of whether or not the meals needed a lot of spicing up or modifying to be palatable. 

Portion Sizes

No one wants to finish a meal hungry. Although everyone has different nutritional needs, we noted whether the meals filled us up or not. Because we also fed these meals to our families, we were able to gain additional perspectives from people who have different calories needs than ourselves. 

Meal Plans and Customization

We looked at the filtering options for every service we tried to get an understanding of how customizable each service is. Some people need vegetarian options, others prefer non-GMO or organic, others still are looking for high-protein meals to build muscle. The more options a service offers, the better; we also give credit for brands that specialize in one area, such as vegan or paleo diets. 

Ease of Preparation and Cleanup

These services are supposed to make your life easier, not harder. We judged each company according to these criteria: 

• To get a 1-2, you’ll have to cook this meal with the ingredients they sent and it takes more than 20 minutes to prepare (multiple modes required, i.e. stovetop, oven, etc.), plus there’s substantial clean up involved (multiple pots/pans, utensils, etc.)
• To get a 3-4, you’ll have to cook this meal with the ingredients they sent, but it’s a fairly quick process (using the air fryer/microwave/oven), done in 20 minutes or less, and doesn’t require half your kitchen to prepare and eat.
• To get a 5, this meal is fully prepared—just heat and eat—and there’s no clean up required. 

Shipping, Packaging, and Sustainability

Shipping is a really important part of the overall experience with a service like this. If there are hiccups in delivery, food may arrive spoiled—likewise with poor packaging. Aside from shipping experience itself, we took sustainability into consideration and rated companies according to how easy (or not) it was to recycle or compost the packaging. 

Customer Service

There are two things everyone wants to know before signing up for a meal delivery service: Is it easy to skip a delivery, and is it easy to cancel? Brands with frustrating cancellation procedures or policies lost points, while brands that allowed us to cancel within minutes and avoid interacting with a rep or bot scored the highest. 

Benefits of Healthy Meal Delivery Services

Allow us to convince you to sign up for a meal delivery subscription. 

Less Grocery Shopping

Raise your hand if you despise going to the grocery store! Arguably the greatest benefit of meal delivery services—and probably a big reason why most people elect to use one—is that it greatly reduces the amount of time you have to spend grocery shopping (and driving to the store, parking, driving home, etc…) 

Greater Variety of Meals 

I don’t know about you, but I tend to get stuck in recipe ruts. Meal delivery services can be a great source of culinary inspiration, even for picky eaters. They can introduce you to new seasonings, new fruits and vegetables, and even new types of protein. (Pro tip: Choose “Chef’s Choice” when ordering for either more variety or to eat meals you might not pick on your own.) 

Not only is variety in your diet fun and exciting, but it also opens you up to more nutrients, potentially reducing your risk of deficiencies. 

Catered to Dietary Preferences

From Whole30 to Mediterranean to diabetes-friendly meals, the modern world of meal delivery has something for everyone. It’s truly never been easier to find nutritious meals for specific wants and needs.  

Best Healthy Meal Delivery Services FAQs

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases.

References

1. Fothergill E, Guo J, Howard L, et al. Persistent metabolic adaptation 6 years after “The Biggest Loser” competition. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2016;24(8):1612-1619. doi:10.1002/oby.21538

Amanda Capritto, CPT, CES, CNC, CF-L1, CSNC

Amanda is a content writer and journalist with extensive experience in the health, fitness, lifestyle, and nutrition niches. Before joining Garage Gym Reviews, she worked as an independent writer for various brands and outlets.Her work has appeared in national and global digital publications, including Health.com and Shape.com (Meredith Corporation), CNET (Red Ventures, formerly ViacomCBS), LIVESTRONG (Leaf Group), Verywell Fit and The Balance (DotDash), SlickDeals (Goldman Sachs/Hearst), Health Journal, and more.Now, Amanda brings her expertise in fitness to the GGR team by testing equipment and writing authentic, honest reviews on everything you might need to stock your home gym.

Further reading

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Once upon a time, “meal delivery” meant “pizza delivery,” and that was about it. In 2024, however, “meal delivery” can mean a lot of things—your favorite takeout via DoorDash, last-minute grocery delivery from Instacart, or food subscription boxes with ready-made meals or fresh ingredients and recipe cards. Looking for the latter? You’re in luck. After weeks of testing the best meal delivery services, we’ve created a comprehensive guide to the best healthy meal delivery services for our nutritionally minded folks.  » Read more about: Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service (2024): Healthy Eating Has Never Been Easier  » Read more