First things first, it’s important to know how much a meal delivery service can cost. Some brands charge up to $15 per serving, especially when catering to specific diets such as keto or Whole30. On the other end of the spectrum, you’ll find super-affordable options like EveryPlate. These budget picks cost just $5 per serving, but they often sacrifice on organic ingredients, customization, and variety to keep prices down. Our favorite picks fall right in the middle; they charge less than $10 per serving but still prioritize organic or locally sourced ingredients, as well as customization to suit each individual’s dietary needs. You can choose from individual entrées or family-style meals, which serve four people. Our favorite fact? The plant-based compact includes at least four servings of vegetables in every item. Example Meal: -Yellow dal curry -Chipotle mango burrito bowl Sustainability & Quality: Mosaic Foods never uses preservatives or artificial sweeteners and always sources ingredients from local farms and distributors. In addition to reducing food waste by offering frozen meals, the company uses recycled and recyclable packaging materials. For every box, Mosaic Foods will also donate 2 pounds of food to local (New York) nonprofits to help people in need. Sign-Up Promo: Get $15 off with code FIRSTBOX (automatically applies at checkout) No matter which plan you choose, you can upgrade your order with additional sides and proteins every week to increase the amount of food in your order. If you’re feeding others on a different dietary plan, you can easily add on these items to accommodate. Each recipe can serve two or four people with up to six meals per box. Example Meal: -Roasted veggie kale salad -Hoisin honey shrimp or chicken Sustainability & Quality: HelloFresh uses some organic ingredients but mostly prioritizes local and seasonal produce when it’s at peak freshness. All packaging, with the exception of the winter liners, is recyclable. Sign-Up Promo: Earn up to $120 off by spinning the promo wheel on site The weekly service starts at $85 per box with an à la carte menu featuring various bulk proteins and affordable sides. Despite the price, you’ll still find quality proteins like steak, salmon, and Beyond Meat patties on the menu, along with a variety of fresh veggies sold in 4-cup packages. Other options include oatmeal, quinoa, sweet potato, and gluten-free muffins to get the full rotation of macronutrients in every meal. If you like Fresh n’ Lean’s menu but don’t want the bulk option, there are also a variety of other plans that include keto, paleo, and Whole30-approved meals. For these plans, new chef-created menus drop weekly, giving you 100+ options to choose from. Example Meal: -Seasoned salmon -Cooked sweet potatoes Sustainability & Quality: Fresh n’ Lean uses organic produce, grass-fed beef, and premium proteins in its Bulk plan. Other plans also utilize high-quality ingredients and many offer seasonal menus that contribute to sustainability. The plastic trays and films used for the meals are recyclable, as are the cardboard boxes. The only thing you can’t recycle (but you can reuse) is the gel packs. When signing up for Daily Harvest, you simply choose a box size (small, medium, or large) and then fill it with your favorite items. The ability to customize each box makes it way easier to stick to your weekly food budget and eliminate less cost-effective items, like the oatmeal. Once your box is full, you can set a delivery cadence of weekly or monthly with the ability to skip or cancel anytime—the brand even sends a reminder before your order ships every Sunday. Example Meal: -Red cabbage + buckwheat donburi harvest bake -Sweet potato and miso soup Sustainability & Quality: Most of Daily Harvest’s ingredients are organic with an emphasis on always avoiding conventional ingredients on the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list. It also works with local farmers and those transitioning to organic farming practices. All packaging is recyclable and compostable with the exception of the cup lids, which can only be recycled in certain places. Plus, everything arrives frozen, so it can be stored for several months aka a major step toward eliminating food waste. Sign-Up Promo: Up to $35 off your first box with code WELCOME2022 Read our full review here. The delivery service offers a robust selection of single-serve, premade entrées with varying levels of net carbs. You can choose from keto, keto-friendly, or low-carb meal plans, which offer anywhere from 5% to 25% calories from carbs. Finding the right 518 Kitchen plan all comes down to your personal needs; you can opt into breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks or trim down the fat by selecting protein and side options only. The regular meal delivery, cleverly called the Week-o-Keto Bundle, can be customized for delivery every one, two, three, or four weeks, but you can’t change the quantity of meals: You’ll get 28 total, including baked items and desserts. However, you can opt for a smaller 14-meal plan with a sides bundle or even smaller sampler boxes. Example Meal: -Keto chicken pot pie -Cauliflower à la vodka Sustainability & Quality: While 518 Kitchen doesn’t use organic ingredients, all beef is grass-fed, pork is pasture-raised, seafood is wild-caught (or responsibly sourced), chicken is antibiotic-free, and eggs are cage-free. The plastic trays, cardboard, and cooler liner that come with your boxes are all recyclable, but the plastic cover used for premade meals has to go in the trash. Sign-Up Promo: Get $100 off your first five boxes ($20 off each box) with code SAVE10
