Best High-Protein Meal Delivery (2024): 12 Options That Can Help You Build Muscle And Stay Full

Combined with exercise, hitting your protein goals is one of the best things you can do for your body composition¹. Whether you’re trying to build muscle or want to lose weight, protein can play a role in helping you get there. But if you have higher protein needs, it can be hard to meet your needs in each meal, especially if you don’t like to cook.

RELATED: How to Get More Protein

High-protein meal delivery services solve this problem for you. These services offer prepared meals or meal kits that have at least 25 to 40 grams of protein per serving, which is the recommended amount per meal to maximize muscle protein synthesis (following resistance training)², according to a 2019 article in Sports Medicine and backed by registered dietitian and GGR contributor Perry Nix, RD, LD.

To help you narrow down your options and find the best high-protein meal delivery, we tested almost 40 meal delivery services. We rated them on taste, quality of ingredients, ordering process, and more. After an extensive evaluation, these are our favorites.

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 High-Protein Meal Delivery

• Best High-Protein Meal Delivery Overall: Home Chef
• Best High-Protein Meal Delivery for Variety: Hungryroot
• Best High-Protein Meal Delivery for Bulking: Tempo by Home Chef
• Best Prepared High-Protein Meal Delivery: Fuel Meals Muscle Gain Meal Plan
• Best High-Protein Meal Delivery for Athletes: Trifecta
• Best-Tasting High-Protein Meal Delivery: Factor
• Best Gluten-Free High-Protein Meal Delivery: ICON Meals
• Best Vegan High-Protein Meal Delivery: Purple Carrot
• Best Paleo High-Protein Meal Delivery: Paleo On the Go
• Best Organic High-Protein Meal Delivery: Green Chef
• Best High-Protein Meal Delivery for Dietary Restrictions: Territory Foods
• Best Keto High-Protein Meal Delivery: Muscle Meals 2 Go

Best High-Protein Meal Delivery Overall: Home Chef

Good for: Anyone who wants to up their protein intake with nutrient-dense meals

Best Overall

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.

Home Chef has a rotating menu of meals that have upwards of 30 to 40 grams of protein per serving, along with a variety of calorie- and carb-conscious meals that can be tailored to your dietary preferences. Some meals even give you the option to swap in leaner meats, such as chicken in place of sausage. Plus, as registered dietitian Perry Nix points out, cooking your own meals, even those from a meal kit, has been linked to “improved diet quality.

“Home Chef is a good option for those wanting to learn how to build balanced meals and acquire new cooking skills,” Nix says. “Even if you only use the meal kits short-term, you can mimic the recipes using store bought ingredients.”

Emily, a friend of Garage Gym Reviews who has been using Home Chef for nearly 2 years, gave the overall taste of the meals a 5 out of 5, though the dish will depend on your cooking skills. “Many of the meals have wonderful sauces that just make the dish absolutely perfect,” she says in her Home Chef review. “We’ve learned a lot about cooking just from making different recipes.”

The ease of preparation depends on the meal, though Emily gave the service as a whole a 2 out of 5, mostly because it requires a good bit of cleanup. The meal kits take anywhere from 20-40 minutes, though there are also Express meals that can be ready in 15 minutes or less and oven-ready meals that you just need to heat and eat.

To select your meals, you’ll take a short survey where you can tell Home Chef that you want protein-packed meals and let them know about any other preferences—such as if you’re looking for keto-friendly meals and if there are any foods you like to avoid. You then have the option to pick between 2 to 6 Home Chef recipes per week, which you’ll have to select before your weekly shipping date.

Emily rated Home Chef’s ordering process a 5 out of 5. “I get email reminders every week to go select my meals,” she says. “Home Chef automatically selects meals for you based on your stated preferences and the types of meals you’ve selected in the past, but you can edit them if you want.”

Best High-Protein Meal Delivery for Variety: Hungryroot

Good for: People looking for a one-stop-shop for meal delivery and grocery shopping

Best for Variety

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.

Hungryroot is a meal kit delivery service and online grocery store mashed into one. When signing up, you take a quiz about your preferences and dietary needs, and Hungryroot will load hundreds of recipes that work for you. 

RELATED: Best Greens Powders

You can filter recipes by protein type or cook time—the majority of the recipes take around 10 minutes or less since Hungryroot relies on a lot of precooked (but high-quality) ingredients. When you see a recipe you like, you can add it to your cart and all the necessary ingredients will load for you. 

You can also shop the site like an online grocery store, adding proteins, organic produce, spices, sauces, cheeses, and most other ingredients that you’d find in a supermarket. This only adds to the variety.

“Hungryroot helps you find the best plan for your dietary needs and preferences. 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,” registered dietitian Perry Nix says.

Kate Meier, CPT, USAW-L1, CF-L1, and GGR Head of Content, tested Hungryroot and was a big fan of the ingredient quality and the taste of the meals she tried (which she confirmed took less than 10 minutes to prepare). She gave Hungryroot a 4.5 out of 5 for ingredient quality and a 4 out of 5 for ease of preparation.

“Everything is so fresh, and you don’t need to do any seasoning because most foods are already prepped for you with spices. If you wanted more salt or whatever, you could add your own,” Kate says in our Hungryroot review.

Another callout for Hungryroot is that customer service is fantastic. They were very responsive via live chat, and orders arrived on time with no issues.

Overall, Kate says she loves this service, adding that it’s super easy, so customizable, and something she would use regularly.

RELATED: Hungryroot vs. HelloFresh

Best High-Protein Meal Delivery for Bulking: Tempo by Home Chef

Good for: Anyone looking to pack on muscle

Best for Bulking

Tempo Meals by Home Chef

GGR Score: 4

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Product Highlights

* Weekly meal delivery subscription with microwavable meals  * New chef-designed meals  * Cost per meal goes down as you purchase more

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 20 new recipes each week
• Skip or cancel any week
• Nutrition and allergen information provided for each meal
• Options to sign up for just you or multiple people in household
• Menus posted 5 weeks in advance

Cons

• Does not deliver to entire US- check zip code during sign up process
• Requires a weekly subscription
• No goal oriented meal plans

Bottom Line

Tempo by Home Chef is a microwavable meal subscription service. Every week you will get meals delivered to your door unless you remember to skip by the Friday before. The meals are designed by chefs with certain goals in mind, like protein packed or fiber rich, but you will have to select individual meals. There aren’t specific plans like weight loss or weight gain.

It’s no secret that adequate protein intake is one key component of building muscle. With meals that contain close to 30 grams of protein, Tempo by Home Chef is our top pick for a high-protein meal delivery service for bulking.

Nutrition and supplements expert Bob Iafelice, MS, RDN, LDN, approves of this service. “The meals are well-balanced with plenty of veggies. Protein is the core of a meal, and Tempo by Home Chef does it right by placing a large emphasis on protein,” he says.

GGR Performance Editor and certified personal trainer Anthony O’Reilly rated the meals a solid 4.5 out of 5 for taste. “I was surprised by how much I liked these. There was a ton of flavor, and you can tell everything is well-seasoned,” he says.

Anthony was also a fan of the easy preparation process and rated it a 5 out of 5, saying, “All you have to do is throw the meals in the microwave. The process couldn’t be simpler, and all of the instructions are clearly written on each package.”

Tempo by Home Chef offers a variety of meals, and you can choose certain foods you’d like to avoid during sign-up. However, there’s no easy way to select meals that fit a specific dietary need when choosing your preferences—like if you need to eat gluten-free, for example. You’ll have to pay close attention to the ingredients when choosing your meals if you have a food allergy.

Another callout is the price per meal, which Anthony rated a 3 out of 5. It ranges from around $11 to $13.50, depending on how many meals you order. You can choose 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, or 16+ meals, and the price per meal decreases the more meals you order. Still, the cost can quickly add up, and Anthony didn’t think the quality quite matched up with the pricing.

“Everything seems fresh, but the ingredients aren’t organic. The meals are a lot better than other prepared meal services I’ve tried, though,” he says.

Best Prepared High-Protein Meal Delivery: Fuel Meals

Good for: People who don’t want to spend too much (or any) time in the kitchen

Best Prepared

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.

While many meal delivery services send pre-made meals, Fuel meals earned the spot of best-prepared high-protein meal delivery for the ease of use and balanced macros. “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.”

Furthermore, cooking the food couldn’t be simpler. Just throw them in the microwave and they’re done within 3 minutes. (That also means no dishwashing needed).

You can pick between 7 and 20 meals per week, with the nutritional information displayed front and center as you’re scrolling through each week’s menu. There’s also prepared protein offered by the pound to save time on meal prepping, in addition to snacks such as chocolate protein brownies, and you can filter the meals based on your dietary preferences.

We had two certified personal trainers test it for our Fuel Meals review, and both awarded it a 4 out of 5 on flavor. “They taste is all totally fine, completely edible, could order and eat again,” says Kate Meier, GGR’s senior director of content and a competitive weightlifter. “I found myself adding vegetables to the meal, or adding a sauce or a spice to get more out of it.”

Nicole Davis, a precision nutrition coach and GGR’s head of content, says she agrees and found that the meats were typically good while the sides were lackluster. “It was typically just sweet potatoes or potatoes with not much to them,” she says.

On that note, Nix notes that one downside of Fuel meals is that it might not be for adventurous eaters, since their meals consist of traditional “prep” foods—chicken, rice, broccoli, potatoes, etc. There’s nothing wrong with any of those, but some people like a little more variety, which is why we gave it a 3 out of 5 in that category.

Each meal is around 400-600 calories, and Kate and Nicole felt the portion sizes were enough to earn a 4 out of 5. “It’s enough food, bit I personally kept feeling like I needed more,” Kate says.

You can also save up to 50% on your first order when you use our exclusive Fuel Meals discount code.

Best High-Protein Meal Delivery for Athletes: Trifecta

Good for: Those who live active lifestyles and want 30 to 40 grams of protein per meal

Best for Athletes

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.

Trifecta’s whole business model is built around improving athletic performance, and while we can’t guarantee that eating these meals will help you finally nail those double-unders, we can say that these meals are perfectly designed for tracking macros. The macronutrients are listed on the outside of each package, making it easy for athletes with strict dietary requirements.

RELATED: Tracking Macros for Weight Loss

Trifecta doesn’t have a dedicated “regular” high-protein meal plan, but the company offers a clean meal plan, plus paleo/Whole30-approved and keto plans—all of which have around 30 to 40 grams of protein per meal (at least). If you prefer plant-based protein, there’s also a high-protein vegan plan, but the protein per meal averages slightly lower at around 20 grams. 

When signing up for a meal plan, you can opt for a Chef’s Choice (the company will choose the meals for you), or you can pick and choose your own meals based on your preferences. 

GGR Senior Director of Content and certified personal trainer (CPT) Kate Meier says the Chef’s Choice can be a good option if you like the variety—scoring it a 5 out of 5—because the meals are all different. That being said, there were meal options she really liked and some not so much. So, if you’re a picky eater, you’ll want to choose your meals yourself. “There are some of the meals I did not like, so I tended to eat the meals I really liked first, and then the rest of the week was left with meals I wasn’t excited about eating. Some of them I just threw away,” says Kate.

Kate tested the service for our full Trifecta meal delivery review.

Perry Nix, RD, LD, adds, “The meals are low-calorie, so you’ll likely want to add snacks between meals to meet your energy requirements for the day.”

If you want even more control in your kitchen, there’s a meal prep option that allows you to purchase bulk-cooked lean proteins, veggies, and other sides like rice and quinoa for creating your own custom meals. With this option, you’ll get 16 ounces of each cooked component. If you opt for the meal plan option, you’ll get seven to 21 meals per week, depending on the quantity you choose.

Another notable callout is that all of Trifecta’s meals are gluten-free, and they’re made with non-GMO and organic ingredients with grass-fed meats and sustainably sourced seafood. Trifecta doesn’t use artificial additives, so the ingredients are higher in quality.

Best-Tasting High-Protein Meal Delivery: Factor

Good for: Those who want tasty meals delivered right to their doors

Best-Tasting

Factor75

GGR Score: 4.03

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Product Highlights

• Heat-and-eat meals that are delivered weekly
• Five menu plans, including calorie-controlled and keto
• Can mix and match from different menu plans for more variety
• New menus drop weekly
• Can order up to 18 meals per week

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Not restricted to one specific diet plan
• Meals arrive fresh and ready to heat
• Offers options for different dietary preferences
• Can cancel or skip a delivery anytime

Cons

• No options for customization
• No personalized plans for weight loss

Bottom Line

Factor75 is a heat-and-eat delivery service that works well for those on specialized diets. Boxes are delivered weekly, and you can mix and match from different menu plans to maximize your menu variety.

High-protein, macro-friendly meals have an unfortunate reputation as tasting bad but being good for you. We don’t believe in swallowing foul-tasting food just to get your protein, which is why we recommend Factor meals for anyone looking to strike the balance between flavor and fitness.

“The steaks were actually pink in the middle even after microwaving and didn’t turn into shoe leather, so shoutout to Factor for that,” says certified personal trainer and former competitive triathlete Amanda Capritto. Amanda, CPT, CNC, CES, CF-L1, is from New Orleans, so she hit most of her meals with some Tony Chacheres (if you know, you know).

Factor has five distinct meal plans—Protein Plus, Chef’s Choice, Calorie Smart, Keto, and Vegan & Veggie—but there’s some crossover between them. For example, a Protein Plus meal might also be classified as a Keto meal. 

Because of that, you’ll get to choose from around 30 different meals each week (there are closer to 35 total, but they don’t all fall under the high-protein category). If you want to mix and match, you have that option, too. Even if you sign up for a dedicated meal plan, you’ll still get access to the full weekly menu. 

Each Protein Plus meal has at least 30 grams of protein per serving, but there are plenty that have closer to 50 grams.

The menu changes weekly, although you might see some repeat favorites. In addition to meals, you can opt for add-ons like coconut pancakes, bacon and cheddar egg bites, and garlic buffalo chicken wings—all of which fall under the Protein Plus meal plan. There are also cooked bulk meats and fish if you want extra protein.

Amanda adds that Factor is the only meal delivery service she’s tried that has ample portions for athletes. “These meals can fill up a triathlete in the middle of a tough training block, so they can fill up just about anyone,” she says, rating the portion size a 4.5 out of 5.

For more, check out our in-depth Factor Meals review.

Best Gluten-Free High-Protein Meal Delivery: ICON Meals

Good for: People who want a ton of gluten-free bulk protein options

Best Gluten-Free

ICON Meals

GGR Score: 4.5

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Product Highlights

• Fresh, ready-to-eat meal delivery 
• Vacuum-sealed for freshness
• Build custom meals or chose from menu
• One-time purchases and subscription plans available

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Fresh, vacuum-sealed meals
• 35 signature meals always available
• Stays fresh up to 5 days (or freeze up to 6 months)
• 15% off for military personnel and first responders

Cons

• Limited vegetarian options
• No vegan options

Bottom Line

When you use ICON Meals, you’ll not only be able to choose from a one-time purchase or a subscription, you’ll also have the ability to customize meals or select meals from the main menu. There are 35 signature dishes that you can choose from anytime or browse the rotating weekly menu. Meals start at $12 and the minimum order needs to be at least 8 meals. Subscription meal delivery boxes come with either 12 or 24 meals and meal delivery frequency can be set anywhere from 1 to 4 weeks.

Like Trifecta, ICON Meals is another meal delivery service geared toward athletes and weight loss or those trying to change their body composition. ICON has three main meal plans based on health and nutrition goals: Lose Weight, Build Muscle, and Eat Clean.

RELATED: Best Meal Delivery for Weight Loss

Not all the meals are gluten-free, but there’s a handful of gluten-free and no-gluten-included meals you can choose from across their meal plans. The meals have about 25 to 50 grams of protein, on average, but some of the “double protein” meals have as much as 90 grams of protein.

In addition to the regular meals, ICON has almost two dozen bulk protein options, like cooked brisket, chicken thighs, and cod. There are also cooked veggies and gluten-free sides, like rice and potatoes, so you can completely build your own meals or just supplement what you’re getting with some nutritious side options.

Unlike other meal delivery services, there’s no limit to the number of meals you can get. As long as you order a minimum of eight meals, you can fill your box as much as you want. While there are meal plans to help make choosing meals easier, you can order a la carte from the entire menu. And there’s also no weekly commitment, so you won’t have to worry about skipping an order.

All in all, this was GGR writer and certified personal trainer (CPT) Anthony O’Reilly’s favorite of all the meal delivery services he tested.

“There’s a good mix of macro-friendly food and items that can just be used by everyday people. My favorite meal was the Titan Breakfast Burrito. I was surprised at how well-spiced it was…and with more than 50 grams of protein, it was very filling! I could order five of these a week and be more than happy. All you have to do is microwave everything, so it’s easy,” Anthony says, rating the service a 4.5 out of 5 overall in our ICON meals review.

Best Vegan High-Protein Meal Delivery: Purple Carrot

Good for: Those who want plant-based proteins with tasty menu options

Best Vegan

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.

Purple Carrot is a one-stop shop for all your plant-based food needs. You can pick between vegan meal kits if you’d like to cook your food, receive ready-to-eat meals that just need to be reheated, or shop the grocery section to pick up vegan cheeses, snacks, beverages, and more. There are several high-protein options that are also loaded with fiber to keep you full throughout the day.

“A plant-based diet can help reduce inflammation and decrease your risk of developing a chronic disease,” says Perry Nix, a registered dietitian. “The company uses seasonal ingredients so you can add new foods into your rotation without ever getting bored.”

Certified personal trainer and GGR performance editor Anthony O’Reilly went with the meal kit option, which he rated a 5 out of 5 on taste. “My favorite was the Sloppy Joes made with tofu,” he says. “Considering this was a plant-based meal service I was quite happy with how everything came out and the portions were quite good.”

Anthony, a passionate home cook, says the instructions fell a bit flat for him. “it was missing steps that I’d consider crucial to the cooking process,” he says in our Purple Carrot review, “something as simple as dry patting tofu before cooking, which helps reduce moisture and achieve a perfect sear, were omitted.” He gave the ease of preparation a 3 out of 5, saying most took under 20 minutes but required dirtying a few bowls.

While the ordering process is simple in and of itself, it might take a while to find the protein-packed meal of your choice. Unlike other websites, Purple Carrot doesn’t have a way to filter its protein-packed options so you’ll have to scroll and look for ones with a dumbbell icon, which tells you you’ll get more than 30 grams of protein per serving.

Best Paleo High-Protein Meal Delivery: Paleo on the Go

Good for: Anyone who values seasonal ingredients and fresh produce

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.

Paleo on the Go specializes in meals that are paleo and autoimmune protocol (AIP)-compliant, meaning they don’t contain any sources of food-based inflammation (such as dairy) and are grain- and gluten-free. You can also get some age-old classics in a paelo-friendly form, such as lemon blueberry muffins made from tigernut flour (which comes from a plant, not a grain).

“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,” says registered dietitian Perry Nix.

It’s important to note that AIP and paleo diets aren’t intended to be permanent. “You’re intended to slowly add back ingredients one at a time to determine what causes you inflammation,” Nix says. That doesn’t mean you can’t have paleo or AIP foods as part of a more balanced diet.

Paleo on the Go offers you a one-time box with no subscription required, so you can try it and see if you want to commit. They also make it easy to delay or cancel orders, so their ordering process earns a 5 out of 5.

Frieda Johnson, a certified nutrition coach, says the meals were as tasty as the ones she made herself when she followed the paleo diet, giving it a perfect 5 out of 5 in the flavor department. “The baked goods were impressive,” she says. “A bit of a mealy texture, but that’s hard to avoid with paleo baked goods. Overall, I was impressed with the quality of food for frozen paleo food.”

This is one of the few services that recommends reheating your food in the oven, not the microwave, and Frieda says that actually made a difference. “The one meal I didn’t like was made in the microwave,” she says. “It may take longer, but it’s worth it.” It does, however, mean you need to remember to defrost your meals in the fridge before cooking, so we’re bumping the ease of preparation score to a 4 out of 5.

The one downside is the price. Some meals cost between $20-$30, and a 6-pack of AIP tortillas costs around $18. “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,” Frieda says.

Best Organic High-Protein Meal Delivery: Green Chef

Good for: People who don’t mind spending a little more for 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 one of the only certified organic meal delivery companies. This is an excellent option if getting plenty of nutrient-dense whole foods is just as important to you as maximizing your protein intake.

This is one of the only meal kit services that made the list, but everything is super easy to prepare, and most meals are ready to eat in 20 to 30 minutes. Some of the lunches can easily be thrown together in as little as 10 minutes. And since you’re cooking it yourself, you can choose to add or omit ingredients based on your preferences, according to GGR senior editor and certified personal trainer (CPT) Nicole Davis.

There are eight Green Chef meal plans, including Mediterranean, keto, and gluten-free. But the Protein Packed plan includes only meals that contain at least 40 grams of protein per serving, which Perry Nix, RD, LD, says is a good amount for optimal muscle protein synthesis.

You can choose three to four recipes per week and opt for two, four, or six servings. If you don’t have extra people to feed, getting one of the larger options can help with meal prep so you don’t have to prepare additional healthy meals—just cook once, and you’ll have leftovers for a day or two.

Nicole says the portion sizes are pretty small, too, so opting for one of the bigger plans can ensure you’ll have enough food to meet your needs and keep you full. There are also breakfast add-ons like eggs and oatmeal if you want additional protein and some whole grains.

Overall, Nicole rated the taste of the meals a 4.5 out of 5, saying, “The Monterey jack cheese-smothered chicken with mushrooms and squash was delicious. So were the chicken burrito bowls.” 

Nicole also mentioned the higher cost in relation to the smaller portion size. But organic ingredients typically come at a premium cost, so we’re not surprised by this.

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

Best High-Protein Meal Delivery for Dietary Restrictions: Territory Foods

Good for: People who are following more specific diets but want to optimize protein intake too

Best for Dietary Restrictions

Territory Foods

GGR Score: 3.5

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Product Highlights

• Individually packaged frozen meals
• Suits low-carb and keto lifestyles 
• Reheat in the microwave or oven
• Gluten-free

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Fresh meals
• Suits a variety dietary needs
• One-time delivery options
• Nutrition information for all meals

Cons

• Not available in all zip codes
• 5-day window to consume food

Bottom Line

Territory Foods suits low-carb and keto lifestyles without the needs for prep, cook, or clean up. You can get fresh (not frozen) prepared meals delivered directly to your door for less than $20 per meal.

Prepared meal delivery services typically don’t accommodate a lot of dietary restrictions, but Territory Foods has options for paleo, low-carb, Whole30, keto, Mediterranean, and low-carb lifestyles. They also have a “Performance Nutrition” plan, their version of a high-protein nutrition plan. 

Each meal on this plan has at least 25 grams of protein and 40 grams of complex carbohydrates. But if you want to limit carbs, the other meal plans have high-protein options, too. For example, several meals on the keto and paleo plans have between 30 and 40 grams of protein. Nicole Davis, CPT and GGR senior editor says the portion sizes are fairly generous (giving them a 4 out of 5), although if you’re an athlete or really active, you may need more calories and protein.

Territory Foods also focuses on “responsibly sourced, nutrient-dense ingredients,” and meals are shipped fresh. Nicole says the meals she tried definitely tasted fresh, but she had her favorites and wasn’t a huge fan of the beef-based dishes.

You’re not locked into any specific meal plan, so you can pick and choose your favorites from the whole menu, which contains about 35 different meals that change weekly. You can see macros when building your box, so it makes it easy to add meals that are well-suited to your protein goals.

Another really cool thing about Territory Foods is that the company sources local chefs to make the meals instead of mass-producing them in a facility somewhere. The meals also use lots of seasonal, whole-food ingredients with minimal preservatives or additives.

Best Keto High-Protein Meal Delivery: Muscle Meals 2 Go

Good for: Those who want breakfast options, but also want to keep carbs low

Best Keto

Muscle Meals 2 Go

GGR Score: 3.82

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Product Highlights

• High-protein meal delivery service
• Fresh, ready-to-eat meals
• Standard and extra protein meal options
• Meals stay fresh for 8 days after delivery

Pros & Cons

Pros

• One-time purchase option
• Weekly or biweekly subscription
• Gluten-free, low-carb, keto, and extra protein meal options
• Breakfast and entree options available

Cons

• Shipping is not included
• Expensive per meal cost (price break when you order more meals)

Bottom Line

Bodybuilders and gym rats take notice: Muscle Meals 2 Go offers fresh, high-protein, ready-to-eat meals delivered right to your door. You’ll have the option to choose from a weight loss, muscle maintenance, or muscle gain meal plan with a macronutrient profile to support each goal. Choose from a one-time delivery or a recurring weekly (or biweekly) subscription plan.

Muscle Meals 2 Go is all about the protein. This meal delivery service has three main plans: Lean, Maintain, and Gain, all of which start with high-quality protein as the base and then build macros and calories around that based on your fitness goals. There’s also a newly launched low-carb plan that offers keto-friendly options with 30-45 grams of protein per meal.

The meals on the Lean plan have anywhere from 30 to 55 grams of protein per meal, while the Gain plan offers as much as 60 to 80 grams per meal. These are meat-based meals, so protein comes from highly bioavailable sources, like chicken, beef, turkey, and salmon³. Perry Nix, RD, LD, adds, “The Gain meal plan includes extra protein to support muscle growth and increase metabolism. Several meals are made with chicken, turkey, and salmon for those who want to reduce their saturated fat and cholesterol intake.”

With any of the plans, you can choose from 10, 18, or 24 meals delivered weekly or every other week. If you need even more protein or want a sweet treat, you can include add-ons, like chocolate peanut butter fat bombs, protein pancakes and protein pudding to your box.

The menu options don’t rotate regularly, so Perry says you might find yourself repeating meals more often than with some of the other meal delivery services, but if you’re a creature of habit, this can be a plus. You’ll have about 20 to 24 meals to choose from for each delivery, depending on which plan you choose.

Lauren Strong, GGR staff writer and certified personal trainer (CPT), says the food is good for the most part but suggests you have your favorite hot sauce nearby for a little extra flavor. You won’t find any fancy entrees here, but if you’re looking for above-average, “bodybuilding, meal-prep style” dishes, that’s what you’ll get here. Muscle Meals 2 Go also earned 4 out of 5 points for smooth ordering, timely delivery, and easy prep—just heat and eat! 

Other High-Protein Meal Delivery We Tested

MealPro: MealPro has a lot of high-protein options, and there was a lot to love about the service, like generous portion sizes and quality ingredients. But the meals arrived frozen, and many of them were kind of bland, according to Caine Wilkes, GGR staff writer and Olympic Weightlifter. Because of that, we skipped this one for this list.

Ice Age Meals: These are paleo-style, high-protein meals that were pretty good, according to Lauren Strong, CPT, and GGR staff writer. But she says the meal breakdown was a little strange, with heaping amounts of vegetables in comparison to the meat. There were also more limited menu options than some of the others.

Snap Kitchen: Snap Kitchen got high ratings across the board, but the delivery area is pretty limited. Until they can serve more locations, we’re hesitant to recommend them to the general public.

How We Picked and Tested the Best High Protein Meal Delivery

When narrowing down our list of the best high-protein meal delivery services, the first thing we looked at is the protein content. Many companies claim they have high-protein meal plans, but when you look under the hood, the meals actually don’t have ample amounts of this macronutrient. 

Instead of taking a company’s claims at face value, we dug into nutrition facts and made sure that any companies we recommended offer at least 25 grams of protein per meal. The only exception here was vegan and vegetarian plans that have only plant-based meals, for which we lowered that threshold to around 20 grams per meal.

Once we had that shortlist, we tapped registered dietitian (RD) Perry Nix to give her thoughts on each high-protein meal delivery service. We asked her to give her initial impression, and then comment on the good and not-so-good of each service. 

If any of the meal delivery services rang any major alarms, like outlandish nutrition claims or really low calorie counts, we excluded them from the list. Otherwise, we personally tested them all!

Our GGR expert testers then went through the ordering process to see how it works. They had the meals delivered to their homes and then went through the cooking instructions as recommended by the company. They then rated each company on things like ordering process, price, taste, variety, ease of preparation, ingredient quality, packaging and shipping, sustainability efforts, and general customer service. They also made notes about their experience, highlighting if anything was especially good or bad.

Once we had the ratings for all of these companies, we compiled our list based on which ones scored highest overall (and didn’t have any major complaints for the aforementioned testing categories). The end result is the 10 best high-protein meal delivery services we’re recommending here.

Benefits of High Protein Meal Delivery

There are a lot of benefits to signing up for high-protein meal delivery. Some of the biggest are convenience, an easier time hitting your macro goals and flexibility.

Convenience

The biggest benefit of a high-protein meal delivery service (or any meal delivery service, really) is convenience. You can choose your level of involvement. 

If you get prepared meals, you don’t have to do anything but heat your food and then wash a fork after you eat it, similar to how you just have to chug a meal replacement shake. If you choose a meal kit, shopping and chopping is already mostly done for you. All you have to do is throw some ingredients together, and you have a freshly cooked meal in about 30 minutes, on average. 

This saves you loads of time with meal planning, grocery shopping and meal prepping.

Easier to Hit Your Macro Goals

This ties into the convenience factor a little bit, but we think it deserves its own separate callout. Macro counting (and healthy eating in general) can be hard, especially if you’re new to it. And if you have high-protein goals, it can be even more difficult than you might think to actually hit them.

High-protein meal delivery services do this job for you. Chefs and, in some cases, nutritionists work together to curate these meals, so all you have to do is choose the ones you like. Depending on which service you sign up for, you’ll get anywhere from 30 to 80 grams of protein per meal. Eat just three meals, and you’re at 90 to 240 grams for the day without any other thought.

RELATED: Protein Shakes for Bulking

Flexibility 

Most of the meal delivery services we recommend also offer a lot of flexibility. Unlike some really restrictive plans, a high-protein lifestyle leaves more room for different meal types. Most high-protein meal delivery services allow you to mix and match different meal plans so you’re getting a variety of meals, which can help you stay on track.

They also offer flexibility in the sense that you can skip a delivery or pause your subscription if you ever need to. So, while a subscription service is somewhat of a commitment, there’s still room to work it into your lifestyle and budget in a way that works for you.

Buying Guide: What to Look for in High Protein Meal Delivery

There are a lot of good high-protein meal delivery services out there. But just because they’re good, in general, doesn’t mean they’re necessarily the best for you. Here are some things you should look for when narrowing down your choices.

Protein Content

At the risk of stating the obvious, one of the first things you should look for in a high-protein meal delivery service is the protein content. Some services claim they have high-protein meal plans, but when you dig a little deeper into the nutrition facts, you’re getting less than 20 grams of protein per meal. 

There’s no hard rule about what classifies something as “high-protein,” but in general, you’ll want at least 30% of your calories to be coming from protein⁴. When shopping around, look for companies that list the nutrition facts for their meals and choose ones that offer around 25 to 50 (or more) grams of protein per meal.

Variety and Rotating Menus

Some high-protein meal delivery companies offer the same menu week after week, while others have regularly changing menus to keep things fresh and interesting. If you prefer to stick to the same tried-and-true meals, this may be less important to you, but if you like to switch things up, make sure the company you choose has enough variety to keep you happy.

Add-Ons

This is optional, but many of the meal delivery services we recommend also offer add-ons, like protein pancakes or cooked, bulk protein that allows you to supplement what you’re getting with your meals. If you don’t think you can meet your protein needs through your meals alone, or you’re planning on adding snacks or extra protein to your day anyway, having the option of including these add-ons in your weekly delivery can make things a whole lot easier.

Other Dietary Considerations

There are a lot of high-protein options. Some are completely gluten-free, and others are vegan. Some are low-carb, while others are dairy-free. If the only requirement you have is that the meals are high in protein, you can stop there. 

RELATED: Best Gluten-Free Meal Delivery

If you need more specialized meals( or have additional dietary requirements), you’ll need to dig a little deeper to see if these services can accommodate your preferences and/or allow you to customize your meals. You’ll also want to make sure the company is using quality ingredients without a lot of additives or preservatives.

FAQs About High Protein Meal Delivery

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. Antonio, J, Candow, DG, Forbes, SC, Ormsbee, MJ, Saracino, PG, Roberts, J. Effects of dietary protein on body composition in exercising individuals. Nutrients. 2020;12(6):1890. doi:10.3390/nu12061890

2. Trommelen, J., Betz, M.W. & van Loon, L.J.C. The Muscle Protein Synthetic Response to Meal Ingestion Following Resistance-Type Exercise. Sports Med 49, 185–197 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-019-01053-5

3. Cuparencu C, Praticó G, Hemeryck LY, Sri Harsha PSC, Noerman S, Rombouts C, Xi M, Vanhaecke L, Hanhineva K, Brennan L, Dragsted LO. Biomarkers of meat and seafood intake: an extensive literature review. Genes Nutr. 2019 Dec 30;14:35. doi: 10.1186/s12263-019-0656-4. PMID: 31908682; PMCID: PMC6937850.

4. Pesta DH, Samuel VT. A high-protein diet for reducing body fat: mechanisms and possible caveats. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2014 Nov 19;11(1):53. doi: 10.1186/1743-7075-11-53. PMID: 25489333; PMCID: PMC4258944.

Lindsay Boyers, CN

Lindsay Boyers is a functional nutritionist, writer, and editor with over a decade of experience in online media. She's written 14 books and hundreds of articles on fitness, wellness, nutrition, and lifestyle. Lindsay holds certifications in holistic nutrition, functional nutrition, and professional food safety, as well as a B.S. in food in nutrition.

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