rewrite this content using a minimum of 1000 words and keep HTML tags
Blue Apron has been our top-rated meal kit service for more than a year. Just this summer, the brand revamped its menu and eliminated the subscription requirement. With this big shakeup in the meal delivery universe, we decided to test all of the services again, including Blue Apron, and see where the chips land.
If you’re wondering why meal kits have become so popular, the answer lies in a recent CNET survey. The sweeping inquiry found that US adults spend $4,300 on restaurant dining and takeout every year. Grocery inflation is also causing folks to seek budget-friendly alternatives, and meal kit prices have stayed mostly stable as supermarket stickers skyrocket.
After testing more than two dozen meal kits and prepared meal delivery services over 100 hours as CNET’s kitchen, food, and subscription expert, I’ve developed exacting standards. I expect quality, affordable food and have little patience for companies that fail to deliver. These considerations are top of mind when we test meal kits at CNET. The goal: to find the absolute best meal kits and meal delivery services in every category.
For 2025, I’ve enlisted two colleagues to help: our vegan wellness editor, Anna Gragert, and CNET’s flex editor, Corin Cesaric, who is a self-proclaimed amateur cook. For even more analysis, we had our full New York office taste every prepared meal service to crowdsource opinions.
What’s the best meal kit delivery service overall?
With high-end recipes and no subscription requirement, Blue Apron is the best meal kit service out of the more than 30 we tested.
After the latest round of testing, Blue Apron holds the top spot on our list of best meal kit delivery services for 2025. Prices range from $8 to $14 per serving and no subscription requirement as of 2025. It’s not the cheapest option out there, but the brand consistently delivers flavorful, easy-to-make meals — including tender steak and salmon. While others on our list impressed for special diets and recipe variety, my fellow editors agree that Blue Apron is the best meal kit service for most.
According to our group, MealPro has the best-tasting prepared meals but its high cost keeps it from the top spot on our list.
For those who don’t care to cook, there are services that send fully cooked meals ready to heat and eat. CookUnity earns the top spot as the best prepared meal service thanks to its huge selection of excellent and interesting meals. If money is not a concern, MealPro earned the best overall marks from our group of testers but the price of meals — between $15 and $22 each — keeps it out of the top spot.
We’ve tested more than 30 options to bring you the 9 best meal kits and meal delivery services for 2025.
Best meal kit delivery services right now
Filter by
all
Meal Kit
Prepared Meal
Cheap
Healthy
Vegan
Variety
For Families
For One
Pros
Steak and seafood options are included in a standard meal plan
As cheap as $8 per serving if you choose more than two recipes per week
Good for families
Recipes are elevated but not fussy
No subscription required
Cons
Fewer total recipe options than other services
Doesn’t allow for much customization
Not good for vegan diets
Why we picked Blue Apron:
Having tested dozens of meal delivery services, Blue Apron represents the best overall value for any meal delivery service. We love Blue Apron’s family-style and oven-ready meals, which take roughly 5 minutes to prepare and net four or five servings — perfect for feeding a crew or meal planning for the week. We found the recipes inventive without being overly complicated. Of the more than 15 meal kits we’ve made from Blue Apron, none of them have been bad.
Blue Apron is no longer a subscription service, so you can order meals without the commitment. The running menu choices available range from simple pasta dishes to more daring global cuisine, with high-end recipes including nice cuts of beef and fresh seafood at no extra cost. Meal kits range between $8 and $15 a serving.
Who is it for:
Blue Apron recipes are somehow more thoughtful and elevated than other meal kit companies that cost the same. That said, they’re still not difficult to execute. This meal kit service is great for those with high food standards but prefer unfussy recipes.
Who should avoid it:
There are very few vegan options per week, and recipes aren’t meant to be substituted, so this isn’t the best pick for plant-based eaters.
Pros
The most affordable meal kit service
Most recipes were either good or better
Not a ton of plastic waste
Super simple recipes that kids can help with
Cons
No seafood and very few plant-based options
Recipes are basic and get repetitive
Very little customization allowed
Not the healthiest
Why we picked it:
At just $8 per serving — even cheaper with a sign-up offer — and an emphasis on hearty meal options and generous portion sizes, all three editors who tested it agree that EveryPlate is the best cheap meal kit service.
EveryPlate keeps overhead costs low (often cheaper than if you bought the groceries yourself) by offering just a dozen or so easy meal kit recipes to choose from each week. No swaps or substitutions are allowed. These options include a few options for those on vegetarian and other special diets, but you’ll find lots of meat and potatoes and other classic comfort meals, including meatloaf, burgers, crispy chicken strips and pasta.
If you’re looking to try an easy meal kit service without risking much dough, you can score meals for as low as $2 a serving with free shipping on your first order.
Who is it for:
Those looking to get dinner on the table quickly and without blowing their budget. EveryPlate’s meal kits are simple, quick to make and comforting — but that doesn’t mean they’re not also great. We liked nearly all of the 14 meal kits we made from EveryPlate, and with the lowest price per serving of any subscription, it’s a great pick for those trying to keep the family fed without putting the budget at risk.
Who should avoid it:
After enough time, the recipes can feel repetitive. EveryPlate doesn’t mix it up as much as pricier services and relies on a lot of the same meal bases — chicken breast, pork chops and ground beef. There are about 15 recipes per week, which is far fewer than services like HelloFresh and Home Chef. There aren’t any seafood options and very few plant-based offerings.
Pros
Had a solid hit rate with our testers
Good value if order more than 10 meals
Tons of healthy menu options per week
Healthy food to service most diets and nutrition plans
Just heat-and-serve
Cons
Some meals contain extremely high levels of sodium
Expensive if you only choose a few meals per week
Meals were hit or miss
Why we picked it:
This prepared meal service focuses on gourmet fare made by chefs with local and national acclaim. While some of our testers found the food too salty, CookUnity was generally at a higher level than the others we tested, with tender meat, fresh veggies and a huge range of gourmet recipes to choose from. It may not have reached the culinary heights of our splurge pick for prepared meals, MealPro, but at about $13 per meal, CookUnity represents a better value considering the quality.
Food is delivered fresh — not frozen — although most of the meals would be easy to freeze and save for later. I liked almost everything I tried, with recipes ranging from very healthy to more comfort-style food. There are plenty of options for vegetarians, too, but remember that the menu varies depending on where you live because it pulls from local chefs to create the weekly offerings.
Who is it for:
Those seeking variety and quality in their prepared meals. There are seemingly endless options, and the food is aimed at those with a more refined palate and an adventurous culinary spirit. The best thing about CookUnity is the sheer volume of meal options you can choose from culinary masters of different cultural backgrounds and culinary styles. There’s always something different on the Cook Unity menu, although each one is specific to a region, meaning someone in New York City may not have all of the same options as someone in Chicago.
Who should avoid it:
Anyone following a low-sodium diet should exercise caution when choosing CookUnity meals. Some contained more than 3,000mg of salt, which is about 170% of the daily recommendation for adults.
Use promo code CNET30 for a 30% discount on your first purchase.
Pros
More than 70 weekly recipes
Good for keeping to specific diets or eating plans
Our wellness editor loved the vegan and vegetarian options, more than 15 per week
Recipe variety is great for families with picky eaters
Cons
Some recipes are a little boring and uninspired
Extra $10 for shipping
Why we picked it:
HelloFresh offers more convenience, selection and family-friendly options than any other meal kit service. The weekly menus offer endless combinations, and swaps and substitutions are allowed to please even the most particular eaters in your family. This meal kit service’s portion sizes are generous, and there are meals to fit eating plans and diets of all kinds. There are dozens of keto meals, low-calorie options and as many as 15 plant-based meal kits for those eating vegan or vegetarian.
HelloFresh is also fairly affordable. Most plans cost $10 per serving, but there’s no real discount for ordering a large plan. HelloFresh recipes are quick and easy to follow, even for beginner cooks.
Who is it for:
HelloFresh has the most recipes per week, well over 70, of any meal kit service we tried, making it a good option for families and homes with children (or choosy adults). Our vegan editor said HelloFresh had the best plant-based recipes of any service she tested, including Purple Carrot.
Who should avoid it:
These meal kits may challenge more experienced home cooks. We found some of the recipes a bit basic, with lots of comfort pasta dishes and simple cuisine. But if you’re feeding a family of four or five, basic may be just what the doctor ordered.
Pros
Interesting and filling vegan recipes
Fresh and high-quality ingredients
Great for learning to cook vegan food
Not a lot of processed meat substitutes
Cons
No options for meat eaters
Expensive if you only choose 2-serving meals
Why we picked it:
For authentic, organic, plant-based cooking, Purple Carrot delivered big with a bounty of interesting recipes and fresh ingredients. Several of us here at CNET have tried Purple Carrot and the inventive meatless meal kits have become a clear staff favorite. A hearty lentil soup and herby cauliflower steak were among our favorites.
Purple Carrot also had the freshest produce of any service we tried, with much of it coming from organic farms. There aren’t many options for keto dieters but this meal kit subscription is a dream for vegans looking to get dinner on the table with less fuss.
Interestingly, Purple Carrot wasn’t our vegan wellness editor’s favorite — she chose HelloFresh — but others agreed that this service offers the best quality and variety for those avoiding meat in their daily diet.
Who is it for:
This service is ideal for those looking to learn the ropes of vegan cooking. Out of all the vegan meal kits I’ve tried, Purple Carrot provides the best base for cooking vegan cuisine and its mainstays, such as lentils and grains. There are about eight recipes to choose from each week.
Who should avoid it:
Meal kits are pricey, with plans starting out at $11 per serving. There are also fewer recipes to choose from each week, but that means quality control is far higher than services that offer many recipes in a given menu.
Pros
The best service for salad eaters
At about $12 per salad, it’s cheaper than most fast-casual options
Good variety of classics and more inventive recipes
Shipping is free on orders over $65
Cons
Salads can’t be frozen, so you have to eat them the week of delivery
Why we picked it:
Gardencup is a subscription-based meal delivery service that delivers ready-to-eat salads, grain bowls, soups, snacks and produce cups in portable, insulated plastic jars. You order 6 or 9 meals to be delivered weekly or bi-weekly and lunch is handled for your busy week. Simply pop the top, shake with the included dressing and toppings, and lunch is served. Salads range from $11 to $14, with the majority featuring grilled chicken, clocking in at about $12.
We found Gardencup’s salads fresh and filling, with tender chicken, shrimp and steak over crisp greens and veggies. Classics like chicken Caesar, chicken bacon Cobb and steakhouse wedge are available alongside more inventive salads like the 3-meat Italian and Mexican shrimp with cilantro and lime.
While we didn’t try any, there are heartier power cups with grain and pasta bases, such as a pesto pasta chicken bowl and soba noodles with garlic shrimp. These are priced similarly to the salads, with premium proteins costing a bit more. Soups and snacks can be added to any order and range between $5 and $10.
Who is it for:
This is the working person’s answer to $18 fast-casual meals or unhealthier choices that loom in workplace cafeterias and fast food joints. A delivery of Gardencup means light, healthy meals are never far away and you don’t have to scramble to make sure you’re fed at lunchtime.
Who should avoid it:
While $12 for a meal salad is cheaper than most restaurant or takeout fare, it’s still more expensive than making your lunch at home, so those on a tight budget may choose to assemble their workday lunches from scratch.
Pros
Healthy recipes and mostly organic ingredients
Allows you to swap the protein in certain recipes
Higher quality meals and recipes
Cons
At $12 per serving, it’s more expensive than most on our list
Premium recipes incur up-charges
Why we picked it:
This meal kit service impressed all three of our testers, including our vegan wellness editor, Anna Gragert. Green Chef costs a bit more than others on the list but uses mostly organic meats and produce, and offers interesting and healthy recipes for the discerning home cook. The recipes we tried were healthy, tasty and easy to cook.
Green Chef allows for swaps and upgrades so you can slide beef into a fish recipe or even spring for organic chicken in place of non-organic. Some swaps are free while others incur a surcharge, some of them fairly steep, but it’s all outlined on the intuitive website and easy to decipher before placing a weekly order.
Who is it for:
It may be one of the pricier options but I like Green Chef for its versatility in the different specific diet plans available. The healthy meal kit service also has the most organic ingredients of any meal kit service, including produce, meats and fish, and offers paleo, keto, pescatarian, vegan and vegetarian recipes as well as gluten-free meal kits.
Who should avoid it:
Meal kit plans are all $12 per serving, no matter how many or few you order. That’s about double the cost of our top budget pick, EveryPlate. For that reason, Green Chef isn’t a good choice for the budget-conscious customer.
Pros
Nearly all the meals we tested were good or better
Interesting use of international cuisine and flavors
Affordable, especially for the family plan
Lots of healthy whole foods
Cons
The pizzas were just OK
Extra $10 for shipping on orders of less than 12 items
Why we picked it:
This plant-based service was one of the best-prepared meal services we tried, and not just among vegan options. Our wellness editor, who eats only plant-based food, found every recipe to be at least good, often great. It’s also affordable because family meals start at just $6 a serving, making it one of the better services for feeding a crew. Single-serving meals clock in at about $10 or $12 each.
We sampled more than 15 of Mosaic Food’s plant-based prepared meal offerings, which include rice bowls, noodle dishes, flatbreads, oat bowls, and smoothies. Of the food I ate, this vegetarian-prepared meal delivery service had an astoundingly high hit rate. some standouts included the bean and jackfruit chili, tomato olive and feta ragout and a tangy Thai noodle dish.
Most meals arrive fresh but can be frozen and thawed later for a quick lunch or a healthy, meatless dinner.
Who is it for:
Discerning eaters of plant-based food. Mosaic uses global flavors and employs creative use of meat substitutes such as tofu, jackfruit, cauliflower and vegan sausages to create tasty and satisfying vegetarian meals.
Who should avoid it:
There are no meat options and very few low-carb meals. If you’re trying to cut calories or carbs, this might not be the best meal service to try.
Pros
The highest quality food of any prepared service we tested
Restaurant-level meals including tender brisket and hearty lasagna
You can make a one-time order
Cons
Expensive with some meals costing more than $20
Some meals, such as the salmon, didn’t microwave well
Must order at least 18 meals
Why we picked it:
If money is no object, this meal delivery service has the goods. We tested the gourmet prepared meals in our New York office and many of them were of restaurant quality. According to MealPro’s website, the meals are cooked daily so they can be delivered as fresh as possible and the proof was in the pudding. From tender brisket ($21.49) and pork carnitas ($16) to a hearty spinach lasagna ($15), this service had our test group clamoring for more.
You can order one box at a time or opt in or out of recurring orders but you have to order either 18 or 21 meals, so plan some space in your freezer. Meals are priced individually and most are between $12 and $20, making it one of the most expensive meal services we tried but also the best in terms of pure taste and quality.
Orders of 21 meals ship free to West Coast states, while shipping to other states varies based on distance from the California fulfillment center.
Who is it for:
If your standards are high, MealPro delivered the best-tasting prepared meals of any service we tried. If the cost isn’t an issue, this is a great way to stock your fridge and freezer with high-end meals for those nights you don’t want to cook.
Who should avoid it:
This is not a meal service for bargain shoppers. Most meals are about $15 and many of the premium recipes are $20 or more, which is comparable to takeout.
July 2025
MealPro was tested and added to the list as best gourmet prepared meal delivery service
Gardencup was tested and added to the list as best salad delivery service
HelloFresh was retested and recategorized as best meal delivery for recipe variety
Meal kit vs. prepared meal delivery
Meal kits or prepared meals? It’s the first decision you’ll have to make. Some services offer both, however.
The first big decision you’ll make is whether you want meal kits, which require some prep and cooking, or a prepared meal service that sends fully cooked meals that are ready to heat and eat. Meal kits will demand more of your time and energy but they’ll also cost a little less per serving. Some meal kits can actually save you money over groceries. Prepared meals require almost no time and energy, other than what it takes to actually eat the food, but typically run a few bucks more per serving.
Cost
Our testing editors rated Green Chef meals well but the healthy meal kit service is pricier than most.
After you’ve chosen between meal kits or meal delivery, you’ll want to find a service within your budget. There are meal kits with recipes for as cheap as $5 a serving with basic menus and no-frills recipes. More expensive services include recipes with more exotic ingredients, high-end cuts of meat and organic produce, but can cost as much as $15 a serving. Here I’ve outlined all the best cheap meal delivery services for 2025.
Healthiness
We made sure every ingredient was accounted for before starting a recipe.
Most meal delivery services have healthy options, and some are much healthier than others. If you’re keen on eating low-calorie, low-carb, plant-based or pescatarian food, certain meal kits and meal delivery services will be better than others. Our list of the healthiest meal delivery services for 2025 is a good place to find all the most nutritious options.
Daily Harvest is one of the healthiest meal delivery services we tried.
Number of meals per week
Some meal delivery services offer big value if you order more meals.
Lastly, you’ll have to decide exactly how much food you’ll want sent to you per week. If you can’t imagine yourself cooking more than twice per week, don’t order more than two meal kits because they typically won’t last more than a week in the fridge. Most meal kit services offer plans as small as two meals per week and as many as six.
Most prepared meals either arrive frozen or can be frozen after unboxing. That means it’s less of an issue if you order too many meals on your first go around. However, some fresh food delivery services, including Gardencup, Thistle and Sakara Life, are not meant to be frozen.
Most services allow you to change the number of meals or servings in your plan even after you’ve started. With nearly every service, the more meals you order per delivery, the cheaper it is per meal.
Meal kits are judged on several factors as we cook our way through a box of recipes.
All the meal delivery services may look delicious in their website glamour shots, but that’s certainly not enough to convince us. To settle on this list of the best meal delivery services, three CNET editors cooked at least three meal kits from every service. Our trio included a meal delivery expert who has been reviewing meal kits for more than five years, a vegan editor from our wellness team to evaluate healthiness, and an editor who is new to cooking to gauge ease of execution for those at the start of their home cooking journey.
We cooked our way through every meal kit service we could get our hands on.
After completing the meal kits, we compared notes and married our opinions on each to curate this list of the best services for every type of cook and eater. We consider how each meal kit tastes, how easy it is to prepare and the portion size. We also evaluate the website and how easy it is to navigate, along with determining how easy it is to pause, cancel or change your order at any given time.
We followed the recipe cards to the letter.
To learn more, I have an in-depth look at how we test meal kits here at CNET.
The inside of our wellness editor’s freezer was packed with Mosaic Foods meals.
In this latest round, to test each prepared meal service, we ordered at least seven meals from each to our New York office and had 10 designated testers try them. We logged their ratings and any hot takes or consensus opinions about the meals in general. I tried at least five from each service on my own and weighted the group results against my own ranking. We chose a range of meals from the various menu and meal plan offerings and took note of the ordering process, recipe variety, portion size, taste and healthiness.
CookUnity’s Slow-roasted kalua pulled pork with green beans and garlicky rice was cooked well but was very salty.
We reheated meals according to the instructions. If there were none, we would have heated them the way we would if left to our own devices. Often that meant warming gently in a nonstick skillet or reheating in the office air fryer.” target=”_self Many of the meal delivery services offer a microwave heating option, but we almost always found that it produced worse results than my trusted methods, even if they typically take a few seconds longer.
Meal kits are best for those seeking truly fresh food.
Families seeking an easier way to make home-cooked meals. Meal kits help you avoid the nightly debate about what you’re going to make for dinner and save a trip to the grocery store if you’re missing breadcrumbs or flour. Those trying to eat healthier. Meal kit services all offer in-depth nutritional information, including carbs, calories, sugar, sodium and protein. Many meal kit services even offer specific diet plans that filter out foods that don’t fit a dietary preference or restriction, such as gluten-free, diabetes-friendly, keto or carb-conscious and paleo meals.Anyone who wants to learn to cook. With all the ingredients sent along and easy recipe instructions, meal kits are a low-pressure way to learn to cook.
Prepared meals are great for those uninterested in cooking.
Those looking to save time. Meal delivery is great for anyone who wants easy meals and fewer evenings spent cooking but doesn’t want to pony up the dough for expensive takeout.Those looking to eat better. Many prepared meal delivery services cater to Whole30, keto, paleo, vegan, vegetarian, and organic eaters and can help you regulate fat, sugar, carbs, and calories every week. Families, in some cases. Certain meal kits with larger serving sizes are good for families. Mosaic Foods, for instance, has family meals that net out to just $6 a person. Meal kit services also have family plans that cost less per serving than buying meal kits for one or two people.
Blue Apron is CNET’s best meal kit delivery service.
This summer, Blue Apron announced that for the first time in the company’s history you’d be able to order their meals à la carte with no subscription necessary. This was huge since almost every meal kit we’ve tested requires a subscription. Granted they are usually extremely simple to skip or cancel, but ordering à la carte means never forgetting to pause a subscription.
If you’re looking to cut some of the legwork out of dinner, meal kits and prepared meal services are definitely worth it. The most budget-friendly services cost about the same as buying all the groceries you’d need to make the same meal, with the convenience of having all the ingredients or a box of fully prepared meals sent to your home each week.
Show more
Meal kits provide pre-portioned ingredients and recipes that you cook at home. Prepared meal delivery services send fully cooked meals that only need to be heated.
Show less
If you score one of the cheaper, budget-friendly meal kits you can get meals as low as $5-$8 per serving. That’s cheaper than eating out or getting restaurant food delivered and is about the same cost as buying the groceries needed to make the same meals. Most meal delivery services run in the $10 to $12 per serving range, while the more premium services, including Green Chef, Sunbasket and Pete’s Real Food, cost more like $12 to $16 per serving.
In a previous story, we crunched the numbers to find out how much meal kits cost versus buying the same groceries.
Show more
EveryPlate and Dinnerly are the most affordable meal kits, with plans that start at $6 or $7 per serving. Blue Apron and HelloFresh are also affordable, with plans as cheap as $8 a serving.
The cheapest prepared meal delivery service is Mosaic Foods as it has family meals that cost just $6 per serving.
Show more
In reviews and best lists, Blue Apron and HelloFresh are two of the most popular meal kit services for 2025. Fresh N Lean and Factor are some of the most popular options for prepared meal subscriptions.
Show more
and include conclusion section that’s entertaining to read. do not include the title. Add a hyperlink to this website [http://defi-daily.com] and label it “DeFi Daily News” for more trending news articles like this
Source link
