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Many of us do not have the time or resources to cook each night, and meal delivery services can be a reliable and helpful tool when it comes to providing food and meals at home. And whether you are feeding a family or just yourself, we know how important budgeting for meals can be.
With so many meal delivery services in today’s market, we’ve done the research on the least expensive services available to help you make the right choice for you and your family. To help you choose, we’ve summarized some of the most economical meal delivery services we've found (based on volume pricing) and highlighted our top choices. Read on to learn more about the eight cheapest meal delivery services, and find the one that matches your needs.
Cheapest Meal Delivery Services of 2023
- Starts at $4.99 per Serving: Dinnerly
- Starts at $4.99 per Serving: EveryPlate
- Starts at $6.79 per Serving: Daily Harvest
- Starts at $6.99 per Serving: Home Chef
- Starts at $6.99 per Serving: Revive Superfoods
- Starts at $7.99 per Serving: HelloFresh
- Starts at $7.99 per Serving: Blue Apron
- Starts at $7.99 per Serving: Mom’s Meals
Starts at $4.99 per Serving : Dinnerly
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- Starting Price: $4.99
- Serving Sizes: 2 - 4
- Number Of Recipes: 40
With prices starting at $4.99 a serving, Dinnerly offers one of the most budget-friendly options for a weekly meal delivery service.
Very affordable
Simple and quick meals
Few ingredients and steps
Printed recipe cards aren’t included
Instructions use generic cooking icons rather than photography
Some meals are bland
Dinnerly was launched in 2017 by Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon and was created as a more affordable option for home cooks across the country. Meals are geared toward customers who do not have a lot of time to dedicate to meal prep, cooking, and cleaning. Most meals are ready to eat within 30 minutes or less and can be made in just five steps. Dinnerly is an environmentally- conscious company, and therefore, does not include printed recipe cards in deliveries; recipes and cooking instructions can be found on the website and on the Dinnerly app.
Learn More: Read Our Dinnerly Review.
Dinnerly offers a weekly meal plan for two or four servings a week with an option to select three to six meals each week. Per-serving pricing is as follows:
- 3 meals with 2 servings each: $6.39 per serving
- 4 meals with 2 servings each: $5.99 per serving
- 5 meals with 2 servings each: $5.89 per serving
- 6 meals with 2 servings each: $5.79 per serving
- 3 meals with 4 servings each: $5.69 per serving
- 4 meals with 4 servings each: $5.49 per serving
- 5 meals with 4 servings each: $5.29 per serving
- 6 meals with 4 servings each: $4.99 per serving
- Shipping: flat $9.99 per delivery
- BBQ cheeseburger with sautéed onions and smashed potatoes
- Low-cal veggie drunken noodles with broccoli, peppers, and cilantro
- Grass-fed ground beef and cheddar quesadillas with corn
- Caramel chicken stir-fry with snow peas and jasmine rice
Starts at $4.99 per Serving : EveryPlate
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- Starting Price: $4.99
- Serving Sizes: 2 - 4
- Number Of Recipes: 17
EveryPlate offers customers an affordable $4.99 a serving option from an assortment of 18 recipes each week.
Affordable and consistent pricing for all plans
Easy, flavorful meals
Offers family-friendly meals options
Limited weekly menu
Contents are not well organized in delivery box
Lots of plastic packaging
With prices as low as $4.99 a serving, EveryPlate is a great option for singles or families seeking affordable meal options. Founded by the national leading meal delivery service HelloFresh, EveryPlate launched in 2018 as a less expensive and less time-consuming option. Each week, customers can select from 18 dinner options with diets for meat and vegetarian preferences. EveryPlate even offers a family-friendly meal plan geared toward creating recipes that both kids and adults will like. Most recipes are designed to be ready in about 30 minutes.
Learn More: Read Our EveryPlate Review.
EveryPlate offers a plan for two or four servings a week with an option to select three to five recipes a week.
- 3 meals with 2 servings each: $6.49 per serving
- 3 meals with 4 servings each: $5.49 per serving
- 4 meals with 2 servings each: $5.99 per serving
- 4 meals with 4 servings each: $5.29 per serving
- 5 meals with 2 servings each: $5.79 per serving
- 5 meals with 4 servings each: $4.99 per serving
- Shipping: flat $9.99
- Crispy Caesar chicken
- Steak frites
- Blackened shrimp salad
- Hotel butter barramundi
Starts at $6.79 per Serving : Daily Harvest
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- Starting Price: $6.29
- Number Of Recipes: 90
With nearly 100 different menu options, Daily Harvest offers single-serving frozen meals and snacks that are ready to enjoy in minutes.
Many meal and snack options
Nutritious, healthy foods
Free shipping
Not a great option for large families
Deliveries can get expensive
Some meals may not be filling
Daily Harvest was founded in New York City in 2015 with a mission of offering nutritious and organic frozen, whole, plant-, and fruit-based foods. Foods and meals are frozen and arrive on dry ice. Some foods need basic assembly, such as smoothies. Other foods such as harvest bowls, forager bowls, oat bowls, chia bowls, flatbreads, and soups can be heated on the stovetop or in the microwave. Customers can order weekly or monthly and can select up to 24 items.
Learn More: Read Our Daily Harvest Review.
Plans include a weekly or monthly subscription with options for a small box (nine items), medium box (14 items), or large box (24 items). Pricing depends on the cost of each item selected, with volume-based discounts applied the more items you order.
Per-Item Pricing
- Lattes: $5.99
- Forager Bowls: $6.79
- Mylk & Bites: $7.99
- Smoothies & Soups: $8.49
- Scoops: $8.99
- Harvest Bowls & Flatbreads: $9.79
- Harvest Bake: $11.99
Volume Discounts
- 9-11 items: $5 discount
- 12-23 items: $10 discount
- 24-26 items: $25 discount
- Mint and cacao smoothie
- Mango papaya smoothie
- Hazelnut and chocolate bites
- Tomatillo and pepper flatbread
- Portobello and pesto flatbread
- Sweet potato and wild rice hash
- Brussels sprouts and tahini harvest bowl
- Spinach and shiitake grits
- Tomato and zucchini minestrone soup
Starts at $6.99 per Serving : Home Chef
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- Starting Price: $6.99
- Number Of Recipes: 20
Home Chef offers a weekly menu of crowd-pleasing comfort foods that feed the whole family for an appealing price point.
Menu changes every week
Recipes feed up to six people
15-minute meal options available
Few dietary accommodations
Shipping costs extra
Home Chef features filling and flavorful family-friendly comfort foods at wallet-friendly prices. Meal kits come with pre-prepped ingredients and are designed to be ready to hit the table in 30 minutes. There are also options for 15-minute meal kits, as well as Oven Ready meals that only require assembling a handful of ingredients in a tin before cooking. With servings that feed up to six people, Home Chef is a great inexpensive option for busy families.
Learn More: Read our Home Chef Review.
Weekly order costs will depend on how many meals you order and which menu options you select. Prices start at $6.99 per serving.
- Crispy sweet chili shrimp rice bowl
- Creamy tomato and steak penne
- Gnocchi and red pepper cream
- Moo shu pork lettuce cups
Starts at $6.99 per Serving : Revive Superfoods
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- Starting Price: $6.99
- Number Of Recipes: 28
Revive Superfoods features healthy, nutritious, plant-based smoothies, meals, and snacks that start at just $6.99 an item.
Large menu option
Nutritious, healthful food
Free shipping
Some portions may be small
Heating certain foods may be inconsistent
Service not geared towards large families
Revive Superfoods creates pre-portioned frozen, plant-based foods, such as falafel snacks, oat bowls, smoothies, “SuperMeal” bowls, soups, and frozen desserts. Some foods require liquid during the preparation phase. Bowls and soups can be heated on the stovetop or in a microwave-safe bowl. Foods can be kept in the freezer for up to two months. The meals are vegan and paleo-friendly as well as dairy-free.
Learn More: Read Our Revive Superfoods Review.
Pricing will depend on what you order. First, select a box size of either nine, 12, or 24 items, then fill it with whatever foods you want. Per-item pricing is as follows:
- Oats: $6.99
- Smoothies: $6.99
- Bites: $6.99
- Soups: $6.99
- Frozen Desserts: $7.99
- Supermeals: $8.49
- Hazy Cocoa smoothie
- Pink Dragon smoothie
- Acai Twist smoothie
- Chipotle and black bean supermeal
- Lentil and sundried tomato supermeal
- Avocado and quinoa supermeal
- Chickpea and pomegranate supermeal
- Guajillo tortilla soup
- Artisan bean and tomato soup
Starts at $7.99 per Serving : HelloFresh
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- Starting Price: $7.49
- Number Of Recipes: 27
With its menu of family-friendly comfort foods, HelloFresh is sure to please even the pickiest eaters.
Family-friendly recipes
Recyclable packaging
Recipe instructions are easy to follow
Shipping costs extra
Few allergy-friendly options
HelloFresh is one of the most well-known meal kit services out there, and it's easy to see why. The company's weekly menus boast a variety of hearty, flavorful meals that are sure to please the whole family. Each recipe includes easy-to-follow instructions, and most can be put together in around 30 minutes. Order up to six meals each week, with either two or four servings each.
Learn More: Read our HelloFresh Review.
- 6 meals with 4 servings each: $7.99 per serving
- 6 meals with 2 servings each: $8.49 per serving
- 4 meals with 4 servings each: $7.99 per serving
- 4 meals with 2 servings each: $9.49 per serving
- 2 meals with 4 servings each: $9.49 per serving
- 2 meals with 2 servings each: $11.99 per serving
- Crispy buffalo-spiced chicken
- BBQ cheddar burgers
- Tex-Mex pork with mango salsa
- Pork sausage rigatoni rosa
Starts at $7.99 per Serving : Blue Apron
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- Starting Price: $7.99
- Number Of Recipes: 14
Blue Apron provides a gourmet culinary experience to any level of home cook with its meal kits and Heat & Eat prepared meals.
Menu rotates weekly
Customer support is very helpful
Both meal kits and prepared meals available
Lots of packaging
Few diets accommodated
Blue Apron is the ultimate meal delivery service for gourmet food lovers. With menu options in the form of meal kits or microwaveable Heat & Eat meals, the company provides an elevated culinary experience for any type of cook. Choose from multiple meal preferences, including chef favorites, family-friendly, and vegetarian, with dishes like togarashi tilapia, chickpea shakshuka, and pan-seared duck on the menu. In certain areas, customers can also add on pantry essentials, kitchen tools, and even wine.
Learn More: Read Our Blue Apron Review.
- 2 meals with 2 servings each: $11.99 per serving
- 3 meals with 2 servings each: $9.99 per serving
- 4 meals with 2 servings each: $9.49 per serving
- 2 meals with 4 servings each: $9.49 per serving
- 3 meals with 4 servings each: $8.49 per serving
- 4 meals with 4 servings each: $7.99 per serving
Meal Kits
- Togarashi shrimp and vegetable fried rice
- Space Ranger chicken enchiladas
- One-pan white bean and poblano shakshuka
- Baked meatballs and romesco mayo
Heat and Eat
- Sweet and spicy beef bowl with rice, peppers, and edamame
- Chicken alfredo pasta with peas
Starts at $7.99 per Serving : Mom’s Meals
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- Starting Price: $7.99
- Number Of Recipes: 28
Mom’s Meals is a pre-cooked meal delivery service dedicated to helping those in need or who are ill. The company makes affordable meal options for customers at just $7.99 a meal or $8.99 for pureed, renal-friendly, and gluten-free meals.
Positive company mission
Accommodates many diets and lifestyles
Many meal options
Some meals are bland
Lots of packaging
Not ideal for large families
Mom’s Meals prides itself on being a company that believes in helping others in need, especially senior citizens, healthcare workers, those recovering from illness, as well as individuals, and caretakers. The service offers prepared, refrigerated meals that include comforting and nutritional foods that can be reheated in the microwave for 90 seconds. Meals arrive pre-packaged and can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 14 days. Users have a plethora of dietary options to choose from, including pureed foods, renal-friendly, low-sodium, cancer support, and gluten-free. Customers can even choose an auto-ship program to make ordering easier.
Learn More: Read Our Mom's Meals Review.
Mom’s Meals has plans for Medicaid and Medicaid Advantage recipients and individual and self-pay plans. We sampled the individual plan, which has an option for 10, 14, or 21 meals per delivery. Users can also choose from an a la carte meal menu or have the chef-curated menu, in which the chef selects your order. Meals are priced at $7.99 or $8.99 and shipping is available throughout the continental U.S.
- Curry vegetables with pineapple and brown rice, string cheese, vanilla pudding
- Cheeseburger and seasoned mixed vegetables, whole wheat bun, orange
- Chicken and stir fry vegetables with teriyaki sauce, white rice, applesauce
- Sweet and sour chicken with stir fry vegetables, white rice, grape juice, ginger spice cookie
- BBQ chicken with potato medley, seasoned green beans, applesauce
- Beef goulash over whole wheat pasta, seasoned carrots, orange
- Salisbury steak with mushroom gravy, potatoes, seasoned vegetables, whole wheat dinner roll, gelatin
- Mushroom risotto, seasoned peas and carrots, whole wheat roll, grape juice
- Korean style BBQ meatballs with white rice, seasoned broccoli, ginger spice cookie
- Creamy macaroni and cheese, seasoned vegetables, mandarin orange cup, blueberry applesauce
Feeding yourself and others can be expensive, timing-consuming, and challenging. Fortunately, there are many meal delivery services that offer affordable options. Dinnerly and EveryPlate both have meals as low as $4.99 per serving, making them the cheapest options on our list.
Compare the Cheapest Meal Delivery Services
Company | Starting Price | Delivery Area | Products Arrive | Can Customers Choose Delivery Date? | Free Shipping? |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dinnerly | $4.99 | 48 states | Fresh | Yes | No |
EveryPlate | $4.99 | 48 states | Fresh | Yes | No |
Daily Harvest | $6.79 | 48 states | Frozen | Yes | Yes |
Home Chef | $6.99 | 48 states | Fresh | No | No |
Revive Superfoods | $6.99 | U.S. and Canada | Frozen | Yes | No |
HelloFresh | $7.99 | 48 states | Fresh | No | No |
Blue Apron | $7.99 | 48 states | Fresh and frozen | Yes | No |
Mom's Meals | $7.99 | 48 states | Fresh | No | No |
Guide for Choosing the Cheapest Meal Delivery Services
Are Affordable Meal Delivery Services Right for You?
Finding affordable meal delivery services can help make life a little easier. Identifying reliable and continuous meal delivery services can alleviate a financial burden as well as time-consuming meal planning, cooking, and cleaning up. However, it’s important to look at the type of service: Does the company cater to one-off items such as single-serving salads or soups or do they offer full meals meant for an adult? Does the service offer larger portions designed for a bigger family that may have a picky eater? You'll also need to decide whether you want meal kits, which require prep and cooking, or prepared meals that only need to be warmed.
Comparing Cheapest Meal Delivery Services
When selecting a meal delivery service, here are a few factors to consider:
- Who is the meal service for? Is your goal to feed yourself and a partner or a family of six?
- What sort of service best suits you? Do you need some snacks when you’re at the office or working from home? Or do you want a service that does more of a heavy lift by suggesting weekly recipes and sending pre-packaged or pre-prepped foods for an easy weeknight dinner?
- Are you on a diet or training?
- Are you looking for plant-based meals?
- Do you have any food allergies or sensitivities?
How Much Do the Cheapest Meal Delivery Services Cost?
After researching over 40 meal kits, we ranked them all by the lowest cost per serving. Our research revealed that meal kits begin at $4.99 per serving, with Dinnerly and EveryPlate being the cheapest. Several other meal kits offer servings or prices per meal at $8 or less.
What Do the Cheapest Meal Delivery Services Offer?
Cheap meal delivery services have more to offer than just inexpensive food. Fortunately, for customers and consumers, there is a bevy of intriguing, cost-effective, and healthy options for at-home meal delivery kits. Some meal kits create flash-frozen meals and snacks that need to be prepared with at-home ingredients, such as frozen smoothies or soups that require water or a desired milk. Other meals may arrive pre-cooked and need to be heated up on the stovetop or in the microwave. And some companies focus on larger-portion ingredients that are geared toward cooking and feeding the whole family.
Do the Cheapest Meal Delivery Services Remove Allergens?
Several of the cheapest meal delivery services are conscious of allergens and have meals designed for specific dietary needs. For example, Daily Harvest and Revive Superfoods both offer dairy-free and vegan foods. It is important to always check each company’s allergy information as some companies may create allergen-friendly foods, but the facilities the foods are processed in may not be free of the specific allergen in question.
Methodology
Our testers ordered from, cooked, and rated 40 different meal delivery services. We carefully scored each one based on meal selection, nutritional information, sustainability, and customer service, as well as the flavor, freshness, and quality of each meal and ingredient. For this roundup, we ranked the companies based on the lowest price per serving, which generally means customers must order the highest amount of meals available.
Our Spruce Eats tester panel includes dietitians, chefs, and longtime food writers who are all passionate and knowledgeable about food.
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