It’s 5:30 p.m. and you don’t know what to make for dinner. Do you have groceries in the fridge? Should we stop for takeout? Are there still leftovers from the last time you bought Chinese food?
Knowing what to eat can be a challenge, especially when you’re trying to prioritize healthier, homemade meals. One potential solution: a meal kit delivery service, which can help you discover new dishes and motivate you to achieve your culinary goals. Each week, meal kit delivery services send you all the ingredients you need for the meals you’ve pre-selected based on your dietary needs and taste preferences. These services require no additional grocery shopping and minimize waste by providing only what is needed for your home-cooked meals. Some of these services also offer add-ons for breakfasts, lunches and desserts. There is no shortage of good deals, and some even offer the first free box.
Learn more: These are the best healthy meal delivery services and best prepared meal delivery services of 2024
With so many meal kit services aimed at the home cook, it’s hard to know where to start. This is where I come in. I have been eating for many years, graduated from the French Culinary Institute and worked for various culinary publications. I am also the mother of an active teenager and pre-teen for whom I cook every day.
I have tried many meal kit delivery services with my family to get their feedback. I also consulted other Yahoo staff testers to get their perspectives. I rated each service based on the number of weekly menu choices catering to a variety of dietary preferences (low-carb, keto, paleo, kid-friendly, gluten-free vegan, etc.), quality, and freshness ingredients included. , ease of cooking, cost, eco-friendly packaging, flavor profiles and taste.
I also considered information from Facebook groups dedicated to discussing meal kits, as well as advice from experts at Jaclyn London, a dietitian based in New York. Here’s how I made our top picks for the best meal delivery kit services of 2024.
How to choose a plan
This is arguably the most important step in the meal kit testing process: finding the plan that works best for you, then selecting the specific recipes that will be shipped to you each week. Key questions to consider are: Would you like to cook from a meal kit twice a week, three times or more? How many servings do you need? Do you rely on leftovers for lunches?
Most companies will allow you to choose between two to six servings per meal and two to five meals per week, with prices varying accordingly. Generally, the cost per serving decreases as you increase the servings and number of meals per week. Starting prices range from budget-friendly (check out Dinnerly, which starts at just $6 per serving) to high-end (see Sun basket, which can cost up to $28 per serving). Most meal kit services…
