The Ultimate Meal Kit Review You Never Knew You Needed

I love cooking and find great joy when I am able to make a freshly prepared meal. I especially love it when the ingredients I need are neatly delivered right to my doorstep. I’ll admit, initially I was embarrassed when I would tell people that most of my homecooked meals came from meal kits. But after seeing how much easier my life has become, I’ve got #NoRegrets. I’ve been using various services for three years now and my life has been transformed in a number of ways…

1. My stress level is greatly reduced. Asking “what do I want for dinner?” every day and opening an empty fridge was tiring. So was running to the grocery store at rush hour just to buy a single avocado because I forgot I ran out.
2. My health is benefitting. Because the ingredients are typically fresh and locally sourced, I know I’m putting good food into my body. That beats ordering greasy takeout or heating up a frozen pizza in the oven.
3. My wallet is happier. I’ve crunched the numbers and because I’m ordering these meals for just one, I save A TON of money. Figure this. A typical takeout or dine in experience runs you between $15 and $25. A typical week’s worth of meals runs you between $60 and $70 dollars with meal kits. There’s rarely been a time when grocery shopping or ordering takeout has worked out to be cheaper.

Below you’ll find reviews on eight of the best services out there. But first, a few quick notes:

• These meals are designed for two to cook and share. If you fall into the “I have no friends and I live alone” category like me, it’s important to note the prep and cook times for most meals is usually 10 to 15 minutes longer than listed and you will ALWAYS have leftovers.
• For pricing of each box, I rounded to the nearest full dollar amount (most meals are $9.99 per serving so the actual total is a few cents cheaper than I list).
• Although I have included referral links throughout this post, I am not being sponsored to provide my opinions on these meal kits.

Home Chef

Pricing: $60 for 3 meals (6 servings) or $80 for 4 meals (8 servings)

Meal Options: 11 plus options to add breakfast meal kits.

Delivery Options: Tuesday through Friday

Meal Prep: Straightforward and stress-free 90% of the time.

Cancellation Process: You can “pause” your subscription by going to your settings.

Home Chef will always have a special place in my heart because it was the first meal kit service I tried. It’s still relatively lesser known than some competitors but that’s part of the charm. For several years, they’ve kept their recipes easy to follow and the ingredients simple to apply, making it a surefire bet that you’ll have delicious meals every time.

Give it a try for $30 off your first order.

Hello Fresh

Pricing: $60 for 3 meals (6 servings) or $80 for 4 meals (8 servings)

Meal Options: 8

Delivery Options: Tuesday through Saturday

Meal Prep: Mostly stress-free. There’s an occasional step that’ll make you slam a spoon in confusion but otherwise, you’ll walk out unscathed.

Cancellation Ease: Cancellation is easy online, but HelloFresh is irritating after the fact. They have called me several times to “understand why I canceled”. I have several blocked numbers on my phone as a result.

A tried and true favorite of mine, Hello Fresh is by far the most aggressive in their marketing and pursuit of new customers. Fortunately, they have products that live up to the hype. With every order, they send you a detailed list of nutritional information as well so there’s never a question about what you’re eating. Recently they introduced a wine pairing service, so now you can get your eat and your drink on with a few simple clicks.

Give it try for $40 off your first order or use code 22263GVHTV at checkout.

Blue Apron

Pricing: $60 for 3 meals (6 servings)

Meal Options: 8

Delivery Options: Tuesday through Friday

Meal Prep: Stressful more often than not. Part of the appeal of Blue Apron is their more advanced recipes but frequent re-reading of instructions means more time spent prepping which just makes me hungrier.

Cancellation Ease: Last time I ordered I had to contact customer service to cancel my order. Afterword they sent a link to cancel. Since then I’ve just saved that link whenever I want to pause my subscription.

Of all the meal kit delivery options, Blue Apron wins the award for most improved. For years, they had a small selection, high prices and even more limitations on what you could order. For example, if you ordered a steak option, Blue Apron would limit you from ordering 2 chicken dishes or a pork and fish option as well. Now the options are unlimited. Even better, they now have a wine pairing service as well. I save Blue Apron for when I know I’ll have time to dedicate to making more intricate meals. Many of their recipes I’ve gone back to replicate myself with store bought ingredients.

Green Chef

Pricing: $81 for 3 meals (6 servings) with the Omnivore Plan. Other plans vary based on your selection.

Meal Options: You have no option to select individual meals. Based on your meal plan style selection you are automatically sent three meals.

Delivery Options: Tuesday through Friday

Meal Prep: Stressful.

Cancellation Ease: Last time I ordered I had to contact customer service to cancel my order. Afterword they’d send a link to cancel since then I’ve just saved that link whenever I want to pause my subscription.

I tried Green Chef once and never tried it again. Green Chef is for folks with a little more money, a high level of patience, and a taste for adventurous meals. I found that all 3 dishes I made there was at least one ingredient I had no idea how to pronounce. One dish I made required a mushroom paste that congealed leaving me with no sauce. However, since my last order, it seems like they’ve made several improvements. Many of the options are uber healthy; they include the option to have a Vegan, Paleo, Vegetarian, Keto or Gluten Free meal plans, but there’s nothing alluring, or appetizing enough on a consistent basis to make me order from Green Chef more than once.

Get 4 free servings with your first order. 

Marley Spoon

Pricing: $62 for 3 meals (6 servings) $76 for 4 meals (8 servings)

Meal Options: 10

Delivery Options: Tuesday through Saturday

Meal Prep: Average. Some of the fancier recipes caused small amounts of frustration but most of the recipes are simple to prep and create while still maintaining a level of uniqueness.

Cancellation Ease: Easy online option to cancel under your settings

Marley Spoon is Martha Stewart’s meal delivery service. When I placed my first order I was extremely excited to see what bougie meals she would curate and trust, she didn’t disappoint. Overall the meals are great but a little pricier and there have been a couple of duds, not because they weren’t good, just because they were too fancy to be practically prepared and enjoyed meals.

Plated

Pricing: $50 for 2 meals (4 servings), $72 for 3 meals (6 servings) or $96 for 4 meals (8 servings)

Meal Options: 20 (you also have the option to add desserts)

Delivery Options: Tuesday to Saturday

Meal Prep: Average.

Cancellation Ease: Cancelling online is easy, but they do require you to select a reason.

My main issue with Plated is their inconsistency. They are the most frequent culprits of missing ingredients and late deliveries. Once they sent me a generic tilapia instead of haddock and I threw a fit with their customer service like a middle-aged mother who had coupons get denied at Target. Their meal options are a little bit more adventurous than the others though so when they’ve got it together, they’re great and have frequently introduced me to new meal ideas.

Try your first box for free.

Sunbasket

Pricing: $79 for 3 meals (6 servings) or $95 for 4 meals (8 servings)

Meal Options: 18

Delivery Options: Sunday through Wednesday

Meal Prep: Low stress.

Cancellation Ease: I had to email to cancel. Hopefully they add an online option soon.

Sunbasket has the potential to be great, but the higher per meal price point and shipping stop them from being a viable contender for frequent orders. It’s a shame because they offered some of the best recipes and unique spice blends that other brands don’t have.

Give it a try and get $40 off your first order. 

Terra’s Kitchen

Pricing: Prices vary depending on how many and what specific meals you order but typically it averages out to about $72 per order.

Meal Options: Endless it seems, every time I check the site there’s more and more to pick from. At least 50 options

Delivery Options: Tuesday through Saturday

Meal Prep: Easy and stress-free. Because all ingredients are prechopped you literally just need to combine and cook.

Cancellation Ease: You can cancel online with no hassle under your account settings

I tried Terra’s kitchen once and that was enough for me. There are many things that seem like pros but also can be negatives. For example, they have a huge selection of meal options to choose from, but that large option makes picking time-consuming. The biggest con is in the delivery and prep. All the food is pre-chopped which while time saving takes away from the excitement of still being able to chop your own veggies. As a result, all of the food comes in wasteful plastic containers which are all stored in a large reusable and refrigerated vessel which is HEAVY. I took several attempts at deep squatting to pick up the box and bring it inside my house. I then had to then take the box back out to be picked up the next day. Terra’s Kitchen turned out to be more stress than it was worth.

Give it a try and get $40 off your first order. 

Have you tried any of these meal kits? Is there any I missed that you absolutely love? Let me know in the comments below!