5 best meal kits that are actually worth the money in 2026, tested and reviewed

Deciding what to make for dinner can feel surprisingly hard — especially when you’re trying to cut back on takeout and eat healthier meals at home. That’s why we set out to find the best meal kit delivery services: options that spark inspiration, keep you motivated in the kitchen and dramatically cut down on prep time and grocery runs. Meal kit services like Blue Apron and HelloFresh deliver weekly boxes filled with recipes you choose based on your tastes and dietary needs. They help reduce food waste by sending only what each dish requires, and many cater to specific lifestyles — from vegan meal kits and keto meals to menus simply focused on healthy meal delivery. Many also offer extras like breakfasts, lunches, sides and desserts, along with frequent discounts (some even give you your first box free).

Quick Overview

But with so many choices available, it can be tough to figure out where to start. That’s where I come in. I’m a registered dietitian, recipe developer and wellness editor who has used meal delivery services for more than 15 years — and reviewed them professionally for the last five. I’m also a working single mom to two young kids, so I know firsthand how chaotic the dinner hour can be when you’re trying to get a healthy, kid-approved meal on the table while managing post-daycare levels of energy.

Along with several prepared meal delivery options, I recently re-tested 10 of today’s most popular meal kits to determine which ones are truly worth your time and money — because we’re all looking for that sweet spot between convenience, cost and satisfying home-cooked meals.

How our top picks compare

Best overall meal kit delivery service

Kelli McGrane/Yahoo

Cost per serving: $9.49 to $14.99 | Shipping: $9.99, or free with Blue Apron+ membership| Servings per meal: 2 or 4| Meals per week: Up to 5 (subscription, $25 minimum) or any amount for one-time orders ($10 minimum) | Diet friendliness: Vegetarian

Overall verdict: The OG of meal kits has had a major glow-up, and I’m here for it. Flexible ordering, a bigger menu and recipes that work for beginners and seasoned cooks make it our preferred pick.

I’ve ordered from Blue Apron several times over the past year, and it keeps delivering. Across everything I’ve tried, the recipes are flavorful, straightforward and surprisingly balanced, with plenty of veggies. My family goes meatless several nights a week, so I was especially happy to find vegetarian dishes that go beyond basic pastas and grain bowls, like Mexican-Style Street Corn Risotto and Huevos Rancheros Skillet.

One-time ordering is a huge perk for me. I don’t always need weekly deliveries, and forgetting to skip a week is such a hassle. With Blue Apron, you just browse the upcoming menu and order when something looks good — basically the perfect blend of meal kit and takeout. Prefer recurring weekly deliveries? That’s still an option. The expanded menu is another major win for busy weeknights, especially the minimal-prep and oven-ready meals, which have been a lifesaver on nights I’m rushing to get dinner on the table after kids’ after-school activities and finishing up work.

Just note that some dishes run higher in calories, saturated fat or sodium, so it’s worth checking the nutrition info before you order. And aside from vegetarian choices, Blue Apron doesn’t cater to specialty diets like keto, vegan or Mediterranean, so choose another service if you need a more tailored plan.

Read our full Blue Apron review.

Pros

• One-time orders now available
• Satisfying, flavorful meals
• Beginner-friendly recipes
• Expanded menu includes minimal-prep, oven-ready meals for busy weeknights

Cons

• Can get expensive, depending on the menu items you choose
• $9.99 shipping fee on one-time orders
• Doesn’t cater to specialty diets other than vegetarian

Other top meal kit delivery services we like for 2026

Kelli McGrane/Yahoo

Cost per serving: $9.99 | Shipping: $10.99 | Servings per meal: 2, 4 or 6 | Meals per week: 2 to 6 | Diet friendliness: Vegetarian, pescatarian, calorie-conscious, Mediterranean, keto

Overall verdict:Home Chef is known for its time-saving recipes and has a loyal following of home cooks who don’t want fully prepared meals but also don’t want to spend 30-plus minutes making dinner. Sure, the meals aren’t quite as exciting as Sunbasket’s or Blue Apron’s, but when placed into the more wallet-friendly meal kit category, it completely dominates the competition.

At first glance it looks more expensive than Dinnerly and EveryPlate, but those sub-$6-per-serving prices you see advertised for those competing companies only apply to households of six. For a two-person plan, Home Chef actually came out cheaper in our comparison, and we found the overall experience better, too.

I’ve tried Home Chef several times over the years, and the ingredients have always been good quality, the recipes easy to follow and the meals satisfying. Our tester’s experience backed that up. Her favorite was the Mexican Elotes Quesadillas, which came with crema and cotija and tasted like takeout. She also thought the broccoli tasted grocery-store fresh, and the portions were generous enough for leftovers. Cook times were mostly accurate, though the turkey meatballs weren’t pre-rolled and took her closer to 40 minutes than the 20 to 30 on the card. Salt and pepper aren’t included, either.

Just note that some meals lean hearty over healthy, and the sodium can add up. The quesadillas and meatballs our tester tried both had more than 1,500 milligrams per serving, so be intentional about what you pick. And if you have specific dietary needs, your options may be somewhat limited.

Read our full Home Chef review.

Pros

• Excellent value, especially for two-person households
• 18+ family-friendly meals per week
• Multiple time-saving menu categories
• Large rotating menu

Cons

• $10.99 shipping fee
• Limited options for some dietary preferences
• Smaller savings for larger households

Kelli McGrane/Yahoo

Cost per serving: $11.99 to $14.99 | Shipping: $12.99 | Servings per meal: 2, 3, 4 or 6 | Meals per week: 2 to 6 | Diet-friendliness: Vegetarian, high-protein, high-fiber, Sodium Smart

Overall verdict:HelloFresh is our top pick for families. The menu is huge, the recipes are easy to follow and it’s one of the few kits with a 3-serving option (you can go up to 6), plus build-a-plate meals that let everyone assemble their own dinner family-style.

I’ve subscribed on and off for a decade, most recently for a little over two months. The step-by-step recipe cards are easy to follow, the cook times are accurate, and I’ve always been able to get dinner done with two small kids underfoot. The vegetarian and vegan recipes are the real standouts. The Crispy Southwest Corn Fritters are still one of my 4-year-old’s all-time favorites. The chicken is the weak spot, though. It’s average in flavor, and often has a rubbery texture.

I also love that many recipes can be customized, and adding a side like garlic bread for pasta night is a major win. The build-a-plate meals are a huge hit with my kids, since everyone can put together their plate exactly how they like it.

Just note that after a few months, the recipes started to feel repetitive, and they aren’t quite as inventive as Sunbasket’s. Nutrition also varies, so check the facts before you order. If organic or grass-fed matters to you, look elsewhere.

Read our full HelloFresh review.

Pros

• Large rotating menu
• Ability to customize recipes
• Multiple serving-size options to fit different household sizes
• Beginner-friendly recipes

Cons

• Some recipes feel a bit basic
• Can get repetitive after a few months
• Isn’t as budget-friendly as it once was

Kelli McGrane/Yahoo

Cost per serving: $11.49 to $29.99 | Shipping: $9.99| Servings per meal: 2 or 4| Meals per week: 3 to 5 | Diet friendliness: Mediterranean, vegetarian, diabetes-friendly, keto, paleo, pescatarian, carb-conscious

Overall verdict:Sunbasket is not the cozy sweatpants of meal kits. It’s the pick for nutritious, boldly flavored meals that are far more inventive than your usual weeknight fare.

I ordered three meals to test it, and the flavor lived up to my memory. The Vietnamese shaking beef was the standout, and my 4-year-old happily devoured it. The ingredients were top-notch, with mostly organic produce and responsibly raised proteins, and the menu has more fish and seafood than most kits, plus vegetarian recipes you can easily customize with meat.

Just note that Sunbasket is less beginner-friendly. The recipes are text-only with no step-by-step photos, require some multitasking and call for solid knife skills. Portions run on the smaller side, and there’s no vegan plan.

You won’t get bored, but it does come with a steeper price tag. If you’re hoping to replace frequent dinners out at foodie hotspots, it may feel like a worthwhile upgrade. Otherwise, the creative flavors might not justify the cost if you prefer a more standard dinner lineup.

Read our full Sunbasket review.

Pros

• Sustainable proteins and organic produce
• Creative recipes
• Bold, exciting flavors
• Caters to multiple specialty diets

Cons

• Expensive
• Isn’t as beginner-friendly as Blue Apron or HelloFresh

Kelli McGrane/Yahoo

Cost per serving: $9 to $15 | Shipping: $12 for orders under $100; free for orders of $100 or more | Servings per meal: 1, 2 or 4| Meals per week: 3 to 10 | Diet friendliness: Vegan

Overall verdict:Purple Carrot remains an excellent option if you’re looking to eat more plant-based meals without resorting to salads and basic pasta. The recipes are creative — hello, heart of palm “Lobster” rolls — and packed with good-for-you ingredients.

I subscribed for several months last year and loved the variety it added to our weekly menu. The recipes lean on beans, lentils, whole grains and lots of veggies. I never struggled to find at least three recipes each week that appealed to me and my household. There aren’t dedicated specialty menus, but you can filter the weekly options for high-protein, gluten-free, under-600-calorie, low-sodium and minimal-prep recipes, plus fully prepared entrées.

Just note that the menu is more limited than HelloFresh’s or Blue Apron’s, and for me, it started to feel repetitive after a few months. Most weeks it was some combination of a pasta dish, veggie burger, soup, sandwich and a few noodle or grain bowls. If you like consistency in your weekly meal plan, though, you might find that comforting.

Pros

• Creative ingredient and flavor combinations
• Generous servings of vegetables
• High-quality ingredients

Cons

• Only caters to plant-based diets
• Might feel repetitive after several months

Factors to consider when choosing a meal kit delivery service

With the market flooded with options, choosing the right meal kit delivery service can feel overwhelming. Because each brand has its own points of difference and offers kits for people focused on everything from allergies to wellness to weight loss, you’re sure to find a meal delivery kit that suits your needs. A few key things to look for in the best meal delivery kit to meet your needs are:

• Cost: Thankfully, there is a wide range of price points across meal delivery services, so you should not have too much trouble finding a kit that aligns with your budget.

• Ease of use: You’re getting a meal kit to make your life easier, so you don’t want anything too complicated or time-consuming.

• Menu choices: Because we all want a good variety of meals, recipes and high-quality ingredients that change seasonally.

• Taste: Above all, you want your dinner to be yummy!

• Packaging: Is there too much? Too little? Is it adding too much waste into the world? We factored this into our reviews.

How we test meal kit delivery services

Every meal kit we reviewed has different strengths and weaknesses. Some are very easy, others offer more variety; some are great for families with picky eaters and special diets, and others are geared toward noncarnivores. To narrow down the list of the best meal kit delivery services, Yahoo staffers and I tested kits with our families.

We evaluated the services according to the number of weekly menu choices offered that cater to a multitude of dietary variations (low-carb, keto, paleo, kid-friendly, vegan, etc.), the quality and freshness of the included ingredients, ease of cooking, cost, eco-friendly packaging and, most of all, taste. I also used my expertise as a registered dietitian to evaluate the nutritional quality of the meals, especially those that are labeled as being healthier. Learn more about how we test meal delivery services at Yahoo.

Other meal kits we tried

We’ve tried — and re-tried — the most popular meal kits available nationwide to find the best options for your household. While the services below didn’t make our top picks, they may still be worth considering depending on your needs and preferences. Don’t feel like cooking or breaking out the cutting board? Check out our list of the best prepared meal delivery services for easy lunches and dinners.

• Green Chef: If eating mostly organic is a top priority, Green Chef is one to consider. Prices start at $11.99 per serving, but they rise quickly if you’re following a specialty diet like keto or opting for premium proteins. I’ve tried Green Chef many times, and while the meals are reliably flavorful and high-quality, I tend to find more recipes I’m genuinely excited about each week at HelloFresh, Blue Apron and Sunbasket. Read our full Green Chef review.

• Marley Spoon: If you want to feel like a gourmet home cook, sign up for Marley Spoon. With recipes sourced from Martha Stewart’s culinary team, the meals are rich, flavorful, and incredibly satisfying. They’re not always the healthiest, and they can take a bit more time to prepare, but the payoff is worth it. In fact, the company’s herbed chicken and dumplings remains one of the best-tasting meal kit recipes I’ve made to date. Read our full Marley Spoon review.

• Dinnerly: Our previous best value pick, Dinnerly is still one of the best options if you’re cooking for a household of six ($5.99 to $8.99 per serving). However, if you’re cooking for two people, it costs around the same as Blue Apron and Home Chef, yet doesn’t offer the same level of ingredient quality or creative combinations. Read our full Dinnerly Review.

• EveryPlate: Another budget-friendly option, EveryPlate costs $5.99 to $6.99 per serving. Compared to Dinnerly, I found the recipes slightly less nutritionally balanced and not quite as simple or straightforward. That said, the services are fairly comparable, so it’s worth browsing each menu to see which best fits your dietary needs and preferences. Read our full EveryPlate review.

• Hungryroot: Part grocery delivery, part meal kit, Hungryroot is a solid option if you’re looking to skip trips to the grocery store altogether. Most recipes require just a handful of ingredients, with much of the prep — and sometimes even the cooking — already done for you. I’ve tried Hungryroot a few times over the years and am always impressed by how good the grocery items are. The company’s dips and sauces, in particular, are among my favorites. With more than 1,000 recipes to choose from, you’re likely to find something that suits your tastes. That said, I didn’t find the recipes to be as fresh or flavorful as meals from other meal kit services. Read our full Hungryroot review.

Meal kit delivery services FAQs

Do meal kits really save you money?

Saving money depends on a variety of factors, like what grocery store you purchase from, what kinds of food you typically eat for dinner and what additional snacks or meals you need to buy in addition to the subscription service. However, meal delivery services are surprisingly affordable amid unpredictable inflation.

Are meal kits worth it for one person?

For one person, it depends on what you eat, how much you eat and how many servings you have to order through the meal kit service. For some, it could be worth it; for others, it might not be worth it, so take into account your own personal eating habits and what you want out of the service before diving in.

Update, October 21, 2026: We checked all product prices and availability and updated our recommendations to reflect our most recent hands-on testing. Home Chef replaced Dinnerly as our favorite value pick.

Our health content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as professional medical advice. Consult a medical professional on questions about your health. We received complimentary samples of some meal delivery services and purchased others ourselves and reviewed all with the same criteria.