The Best Prepared Meal Delivery Services for 2024


Everyone needs to eat, but unless you’re fortunate enough to have a personal chef, making food takes time and energy. Consider how much effort goes into shopping for, cooking, and eating food. Subscribing to a meal kit delivery service may help you cut down on lengthy grocery trips, but if you want even less work, feast your eyes on the top prepared meal delivery services we’ve tested. 

Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks

Fresh N Lean Logo

Fresh N Lean Meal Delivery Service

Best Variety

Why We Picked It

Fresh N Lean is a prepared meal-kit delivery service, which means that the food arrives fully cooked, ready for you to heat and eat. Its well-rounded menu appeals to all diet types. Other prepared meal services target particular groups with specific dietary needs, but Fresh N Lean is an excellent option for everyone thanks to its varied, high-quality menu.

Who It’s For

Fresh N Lean is for everyone curious about prepared meals, regardless of diet. It’s one of the best gateways to this particular meal-kit category. What you lose in freshness, you gain in sheer convenience. Fresh N Lean also lets you create custom subscriptions with a la carte items, which is a nice touch.

PROS

  • Meals delivered fresh
  • Varied menus for vegan and paleo diets
  • Low price for prepared meals
  • Lets you create custom subscriptions

CONS

  • Limited control over the meal plans you receive
  • Generic à la carte meals

SPECS

Price Per Serving $10.49-$15.99
Shipping Fee $9.99
Vegan Options
Vegetarian Options
Paleo Options
Pescetarian Options
Gluten-free Options
Dairy-free Options
CookUnity logo

CookUnity Meal Delivery Service

Best for Meals From Famous Chefs

Why We Picked It

CookUnity lets you choose between hundreds of tasty, fully prepared meals designed by its chef collective, including some notable celebrity chefs. You’ll find plenty to eat, no matter your cuisine preferences or dietary needs. 

Who It’s For

CookUnity is for anyone who wants a convenient and comprehensive prepared meal service without sacrificing choice. The service has annoying packaging, inconsistent portions, and gaps in its delivery map, but it’s an overall excellent prepared meal option.

PROS

  • Many tasty options
  • Easy preparation
  • Accommodates a wide range of dietary needs
  • Flexible scheduling and meal selection

CONS

  • Inconsistent portions
  • Annoying packaging
  • Some gaps in delivery coverage

SPECS

Price Per Serving $11.09
Shipping Fee $9.99
Vegan Options
Vegetarian Options
Paleo Options
Pescetarian Options
Gluten-free Options
Dairy-free Options
Factor Meals Logo

Factor Meal Delivery Service

Best for Hello Fresh Fans

Why We Picked It

Factor is a prepared meal-kit delivery service owned by HelloFresh, an Editors’ Choice pick for traditional meal kits. Factor is similarly excellent, selling delicious rotating dishes that are incredibly convenient to prepare. 

Who It’s For

If you want more variety in your prepared meals, Factor is a great overall option. You must subscribe to the service (it lacks an a la carte option), but the menu is varied enough to accommodate all diets. Plus, you can purchase add-ons for your weekly meals to round out your deliveries.

PROS

  • Many high-quality prepared meals
  • You can pick meals from a rotating menu
  • Optional add-ons
  • Subscriptions include a 20-minute dietitian consultation

CONS

  • Requires a subscription
  • Seasoning is occasionally off-balance

SPECS

Price Per Serving $10.49-$12.99
Shipping Fee $9.99
Vegan Options
Vegetarian Options
Paleo Options
Pescetarian Options
Gluten-free Options
Dairy-free Options
Mosaic logo

Mosaic Meal Delivery Service

Best for Vegan and Vegetarian Diets

Why We Picked It

Mosaic offers surprising variety despite focusing on vegetarian diets. Its prepared meals include soups and bowls for individuals, as well as pies designed to feed an entire family.  

Who It’s For

Mosaic is for people who want choice in their healthy, prepared vegetarian meals. This flexibility also extends to the service; it lets you choose between cheaper, smaller items and larger, more expensive ones as you craft your subscription.

PROS

  • Tasty vegan and vegetarian meals
  • Many sizes and prices for individuals and families
  • Flexible subscription

CONS

  • Soups could use more substance
  • Larger meals have lengthy cook times

SPECS

Price Per Serving $5.99 to $23.95
Shipping Fee $9.99
Vegan Options
Vegetarian Options
Paleo Options
Pescetarian Options
Gluten-free Options
Dairy-free Options
Veestro logo

Veestro Meal Delivery Service

Most Flexible Purchase Options

Why We Picked It

Prepared meals are especially useful for vegan and vegetarian diets, as they remove the hassle that makes it so hard to form healthier eating habits. Veestro offers many vegan meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner that taste great and don’t require much prep time.

Who It’s For

Veestro is for people who want to really commit to eating vegan. You must buy many meals upfront, but they last a while in the freezer. A la carte and subscription plans give you plenty of flexibility when choosing meals.

PROS

  • A la carte and subscription plans
  • Easy prep with premade meals
  • Healthy, without sacrificing taste
  • Lunch and entrée options

CONS

  • Meals aren’t always filling

SPECS

Price Per Serving $11.99 to $22.99
Shipping Fee $7.95-$12.95
Vegan Options
Vegetarian Options
Paleo Options
Pescetarian Options
Gluten-free Options
Dairy-free Options
Balanced Bites logo

Balanced Bites Meal Delivery Service

Best for Keto and Paleo Diets

Why We Picked It

Balanced Bites carefully crafts high-protein meals that are so good you would never believe they come fully prepared. Boxes are more expensive than many competing services, but you have many options for customizing your food deliveries.

Who It’s For

Balanced Bites is for people who want weekly keto and paleo boxes (each meal contains meat, so it’s not for vegetarians). If you’re on board with the company’s focus, you’ll find a lot to like with this low-carb meal-kit delivery service.

PROS

  • Hearty, tasty, premade meals
  • Prepared, frozen, and shipped within days to maintain quality
  • Convenient for keto and paleo diets
  • Build your own a la carte box or choose a subscription plan

CONS

  • Expensive
  • No vegan or vegetarian options

SPECS

Price Per Serving $19.99
Shipping Fee $9.99-$13.95
Vegan Options
Vegetarian Options
Paleo Options
Pescetarian Options
Gluten-free Options
Dairy-free Options
Daily Harvest Meal Delivery Service

Daily Harvest Meal Delivery Service

Best for Unusual Ingredients

Why We Picked It

Daily Harvest helps you eat more vegetables throughout the day thanks to its breakfast and lunch options, along with soups and smoothies. Even the packaging is good for the planet. Note, though, that the company has recently recalled some menu items that caused sickness.

Who It’s For

Even if you aren’t vegan, adopting a more plant-based diet improves your health. And who doesn’t want faster cook times? Daily Harvest is an especially good choice if you want a variety of vegetables in your prepared meals. 

PROS

  • Minimal to no cooking required
  • Diverse ingredients
  • Heavily plant-focused and all vegan
  • Compostable packaging

CONS

  • Must supply your own liquids for smoothies and soups
  • Some unusual ingredients and flavor combinations
  • Purported wellness benefits may be a turnoff

SPECS

Price Per Serving $6.99-$7.75
Shipping Fee Free
Vegan Options
Vegetarian Options
Paleo Options
Pescetarian Options
Gluten-free Options
Dairy-free Options
NutriFit Meal Delivery Service

NutriFit Meal Delivery Service

Best for Comprehensive Meal Planning

Why We Picked It

NutriFit doesn’t just prepare meals for convenience. It prepares meals to help you lose weight, recover from a pregnancy, get ready for a sport, or achieve some other body-related goal. The system tailors its menus to the health data that you put input into the site. 

Who It’s For

NutriFit is explicitly designed for people looking to accomplish health goals. The company’s offerings are meant to replace your non-NutriFit meals, which is why it’s so expensive. In short, it’s for customers willing to fully buy into the system.

PROS

  • A wide variety of healthy meals for breakfast, lunch, or dinner
  • Many ways to customize plans to meet your nutritional goals
  • Numerous a la carte options
  • Free shipping

CONS

  • Expensive commitment
  • Occasionally overwhelming sign-up process
  • Food quantity doesn’t always equal quality

SPECS

Price Per Serving $18
Shipping Fee Free
Vegan Options
Vegetarian Options
Paleo Options
Pescetarian Options
Gluten-free Options
Dairy-free Options
Splendid Spoon Meal Delivery Service

Splendid Spoon Meal Delivery Service

Best for Soups and Smoothies

Why We Picked It

We already enjoyed Splendid Spoon’s healthy breakfast and lunch menu items, especially the tasty soups. The recently added high-protein meals make it an even more appealing prepared meal-kit option.

Who It’s For

Splendid Spoon reminds you that healthy, prepared meals don’t have to sacrifice flavor. Some meals are better than others, but overall we enjoy the company’s fun and interesting meal selection.

PROS

  • Convenient
  • Packed with plant-based foods
  • Fun flavors
  • Surprisingly delicious soups
  • Good packaging
  • New, high-protein options

CONS

  • Expensive smoothies
  • Grain bowls need more texture contrast
  • Some offerings too bland in testing

SPECS

Price Per Serving $9.50-$13
Shipping Fee Free
Vegan Options
Vegetarian Options
Paleo Options
Pescetarian Options
Gluten-free Options
Dairy-free Options
Sprinly Meal Delivery Service

Sprinly Meal Delivery Service

Best for Fresh Flavors

Why We Picked It

Some prepared meal kits struggle with the logistics of providing fresh meals. The timing is too tricky. That’s not the case with Sprinly. Its plant-based meals arrive fresh, and you can absolutely taste the difference.

Who It’s For

Anyone looking to add more veggies to their diet. Sprinly is an excellent example of a plant-based, prepared meal delivery service. The food is not only flavorful, but quite filling. You don’t always have many options to choose from, but the available options won’t disappoint you.

PROS

  • Fresh, filling, and flavorful meals
  • 100 percent, plant-based food
  • No cooking required
  • Free delivery

CONS

  • Limited menu options per week
  • No a la carte options
  • Doesn’t deliver everywhere in the United States

SPECS

Price Per Serving $18
Shipping Fee Free
Vegan Options
Vegetarian Options
Paleo Options
Pescetarian Options
Gluten-free Options
Dairy-free Options
Trifecta Meal Delivery Service

Trifecta Meal Delivery Service

Best for Fitness-Focused Meal Prep

Why We Picked It

Getting in shape requires a proper diet and regular exercise. Trifecta helps you achieve both. Its meal plans ensure you put the right food in your body, while its fitness app encourages you to move your body.

Who It’s For

Trifecta is for people who want to incorporate meal planning into their overall fitness routine. The food could use more flavor, but you have many customization options. And even without the meals, the free app is an excellent fitness tool.

PROS

  • Meal plans cover a variety of diets
  • Grocery and à la carte options
  • Helpful fitness app

CONS

  • Meals could use more flavor
  • Little control over what exact meals you receive

SPECS

Price Per Serving $15.49
Shipping Fee No
Vegan Options
Vegetarian Options
Paleo Options
Pescetarian Options
Gluten-free Options
Dairy-free Options

Buying Guide: The Best Prepared Meal Delivery Services for 2024


What Is a Prepared Meal Delivery Service?

A traditional meal kit delivery service sends you a box full of ingredients. When you sign up for Editors’ Choice picks, such as Blue Apron, Green Chef, HelloFresh, or Hungryroot, you’ll get everything from raw meat to whole produce to spice packets. Using the included instructions, it’s up to you to assemble and cook those separate ingredients into a complete meal.

Prepared meal delivery services, however, send you complete meals. You must reheat them, whether it’s in a microwave, in an oven, or on a stovetop. Still, the work is mostly done before the box arrives at our doorstep. You can spend less time planning and more time eating, the true appeal of food in the mail. 

Fresh N Lean

(Credit: PCMag)

Fortunately, this doesn’t limit the types of food you’ll find with these services. If anything, chefs get more creative with their meals since they aren’t asking you to cook. Our top picks offer everything from BBQ beef with mashed parsnips, tomato flatbreads, breakfast frittatas, healthy smoothies, and complex soups. Sometimes, you don’t need to heat the food; you can eat the cool salad or frozen dessert straight from the box.

These meals come already prepared, so they tend to last longer in the fridge or freezer compared to raw ingredients. These services also pack far more meals into a single package. A traditional meal kit box may have three meals at max, while a prepared meal box has ten. 


Are There Any Vegan Prepared Meal Delivery Services?

You can find prepared meal delivery services to suit all kinds of tastes and diets. Balanced Bites and Trifecta offer meaty, protein-heavy cuisine perfect for keto. NutriFit tailors its meals to help reach specific health goals. Mosaic, Sprinly, and Veestro make it easier than ever to go vegan. CookUnity’s and Factor’s menus have a little something for everyone, as does our Editors’ Choice pick Fresh N Lean


Is It Cheaper to Get Meal Kits Than Prepared Meals?

There are a few reasons why prepared meal services may not be best for you. These services go through the extra work of cooking the food beforehand, so each prepared meal tends to cost more compared to a traditional meal kit box. For example, HelloFresh costs about $10 per meal, whereas Balanced Bites costs $20 per meal. You’re paying for that chef’s labor.

Traditional meal kit delivery services also provide culinary education you won’t receive with prepared meals. Even if you’re simply following instructions, you’ll learn to cook. With prepared meals, you have far less room to customize.

Recommended by Our Editors

Flavor can also suffer compared to truly home-cooked meals. The least appetizing meals we ate through meal services, such as bistroMD, Daily Harvest, and Splendid Spoon, reminded us that these are pretty much rebranded frozen TV dinners. The best services prepare fresh meals just days before they arrive on your doorstep.     


Best Meal Delivery Services for 2020
PCMag Logo Best Meal Delivery Services for 2020

Fast Food That’s Good Food

There’s nothing stopping you from mixing and matching meal kit delivery services. Get a traditional one when you have time to cook, get a prepared one when you don’t. Sunbasket and a few other services offer both options with one subscription. Think of these services as big, online buffets, so dig in. 

If you’re looking for some more ways to get healthier, check out our Ultimate Guide to Health and Fitness Tech. For more on improving your culinary life through tech, check out the best meal planning apps and best grocery delivery services.



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