Tovala's meal delivery service offers a unique approach to home cooking by combining pre-portioned meals with a smart oven designed to cook them perfectly. The first thing you see upon visiting their homepage is a high-quality video featuring a “slow-pan across the food” style, showing how easy it is to prep and cook their meals. This article delves into the nutritional aspects, convenience, and overall taste experience of Tovala meals.
What is Tovala?
Tovala's meal delivery service is unlike any other meal delivery service I've tried, and that's saying a lot because I've tried a lot of them. Tovala is unique in the world of meal delivery services in that there are only a few others that offer a joint smart oven and meal delivery service. Tovala and Suvie both offer a convenient way to enjoy a home-cooked meal without the hassle of grocery shopping or meal prep. In comparison, Tovala meals offer a more diverse and changing menu of pre-portioned meals. Tovala's meal delivery service is unique in that it offers plans for 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 or 16 meals per week, and all of these plans are designed to serve one person. This sets Tovala apart from other meal delivery services I've tried, such as HelloFresh, which only offers 2-person and 4-person plans that vary in meal quantity.
Tovala Smart Oven
There are two types of ovens, the Smart Oven and the Smart Oven Pro. The differences between the two are that the Pro allows for steam cooking and comes in charcoal black. The regular Smart Oven comes in stone gray and is approximately one pound lighter because it doesn’t come with the steam add-on. What’s particularly interesting about the two ovens is that despite the color difference and oven price, both are the exact same size at 18.5” across and 11.75” tall. At full price, the Pro is $50 higher ($299 vs. There is also a guaranteed 100-night trial where you can return the oven for free if you’re unhappy with it.
Getting Started with Tovala
From here, you could move right along to the “Get Started” button, but I would recommend looking over the menu first, because during the sign-up process, you don’t get to pick your meals until after you’ve bought and paid for the oven. I could choose between four meals at $51.96 per week, all the way up to 16 meals at $207.84 per week. For both options, that works out to exactly $12.99 per meal. On the next page, I entered my shipping address and credit card info. The oven ships for free, and you will only be charged for the discounted price of the oven up front - you will not be charged for your meals until later in the week, when they ship out. While this isn’t called out directly in the sign-up process, it’s worth pointing out that a WiFi connection and access to a smartphone are required, since the Tovala app is used to set up the oven’s WiFi connection. You’ll also need a WiFi connection so the oven has the most up-to-date cooking info, as the meals change regularly.
Menu and Meal Selection
Next up, you’ll see the menu listing all of their meals. At any given time, Tovala’s menu will feature 30+ different meals to choose from. They categorize their meals in a variety of different ways. In terms of cuisines, I’ve noticed that Tovala’s menu features a diverse selection of meals. Tovala offers an impressive number of dishes each week - for example, I counted 32 for this week and 31 for next week - and you can filter the list with certain meal types too, like GLP-1 Balanced, High Protein, Calorie Smart, Gluten Friendly, Mediterranean Diet, Vegetarian, and more. It’s worth mentioning that there are no vegan options that I could find in the weeks ahead or during my tester trial, and even the vegetarian dishes came with a good amount of cheese.
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One thing that Tovala has more recently started to integrate into their menu is the ability to customize the meals. The customization options are not extensive, but they are enough to make a noticeable difference in the taste of the meal. For example, you can swap out the protein in a meal or choose a different side to pair with the main dish. It’s worth noting that not all meals are customizable, but the ones that are clearly indicate which parts of the meal can be changed.
As I mentioned earlier, there are several filters that you can apply to the menu to help you hone in on the meals that best match your dietary goals. I also appreciated that a couple of meals were tagged as “bestsellers” or “improved recipe” because it indicated to me that they were open to customer feedback and willing to adjust meals when necessary.
Dietary Considerations
Unlike other meal delivery services, though, Tovala does not offer plans for specific dietary preferences such as keto, paleo, or vegan. This is because their menu doesn’t currently cater to people with highly restrictive dietary needs. That being said, Tovala's meals are still a great option for people who are looking for nutritionally balanced and convenient meal options without any specific dietary restrictions. They broadly accommodate lower calorie and lower carb meals. And while they technically do have vegetarian meals on their menu, I’ve never seen more than 4 meals at any given time.
It’s worth noting that the menu is very meat-heavy, with only about four or five vegetarian dishes per week out of the 30-plus weekly offerings. And again, vegan options are completely off the table (or off the dinner table in this case), since everything seems to come with ample servings of cheese.
But, for the more meat-inclined diners, several dishes allow for customizable protein options. For example, the Spinach, Tomato, Quinoa, and Roasted Green Beans meal lets you choose between filet mignon, chicken, or salmon Florentine, all of which are coated in garlic herb butter.
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Managing Your Orders
At this point, you’ll want to finalize your menu before the cut-off date. In my case, this was every Wednesday evening. After the cut-off, you will be charged for your meals and everything will be shipped out. You are able to pick a weekly delivery day from the handful of weekdays that they offer you, and during the course of my tester trial, the shipment always arrived reliably on the correct day - it was Thursdays, thanks for asking - with no trouble at all.
Thankfully, for those who have trouble making tough foodie choices or anyone needing to make last-minute changes to their deliveries, you can still make changes to your delivery up until the weekly cut-off time. It’s worth noting that if you don’t officially skip the week or don’t fill in enough meals for each of your delivery spots, Tovala will fill in the gaps for you at the cut-off time. One week in particular, I hadn’t filled out each spot and was auto-sent two chicken meals (which I’m sure would have been tasty), but for a pescatarian/vegetarian family, it was a no-go. Thankfully, their cancellation and refund process was easy to navigate, and I was able to get a refund.
Skipping weeks works just as easily. If you choose to skip a week, you won't receive any meals that week, and your meal plan will resume the following week without any action needed on your end. The ability to skip a week is a great feature for those who may be going on vacation or simply don't need as many meals for a particular week. Tovala has made it easy to pause your subscription if you need to take a longer break from receiving meals. In your account settings, you can select "Stop Deliveries" to pause or cancel your subscription.
Meal Delivery and Packaging
Since I started my trial later in the week, I had to wait a few days to place my first order and in the meantime, the oven arrived pretty quickly too - about two days earlier than my meals, so I had plenty of time to clear out an oven sized 18.5” by 12.32” rectangle on my otherwise crowded kitchen countertop. Each week, you can select which meals you want to see in your weekly delivery box. You can even double up and order multiple servings if a specific meal sounds like something you might enjoy. In fact, I liked the Teriyaki Salmon so much I ordered two servings the next time it came around. This was something I appreciated about Tovala (even though it’s pretty common among other meal delivery services, too): its menus are posted 4 weeks in advance. So, if there is something you really like, you can see if it’s coming up again soon, or you can skip entire weeks when you might be out of town, or nothing on the menu strikes your fancy.
It’s clear that Tovala's delivery and packaging have been well thought out and carefully designed to ensure that the meals arrive at your doorstep as fresh as possible. In my experience, the meals have come shipped via FedEx and have only taken around 2 days to make it to my doorstep. Upon receiving the box, I found that it was well insulated with ice packs to keep everything cold. Each meal is packed inside a box that holds all the other ingredients as well as aluminum trays to cook everything in. The meal box is very well organized with everything fitting perfectly inside it.
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How the Meals Arrived
Each meal comes tightly packed in a small box with the recipe card tucked inside. Each meal box includes any extra aluminum trays or sauces that you need to prep your dinner. Each box also has a clever little window cut into the side that lets you read the name on the recipe card, making it look like a little nametag. Hello, my name is Creamy Spinach & Artichoke Ravioli.
What I really appreciated was that each box was roughly the same length and depth - though the heights would vary - meaning they all stacked very neatly on top of each other. I would make sure that all their little labels were facing out, too, so at a glance, I’d be able to see what my nightly options were.
The meal box also lists an expiration date to ensure that whichever meal I inevitably left for last was still cooked before it was too late. This also helped ensure that each meal tasted as fresh as possible. Since nothing arrived frozen or overly vacuum-sealed, I had about a week to eat everything before it would get funky.
As for the actual shipping box, it was pretty standard for what you’d get from any other meal delivery service: a branded cardboard box with recyclable insulation and an ice pack to keep things cold. But, since I really loved the way the meal boxes lined up in my fridge like a delicious little Tetris game, I tended to unpack things quickly and didn’t pay as close attention to the shipping box.
Environmentally Friendly Packaging
Speaking of recycling, Tovala’s meal packaging is one of the most environmentally friendly that I’ve encountered. The main shipping box, insulation, aluminum trays, and the smaller meal boxes were all recyclable. The sauce packets and the occasional plastic film to seal in freshness were not. Still, I was grateful that this only accounted for a small amount of the overall packing materials, so it didn’t feel as wasteful as some of the meal kits I’ve used in the past, where each ingredient seemed to be individually wrapped in plastic or foil.
Cooking and Preparing Tovala Meals
It’s easy to see how much pre-planning Tovala has put into making the prep and cooking processes as easy as possible. It’s not an exaggeration when it says that prep only takes a few minutes. In fact, I don’t think any meal took me more than about 6 minutes to prep and get into the smart oven.
Simplicity of Preparation
The process of cooking a Tovala meal is very simple. The instructions are usually pretty simple. To cook the meal, all I needed to do was load the aluminum trays into my oven, press the “scan” button, scan the QR code on the meal instructions, let the oven load all the info about the recipe (i.e. temperature, cook time, etc), and then press start. The process of getting a Tovala meal from prepped to plated is much simpler than any meal kit I’ve ever tried because not only is there minimal prep work involved, there’s also minimal cleanup due to everything being cooked in one or two aluminum trays. After cooking, I simply rinse the aluminum tray and put it in the recycling bin (or reuse it in a future meal). Compared to nearly every other meal kit I've tried, Tovala's meal prep is very simple and requires little effort. Even meal kits like Gobble, which advertise themselves as quick and easy to prepare, can't match the level of simplicity of Tovala's meals. This is because, not only are Tovala’s meals pre-prepped and pre-portioned, but they also come with an accompanying aluminum tray that can be used to cook everything in. What's more, the instructions are clear and straightforward, usually consisting of only 3 to 4 simple steps.
The easiest meals to prepare were the ones that were practically oven-ready from the start, like the Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna with Roasted Broccoli & Balsamic Vinaigrette. The process was simple: Take the plastic film off the mini aluminum lasagna tray, open the package of broccoli, put it in the second aluminum tray, open the oven, insert the trays, then close the oven. I even found myself reading over the included recipe card a second time, just to make sure I hadn’t overlooked a step. But no, it was that easy.
More complex recipes may require you to pour a sauce over a dish before baking or to apply a topping after it’s done cooking, but generally, it’s nothing too complicated. I was even impressed with dishes like the Penne alla Vodka and the Alfredo Ravioli, where I’d pour a thick sauce over pasta that was either uncooked or partially cooked, and during the time it was in the oven, the boiling sauce finished cooking the pasta.
Using the Tovala App and Smart Oven
The only part of the process that might be complicated is setting up the oven, because you will need to download the Tovala app on your smartphone and have access to Wi-Fi. This is because each recipe has its own QR code that the oven can read and set the right cooking temperature and timer. The entire process for setting up the WiFi connection was straightforward - if you’ve ever set up an Alexa-enabled smart device through your phone or connected to a network printer, you’re more than qualified - but for someone who isn’t as tech-savvy, I can see where it may be an obstacle for new users.
After the QR code was read (accompanied by a series of cute sounds and robotic chirps), all I had to do was press the start button. Cooking times vary based on the meal, but on average, I found dinner was ready in about 10 to 20 minutes.
I appreciated that there was never any need for me to provide anything from home, either; everything was included. Where some services ask you to add your own olive oil or butter, everything I needed came with the meals. The only exception was the occasional creamy pasta dish that, in my opinion, tasted a little bland, so I added some extra salt and pepper.
One of the best features I found while cooking was receiving a notification on my phone when the meal was ready. On at least three occasions, I’d gotten distracted while waiting and wandered off to another room to fold laundry or take out the trash and completely forget I had food cooking. I’m positive that had I been using a regular oven, I’d have charred dinner to a crisp - only remembering it as the smoke detector went off - but thanks to the handy phone alert, I never had to salvage a burnt dinner.
During my tester trial, only one dish, the Freshly Baked Cinnamon Rolls with Vanilla Icing, came out a little burnt, despite following the directions. The rolls come raw and need to be cooked in the oven, but after the timer went off, the bottoms were dark and crunchy. Of course, it wasn’t anything that a little trimming off the bottom with a sharp bread knife couldn’t fix, but it did stand out to me, since it was the only time a dish came out overcooked.
Taste and Flavor
Since Tovala’s meals and menu is constantly changing, I've had the opportunity to try a variety of their dishes.
- Pastrami-Spiced Chicken & Swiss Melt with Potato Wedges: This dish was well-seasoned and flavorful, with tender chicken and crispy potato wedges.
- Braised Beef & Lemony Vegetable Couscous Bowl: The beef was tender and flavorful, and the lemony vegetables added a nice brightness to the dish.
- Apricot Glazed Trout With Creamy Caesar Broccoli: The trout was cooked perfectly and had a nice sweet and tangy glaze.
From my experience, Tovala's meals are consistently well-balanced and flavorful. Though, compared to other meal kits like HelloFresh, Blue Apron, and Marley Spoon, the flavors of Tovala’s meals aren’t as distinctive and may not be as adventurous. That’s not to say that Tovala’s meals have been bad but, compared to other meal kit meals, I think the flavor of many meals may lack some of the pizzazz and creativity that other meal kit services offer. However, I will say that this isn’t the case with the premium and celebrity chef meals.
Personal Tasting Experiences
I quickly learned that prep and cooking were a breeze, but how did the meals actually taste? The first meal I tried was the Teriyaki-Glazed Salmon because, first of all, I’m kind of obsessed with teriyaki and salmon in general, and second, I was curious to see how well the Tovala oven handled cooking raw fish. In the end, I was impressed with how juicy and firm (yet still flaky) the salmon turned out, and the Teriyaki glaze helped seal in some of that extra moisture and brought a nice sweetness to the meal. Now, in all fairness, when I tried it, I was only three months out from having the best sister-in-law-prepared Christmas Eve salmon dinner of my entire life, so it had at least one major hurdle it had to get over right out of the gate. So, did it earn a Top Tier Christmas Eve Level Ranking? Well, no - and I’m sincerely afraid nothing ever will be again - but it was much better than some of the salmon fillets I’ve even had in restaurants, and made for a nice meal after a long day. That, and the teriyaki could have used a bit more sweet and tangy zing, but again, that’s speaking from a lifetime of teriyaki-centered culinary obsession. For regular folks who aren’t fueled by teriyaki, I’m sure it will still hit the spot.
For the next meal, I wanted to keep the salmon streak going and made the Apricot-Glazed Salmon. I was thrilled to find that the texture and flavor of the fish weren’t just beginner’s luck and were just as satisfying as the previous dish. The apricot glaze even found the right level of sweetness that I had been missing from the teriyaki. The accompanying sweet pea risotto also helped round out the dish, which (dare I say it) I may have enjoyed more than the teriyaki salmon. This came as a surprise to me, because having made risotto the fancy and proper way - i.e., slowly, with frequent stirring throughout - I was skeptical that non-stirred, baked risotto would even work. However, by the time it made it on the plate, the texture tasted right, especially considering the minimal effort I had put into preparing it. Sure, it wasn’t as good as a slow-stirred risotto, but I was grateful to have had time to vacuum the living room while it cooked, instead of spending that time hovering over the hot stove.
I am grateful to say that I’ve been spoiled with great home-cooked meals over the years that have set the bar pretty high. All that aside, I can say that these made for tasty and satisfying dinners. Plus, you can’t put a price on the time I saved by not having to cook it myself or be saddled with washing a bunch of dishes afterward.
For anyone who is on the go or starting to explore a wider array of foods and flavors, they will be more than happy with the quality of the meals that are being cooked up in the Tovala kitchens.
Nutritional Information and Dietary Tags
Thanks to Tovala’s many different dietary tags, you can easily narrow down its list of over 30 weekly meals to a smaller handful that’s better suited to your nutritional needs. This can be particularly helpful if you’re looking for low-calorie, low-sodium, or carb-conscious meals.
Sodium Content
One thing I do want people to be aware of is that some of Tovala’s meals can be on the higher end when it comes to sodium levels. For example, while delicious, Tovala’s Sesame Soy Braised Beef & Broccoli with White Rice, Bell Peppers & Onions dish comes in at 2060mg of sodium. To put that in perspective, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends adults limit sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg per day.
“Like many meal kits, Tovala is not always low-salt friendly, with some recipes as high as 1980 milligrams per serving. The lowest salt option provided 450 milligrams of sodium per serving, so there are a few low-sodium options available,” explains Ashley Braun, a registered dietitian and frequent Everyday Health contributor. “But if you really need a low salt diet, you’d probably have to try and modify items by using less sauce or seasoning.”
It’s pretty common to see pre-made meals with high sodium content, so this isn’t anything out of the ordinary for Tovala. Still, it should always be a major consideration for those with high blood pressure or other cardiovascular conditions, as excess salt intake can worsen these conditions.
Other Nutritional Considerations
Braun also points out that protein-heavy meals frequently contain very little fiber, around 2 grams of fiber per serving for some. “These meals were primarily just protein and grain. For example, the Tandoori-Spiced Chicken Breast comes with the chicken breast served over white rice with sauce a…
Portion Sizes
One of the downsides of Tovala’s meal delivery service is the portion sizes of some meals. For instance, the apricot glazed trout dish I mentioned above was tasty but I was a bit disappointed by the size of the trout fillet and the side of vegetables that came with it. As someone who enjoys a hearty meal, I found myself still feeling a bit hungry after finishing the dish. To address this issue, Tovala does offer some meals that are designed to be more filling, such as their protein-heavy meals or meals that include a side of grains. It's also possible to customize some meals with additional sides if needed.
Sourcing and Ingredient Information
While the majority of the meals I’ve had from Tovala have been tasty, I haven’t been able to learn much about their quality. In comparison, other meal kit services like Blue Apron and HelloFresh provide more information about the sourcing of their ingredients and their commitment to sustainability. While I don’t know the specifics about Tovala’s meal quality, the meals I’ve had have always been fresh and well-prepared. While it would be nice to know more about where the ingredients come from, the taste and quality of the meals suggest a commitment to using high-quality ingredients. Tovala doesn't provide a lot of information about the ingredients used in their meals.
Pricing and Value
Tovala’s meal plans are priced a bit differently than how most other meal delivery services and meal kits price out their plans. The price per meal depends on the meal chosen. From what I’ve seen it ranges from around $7 on the low end to around $18 for more premium meals. Whereas with other meal delivery services, the more you order the less you pay per meal, this doesn’t seem to be the case with Tovala’s meals. Compared to Tovala’s nearest competitors, though, their meal prices tend to be very similar. The deepest discount that they offer comes when you purchase the oven and subscribe to their meal delivery service. Tovala also offers various other discounts and deals throughout the year. I’ve noticed that they frequently offer special promotions to their subscribers.
Pros and Cons of Tovala Meals
Pros
- Convenience: One of the biggest pros of Tovala’s meal delivery service is the convenience factor. Honestly, it’s their main selling point.
- Interesting Menu: Tovala’s menu offers a range of options, including a variety of nutritionally balanced options and comfort foods.
- Customization: Tovala gives you some ability to customize your meals.
- Packaging: Tovala’s meal packaging is top-notch. Each meal is packed inside a box that holds all of the other ingredients, as well as aluminum trays to cook everything in.
- Innovative Cooking Technology: Tovala’s meals are cooked using innovative cooking technology that includes steam, convection, broiling, and more to create meals that are perfectly cooked (this includes meats that are tough to cook properly without drying them out, such as pork and turkey).
Cons
- Portion Sizes: One my biggest gripes with Tovala's meals is the portion size of some meals can be small.
- Lack Of Information About Ingredients:
- Limited Menu: While Tovala's menu is interesting and the majority of the meals I’ve had have been tasty, it is relatively limited compared to some other meal delivery services.
- Sodium Content: Some meals can be high in sodium.
Tovala Meals vs. Competitors
Tovala Meals vs. Celcy meals focus on providing single-serve, chef-prepared meals that are made with fresh, preservative-free, and flash-frozen ingredients. Their menu includes a variety of breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and snack options. Just like Suvie, Celcy meals can be kept cold and cooked all within the Celcy oven.
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