- Low-price meal subscriptions -
The absolute cheapest meal kit is EveryPlate , and with consistently tasty meals -- we've tested it three times now -- that take as little as 20 minutes to cook, it's an easy pick for the best cheap meal service for Read more: Are Some Meal Kits Cheaper Than Buying Groceries?
I Did the Math. If you're looking for inexpensive vegan meals by mail or an affordable meal kit service that includes steak and seafood in the standard plan, we have picks for those, too.
The takeaway? Being budget-friendly certainly doesn't mean the food has to suck. If you're looking to eliminate a few weekly tasks -- grocery shopping, meal planning, prep, cooking -- without squeezing your budget, we tested more than 10 top wallet-friendly services to find the best cheap meal delivery for The bottom line : EveryPlate's meal kits were all solid and easy to make.
EveryPlate meal kits are easy to prepare and I loved everything I made in multiple rounds of testing. You won't find a lot of foofy, upscale cuisine or complicated recipes, but you will get a lot of satisfying comfort food, such as hoisin meatloaf with mashed potatoes, cheeseburgers, umami pork chops and sweet potato quesadillas.
I tested EveryPlate and was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked the meals. Having tested all of the leading prepared meal delivery service options, Fresh N Lean ran away from the competition, ticking more boxes than any other.
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.
These are chopped up small to prevent choking, and come in a variety of flavors to expose your tike to new flavors and textures. The meal service is great for those parents who are sick of sharing off their own plates as well, as the Nurture Life meals let your kid have their very own plate of yummy food, and a great option for those who need some more variety in their weekly kid-approved cooking rotation.
Starting from the way the package arrived — hand-delivered in a reusable tote, layered with ice to keep the food fresh — the whole CookUnity experience was restaurant-level without ever leaving home.
I was also sent a text to track my order, letting me know an hour in advance so I could be prepared. The food arrived in great shape, with no foggy plastic coverings or soggy cardboard to be found. The only downside to the meals is that they are single-serve, as I would have loved left overs or to be able to serve to a family or crowd — oh, well, more meals for me!
Eat Clean is a prepared meal delivery service, that not only takes the grocery shopping out of the equation like a typical meal kit, but also takes care of most of the prep work, cooking and cleaning.
The meals arrive in a pre-packaged and pre-portioned tray that is microwave safe, or you can opt to open the pack and use an oven-safe dish to reheat the food in minutes.
And yes, packaging is recyclable. On to the nutrition aspect, the packaging wrapped around each tray has detailed nutritional information, plus, the website does a great job of describing each menu item, outlining all of the ingredients as well as health information.
For those on a specific diet, you can also choose from plant-based meals, Keto and paleo. I opted for a random selection of meals this go around, but would also like to note that the service does carry a variety of options for breakfast and snacks, in addition to lunch and dinner, should you want to plan for busy mornings or an eventful day with little time to snack.
I went the dinner route, and happily ate BBQ pulled pork with sweet plantain mash off of the traditional menu, as well as Kung Pao chicken with sweet potato noodles from the paleo menu.
Both were extremely flavorful, not skimping on seasonings at all. Portion sizes are on the somewhat smaller size, but the meals themselves were filling, each coming with a protein and a veggie for the meals I chose. Daily Harvest truly means daily, as I happily ate a breakfast, lunch and a dessert in one sitting when diving into my box of frozen meals and snacks.
They keep it simple; everything comes frozen on dry ice careful with kids if they help with the unboxing process! and ready to either reheat, blend, or in the case of ice cream, thaw and enjoy.
My sweet potato bowl took about four minutes in the microwave, and I was surprised by how well it turned out. All in all, Daily Harvest is a great kit to have on-hand and in-freezer at all times, whether it be as part of your daily routine or a great fall back when waking up late and needing a quick smoothie or bowl or a dinner for the family on busy nights.
Mosaic is another frozen meal delivery service that sends breakfast, lunch and dinner to your door and can be reheated in the microwave in five minutes or less for a quick and healthy meal. I personally love this style, as it helps to eliminate food waste and saves room in the freezer for exactly what you want.
Each category is priced out differently, but you can mix and match to reach your minimum box order. Furthermore, deliveries are super easy to customize, as you can get a recurring box every week, every two weeks or every four weeks, with the option to pause or cancel should you be out of town.
For my trial box, I ordered a few things from each category but decided on soup and some noodles for lunch. The directions were pretty straightforward, as all you need is a microwave and about five minutes of patience before food is served.
The soup took an initial five minutes and then an additional two, as per the instructions, so be sure to read the packaging for the exact cooking time. I actually had leftovers because it was so filling — always a pro when it comes to plant-based foods. Sunbasket is truly a ray of sunshine for those who value organic ingredients and getting a healthy and delicious meal on the table.
For my box, I decided to do a mix of everything, getting one oven-ready meal that was gluten-free, dairy-free and pescatarian and one regular meal kit to be cooked up.
For the instant option, I was sent a shrimp paella with fire-roasted tomatoes and bell peppers, instantly taking me back to Spain where I tried the dish for the first time. Instead of a bulky pan to cook my paella, I was given a microwave safe container, cutting my cook time to just six minutes total.
I was wary of overcooked and rubbery fish with dry rice, but the dish came out moist and delicious, so either I have a magic microwave or the people at Sunbasket knew what they were doing when it comes to microwavable meals. They have a full breakfast menu with options for different types of eggs, oatmeals, breads and spreads, and even juice, smoothies and a coffee-in-a-can that looks awesome.
Moving on to lunch and dinner, they have both the ready-made meals as well as cooking options, a whole section for pastas and sauces, extra protein packs, and of course, snacks.
For the traditional meal, I went for their Italian sausage and vegetable skillet with spicy green harissa. The veggies included all had organic stickers on them, and were fresh and crisp as I was chopping them up. I also noticed that they were full sized, ultimately serving a bit more than the two promised portions.
If you find yourself rooting around your kitchen all day for meals and snacks, Hungryroot may be the best choice for you. Its mix of branded items and other brands is a great way to explore new products.
When I first signed up to make my profile, I was taken through a fun, almost Buzzfeed-style quiz that had me pick and choose my favorite types of foods and think about my eating habits.
To be honest with myself, I was sure to check the boxes for liking sweets and snacking, skipping breakfasts, and adding snacks to my dinners. At the end of the quiz, you are presented with a customized plan of meals and servings, as well as the option to add on breakfasts, snacks and sweets.
While some of the food is Hungryroot brand, such as the veggies, pasta, meat, and rice, some of the other items, including snacks, desserts, and even the buns for my burgers, were from other unique brands. This was actually really cool to see, as by ordering one box, I was exposed to new products that I can now go out and buy on their own when I run out — looking at you, Pipcorn cheese balls!
I chose to cook a Hungryroot brand spinach feta turkey burger on an Ozery OneBun multigrain bun with Hungryroot avocado crema. The burgers came in pre-formed, pre-cooked patties and were super easy to pan-sear while the buns toasted, all in all, totaling about 10 minutes total for a healthy and hearty lunch.
The burger itself was delicious, and something I would seek out in a grocery store to buy again. While this particular meal was on the easy side, while browsing the site, I was happy to see a whole range of options, including groceries to have in the fridge, which I found to be super unique and well-needed in the traditional meal kit space.
This company is great for those who have a culinary mind and like cooking their own recipes but also like trying new ones, especially with healthy ingredients and fun new products. Plus, it saves a trip to the grocery store and scrambling to plan a weekly menu on the spot.
Especially with diets like keto and paleo becoming all the rage, this meal plan is one of the best to cater to those diets while also being surprisingly filling.
I am always a skeptic when it comes to pre-packaged salads and fresh greens, but when my order arrived, I was pleasantly presented with a super fresh and crunchy Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad that I ate a few days after receiving my box.
They last up to 10 days in the refrigerator, so stocking up is definitely an option. I opted for the microwave, and while the bacon was perfectly crispy and the sausage heated all the way through, I should have reheated the eggs differently. Also, note to remove the dressing and sauce containers under the plastic film before microwaving, as I narrowly avoided a very melty and messy situation.
As stated above, I fell in love with the filling and fresh Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad , which also happened to be keto, including the creamy dressing on the side.
I loved how this was a true ready-made meal, with no heating or even re-plating required. If you spend too much time and money on take-out health food or the Whole Foods salad bar, this is the kit for you. The ready-to-eat meals come in super easy-to-transport plastic containers, a la a work cafeteria, or a fast-casual restaurant.
When it comes to fresh veggies and vegan meals, I can be skeptical that the produce will retain its crunch upon delivery or that the meat or meat alternatives will arrive a soggy mess. However, I was thrilled to bite into my Monday Kale Pesto Pasta Salad to find excellent crunchy roughage and al dente pasta.
The other thing to note about freshness is the packaging. Thistle takes care to label each breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack yes, snack! My Smashed Sonoma Chickpea Snack Plate was delicious! with the day you should eat it. Since I ordered for Monday — Wednesday, it was easy to organize my fridge by day so I could simply eat down the line.
What is the difference between a meal kit and a meal delivery service? Well, this one is a bit tricky, as both are included in this roundup, and there is some overlap. A meal kit is usually a subscription-based program that sends ingredients and recipes to your home.
A meal delivery service may be the above, or be pre-cooked meals or grocery items in addition or instead of ingredients for a specific meal. Do you need to subscribe to the meal kit?
Most of the time, yes! Usually a subscription is needed to try the meals, however, some companies also have a marketplace that sells items a la carte. How often do offerings and menus change?
Typically, sites will switch up their meal offerings on a weekly basis. Do I have to be a good cook to use a meal kit? Meal kits come in many different skill levels, from simply microwaving to more intensive chopping and cooking.
They can also be a great way to learn how to cook and teach children. Diet: Pay attention to the dietary options each service caters to, from vegetarian and vegan to Keto and paleo.
Household Size: Count the number of people in your family and then account for how much they eat to best calculate how many servings you need to feed everyone.
Some kits detailed above have larger portions, while others are single-serve only. Budget: Meal kits and services have a wide range of prices. Some offer free shipping, while others have a minimum spend, and other specialty or health-related plans may cost more.
Time: Think about how long you want to be cooking for each night. Some meals require 30 or more minutes to cook, not including cleaning up. Check out New York Post Shopping for more content.
Contact The Author Name required. Email required. Comment required. Updated Jan. New York Post Composite. The hard part is just deciding which to try, which is why I tried them all for you first. Previous 1 of 3.
Sophie Cannon. I promise the oven was off for these meal kits! The beauty of trying so many companies was that some were intensive and others, like these, were microwave friendly. Brand spotlight. Pros: Full-sized ingredients, super fresh produce and large portions Offers a wine subscription box as well, to pair with your cooking creations A bit more in-depth cooking, with great tasting results Perfect for a hungry family or those who want to spend more quality time in the kitchen.
Cons: None to note. Good for: Meal kits that have variety up to par with grocery shopping. Hungryroot offers a unique take on meal delivery, in that you find a recipe you like, and the company will send you all of the ingredients to make it.
There are many options for types of food to choose from, and you can even order extra groceries that you might need as well. You do have to cook though, so if that's not interesting to you, this won't be the right plan.
This feels less like a meal service and more like grocery shopping, according to GGR head of content and certified personal trainer Kate Meier, who tested out Hungryroot. The ease of prep was fantastic for a meal kit service, according to Kate.
But it was so easy—not a lot of chopping, because everything is prepackaged and ready to throw in a skillet.
There is an abundance of variety with Hungryroot, particularly for those with dietary restrictions. Also, Kate was a bit overwhelmed by the initial quiz at the start—asking lots of questions before you even get to see the meal options. Nevertheless, this is a solid service that provides high-quality ingredients for a relatively inexpensive price.
Mosaic is a frozen meal delivery service that offers plant-based options for vegetarians, vegans, and omnivores alike. Mosaic has a wide selection of frozen veggie bowls, family meals, pizzas, smoothies, soups, and oat bowls. Dishes vary from smoothies to pizzas and flatbreads, and even soups and oat bowls.
Family-friendly meals were also available, which dietitian Perry Nix, RD, enjoyed. Vegetables are full of vitamins and minerals that promote immune health, improve vision, and support strong bones and a healthy metabolism.
Make sure to check if they deliver to you though, as their delivery is limited to certain parts of the U. RELATED: Plant-Based Protein Powder Benefits.
Good for: Families needing meal kits with options for all family members. Blue Apron is a meal kit delivery service that sends you everything you need for a fun, tasty meal right to your door.
Blue Apron is our favorite budget-friendly meal delivery service for families. With wellness and veggie plant-based options available in their preferences, Blue Apron also provides family-friendly options for kid-friendly meals, as well as a fast and easy quick prep option.
RELATED: Blue Apron Vs HelloFresh Vs Home Chef. Our tester, Sarah Carlton, enjoys the meal kits overall, although some meals shine brighter than others. On the other hand, the Salmon was packed with flavor and so good.
The quality of the ingredients impressed Perry Nix, RD. These ingredient standards support the environment, farmers, and animal welfare. A fault that Perry notes is that Blue Apron is fairly limited when it comes to dietary preferences.
RELATED: Best Meal Delivery for Weight Loss. There are no subscriptions, you can order at the frequency to like. Our favorite prepared meal delivery on a budget is Clean Eatz. Clean Eatz allows you to pick six meals from their meal plans—including keto, high-protein, and gluten-free plans—and then a quantity of these six-meal packs.
Only being able to choose six meals at a time with limited variety might not be what some are looking for; still, with a decent amount of protein in each meal and delicious ingredients, Clean Eatz provides good value at a pretty low price. Busy parents will rejoice in picker-eater approved menu items with hidden vegetables and wholesome ingredients from Little Spoon, a kid-specific meal delivery service.
Little Spoon has meal options for babies who are not yet eating solid foods, little ones moving to bite-size pieces, toddlers eating finger foods, and smoothies for on-the-go snacks. Subscription plans offer biweekly delivery cadence that can be skipped, paused, or canceled at any time.
For the picky eaters in your household, we suggest Little Spoon. Providing meals for all age ranges, from infants to toddlers to young kids, Little Spoon exposes kids to a variety of flavors and ingredients at a young age. Dietitian Perry Nix, RD, speaks on the importance of diversifying the foods a child is exposed to early on.
Senior editor and certified nutrition coach Nicole Davis tested out these meals directly with the source: her two oldest children. The kids, being moderately picky in their foods, had mixed reactions to some meals.
Whether or not Little Spoon is right for you and your children will mostly depend on how your children like it. However, with organic ingredients that are non-GMO, this is a great meal service for kids.
You can read our in-depth thoughts in our Little Spoon review. Not every meal service we tried made our top picks; here are a few honorable mentions we tested:.
Obviously, one of the biggest factors we accounted for on these meal delivery services was the price that these meal services brought to the table pun intended. There are more benefits to an inexpensive meal service besides the money. You can still have many of the benefits of meal services while staying on budget.
Finding a meal delivery service that fits in your budget will help you save money. You buy just the meals you need at affordable prices, and can save on the cost of a grocery run in many cases.
Meal prep for the week can take up a lot of time, which is a huge perk of meal delivery services. Meal kits provide just the right amount of ingredients for your meals, with many ingredients prepared already, so it minimizes the time needed to prepare and cook meals.
Additionally, prepared meals can just be put in an oven or microwave to heat up, virtually eliminating prep time completely.
We updated this article Low-pric April to reflect the results of our most recent - Low-price meal subscriptions of testing. Meal subscriiptions kits have skyrocketed in popularity over the past few years — they help save a trip Affordable bulk grocery items suscriptions grocery store Free sample deals encourage the Low-pgice of cooking at home instead of Affordable bulk grocery items on fast food subxcriptions takeout. Subscriptiohs services now offer meals that can be prepped and put on the table in minutes as well as options for family-friendly dishes and all different types of dietary preferences. But a major drawback for many is the perception that all meal delivery kits are expensive. When it comes to cost comparison, meal delivery services are typically a more affordable and healthier alternative to traditional takeout or dining at a restaurant. And if you're someone who overbuys at the grocery store and is regularly throwing out spoiled food at the end of the week, kits can even cut down on food waste since everything you need is pre-portioned. In order to find the best and cheapest meal delivery services, the GH Institute's food and nutrition experts conducted an extensive review of over 40 meal delivery services with more than home chefs just like you. All products featured on Epicurious are independently selected by our editors. However, when Affordable bulk grocery items buy something through Auto accessory samples retail links, we may - Low-price meal subscriptions an affiliate commission. We live Low-ptice - Low-price meal subscriptions world of subscripgions dinner innovation. And so our always-updated skbscriptions of subecriptions best meal delivery services tracks that innovation and has kits for all kinds of cooks—paleo, ketovegetarianjust a really big fan of Martha Stewart, all of you. Read on to see the range of choices, or jump straight to the ones you think might be the best meal delivery service for you. With more than 30 customizable chef-designed recipes available each week, Home Chef strives to keep things interesting. The company also offers extras including breakfasts, desserts, and appetizers that can work well for a light lunch or as a complement to your meal.
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