The Best Prepared Meal Delivery Services Available in 2021

    Prepared meal delivery services are convenient, with most services providing meals that just need to be reheated and relished –  so you can save time on prep and cleaning up. Yet, as not all prepared meal services are the same, our expert foodies have ordered, tasted, assessed, and ranked the top prepared meal delivery services of 2021. On this page, we will present you with our verdict and more.

    The Best Prepared Meal Delivery Services Available in 2021
    Written By: Kazi

    Prepared meal delivery services are perfect for anyone who doesn’t have the motivation, skills or time to prepare and cook meals, but still seeks a nutritious meal. You may be tempted to order fast food, get takeout from restaurants, or reach for the prepared foods available at the supermarkets when you are not in the mood to cook, however, these options make it difficult to ensure that you are eating a healthy balanced meal. Prepared meal delivery services offer ready-to-heat meals that are as healthy as something you would make yourself at home.

    The variety of companies providing prepared meals delivered to your home appears to grow year by year. Even meal service providers that focus on meal kits are starting to branch out into the prepared meal arena. Also, it looks like there is a service for any dietary need and want. Some are made for vegans, others are for people looking to lose weight and then there are those for the carnivores. To make your selection easier, we have evaluated all of the top prepared meal delivery services to find out which service offers the best selection, value, and service.

    The 5 Best Prepared Meal Delivery Services of 2021

    If you don’t have time to read the complete review, check out this helpful list of the 5 best prepared meal delivery services:

    • Best for Athletes
    • Already prepared
    • Meals options for five or seven days per week
    • Shipping cost is free
    • Ships throughout the U.S.A.
    $15.49 Per serving
    • Paleo Paleo
    • Athletes & Fitness Athletes & Fitness
    • Keto Keto
    • Vegetarian Vegetarian
    • Vegan Vegan
    • Clean Meal Clean Meal

    Trifecta Nutrition is a great option for athletes who don’t have the time or inclination to prep and cook meals. 

    Visit Trifecta Nutrition
    • Customizable menu without any commitment
    • 3-5 minutes of heating
    • Special diets available
    • Dietician-developed meals
    • Meals for kids and seniors
    $3.5 Per serving
    • Paleo Paleo
    • Kids Meal Kids Meal
    • Seniors Meals Seniors Meals
    • Low fat Low fat
    • Keto Keto
    • Low Sodium Low Sodium
    • Low Carb Low Carb
    • Diabetic Diabetic

    Top Chef Meals is a fantastic choice if you’re on the lookout for the best Atkins meal delivery plans in the US. TCM does not have any subscription model, and you can order standalone or recurring meals from its platform. On top of that, they have a vast menu full of delicious and healthy dishes.

    Visit Top Chef Meals
    • 38 breakfast choices
    • Cooking time: under six minutes
    • FedEx shipping: $19.95
    • Cost: $9.00 per serving
    • Customized options: standard, diabetic, heart-healthy, gluten-free, and menopause
    • Diets for unique individual profiles
    $7.61 Per serving
    • Weight Loss Weight Loss
    • Heart-Healthy Heart-Healthy
    • Diabetic Diabetic

    Home Bistro provides already-prepared meals; all you have to do is pop them into the microwave or oven for a few minutes, and they’re ready to eat. Their meals are developed and prepared by a Certified Executive Chef, so you know that you’re getting quality ingredients.

    Visit Bistro MD
    • 4-18 meals per week
    • Prep and cook time vary
    • Healthy meals prepared by chefs, never frozen
    • Chef-prepared meals
    $11 Per serving
    • Healthy Healthy
    • Paleo Paleo
    • Athletes & Fitness Athletes & Fitness
    • Keto Keto
    • Plant Based Plant Based
    • Dairy Free Dairy Free

    Whether cooking for yourself or your household, we have a flexible plan to match your lifestyle. Need to cancel, change meals, or skip a week? Not a problem.

    Visit Factor75

    The factors we use to rank top prepared meal service provides

    We have assembled our list of top prepared meal delivery services based on the following criteria:

    • Number of Weekly Meal Options – How much does each prepared meal serving cost? Is a subscription required?

    • Prep & Cook Time– How long does it take until you can eat your prepared meal?

    • Shipping Options and Cost – How much do you need to pay for shipping costs? What are the sizes of the prepared meal portions?

    • Meal Variety and Meal Types– How many selections do you have to choose from?

    • Cost – How much does each prepared meal serving cost? Is a subscription required?

    Note: High quality meats are, for example, grass-fed beef, free-range chicken, cage-free eggs, and sustainably sourced seafood. As such, raising or harvesting meat is deemed to be more ethical than conventional farming, and grass-fed beef and cage-free eggs may have better nutrient profiles than their traditional equivalents.

    How do Prepared Meals & Meal Kits Work?

    A meal kit comes with all the ingredients you need to cook healthy meals to meet your specific dietary needs. On the other hand, prepared meal services deliver dishes to your door that are ready to heat and eat upon arrival. 

    It is important to know what to expect when you order ready-made (prepared) meals. To begin with, they are likely to come in plastic black trays and are designed to be reheated in the microwave. Prepared meals delivered to your door can still make for a tasty treat, however, many people have noted that they can be less visually attractive than freshly cooked meals. They may also lack crunch and texture. 

    The best delivery meals are those that feature nutritional information that aligns with your lifestyle aims. Good meal providers should also deliver at a time that suits you and must offer you the level of flexibility you need. Consider all these factors before you choose a meal delivery provider.

    Best Prepared Meal Delivery Services for 2021

    Written By: Kazi

    1. Trifecta Nutrition

    Recommended for athletes, Trifecta Nutrition delivers fully prepared meals custom-made to fit various diets, with a rotating menu of vegetarian, paleo, keto, and vegan options. While different athletes have different nutritional needs, these meals provide the right fuel for exercise and recovery.

    All Trifecta Nutrition meals contain lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, and vegetables. The company also uses organically sourced and imperishable ingredients to ensure quality.

    Good for… Athletes
    Not good for… Most plans don’t allow you to choose your meals.
    Avg. Meal Price About $13
    Prep & Cook Time Already prepared
    Shipping Cost Free
    Shipping Regions Throughout the U.S.A.
    Sample Meals
    • Salmon and wild rice with dried cranberry and rosemary
    • Korean beef bulgogi served with seasonal vegetables and topped with a tangy sauce

    The Bottom Line

    Trifecta Nutrition is excellent for athletes who don’t have the time for prepping and cooking.

    Read Trifecta Nutrition Full Review

    2. Top Chef Meals

    Top Chef Meals are ready-prepared meals made fresh to order with your choice of entree, side, and vegetable dish. Situated in Elmsford, NY, they only use locally sourced ingredients. 

    Their dieticians guarantee that there are no artificial ingredients, preservatives, GMOs, trans fats, or high fructose corn syrup in their meals.

    Good for… Diabetic, low sodium, renal, keto, gluten-free, and more
    Not good for… Small orders; to get free shipping you must order a certain number of meals – determined by your zone.
    Avg. Meal Price About $12.49
    Prep & Cook Time Pre-cooked
    Shipping Cost Free
    Shipping Regions Entire U.S.A.
    Sample Meals
    • Grilled salmon with roasted potatoes & cabbage
    • Beef stew with potatoes, peas & carrots

    The Bottom Line

    Top Chef Meals has a wide variety of mouthwatering precooked meals from which to choose.

    Read Top Chef Meals Full Review

    3. BistroMD

    bistroMD is a ready-made meal delivery service created to promote weight loss. Their menu features many low-calorie options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 

    They also boast a massive menu with over 150 entrées, letting you mix and match your favorite dishes. So you can devise a custom meal plan for each week.

    Good for… Weight loss, gluten-free, diabetic-friendly, and heart-healthy meal plans
    Not good for… Someone on a budget, as it’s more expensive than similar meal services.
    Avg. Meal Price Approximately $12
    Prep & Cook Time Already prepared
    Shipping Cost Flat fee of $19.95
    Shipping Regions Throughout the contiguous United States
    Sample Meals
    • Lasagna with Garden Marinara
    • Pork Tenderloin with Mushroom Marsala

    The Bottom Line

    bistroMD is suitable for those intending to lose weight and who can afford the extra cost.

    Read Bistro MD Full Review

    4. Real Eats

    Real Eats offers healthy and convenient meals that come fully prepared. This company has a good variety of dairy-free, plant-based, and gluten-free meals on its menu, along with snacks, soups, smoothies, and drinks.

    They structure their recipes around high-quality ingredients free of binders, fillers, preservatives, and GMOs. These ingredients are also locally sourced, when possible.

    Good for… Most affordable meals
    Not good for… Anyone outside their delivery radius, which is centered around the northeastern U.S.A. Delivery isn’t yet available in all U.S. states, but they’re expanding.
    Avg. Meal Price Just over $10
    Prep & Cook Time Already prepared
    Shipping Cost Free
    Shipping Regions Most of the East Coast of the U.S.A and several other U.S. states
    Sample Meals
    • Baja chicken tacos with roasted peppers & onions & cilantro crema
    • BBQ tofu with creamy sweet potato mash & cheesy broccoli

    The Bottom Line

    If you’re looking for the cheapest prepared meal delivery service, and you fall within Real Eats’s delivery space, this is a good option.

    Read RealEats Full Review

    5. Factor75

    Factor meals arrive fully prepared and only need to be warmed up. They feature over 20 meals each week designed by dieticians and also offer a variety of paleo-friendly dishes.

    Before placing your order, you can screen the weekly menu to check which recipes are suitable for ketogenic, paleo, low carb, low calorie, or vegetarian diets. Factor guarantees the use of fresh ingredients, and all meals are free of antibiotics, hormones, refined sugars, and GMOs.

    Good for… ketogenic, paleo, low-carb, low-calorie, or vegetarian diets
    Not good for… If you’re looking to produce wholesome meals on your own or improve your cooking skills.
    Avg. Meal Price Around $12.30
    Prep & Cook Time Already prepared
    Shipping Cost Free
    Shipping Regions Contiguous United States
    Sample Meals
    • Lentil and sweet potato harvest bowl
    • Pork tenderloin with green peppercorn sauce

    The Bottom Line

    Like us, if you’re always too tied up to cook, Factor is a reasonable and affordable choice.

    Read Factor75 Full Review

    6. Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon

    You can get the best prepared meal delivery meal kits (pre-portioned ingredients for Martha Stewart’s best recipes) delivered straight to your door. Each week, you can choose from a variety of recipes. 

    Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon invite you to try out new cuisines and original flavors. They make use of trusted suppliers and quality ingredients for delicious, healthy meals.

    Good for… Delicious meals with Martha Stewart’s 6-step recipes
    Not good for… Food prep on a budget; as a meal kit, it’s a little more expensive than some other options.
    Avg. Meal Price As low as $5.99/serving
    Prep & Cook Time 30 minutes
    Shipping Cost $8.99
    Shipping Regions Most of the contiguous US states
    Sample Meals
    • Crispy sour cream & onion chicken with roasted fingerlings & broccoli
    • Sweet & sticky glazed salmon with sesame broccoli & pickled radishes

    The Bottom Line

    Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon is a simple but solid family friendly option.

    Read Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon Full Review

    7. Dinnerly

    Dinnerly focuses on making evenings easier for home cooks, so they offer ingredients and recipe cards for home-cooked meals at a reasonable cost. They keep things basic using fresh ingredients and digital recipe cards. Each of their meals contains different tags so that you can easily search for meals based on your dietary requirements.

    Good for… Family box meals
    Not good for… People on a tight budget as their shipping charge is a bit more than some other meal delivery services.
    Avg. Meal Price As low as $4.69/serving
    Prep & Cook Time 20 minutes
    Shipping Cost $8.99
    Shipping Regions Most of the contiguous U.S. states from 3 different centers: New Jersey, Texas, and California
    Sample Meals
    • Pumpkin spice tortellini with baby spinach
    • Crispy fried shrimp with garlic butter broccoli and fries

    The Bottom Line

    Dinnerly provides a simple and efficient service. Their boxes come in insulated packaging, which keeps the ingredients fresh.

    Read Dinnerly Full Review

    8. Blue Apron

    Blue Apron offers meals for specific dietary requirements with an excellent assortment of ingredients. Their meals arrive fresh and come with accompanying recipes made by qualified chefs.

    Once you have signed up, ordering is pretty simple. You select your plan based on required serving numbers and dietary needs. Programs come with a wide choice of servings per week. After your plan is set up, you can select your meals.

    Good for… Nice selection of balanced meals
    Not good for… Throwing dinner together quickly. Speedy cooking times typically aren’t an option for Blue Apron meals.
    Avg. Meal Price From $6.24/serving
    Prep & Cook Time 20 to 65 minutes
    Shipping Cost $7.99 for two recipes a week Free for three recipes a week and family plan
    Shipping Regions The contiguous United States
    Sample Meals
    • Creamy fennel and olive pasta
    • Spiced steaks & honey butter

    The Bottom Line

    Blue Apron helps users gain more confidence in the kitchen. While some dishes are reasonably quick to make, the more difficult ones often take time.

    Read The Best Prepared Meal Delivery Services Available in 2021 Full Review

    9. HelloFresh

    HelloFresh is committed to bringing you a reliable and quick food delivery service. They have an easy-to-navigate app that you can access anywhere, anytime. To start, download the HelloFresh app and log in using Facebook.

    They do their best to cater to various dietary needs provided you specify your dietary requirements.

    Good for… Farm fresh, high quality ingredients
    Not good for… Vegans who want convenience; there are no specifically vegan options. If you want to create a vegan meal you will need to customize your meals and remove certain ingredients.
    Avg. Meal Price From $7.49
    Prep & Cook Time 30 to 35 minutes
    Shipping Cost $6.99
    Shipping Regions All of U.S.A. - except Hawaii and Alaska
    Sample Meals
    • Hot honey chicken with bbq-roasted potatoes and buttery broccoli
    • Sweet potato quesadillas with crema and radish tomato salsa

    The Bottom Line

    HelloFresh is easily one of the most environmentally conscious and eco-friendly food delivery kits on offer.

    Read HelloFresh Full Review

    10. EveryPlate

    If you want fresh, healthy, and proper food cooked with high-quality ingredients at an affordable price, you might want to give EveryPlate a chance.

    Good for… Easy recipes with pre-portioned ingredients
    Not good for… Someone who needs week-round service and variety; the number of weekly options is low when compared to other companies.
    Avg. Meal Price $4.99
    Prep & Cook Time 30 Minutes
    Shipping Cost $8.99/week
    Shipping Regions All of U.S.A. - except Hawaii and Alaska
    Sample Meals
    • Greek Chicken pita pockets
    • Pork chops with apricot and broccoli

    The Bottom Line

    While EveryPlate doesn’t offer many options or cater to specific diets, it does deliver fresh and healthy food on a budget, which is what most people need.

    Read Every Plate Full Review

    How to Choose the Best Prepared Meal Delivery Service

    This article has covered both already prepared meals and already prepared meal kits. When choosing a company that provides these services, you need to consider the following:

    • Fresh Ingredients: While all suppliers covered in this article typically use fresh ingredients, you should make sure that the ingredients are as advertised when delivered. Any deviation from standard should be returned and brought to management’s attention.

    • Meal Variety: More established best prepared meal delivery service companies will have a greater variety of meals.

    • Pricing: The pricing of meals discussed in this article is daily consistent. Be wary of prepared meal delivery service providers who seem too inexpensive.

    • Subscription Flexibility: Most subscription services allow you to cancel at any time or skip as many boxes as you wish. Should you encounter a prepared meal delivery service that shows little or no flexibility, please look twice.

    • Customer Service: You should bring any poor customer service to the attention of management without delay.

    Summary

    Eating a nutritious and healthy lunch or dinner isn’t simple when you don’t have the energy, know-how, or time to cook. When life gets hectic, it’s easy to look for unhealthy meal choices like takeout. Prepared meal delivery services provide a great alternative to fast food, giving you ready-to-heat meals that you can eat right away with minimal effort. 

    When assessing prepared meal delivery companies, our expert foodies considered convenience and nutrition to bring you a list of only the best prepared meal delivery providers. Now all you need to do is select the meal provider that is best for you and sit back and feast.

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

    What Is the Cheapest Best Prepared Meal Delivery?

    We have found Dinnerly to be the cheapest best prepared meal delivery, closely followed by EveryPlate.

    Do These Companies Offer Frozen Meal Delivery?

    Some of these companies deliver frozen meals that are precooked, so they only need to be warmed in a microwave or oven.

    Do Best Prepared Meal Delivery Meal Services Allow Customizations?

    The simple answer is yes. Many do.

    References
    https://www.cnet.com/health/nutrition/best-keto-meal-delivery/
    https://www.themealkitreview.com/keto-low-carb-meal-kits/
    https://www.themealkitcomparison.com/keto-meal-kits/
    https://www.mealdeliveryexperts.com/best-keto-meal-delivery-services/
    https://www.deliveryrank.com/blog/best-keto-meal-delivery

    Best Keto Meal Kits


    https://www.thespruceeats.com/best-keto-meal-delivery-services-4766831
    https://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/g25671596/keto-meal-delivery/
    https://www.cnet.com/health/nutrition/best-meal-kit-delivery-service/
    https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/every-meal-kit-delivery-service-in-america-article
    https://www.blueapron.com/pages/sample-recipes
    https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/best-prepared-meal-delivery-service#A-quick-look-at-the-best-prepared-meal-delivery-services
    https://www.self.com/gallery/10-healthy-meal-delivery-services
    https://www.lancastergeneralhealth.org/health-hub-home/2020/march/what-athletes-should-eat-back-to-the-basic-food-groups

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