Lately I feel like there have been an abundance of commercials for home meal delivery services. Services that deliver a box of fresh, pre-portioned food and recipes right to your doorstep. I wanted to try them out, so…I tried 6 home meal delivery services, and I’m sharing what I thought and a comparison of the different services.
With life being so busy (you can see what’s been going on in my faves & life lately post) – between work and just life in general, I was starting to really feel like I was in a cooking rut. I didn’t even want to think about what to make for dinner, I had zero inspiration, zero time to go to the grocery store, and zero motivation. When I kept hearing all the commercials for meal delivery services, I thought I’d look into them and give them a try. There are so many different companies out there! I made a list of all the different ones I wanted to try out, and each week tried a different service.
Here are some of the pros and cons, and at the bottom of the post I share a comparison chart to give an overview.
Pros:
- Loved that there were lots of meals to choose from
- Lots of delivery day options which is always nice
- Absolutely LOVE that besides the designated meal plans you can add additional meals (so if the plan is 3 meals for a family of 4, if that week you want 4 or 5 of the meals, you can add them on and not change your plan!)
- One can add on breakfast/fruit/smoothie/premium meals which is nice
- Food is really tasty – their flatbreads or meatball options, whenever I see them on the menu I order them because they’re so good
- A binder came with the first order so that one could put all the recipes in the binder
- Definitely most flexibility if you’re a family of 2, 4 or 6 or if there are vegetarians, you don’t have to completely change plans, you can choose vegetarian options
- All the ingredients for a recipe were in a bag
- The food is so good, I got my sister hooked on this service after she tried two other services. They have the most ‘family-friendly’ meals too (meaning menu items that I think the whole family would enjoy!)
Cons:
- Their website was a little difficult to figure out at first (I had to email them to ask about how to ‘skip/pause’ weeks)
Terra’s KitchenPros:
- The shipping vessel this comes in is the coolest thing ever, my husband loved that they come and pick up the vessel/box so that it is very recycling friendly and there’s no empty boxes/trash to deal with
- The organization of the ingredients is amazing
- Ingredients have expiration dates on them which I really liked
- One can choose from 30 different recipes, all with varying prices
- One can add salads/smoothies/proteins/pastas and snacks
- Meals were very delicious
- Loved the minimal prep- everything was chopped/ready to go
Cons
- A little on the pricey side with meals varying from $10.99 per person per meal to $18.99
- I wish they’d change the recipes/meal options more often
Pros:
- All organic (the other organic meal service people LOVE is Sun Basket, I’ve gotten so many comments about them and they’re allergy/diet friendly!)
- Meals came with sauces that were already made and were really tasty
- Minimal prep, only had to chop 1 or 2 things per recipe
- Loved the way the food/recipe cards were labeled and color coded, it made it very easy to know which items to use
- Meals were done (start to finish including prep) in 30 minutes
Cons:
- Didn’t like that one couldn’t swap out meals/recipes. You choose a plan and then are just sent the designated meals
- Online system doesn’t show more than two weeks in advance upcoming meals
- This could be a pro or con – the portion sizes were huge. Each meal for 2 we ended up having leftovers for a 3rd meal.
- We waited 4 days to make one of the recipes – veggie burgers- the arugula and kale were rotten. Contacted customer service and they immediately apologized and gave a credit on our account.
Pros:
- The food tasted really good
- Appropriate serving sizes, no extra portions
- Liked that one could choose between a few meals
Cons:
- Lots of chopping/prep work
- Lots of dishes/utensils required
- Lots of making sauces/different components of the dish
- Missing key ingredients (emailed their customer service and they immediately apologized and gave me a credit on our account.)
- Cooking instructions/times were wrong on 2 of the 3 recipes (example 6 minutes to cook an entire chicken breast – it was still raw on the inside)
- Cooking times varied and the dishes took a lot longer than expected to make, one 30 minute expected time ended up taking close to 50 minutes from start to finish.
- A lot of leftover ingredients (example: sent whole head of garlic when all one needs is 1 clove)
Pros:
- Really liked that all the ingredients for a particular recipe came in a box with all the ingredients for that recipe
- Unique flavor combinations
- One can choose different meal options, but there’s not a lot of flexibility between plans (if you want a family plan, there are only a few options, same with the vegetarian plan, there are only three options, and one can’t get a vegetarian meal with other meat meals)
- Liked that the meal options include a breakfast one
- All the food was tasty
- Easy directions to follow
Cons:
- The website is as not as easy to use as other ones, but once one knows where everything is it gets easier
- There are not a lot of options on some of the plans (for example, if you want a family plan and have 3 meals, there’s only 5 to choose from) versus if you’re on a 2 person plan, there’s like 6+ meals to choose from.
- They have the same meals very frequently so it gets difficult to find options you haven’t tried
PlatedPros:
- Loved the flexibility of the plans (you can chose 2-7 meals per person per week)
- The food was by far my favorite of all the services, I literally kept two of the recipe cards to make again and there were SO MANY TASTY options!
- If you’re an adventurous eater, this is the plan for you!
- You can add on dessert, I did and we loved it
- All the ingredients for one recipe were in one bag which was really nice
- Loved that they sent aluminum/throw away pans for items needing to be baked
- I used ingredients I never would have tried, really unique menu items
Cons
- Didn’t like that you had to use your own eggs (example, if a recipe called for eggs or oil, they do not provide it. Oil is understandable, but I thought they should not assume I have eggs on hand).
- Some of the flavor combinations/meal options are a little out there. My sister tried this one and ended up switching to Home Chef because her husband just did not like the menu options.
Comparison:
After writing this post, I got a lot of questions about meals that are already made (cooked) or servings for one. I tried a service called The Good Kitchen – they do fully prepared farm to table meals. I’ve gotten these meals several times now, and they’re super good!! The meals were really delicious, albeit a little pricey. I emailed them and they’re offering SweetPhi readers 15% off on their first order using code PHI15.
Also, after writing this post and reading the comments, Sun Basket is really loved by a lot of people. It’s all organic and the meals look super tasty-I have it on my calendar to try next month. Use this link to get $35 off Sun Basket meals!
Summary:
If you’re interested in home meal delivery services, the right one is out there for you!
I was pleasantly surprised that each and every one of the services I tried offered a ‘first time customer’ discount of some kind. I do need to mention -this post is not sponsored by any of the companies I mentioned in any way. I paid for all the services myself (some have referral programs where if you order using my code or special link, you’ll get a discount and I’ll get some kind of credit for future orders or a small amount from your first order.) All opinions are mine alone and based on my experience.
Funny thing is, without even looking at the graph, my favorite service was Home Chef and a close second was Plated (they have dessert options)! Both had seemingly the best options and the least amount of dishes! My husband’s favorite was Terra’s Kitchen -not only because of the tasty food, but because of their shipping vessel!
Have you ever tried home meal delivery services? What did you think?
Sign up for email updates and get a free eCookbook with our top 25 recipes!
Thanks for this blog post. I have tried Martha Stewart’s Marley Spoon, Plated and Blue Apron – I enjoyed all three, but want to continue trying them all. Marley Spoon had the higher quality flavor profiles of those three. I just tried to order through Home Chef at your recommendation, but unfortunately their deliver day options are only Wed or Friday, so that doesn’t work for my family (I would need Mon or Tue at the latest) to have meals for the work/school week. They did say that this summer they hope to remedy that for those of us on the West Coast.
Thank you for commenting! I tried Martha’s Marleys Spoon…I didn’t love the recipes, the portions were really small I found too (that’s probably what I should be eating lol). I do think you’d like Home Chef, so I’m glad they’ll be rolling out more delivery days soon 🙂
I love using home chef. It’s so easy that my husband, who has not really spent much time in a kitchen can do it. The recipes are delicious and easy as you want them to be.
Thank you for your feedback, I just made a home chef meal for dinner which was delicious 🙂
Your article an comparing/constrast is very helpful and informative. i had no idea what i needed to purchase a meal delivery, such as packaging. Thanks you
So glad you liked the comparison, thank you for commenting!
So happy that you compiled research for my “homework”. I appreciate your in-depth details & photos. My quest is to gift my grandson with a food service while in his law studies. I did try Blue Apron and another (I thought it had “Sun” in the title.) and learned neither delivered to his undergraduate town. Suffice to say, my plan may not have been a timely idea while he was living in a frat house! Without joining each service to just discover delivery information, is there an expedient way to know which ones deliver to his future area code, 60637 ? While the best product is most desirable, I need to select the best from those actually available for our needs. Thank you.
What a great gift idea for your grandson. I wish I had an easy way to help with the delivery zip code, but I think you’d just have to look at the different services and see if they deliver. Thanks for commenting.
Thank you for such a detailed description. I tried Home Chef and liked the many options. I did add more flavor to the dishes, just because it would have been bland to us otherwise. We eat a lot of fish and unfortunately the fish isn’t that great for the price. I found that I could purchase from the market if on sale and feed my family of 4 for the price of one dinner with some of the meals. That being said the convenience of having it all labeled and prepackaged was a big time savor.
That is great feedback, thank you for commenting. While I do agree that you could probably get some things a little cheaper, the convenience and not having waste always makes me appreciate the home delivery!
Hi Sweetphi,
I started receiving Blue Apron meals a couple months ago, before I read your blog. For the most part I like this service. But, I do agree the options for vegetarians are not great. They only provide 3-veggie options each week, and we get 3-meals a week, so no actual choices. And while there are many steps required to prepare the meal, this is not a negative for me as I truly enjoy cooking.
Also, one week I received a box and was almost immediately called out of town, didn’t get back home for nearly 14-days. To my surprise, 95-percent of the ingredients were still in good shape. Out of all 3-meals, I only had to toss 3-items (2-from one recipe and 1-item from another). I was able to use all the ingredients for the 3rd recipe. So, their produce lasts a long time.
My only other complaint is a pattern I’ve discovered. About 85-percent of their vegetarian recipes are a bit heavy on the carbs. A pasta and/or potato dish which also includes bread, pizza, sandwiches, etc. The company appears to believe vegetarians require carbs to get full. While I am not gluten-free, I prefer to have more beans or quinoa as the protein which will fill me up, not wheat flour. But, the flavors are good, I like the zen of cutting, chopping and grating, and not having to spend time shopping for all the ingredients.
I agree with everything you said Heather! I would definitely recommend trying some of the other services I mentioned.
Terras Kitchen-Con, 1 mayo packet, 1 salt packet, 1 hot sauce packet. Packets when I am paying premium prices? No thanks
Nothing extra? Not 4 hot sauce packets but ONLY 2 little itty bitty packets?
The food was not good. Have no idea how sending an entire bulb of garlic is a “con” but packets are a good thing
Hi Christine, oh no, it sounds like you had a much different experience than I did and did not like Terras Kitchen and recipe, I’m so sorry to hear that. The various services do send packets of things, I was going to recommend trying a different service (Home Chef is currently my favorite because the food tastes so good – my older sister who didn’t like the taste of a different company’s food switched to Home Chef and has been loving it and said it’s some of the best food she’s ever eaten, so it’s not just me lol) but if you don’t like the whole concept of just getting the ingredients you need for the recipe and nothing more or packets, than I don’t think you’d like any of the services.
The reason I listed extra ingredients as a con (it was with a different service), not because of something like packets, but because of extra produce that most times I wouldn’t be using(like extra kale), so it would get wasted…and one of the reasons I really like home meal delivery services is because there’s no waste and you get just what you need for the recipe.
Thanks for all your hard work to make this thorough comparison, Sweet Phi!
I’m sad no one’s mentioned Hungry Root! I hate to sound like a commercial but I love them. It’s meant for vegetarians, vegans, and the gluten-intolerant, but it’s also been beneficial to someone like me who wants to source their meat locally and supplement it with gluten-free sides. Here’s my rundown:
Ingredients: The food is not only vegan and gluten-free but also organic and non-GMO wherever possible. Lots of protein from a variety of GF sources like lentils, beans, and chickpeas, not just tofu. They also don’t have preservatives and unpronounceable chemicals in the ingredient lists (that I’ve noticed). Even their sauces all look pretty clean so far – not a mono- or diglyceride in sight!
Taste, options, and customization: I was skeptical about how good or filling gluten-free vegan could be but so far my husband and I have loved everything we have tried. There are lots of options including breakfasts and several desserts (like cookie dough and brownie batter you can bake as normal or just eat raw!) and they allow you to customize. I add pastured eggs or meat or have a meat dish alongside for the family and get extra servings out of each dish but they’d be pretty filling on their own at the suggested 2 serving size.
Convenience: Everything’s already chopped/blended/spiralized and all you have to do is mix them together and heat (where appropriate) with a little oil on the stove or in the microwave. Because I’m also making meat dishes alongside there’s still a lot of prep involved but using this service still saves time.
Packaging: They use pre-consumer recycled cotton instead of styrofoam as insulation (which I’ve been repurposing for crafts and stuff), and reusable cold packs which I use to keep the fridge and freezer full for maximum efficiency (and in the summer I use them to keep from having to turn on the air conditioning).
Cost: $69 for 3 meals and 4 snacks for 2 ($59 for your first shipment) $99 for 5 meals and 5 snacks for 2 ($79 for your first shipment). I thought it was pretty expensive at first but after reading your article I believe it’s actually not that bad.
Hi there, thank you so much for your comment! I’m so glad you enjoyed my review. I don’t think Hungry Root was around when I did this review, they sound interesting, definitely will check them out 🙂
I was so pleased to find your blog. We started receiving Sun Basket meals about 2 months ago. It was my plan to try them for a coupkle of weeks, then try others to compare for quality, price, and variety. However, I didn’t see anything in your blog that sounded better than Sun Basket! I enjoy having some prep of food before cooking it. Sometimes the clean-up is more than I want to do, with several bowls and a couple of frying pans and baking sheets. But it is worth it because after cooking for more than 40 years, SB has sent food items I have never even heard of before (my favorite is purple sweet potatoes). The Weekly choice of meals is 18 recipes from vegetarian/vegan, seafood, meat, and poultry categories. The recipes are what I would consider to be mostly nouvelle American cuisine. which will take you out of a rut in cooking quickly.
Thank you so much for your feedback 🙂
Have you ever tried Gobble? If yes, how do you feel it compares?
I did not like the menu options of Gobble, there were only 6 I believe and we just never thought there was good enough variety. I did like that you could add dessert…but it doesn’t rotate (it’s always the same option), the services I mentioned with dessert in my post were far better 🙂
Receiving Home Chef for a few weeks. Excellent quality, amazingly fresh ingredients, wonderful customer service. After 50 + years of cooking, learning new techniques and about new ingredients. Recipe binder is great; appreciate the precise and accurate recipe directions.
My compliments to this exceptionally customer-oriented company.
Excellent packaging insulation for shipment to the southwest.
That’s so awesome to hear, they’re my favorite !!
We have been ordering from Blue Apron for many months now and have been very happy with it. I have multiple food allergies yet I can find 3 meals a week easily with little or no modifications needed. When things have gone awry, such as less than stellar veg or missing ingredient, the customer service has been fantastic. My experience with Hello Fresh on the other hand was one nightmare after another with rotten customer service. I would like to try others but after that experience I’m a bit reticent. Again Blue Apron has been great for us.
So glad you’re enjoying their service!
I tried Hello Fresh and the recipes were good, but you were exactly right about the lack of flexibility in meal options. I eat some meat but prefer mostly plant-based. The vegetarian menu is very restricted (and has a lot of tofu, which I don’t like). The regular menu is almost all meat. They need to let you mix and match! I am going to try Sun Basket based on feedback.
I think you’ll love sun Basket!
I wanted a meal service with the meals already cooked for me and all i had to do was warm them up. Got my first delivery today from “FRESHLY”. The first meal was very tasty. Have you tried any of already cooked websites? If so or when/if you do, are there any more of this type already cooked meal service? Thanks
Ann
For finished already cooked meals where all you have to do is warm it up, I recommend The Good Kitchen, their meals are delicious!
Hello,
I wanted to thank you for your recommendation of The Good Kitchen for meals cooked and delivered. Their food is very good.
Thanks again
Thank you so much for coming back and leaving a comment, I’m so happy you enjoyed their food – it’s delicious, isn’t it?! I just ordered some more for our fridge!
You’re welcome, so glad you liked it
Sweet Phi…thank you so much for all of your research and for sharing the information. I have been curious about the different companies (there are many so a bit confusing) so you have made it so much easier for me! I def will try Home Chef first. I also appreciate the feedback and comments from others! Very helpful…thanks again!
Sandy
ou’re so welcome, so glad you liked my post!
Is there a service available that caters to one person?
Thank you for commenting on my site! The meal service I would suggest would be The Good Kitchen (they sell really delicious high quality prepared meals, my husband loved their backyard burger and steak options) but if you’re looking to actually cook then I would suggest Home Chef. They have a plan for 2 and then I’d just make the recipe and have delicious leftovers 🙂
I haven’t tried any home delivey services, I’ve been contemplating trying one of because I hate grocery shopping and running out of ideas of what to cook. Also I’m on the fence because I’m single and these home deliveries is for two or more, don’t want to be wasteful and order more than I need. I appreciate your opinion on six of the home deliveries. Still on the fence.
Thank you for commenting Yolanda, I totally hear you about running out of ideas. That’s what happens to me, or sometimes I just don’t have the desire to go to the store!
Nice review. However, I didn’t see anything mentioned specific to food allergies (GF, egg, dairy, etc).
I didn’t rate them in terms of food allergies, but I will say that sun basket is very allergy friendly
Awesome blog! Thank you!
Have you tried GO Ready Made?
Thank you so much. No I have not, but I’ll definitely look into that!
Thank you for your comparison. Last year I tried HelloFresh for several months and while I liked that it gave me new recipe ideas, it became routine for the produce to be spoiled upon arrival, particularly their spring mix which is in a lot of recipes. They credited my account every time without questioning it, but the problem became so common that I cancelled my subscription. I am excited to try some other services, particularly Home Chef because I racked up so many large recipe cards with Hello Fresh that I see the benefit of getting the binder with it.
YES!!! Exactly what you said here, thanks for commenting! I’d love to know how you like Home Chef, because I love it so much. Just made two of their meals this weekend!
Just wondering how/where Sun Basket falls on the ratings. I’m new to the meal delivery service and wanted to see how you would rank it in comparison to Home Chef.
I think it depends on what kind of food you tend to like. If you’re into healthier/organic options, I’d recommend Sun Basket. If you a great variety of good food, I’d suggest Home Chef 🙂