Meal Plan For Weight Loss Delivery

Last Updated on November 7, 2022 by

Weight loss is a huge industry that is currently worth billions of dollars. Yet, many people fail to lose weight with each diet they try. However, meal plan delivery services are becoming more and more popular for those that wish to reach their weight loss goals.

Everyone is always looking to find the best delivery meal plan service. And we get it, it’s not easy finding healthy meals which also taste great. But don’t worry, we have done all the hard work for you. We’ve tested hundreds of different meal plan deliver services and have narrowed down our selection to a select group of providers which we think are better than the rest. After all, if you want to take control of your weight, then this is the way to go. Here is why: I’m going to talk about Meal Plan For Weight Loss Delivery, make sure you read this article.

Meal Plan For Weight Loss Delivery

There are more premade meal subscriptions to choose from now than ever before. I tested nearly two dozen of the top players to find the best of the best.

Meal delivery services can be nice for those too busy to stop at the store. Coming home and cooking a meal with all the ingredients delivered kindly to your door is a fun way to cook. But how about those who don’t even have time to cook or are learning and want some help with meals along the way? That’s where a prepared meal delivery service comes in. Having premade meals shipped right to your door can give you more time with your family, friends or pets, and there are a ton of healthy options available. Some even offer food that caters to specialty diets such as diabetic, low-calorie, low-carb and vegan or vegetarian food. But the most important thing is that the food tastes good. That’s where we come in.

Unlike the frostbitten TV dinners you might be picturing, the best prepared meal services produce tasty food without preservatives right before it’s sent to you. Some operations send the food fresh while others flash-freeze it for you to thaw and eat when you’re ready. Either way, you’re likely getting a much healthier meal than if you opted for fast food, frozen dinners from the grocery store or even restaurant takeout. 

Various meals from Mosaic Foods
Mosaic Foods is the best meal delivery for plant-based eating. Mosaic Foods

To find the absolute best meal subscription services in 2022, I did a lot of testing since there are dozens of options these days. Those range from well-known services like Freshly and Fresh N Lean to new and niche services such as Pete’s Paleo and Mosaic Foods. To save you the trouble of trying them all, I noshed on nearly all of the top options to bring you this list of the best meal delivery services, including the best overall meal subscription, the best vegetarian and vegan meal delivery, the best meal delivery for fitness enthusiasts and more.

Why prepared meal delivery is so popular in 2022

Making dinner can be enjoyable, but dinner burnout can catch up to you quickly. Since most restaurants charge a pretty premium for takeout and delivery, and meal prep can eat up precious hours of your work week, an easy meal plan from one of these services can help lighten your daily load without busting your budget. And if meal delivery elicits thoughts of overly salted instant mashed potatoes and mystery meat, know that prepared food — both fresh and frozen — has come a long way in the past few years. 

I’ve tested more than 20 of the top meal delivery services and many of them churn out healthy meals that take minutes to heat and can help keep your nutrition goals on track.

fresh n lean meals
Fresh N Lean is the best meal delivery service for most people.Fresh N Lean

For those who still want to cook but need a little helping hand, an oven-ready meal kit delivery service will cut out the prep, shopping and planning. But if it’s a fully prepared meal you’re after, there are services for that and we’ve tested some of the best-known meal delivery operations — along with a few newbies — to see which ones cut the mustard and which ones need a lot of ketchup just to be eaten.

petes paleo box
Pete’s Paleo is an excellent meal service if you’re adhering to that eating plan.Pete’s Paleo

Prepared meal delivery services

What exactly is a prepared meal delivery service? This sub-category of meal delivery will send fully cooked, nutritious meals made with healthy ingredients straight to your home. From there, it’s as simple as simple gets: Just pull a delicious meal out of your fridge or freezer and warm it up — no cooking — and you’ve got a satisfying lunch or dinner ready to go.

Menu options are endless and certain prepared meal delivery services such as Freshly and Factor have taken note of modern healthful eating habits, offering prepared menus and healthy meals tailored for almost any dietary preference, including carnivores, vegetarians, flexitarians, vegan and other plant-based diets. They can also cater to those with dietary restrictions who are keeping to a keto, low-sodium, gluten-free, organic, low carb, low-sugar or paleo diet. Even picky eaters will find something they like with all these prepared meal options.

Oven-ready meal kits

Another option to consider is deliveries of oven-ready meal kits that still have to be cooked but require very minimal prep, effort or technical skill to make a fresh meal. You may be wondering how these differ from the standard meal kit delivery services

These “oven-ready” meal delivery plans, which fall somewhere between a classic meal kit and meal delivery, are uncooked but preassembled to be thrown together to be baked, roaster, stir-fried or dropped into the slow cooker with no major prep required for a healthy, fresh-cooked meal. Think simple dishes like roasted chicken breast with precut vegetables and a flavorful sauce. Services including Home Chef even provide the cooking tray in many of its meal kits so there is exactly zero cleaning to do after.

Just a reminder: While many of the meal plan services we sorted through are fully prepared, the meal-kit services like Home Chef and Gobble are not yet cooked, so know you’ll still be turning on the oven. Please don’t eat any raw chicken. 

Food from Veestro
Veestro has the vegan meal delivery thing down.Veestro

Having tried offerings from every company on this list (and many more), I’ve determined the best prepared meal service for each type of diner from vegans to those seeking a more restaurant-quality experience. Luckily there’s a meal delivery service geared to almost every person, with budgets ranging from the affordable to the total splurge. 

Best Prepared Meal Delivery Services

After testing more than 20 of the most popular premade meal subscriptions in 2022, these are the 11 best prepared meal delivery services your money can buy.

  • Best overall prepared meal delivery service: Fresh N Lean
  • Best meal delivery for salads: Farmer’s Fridge
  • Best meal delivery that you still have to cook (a little): Home Chef
  • Best meal delivery for unique recipes: CookUnity
  • Best meal delivery for paleo and clean eating: Pete’s Paleo
  • Best meal delivery for vegetarians: Mosaic Foods
  • Best meal delivery for vegans: Veestro
  • Best meal delivery service for quick breakfasts and lunches: Daily Harvest
  • Best meal delivery for eating organic: Trifecta Nutrition
  • Best splurge meal delivery for gourmet food: Home Bistro
  • Best meal delivery for comfort food with a healthy edge: Freshly

Fresh n’ Lean

Fresh N Lean

Best overall prepared meal delivery

Having tested all of the leading prepared meal delivery service options, Fresh N Lean ran away from the competition, ticking more boxes than any other. The food is healthy, thoughtfully prepared, tastes fantastic, looks appetizing and is fairly affordable depending on the plan you select.

Fresh N Lean has five meal plans to help keep folks on track with their specific nutrition goals including low-carb, vegan, paleo and protein plus options. The food I tried was all made exceptionally well, made from simple, whole ingredients. Save for one dry chicken breast, everything I had was at least good, and most better than good, with some meals even bordering on restaurant-quality. My favorite was a tender braised beef with vegetables and coconut-cilantro sauce.

Pricing: Price per meal varies greatly depending on the plan you select as well as the number of meals per week. It’s roughly $8 to $10 if you order 10 or more meals per week. If you select lunch or dinners only, it’ll be less than $15 per meal. It’s not the cheapest, but not the most expensive either and totally worth the extra few bucks, in my opinion.

Fresh n’ Lean

$20 off first box with code:

FRESH20

See at Fresh N’ Lean

Farmer’s Fridge

Farmer’s Fridge

Best meal delivery for salad eaters

Farmer’s Fridge is the best meal delivery service I’ve tried if you want easy salads for weekday lunches. The service packs fresh salads in jars and ships them direct. It keeps the ingredients mostly separated and layered in the jar and the dressing is packed in its own baggy so nothing gets mixed up or mushy. 

Farmer’s Fridge also sells grain bowls, pasta entrees, wraps and breakfast parfaits but I suggest the salads. I had the chicken Caesar, Cobb and harvest salad and all three tasted fresh and portions were more substantial. If you work from home and miss those simple salad runs to Chop’t or Au Bon Pain, this service will scratch the itch and keep you well fed throughout the week.

Pricing: Salads clock in at $9 or $10 each. You’ll have to order a minimum of five at a time, but there is no required subscription or commitment of any kind. Shipping is an extra $6.

See at Farmer’s Fridge

Home Chef

Best prepared meals that you’ll still have to cook (a little)

Home Chef is a popular meal delivery company and recently launched a line of oven-ready meals like cajun chicken with rice and beans, meant to take nearly all the work out of dinner but still delivering home-cooked food, technically speaking. 

If it’s oven-ready meal options you’re after you’ll want to choose Home Chef’s Fresh & Easy meals which are focused on easy oven-ready options. Plus this meal delivery service offers grill-ready meals for summer, 15-minute entree salads for those craving lighter fare or slow cooker meals that likewise require very minimal preparation and cleanup. This new category from Home Chef is designed to be low technical skill and is a good option if you’re wanting a home-cooked meal delivery plan but not interested in enlisting at a culinary institute to make a delicious meal happen. 

Pricing: No matter how you slice it, a Home Chef meal delivery kit breaks down to just under $7 per serving. Most people choose six to eight meals a week, so the average cost is about $70. But you can choose as few as six servings and as many as 12 and will save slightly more with a larger order. 

Home Chef

$90 off 4 boxes with code:

AFF90OFF

CookUnity

CookUnity

Best meal delivery for unique recipes

The best thing about CookUnity is the sheer volume of meal options you can choose from, all originating from chefs — some famous and some not — of different backgrounds and culinary styles. As a bona fide restaurant junkie, I would think of CookUnity not only as a tasty way to keep myself fed without having to cook but also as a fun way to learn about new kitchen personalities and restaurants for the next time I’m traveling to a new city or looking for a place to dine out locally.

I liked almost everything I tried, with recipes ranging from very healthy to more comfort-style food. There are plenty of options for vegetarians, too, but note that the menu will vary depending on where you live since they pull from local chefs to create the weekly offerings.

Pricing: Meals can be had for as cheap as $10 if you order in bulk. Smaller plans will run you more like $13 or $14 per meal, which is not a bad deal considering the quality. The big downside is that CookUnity is not currently available to all ZIP codes. 

David Watsky/CNET

Pete’s Paleo

Best paleo meal delivery

Pete’s won me over in a week-long taste test, notching its place as one of the best healthy, organic meal delivery services I’ve yet to try. While it’s not the cheapest service we’ve tried, it is actually cheaper than other meal services that use organic ingredients and quality meats and was better than most of them. You can nab a 10-pack of healthy meals for just $121, though it’s currently sold out. 

The Pete’s Paleo meals I had were all well-prepared: meats were tender, vegetables (mostly) cooked to proper doneness and all the flavors worked. The food wasn’t overly seasoned and the recipes were mild and maybe even on the safe side — but that’s nothing a few shakes of hot sauce can’t fix.

If you’re in training or keeping to a paleo plan and looking for lots of protein, healthy fats and nutrient-filled carbs such as sweet potatoes and beets, Pete’s Paleo should hit the spot. Pete’s has lots of ordering options and the meals are made to freeze so if you don’t want to subscribe, you can keep an inventory on hand for those moments you need a quick fix. 

Pete’s Paleo

See at Pete’s Paleo

David Watsky/CNET

Mosaic Foods

Best plant-based meal delivery

I sampled nine of Mosaic Food’s plant-based prepared meal offerings and the vegetarian prepared meal delivery service had an astoundingly high hit rate. Mosaic uses big and interesting global flavors and employs creative use of meat substitutes such as tofu, jackfruit, cauliflower and vegan sausages to create tasty and satisfying vegetarian meals — even for this omnivore. There are some vegan meals, but many of them use dairy products, so vegans must choose their Mosaic meals more carefully.

While everything I had from Mosaic was at least good, some standouts included the bean and jackfruit chili, tomato olive and feta ragout and a tangy Thai noodle dish. All the food arrives frozen but still tastes surprisingly fresh upon defrosting and eating. 

Pricing: Mosaic meals are also simple to order from with a clear, concise website and no overly complicated plans. You simply choose the meals you want with a minimum order of $70 (about eight meals) and then decide how often you want them delivered — weekly, biweekly or monthly. You can change the meals, pause or cancel your subscription at any time. 

Mosaic recently added family meals too meant for three or four people. It costs $5 per serving. 

Mosaic Foods

$15 off first box with code:

FIRSTBOX

See at Mosaic Foods

Home Bistro

Home Bistro

Best for gourmet meal delivery

Home Bistro is easily the priciest meal delivery service on the list, but that’s because the gourmet meals are of a higher caliber to be certain. You’ll find a bit less simple grilled chicken breast or predictable pasta dishes with Home Bistro and more complicated dinners like Chianti-braised short ribs, Peri-Peri pork tenderloins and chargrilled pomegranate salmon. There are also meals created by world-class chefs including Cat Cora and Claudia Sandoval. 

Though these meals are, on the whole, more expensive than any others we tried — comparable to takeout — if you eat a lot of meat but don’t have tons of great prepared food or delivery options in your area, this is a very good meal kit service to try. And since you can order these prepared meals a la carte, you can always save them for special occasions. 

Pricing: Individual meals are between $15 and $19. You can order Home Bistro meals a la carte or in packages of seven, 10 or 20 meals to be delivered weekly or biweekly. My suggestion is to order a pack of 10 for $166 and save a few bucks per meal.

Homebistro

Starts at $19/meal

David Watsky/CNET

Trifecta Nutrition

Best meal delivery service for specialty diets

Trifecta has healthy prepared meals that cater to a number of nutrition plans and diets — keto, paleo, low-calorie, clean eating and plant-based — so it’s perfect if you’re trying to incorporate more protein and fewer empty carbs. Trifecta also uses lots of organic ingredients as well as humanely raised chicken and grass-fed beef. 

You’ll find mostly clean, lean meats and healthy vegetables in Trifecta meals with the occasional side of rice or grains too. While I didn’t love everything I tried, there were some real standouts and everything tasted very fresh. My personal favorite was Trifecta’s pesto salmon with quinoa and sautéed vegetables.

Pricing: This service is on the pricier side of the spectrum. Trifecta’s Clean Meal Plan will cost you $111 for a plan that includes 10 meals — which breaks down to around $10 per meal. If organic food with lots of fitness-friendly protein is important to you, this is the meal delivery service to try. 

Trifecta

See at Trifecta

Freshly

Best meal delivery for comfort food

Freshly delivers precooked meals (fresh, not frozen) to your door. While this meal delivery service has healthy recipe options aplenty, Freshly is one of the better options if you want the occasional cheat meal or comfort food delivered to your door. Sample meal options include penne bolognese, peppercorn steak with mashed potatoes and chicken casserole are just some of the heartier choices you can have delivered and at the ready, but there are also healthier, low-cal Freshly meals to keep yourself honest. 

Pardon the word-play but Freshly did have some of the freshest tasting meals. Not everything felt restaurant quality but this company delivers a lot of crowd-pleasers, including chicken tikka masala and chili-topped macaroni and cheese. I wouldn’t call the Freshly meal choices diet food, but they aren’t terribly unhealthy either and a lot of them are just what you want after a long day.

Pricing: The more you order the more you save with Freshly and the difference is significant. Four meals per week break down to $11.79 per meal, but up that to 12 and the price per meal drops to $8, making it one of the more affordable meal delivery services on the list. 

Freshly

$60 off first 4 orders

Daily Harvest

Best meal delivery for quick breakfast, lunches and snacks

Editor’s note: On June 19, 2022, Daily Harvest issued a recall of its lentil and leek crumbles amid reports of serious illness. As of July 14, the brand reported that “all pathogen and toxicology results have come back negative.” We continue to monitor the situation and will update you as we learn new information.


Daily Harvest launched in 2015 with an army of frozen and ready-to-blend smoothies, premade soups and hearty grain bowls to keep stocked in the freezer. Some of the bowls and soups could pass as dinner, but I like these best for a quick lunch or breakfast. Depending on the specific meal, you either drop it into a saucepan or skillet to heat and eat. Or add nut milk and blend it up, for Daily Harvest’s protein-packed smoothies, oat bowls and lattes.

This is a completely plant-based meal delivery service and is great if you want to simplify your week and keep meals healthy. Daily Harvest uses lots of ancient grains, oats and trendy superfoods like chia, avocado and kabocha squash in its recipes, which are satisfying and mostly well-balanced in flavor. The brand recently expanded offerings to include flatbreads, which I wasn’t crazy about, and snacks and desserts such as low-calorie ice cream and protein bites.

Pricing: With so many different offerings and options you can build a box with whatever you’d like. Smoothies and chia bowls can be had for as little as $6 per serving with bigger meals like grain bowls, soups and flatbreads in the $8-$9 range. Daily Harvest usually has a nice new-customer deal good for $30 or $40 off your first order, so look out for that. 

Daily Harvest

40% off first box with code:

CNET40

Other meal delivery services I tried

  • Splendid Spoon: I liked this smoothie and bowl service, which scratches a similar itch as Daily Harvest. The difference is these meals and drinks are already made, so if you don’t care to do any blending or stir-frying, I’d say give it a shot. Read my full review here.
  • RealEats: RealEats is another one I liked and don’t have much bad to say about. The vacuum-sealed ready-to-heat meals were cooked well with lots of elegant flavor combos. In the end, this service a little more expensive than some others on the list with even the cheapest plan clocking in at nearly $13 per meal. But if you’re looking for something slightly elevated, I say give this one a try.
  • Territory Foods: This meal service supports area chefs by partnering with them to curate a menu of locally made and excellent eats. The food was some of the best I’ve tried, and I found the recipes diverse and interesting. Ultimately the cost — meals are between $14 and $18 — kept it out of the top. Full review here.
  • Factor: Factor’s food reminds me a lot of Fresh N Lean, with tons of lean and healthy recipes per week. The subscription service proved to be plenty edible, but I found Fresh N Lean meals to have a higher overall success rate and fewer misses. Full review here.
  • FreshlyFit: This is a branch of Freshly with more diet-friendly meals than the full menu. They weren’t bad, but there are other options I liked better in this lean category.
  • BistroMD: BistroMD sports a wide range of diet-friendly food and is aimed at those looking to lose weight. While some meals were tasty, others were bland and boring.
  • Ketogenic Diet-To-Go: This is another keto-friendly service, but I prefer Fresh N Lean or Pete’s Paleo offerings if you’re looking to go low-carb.
  • Sakara Life: This plant-based delivery service is Instagram-ready and sends fresh meals as salads and grain bowls, breakfast bites and snacks along with wellness teas. I found everything to be rather tasty, but the exorbitant price keeps it out of the top ranks. Full review here.
  • Snap Kitchen: Snap is another decent prepared meal service that had some big hits but also some serious misses. Read my full review here.
  • Provenance Meals: This plant-based meal service aims to be a dietary reset and sends frozen soups and grain bowls made from clean ingredients. The food is tasty but the big issue here is limited availability in the US along with the hefty cost per meal. 
  • FlexPro: These frozen keto meals were some of the worst I tried. I would not recommend the service. 
  • Nutrisystem: This diet food delivery service didn’t pass the taste test. Most meals were rubbery and lacked flavor.

10 Best Weight Loss Meal Delivery Services, According to Registered Dietitians

These meal kits and ready-to-eat dining solutions are satisfying and nutritious!

trifecta best weight loss meal delivery

TRIFECTA

Weight loss is frustrating to say the least; if it was easy, everyone would be able to lose weight and successfully keep it off. According to a recent review of 29 long-term weight loss studies, most people regain lost weight within five years. Common reasons for this include continued overindulging and eating high calorie and processed foods. Sedentary lifestyles and difficulty following restrictive diets also plays a role. This is where meal prep services and meal delivery services geared towards weight loss offer a possible healthy solution; they can provide balanced and healthy portions and great tasting, satisfying food that isn’t boring. These services can also offer social support through social media groups or nutrition coaches, because just like everything else in life, it’s easier to accomplish your goal when you have a team cheering you on.

Weight loss meal delivery services can help take the guesswork out of healthy eating and can get you into the habit of preparing nutritious meals,” says registered dietitian Stefani Sassos, Deputy Director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Nutrition Lab. “You’ll be able to learn new healthy cooking methods and try new foods that you may not have thought to incorporate into your diet before. Depending on the service you choose, many plans also offer additional dietary customizations such as gluten-free and vegetarian recipes, making it easy to manage your weight while working with your dietary preferences or allergies.”

The food and nutrition experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute conducted a three-month-long meal delivery service study with over 200 real-life home cooks and industry experts across the United States. We researched and evaluated over 40 services, including traditional meal kits, affordable meal delivery services for everyday life and semi-prepared and ready-to-eat meals. Using this data, our registered dietitians chose the best meal delivery services for weight loss.

We also want to acknowledge that weight loss, health and body image are complex subjects. Before embarking on any diet, we invite you gain a broader perspective by reading our exploration into the hazards of diet culture.
Here are the 10 best meal delivery services for weight loss according to our experts and testers:

  • 1BEST OVERALL MEAL DELIVERY SERVICEBistroMDRead MoreSHOP AT BISTROMD.COM
  • 2BEST MEAL DELIVERY SERVICE FOR TRACKING MACROSTrifectaRead MoreSHOP AT TRIFECTANUTRITION.COM
  • 3BEST KETO MEAL DELIVERY SERVICEFactor_Read MoreSHOP AT FACTOR75.COM
  • 4BEST HIGH FIBER MEAL DELIVERY SERVICESunbasketRead MoreSHOP AT SUNBASKET.COM
  • 5BEST VEGAN MEAL DELIVERY SERVICEVeestroRead MoreSHOP AT VEESTRO.COM

1

BEST OVERALL MEAL DELIVERY SERVICE

BistroMD

BISTROMD

SHOP AT BISTROMD.COM

  • Multiple menu options to choose from
  • All meals arrive frozen

This service was founded by medical doctor Caroline J. Cederquist and her husband after watching countless patients in her practice struggle with weight loss. The meals are designed specifically for healthy and sustainable weight loss and they also address issues such as heart health, diabetes and menopause. Most meals average between 280 to 350 calories. All meals are chef-prepared, created with registered dietitians and ready-to-eat in five minutes. BistroMD encourages users to join their private Facebook group to swap tips, and share goals and progress updates.

How it works: Start by selecting a program to fit your dietary needs, including a women’s and men’s weight loss program, gluten-free, diabetic, menopause and heart healthy. You can decide whether you want five or seven days worth of food for the week, and select from over 150 meals which come frozen and ready to pop in the oven or microwave. Favorite meals include artichoke spinach and roasted red pepper frittata with turkey sausage and grilled salmon with creamy pesto.

Lab lowdown: Testers raved about the variety of flavorful meal choices to chose from, commenting that they would “never get bored.” They also appreciated the “diet, nutrition and helpful weight loss tips available on the website.” Our registered dietitians loved that the meals are balanced, satisfying and science-backed.

PricingPricing ranges from approximately $150 – $220 depending on how many meals you order per week, plus a $19.95 shipping fee.
PackagingThe box, meal sleeves and insulation are all recyclable.
AvailabilityShips to every state in the continental United States. Does not ship to Alaska and Hawaii.

2

BEST MEAL DELIVERY SERVICE FOR TRACKING MACROS

Trifecta

TRIFECTA

SHOP AT TRIFECTANUTRITION.COM

  • Organic and locally sourced ingredients are used
  • Expensive

Trifecta is the official meal delivery partner of Crossfit. Rest assured, you don’t have to be an athlete to enjoy these meals. The chef-designed menu includes something that can fit into almost any diet including if your goal is to lose weight. Meals range from 350 to 500 calories, 20 to 40 grams of protein and moderate to low carbs. Ingredients are organic, locally sourced and gluten-free with wild caught seafood and grass-fed meats. Meals are delivered fresh and only require heating. This service also offers an app where you can track your nutrition and fitness goals.

How it works: Choose from a variety of meal plans including Paleo, keto, Whole30, vegan or vegetarian. Pesto chicken breast with veggies, roasted Brussels sprouts with quinoa and turkey bacon cheddar frittata are some of the popular meal choices. Meals arrive vacuum sealed and can last in your fridge for six to 10 days or in the freezer for up to three months.

Lab lowdown: Testers raved about the “variety of meals” and “convenience.” They reported portions were satisfying and having access to healthy meals made their week “stress-free.” Our experts appreciate the balanced, nutritious and sustainable ingredients and that the company provides community support. Customers can connect with other members and Trifecta’s team of experts on their Facebook nutrition group page.

PricingStarts at $99.99 for the plans and meal prep comes out to a minimum of $119.20 per delivery. Flat rate $9.99 shipping fee for all states except Alaska and Hawaii (AK and HI ship for $49.99).
PackagingBoxes are made with recyclable materials, and the plastic trays are food grade plastic and are 100% recyclable (just rinse them first).
AvailabilityShips everywhere in the US.

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3

BEST KETO MEAL DELIVERY SERVICE

Factor_

FACTOR

SHOP AT FACTOR75.COM

  • Meals are designed with registered dietitians
  • Individual meals not suitable for couples or families

Factor offers ready-to-eat, individually portioned meals that are designed by registered dietitians and chefs. Their “calorie smart” plan offers meals that are 550 calories or less. They also offer keto, vegan, chef’s choice and add-on proteins. Customers can schedule a free 20-minute nutrition consultation to help select the best meals for their individual tastes and preferences. They also offer more-in depth nutrition coaching programs with packages available for purchase for one to three months.

How it works: The menu rotates weekly meals and users start by choosing their dietary preference and how many meals per week they would like to receive, from four to 18. Calorie smart menu favorites include sour cream and chive chicken, and Peruvian shrimp bowl with red pepper cauliflower “grits.”

Lab Lowdown: Our testers loved the convenience factors, commenting that the meals were an “easy way to eat healthy food.” Other testers commented that the “variety of food, great flavor and generous portion sizes made life easier.” Our registered dietitians and experts appreciate the extra nutritional support offered to help customers build healthy habits.

Learn More:

PricingStarts at $11 per meal plus free shipping.
AvailabilityDelivery available in the 48 contiguous states except for Alaska and Hawaii.
PackagingBoxes are recyclable. Insulation is curbside recyclable. Gel packs are reusable and can be donated or can be drained into the trash. Food containers are BPA-free recyclable plastic #1.

4

BEST HIGH FIBER MEAL DELIVERY SERVICE

Sunbasket

ERIN SCOTT

SHOP AT SUNBASKET.COM

  • USDA-certified organic ingredients
  • Can be expensive

This service stands out for offering one of the widest ranges of dietary preferences and if you are looking for calorie conscious meals, their Lean & Clean plan is the one for you. All meals in this category are under 600 calories and contain at least 10 grams of protein and five grams of fiber. The Lean & Clean meals can be ordered ready to heat and eat or as a traditional meal kit with prepped ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes.

How it works: Choose from the weekly Lean & Clean menu or other popular weight management dietary options including paleo, carb-conscious, diabetes-friendly and Mediterranean. Select two or more dinners for two to four people. Favorite lean and clean menu options include Thai turkey salad with cabbage, basil and cashews and salmon with cilantro-lime sauce.

Lab Lowdown: Testers raved about the quality and ease of preparing the meals. “The variety, freshness and portion sizes were outstanding,” exclaimed one tester. Our dietitians and experts appreciate the fresh and flavorful, USDA-certified organic ingredients, inventive dishes and balanced nutritional profile.

Learn More:

PriceSunbasket’s Lean & Clean meals begin at $9.99 per serving. Shipping costs are an added $9.99.
PackagingWhen it comes to packaging and recyclability this company takes the lead. All packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable. There are also many links to recycling resources available on the company website.
AvailabilityAvailable everywhere in the continental United States, except for AK, HI, MT, ND and parts of NM.

5

BEST VEGAN MEAL DELIVERY SERVICE

Veestro

PORNCHAI MITTONGTARE

SHOP AT VEESTRO.COM

  • Generous portions
  • Limited breakfast options

We come in all shapes and sizes and everyone’s needs are different. A 1200 calorie diet may seem slight for some but may be perfect for others. Veestro offers a 1200-calorie meal plan and for those who require more calories, a la carte options are offered. All meals are chef-crafted, and arrive frozen and ready to heat and eat. They are 100% plant-based and made with ingredients that are more than 96% organic. Kosher, soy and gluten-free options are available.

How it works: Begin by selecting from one of two plans, a la carte or weight loss. Choose your dietary preferences, including high-protein, low-calorie, gluten-, soy- or nut-free, kosher and seasonal. The weight loss plan provides three meals a day for either five or seven days and averages at approximately 1200 daily calories. The a la carte option allows you to choose 10, 20 or 30 meals. Some favorite meals include portobello steak dinner and soba noodles in peanut sauce. Breakfast options are also available, although limited, and include menu items such as a breakfast burrito.

Lab Lowdown: Testers loved that the meals required little to no preparation and that they were satisfying with generous portions. Testers also commented that “coming home to these meals took the guesswork out of what to make for lunch and dinner and allowed more time for other activities instead of spending time preparing meals.”

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PriceMeals start at $9.99.
PackagingPackaging is 100% recyclable.
AvailabilityShipping is available to all contiguous 48 states.

6

BEST MEAL DELIVERY KIT FOR WW

Blue Apron

BLUE APRON

SHOP AT BLUEAPRON.COM

  • Provides WW recommend meals
  • Can be expensive

Blue Apron is one of the OG meal delivery services that made cooking at home enjoyable again. This service offers a few options in terms of weight loss and weight management. Choose the WW recommended meals that take into account calories, protein, sugar and saturated fats. There is also a Carb Conscious menu that emphasizes foods higher in fiber, including veggies and whole grains, and limits carbohydrates to 48 grams or less. Customers can join the Blue Apron community on Facebook and Instagram for social support.

How it works: Opt to feed two to four people with two, three or four meals per week. Choose meals from the Wellness menu which include WW-recommended offerings or the vegetarian menu which features meat-free dishes that rotate seasonally. Also, the nutritionist-approved wellness menu includes carb- conscious and WW selections, as well as meals that are 600 calories or less. Some favorite meals include couscous-stuffed poblano peppers, and sheet pan miso-ginger salmon.

Lab lowdown: Our testers loved the fresh ingredients and variety of proteins and spices. They found the recipes easy to follow with generous portions. Our registered dietitians appreciate that sugar, saturated fats and fiber were taken into consideration in their menus.

PricePrice per serving ranges from $7.99 to $11.99 depending upon the number of meals you order per week. Shipping is $9.99 or free with promotions. Discounts are available to first responders, teachers, students, military and medical staff.
AvailabilityDelivery is available to the contiguous United States.
Packaging85% of packaging is recyclable by weight.

7

BEST HIGH PROTEIN MEAL DELIVERY SERVICE

Fresh N Lean

FRESH N LEAN

SHOP AT FRESHNLEAN.COM

  • Ingredients are non-GMO and organically sourced
  • Breakfast options are limited

If it’s protein you are looking for, Fresh N Lean is the place to go. Their Protein + plan contains meals with an impressive 36 grams of protein, with a majority of menu items falling under 500 calories. This service is also notable for its diverse set of offerings including; keto, Whole30, Mediterranean, paleo, vegan and low carb vegan and most of which are under 500 calories. Meals can be prepared and ready-to-eat in five to seven minutes in the oven or three minutes in the microwave. If you follow plant-based diet, the Vegan Low Carb meals contain approximately 300 calories, 13 grams of protein, 33 grams of carbs and 11 grams of fat per meal.

How it works: Begin by selecting your plan, either five days or seven days and select breakfast, lunch and/or dinner. Add any allergies and food preferences. The menu is updated weekly and nutritional information for each meal is available on the company website. Protein + menu options include grass fed steak with roasted broccoli and ginger sesame rice and teriyaki chicken breast with green beans and quinoa. The Vegan Low Carb menu options include, ginger glazed yams with black beans and roasted veggies, and a lentil bowl with potatoes and plant-based meatballs. Breakfast options include zucchini and bell pepper frittata on Protein + and a limited menu of chia puddings on the Vegan Low Carb.

Lab lowdown: Testers gave the service top scores for variety of dietary preferences, convenience and fresh-tasting meals, as well as commenting on how satisfying the meals were. Our registered dietitians appreciate the diversity of menu options and that ingredients are non-GMO and organically sourced.

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PriceMeals start at approximately $10 per meal, and you can choose up to three meals a day for five or seven days.
PackagingPacking is recyclable including box, food containers, padding and insulation.
AvailabilityAvailable everywhere in the continental United States.

FRESHLY

SHOP AT FRESHLY.COM

  • Meals arrive fresh not frozen
  • Meal containers are not safe for oven or stovetops

Staying true to it name, Freshly delivers fresh, ready-to-eat meals that can be on the table in under three minutes. This service meets a wide variety of dietary needs including gluten and dairy-free, plant-based, low-carb and calorie-conscious meals. Calorie-conscious meals are 550 calories or less and carb-conscious meals contain less than 20 grams of carbs. All meals are chef-prepared and single-serve.

How it works: Choose from over 35 menu options and how many meals you would like to receive, between four and 12 per week. The FreshlyFit menu contains the calorie and carb-conscious meals. New meals are added weekly and contain options such as grilled lemon-tahini chicken and baked turkey meatballs and zoodles. Meals can be heated in a microwave or oven.

Lab lowdown: Our experts appreciate that multiple dietary preferences are taken into consideration. Testers loved the convenience factor of heating and eating; one tester commented that “week day lunches are now a breeze.” Multiple testers commented on the freshness of ingredients, “perfect” portion sizes and flavorful meals.

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PriceMeals start at $8.99 each plus shipping, and you can choose from four to 12 meals per week.
AvailabilityAvailable to the to the lower 48 states, excluding Alaska and Hawaii.
PackagingBoxes, plastic meal containers and cardboard sleeves are recyclable.

TERRITORY FOODS

SHOP AT TERRITORYFOODS.COM

  • Meals are designed with registered dietitians
  • Delivery area is limited

This service offers multiple diet varieties with meals designed by local chefs and registered dietitians. All meals are ready to eat in under two minutes and are free from dairy, gluten and refined grains. If you are looking for weight conscious meals, there are multiple options, including meals under 500 calories, and the Low Carb menu contains less than 30 grams of carbs per dish. Each meal comes with easy-to-follow macronutrient breakdowns, portion size information and full ingredient details including the inspiration behind the dish.

How it works: Choose between different dietary preferences such as Paleo, Low Carb, Keto Friendly, Plant Based, Whole30, Mediterranean, Pre & postpartum and <500 calories. Menus rotate often and include seasonal ingredients. Some of the favorite <500 calorie and low carb meals include pesto spaghetti squash with Italian sausage, and grilled salmon with creamy spinach and cauliflower. You can choose add-ons such as lemon turmeric cashew bites and grilled salmon.

Lab lowdown: Testers gave the service top scores for large portion sizes, convenience of ready-to-eat meals and variety. Our registered dietitians appreciated the in-depth nutritional profile of the food, inspiration notes on each meal and macronutrient breakdowns.

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PricePricing varies based on menu items, but most meals start at about $10. Choose from two plans, the first being subscription ordering which automatically places your order for the following week and saves you 5% on your weekly purchase. The one-time ordering option is also available.
AvailabiltyTerritory delivers all across the nation and is still growing. You can check on their website if they serve your particular area.
PackagingAll meals come in environmentally-friendly and compostable packaging.

DINNERLY

SHOP AT DINNERLY.COM

  • Extremely affordable
  • Recipes only available digitally

Dinnerly is consistently our top pick for being the most affordable meal kit delivery system. They offer multiple dietary options, including low calorie (650 calories or less), low carb (40 grams of carbs or less) and keto-friendly dishes (20 grams of carbs or less and higher in fat and protein). Meals are quick and easy to prepare in 30 minutes or less with minimal ingredients. Recipes are developed by a chef and dietitian and include extensive nutritional information.

How it works: Choose from either a two-person or four-person family plan box. The menu changes weekly and customers can choose from over 40 meal options per week including plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free meals, in addition to others. Recipe cards are available online or on the company app. Favorite weight loss menu options include low-cal chicken fajita tacos, low-cal and low-carb miso-glazed salmon and low-carb eggplant parmesan bake. Subscribers can also add on chicken breast if more lean protein is desired.

Lab lowdown: Our testers continue to give Dinnerly a high satisfaction rating due to “large portion sizes, delicious flavor and easy-to-follow recipes.” Our experts and dietitians appreciate the affordability for healthy, nutritious food.

PriceMeals start at $4.99 per serving. Shipping is $9.99.
AvailabilityDelivery is available to most of the contiguous United States.
PackagingPackaging, including the box and separator, can be recycled in any curbside paper recycling bin. The thermal liner is curbside recyclable. Bottles and containers can be disposed in plastic recycling bins.

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