The Best Meal Delivery Services and Meal Kits of 2026

Initially, I did not anticipate developing a fondness for meal kits, as my culinary inclinations lead me to enjoy both cooking and dining out. However, the finest meal delivery services and kits accomplish more than merely simplifying meal preparation—they can enhance your nutrition and overall well-being. At their essence, the most remarkable meal kits exemplify exceptional logistical coordination, merging the efforts of farmers, butchers, suppliers, and sauce producers from across the globe, neatly packaged into individual portions and delivered to your doorstep alongside concise recipes.

The internet's promise has always been about accessibility, enabling global products to reach your front door. This notion underpins our comprehensive coverage of meal prep kits, along with various other food delivery services.

Since 2017, the WIRED Reviews team has evaluated over two dozen meal kit delivery services. With a background in food criticism on both coasts, I approached the testing of recipes and meals with a discerning eye. The performance of the leading delivery services has consistently surprised me. Marley Spoon, in particular, has provided some of the best meals I have encountered from a meal kit, offering genuinely enjoyable home-cooked options for those uninspired evenings. Meanwhile, HelloFresh and Blue Apron have made significant strides in enhancing convenience and expanding their assortment. Other notable options, including Green Chef and Purple Carrot, present effortless solutions for organic, gluten-free, and plant-based home cooking.

Throughout my evaluations, I considered a range of criteria including recipe quality, selection variety, ingredient sourcing, preparation ease, convenience, organization, packaging, ingredient quality, and adaptability for various dietary needs. I also explored innovative meal kits for those seeking alternatives to the established names like Blue Apron and HelloFresh, while clarifying often convoluted pricing structures.

Best Meal Kit Overall: Marley Spoon

Marley Spoon has undergone significant evolution lately. Over the past couple of years, this German-founded meal kit has expanded its menu offerings, introduced a broader array of cosmopolitan meals infused with global flavors, and increased the number of quick-prep options, now including numerous 15-minute meals—all without raising prices.

What sets Marley Spoon apart is its focus on cooking techniques. Among the many kits I have tested in the last two years, Marley Spoon has provided the most memorable individual meals, featuring dishes like a hearty Hungarian-style creamy mushroom chicken, a flavor-packed Cajun-spiced whitefish, and a refined eggplant parmesan.

Since its launch in the US, Marley Spoon's commitment to classical cooking techniques has remained unchanged. With the backing of Martha Stewart, the meal kit introduced her recipes and culinary methods to the American market.

Their recipes typically employ seasoning throughout preparation rather than all at once. For instance, a kale and sausage soup benefits from a jolt of acidity from a dash of red wine vinegar. While these classic dishes remain in the lineup, they are now complemented by meals prioritizing convenience and diverse global flavors. Approximately one-third of the menu now includes prepared, ready-to-heat options, along with added 15-minute and tray oven-bake meals. Marley Spoon has also diversified its international offerings with dishes like Moroccan-spiced apricot and beef tagine and Indian-inspired keema matar, both of which are approachable for home cooks.

Marley Spoon is refreshingly transparent about the actual time required to cook a recipe. Although a 15-minute meal may take 20 minutes, it will not extend to 30 or 40 minutes. A noted inconvenience is that, unlike other top meal kits, Marley ships ingredients in a mixed box, resulting in some disarray during unpacking. The sourcing transparency for meat isn’t as high as that of some competitors.

Overall, the trade-off appears worthwhile: Marley Spoon offers proficient cooking while providing insights into culinary techniques, all while maintaining solid value.

Meal Kit With the Best Selection: HelloFresh

HelloFresh has become synonymous with "meal kits." As the largest and one of the longest-standing brands in the industry, it is now available in 18 countries. I have been particularly impressed by HelloFresh's continuous improvements, from ingredient sourcing to contemporary recipe developments.

The company has grown into a logistical powerhouse, allowing customers to receive seasonal and, in some regions, local ingredients. Proteins are sourced from family-run meat suppliers with generations of experience. Each box is meticulously organized, with ingredients for each recipe neatly grouped in labeled bags.

Recently, HelloFresh has achieved an impressive expansion, offering more than 400 menu items per week that represent a truly global variety of cuisines. One day, you might prepare a Gambian-inspired peanut stew; the next, you might enjoy a simplified Thai green curry shrimp or Tex-Mex enchiladas topped with cheese and ranchera sauce. Alternatively, you could opt for a refreshing salad, wrap, or sandwich.

HelloFresh has increasingly incorporated seasonal ingredients into its offerings, adding regional dishes where possible. While the global dishes may not claim authenticity, they reflect current dining trends, presenting bright and appealing options such as pan-Latin steak and rice bowls, beef stir-fried in ponzu and plum sauce, Dutch-inspired orange Dijon chicken, and Thai-style curries with a hint of sweetness from mango salsa.

Best Family-Friendly Meal Kit: Home Chef

Home Chef provides unparalleled flexibility. Whether you want multiple servings of two different recipes or an additional oven-ready meal for a larger group, the service accommodates your needs seamlessly. For families, Home Chef offers a budget-friendly family plan for bulk meals.

In terms of convenience, Home Chef excels, with ingredients packaged in transparent plastic bags for straightforward identification. Each recipe comes with detailed, easy-to-follow instructions. Nutrition information and allergen notes are readily available online, and recipes are categorized by complexity, ensuring that even the more challenging dishes are accessible.

While Home Chef's meals may not reach the levels of sophistication or variety found in Marley Spoon or HelloFresh, it has introduced more complex culinary options, such as a truffle-scallop risotto. Convenience, adaptability, and efficient planning make Home Chef a great option for families whose meal requirements frequently change.

Best Prepared Meal Delivery Service: CookUnity

CookUnity offers ready-to-eat meals that bring the ease of fresh cooking directly to your doorstep, eliminating the hassle of preparation. Its service stands out with a selection that enables you to enjoy restaurant-quality Indian curries, intricate salads, Filipino-style adobo tacos, and satisfyingly rich udon noodle soup—all from the comfort of your home.

CookUnity collaborates with renowned restaurant chefs who create recipes and employ skilled cooks in regional commissary kitchens to prepare your meals. This collaboration often results in meals that rival restaurant offerings.

The menus, chefs, and quality may vary based on your geographical location and proximity to the cooking hub, which now includes cities such as New York, Austin, Miami, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, and Toronto. My experience with the Seattle hub yielded exceptionally good results, with dishes like adobo flank steak and rigatoni alla vodka standing out.

Meal preparation generally involves straightforward reheating methods, whether you're following instructions for the stovetop or oven to ensure optimal results. After heating, you might finish the meal with a garnish of burrata cheese on pasta or a drizzle of robust cumin sauce over salmon. The meals are substantial, textures well-maintained, and the packaging is both compostable and recyclable. Each dish has a shelf life in the refrigerator of four to seven days from delivery.

Best Meal Kit for Quick Cooking: Hungryroot

Hungryroot stands out among meal kits for its exceptionally low prep times, with most meals taking only 10 to 20 minutes to prepare.

Each Hungryroot meal is composed of a few elements, with much of the prep already completed. You may find an organic sauce, pre-mixed salad, a sprig of broccoli, or sous-vide chicken. It’s as if you are running a personal fast-casual kitchen out of your home.

Hungryroot also allows for customization based on your dietary preferences. Starting with your dietary, lifestyle, and budget considerations, Hungryroot acts as a full-service, AI-assisted food concierge. It suggests a wide array of ingredients and recipes weekly, with options to swap items based on local ingredient availability. Typically, there’s plenty of room in the plan to add fresh fruits or desserts.

Best No-Subscription Meal Delivery Service: Blue Apron

In the summer of 2025, Blue Apron reinvented its approach, removing the traditional subscription model. If you find yourself wanting to prepare a kit—say, orecchiette and pork ragu—next Tuesday for a dinner guest, you can simply place an order four days in advance.

You also have the choice to substitute ingredients as needed, without the commitment of a subscription or minimum order quantity.

This represents a transformative shift for meal kits. Blue Apron now operates under a DoorDash-style loyalty program called Blue Apron Plus, where you pay a nominal $10 monthly fee (covering the cost of a single order) and receive free shipping for the month—making it cost-effective if you order multiple times.

Meal prices have also diversified since this model change, ranging from $8 per serving for simple salads and wraps up to $13 for more substantial bakes and seafood dishes. My tests included exciting recipes like bang bang chicken, bao bun burgers with shishito peppers, and za'atar-spiced salmon, as well as a hearty shrimp and feta bake, with prep times averaging around 30 minutes. However, subsequent tests revealed that many new recipes suffer from vague instructions and mishaps, while nutrition information and allergen details could be harder to locate on the revamped website. Still, the no-obligation promise wrapped in the $10 loyalty model positions Blue Apron favorably for smaller households.

Best Affordable Meal Kit: EveryPlate

At a price point of $7 per serving plus shipping, EveryPlate retains its status as the most cost-effective meal kit available—surpassing even other budget options. While EveryPlate may resemble HelloFresh in some aspects, it distinguishes itself through the focus on simplicity rather than compromise. Recent standout dishes have included a delightful spring risotto featuring freshly shaved Parmesan and light zucchini.

The lower cost of EachPlate's meals stems from their uncomplicated nature, often centered around a singular flavor accent, such as rosemary or lemon. Expect a slightly longer list of staples to keep on hand, including flour and eggs. Each box may not be as meticulously organized as HelloFresh's, but the menu competes favorably with approximately 35 meal options. I left my tastings impressed with the delightful flavors and economical choices offered by EveryPlate.

For larger families, Dinnerly—a budget alternative to Marley Spoon—presents an excellent option at just $6 per meal for family-sized servings. Compared to last year's findings, Dinnerly's recipes have become lighter, more sophisticated, and certainly smarter.

Best Healthy Meal Service for Work Lunch: Gardencup

Gardencup functions like a mini Sweetgreen, delivering an array of premade salads, soups, and snacks, all presented in convenient cups—fresh, appealing, and ready to consume. This service is ideal for those seeking to maintain healthy eating habits at work or in a home office, especially when the lure of takeout or frozen meals can be strong.

Taste is not compromised; the tomatoes in the caprese salad, for example, are remarkably flavorful. In a pasta salad, the peppers provide satisfying crunch, and the greens are vibrant. Although some dishes may require additional seasoning, Gardencup stands as one of the most rewarding low-effort meal delivery options—essentially having a soup and salad bar in your refrigerator. The cups themselves are reusable and recyclable.

Best Meal Kit for Gluten-Free and Organic: Green Chef

Green Chef operates as the organic segment of HelloFresh and excels in addressing dietary restrictions, particularly with a robust vegetarian and dairy-free focus. Over half of Green Chef's meals are gluten-free, prepared in dedicated gluten-free facilities using traceable ingredients.

The recipes by Green Chef are straightforward and efficiently organized, with ingredients portioned into individual bags. Although priced at $14 per meal, reflecting the cost of organic ingredients and specialized gluten-free logistics, the experience has been worth it. After a week of sampling its gluten-free meals, I found no longing for gluten at all; the delicious dishes, including creamy red pepper sauce bavette steaks, a honey-ginger shrimp rice bowl, and a kale-quinoa salad, consistently impressed. Green Chef's success lies in the uncomplicated nature of its recipes, which do not require gluten in the first place.

Best Plant-Based Meal Kit: Purple Carrot

Among the myriad of plant-based meal kits available, Purple Carrot is outstanding. They provide boxes filled with premade, frozen, oven-ready meals featuring adventurous options like mole enchiladas or artichoke-stuffed ravioli. However, Purple Carrot truly excels with its fresh-made recipes, which arrive organized in individual bags, complemented by elegantly designed recipe cards. A flexible order system allows you to choose what you want each week, with a minimum order of $50.

The recipes celebrate the joy of cooking—though, at times, this can mean longer prep times. A beautifully crafted Mediterranean rice salad featuring stuffed grape leaves took about half an hour to prepare, along with simple oven-roasted vegetables. The outcome is a delightful array of textures and flavors reminiscent of restaurant meals for those who enjoy spending time in the kitchen.

Best Meal Delivery for GLP-1 Support: Tempo

Individuals using GLP-1 medications for weight loss or diabetes management often find their cravings for tasty foods diminished. However, the essential need for ample protein, balanced against other health considerations, endures.

Tempo by Home Chef is a fresh, never-frozen meal service that presents around 30 meal choices weekly; about two-thirds of these options are labeled as "protein-packed," containing over 30 grams of protein. Additionally, at least 10 meals are designed to be GLP-1 balanced, guided by a dietitian.

Tempo manages its protein sources effectively. The meals are nutritious, well-balanced, and comforting without excessive sodium or unhealthy carbs. At $12 per meal, this service aligns with common pricing for prepared meal options. Portions are designed to be suitable for those on GLP-1 medication, ensuring adequate protein intake for maintaining muscle mass despite reduced hunger signals. However, consumers may notice a preference for chicken and fish in the meal offerings.

Other Meal Kits I Liked

Sunbasket (~$14 per serving): Emphasizing fresh, organic ingredients, Sunbasket features a wide variety of options in its menus. Its recipes focus on seasoning and sound cooking techniques. Similar to Hungryroot, it also offers breakfast and snack selections to enhance meal variety.

Factor (~$14 per serving): Factor, a prepared meal delivery service operated by HelloFresh, delivers fresh, never-frozen meals in a format reminiscent of TV dinners. The meals are created in a commissary kitchen to ensure freshness and quality.

Fuel Meals ($13 to $14 per serving): Fuel Meals prioritize high-protein, straightforward meals made with minimal ingredients, catering to dietary preferences, with a significant portion of offerings labeled gluten-free or dairy-free.

Wildgrain ($13 to $17 per loaf or box of pastries): Wildgrain is a subscription-based bread delivery service, presenting par-baked goods from various small bakeries around the country, ready for you to finish baking at home.

Thistle ($13 to $16 per serving): Primarily a plant-based kit, Thistle also offers an affordable option to add sustainable meats to vegan meals. Local and seasonal menus vary across regions, with substantial portions suitable for sharing.

Tovala (~$13 a serving): Tovala provides a unique solution by including an oven with meal kits, allowing recipes to be prepared in specified foil pans that yield delicious results while differing from the typical soggy prepared meals.

Gobble ($12 to $17 a serving): Gobble introduces intriguing flavors in speedy recipes; however, the emphasis on rapid cooking has decreased, as some recent dishes took as long as 30 minutes to prepare.

Nurture Life ($6 to $8 per serving): Nurture Life features a children’s menu of ready-to-eat meals, offering a variety of kid-friendly options, from classic mac and cheese to spaghetti and chicken nuggets.

Veestro ($7 to $14 per serving): Veestro features ready-to-eat vegan meals, offering fresh deliveries or freezable selections for added convenience, with options catering to different dietary needs.

Splendid Spoon ($9 to $13 per serving): Splendid Spoon serves an assortment of plant-based smoothies, soups, bowls, and shots, all of which are naturally gluten-free and devoid of GMOs.

ModifyHealth ($10 to $13 per serving): ModifyHealth tailors its meal delivery service to individuals requiring heart-healthy, low-carb, or low-FODMAP diets, with additional dietitian consultations available.

Daily Harvest (prices vary): Daily Harvest specializes in ready-to-eat meals, including plant-based smoothies and harvest bowls, crafted to accommodate various dietary restrictions.

Are Meal Delivery Services Worth It?

When evaluating raw ingredient costs, meal kits will generally price higher than grocery shopping. However, these kits offer added service value beyond mere ingredient costs. Unless you habitually seek premium ingredients, preparing delicious meals at home can often be achieved for less than the $7 to $14 per serving typically charged by meal kits.

Nonetheless, meal kits can be economical for those wanting to explore new recipes without overloading their kitchens with seldom-used condiments and ingredients. In comparison to takeout, the best meal delivery services included in this guide are likely to be more affordable and nutritionally beneficial.

Can I Pause a Meal Kit When I Go on Vacation?

Most meal kit providers offer the option to pause subscriptions, allowing you to do so as frequently as needed. However, it's crucial to cancel with adequate notice. Some companies permit cancellations as late as the Friday before a Monday delivery (e.g., HelloFresh requires five days’ notice, Marley Spoon six).

For those with variable scheduling needs, Blue Apron is an excellent recommendation, having eliminated its weekly delivery requirement under the new model.

How to Optimize Meal Kits

Order a manageable number of meals weekly: Avoid ordering more meals than you realistically can prepare, as this may lead to unnecessary pressure. Aim to find a balance that maintains meal preparation as a joyful convenience rather than an obligation.

Organize your fridge: Meal kits replace a significant amount of grocery shopping; however, they also require ample storage space. Consider adapting your fridge to accommodate the entire meal kit box along with its cold packs.

Review recipe cards before preparing: Most meal kits assume you possess staple ingredients, like oils and butters, and might have specific cookware requirements. Checking beforehand can ensure you’re adequately prepared.

Customize your meals as you see fit: While meal kit services hire skilled recipe developers, you are under no obligation to follow their instructions rigidly. Feel free to enhance flavors, adjust seasonings, or modify steps according to your preferences. Ultimately, these kits serve as tools to inspire creativity in the kitchen.