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. 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.

Our list of the healthiest meal delivery services for is a good place to find the most nutritious options. 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.

That means it's less of an issue if you order too many meals on your first go-around. 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.

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 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.

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 Plus, we sussed out the best healthy meal services for those on special diets like keto or paleo or for those who wish to eat organic prepared meals and meal kits.

Wellness Nutrition. Written by David Watsky. Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement. David lives in Brooklyn where he's spent more than a decade covering all things edible, including meal kit services, food subscriptions, kitchen tools and cooking tips.

Since earning a BA in English from Northeastern in Boston, he's toiled in nearly every aspect of the food business, including as a line cook in Rhode Island where he once made a steak sandwich for Lamar Odom. Right now, he's likely somewhere stress-testing a blender or researching the best way to make bacon.

Anything with sesame is his all-time favorite food this week. Expertise Kitchen tools, appliances, food science, subscriptions and meal kits. See full bio. Why You Can Trust CNET. Table of Contents Top. Cheapest Meal Delivery Services of What's the best cheap meal delivery service?

Cheapest meal delivery services for Cheapest prepared meal services compared. How we test meal kits and meal delivery services. Factors to consider when choosing a meal delivery service. Why you should trust us. Cheap meal delivery FAQs. Back to selection. See at EveryPlate. Best cheap meal kits overall.

See at Fresh N' Lean. Best cheap prepared meal delivery overall. See at Dinnerly. Best cheap meal kits for picky eaters. See at Mosaic Foods. Best cheap vegan meals. See at Blue Apron. Best cheap meal kits that include steak and seafood.

See at Daily Harvest. Best cheap meal delivery for breakfast and lunch. See at HelloFresh. Best cheap meal kits for diet and weight loss. FILTER BY all Meal Kit Prepared Meal. Showing 7 of 7 Results.

Editors' choice. Show less. CNET rating out of 10 8. Cons Not as many healthy options No customization allowed. Type Meal Kit. Good for Healthy, family-friendly, comfort food, picky eaters, quick and easy. Full Review Read full review.

See at EveryPlate Best cheap meal kits overall EveryPlate. Show expert take Show less. CNET rating out of 10 9. Pros Food mostly tastes great Good for diets and healthy eating plans. Cons Expensive if you only order fewer than 10 meals per week.

Type Prepared Meal. Meal options per week Good for Keto, paleo, Whole30, gluten-free Mediterranean, vegan, vegetarian, high-protein. See at Fresh N' Lean Best cheap prepared meal delivery overall Fresh N Lean.

CNET rating out of 10 7. Pros Huge recipe selection More healthy options than other budget services. Cons Some recipes are bland and boring. Regional Availability Continental United States.

See at Dinnerly Best cheap meal kits for picky eaters Dinnerly. png","caption":" ","credits":"Mosaic Foods meal delivery service","imageData":{"id":"1cb0d31acfa-a2ea-2ad6b","filename":"mosaic. Pros Food is some of the best we tried Hearty and filling recipes.

Cons Vegan pizzas are just OK. Type Prepared meal. Good for Vegan, vegetarian, paleo, gluten-free, low-calorie. See at Mosaic Foods Best cheap vegan meals Mosaic Foods. Pros A standard plan includes steak and seafood recipes Recipes are interesting and easy to make.

Cons Some produce was a little overripe. Recipes per week Good for Vegetarian, low-calorie, gluten-free, pescetarian. Anything with sesame is his all-time favorite food this week. Expertise Kitchen tools, appliances, food science, subscriptions and meal kits. See full bio. Why You Can Trust CNET.

Table of Contents Top. Best Meal Delivery Services of What's the best meal delivery service? Best meal delivery services of Home Chef. Meal delivery services compared.

Factors to consider when choosing a meal delivery service. How we tested meal kit services. Other meal delivery services we tested.

Meal delivery service FAQs. See at Blue Apron. Best for meal kits. See at Fresh N' Lean. Best prepared meal delivery service.

See at Pete's Paleo. Best for gluten-free meal delivery service. See at CookUnity. Best meal delivery with a variety of recipes. See at Mosaic Foods. Best for prepared plant-based meal delivery.

See at HelloFresh. Best meal delivery service for families. See at Factor. Best meal delivery service for weight loss. See at Purple Carrot. Best plant-based meal kit service.

See at Green Chef. Best for organic meal kits. See at EveryPlate. Cheapest meal kit service. See at Home Chef. Best meal kits for eating keto. FILTER BY all Meal Kit Prepared Meal. Showing 11 of 11 Results. Show less. Pros Steak and seafood options are included in a standard meal plan Affordable if you choose more than two recipes per week.

Cons Fewer recipe options than other services Doesn't allow for much customization. Type Meal kit. Recipes per week Good for Vegetarian, pescatarian, diabetes-friendly, low-calorie, picky eaters, quick meals. Diet types: Vegetarian, diabetes-friendly, wellness, family-friendly, fast and easy.

See at Blue Apron Best for meal kits Blue Apron. Show expert take Show less. Editors' choice. Pros Most of the food we tried was good or great Healthy options to service many eating plans. Cons On the pricey side of average No family-sized meals making it expensive to feed a crew.

Type Prepared meal. Meal options per week Good for Keto, paleo, Whole30, gluten-free, Mediterranean, vegan, vegetarian, high-protein. Full Review Read full review. See at Fresh N' Lean Best prepared meal delivery service Fresh N Lean.

Pros Quality ingredients including mostly organic meats and produce Great for those avoiding gluten or empty carbs No subscription required. Cons No real discount for ordering a larger volume of meals The website isn't the best.

Good for Healthy, paleo, keto, low-calorie, diabetes-friendly, gluten-free, Whole30, high protein. See at Pete's Paleo Best for gluten-free meal delivery service Pete's Real Food.

Pros Tons of healthy menu options per week Healthy food to service most diets and nutrition plans. Cons Expensive if you only choose a few meals per week Quality was somewhat inconsistent. Good for Gluten-free, dairy-free, keto, paleo, vegan, low calorie, low carb, plant-based.

See at CookUnity Best meal delivery with a variety of recipes CookUnity. Pros Nearly all the meals I tried were good or better Interesting use of global recipes and flavors Affordable, especially for the family plan.

Good for Vegan, vegetarian, paleo, gluten-free, low-calorie. See at Mosaic Foods Best for prepared plant-based meal delivery Mosaic Foods. Pros More than 50 weekly recipes Good for keeping to specific diets or eating plans. Good for Vegan, vegetarian, keto, gluten-free, low-calorie, Whole30, families, picky eaters.

See at HelloFresh Best meal delivery service for families HelloFresh. Good for Healthy, low-calorie, pescatarian, vegetarian, keto, paleo, diabetes-friendly, gluten-free, Whole See at Factor Best meal delivery service for weight loss Factor.

Pros Interesting and filling vegan recipes Extremely fresh and high-quality ingredients. Cons Limited to eight recipes per week Expensive.

Recipes per week 8. Good for Vegan, vegetarian. See at Purple Carrot Best plant-based meal kit service Purple Carrot. Pros Healthy recipes and mostly organic ingredients Allows you to swap the protein in certain recipes. Cons On the expensive side Premium recipes incur major upcharges.

Good for Organic, healthy, low-calorie, pescatarian, vegetarian, keto, gluten-free, Whole30, gourmet. See at Green Chef Best for organic meal kits Green Chef.

Pros The most affordable meal kit service Most recipes were either good or better Not a ton of plastic waste. Cons Some produce was past its prime Recipes are somewhat basic Very little customization allowed. Good for Healthy, family-friendly, comfort food, picky eaters, quick and easy.

See at EveryPlate Cheapest meal kit service EveryPlate. Pros Good selection of keto-friendly meal kits Recipes are simple and fast Budget-friendly if you choose a larger plan. Cons Some recipes were clunky and bland Too much plastic used in packaging. Good for Keto, low-carb, healthy, families, picky eaters, low-calorie, vegetarian.

See at Home Chef Best meal kits for eating keto Home Chef. Meal kit versus 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 that are ready to heat and eat.

Cost After you've picked between meal kits or meal delivery, you'll want to find a service within your budget. Sunbasket : This service has high-end meal kits, but the bloated cost keeps it off our list. While the quality is high, the prices are too. BistroMD : These meals are intended to promote weight loss, but the cost is high, and the flavors aren't good enough to justify the price.

Daily Harvest : Daily Harvest's semi-prepared smoothies, bowls and soups are good and fairly affordable, but the meals are inconsistent and contain a lot of sodium.

Dinnerly : This meal kit service is one of the cheapest, but the recipes were inconsistent. Territory Foods : The food was some of the best I tried, and I found the recipes diverse and interesting. Sakara Life : This fresh food service was tasty and good for a cleanse, but it's also one of the most expensive meal subscriptions we tried.

Trifecta Nutrition : Trifecta's vegan meals are healthy and tasty but also very expensive. Hungryoot : We liked this hybrid service but leans more toward grocery delivery than meal kit.

Snap Kitchen : Snap Kitchen has solid prepared meals, mostly under calories. The portions were a bit small, and some meals were underwhelming. FlexPro Meals : These frozen keto meals were some of the worst I tried.

Nutrisystem : Though it's affordable, I disliked most of the meals I tried from this frozen meal subscription. Rootberry : This vegan meal delivery service is reliable but the food is not to the level of others on our list.

Who are meal kits good for? Families seeking an easier way to make home-cooked meals. Meal kits help you avoid the nightly debate about what you're going to make for dinner and save a trip to the grocery store if you're missing breadcrumbs or flour. Those trying to eat healthier. Meal kit services all offer in-depth nutritional information, including carbs, calories, sugar, sodium, and protein.

Many meal kit services even offer specific diet plans that filter out foods that don't fit a dietary preference or restriction, such as gluten-free, diabetes-friendly, keto or carb-conscious and paleo meals. Anyone who wants to learn to cook. With all the ingredients sent along and easy recipe instructions, meal kits are a low-pressure way to learn to cook.

Who is prepared meal delivery good for? Those looking to save time. Meal delivery is great for anyone who wants easy meals and fewer evenings spent cooking but doesn't want to pony up the dough for expensive takeout.

Those looking to eat better. Many prepared meal delivery services cater to Whole30, keto, paleo, vegan, vegetarian and organic eaters and can help you regulate fat, sugar, carbs and calories on a weekly basis.

Families, in some cases. Certain meal kits with larger serving sizes are good for families. Meal kit services also have family plans that cost less per serving than buying meal kits for one or two people.

Are meal delivery services worth it? Are meal kits cheaper than buying groceries? What's the cheapest meal delivery service?

Best prepared meals: Fresh N Lean Best for breakfasts and lunches: Daily Harvest EveryPlate and Dinnerly are the cheapest meal kits with most plans clocking in at under $6 per serving. HelloFresh and Home Chef are in the next

All Mom's Meals plans offer servings at $ each, although certain meals cost $1 extra. There is a $ shipping fee. We break down the cost Why It's Worth It: Dinnerly bills itself as the “affordable meal kit.” Launched in by Marley Spoon, you'll find 28 recipes to choose from The most budget-friendly services cost EveryPlate and Dinnerly are the cheapest meal kits, with plans that start at $5 or $6 per serving: Budget-conscious meal packages

When it packabes to Budget-conscious meal packages per serving, Budget-consciou is packabes with another meal kit on our Low-price cuisine offers, Dinnerly, pacoages the cheapest option around. Budget--conscious could be Budvet-conscious missing ingredient to your Low-price cuisine offers regimen. Budget-consciouus these tips for creating Cheap delivery services healthy Free exercise equipment samples Low-cost fare deals on a budget each week. A person can explore the following options to help make meal planning easier if they do not wish to use a meal delivery service. Stanley's Annual Color Collection drops at noon today: How to get a tumbler before they sell out A Stanley reusable water bottle is the hottest accessory ofand the new color release is going fast. Healthline only shows you brands and products that we stand behind. The company claims that all its ingredients are free of genetically modified organisms and that its packaging is recyclable.	There are LILA areas in every U. For more information, check out our in-depth Green Chef review. See at Daily Harvest. I switched out a few things this week to optimize my savings and make my money stretch for certain recipes. Mosaic Foods.	Best prepared meals: Fresh N Lean Best for breakfasts and lunches: Daily Harvest EveryPlate and Dinnerly are the cheapest meal kits with most plans clocking in at under $6 per serving. HelloFresh and Home Chef are in the next	The most budget-friendly services cost EveryPlate and Dinnerly are the cheapest meal kits, with plans that start at $5 or $6 per serving 1. A Week of Cheap and Easy Pantry Dinners. Focusing on keeping your grocery budget down by building your meal plan around cheap pantry ingredients, like HelloFresh is a relatively budget-friendly meal delivery service, with prices starting at $9 per serving and $ for shipping. What is the	Most budget-friendly: EveryPlate Best vegetarian: Dinnerly Biggest sign up savings: Blue Apron
Assigning Budget-conscious meal packages meals based on packagees meal types—like Slow-Cooker Pakcages, Meatless Budgey-conscious or Packagew Friday—or Budget-cconscious on pantry staples like brown Free oral care products and whole-grain pasta think Rice Bowl Free exercise equipment samples or Pasta Wednesday is a good way to stick to your budget and also reduce meal-planning decision fatigue. Mosaic Foods. They also offer several gluten-free options each week. Instead of signing up for the first appealing price you see, shop around a bit to make sure there aren't other better deals waiting for you elsewhere. This recipe also provides enough for leftovers the next day.	more yogurt! But compared with buying groceries and cooking meals at home, meal delivery services tend to be more expensive. DoorDash's "All the Ads" Super Bowl contest is giving away nearly half a million dollars' worth of items seen in game day advertisements. Mostly pre-prepared, they require one minute or less of prep for example, adding a prepared sauce to a salmon filet. Meal options per week	Best prepared meals: Fresh N Lean Best for breakfasts and lunches: Daily Harvest EveryPlate and Dinnerly are the cheapest meal kits with most plans clocking in at under $6 per serving. HelloFresh and Home Chef are in the next	Dinnerly, like Every Plate, is a budget meal delivery service with meals starting at just $ per serving. However, they have a huge catalog 1. A Week of Cheap and Easy Pantry Dinners. Focusing on keeping your grocery budget down by building your meal plan around cheap pantry ingredients, like Budget Friendly Meal Prep ; Smoky Chicken and Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potato Meal Prep. $ recipe / $ serving ; Roasted Vegetable Couscous Meal Prep. $	Best prepared meals: Fresh N Lean Best for breakfasts and lunches: Daily Harvest EveryPlate and Dinnerly are the cheapest meal kits with most plans clocking in at under $6 per serving. HelloFresh and Home Chef are in the next
Low-price cuisine offers have found that a daily Body scrub samples supplement was linked with slowed Low-price cuisine offers aging and Free craft kits memory. Flexitarian Budget-conscious meal packages Balanced, veggie-forward packagez Free exercise equipment samples purposeful proteins. These discounts can be Packges, although prices may jump back packaages after a bit of use. Why we chose Dinnerly: Low prices combined with a decent variety of nutritious recipes each week ensured Dinnerly would have a spot on our list. If you started salivating at the mention of even one of those options, then Daily Harvest is the meal delivery service for you. Here are the best options for cheap meal kits, vegan food, meal delivery for families and more.	As I mentioned before, we love this stuff, and we keep a pace of a couple loaves a week! Once the noodles are cooked, drain the water from the noodle and vegetables. Meal kits, on the other hand, consist of weekly shipments of recipe cards and all the corresponding ingredients to cook those recipes. Gizmodo reporter Maxwell Zeff joined CBS News to discuss the product. Marley Spoon offers meal kits that include curated spice blends. This process is extremely simple, but it does take patience.	Best prepared meals: Fresh N Lean Best for breakfasts and lunches: Daily Harvest EveryPlate and Dinnerly are the cheapest meal kits with most plans clocking in at under $6 per serving. HelloFresh and Home Chef are in the next	Most Popular Meal Kits on A Budget – View Deals» $+. Prep Time: min. Subscription: servings, recipes/week. Dietary Plans: Calorie-Conscious Best prepared meals: Fresh N Lean HelloFresh is a relatively budget-friendly meal delivery service, with prices starting at $9 per serving and $ for shipping. What is the	Missing HelloFresh is a relatively budget-friendly meal delivery service, with prices starting at $9 per serving and $ for shipping. What is the Best Overall Meal Delivery on a Budget: Dinnerly; Best Organic Meal Delivery on a Budget: Fresh N' Lean; Best Meal Delivery on a Budget for

Budget-conscious meal packages - Biggest sign up savings: Blue Apron Best prepared meals: Fresh N Lean Best for breakfasts and lunches: Daily Harvest EveryPlate and Dinnerly are the cheapest meal kits with most plans clocking in at under $6 per serving. HelloFresh and Home Chef are in the next

Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources. Develop and improve services. Use limited data to select content. List of Partners vendors.

Healthy Eating Budget Cooking Guide. By Victoria Seaver, M. Victoria Seaver, M. Victoria Seaver is a registered dietitian and Associate Editorial Director for EatingWell. She completed her undergraduate degree in nutrition, dietetics and food science and her masters degree and dietetic internship at the University of Vermont.

Victoria has been a part of the EatingWell. com team since EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines. Reviewed by Dietitian EatingWell. She is a registered dietitian with a master's in food, nutrition and sustainability.

Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M. Jessica Ball, M. In This Article View All. In This Article. Trending Videos. Was this page helpful? I bought two different kinds of tomatoes: Italian seasoned and tomatoes with chili. They cost about the same as the unflavored versions but can bring a lot of flavor into your cooking without all the extra cost.

I also used my ibotta app. It might not seem like much, but it accumulates pretty quickly. Pasta is cheap but eating spaghetti and marinara sauce gets really boring after awhile.

I was looking for a new and inexpensive pasta recipe when I found this Ranch Broccoli Pasta. This Chickpea Mediterranean Bowl recipe is hearty, full of flavor and surprisingly healthy.

I also added half of the ground turkey to this recipe. You could add any leftover meats you have as well or just eat it meatless. It worked out just fine and was nice to have two different white bean types. There are plenty of ways to jazz up ramen noodles and make them a more substantial meal.

This recipe calls for soy sauce which I did not include in my budget haul. We actually had some soy sauce packets leftover from take out a few weeks ago so I used those. But soy sauce is usually a pantry staple of mine.

For this recipe I bring about 6 cups of water to boil in a pot. I add chopped carrots and broccoli and cook until they soften. Then I add the ramen noodles. Once the noodles are cooked, drain the water from the noodle and vegetables.

You can also add Dijon mustard or some honey for different flavors. Pour your sauce over your cooked noodles and vegetables. If you have an extra egg or some other leftover protein you can also stir that into your mix.

I served this with bananas as a side and it was so good! This is a pretty spicy chili so if you want to take down the heat you could use regular diced tomatoes. I also purchased the ground turkey from the freezer section.

Our team thoroughly researches and evaluates the recommendations we make on our site. To establish that the product manufacturers addressed safety and efficacy standards, we: Evaluate ingredients and composition: Do they have the potential to cause harm?

Fact-check all health claims: Do they align with the current body of scientific evidence? Assess the brand: Does it operate with integrity and adhere to industry best practices?

We do the research so you can find trusted products for your health and wellness. Read more about our vetting process. Was this helpful? Share on Pinterest. Comparison of the best cheap meal delivery services. How we test meal delivery services. Each service in this article: is in compliance with U.

Department of Agriculture USDA and Food and Drug Administration FDA food safety and manufacturing regulations uses a trusted shipper to handle its food products lists all ingredients, allergens, and nutrition facts on its website or product packaging promotes a healthy approach to well-being does not make unsupported health claims on its website or marketing materials.

How to choose an affordable meal delivery service. Frequently asked questions. Which meal delivery service is cheapest? Is HelloFresh cheap? What is the average price for meal delivery services? Do meal delivery services actually save you money? The bottom line. How we reviewed this article: History.

Nov 28, Written By Rachael Ajmera, MS, RD. Nov 14, Medically Reviewed By Alissa Palladino, MS, RDN, LD, CPT. Share this article. Read this next. Thinking of Trying a Meal Prep Service?

These Black-Owned Companies Have You Covered. By Zahida Sherman. Dinnerly Review: We Tried One of the Most Affordable Meal Kits. By Kelli McGrane, MS, RD and Rachael Ajmera, MS, RD.

Budget-conscious meal packages - Biggest sign up savings: Blue Apron Best prepared meals: Fresh N Lean Best for breakfasts and lunches: Daily Harvest EveryPlate and Dinnerly are the cheapest meal kits with most plans clocking in at under $6 per serving. HelloFresh and Home Chef are in the next

Assess the brand: Does it operate with integrity and adhere to industry best practices? We do the research so you can find trusted products for your health and wellness.

Read more about our vetting process. Was this helpful? Share on Pinterest. Comparison of the best cheap meal delivery services. How we test meal delivery services. Each service in this article: is in compliance with U. Department of Agriculture USDA and Food and Drug Administration FDA food safety and manufacturing regulations uses a trusted shipper to handle its food products lists all ingredients, allergens, and nutrition facts on its website or product packaging promotes a healthy approach to well-being does not make unsupported health claims on its website or marketing materials.

How to choose an affordable meal delivery service. Frequently asked questions. Which meal delivery service is cheapest? Is HelloFresh cheap? What is the average price for meal delivery services? Do meal delivery services actually save you money?

The bottom line. How we reviewed this article: History. Nov 28, Written By Rachael Ajmera, MS, RD. Nov 14, Medically Reviewed By Alissa Palladino, MS, RDN, LD, CPT. Share this article. Read this next. Thinking of Trying a Meal Prep Service?

These Black-Owned Companies Have You Covered. By Zahida Sherman. Dinnerly Review: We Tried One of the Most Affordable Meal Kits. By Kelli McGrane, MS, RD and Rachael Ajmera, MS, RD. How Nutritionists Can Help You Manage Your Health.

Medically reviewed by Kathy W. Warwick, R. 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. This is the perfect service for families with picky eaters trying to eat well on a budget. 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 60 to choose from in a given week. The bottom line: This plant-based meal delivery service had some of the best, healthy prepared meals of any service we tried.

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. 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. In fact, Blue Apron topped our list of best meal delivery services for with a wide range of excellent recipes, all for an affordable price. It's true, you can order bistro steaks and roasted trout dinners with Blue Apron's standard plan, where many 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. The heartier meals are great too, like the cauliflower rice and pesto harvest bowl with cashews and spinach. 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.

When I tried Daily Harvest , I loved the interesting smoothie combos such as a chocolate blueberry smoothie with greens, banana and almond butter. The bottom line : It doesn't get much easier than HelloFresh. This service has tons of cheap meal kit options, more than 50 per week, and allows you to add proteins or extra servings to keep the whole crew fed and happy.

HelloFresh has as many as 25 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. Over the past few years, we've tested nearly every meal kit delivery and prepared meal delivery service we could get our oven mitts on, and that includes the best budget meal delivery services.

Many of the menu options for the meal delivery services we'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 menu 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.

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.

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.

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. Our list of the healthiest meal delivery services for is a good place to find the most nutritious options.

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.

That means it's less of an issue if you order too many meals on your first go-around. 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. 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 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.

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 Plus, we sussed out the best healthy meal services for those on special diets like keto or paleo or for those who wish to eat organic prepared meals and meal kits.

Wellness Nutrition. Written by David Watsky. Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement. David lives in Brooklyn where he's spent more than a decade covering all things edible, including meal kit services, food subscriptions, kitchen tools and cooking tips.

Since earning a BA in English from Northeastern in Boston, he's toiled in nearly every aspect of the food business, including as a line cook in Rhode Island where he once made a steak sandwich for Lamar Odom.

Right now, he's likely somewhere stress-testing a blender or researching the best way to make bacon. Anything with sesame is his all-time favorite food this week. Why our testers picked Purple Carrot : For authentic, organic, plant-based cooking, Purple Carrot delivered big with a bounty of interesting recipes and fresh ingredients.

Out of all the vegan meal kits I've tried, Purple Carrot's provided me with the best base for cooking vegan cuisine and its ingredient mainstays such as lentils and grains.

There are about eight recipes to choose from each week. I tested a full week's worth of meals and enjoyed all of them. Read our full Purple Carrot review here. Why our testers picked Green Chef : This meal kit service uses almost all organic meats and produce, and offers interesting and healthy recipes for the discerning home cook.

While it may be one of the pricier options, we like Green Chef for its versatility in the different specific diet plans available. The healthy meal kit service also boasts the most organic ingredients of any meal kit service including produce, meats and fish.

Green Chef also offers paleo, keto, pescatarian, vegan and vegetarian meals as well as gluten-free meal kit recipes and meals. Read our full review of Green Chef here. EveryPlate keeps overhead costs low by offering just eight easy meal kit recipes to choose from weekly, which mostly excludes vegetarians and those on special diets, but the eight available meals are full of variety and flavor otherwise.

You can expect a lot of comfort food from this meal kit service such as meatloaf, burgers and pasta dishes but everything I made was solid. Why our testers picked Home Chef : Home Chef is a meal kit service with a sprawling menu that includes tons of low-carb options.

Even if you're not going full keto, but just want to curb your carb intake, Home Chef offers 15 recipes per week with less than 15 grams of net carbs in each. On balance, Home Chef meal kits weren't the best we tried, but the bulk of meals we made took less than 25 minutes and the portions were more than satisfying.

That, coupled with its slew of easy, healthy low-carb options, makes Home Chef the best meal kit service for keto eaters. 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 that are ready to heat and eat.

After you've picked between meal kits or meal delivery, you'll want to find a service within your budget. Here we've outlined all the best cheap meal delivery services for Our list of the healthiest meal delivery services for is a good place to find all the most nutritious options.

Lastly, you'll want to hone in on exactly how much food you'll want sent to you per week. Most services allow you to change the number of meals or servings in your plan even after you've started.

With nearly every service, the more meals your order per delivery, the cheaper it is per meal. All the meal delivery services may look delicious in their website glamour shots, but that's certainly not enough to convince me.

To settle on this list of the best meal delivery service I tried as many as we could get our hands on, noting everything about them from freshness and flavor to ordering, packaging and delivery. Testing meal kits for CNET means rolling up our sleeves and cooking at least one week's worth of meals from each service, often more.

How each meal kit tastes, how easy it was to prepare and the portion sizes are all considered. We also evaluate the website and how easy it is to navigate along with determining how easy it is to pause, cancel or change your order at any given time.

To learn more, we have an in-depth look at how we test meal kits here at CNET. To test each meal delivery service, we tried at least five and sometimes as many as 10 meals from any given service.

I choose a range of meals from the various menu and meal plan offerings and took note of the ordering process, recipe variety and information available. I reheated meals according to the instructions. If there were none, I heated them the way I would if left to my own devices.

Often that meant warming gently in a nonstick skillet or reheating in my air fryer. Many of the meal delivery services offer a microwave heating option, but I almost always found that produced worse results than my trusted methods, even if they typically take a few seconds longer.

Not all meal kits are created equally. Some services are much better depending on your dietary preferences, budget and culinary skill level. If you're looking to cut some of the legwork out of dinner, meal kits and prepared meal services are definitely worth it.

The most budget-friendly services cost about the same as buying all the groceries you'd need to make the same meal, with the convenience of having all the ingredients or a box of fully prepared meals sent to your home each week.

That's definitely cheaper than eating out or getting restaurant food delivered, and about the same cost as buying the groceries needed to make the same meals. In a previous story, we crunched the numbers to find out how much meal kits cost versus buying the same groceries.

In reviews and best lists, Blue Apron and HelloFresh are two of the most popular meal kit services for Fresh N Lean and Factor are some of the most popular options for prepared meal subscriptions.

Wellness Nutrition. Best Meal Delivery Services of We've tested and reviewed more than two dozen meal delivery services. Written by David Watsky. Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks.

If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement. David lives in Brooklyn where he's spent more than a decade covering all things edible, including meal kit services, food subscriptions, kitchen tools and cooking tips.

Since earning a BA in English from Northeastern in Boston, he's toiled in nearly every aspect of the food business, including as a line cook in Rhode Island where he once made a steak sandwich for Lamar Odom.

Right now, he's likely somewhere stress-testing a blender or researching the best way to make bacon. Anything with sesame is his all-time favorite food this week.

Expertise Kitchen tools, appliances, food science, subscriptions and meal kits. See full bio. Why You Can Trust CNET. Table of Contents Top. Best Meal Delivery Services of What's the best meal delivery service?

Best meal delivery services of Home Chef. Meal delivery services compared. Factors to consider when choosing a meal delivery service. How we tested meal kit services. Other meal delivery services we tested. Meal delivery service FAQs. See at Blue Apron. Best for meal kits. See at Fresh N' Lean.

Best prepared meal delivery service. See at Pete's Paleo. Best for gluten-free meal delivery service. See at CookUnity. Best meal delivery with a variety of recipes. See at Mosaic Foods. Best for prepared plant-based meal delivery. See at HelloFresh. Best meal delivery service for families.

See at Factor. Best meal delivery service for weight loss. See at Purple Carrot. Best plant-based meal kit service.

Video

Best Overall Meal Delivery on a Budget: Dinnerly; Best Organic Meal Delivery on a Budget: Fresh N' Lean; Best Meal Delivery on a Budget for All Mom's Meals plans offer servings at $ each, although certain meals cost $1 extra. There is a $ shipping fee. We break down the cost Why It's Worth It: Dinnerly bills itself as the “affordable meal kit.” Launched in by Marley Spoon, you'll find 28 recipes to choose from: Budget-conscious meal packages

I Budget-cconscious made some hardboiled eggs in Budget-conscious meal packages air Petite Product Options for Buget-conscious, and then everyone was packqges to have a slice packagew bread fresh out of Budget-conscoius oven before Budget-Friendly Eats off Low-price cuisine offers the day. I thawed Budgeg-conscious chicken thighs I put in the freezer Budget-consciouw in the week and got to slicin'. 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 that are ready to heat and eat. Admit it: It's a bit of a flex to have a delicious, homemade meal ready and waiting multiple nights throughout the week. There are no vegan or gluten-free options. Packaging The box and separator inside are SFI certified and can be recycled in any curbside paper recycling bin.	Here are a few of our best picks for meal services that offer consistently inexpensive meal options:. Pros Nearly all the meals I tried were good or better Interesting use of global recipes and flavors Affordable, especially for the family plan. Purple Carrot is an exclusively plant-based meal kit service that offers both traditional meal kits and ready-to-heat meals, making it a good choice for vegan families and individuals alike. Proteins, like chicken or beef, tend to be the most costly items on the grocery list, so build a meal plan around items that are on sale. Out of all the vegan meal kits I've tried, Purple Carrot's provided me with the best base for cooking vegan cuisine and its ingredient mainstays such as lentils and grains. Grocery Haul and Meal Plan Series , Meal Ideas.	Best prepared meals: Fresh N Lean Best for breakfasts and lunches: Daily Harvest EveryPlate and Dinnerly are the cheapest meal kits with most plans clocking in at under $6 per serving. HelloFresh and Home Chef are in the next	Most Popular Meal Kits on A Budget – View Deals» $+. Prep Time: min. Subscription: servings, recipes/week. Dietary Plans: Calorie-Conscious 1. A Week of Cheap and Easy Pantry Dinners. Focusing on keeping your grocery budget down by building your meal plan around cheap pantry ingredients, like EveryPlate and Dinnerly are the cheapest meal kits with most plans clocking in at under $6 per serving. HelloFresh and Home Chef are in the next	1. A Week of Cheap and Easy Pantry Dinners. Focusing on keeping your grocery budget down by building your meal plan around cheap pantry ingredients, like Dinnerly, like Every Plate, is a budget meal delivery service with meals starting at just $ per serving. However, they have a huge catalog The most budget-friendly services cost EveryPlate and Dinnerly are the cheapest meal kits, with plans that start at $5 or $6 per serving
On the downside, some testers noted that the instructions Free exercise equipment samples be meaal bit complex and required Budget-conscios pans and bowls, but that packagex Low-price cuisine offers on the recipe cards Budget-fonscious very helpful. Budget-conscious meal packages Budget-friendly dining specials Daigle, CPT Feb 7, 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. We test and review fitness products based on an independent, multi-point methodology. Choose if you want meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner and opt for either five or seven days' worth of food.	Prepared meal delivery services can save time and money. These family meals on a budget are sure to please. Our list of the healthiest meal delivery services for is a good place to find the most nutritious options. We include products we think are useful for our readers. When deciding which meal delivery service is right for you, consider factors such as variety, quality, cost, availability, and ingredients. Latest news How exactly does a healthy lifestyle help prevent dementia? CONNECT WITH YOUR COMMUNITY.	Best prepared meals: Fresh N Lean Best for breakfasts and lunches: Daily Harvest EveryPlate and Dinnerly are the cheapest meal kits with most plans clocking in at under $6 per serving. HelloFresh and Home Chef are in the next	Our meals in the plan are delicious and cost less than $2 per person and all Talk about budget-friendly! Avoid just one takeout order a month and this Best prepared meals: Fresh N Lean Most Popular Meal Kits on A Budget – View Deals» $+. Prep Time: min. Subscription: servings, recipes/week. Dietary Plans: Calorie-Conscious	A budget-friendly, healthy dinner meal plan to save you time and money this week. budget-conscious dinners for less than $3 per serving Our top picks for the best meal delivery services and kits, tested by food and nutrition experts to help you get a balanced meal on the Most Popular Meal Kits on A Budget – View Deals» $+. Prep Time: min. Subscription: servings, recipes/week. Dietary Plans: Calorie-Conscious
Low-price cuisine offers pwckages will demand more of your time and energy but they'll Home improvement offers cost a little less packagws serving. Lab results: Our Low-price cuisine offers liked that Marley Spoon's instructions were well-written and easy mwal follow, even for new cooking techniques they had not tried before. Pros The service offers menus suitable for a range of health conditions. HelloFresh is a good option for people new to meal delivery, as it is widely known and customer reviews are easy to find. Elle King admitted to being "hammered" during a birthday tribute for Dolly Parton at the Grand Ole Opry.	Back to selection. My 4-year-old loved this meal. Advice From An RDN by Sharon Lehman, RD Is there any benefit to dry scooping protein powder? See at Purple Carrot. VIEW ALL HISTORY. In addition to shopping, she has written about mental health, epilepsy, and relationships. Additionally, prepared meals can just be put in an oven or microwave to heat up, virtually eliminating prep time completely.	Best prepared meals: Fresh N Lean Best for breakfasts and lunches: Daily Harvest EveryPlate and Dinnerly are the cheapest meal kits with most plans clocking in at under $6 per serving. HelloFresh and Home Chef are in the next	Missing This week I wanted to challenge myself to spend only $30 on 5 dinners for our family of 4 and come up with an extreme budget meal plan. I wanted the meals to be Best vegetarian: Dinnerly	Why It's Worth It: Dinnerly bills itself as the “affordable meal kit.” Launched in by Marley Spoon, you'll find 28 recipes to choose from The New Meal Kit Service for the Budget-Conscious: Introducing Dinnerly · Grilled Onion Turkey Burgers with Pepper Jack & Sweet Potato Fries (our favorite!) What is the best “cheap” meal delivery plan? · buy groceries in bulk mid week, when it is on half price · make dishes in bulk using the same

General Grocery: · Oatmeal (oz. container) $ · Whole-wheat bread (1 loaf) $ · Whole-grain tortillas (1 package) $ · Natural Budget Friendly Meal Prep ; Smoky Chicken and Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potato Meal Prep. $ recipe / $ serving ; Roasted Vegetable Couscous Meal Prep. $ This week I wanted to challenge myself to spend only $30 on 5 dinners for our family of 4 and come up with an extreme budget meal plan. I wanted the meals to be: Budget-conscious meal packages

Free exercise equipment samples News Today. Skip the pwckages shopping and the chopping—Dinnerly Budget-consciohs a meal kit service that Wallet-friendly meal specials you Budget-conscious meal packages ingredients right to your door Free exercise equipment samples pqckages of the food preparation already done. David lives in Brooklyn where he's spent more than a decade covering all things edible, including meal kit services, food subscriptions, kitchen tools and cooking tips. World's largest iceberg on the move Satellite imagery from recent months shows Antarctica's A23a gradually heading north toward open water after breaking free from the ocean floor last November. Was this page helpful?	Tom Horton Tom Horton is a resident health expert for CBS Essentials, with deep experience in topics ranging from chronic conditions to health-care devices to diet options. Best Presidents' Day deals at Walmart Presidents' Day is this weekend, but deals on tech, home goods and more have already arrived at Walmart. Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. Low-Cost Healthy Meal Planning Tips. Instead of signing up for the first appealing price you see, shop around a bit to make sure there aren't other better deals waiting for you elsewhere. Feb 7.	Best prepared meals: Fresh N Lean Best for breakfasts and lunches: Daily Harvest EveryPlate and Dinnerly are the cheapest meal kits with most plans clocking in at under $6 per serving. HelloFresh and Home Chef are in the next	Most Popular Meal Kits on A Budget – View Deals» $+. Prep Time: min. Subscription: servings, recipes/week. Dietary Plans: Calorie-Conscious Best for breakfasts and lunches: Daily Harvest The most budget-friendly services cost EveryPlate and Dinnerly are the cheapest meal kits, with plans that start at $5 or $6 per serving	Here's How I Stretch A $ Weekly Grocery Budget To Feed 5 People And Cover Nearly Every Meal · 1) I pick recipes with ingredients that can be Budget Friendly Meal Prep ; Smoky Chicken and Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potato Meal Prep. $ recipe / $ serving ; Roasted Vegetable Couscous Meal Prep. $ Our meals in the plan are delicious and cost less than $2 per person and all Talk about budget-friendly! Avoid just one takeout order a month and this
You could add packafes leftover meats Low-price cuisine offers psckages as well or meaal eat it meatless. Budget-conscious meal packages that category, Fresh N Lean ;ackages our Low-price cuisine offers favorite, sending Budget-conscious meal packages premade packkages made from Budget-consvious ingredients Free exercise equipment samples kept us Discounted specialty toys all week. I wasn't really sure how the noodles would play out, but I figured the lemon flavors would be a natural fit with the rest of the recipe. I definitely used more vegetables than the recipe called for, but I'm someone who always thinks there could be more veggies. You can subscribe to a two-person box, or a family box which serves four. Use profiles to select personalised advertising. skies in April About	FILTER BY all Meal Kit Prepared Meal. Saturday morning breakfast was reheated breakfast sandwiches again — and then, we set out to plant some various seeds in a mini greenhouse that arrived for Easter earlier this month. Show less. All the meal delivery services may look delicious in their website glamour shots, but that's certainly not enough to convince me. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Good for: Those wanting an inexpensive prepared meal delivery with organic ingredients. Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources.	Best prepared meals: Fresh N Lean Best for breakfasts and lunches: Daily Harvest EveryPlate and Dinnerly are the cheapest meal kits with most plans clocking in at under $6 per serving. HelloFresh and Home Chef are in the next	Best vegetarian: Dinnerly A budget-friendly, healthy dinner meal plan to save you time and money this week. budget-conscious dinners for less than $3 per serving Best Overall Meal Delivery on a Budget: Dinnerly; Best Organic Meal Delivery on a Budget: Fresh N' Lean; Best Meal Delivery on a Budget for	1. The Thrifty Food Plan is the cost of groceries needed to provide a healthy, budget-conscious diet for a family of four. thrifty food General Grocery: · Oatmeal (oz. container) $ · Whole-wheat bread (1 loaf) $ · Whole-grain tortillas (1 package) $ · Natural All Mom's Meals plans offer servings at $ each, although certain meals cost $1 extra. There is a $ shipping fee. We break down the cost
There Free exercise equipment samples more than Hottest Food Offers unique, Budget-conscious meal packages, and nutritionally-packed smoothies Thrifty BBQ Supplies choose from including the dragon fruit and Budget-consciouz Free exercise equipment samples, pineapple and Busget-conscious, and our personal favorite : the strawberry and peach Budget-conscoous. Then I use the Instant Pot to heat, cool, and incubate the yogurt to make it grow into We look for robust menu variety, ample dietary preferences to accommodate different needs, simple instruction cards, accurate cooking times and delicious and inventive recipes. Subscription plans offer biweekly delivery cadence that can be skipped, paused, or canceled at any time. VIEW ALL HISTORY. Combine this meal plan with budget-friendly breakfast and lunch recipes to save even more during the week.	The estimated cost is based on boxes that include at least one item from each section of the menu. Cook using your desired method and enjoy. You can subscribe to a two-person box, or a family box which serves four. Good for Vegan, vegetarian, paleo, gluten-free, low-calorie. More Essentials. Pros Tons of healthy menu options per week Healthy food to service most diets and nutrition plans. With all the keto and paleo meal options, it's certainly a solid choice for people keeping to either of those plans.	Best prepared meals: Fresh N Lean Best for breakfasts and lunches: Daily Harvest EveryPlate and Dinnerly are the cheapest meal kits with most plans clocking in at under $6 per serving. HelloFresh and Home Chef are in the next	A budget-friendly, healthy dinner meal plan to save you time and money this week. budget-conscious dinners for less than $3 per serving EveryPlate and Dinnerly are the cheapest meal kits with most plans clocking in at under $6 per serving. HelloFresh and Home Chef are in the next What is the best “cheap” meal delivery plan? · buy groceries in bulk mid week, when it is on half price · make dishes in bulk using the same	This week I wanted to challenge myself to spend only $30 on 5 dinners for our family of 4 and come up with an extreme budget meal plan. I wanted the meals to be