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Best premade meal delivery services of 2024
This content should not be considered medical advice. The information provided is not meant to diagnose or treat any health conditions. Consult with your doctor before beginning a new exercise routine or taking any new supplements.
If you find yourself calling takeout because, once again, you’ve gotten home late and hungry with no time or energy to prepare a healthy dinner, you’re not alone. Meal delivery services, including pre-made meals and meal kits, have gained incredible popularity in recent years and are expected to continue to grow by 15.7% by 2031. A need for healthier, balanced meals that save time and money is one of the main reasons people are moving toward meal delivery services.
But pre-made meals and meal kit delivery services aren’t quite the same. While both save you time at the grocery store, meal delivery kits require time and energy to prep the food, while premade meals are literally just heat and eat, with zero prep work involved. If you’re looking to have a variety of meals that fit your flavor preferences, diet needs, health goals and budget waiting for you in your refrigerator, ready to be warmed and enjoyed, a premade meal delivery service may be just what you need. Whether you’re an athlete looking to hit your macros, a working mom who needs a balanced lunch each day, a busy single who’s tired of cooking for one, or trying to stick to a heart-healthy or diabetes-friendly diet – you can find what you need in one of these best premade meal delivery services.
How we chose the best premade meal delivery services
To choose the five best pre-made meal delivery services available to you, we researched over a dozen options on the market, read customer reviews and analyzed offerings, prices, flexibility, shipping, menu items, diet plans and all the extras that these companies offer to make eating smart at home a possibility. For each category, we tried to select the best option for the particular goal, even though many could potentially fit into more than one.
Top premade meal services
- Best for athletes: Trifecta
- Best for vegans: Purple Carrot
- Best for families: Home Chef Family Menu
- Best for foodies: Cook Unity
- Best for people with special diet needs: BistroMD
Best for athletes: Trifecta
- All meals are gluten-free and prioritize organic and sustainably-caught and ethically-raised ingredients
- Choose between seven and 21 meals per week from four different plans
- Comes with an app and personalized plan to help reach fitness and weight goals
About Trifecta
Trifecta offers pre-made foods from four different meal plans, including Clean, Paleo, Whole 30 Approved, Keto and Plant Based. All options are gluten-free, high in protein and made with organic ingredients, grass-fed meat and sustainably caught seafood. In addition to the meal plans, users can select meal prep options for extra servings of proteins like grilled salmon or grass-fed steak, rice or extra vegetables.
For active people looking to hit their macro goals or anyone on a weight loss or weight gain journey, the Trifecta app connects to your account and lets you track workouts, food, water and even manage your orders. The average cost per meal is around $14.99 to $15.99. Unlike most prepared meals, Trifecta provides instructions for the oven, stove, air fryer and microwave for a better-quality meal.
Why we like it
- Options to reheat the meals in the microwave, air fryer, oven or stovetop.
- Track food, macros and workouts and manage your orders with the Trifecta App.
- You can add on meal prep options like extra servings of chicken, carbohydrates or vegetables if you need or want extra.
What to consider
- They charge a $9 shipping fee on all orders in the continental United States, with a $49 shipping fee to Alaska and Hawaii.
- Meals are expensive, with the average meal price coming in around $14.99 to $15.99.
- Since all meals are gluten-free, many include the same types of carbohydrates (rice and sweet potatoes), which might get boring for some people.
Best for vegans: Purple Carrot
- All meals are 100% vegan
- Offers prepared meals and meal kits for more variety
- Comes with an app and personalizeCan choose six, eight or ten prepared meals per week
About Purple Carrot
Purple Carrot is 100% vegan and offers prepared meal plans along with meal kits, pantry items and kits that are semi-prepared to save time and energy cooking plant-based at home. The prepared meals are $13 per meal and include flavorful and diverse options such as Thai peanut noodles and elote corn with black beans and rice. Most meals have between 500 and 800 calories and over 15 grams of protein, but some options are quite high in sodium, which may not be appropriate for certain dietary restrictions.
Every food option offered is vegan, and they also offer several gluten-free choices as well for anyone with celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity. You can choose from six, eight, or ten meals per week, and shipping is free on orders over $100 to anywhere in the contiguous United States.
Why we like it
- Free shipping on orders over $100
- Offers several high-protein plant-based choices
- Meal options are flavorful and culturally diverse
What to consider
- The only food allergy they can cater to is gluten-free
- Delivery days are Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday and vary by location
- Some meals are too low in calories and protein for a full meal
Best for families: Home Chef Family Menu
- Each meal has four servings
- Choose from two to six different meals each week; options to double up to eight servings per meal
- Some options are fully prepared and just need to be warmed, while others have minimal prep
About Home Chef Family Menu
With the Home Chef Family Meals, you can select from three different plans, including calorie-conscious, carb-conscious and vegetarian, as well as omit a number of foods, including various meats, nuts, mushrooms and sesame. Each week you’ll have 30 meals and 18 extra items to pick from to feed your family, but not all menu items are completely prepared and ready to be oven-baked or warmed in the microwave. Other options include meal kits or other quick and easy options, including meals with minimal prep, like assembling enchiladas with re-chopped vegetables and pre-shredded pork.
The cost ranges from $6.99 to $8.99 per serving, decreasing with the more meals you purchase each week. Options also include easy-to-eat foods for picky eaters, like meatloaf, chicken parmesan and sausage with pasta.
Why we like it
- Four servings per meal, perfect for a family of three or four, or even for two people who want leftovers.
- Meals are affordable, starting at $6.99 per serving.
- Options include prepared meals as well as meal kits for more variety.
What to consider
- There are only three to four prepared meal options to choose from each week, the others include more prep work.
- You can only choose between four servings or eight servings per meal, which may not work for all families.
- Some meal options are high in sodium, fat and calories.
Best for foodies: Cook Unity
- All meals are created by award-winning chefs
- A large variety of diets and preferences to choose from
- Choose from 100 different meals
About Cook Unity
If flavor and experience are your top priorities when it comes to eating, Cook Unity is a prepared meal service where all the meals are created by Food Network alums, James Beard award winners or critically acclaimed restaurant chefs. Each week, there are 100 meals to choose from, with several options tailored to various allergies and food preferences. You can select from vegan, low-carb, gluten-free, dairy-free, keto, paleo, low sodium, high protein and low-fat menus to choose foods that meet your diet goals.
With the variety, flavor and quality comes a higher price tag than many other prepared meal kits. Each serving starts at $13.59 and you can choose anywhere from four to 16 meals per week. While they do deliver to most places in the U.S., there is a large area in the west, including North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado and West Virginia, that are not in their delivery area.
Why we like it
- Diverse menu options
- Can choose meals that align with a wide variety of diets and health goals
- Can easily tailor recommendations to exclude allergies or intolerances
What to consider
- Cost per serving is higher than many other prepared meals
- Not available in all locations in the United States
- Not ideal for families or people who may need more than average portions at meals
Best for people with special diet needs: BistroMD
- A tailored meal program to help meet various health goals
- Email support from a registered dietitian
- Meal options include up to three meals a day, seven days a week
About BistroMD
BistroMD has prepared meals tailored to a variety of health concerns like menopause, weight loss, diabetes, heart health, keto, vegan diets and celiac disease. Their weight loss programs are also differentiated by men's and women’s needs and a registered dietitian is available to provide support via email and a member-only Facebook group.
While many prepared meal programs allow you to select just a few meals per week, BistroMD is a little more involved with options for lunch and dinner for five or seven days or breakfast, lunch, and dinner for five or seven days. You can order as few as 10 meals or as many as 20 meals per week. The price per meal ranges from $14.99 per meal to $10.99 per meal, decreasing the more meals you order.
If you and your partner want to both order meals from BistroMD, you’d need your own separate accounts, although they do offer a 15% discount for people in the same household, which may help offset some of the shipping costs, which runs at a flat rate of $19.99.
Why we like it
- Registered Dietitian and community support to help with health goals
- Several health programs to choose from
- The option to heat meals in the oven or the microwave
What to consider
- Shipping is expensive, with a flat rate of $19.95.
- If ordering for more than one person in a household, each needs their own account and would pay two shipping fees.
- The minimum order is 10 meals per week, which may be too much for some people.
How to choose a premade meal delivery services
Choosing the right pre-made meal delivery service for you depends on several factors, including food preferences, allergies, health goals and budget. Some choices value health over flavor and variety, while others take pride in offering a high-quality culinary experience. Your unique needs and preferences can help guide which choice makes the most sense for you.
There’s no doubt that ordering meals already prepared comes at a cost and may not make sense depending on your food budget and how many people you are cooking for or feeding at home. The price range per meal for the choices above is between $7 and $16 per serving.
Methodology
To compile this list, our writers and editors reviewed top products on the market, compared specs and features and created a short list of the top meal delivery services on the market. Then, we used product descriptions, reviews and user ratings to find the best premade meal services for each category. Note that we do not test every product but base our lists on our research, user reviews and expert opinions.
FAQ
Are prepared meal delivery services worth it?
Prepared meal delivery services can help you save time and money and stick to your health goals if you find yourself relying on takeout or fast food. If having a premade meal at home can help you save money and eat healthier, a delivery service may be a worthwhile investment.
What is the best food delivery service out there?
While no one food delivery service will meet every person's needs, Cook Unity checks off most of our boxes. The chef-created meals regularly get rave reviews from users, they accommodate a wide variety of diets, and there are over 100 diverse meals to choose from each week.
What is the disadvantage of premade meals?
Not everyone loves the flavor and texture of premade, reheated meals. You won’t get that fresh, just cooked taste with many of the options available. If you have a family to feed at home, buying premade meals for more than one person may not make financial sense.
References
Meal Kit Delivery Services Market Demand and Insights by 2030. (n.d.). Www.transparencymarketresearch.com. Retrieved from: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/meal-kit-delivery-services-market.html
