Meal kit delivery services are supposed to make your life easier. And they do, once you pick one. But with the field of services expanding rapidly in recent years, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the options. Whether you’re going vegan, cooking for a family of six, or just looking to find your legs in the kitchen, there’s probably a service that caters to your needs. Some meal kits send you premade meals, while others send ingredients paired with recipes, and a few more are grocery delivery services. All of them aim to make the process of planning and cooking meals more convenient, and how well they do that varies.
I’ve tested more than two dozen meal kit delivery services over the past few years, and I’ve retested several in this guide to ensure accuracy. Few are outright bad, so picking the right one for you comes down to lifestyle. I’m an experienced home cook, and I don’t have dietary restrictions or picky dietary preferences, but I looked for plant-based meals along with more omnivorous options. I also had help taste-testing from lifelong vegans, finicky children, and my cat (by accident). Taking into account the recipes, ingredients, ease of use, amount of packaging waste, and the fact that every home chef has different needs, you’ll find the best meal delivery services below.
Updated January 2025: We’ve added Gardencup and new photos of Gobble, plus double-checked links and prices.
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PRICE: Despite any marketing claims to the contrary, meal kits cost more than buying groceries. However, they usually cost less than takeout and are healthier. If you want to gauge whether the trade-off is worth it, the good news is that much like mattress-in-a-box companies, meal kit companies usually have some running promotions. Most meal kit pricing models offer bulk discounts: The more meals you purchase per week, the lower each serving’s price will be. We go into detail on dietary restrictions and subscription costs below. If you ever want to skip a week or cancel, you can find that information in the account section on your chosen service’s website.
WIRED: Meal kits are convenient; I didn’t have to worry about planning dinner, grocery shopping, or panic-eating junk food after forgetting to eat a proper meal during the day. Learning to cook with one of the best meal delivery services can instill confidence and impart basic knowledge. If you’re busy, or can’t be bothered, meal kits may be just what you need to get cookin’, and cooking at home is never a bad thing. Meal kits may be right for you if you’re cooking for a small household, if you work nontraditional hours, if you hate figuring out what to make for dinner, if you want to stop ordering out all the time, or if you are trying to develop your cooking skills.
TIRED: Nothing beats learning how to cook the old-fashioned way, so be sure to try that, too. It’s cheaper and you learn more if you pick out fruit yourself or break down a whole chicken for $5. You simply don’t get that experience if everything arrives at your door and the chicken parts come prepackaged. Planning and shopping at the grocery store is an integral part of the art of cooking. Meal kits are also generally more wasteful than traditional home cooking, and often more expensive. Meal kits may be the wrong choice for you if you are on a tight budget, if you’re cooking for a large household, or if you want tighter control over the specific ingredients you’ll be using.
What if I Have Allergies, a Specific Diet, or Go on Vacation a Lot?
You’re probably covered. Most meal kit services have a way to filter out common allergens or dietary preferences, and most recipes have specific nutritional information listed so you’ll always be informed. And if you travel a lot, it’s usually easy to head to your account settings and skip a week, pause your plan, or cancel it altogether. These factors vary by service, but we’ve listed some specifics below.
For each service below, I tested a minimum of three meals, following recipe instructions exactly. I mostly made them for dinner and prioritized testing a mix of proteins and required culinary skills (for example, testing a one-pan meal in addition to a more complex protein, side dish, and pan sauce meal). I aimed to test a variety of dishes that would be appealing to many people, including veggie-forward options and meals that would be quick to make for a family versus meals that would be good for a date night in.