In today's fast-paced world, maintaining a healthy diet can be challenging. While indulging in lavish restaurant meals or decadent dinner parties is enjoyable, cooking healthy meals at home, especially on weeknights, often feels like an insurmountable task. This is where meal delivery services come in, offering a convenient solution to enjoy feel-good food without the stress of planning and cooking.
Meal delivery services take the guesswork out of both planning and cooking. However, not all services live up to their "healthy" promises without sacrificing flavor or variety. This article rounds up some of the best healthy meal delivery services, based on hands-on testing.
What to Look for in a Healthy Meal Delivery Service
When choosing a meal delivery service with healthy eating in mind, it's important to consider several factors. These include the variety of meal options, the quality of ingredients, the ease of preparation, and the ability to cater to specific dietary needs or preferences.
Top Picks for Healthy Meal Delivery Services
Sunbasket: The Healthy Meal Kit with the Most Variety
Sunbasket follows the blueprint of most kit-style meal delivery services (think Blue Apron or HelloFresh), but there are a few things that set it apart. One key differentiator is the brand's prioritization of using organic produce whenever possible.
The variety of meals offered is another standout feature. While some companies offer over 100 meals every week, Sunbasket keeps a tight list of 15-20 or so (plus some additional add-ons and ready-to-eat options). You’ll find everything from Afghan-Style Butternut Squash Stew or Mexican Street Tacos with Tomatillo Chicken, Salsa, and Lime Yogurt to Dukkah Pork Chops and Kale Salad with "Everything" Ranch Dressing.
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It is easy to filter recipes by dietary restriction (i.e. Paleo, Gluten-Free, etc.), nutrition (i.e. High Protein, Low Added Sugar, etc.), excluded ingredients (dairy-free, soy-free, etc.), and cook time-a plus if you have specific goals in mind, be they upping your protein or saving time.
The meals themselves were easy to make, relatively produce-heavy, and quite tasty. Portion sizes were generally plenty big, and I liked that the service got me cooking dishes and using specific ingredients that weren’t previously in my repertoire.
Pros:
- Good variety of recipe options
- Meals feel fresh and produce-forward
Cons:
- Organic ingredients may be substituted with non-organic
- Price can add up, depending on your selections
Factor: The Best Prepared Healthy Meal Delivery Service
Factor offers entirely pre-made, heat-and-eat meals that require just a short trip to the microwave. The brand positions its meals as nutritious, dietitian-approved, and “designed to support your wellness goals.”
The dishes were well-seasoned and flavorful for microwave meals, and as someone who is trying to prioritize protein in her diet at the moment, I appreciated how easy Factor made it to do just that. Because the meals are completely pre-made and labeled with nutritional information, they’re a great option for anyone with hyper-specific macro goals or dietary preferences in mind.
Some favorites from my two weeks of testing were the Green Chile Chicken and Homestyle Turkey and Gravy. Video director Gunsel Pehlivan enjoyed the Cavatelli with Pork Ragu and Chimichurri Chicken. “I was pleasantly surprised at how moist the chicken breast was and how balanced the flavors were in almost all of the mains,” writes Pehlivan.
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The meals tend to follow a protein plus vegetable plus starch format, which, while a bit repetitive after weeks of testing, meant they all felt balanced. Vegetable portions in particular felt generous-not always a given in the world of meal delivery services.
Pros:
- Easy and fast to prepare
- Meals feel balanced
- Generally tasty
Cons:
- Sides can feel repetitive
- Some dishes are less successful than others
- Portion sizes might feel small for some
Purple Carrot: The Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service for Plant-Based Eaters
Purple Carrot is an entirely plant-based meal delivery service that offers both meal kits and ready-to-eat meals. Over the past few years, multiple BA contributors have tested the service for several weeks. Every tester came to the same conclusion: This is an excellent meal delivery service for vegans and non-vegans alike. “My experience with Purple Carrot was easily one of the better meal kits I’ve tried, vegan or not,” writes Adam Campbell-Schmitt.
Most meals are a mix of fresh produce and packaged ingredients-think vegan cheeses, pre-cooked grains, and pre-made sauces. Everything is pre-portioned for its respective recipe, which makes prep and cooking extremely seamless.
“I never missed the meat in a Purple Carrot meal. I even found myself getting legitimately excited about my ‘healthy dinner at home’ nights, especially since I didn’t have to grocery shop,” writes Carina Finn. Campbell-Schmitt notes the variety of textures and colors in each meal, as well as the fact that spicy meals are actually spicy-a rare occurrence in the meal kit world. “Whether you’re vegan or not, the Purple Carrot menu won’t leave you bored. I found that one of the best reasons to use Purple Carrot is because everything is big on flavor,” he writes. Finn shared a similar sentiment: “By and large, I found all of the meals to be really well-seasoned, which was a nice change from some other meal kits.”
Pros:
- Healthy meals that are quick, easy, and genuinely delicious
- Costs significantly less than regular takeout
- Offers a range of difficulty levels, including fully prepared options
Cons:
- Requires you to read the recipe carefully
- Entirely vegan menu may not appeal to all eaters
Green Chef: The Best Organic Healthy Meal Kit
Green Chef is the first CCOF-certified organic meal kit delivery service, which means they’re committed to sourcing organic fresh produce and eggs, as well as providing organic beef, chicken, and wild-caught seafood as an option. While the company acknowledges that they reserve the right to replace a given ingredient with a high-quality conventional option if the organic option doesn’t meet their quality standards, this did not happen during contributor Brittany Loggins’s testing.
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Both Loggins and senior service editor Kelsey Jane Youngman praised Green Chef for its generally tasty meals. Youngman loved the Italian Turkey Stuffed Squash Boats, while Loggins highlighted the chicken with lemon crema. Youngman also appreciated the ease of cooking thanks to premade sauces, stocks, and herb blends-and precut vegetables. “I am confident that a beginner cook could easily follow the instructions and make a delicious meal,” she writes.
Green Chef also offers a free one-on-one nutrition coaching session with your first box. While neither of our testers took advantage of this, it’s a great option to have for people with specific health goals.
Pros:
- Simple recipes with tasty results
- Easy-to-follow instructions with step-by-step photos
- High-quality meat, seafood, and produce
Cons:
- Produce options can feel repetitive and out of season
- Would have liked to see more “Protein Packed” vegetarian or vegan meals, and some more tofu or tempeh options
Sakara: The Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service for Wellness Heads
Sakara is a wellness-focused meal delivery and supplement brand with two nutrition program offerings: their Signature Nutrition Program and their Level II Detox. Meals are entirely plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free. They’re also an aesthetically-minded wellness head’s dream: think rainbow-hued salads, veggie-laden soups, and protein-rich breakfast parfaits crowned with granola.
Both associate director of cooking Emma Laperruque and contributor Carina Finn praised Sakara's balanced, thoughtfully-designed meals. The salads in particular were a highlight for Laperruque: “They’re generously portioned, so you have enough fuel to power you through the afternoon, and they’re thoughtfully designed with a range of textures and colors. Just about every dressing I wished I had a full bottle of to keep in the fridge for future meals.”
“As someone who puts condiments on my condiments, I expected to feel the need to doctor things up to make them taste better, but everything was already packed with flavor. The dishes ranged from Indian-ish (‘clarity curry’ soup with naan) to Mexican-ish (a lavender ‘cheez' quesadilla with broccoli pesto), and there was enough range that I didn’t get bored,” writes Finn.
Pros:
- Healthy, nourishing meals
- Appealing to vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free eaters
- Curated menu means all the planning is taken care of for you
Cons:
- Premium price point might not fit into a lot of people’s budgets
- Most breakfast options skew sweet, which may not suit savory fans
Gardencup: The Best Healthy Meal Delivery Service for Salad Lovers
Gardencup specializes in salads and bowls packaged in plastic jars (or cups, as the brand name suggests). Their offerings are nostalgic (think Caesar, Cobb, Southwest chicken, and wedge salads), travel-friendly, and ultra convenient-just open the jar, add your dressing, shake, and eat (or transfer to a bowl if you prefer).
Commerce writer Wilder Davies appreciated that the salads didn’t skimp on the meat. The salads he tried averaged around 30 grams of protein, “which left me feeling full by the time I finished eating,” he writes. For even more protein, the brand’s Powercups-with a grain or noodle base-range from 30 to 46 grams per serving.
While many pre-made salads wilt quickly in the fridge, Davies found his Gardencups stayed relatively fresh through day five. Crunchy toppings are packaged separately, so there’s no need to worry about sogginess.
Pros:
- Fresh ingredients
- Meat options come with generous amounts of protein
- Super convenient for on-the-go lunches
Cons:
- Vegetarian/vegan salads don’t feel as substantial
- Hard to mix thoroughly without transferring to a bowl
How These Meal Delivery Services Were Tested
Meal delivery services are continually tested and retested throughout the year to ensure multiple perspectives on each brand and to keep up to date with the latest quality levels and menu offerings. Each time a service is tested, testers subscribe for multiple weeks to get a true sense for how well it integrates into their lives and how sustainable it is to eat for an extended period of time. Food delivery services are evaluated based on the following criteria:
How does the kit fare in an unboxing test? Testers take note of how each delivery is packed, making sure everything arrives adequately cold and that ingredients are well-protected.
Additional Information
Enjoy the convenience of meal prep delivered right to your door in Las Vegas, available seven days a week. One customer noted, "Me and my mom wanted to try this place so we did pickup. I was greeted by shilo they were very informative and kind! I’ve tried only a couple of meals already and I love the food! It’s so delicious and freshly made! can’t wait to come back and try more!"
Another customer praised Delvin, stating, "Delvin is very good. Superb. Fast and efficient. Excellent food. Clean store. Healthy food that tastes so good. Delvin helped me plenty! He explained to me what the ingredients was in in each containers and how everything worked. Kevin and Delvin were awesome! 5 star service. I highly recommend this place. Thank you for making my first time in the store so amazing."
A further review mentioned, "Great place to get food that fits your dietary needs. Meals well documented on the lid. Place was clean and very well organized."