More and more people are realizing that meal delivery services keep you out of busy stores, save you time, and offer nutritious ingredients. Meal planning can take a lot of energy, and without meal delivery services, you could be running to the store multiple times a week.

Meal delivery services are easy to sign up for

Photo courtesy of Blue Apron via InstagramPhoto courtesy of Blue Apron via Instagram
Photo courtesy of Blue Apron via Instagram

The top rated meal delivery services in America have worked hard to set up a network of farmers to reach the entire country. These companies will keep you out of stores, and help support local farmers. Whatever your reasons for signing up, we have the top rated services, and the reasons why they’re the best.

Blue Apron

When it comes to meal delivery services, Blue Apron is the one that started it all. Their service extends worldwide, as hundreds of thousands of people receive meals from Blue Apron. They choose between eight recipes a week, and accommodate many dietary restrictions. You can also shut off the service, in case you head out of town for a week.

  • Healthy and fresh ingredients – Meal planning can be difficult and time consuming, and who’s to say your body is getting everything it needs? Blue Apron has this in mind, as their meat is hormone and antibiotic free, and their produce is harvested by local farmers who are committed to sustainability. There’s plenty of vegetarian options too.
  • Price breakdown – If you’re thinking about cooking at home, one of your goals is probably to beat the cost of a meal out, or ordering in. Whether you’re looking for two meals a week for two people, or four meals a week for a family of four, it breaks down to somewhere between $7.50-$10 per person, per meal.
  • Required cooking skills – If you’re a new chef, or giving this service a try because it gives step-by-step instructions for each recipe, this might not be the meal delivery service for you. Although meals take between 25-45 minutes, they’re complex. Seasoned cooks will love it, as you’ll be working with ingredients you may have never used before.

Uber Eats

If you need your meal now, or don’t have the time to cook, then a food delivery app is a great alternative. Uber Eats, like Blue Apron, is the one that started it all, and their service is still the most widely available.

  • Bringing restaurants home – Uber Eats can connect you to small deliveries, such as ones from McDonald’s or Starbucks. It can also deliver food from more high end restaurants, and usually beyond just your local neighborhood. Uber Eats can even deliver groceries.
  • Price breakdown – Uber Eats can be a little more expensive than other meal delivery apps, averaging about 15%. But they’re more consistent with their fees, as other services vary from restaurant to restaurant. You’ll also have the ability to tip within the app, in case you don’t have any cash on hand.
  • Who’s it for? – Uber Eats justifies its fee because they claim they’re delivery is faster than others. With their extremely large network of drivers, it’s safe to say that’s true. Use Uber Eats for nights when you can’t, or just don’t want to cook.

Home Chef

Home Chef built a different, but similar model as Blue Apron. According to their website, they can serve 97% of the US population, and are growing fast. Home Chef is more “user friendly,” in that they have a variety of meals catered to cooks of all skill levels, and customers have more control over portions and ingredients.

  • Healthy and fresh ingredients – Home Chef has many options when it comes to ingredients. There are far more recipes to choose from (up to 40), and users can mix-and-match their ingredients, or toggle with the size of their portions. Want double the meat, but the same amount of potatoes? Home Chef is your choice.
  • Price breakdown – Home Chef offers such a variety that they come in as the cheapest, and most expensive option. You can order ingredients for a recipe cooked in a slow cooker, and get several meals out of it, or order finer meals for special occasions. At it’s lowest, the price comes in around $6.99 per serving.
  • Required cooking skills – With so many options, cooks will have a choice of whether they want an easy meal, or more of a challenge. Meals range from complex, to one-pan dinners, to oven-ready meals. They even have special packages for grilling.

Freshly

Don’t know how to cook? No problem! Freshly is designed for those who don’t understand why the kitchen is the most social room in the house. You’ll be microwaving yourself to chef stardom in no time! And the best part is, Freshly doesn’t skimp on nutrition.

  • Healthy and fresh ingredients – You’d expect a pre-packaged, microwavable meal to be frozen, and loaded with preservatives. Well, that’s just not the case, as Freshly meals have no gluten, artificial ingredients, preservatives, or refined sugars. They’re also protein heavy, and light on the carbs.
  • Price Breakdown – For all the convenience and time saving that comes with Freshly meals, the price breakdown makes it a little more expensive. Depending on how many meals you order in a week, the price comes out to $7.99-$12.50 per person, per meal.
  • Required cooking skills – Are you able to push buttons on a microwave? Great! You’re qualified to prepare a wonderfully delicious Freshly meal. Their menu also includes options for soy free, low calorie, and vegetarian meals.

Hello Fresh

Hello Fresh bills itself as the brand with the most variety. With around 15 recipes to choose from each week, they give customers an opportunity to eat several different kinds of meals. They don’t skimp on quality or affordability either, with many options to tailor your dietary needs.

  • Healthy and fresh ingredients – With a name like “Hello Fresh,” you can expect the company knows a thing or two about good ingredients. They come from local farms, and Hello Fresh has low calorie (650 per meal), and vegetarian options.
  • Price Breakdown – Hello Fresh meal plans end up costing between $7.49-$8.99 per person per meal (plus a small fee for shipping). They have family friendly plans, or meals for two, and the more you buy, the cheaper it gets.
  • Required cooking skills – Because you’ll be working with so many delicious ingredients, Hello Fresh recipes do require some cooking skills. Family friendly recipes take about 20 minutes to prepare, while more gourmet dishes take about 40 minutes.

Green Chef

Green Chef, as the name implies, is devoted to a healthy diet, full of ingredients rich in nutrition. They also cater to many dietary choices and restrictions, ensuring that customers are able to enjoy food that keeps their health needs in mind.

  • Healthy and fresh ingredients – Green Chef has five different options for their meal deliveries, including keto, plant powered, plateo (meat and vegetable heavy), family friendly, and balanced living plans. Green Chef is also committed to sustainability, non-GMO, organic, and are partnered with local farmers.
  • Price Breakdown – Green Chef has extreme discounts being offered right now. Meals are being priced at around $5.50 per serving, and their sign up fee is substantially reduced. Flexible plans offer meal deliver weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly.
  • Required cooking skills – Yes, Green Chef does require some cooking skills, and the ability to follow a recipe. Meals generally take about 30 minutes to prepare, with several steps and different ingredients.

With so many options for home meal delivery, you’re bound to find something that you like. But don’t take our word for it, and do some research for yourself. You’ll be rubbing belly after a delicious home cooked meal in no time.