Reddit’s 5 Best Meal Delivery Services Are Worth Checking Out Today

Key Points

• HelloFresh is the most popular meal delivery service on Reddit, offering over 100 options for weekly meals and starting at $8.99 per serving.
• BlueApron is recommended for its variety, with over 70 meal choices each week and the option to purchase pantry items and kitchen tools.
• Home Chef is ideal for large families or those who love leftovers, offering meals for up to six people and easy prep options.
• EveryPlate is the most affordable meal delivery service at $4.99 per meal, but offers fewer options for weekly meals.
• Sunbasket caters to food allergies and specific diets, offering options for paleo, vegetarian, gluten-free, keto, and more, with meals starting at $9.99 per serving.

Meal delivery services can help take the stress out of making dinner every night, which is probably why they are so popular. Many operate the same way — they deliver raw ingredients and a recipe to guide you through making dinner. The details, however, can vary greatly between services, especially when it comes to price, options, and variety. Luckily, Reddit’s five best meal delivery services recommendations from users give us a personal look into which service is the best. 

Best Overall: HelloFresh

HelloFresh is the most-recognized name in meal delivery, and one of the most popular meal delivery services on Reddit. Starting out, HelloFresh asks you to select a preference for food — meat and veggies, veggies, family friendly, fit and wholesome, quick and easy, or pescatarian. Then, you select how many meals a week (from 2-6) and for how many people (two or four). 

HelloFresh allows you to select from over 100 options for your weekly meals, giving you more choices than most meal delivery services. Meals are delivered once a week, and the plentiful portion sizes are enough for a large family or for leftovers. The cost starts at $8.99 per serving, but like most meal delivery services, HelloFresh offers various deals on your first order so you can try it out with little to no risk. 

Best for Variety: BlueApron

Many Reddit users recommend BlueApron over other popular services because of its variety. You can choose to receive meal kits or prepared meals that just need to be heated. BlueApron has over 70 meal choices each week, giving you plenty of options. In some areas, BlueApron allows you to purchase pantry items, kitchen tools, and even wine. 

The base price for two meals per week for a family of two is $12.49 per serving. Users can select preferences like chef favorites, wellness, family friendly, fast and easy, and veggies. You can select the number of people (two or four) and how many meals you want each week (2-5). BlueApron delivers seven days a week in most areas, and you can pick the day of the week you want your meals delivered.  BlueApron also posts their recipes online, so you can run to the store yourself and get the ingredients. 

Best for Large Families or Leftovers: Home Chef

Most meal delivery services only offer meals for up to four people. However, Home Chef allows you to choose meals for up to six people, making it ideal for larger families or those who love leftovers. It also has an option for easy prep meals, which can save you time cooking. Standard meals average $9.99 per serving, depending on the available menu and the options you select.

Home Chef starts out with a quiz to ask about your food preferences to make more informed recommendations for you, which is a nice touch. You then decide how many people (two, four, or six) and how much food per week (2-6). 

One downside of Home Chef is that it doesn’t offer a lot of accommodations when it comes to food allergies or dietary restrictions. While it takes these into account, it doesn’t offer a large variety of options for those with special food needs. 

Best Price: EveryPlate

Some meal delivery services can be expensive, which makes EveryPlate a solid option for saving money, according to Reddit users. It is the least expensive meal delivery service on the market, giving customers a solid affordable option. According to their site, each meal is only $4.99.

EveryPlate works very similarly to other meal delivery services. You can choose from five food preferences — meat and veggie, veggie, family faves, quick and easy, and nutritious and delicious. You then select how many people (two or four) and how many meals per week (3-6). 

You do get for what you pay for in this case. EveryPlate offers fewer options for weekly meals, and some of the recipes can be standard fare. It does, however, offer substitutions for meats or veggies with most of their meal options, just in case you don’t eat certain kinds of food. 

Best for Food Allergies or Restrictions: Sunbasket

Sunbasket caters to people who have food allergies or those on specific diets, which is why some recommend it on Reddit. It offers options for paleo, vegetarian, gluten-free, keto, Mediterranean, diabetes, and pescatarian, with some of the most unique meals to choose from. The service also offers either meal kits or prepared food that you just need to heat up.

You can select how many people you are feeding (two or four) and how many meals you want each week (2-5). You can also add extras like breakfasts or snacks. Sunbasket tries to find food that is ethically sourced and organic, making it healthier and more earth-friendly than other meal delivery services. 

Since it focuses on healthy eating and specific diets, Sunbasket tends to be a little more expensive than some of the other meal delivery services. However, they do have meals starting at $9.99 per serving.

What to Look For in a Meal Delivery Service?

Most meal delivery services operate similarly, so it can sometimes be hard to differentiate them, but there are a few details to look for when choosing a service. 

Customizability

Variety is the name of the game for meal delivery services, and not all services offer that needed variety. Some only offer a few weekly options. Some rotate the same dishes in and out throughout the year. Make sure that your food choices don’t get stale. 

If you are on a specific diet, like paleo or gluten-free, only a few meal delivery services will be able to accommodate you. Do your research beforehand to make sure that any special dietary requirements will be easy for you to request, and that the service will provide enough options for you. 

Pricing

The price of a meal delivery service can vary. The plans on our list range in price from $4.99 to $12.49 per serving. Things like options, variety, organic vs. non-organic, and the quality of the food can raise the price of each service. For example, if you are on a paleo diet and crave new, interesting dishes, you may pay a higher price. Shipping or delivery fees plus taxes will also factor in to the total price of the service.

Cheaper isn’t always better. The less expensive the service, the higher the chance they lack variety or will be unable to cater to dietary restrictions. If you have no restrictions and are OK with a limited menu, however, the cheaper services can be a great way to save money. 

Serving Sizes

The best meal delivery services offer a variety of serving sizes that can accommodate everyone from singles to families of four or more. Most offer a minimum serving size of two, so if you are single, prepare to have leftovers. 

You can also choose how many meals a week you want. If you only need meal prep for two days, you can just get two days of meals. This helps if you have other dinner plans during the week or you prepare your own meals on certain days. 

Delivery

The frequency of delivery can make or break a meal delivery service. Once a week is the most common delivery format, but some will deliver twice or even three times a week, making it easier to store your meals and also keep them fresh. 

Most meal delivery services will also allow you to skip as many weeks as you need to, if you are going on vacation or just need a break. 

Benefits of a Meal Delivery Service

Every meal delivery service is different, but they all offer some of the same benefits no matter which one you choose. 

Convenience

If you are like most people, getting to the grocery store can be tough. Meal delivery services are intended to take that stress out of your life. The ingredients for each meal are included in your box each week. 

A step-by-step recipe accompanies the food, making it easy for you to put together the meal. You also don’t have to figure out what to cook for dinner every night, which makes it easier to avoid take out and fast food when you are busy. 

Variety

Just like everything in our lives, our meals can fall into a rut. We eat the same thing over and over because it’s easy and familiar. Many meal delivery services offer recipes from different countries, with unique proteins and vegetables, giving you meal options you might not have thought of. Plus, if you have dietary restrictions or food allergies, most meal delivery services can accommodate you with a variety of options. 

Healthy Living

Most meal delivery services provide whole foods that are good for you. Meats and veggies are the base of a majority of the meals provided, not only giving you healthy options, but also providing the necessary nutrients for the day. 

Some services allow you to go a step further and just order foods within a certain diet. These include paleo, mediterranean, vegetarian, and others. 

Closing Thoughts on Reddit’s Best Meal Delivery Services

Meal delivery services are not for everyone. If you have the time to grocery shop and plan your meals, then meal delivery services are probably not going to save you much. For those constantly on the go, however, these services provide a time-saving, healthy option for dinner that doesn’t cost as much as take out. Keep these services in mind if you are thinking of trying out a meal delivery service.

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