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With the growing availability of quick-cooking meal kits that use fresh produce, frozen prepared dishes that actually taste great, and a glut of special diet options, the best meal delivery services have come a long way from its roots as your local pizzeria’s to-go offerings. Each new brand seems to find a niche, so there are increasingly more vegan, organic, keto, and weight-loss options. They cater to a wide audience that sits between the convenience of ordering in and the fun of cooking farmer’s market finds from scratch. What’s more, there are budget options that shine too.
The Best Healthy Meal Delivery Services - Our Top Picks
- Best Overall Healthy Meal Delivery Service: HelloFresh
- Best Vegan Healthy Meal Delivery Service: Factor
- Best Gluten-Free Healthy Meal Delivery Service: BistroMD
- Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service for Families: Mosaic Foods
- Best Budget Healthy Meal Delivery Service: Dinnerly
- Best Keto Healthy Meal Delivery Service: 518 Kitchen
- Best Organic Healthy Meal Delivery Service: Fresh N Lean
- Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service for Singles: Splendid Spoon
- Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service for Special Diets: SideChef
We’ve seen skeptics turn fanatics when they find their favorite brand. It just takes some research and, frankly, trial and error. But healthy competition means these companies often go out of their way to deliver—whether it’s the freshest produce, sustainable packaging, or thoughtfully curated weekly menus. Read our quick guide for what to look for in a meal delivery service and then check out our picks for the 10 top choices in specific categories.
Why Trust Us?
The health and safety of ACTIVE’s readers is of the utmost importance to us. To ensure your well-being when consuming meals from a delivery service, the ACTIVE.com editorial team prioritizes products that rank high in nutritional value. We’ve consulted with a team of nutritionists and dieticians to ensure the products we feature are of the highest standard. This helps us create the most accurate, authentic review content for our readers. For information on how we chose the best healthy meal delivery services, we included a breakdown of key decision factors below.
Best Overall Healthy Meal Delivery Service - Hello Fresh
SPECS
- Servings per meal: 2-4 (each serving for 2-4 people)
- Meals per week: 2-6
- Menu options per week: 30+
- Dietary restrictions: Vegetarian, pescatarian, and "Fit & Wholesome" options
- Location: Delivers anywhere in the U.S., except Alaska and Hawaii
GET 22 FREE MEALS - CLAIM OFFERHelloFresh is one of the nation’s most popular meal kit services, and for good reason. With their flexible checkout process and delicious menu options, you can customize your meal plan to suit your needs. Don’t have much time to cook? You can select 20-minute meals. Want to stay at home for date night? Go with a premium option.
What We Like
- Wide variety in weekly menu options
- Every family plan meal is kid tested
- 20-min. meal option
What We Don’t Like
- No vegan plan
- No premade meal options
Best Vegan Healthy Meal Delivery Service - Factor
SPECS
- Servings per meal: 1
- Meals per week: 4 to 18
- Menu options per week: 7+ vegan options on a rotating menu
- Dietary restrictions: Calorie Smart, keto, vegan and vegetarian, protein plus
- Location: Ships free anywhere in the U.S., except Alaska and Hawaii
GET $276 OFF FACTOR MEALSFactor caters to specific diets with a rotating menu of flavorful meals that retain the texture of fresh home cooking even though they’re fully prepared and microwaved. Vegans will be pleased with their healthy add-ons that you can just pull out of the fridge or pantry. The free shipping takes the edge off the otherwise pricey offerings. If you’re looking for healthy convenience, Factor delivers.
What We Like
- Fully prepared meals with home-cooked texture
- Tasty add-ons like juices, snacks, and shakes
- Free shipping
What We Don’t Like
- On the expensive side
- No meal-kit option
- Not geared toward couples or families
BUY: Factor
Best Gluten-Free Healthy Meal Delivery Service - BistroMD
SPECS
- Servings per meal: 1-2
- Meals per week: 5-21
- Menu options per week: Up to 150
- Dietary restrictions: Gluten free, keto, and other weight-loss options
- Location: Ships anywhere in the U.S. except Hawaii and Alaska
25% OFF BISTROMD WITH CODE SAVE25BONUSBistroMD offers a wide variety of special diet meal plans fully prepared and delivered to your door. In fact, it may be the only doctor-designed gluten-free meal plan. Whether you’re gluten intolerant or simply swear by the health benefits of avoiding refined carbs, you’re likely to enjoy BistroMD.
What We Like
- Medically backed meal plans
- Support from registered dieticians
- Focus on weight loss
What We Don’t Like
- Unclear sourcing; the ingredients are likely not organic
- The expense can add up
Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service for Families - Mosaic Foods
SPECS
- Servings per meal: 1-2
- Meals per week: Based on order
- Menu options per week: Around 60 options
- Dietary restrictions: Vegan, vegetarian
- Location: Delivers to most major metro areas in the eastern and western U.S.
CHECK PRICEFrozen foods have come a long way from catering to lazy bachelors and dieting suburban housewives. Mosaic Foods is staking its claim by appealing exclusively to plant eaters. They have thoughtfully crafted recipes and their local or seasonally themed, menu categories keep things interesting. The best feature? Mosaic’s big pan family meals. Just slide it in the oven and feed your tribe.
What We Like
- Big pan family oven meals
- Vegetarian-oriented, with vegan options too
- Fully prepared meals
- Rotating menu themes
What We Don’t Like
- Often lacks sufficient dressing or sauce
- Reheats inconsistently
Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service on a Budget - Dinnerly
SPECS
- Servings per meal: 2
- Meals per week: 3-6
- Menu options per week: 45+
- Dietary restrictions: Vegetarian option
- Location: Delivers to most of the continental U.S.
CHECK PRICEWith meal kits for under $6 a person, Dinnerly offers unfussy weeknight staples that are easy to cook and very affordable. Their wide assortment of menu options will likely please the picky eater in your family, and you’ll appreciate the fresh produce. Simplicity sometimes comes at the cost of culinary adventure, however, so you may have to try several of their picks to find one that splits the difference for you.
What We Like
- Simple, easy-to-make recipes
- Very affordable
- Lots of choices
What We Don’t Like
- Sometimes the meals are simple to the point of being bland
- Buying and cooking in bulk may save you more time
Best Keto Healthy Meal Delivery Service - 518 Kitchen
SPECS
- Servings per meal: 1
- Meals per week: A la carte
- Menu options per week: 50+
- Dietary restrictions: Keto
- Location: Ships to anywhere in the U.S.
CHECK PRICEIf you’ve ever committed to a keto diet, you know how hard it is to plan and prepare meals consistently. That’s where Five One Eight Kitchen comes to the rescue. Named after the area code for the Adirondacks of New York State and founded by three professionally trained chefs, this fully prepared meal service doesn’t neglect flavor in its offerings. With plenty of variety and tab-over macronutrient profiles, you can easily customize your week’s diet.
What We Like
- One of the few keto-only meal delivery services
- Small business attitude, service, and sourcing (think local)
- Founded by chefs
What We Don’t Like
- Quite spendy
- The vast a la carte interface lacks curation
Best Organic Healthy Meal Delivery Service - Fresh N Lean
SPECS
- Servings per meal: 1
- Meals per week: 5 to 21
- Menu options per week: 14 to 21+, depending on the plan
- Dietary restrictions: Protein+, keto, paleo, vegan, Whole30, various allergen exemptions
- Location: Ships anywhere in the U.S.
GET $276 OFF FACTOR MEALSIf you follow a specific diet but you want prepared meals delivered on auto-pilot, Fresh N Lean may be your best choice, with meal plans that follow keto, paleo, and vegan diets, and more. If you’ve ever tried adhering to a specific diet, you know that meal planning and prep are the hardest part. A service like this takes the work out of it. You know the exact amounts of macronutrients you’re getting, and the majority of ingredients are organic.
What We Like
- You get a specific diet, on autopilot
- A "protein+" plan for putting on muscle
- Surprisingly delicious food with quality ingredients
What We Don’t Like
- No vegetarian or pescatarian options
- Limited options for those with allergies
Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service for Singles - Splendid Spoon
SPECS
- Servings per meal: 1-2
- Meals per week: 5-20
- Menu options per week: About 22, depending on the plan
- Dietary restrictions: All offerings are vegan and gluten-free
- Location: Ships to any address in the U.S, except in Alaska or Hawaii
GET $276 OFF FACTOR MEALSIf you’re looking for the variety and convenience of smoothies, soups, grain bowls, and noodle dishes, Splendid Spoon should be to your taste. The all-vegan and gluten-free menu is as delicious as it is colorful, the plans are straightforward, and the website is easy to navigate. Depending on your plan, you may have 50 meals to choose from, so you won’t fall into a culinary rut. Plus, all meals are fully prepared. So, if you’re a busy single person looking for healthy options to pull straight from the fridge, you’ve found it.
What We Like
- Smoothies and cold-pressed juices add convenience and variety
- Meals are fully prepared
- Easy to pause your subscription for a week
What We Don’t Like
- Not all ingredients are organic
- Some meals won’t be filling enough for some people
Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service for Special Diets - SideChef
SPECS
- Servings per meal: 1
- Meals per week: Based on order
- Menu options per week: Choose from up to 18,000 recipes, depending on availability
- Dietary restrictions: Vegetarian, vegan, pescetarian, paleo, various allergen exemptions
- Location: Wherever Walmart (SideChef’s grocery partner) delivers
GET $276 OFF FACTOR MEALSSideChef touts itself as an “all-in-one cooking platform,” rather than a meal delivery service. You browse dozens of recipes based on tastes and needs and make your choices; SideChef seamlessly finds the required grocery items for those recipes at your nearest Walmart, where you can pick them up, or have them delivered to your home, if applicable. While it’s not as integrated as a full-fledged meal delivery service, SideChef offers more flexibility. In that, the app really shines, with built-in timers and hands-free voice instructions.
What We Like
- Amazing variety and specificity, based on their business model
- Intuitive, colorful, and feature-rich user-interface on web and mobile app
- Meal planning calendar
- Keeps your phone from sleeping while you’re working off a recipe
What We Don’t Like
- You have to remove pantry staples manually from each order
- Can be a disconnect between the platform and Walmart, their distributor
- Ingredients may not be in stock, or some ingredients are only available for pickup
Are Meal Delivery Services Right for You?
Not sure if a healthy meal delivery service is right for you? We listed a few examples of people we think a meal delivery service is best for versus those who can pass.
Best for:
- People who are frequently on the go or travel a lot
- Those who work in an office and don’t have time to cook meals at home every day
- Busy families
Not best for:
- Those who enjoy cooking meals at home
- People who like their food 100% fresh; meal delivery services rely mostly on preservatives to maintain freshness
- Those on a tight budget; even the cheapest meal delivery services cost at least $75 per week which may not cover all of the meals and snacks you want every day
How We Chose the Best Meal Delivery Services
While we didn’t personally test these products, we did put our Active.com expertise to work when researching the best healthy meal delivery services. Below are the factors we used to discern which meal delivery services came out on top.
Quality of Food
When looking at the quality of food for each meal delivery service, we broke it down into three components: nutritional value, raw ingredients, and sourcing. Do the meals have the right balance of carbs, fats, and proteins for you? Do the raw ingredients arrive fresh consistently? How far do the items travel and are they from organic farms? These are just some of the questions we asked ourselves when considering the quality of each healthy delivery service.
Meal Selection
Having the ability to choose from many different types of meals is important which is why we took into account each service’s meal selection. We selected services that offer not only a variety of meals, but address a variety of dietary requirements and restrictions.
Accessibility
Meal delivery services first catered to busy professionals in big cities, but as they gained popularity, we’ve seen their reach extend to the suburbs and beyond. We took a close look at how accessible each meal delivery service was and prioritized options that are available to the greatest number of geographical locations. Just a note: If you live in Alaska, Hawaii, or a very rural area, you should double-check the availability.
Company Reputation
We also took into account each delivery service’s reputation as a company based on customer reviews and testimonials. We prioritized services that received mostly positive feedback so that you can trust the company you’re ordering from.
Price
Prices depend on a number of factors like serving sizes and meals per week. We included options on our list that can accommodate a variety of budgets so there’s something on this list for everyone.
What to Look for in a Healthy Meal Delivery Service
Menu Diversity
Variety is the spice of life, but just how much variety do you need in a meal delivery service? Some people like to ease into a predictable routine, especially when it comes to cooking. If that sounds like you, maybe you don’t mind some repetition from week to week. After all, it’s easier to cook recipes you’ve cooked before.
For others, the very allure of these services is a chef-curated menu of dishes they’d never cook on their own. If you want a lot of variety in your diet for taste or health, you may be willing to cook new recipes often. Many meal delivery services allow you to mix things up, order à la carte, or choose from an optional higher tier.
For those who want it all, many companies offer pre-prepared fridge or freezer meals instead of or in addition to their main menu items.
Dietary Restrictions
Whether you’re a devout vegan, you’re trying to lose weight, or you have a serious allergy, you’ll want a meal delivery service that caters or even specializes in your needs.
Most meal delivery services have vegan and vegetarian options, but are they merely checking off a box or do they know how to build a well-rounded, delicious, vegan menu? You may opt for a company that has built a niche in that area.
If you’re trying to limit calories, excess sugar, or certain kinds of fat, most services have some thoughtful options. Again, you may prefer a company that has perfected a healthy weight-loss menu.
And when it comes to allergens, it’s paramount that meals are prepared in facilities held to high cross-contamination standards.
Ease of Prep
Because many people opt for meal delivery service for its convenience, it’s important to consider what the prep process is like. Do you simply heat the meals up in the microwave? Or do you receive ingredients to make the meals with (like in the case of Hello Fresh)? It’s helpful to know which method of preparation you prefer when searching for the best healthy meal delivery service for you.
FAQs About Healthy Meal Delivery Services
Which healthy meal delivery service is easiest?
When it comes to convenience, you have to think through the time savings at every step of the journey, from browsing to meal size and cooking time. All meal delivery services eliminate the drive to and from the grocery store, as well as browsing the aisles for special items. So, what you’re looking for is an intuitive web interface that makes choosing meals easy. If you’re not that picky or you need some guidance, some services take all the decision-making off your plate. As for cooking time, the easiest options are those you merely have to reheat or plate.
Are healthy meal delivery services worth it?
Increasingly more companies are offering nutritious, healthy foods through the convenience of meal delivery services. If everyone had the time to plan, shop, and prepare their meals every day, these services wouldn’t exist. That’s why you’re paying for the convenience of delivery and sometimes the burden of planning a week’s worth of meals. The added cost of fresh, healthy ingredients is not all that much unless you’re opting for an all-organic or a specialized diet. Unfortunately, by their nature, most of these services aren’t able to source produce that’s local to you. For that, you’ll have to forget convenience and take a stroll to the farmer’s market.
Can you lose weight with a healthy meal delivery service?
You can lose weight using a delivery service if you know the right things to eat. Luckily, many companies have a doctor or dietitian-backed recipes and plans to take the guesswork out of the process. What’s nice is that you don’t have to fret over macro-nutrients and calorie-counting.
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