Meal delivery services are a relatively new phenomenon, and for good reason. They’re convenient, healthy, and delicious, and for the most part, affordable.
Of course, one’s first instinct when they first hear about meal delivery services is to assume that they’re super expensive. But here’s the thing: there are plenty of services to choose from, and it wouldn’t be right to pigeonhole every single meal delivery service into the “too expensive” category. You can see these options for some cost-effective solutions.
Today, we’re going to take a spin through some of the more prominent meal delivery service companies and debate a few of the pros and cons of said services.
Let’s get after it.
1. Blue Apron
Blue Apron was one of the first major players in the meal delivery service space and continues to be a strong option. It currently is the largest delivery service in the United States, capitalizing on a solid history and base of customers.
When you sign up for Blue Apron, you’ll be asked to select your dietary preferences that will help them select what will be included in your shipments. Then, prior to each delivery, you’ll have the option to select a few meals out of a list of five or six to choose from.
There isn’t much exotic about the meal options, but the recipes are fairly easy to make. Some will take upwards of 30 to 45 minutes, however, so if you’re only looking to put together fast weeknight meals than this might not be the service for you.
2. Home Chef
Home Chef prides itself on relatively easy and fast recipes, although not everything will necessarily be super simple for novice chefs.
When selecting your meals, you’ll have the chance to choose between vegetarian, gluten-free, and low-calorie meals if you so choose. It also gives the option for breakfast foods, which is a welcome change of pace.
3. Freshly
Freshly is all about balanced meals and convenience, and sends out individual, single-serve meals.
This is the only service on the list that simply serves up microwave meals. That’s right, all you need to do is pull out the tray and pop it in the microwave for roughly two minutes, depending on the meal.
It still tastes delicious, but certainly takes the cooking fun out of it – unless that’s what your looking for. In terms of microwavable meals, Freshly is an awesome option.
4. Hello Fresh
Hello Fresh is a relative newcomer on the meal delivery service scene and has made its name offering … you guessed it: fresh ingredients. Meals are extremely affordable and easy to prep, taking out several of the extra steps that other services leave in.
It’s easy to update your account preferences with Hello Fresh, too, in case your tastes change or you simply want to try new things.
Another thing that Hello Fresh did better than some other companies was offer some kid-specific meals, so if you have a family with small kiddos then you’ll want to consider going this route.
5. Plated
Plated prides itself on extremely high-quality yet convenient food. It is most comparable to Blue Apron, although it’s a slightly pricier per meal, slightly higher quality, and takes even longer to cook.
Prior to each week, you’ll have the choice between seven recipes, which will all be completely antibiotic-free with no added hormones. There will be seasonal, organic, and locally-sourced produce, too.
If you’re looking for the Cadillac of meal delivery services and are okay with paying a bit more and spending slightly longer cooking, than Plated is for you.
Final Thoughts
All five of the options we considered today are great choices in their own right. It just depends on what you’re looking for.
If you just want the best quality food and cost and time don’t matter much to you, then roll with Plated. If you’re single and want quick convenience, then sign up for Freshly.
If you enjoy cooking but don’t want to spend too much time over the stove, then consider Home Chef. And if some combination of all of the above is fine with you and you want to save a few bucks, then go with Blue Apron.
But whatever you land on, you’ll be signing up for delicious convenience at a reasonable price. And we can all get behind that.
