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Pros:
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Tons of keto-friendly recipes
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Easy prep
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Great instructions
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Lots of meal options
Cons:
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Lack of price transparancy
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Inconsistent ingredients
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Pricier than other options
Upon signing up for Home Chef, you’re greeted by a questionnaire about your taste and dietary preferences. Helpful labels let you choose from quick prep and gluten-smart options, among others. The meal kit delivery service’s keto-friendly menu isn’t lacking in variety and offers up to six portions per meal and up to six meals per week, making it one of the best keto-friendly meal services we tested.
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Deliveries are available Sundays through Fridays, and the helpful app allows you to skip and reschedule meals easily. “I love being able to access everything on my phone and have the recipe card to physically look at,” says Sydney. “There’s also a digital cookbook that keeps all your recipes. I’ve used Home Chef before and have canceled it since, but I still go back to the digital cookbook that’s on my account to re-create yummy meals that I remember liking from when we had the subscription.”
"The instructions were easy to follow, great selection of meals and everything was delicious. This meal kit is perfect for someone who doesn't want to do a lot of planning or prep, but also still want a delicious, homecooked, meal."
sydney Manning
editorial coordinator
As with Purple Carrot, our biggest gripe with Home Chef was a lack of price transparency. This one was a larger discrepancy (around $50). As with any subscription, we urge anyone thinking about subscribing to take a close look at their bank statements to ensure the monthly charges are correct.
While the price discrepancy isn’t ideal, the meals themselves are delicious. Sydney’s favorite was the Lemon Rockefeller Scallop Penne with Garlic Breadcrumbs. “The sauce was amazing, and it was really easy to make because this was an express meal,” she says. “I’ve cooked scallops before, so we had an idea of how to cook them, and they weren’t too rubbery. The lemon also provides a fresh taste and complements the dish well.”
Additionally, she enjoyed the Cherry Chipotle Brisket Tacos with Corn Elote Salad. “I loved this meal—it was perfect for lunch. I personally love corn, so I really enjoyed having the corn slaw in this dish. The sauce had some spice to it, but I personally like spice, so this was great for me. If you don’t want as much spice, I wouldn’t add all the barbecue sauce,” she notes. Read our full Home Chef review for more.
2025 Meal Kit Updates
As mentioned, this is not our first rodeo when it comes to exploring the best meal kit delivery services. We originally wrote and published this piece in 2022. Since then, we’ve tested each service again (along with a few newcomers) to ensure our analysis remains current.
Our current tests led to a few slight changes in rankings. In our latest updates, we changed HelloFresh from “Best Customizable” to “Best for Families” and re-ranked Green Chef from “Best Healthy” to “Best Gluten-Friendly.”
Upon testing a few newer services (and re-testing options we’ve tried in the past), we also added a few newcomers to our list. Changes include adding Purple Carrot as the “Best Plant-Based” option, Gobble as the “Best for Beginners” option, Tovala as the “Best Prepared/Heat-and-Eat” option and Home Chef as the “Best Keto-Friendly” option.
What to Look for When Subscribing to a Meal Kit Delivery Service
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With more meal delivery service options than ever, how do you choose the right one? Reviews (like ours!) can help, but it’s also important to consider factors like cost, flexibility, dietary needs, ingredient quality, and how much cooking effort you’re actually up for.
Below, we break down the key things to look for—with helpful insights from two experts: Debbie Petitpain, MBA, RDN, Spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and Rachel Kirk, food blogger at LaughingSpatula.
Dietary Needs & Nutrition Balance
If you or a family member have specific dietary needs like gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, vegan, keto or low-sodium, choose a service that clearly labels its meals and offers variety within those categories.
“Always review the ingredients for allergens or undesirable additives, as well as sodium and added sugar levels,” says Debbie Petitpain, RDN. “Portions should meet your daily caloric and nutrient needs. Be realistic—if you’re cooking for two but one person usually eats double, you may need to increase your order.”
She also recommends looking for meals that provide a mix of food groups, offering balance between protein, fiber and healthy fats.
Rachel agrees that meal kits can be helpful when it comes to dietary accommodations, especially in households with different needs or limited time.
“Meal delivery kits are great at accommodating certain diets,” she says. “I loved HelloFresh after I had surgery—my husband would cook dinner for me.”
Cooking Complexity & Cleanup
Some meal kits are streamlined for ease, while others can feel like full-on cooking classes, with lots of steps and dishes.
“I don’t find that they simplify the cooking process,” says Rachel. “They often use a lot of pans, which requires more cleanup, and sometimes the recipes are overly complicated. They don’t teach the basics, which can be confusing for new home cooks.”
If you’re a beginner, look for services that offer simple prep and clear instructions. If you love spending time in the kitchen, go for kits with more complexity and gourmet flair.
Ingredient Quality
Not all meal kits are created equal when it comes to ingredient freshness and sourcing.
“Living in California, I’m spoiled with access to high-quality produce,” Rachel shares. “The ingredients in most meal kits don’t always match what I’m used to—but I could see them being great for people in more remote areas.”
If ingredient quality is important to you, check whether the service offers organic options, locally sourced produce, or sustainable meat and seafood.
Customization & Flexibility
Whether you’re dealing with picky eaters or just like a bit of variety, customization options can be a game-changer. If you have a picky eater at your table, opt for a meal service with enhanced customization features.
Rachel adds that seasoned cooks might want even more freedom.
“More options when selecting meals would be great—like choosing the main ingredient or side. A more à la carte experience would make it feel less boxed-in.”
Some services offer the ability to swap proteins, double portions, or even mix and match side dishes—so look for those features if flexibility matters to you.
Cost vs. Value
Meal kits can be convenient, but they aren’t always the most budget-friendly option—especially if you’re feeding more than two people or hoping for leftovers.
“If I’m being honest—no, they’re not worth the price,” Rachel says. “You could spend half the cost and a few extra minutes doing meal prep and recipe research. Plus, you get leftovers, which meal kits usually don’t provide.”
That said, for busy weeks or special situations, the tradeoff in time and planning might still be worth it. Some services also offer family-sized meals or budget tiers, so explore those if cost is a concern.
How We Found the Best Meal Kit Delivery Services
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This list is based on our success while sampling each of these meal delivery services. We tested over a dozen options, well beyond the favorites you see here. Most of the health—or diet-based winners are based on feedback provided by nutritionist Nancy Snyder, who attempted to verify the legitimacy of recipe labels.
While weighing the actual taste and flavors of the recipes in each box, we also factored in the aforementioned criteria. This included value (i.e., price versus quality), freshness, recipe techniques and instructions, cleanup, recipe variety and more. We judged and rated each criterion on a scale of 1-5 for each service, then added it together for a total score. Only the highest earners made our list.
In our latest tests, we tried 13 services and prepared between four and six recipes from each. That’s roughly 115 servings of meals that we plated! Additionally, we collected more than 2,000 data points and spent a collective 225 hours on this test, including researching, ordering, cooking, cleaning and note-taking.
Since many of the services are very similar, we also did comparison testing. We evaluated the ingredients, waste and cleanup commitment of the most popular services on the internet. Sure, they’re great on their own—but how do they compare? Get the full breakdown in our Home Chef vs. HelloFresh and Blue Apron vs. HelloFresh comparisons.
Other Meal Kit Delivery Services We Tested
- BistroMD: Bistro MD places a significant emphasis on health and weight loss, so it’s certainly not the service for everyone, but it truly can accommodate just about any diet or dietary restriction.
- Cook Unity: Our Southern Fried Chicken was plenty moist, even with the extra time in the oven. However, the insane amount of dried red pepper flakes was a little unpleasant to bite into repeatedly. Overall, it is very delicious but not the most family-friendly.
- Dinnerly: “With an abundance of simple and quick meals, Dinnerly is a great fit for college students or young adults looking for an easy way to feed themselves,” says Dylan. “However, families looking for more well-rounded meals might want to look elsewhere.”
- Factor: We got off to a bit of a rocky start with this meal service due to some ordering snafus, but the accommodating customer service rep and the quality of the meals themselves made up for it—and then some. If you’re looking for health-focused, filling meals, Factor has the ‘it factor.’ Check our Factor review for more.
Why You Should Trust Us
These meal kit delivery services were tested by various Taste Recipes team members, all with varying degrees of cooking expertise. Molly Allen has previous professional baking experience, whereas the rest of us are strictly home cooks. No matter where you fall on the culinary spectrum, you can be sure that the services on this list are within your capabilities based on our authentic testing methodology. Our testers’ needs, wants and budgets reflect those of the average shopper. Plus, since many factors can affect delivery, we tested most services several times to ensure the experience was consistent for multiple testers.
We also aren’t new to testing this product category. In addition to several meal kits, our team has reviewed meat and chicken delivery services like ButcherBox, Snake River Farms and Good Chop. Our testing extends to grocery services, like Misfits Market and Thrive Market, as well.
Meal Kit Delivery FAQ
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Who are meal delivery kits best for?
Everyone! They cut down on time spent grocery shopping and meal prepping, so they’re ideal for those with busy schedules or anyone looking to revamp their meal routine. Whether you’re gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, vegan or somewhere in between, there’s a meal prep service for you.
Are meal delivery kits healthy?
It depends. Most meal delivery services offer a wealth of recipes, so if you prefer veggie-packed, gluten-free or low-carb meals, there are likely options. However, some services offer indulgent meals that are too caloric for a single meal. It’s a good idea to check out the meal variety offered by each service and choose accordingly. From there, on a weekly basis, read through ingredients, allergens and nutritional facts before you order your box.
Do meal delivery services save you money?
Meal delivery services certainly help save money if you frequently order takeout or dine at restaurants. However, they can get expensive week after week because most don’t include everyday groceries like eggs, bread or everyday produce.