Are Cheap Meal Kit Services Any Good? I Tested a Bunch to Find Out
Getting quality meals delivered to your doorstep doesn't have to break the bank, thanks to these services.
Our Experts
What to consider
Cost
Meal kit or prepared meal delivery
Healthiness
Number of meals per week
Our Picks
What to consider
Cost
Meal kit or prepared meal delivery
Healthiness
Number of meals per week
EveryPlate has the cheapest meal kits of any service I tried.
What's the cheapest meal delivery service?
I like cooking at home and I like it even more when someone does the shopping for me, but meal kits have always seemed unnecessary, considering the price. In 2024, that's not the case. Meal kits and meal delivery services might seem expensive at first, but fortunately, that's not true anymore. Grocery prices have surged over the past few years, but meal kits have stayed fairly stable, making these easy mealtime helpers an even better bargain in 2024.
Don't believe me? I did the math and, when compared with the cost of buying groceries, meal kits are often cheaper than doing all the shopping yourself.
So what's the best cheap meal delivery service? I tested more than a dozen to find out and have rounded up options for services as cheap as $6 a serving. The absolute cheapest meal kits are from Dinnerly and EveryPlate. I've tested EveryPlate three times, and the budget-friendly option holds steady at the top of my list as best cheap meal kit option for 2024.
There are other budget-friendly picks to consider. I found affordable services that send healthy vegan meals and meal kits for $5 or $6 per meal. If you want to kick things up a bit, there are meal kit services that include steak and seafood in the standard plan without those extra charges for premium entrees.
Cheapest meal delivery services for 2024
I restested EveryPlate and it's still my favorite cheap meal kit service.
- Excellent value with plans starting at $6 a serving
- Easy to execute and tons of family-friendly options
- Not as many healthy options
- No customization allowed
I restested EveryPlate and it's still my favorite cheap meal kit service.
I restested EveryPlate and it's still my favorite cheap meal kit service.
The bottom line: EveryPlate's affordable meal kits were all solid and I found them easy to execute. This is also the cheapest meal kit, with plans as low as $6 a serving. EveryPlate meal kits are easy to prepare and I loved everything I made in multiple rounds of testing.
EveryPlate's plans and website are simple, they're intuitive and the food is satisfying. There are twenty-seven recipes per week, typically one featuring chicken or ground beef, a few pork chop recipes and a few plant-based meals. You won't get beef or seafood unless you shell out for premium meals, and there aren't many options for vegans.
That said, I tested EveryPlate and was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked the meals. You won't find much high-end, upscale cuisine or complicated recipes, but you will find satisfying comfort food, such as hoisin meatloaf with mashed potatoes, cheeseburgers, umami pork chops and sweet potato quesadillas.
All the ingredients required for my three meal kits arrived in one box looking fresh.
- Huge recipe selection
- More healthy options than other budget services
- As cheap as meal kits gets
- Some recipes are bland and boring
- Meals were hit or miss
All the ingredients required for my three meal kits arrived in one box looking fresh.
All the ingredients required for my three meal kits arrived in one box looking fresh.
The bottom line: Dinnerly wasn't my favorite meal kit service but it lands on this list because it is one of the cheapest. The service sports a big selection of easy recipes, more than 45 in a given week, with plans starting at $5 a serving -- prices will go down if you increase the number of meals. This is the perfect service for families with picky eaters trying to eat well on a budget.
Dinnerly is another cheap meal kit. Much like EveryPlate, Dinnerly has a lot of comfort foods such as ravioli with spinach and parmesan sauce, carne asada tacos and chicken pad thai. Dinnerly has an enormous menu of recipes -- typically more than 100 to choose from in a given week.
While EveryPlate's recipe are tighter and generally more successful, Dinnerly has roughly four times the number of options in its weekly menu. If you're feeding a crowd of four or five with specific tastes, Dinnerly is more likely to have recipes that hit given all the choice this cheap service offers.
A spread of Mosaic'd plant-based prepared meals.
- Food is some of the best we tried
- Hearty and filling recipes
- Skillful use of plant-based proteins like jackfruit and lentils
- Vegan pizzas are just OK
- The occasional bland meal
A spread of Mosaic'd plant-based prepared meals.
A spread of Mosaic'd plant-based prepared meals.
The bottom line: This plant-based meal delivery service had some of the best, healthy prepared meals of any service I tried. Meals are also affordable.
I sampled about 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 bold 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.
Mosaic offers plant-based bowls, flatbreads, oat bowls and smoothies for a quick breakfast. Most meals are about $11 but its family meals, which feed four people, cost $20. It's an affordable way to get dinner on the table for a family looking to cut meat out one or several nights per week.
You can choose one of three plans, choose between six, 12 and 18 meals, and either select your own food or let Mosaic pick for you. Meals are easy to freeze and subscription is easy to pause or cancel in case you want to take a break or meals start piling up in the fridge and freezer.
A recent independent analysis found that Blue Apron meal kits have the most environmentally friendly packaging.
- A standard plan includes steak and seafood recipes
- Recipes are interesting and easy to make
- Excellent value if you choose a larger plan
- Some produce was a little overripe
- Fewer options than other services
A recent independent analysis found that Blue Apron meal kits have the most environmentally friendly packaging.
A recent independent analysis found that Blue Apron meal kits have the most environmentally friendly packaging.
The bottom line: Blue Apron is a classic example of a quality meal delivery service. One of the original providers of this service, it also stands out for eco-friendliness.
Blue Apron is one of the original meal kit services and it's also one of the best. Blue Apron topped our list of best meal delivery services for 2024 with a wide range of excellent recipes, all for an affordable price. Plans start at $5 a serving when you choose one of the larger plans. by comparison, HelloFresh and Home Chef subscriptions start at $10 a serving, for meal kits plus shipping.
With Blue Apron, you can order bistro steaks and roasted trout dinners even when you sign up for the standard plan. Most other services charge extra for those premium proteins. In addition to solid meal kits, Blue Apron is the most eco-friendly service of the major players, according to a recent study.
Blue Apron also has a solid wine pairing program for date night and a series of special menus for big food holidays such as Thanksgiving, Super Bowl and Fourth of July.
This harvest bowl has chunks of avocado which do not taste great when warmed.
- Healthy meals for breakfast and lunch
- Shipping is free over $40
- Some of the bowls an noodle dishes are just OK
- Smoothies can be sneakily high in sugar
This harvest bowl has chunks of avocado which do not taste great when warmed.
This harvest bowl has chunks of avocado which do not taste great when warmed.
The bottom line: For simple and healthy breakfasts and lunches with almost no fuss, Daily Harvest has loads of superfood-packed smoothies, soups, snacks and bowls to stock the fridge, many of them costing under $10.
Daily Harvest isn't a traditional meal kit company but rather sends healthy, plant-based smoothies, soups and grain bowls to your door, starting at $7 a meal. When I tried Daily Harvest, I loved the interesting smoothie combos such as a chocolate blueberry smoothie with greens, banana and almond butter. The heartier meals are great too, like the cauliflower rice and pesto harvest bowl with cashews and spinach.
The best value is in Daily Harvest's vegan, gluten-free pasta and rice dishes which cost just $10 but contain two generous servings of plant-based eats. I liked all the pastas I tried, which need only to be warmed and eaten, and found them to be a particularly good deal versus some of the other meals.
Speaking of easy, you won't need more than a saucepan, toaster or blender to prepare most of the meals, and most can be made in as little as 5 minutes. Everything is either frozen when it arrives or easily frozen to be thawed and eaten later which alleviates any stress associated with eating your delivery of food before it spoils.
HelloFresh has more than 50 recipes to pick from every week.
- Massive selection of recipes
- Recipes are customizable
- The menu can be overwhelming
- Not every recipe works
HelloFresh has more than 50 recipes to pick from every week.
HelloFresh has more than 50 recipes to pick from every week.
The bottom line: It doesn't get much easier than HelloFresh. This service has tons of cheap meal kit options, more than 30 per week, and allows you to add proteins or extra servings to keep the whole crew fed and happy.
HelloFresh costs a bit more per serving than EveryPlate or Dinnerly -- $5 a serving if you order more than two meal kits a week -- but this budget-friendly meal delivery service affords you more recipe options and I'd contend the recipes and ingredients are of a higher caliber too.
HelloFresh has as many as 50 dinner meal kits per week, so it is nearly impossible not to find something you'll like. HelloFresh also has five or six plant-based recipes a week, making it the best cheap meal kit service for vegetarians.
Cheapest meal kits compared
| Service | Recipes per week | Diets good for | Starting price per serving | Shipping per box | CNET rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EveryPlate | 25+ | Vegetarian, gluten-free | $6 | $10 | 8.8 |
| Dinnerly | 100+ | Vegetarian, keto, paleo, gluten-free, diabetic, pescetarian | $8 | $12 | 7.4 |
| Mosaic Foods | 80 | Vegan, vegetarian, paleo, gluten-free, low-calorie | $6 | $10 or free for orders of 12 items | 9.2 |
| Blue Apron | 100+ | Vegetarian, low-calorie, gluten-free, pescetarian | $5 | $11 | 9.0 |
| Daily Harvest | 80+ | Organic, whole fruits and vegetables, dairy-free, gluten-free | $8 | $10 | 9.0 |
| Hello Fresh | 30+ | Vegan, vegetarian, keto, gluten-free, low-calorie, Whole30, families, picky eaters | $5 | $10 | 9.0 |
Cheapest prepared meal services compared
| Service | Subscription only | Meals offered | Meals options per week | Diets good for | Price per serving | Shipping per box | CNET rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mosaic Foods | Yes | Lunch, dinner | 80 | Vegan, vegetarian | $6-$12 | $8 | 9.2 |
| Daily Harvest | No | Breakfast, lunch, dinner | 80+ | Vegan, vegetarian, low-calorie, Whole30, paleo | $8-$10 | Free | 8.8 |
How we test meal kits and meal delivery services
We cooked our way through dozens of meal kits from all of the most popular services.
Over the past few years, I've tested nearly every meal kit delivery and prepared meal delivery service I could get my mitts on, and that includes the best budget meal delivery services. Many of the menu options for the meal delivery services I've listed include nutritious plant-based food or high-protein recipes with lots of veggies and lean meats.
To test each cheap meal delivery service, I tried at least four and sometimes as many as 10 meals from any given service. I always choose a range of meals from the various menus and meal plan offerings. For instance, if a meal subscription service offers vegan or vegetarian meals I was sure to try at least one. I also mixed up the cuisine types to include pasta, meat dishes, bowls and other various styles offered by the brand.
To test the best cheap meal kits, there was another set of standards and protocols to adhere to. Here's more on how we test meal kits at CNET.
Factors to consider when choosing a cheap meal delivery service
Cost
After you've picked between meal kits or meal delivery, you'll want to find a service within your budget. There are meal kits with recipes for as cheap as $6 a serving with basic menus and no-frills recipes. More expensive services include recipes with more exotic ingredients, high-end cuts of meat and organic produce, but can cost as much as $15 or $20 a serving.
Meal kit or prepared meal delivery
The first big decision you'll make is whether you want meal kits, which require some prep and cooking, or a prepared meal service that sends fully cooked meals ready to heat and eat. Meal kits will demand more of your time and energy but they'll also cost a little less per serving. Prepared meals require almost no time and energy, other than what it takes to actually eat the food, but typically run a few dollars more per serving.
Blue Apron is budget-friendly and includes steak and seafood options.
Healthiness
While most meal delivery services have healthy options, some are much healthier than others. If you're keen on eating low-calorie, low-carb, plant-based or pescatarian food, certain meal kits and meal delivery services are better than others. This list of the healthiest meal delivery services for 2024 is a good place to find the most nutritious options.
Thistle meals are as healthy as they get and show up fresh. Here's what I thought of the prepared meal service.
Number of meals per week
With almost every service, the more meals or servings are in your order per delivery, the cheaper it becomes per meal. Ideally, you'll want to determine exactly how much food makes sense for your household. If you can't imagine yourself cooking more than twice per week, don't order more than two meal kits because they typically won't last more than a week in the fridge.
Most prepared meals either arrive frozen or can be frozen after unboxing. That means it's less of an issue if you order too many meals on your first go-around. Most services allow you to change the number of meals or servings in your plan even after you've started.
Daily Harvest is one of the healthiest and cheapest meal delivery services we tried.
Why you should trust us
Our meal delivery experts have logged more than five years and have cooked more than 75 meal kits, and tested more than 100 prepared meals, from popular services to help land on our list of the best cheapest meal delivery services in 2024.
Cheap meal delivery FAQs
What is the cheapest meal delivery service?
Blue Apron and Hello Fresh are the cheapest meal kits, with most plans clocking in around $5 per serving. Mosaic Foods and EveryPlate are in the next tier with portions for $6 per serving.
With family meals clocking in at $6 a serving and single meals around $11, Mosaic Foods is the cheapest prepared meal service we've tested. Fresh N Lean also has prepared meals for around $9 or $10 each, depending on how many you order. Meal delivery services like Daily Harvest and Splendid Spoon have meals for similar prices but are focused more on grain bowls and smoothies and might be better for breakfast or lunch versus dinner.
What is the best meal delivery service for weight loss?
When it comes to meal kits, your options are many, and most services provide weekly recipes that are low on calories but still filling. HelloFresh has the most recipes per week of any meal kit service, so that might be your best bet for finding consistent meals that keep your diet goals on track. But all meal delivery services list the calorie content for each recipe, along with carbs, protein, sugar and sodium.
Depending on your weight loss goals, a healthy prepared meal delivery or meal kit service can help. Fresh N Lean, Pete's Real Food and Daily Harvest all have low-calorie meals to choose from.
What's the difference between meal kits and premade meal delivery?
Some of the services listed here are healthy prepared meal delivery services, sending fully cooked meals -- often frozen or partially frozen -- and ready to eat when you receive them. Others include health-focused meal kits with premeasured ingredients all boxed up and ready for easy weeknight cooking. There's a stark difference between meal kits and meal delivery, but both make dinnertime easier and can translate into healthier eating choices for you in 2024. Plus, we sussed out the best healthy meal delivery services for those on special diets like keto or paleo or for those who wish to eat organic prepared meals and meal kits.