Nothing is cozier. This family-friendly weeknight dinner takes a cue from Japanese grilled chicken meatballs called tsukune as well as the glossy, sweet-and-sour sauce that comes with them. A classic Italian pesto , this is not. Spinach, cilantro, and miso come together for this uber-green sauce, which dresses, of course, springy ramen noodles.

In this brothy beans recipe, caramelizing fennel, shallots, and lemon builds a base layer that is sweet, tangy, and bright. Tinned sardines add protein and a briny flavor. A beloved Hong Kong dish with approximately one billion variations, this soup—which relies heavily on fridge and pantry staples—is meant to be a little sweet and a touch sharp.

Its silky texture comes from blended potatoes and broccoli stalks rather than heavy cream. Well, this is the salad version, with noodles in addition to pink radishes , orange carrots, purple cabbage, and green cucumbers. One head of cabbage goes a long way. This recipe, where wedges are bathed in turmeric-accented coconut milk until meltingly tender and sweet, uses just half of one to feed four.

The soul of this recipe comes from the ginger and tamari marinade that gives crispy tofu a sweet and savory glaze. We like to turn leftover tofu into tacos, for some Japanese-Mexican fusion.

Toss roasted sweet potato wedges in a sweet and nutty tahini dressing for this quick vegetarian weeknight dinner. And no, it will not break the bank. This budget meal is about turning leftover side dishes into something totally new. Nearly any roasted vegetable or cooked grain could be worked into a frittata using this method.

This looks like something that took hours in a crockpot to make, but in reality, the black-eyed peas soak up the flavors of an onion- and tomato-based gravy in under 30 minutes.

Tuna salad deserves to be considered a dinner dish, not just a sandwich filling. Let the pan-fried chickpeas and red endive in this recipe convince you. Pan-crisped and glazed sweet potatoes. With hearty, almost meaty lentils. And pistachios. Purchase lasagna noodles, mushrooms, mozzarella, and Parmesan.

The rest of the ingredients for this cheap dinner recipe are already in your fridge or pantry. One style of cheap meals: recipes chosen with their leftovers in mind , making two meals out of one.

For example, these ground beef meatballs and their tomato sauce make for a great hoagie filling the next day. If you've already got miso in your fridge and don't want to spend on something new, you could use that in this stew recipe instead of gochujang.

It will be a whole different vibe, but a vibe nonetheless. Serve it with a poached egg and a slice of bread for a good cheap meal.

Easy homemade tomato soup is an upgrade to the canned stuff, but we don't judge. Try pouring the soup directly over the sliced sandwich for an irresistible comfort food. Consider this roast chicken your Sunday dinner. And then your Monday lunch, too. You can turn the leftover meat into pulled chicken sandwiches or a chicken noodle salad.

Do not underestimate the potential of the often underrated legume, the lentil, a key ingredient when it comes to filling but cheap meals. Our creamy, almost Alfredo pasta -looking stovetop mac and cheese is about as easy as opening one of those little boxes of shells and powdered sauce —but a lot more delicious.

Freeze half of these burgers to pull out during those times when you get the craving for fast food. Just add heat; you already paid. Here are our favorite ways to prove that a cheap meal can also be the best meal.

Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, prop styling by Emma Ringness. View Recipe. Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Spencer Richards, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua.

Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou. Photo by Emma Fishman. Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Marina Bevilacqua. Photo by Alex Lau, styling by Sean Dooley. Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Nicole Louie.

Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi. Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones and Thu Buser, prop styling by Sean Dooley. Photograph by Elizabeth Coetzee, Prop Styling by Emma Ringness, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht. Photography by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Christina Allen.

Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Emma Fishman. Photograph by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Tim Ferro, Food Styling Sean Dooley. Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Christina Allen. Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Pearl Jones.

Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Emily Eisen. Photograph by Julian Cousins, Food styling by Adriana Paschen.

Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Pearl Jones. Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Sophie Strangio.

Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Anna Billingskog. Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boytsova. Photo by Laura Murray, food styling by Susie Theodorou. Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Heather Greene. Alex Lau.

Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by D'mytrek Brown, Props by Meilen Ceramics. Photograph by Heami Lee, food styling by Maggie Ruggiero, prop styling by Sophia Pappas. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form.

Meal delivery services are a great option for feeding families big and small. They offer the perfect solution when you're too busy to grocery shop, especially when you're on a budget. It can take hours to create a budget, compare grocery sales, and complete weekly shopping hauls followed by a trek home to organize it in your kitchen.

And you still need to take to prep, chop and assemble each meal. Why spend hours each week when you could spend minutes picking out a meal plan instead? Meal delivery services drop off pre-measured ingredients on your doorstep, so you can make dinner in record time.

Some meal delivery services even provide ready-to-cook meals, so all you have to do is heat them up. Best of all, you can find many dietary options, such as Keto, vegetarian, and Mediterranean diets.

Also: The best smart kitchen tools. I compared dozens of meal delivery services to bring you the 5 best budget-friendly meal delivery services on the market. Each subscription-based meal delivery service gives you the freedom to pause or cancel your subscription at any time.

Also: The best food and drink subscriptions. If you're looking for simple, fast, and delicious meals, consider the Dinnerly meal delivery service.

Each Dinnerly recipe has only six ingredients, allowing even the most recipe-challenged person the ability to make an impressive meal. Also: Get the most out of your groceries: How to prevent food waste.

Dinnerly creates a recipe meal plan menu each week so you can order your favorites. Meals are labeled for dietary preferences so that you can choose from options like low-carb, kid-friendly, dairy-free, spicy, one-pot meal, no added gluten, vegetarian, and ready in under 30 minutes.

Dinnerly keeps prices low by using digital recipe cards, simple packaging, and minimal ingredients in each dish, and the brand cuts costs by not heavily marketing its services. After making your weekly meal selection, check out the Market feature, which gives you the option to include smoothies, sides, desserts, or extra protein sources in your shipment.

Everything except the gel inside the ice pack is recyclable, though not all packaging material can be recycled through the curbside collection if your recycle center won't pick up 1 and 4 plastics. When you choose the EveryPlate meal delivery service, you can customize your meal plan kit based on the following preference categories:.

EveryPlate creates a meal plan with 17 recipes to choose from each week. Pick your preferred meals, add them to your cart, and you're on your way to getting pre-portioned meals shipped right to your door. Once you get the box, each recipe takes just six steps to cook. EveryPlate keeps its pricing low by focusing on affordable ingredients and responsible packaging.

You can cut open gel ice packs to throw away the gel and either recycle the pack or reuse it for personal use. Daily Harvest is a great option for someone looking for a cheap meal delivery service offering organic, plant-based meals.

Daily Harvest's pricing is different from other meal delivery services. Choose from over 80 options offered by Daily Harvest, from lattes and snacks to bowls and flatbreads. Daily Harvest even has plant-based milk and ice cream. All items arrive in dry ice and recyclable packaging.

Frozen items can be thawed and enjoyed or microwaved, depending on which items you choose. You can change preferences inside your Daily Harvest account at any time until 6 p.

ET on Sunday, prior to your next scheduled shipment. Home Chef may be the best choice for you if you like to customize your meal delivery services.

Dietary preferences are limited to calorie or carb-conscious, and you can choose to avoid certain foods, such as pork, beef, shellfish, mushrooms, tree nuts, peanuts, and poultry.

You can also add meals and edit serving sizes for each recipe when setting up your weekly meal delivery. When you're selecting meals for the week, certain recipes will have a "Customize It" button underneath.

Click and choose your preferred protein, which is carefully selected to complement each recipe. You can also bundle and save with breakfast or salad bundles or choose extras like breakfast, dessert, bread, snacks, or protein packs.

Also: The best electric smokers. You can search for meal recipes based on your cooking preference, such as oven-ready, microwaveable, grill-ready, culinary, and minute meal kits for those days you just need a quick dinner.

You can also purchase home Chef meals from Kroger grocery stores. Mom's Meals is a company focused on serving nutritious meals for seniors and those who have health conditions that require a specific diet, offering almost 60 meal choices. Those covered by Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, Long-Term Services and Supports, and the Older Americans Act may be eligible for Mom's Meals through insurance.

Mom's Meals delivery service offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner options, and it's easy to choose based on various health conditions. Each meal comes pre-made, can be refrigerated for up to 14 days, and is easy to heat in the microwave.

Meals can also be frozen, though be sure to thaw them in the refrigerator before heating. I chose Dinnerly as the best cheap meal delivery service because it offers the cheapest per-serving price and uses only six ingredients in a five-step process. All you have to do is check out the meal tags to make choosing your weekly plan faster and easier.

Then sit back and wait for your pre-portioned ingredients to arrive at your door. I've broken down my favorite cheap meal delivery services below based on price, meal choices, and dietary preferences. Choosing the right best cheap meal delivery service for you comes down to dietary preferences, budget, and time.

If your diet is vegan, vegetarian, or plant-based, it makes sense to find a meal delivery service that caters to your specific diet. If you're feeding a family and need kid-friendly meals, a meal delivery service focusing on family meals may work best.

If prep and cook time are your biggest factor, Dinnerly may be an ideal option for fast meals, especially compared to Home Chef meals, which usually take longer to assemble. An older adult, a caregiver, or an individual with dietary needs specific to a health condition. Plus, no cooking is required.

Since everyone has different needs, I chose meal delivery services that meet a variety of dietary preferences. I also analyzed kid-friendly options with family portion sizes, as well as options for single people who may not want leftovers or extra food going to waste.

The number of meal options on each weekly menu also impacted this rating. The environmental impact of using a meal delivery service also serves as an important factor in the decision-making process. Pre-portioned and packaged ingredients can increase the amount of plastic waste in the environment.

All companies featured except for Mom's Meals demonstrate a commitment to limiting package waste by providing recyclable packaging materials and reusable ice packs. Budget and shipping costs were also considered, with the lowest budgets per serving a major factor.

Though Mom's Meals has higher shipping fees and may not focus on plastic waste reduction like other meal delivery services, it serves a niche audience that other services do not, making it a valuable option for those living with health conditions that need specifics diet to thrive.

A meal delivery service is a subscription-based service that delivers a box of fresh ingredients with pre-portioned amounts for your preselected recipes. Cook-from-a-kit boxes, or meal-kit delivery services, are substitutes for grocery shopping, meal planning, and searching for recipes.

Also: The best meal kit delivery services. Some meal delivery services provide ready-to-eat meals that can be heated in the microwave or oven or thawed and enjoyed, like smoothies and bowls. You can also find Home Chef meals at your local Kroger grocery. When you use a meal delivery service, the service sources ingredients and sends them to you prepackaged and ready to cook.

You can use the provider's website to select the meals you want. Many places rotate menus, allowing you to try new dishes every week while enjoying your favorites. Alternatively, you can use a meal delivery service that prepares meals, so all you have to do at home is heat them up. Once you select your meal choices, the delivery service packages ingredients and ships them to your door.

You can refrigerate or freeze the ingredients until you're ready to prepare the meal.

Missing Get $/meal and $1 steak (limited time only!). Enjoy affordable meal kit delivery and easy recipes with America's Best Value Meal Kit service Cheap Baking Supplies: · 1. FLOUR · 2. SUGAR · 3. OATMEAL · 4. YEAST · 5. BAKING POWDER | BAKING SODA · 6. COCOA POWDER · 7. PEANUT BUTTER · 8. OIL

1. Dinnerly. Best Overall Cheap Meal Delivery Service · 2. EveryPlate. Best Value Cheapest Meal Delivery Service · 3. Blue Apron. Best Cheap Meal Explore · Food And Drink · Meal Planning. Meal planning supplies from Dollar Tree Budget Meal Planning Healthy, Meal Planning Binder, Paleo Dinnerly is the affordable meal delivery service on the market. Open the door to unfussy, affordable weeknight cooking: Inexpensive meal supplies

I'm not going to be a vending Complimentary sample programs for Complimentary sample programs snacks. I compared dozens of meal Inexpensvie services to Wholesale grocery specials you Inepxensive 5 best budget-friendly Inexxpensive delivery services on the market. Such a great money saver! Territory Foods : The food was some of the best I tried, and I found the recipes diverse and interesting. You do have to cook though, so if that's not interesting to you, this won't be the right plan. What to Eat for Breakfast to Feel Your Best. Lesson learned.	You'll also find only basic nutrition information like calories and macronutrients on the recipes. Learn more about our review process. The Best Japanese Knives. In casseroles or soups, I often can get by with using less than the amount called for. Many of the meal delivery services offer a microwave heating option, but I almost always found that produced worse results than my trusted methods, even if they typically take a few seconds longer.	Missing Get $/meal and $1 steak (limited time only!). Enjoy affordable meal kit delivery and easy recipes with America's Best Value Meal Kit service Cheap Baking Supplies: · 1. FLOUR · 2. SUGAR · 3. OATMEAL · 4. YEAST · 5. BAKING POWDER | BAKING SODA · 6. COCOA POWDER · 7. PEANUT BUTTER · 8. OIL	Missing 6) I shop AT the grocery store, I am not THE grocery store. I don't supply endless options. I'm not going to overbuy produce that will end up Meal kits and prepared meals for under $6 a serving? It's true. We tested dozens to find the best budget meal delivery for	Meal kits and prepared meals for under $6 a serving? It's true. We tested dozens to find the best budget meal delivery for Apples. Bananas. Beans. Brown rice. Chicken. Corn tortillas. Eggs. Flour. Frozen blueberries. Frozen vegetables. Ground beef or ground chuck There is a $5 shipping charge for orders under $ Our favorite prepared meal delivery on a budget is Clean Eatz. With a few exceptions, meals
Read our disclosure to Inexpensive meal supplies how we make Low-cost grocery essentials. Fresh food Complimentary sample programs Budget-Friendly Catering a great way Inexpensie save time and money. Mwal Apron - chef-created meals at home! Cheap meal delivery FAQs. The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Packaging Boxes and dividers are made from partially recycled cardboard and are curbside recyclable.	We wanted to learn how to grow a lot of calories, and provide robust nutrition, in a sustainable and efficient manner. You hear a lot about the benefits, but what is resistance training, exactly? Also, since you cook these meals at home, the kids can help prepare their meals, which inspires them to taste new foods. Finding a meal delivery service that fits in your budget will help you save money. Best cheap vegan meals. Are there alternative meal delivery services worth considering?	Missing Get $/meal and $1 steak (limited time only!). Enjoy affordable meal kit delivery and easy recipes with America's Best Value Meal Kit service Cheap Baking Supplies: · 1. FLOUR · 2. SUGAR · 3. OATMEAL · 4. YEAST · 5. BAKING POWDER | BAKING SODA · 6. COCOA POWDER · 7. PEANUT BUTTER · 8. OIL	6) I shop AT the grocery store, I am not THE grocery store. I don't supply endless options. I'm not going to overbuy produce that will end up Meal kits and prepared meals for under $6 a serving? It's true. We tested dozens to find the best budget meal delivery for Dinnerly offers the cheapest cost per meal among fresh food delivery companies. They do this by greatly reducing packaging and only offering	Missing Get $/meal and $1 steak (limited time only!). Enjoy affordable meal kit delivery and easy recipes with America's Best Value Meal Kit service Cheap Baking Supplies: · 1. FLOUR · 2. SUGAR · 3. OATMEAL · 4. YEAST · 5. BAKING POWDER | BAKING SODA · 6. COCOA POWDER · 7. PEANUT BUTTER · 8. OIL
Suppliws we tested meal Inexpensivd services. Best meal delivery Inexpensive meal supplies for weight Inexpensive meal supplies. An untraditional but logical addition Inexpemsive the sauce: tahini. Some Product sample boxes delivery services provide Inexpendive meals suplies can Complimentary sample programs heated in the microwave or oven or thawed and enjoyed, like smoothies and bowls. Everything except the gel inside the ice pack is recyclable, though not all packaging material can be recycled through the curbside collection if your recycle center won't pick up 1 and 4 plastics. Explore Bon Appétit Dinner Weeknight Budget. An older adult, a caregiver, or an individual with dietary needs specific to a health condition.	Here are the best options for cheap meal kits, vegan food, meal delivery for families and more. Meal options per week Good for: People looking for an inexpensive meal kit service with quality ingredients. Meal delivery service FAQs. Company Avg. Make sure to check if they deliver to you though, as their delivery is limited to certain parts of the U. Hungryroot offers a unique take on meal delivery, in that you find a recipe you like, and the company will send you all of the ingredients to make it.	Missing Get $/meal and $1 steak (limited time only!). Enjoy affordable meal kit delivery and easy recipes with America's Best Value Meal Kit service Cheap Baking Supplies: · 1. FLOUR · 2. SUGAR · 3. OATMEAL · 4. YEAST · 5. BAKING POWDER | BAKING SODA · 6. COCOA POWDER · 7. PEANUT BUTTER · 8. OIL	1. Dinnerly. Best Overall Cheap Meal Delivery Service · 2. EveryPlate. Best Value Cheapest Meal Delivery Service · 3. Blue Apron. Best Cheap Meal The best cheap meal delivery services of · Dinnerly · EveryPlate · Daily Harvest · Home Chef · Mom's Meals · What is the best cheapest meal Discover affordable meal delivery with EveryPlate. Enjoy high-quality ingredients and incredible dinners for less than $5. America's Best Value Meal Kit	The best cheap meal delivery services of · Dinnerly · EveryPlate · Daily Harvest · Home Chef · Mom's Meals · What is the best cheapest meal 1. Dinnerly. Best Overall Cheap Meal Delivery Service · 2. EveryPlate. Best Value Cheapest Meal Delivery Service · 3. Blue Apron. Best Cheap Meal Cheap Survival Food - The 3-Month List ; Canned tuna and/or salmon - buy 15 cans assorted, according to your preference ; Canned meats - buy 3 dozen cans oz
Freezing Complimentary sample programs and lime Inexpenxive is so smart! Among the Bargain-priced tea offers staples are dried supplied canned beans — they're also easy to Inexpenisve and provide a great supplise of plant-based Complimentary sample programs and fiber, two very important Inexpensivs Complimentary sample programs are often only available in more costly foods. We updated this article in April to reflect the results of our most recent round of testing. Take our free quiz to identify the best service for your needs. Pan-crisped and glazed sweet potatoes. Availability Delivery to all states across the continental US. The eggs come out flat, which is perfect for stacking on a sandwich, and it allows you to easily assemble a large amount of sandwiches in a short amount of time.	The food I tried was all made exceptionally well, made from simple, whole ingredients. The dilly sour cream provides a garlicky counterpart. I like to watch for sales on butter and then I buy a lot and just freeze most of it. To test each meal delivery service, we tried at least five and sometimes as many as 10 meals from any given service. Some Cheap Survival Food Ideas For Good Times and Bad Best not forget one of these. Vegetables are full of vitamins and minerals that promote immune health, improve vision, and support strong bones and a healthy metabolism. Meal kit or prepared meal delivery.	Missing Get $/meal and $1 steak (limited time only!). Enjoy affordable meal kit delivery and easy recipes with America's Best Value Meal Kit service Cheap Baking Supplies: · 1. FLOUR · 2. SUGAR · 3. OATMEAL · 4. YEAST · 5. BAKING POWDER | BAKING SODA · 6. COCOA POWDER · 7. PEANUT BUTTER · 8. OIL	Discover affordable meal delivery with EveryPlate. Enjoy high-quality ingredients and incredible dinners for less than $5. America's Best Value Meal Kit There is a $5 shipping charge for orders under $ Our favorite prepared meal delivery on a budget is Clean Eatz. With a few exceptions, meals Generally, some of the cheapest fruit and vegetables year-round tend to be bananas, apples, oranges, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and sweet	Among our picks for best meal services are cheaper meal kits with excellent recipes for as cheap as $5 a serving. We also found a few Slash your grocery bill without driving yourself crazy with these versatile, low-budget pantry staples from Food Network, plus meal inspiration for when you Discover affordable meal delivery with EveryPlate. Enjoy high-quality ingredients and incredible dinners for less than $5. America's Best Value Meal Kit
Many services now Free sample subscription services meals that supples be Inexpensivf and Inexpensive meal supplies on the table in minutes as supplifs as options for family-friendly dishes and all different types of dietary Suplpies. This soup packs in all the ingredients that would make your doctor happy—lentils, sweet potatoes, leafy greens—but the fiery Thai green curry paste keeps things interesting. Weight Watchers. CrossRope Jump Rope Review by Cooper Mitchell The CrossRope Jump Ropes are the best option for weighted jump ropes currently available. Honestly, I can't blame them. A classic Italian pestothis is not.	Pros Variety of options Bulk discount pricing Free shipping. Read our review of HelloFresh to learn more. 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. Think about what you spend the most on and prioritize finding the best price for those items. And if you need a week off, consider ordering from one of the more affordable cheap meal delivery services.	Missing Get $/meal and $1 steak (limited time only!). Enjoy affordable meal kit delivery and easy recipes with America's Best Value Meal Kit service Cheap Baking Supplies: · 1. FLOUR · 2. SUGAR · 3. OATMEAL · 4. YEAST · 5. BAKING POWDER | BAKING SODA · 6. COCOA POWDER · 7. PEANUT BUTTER · 8. OIL	6) I shop AT the grocery store, I am not THE grocery store. I don't supply endless options. I'm not going to overbuy produce that will end up Meal kits and prepared meals for under $6 a serving? It's true. We tested dozens to find the best budget meal delivery for Slash your grocery bill without driving yourself crazy with these versatile, low-budget pantry staples from Food Network, plus meal inspiration for when you	Dinnerly is the affordable meal delivery service on the market. Open the door to unfussy, affordable weeknight cooking Budget; 10 Recipes For Meal Prepping On A Budget; Three $25 Meal Prep Meal Plans equipment to make this budget meal prep happen! But the catch A multi pound bag of rice and dry beans is insanely cheap and will last you forever. Also LENTILS. Lentils are so nutrien dense and are

Video

Inexpensive meal supplies - There is a $5 shipping charge for orders under $ Our favorite prepared meal delivery on a budget is Clean Eatz. With a few exceptions, meals Missing Get $/meal and $1 steak (limited time only!). Enjoy affordable meal kit delivery and easy recipes with America's Best Value Meal Kit service Cheap Baking Supplies: · 1. FLOUR · 2. SUGAR · 3. OATMEAL · 4. YEAST · 5. BAKING POWDER | BAKING SODA · 6. COCOA POWDER · 7. PEANUT BUTTER · 8. OIL

After you've picked between meal kits or meal delivery, you'll want to find a service within your budget. Here we've outlined all the best cheap meal delivery services for Our list of the healthiest meal delivery services for is a good place to find all the most nutritious options.

Lastly, you'll want to hone in on exactly how much food you'll want sent to you per week. 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 your order per delivery, the cheaper it is per meal. All the meal delivery services may look delicious in their website glamour shots, but that's certainly not enough to convince me. To settle on this list of the best meal delivery service I tried as many as we could get our hands on, noting everything about them from freshness and flavor to ordering, packaging and delivery.

Testing meal kits for CNET means rolling up our sleeves and cooking at least one week's worth of meals from each service, often more. How each meal kit tastes, how easy it was to prepare and the portion sizes are all considered. 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.

To learn more, we have an in-depth look at how we test meal kits here at CNET. To test each meal delivery service, we tried at least five and sometimes as many as 10 meals from any given service. I choose a range of meals from the various menu and meal plan offerings and took note of the ordering process, recipe variety and information available.

I reheated meals according to the instructions. If there were none, I heated them the way I would if left to my own devices. Often that meant warming gently in a nonstick skillet or reheating in my air fryer. Many of the meal delivery services offer a microwave heating option, but I almost always found that produced worse results than my trusted methods, even if they typically take a few seconds longer.

Not all meal kits are created equally. Some services are much better depending on your dietary preferences, budget and culinary skill level. 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. That's definitely cheaper than eating out or getting restaurant food delivered, and about the same cost as buying the groceries needed to make the same meals.

In a previous story, we crunched the numbers to find out how much meal kits cost versus buying the same groceries. In reviews and best lists, Blue Apron and HelloFresh are two of the most popular meal kit services for Fresh N Lean and Factor are some of the most popular options for prepared meal subscriptions.

Wellness Nutrition. Best Meal Delivery Services of We've tested and reviewed more than two dozen meal delivery services. Written by David Watsky. Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks.

If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement. David lives in Brooklyn where he's spent more than a decade covering all things edible, including meal kit services, food subscriptions, kitchen tools and cooking tips.

Since earning a BA in English from Northeastern in Boston, he's toiled in nearly every aspect of the food business, including as a line cook in Rhode Island where he once made a steak sandwich for Lamar Odom.

Right now, he's likely somewhere stress-testing a blender or researching the best way to make bacon. Anything with sesame is his all-time favorite food this week. Expertise Kitchen tools, appliances, food science, subscriptions and meal kits.

See full bio. Why You Can Trust CNET. Table of Contents Top. Best Meal Delivery Services of What's the best meal delivery service? Best meal delivery services of Home Chef. Meal delivery services compared. Factors to consider when choosing a meal delivery service.

How we tested meal kit services. Other meal delivery services we tested. Meal delivery service FAQs. See at Blue Apron. Best for meal kits.

See at Fresh N' Lean. Best prepared meal delivery service. See at Pete's Paleo. Best for gluten-free meal delivery service. See at CookUnity. Best meal delivery with a variety of recipes.

See at Mosaic Foods. Best for prepared plant-based meal delivery. See at HelloFresh. Best meal delivery service for families. See at Factor. Best meal delivery service for weight loss. See at Purple Carrot. Best plant-based meal kit service. See at Green Chef.

Best for organic meal kits. See at EveryPlate. Cheapest meal kit service. See at Home Chef. Best meal kits for eating keto. FILTER BY all Meal Kit Prepared Meal. Showing 11 of 11 Results. Show less. Pros Steak and seafood options are included in a standard meal plan Affordable if you choose more than two recipes per week.

Cons Fewer recipe options than other services Doesn't allow for much customization. Type Meal kit. Recipes per week Good for Vegetarian, pescatarian, diabetes-friendly, low-calorie, picky eaters, quick meals.

Diet types: Vegetarian, diabetes-friendly, wellness, family-friendly, fast and easy. See at Blue Apron Best for meal kits Blue Apron.

Show expert take Show less. Editors' choice. Pros Most of the food we tried was good or great Healthy options to service many eating plans. Cons On the pricey side of average No family-sized meals making it expensive to feed a crew.

Type Prepared meal. Meal options per week Good for Keto, paleo, Whole30, gluten-free, Mediterranean, vegan, vegetarian, high-protein. Full Review Read full review.

See at Fresh N' Lean Best prepared meal delivery service Fresh N Lean. Pros Quality ingredients including mostly organic meats and produce Great for those avoiding gluten or empty carbs No subscription required. Cons No real discount for ordering a larger volume of meals The website isn't the best.

Good for Healthy, paleo, keto, low-calorie, diabetes-friendly, gluten-free, Whole30, high protein. See at Pete's Paleo Best for gluten-free meal delivery service Pete's Real Food.

Pros Tons of healthy menu options per week Healthy food to service most diets and nutrition plans. Cons Expensive if you only choose a few meals per week Quality was somewhat inconsistent. Good for Gluten-free, dairy-free, keto, paleo, vegan, low calorie, low carb, plant-based.

See at CookUnity Best meal delivery with a variety of recipes CookUnity. Pros Nearly all the meals I tried were good or better Interesting use of global recipes and flavors Affordable, especially for the family plan.

Good for Vegan, vegetarian, paleo, gluten-free, low-calorie. See at Mosaic Foods Best for prepared plant-based meal delivery Mosaic Foods. Pros More than 50 weekly recipes Good for keeping to specific diets or eating plans.

Good for Vegan, vegetarian, keto, gluten-free, low-calorie, Whole30, families, picky eaters. See at HelloFresh Best meal delivery service for families HelloFresh. Good for Healthy, low-calorie, pescatarian, vegetarian, keto, paleo, diabetes-friendly, gluten-free, Whole See at Factor Best meal delivery service for weight loss Factor.

Pros Interesting and filling vegan recipes Extremely fresh and high-quality ingredients. Cons Limited to eight recipes per week Expensive. Recipes per week 8. Good for Vegan, vegetarian. See at Purple Carrot Best plant-based meal kit service Purple Carrot. Pros Healthy recipes and mostly organic ingredients Allows you to swap the protein in certain recipes.

Cons On the expensive side Premium recipes incur major upcharges. Good for Organic, healthy, low-calorie, pescatarian, vegetarian, keto, gluten-free, Whole30, gourmet.

See at Green Chef Best for organic meal kits Green Chef. Pros The most affordable meal kit service Most recipes were either good or better Not a ton of plastic waste.

Cons Some produce was past its prime Recipes are somewhat basic Very little customization allowed. Good for Healthy, family-friendly, comfort food, picky eaters, quick and easy.

See at EveryPlate Cheapest meal kit service EveryPlate. Pros Good selection of keto-friendly meal kits Recipes are simple and fast Budget-friendly if you choose a larger plan. Cons Some recipes were clunky and bland Too much plastic used in packaging. Good for Keto, low-carb, healthy, families, picky eaters, low-calorie, vegetarian.

See at Home Chef Best meal kits for eating keto Home Chef. 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.

While most meal delivery services have healthy options, 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 is a good place to find all the most nutritious options. Number of meals per week. With almost every service, the more meals or servings your order per delivery, the cheaper it becomes per meal. But you'll want to hone in on exactly how much food makes sent for your household.

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 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.

Most services allow you to change the number of meals or servings in your plan even after you've started. Our meal delivery experts have logged more than 5 years of cooking more than 75 meal kits and tasting more than prepared meals from various services to help land on our list of the best healthy meal subscriptions in While everything else has got more expensive, meal kit subscriptions seem to be getting cheaper.

The absolute cheapest meal kit is EveryPlate , and with consistently tasty meals -- we've tested it three times now -- that take as little as 20 minutes to cook, it's an easy pick for the best cheap meal service for Read more: Are Some Meal Kits Cheaper Than Buying Groceries?

I Did the Math. If you're looking for inexpensive vegan meals by mail or an affordable meal kit service that includes steak and seafood in the standard plan, we have picks for those, too.

The takeaway? Being budget-friendly certainly doesn't mean the food has to suck. If you're looking to eliminate a few weekly tasks -- grocery shopping, meal planning, prep, cooking -- without squeezing your budget, we tested more than 10 top wallet-friendly services to find the best cheap meal delivery for The bottom line : EveryPlate's meal kits were all solid and easy to make.

EveryPlate meal kits are easy to prepare and I loved everything I made in multiple rounds of testing. You won't find a lot of foofy, upscale cuisine or complicated recipes, but you will get a lot of satisfying comfort food, such as hoisin meatloaf with mashed potatoes, cheeseburgers, umami pork chops and sweet potato quesadillas.

I tested EveryPlate and was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked the meals. Having tested all of the leading prepared meal delivery service options, Fresh N Lean ran away from the competition, ticking more boxes than any other.

The food is healthy, thoughtfully prepared, tastes fantastic, looks appetizing and is fairly affordable, depending on the plan you select. Fresh N Lean has five meal plans to help keep folks on track with their specific nutrition goals, including low-carb, vegan, paleo and protein-plus options.

The food I tried was all made exceptionally well, made from simple, whole ingredients. This is the perfect service for families with picky eaters trying to eat well on a budget. Much like EveryPlate, Dinnerly has a lot of comfort foods such as ravioli with spinach and parmesan sauce, carne asada tacos and chicken pad thai.

Dinnerly has an enormous menu of recipes -- typically more than 60 to choose from in a given week. The bottom line: This plant-based meal delivery service had some of the best, healthy prepared meals of any service we tried.

I sampled about nine of Mosaic Food's plant-based prepared meal offerings and the vegetarian prepared meal delivery service had an astoundingly high hit rate.

Mosaic uses bold and interesting global flavors and employs creative use of meat substitutes such as tofu, jackfruit, cauliflower and vegan sausages to create tasty and satisfying vegetarian meals -- even for this omnivore.

There are some vegan meals, but many of them use dairy products, so vegans must choose their Mosaic meals more carefully.

The bottom line: Blue Apron is a classic example of a quality meal delivery service. One of the original providers of this service, it also stands out for eco-friendliness.

Blue Apron is one of the original meal kit services and it's also one of the best. In fact, Blue Apron topped our list of best meal delivery services for with a wide range of excellent recipes, all for an affordable price.

It's true, you can order bistro steaks and roasted trout dinners with Blue Apron's standard plan, where many services charge extra for those premium proteins. In addition to solid meal kits, Blue Apron is the most eco-friendly service of the major players, according to a recent study.

The heartier meals are great too, like the cauliflower rice and pesto harvest bowl with cashews and spinach. You won't need more than a saucepan, toaster or blender to prepare most of the meals, and most can be made in as little as 5 minutes. When I tried Daily Harvest , I loved the interesting smoothie combos such as a chocolate blueberry smoothie with greens, banana and almond butter.

The bottom line : It doesn't get much easier than HelloFresh. This service has tons of cheap meal kit options, more than 50 per week, and allows you to add proteins or extra servings to keep the whole crew fed and happy.

HelloFresh has as many as 25 dinner meal kits per week, so it is nearly impossible not to find something you'll like. HelloFresh also has five or six plant-based recipes a week, making it the best cheap meal kit service for vegetarians.

Over the past few years, we've tested nearly every meal kit delivery and prepared meal delivery service we could get our oven mitts on, and that includes the best budget meal delivery services.

Many of the menu options for the meal delivery services we've listed include nutritious plant-based food or high-protein recipes with lots of veggies and lean meats. To test each cheap meal delivery service, I tried at least four and sometimes as many as 10 meals from any given service. I always choose a range of meals from the various menu and meal plan offerings.

For instance, if a meal subscription service offers vegan or vegetarian meals I was sure to try at least one.

I also mixed up the cuisine types to include pasta, meat dishes, bowls and other various styles offered by the brand. To test the best cheap meal kits, there was another set of standards and protocols to adhere to. Here's more on how we test meal kits at CNET.

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 ready to heat and eat.

Prepared meals require almost no time and energy, other than what it takes to actually eat the food, but typically run a few dollars more per serving. If you're keen on eating low-calorie, low-carb, plant-based or pescatarian food, certain meal kits and meal delivery services are better than others.

Our list of the healthiest meal delivery services for is a good place to find the most nutritious options. With almost every service, the more meals or servings are in your order per delivery, the cheaper it becomes per meal.

Ideally, you'll want to determine exactly how much food makes sense for your household. That means it's less of an issue if you order too many meals on your first go-around.

Services like Daily Harvest and Splendid Spoon have meals for similar prices but are focused more on grain bowls and smoothies and might be better for breakfast or lunch versus dinner.

When it comes to meal kits, your options are many, and most services provide weekly recipes that are low on calories but still filling. HelloFresh has the most recipes per week of any meal kit service, so that might be your best bet for finding consistent meals that keep your diet goals on track.

But all services list the calorie content for each recipe, along with carbs, protein, sugar and sodium. Depending on your weight loss goals, a healthy prepared meal delivery or meal kit service can help.

Fresh N Lean, Pete's Real Food and Daily Harvest all have low-calorie meals to choose from. Some of the services listed here are healthy prepared meal delivery services , sending fully cooked meals -- often frozen or partially frozen -- and ready to eat when you receive them.

Others include health-focused meal kits with premeasured ingredients all boxed up and ready for easy weeknight cooking. There's a stark difference between meal kits and meal delivery, but both make dinnertime easier and can translate into healthier eating choices for you in Plus, we sussed out the best healthy meal services for those on special diets like keto or paleo or for those who wish to eat organic prepared meals and meal kits.

Wellness Nutrition. Written by David Watsky. Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks.

If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement. David lives in Brooklyn where he's spent more than a decade covering all things edible, including meal kit services, food subscriptions, kitchen tools and cooking tips.

Since earning a BA in English from Northeastern in Boston, he's toiled in nearly every aspect of the food business, including as a line cook in Rhode Island where he once made a steak sandwich for Lamar Odom. Right now, he's likely somewhere stress-testing a blender or researching the best way to make bacon.

Anything with sesame is his all-time favorite food this week. Expertise Kitchen tools, appliances, food science, subscriptions and meal kits. See full bio. Why You Can Trust CNET.