The Best Meal Delivery For Weight Loss, Tested and Picked By Experts

Diet-To-Go is a meal delivery service that’s specifically tailored to weight loss. It can accommodate several types of specialized diets, like low-calorie, diabetes-friendly, carb-conscious, vegetarian, and Mediterranean, so you can choose the one that works best for you. All meals are prepared in advance with fresh ingredients—they’re cooked for you and arrive ready to heat. Because of this, you can make small customizations to each plan, like eliminating seafood from your menu, but there’s not a lot of control over ingredients otherwise.

Meals are on a five-week rotation. While new entrees aren’t regularly added like some of the other programs, this still helps with variety so you’re less likely to get bored. The entire five-week meal plan is curated for you, but you can make swaps and substitutions if you don’t like what’s on the menu.

Lindsay Scheele, GGR lead product tester, rated Diet-to-Go a 5 out of 5 for their meal variety, saying she appreciated the amount of global cuisines and exotic flavors as well as vegetarian and keto options available.

RELATED: Best Low-Carb Meal Delivery

You can opt for two to three meals per day for five or seven days per week, depending on whether you want all your meals covered for you or want to cook some on your own to up the calories a bit. The meals can cost as low as $7.77 per meal depending on how many you order, earning Diet-To-Go 5 out of 5 stars for the price.

“Not all Diet-to-Go plans include breakfast, and there are no snack options, so it’s still important to learn how to identify and cook healthful foods without depending on a pre-made meal,” says Perry. 

One item of note: all meals are portion-controlled and only supply about 1,200 to 1,600 calories per day, so while it may result in quick weight loss, it can also cause the metabolism to slow and hunger to increase, according to Perry Nix, MS, RD, LD.

Lindsay adds, “Some meals had a large portion, and others were really small. For example, one meal was basically an entire chicken with purred veggies, and I couldn’t finish it. There was a mushroom ravioli (which was very good) but had a super small portion with only two ravioli.” For that reason, Diet-to-Go earns a 3.5 out of 5 in this category.

For more, read our full guide to Diet-to-Go Meal Plans.

If you’re looking for meals that typically have a larger portion size, you may want to consider Fuel Meals.

Unlike other meal delivery services that focus mostly on entrees, Fuel Meals has your meal prep covered for the whole week. The company has two dedicated meal plans—a muscle gain meal plan and a weight loss plan that focuses on portion-controlled lower-calorie meals with plenty of lean protein. There are male and female versions of each plan. The female plan provides about 1,500 calories per day, while the male plan supplies 1,750.

The meals are also so easy to prepare that they got a 5 out of 5 from Kate Meier, CPT, USAW-L1, CF-L1, and GGR Head of Content. “Just nuke ’em, then throw away the container,” she says.

You can choose from eight to 28 meals per box, and sign up for weekly or biweekly delivery. You can also opt into or out of breakfast, so you can have all daily meals covered, or stick to lunch and dinner options.

When you sign up for the weight loss plan, Fuel Meals automatically populates your cart for you based on the quantity of meals you chose, but you can make substitutions based on your preferences. All meals list macros to make designing your meal plan easier, and are tagged with additional qualifiers like gluten-free and dairy-free. 

The downside of Fuel Meals is that “While there is a decent selection, there aren’t many options for dietary restrictions. There are dairy-free and gluten-free options you can filter to, but no nut-free, no vegan, etc.,” says Kate Meier, CPT, USAW-L1, CF-L1, and GGR Head of Content, when giving the service a 3 out of 5 for variety. 

There also isn’t an option to customize the meals either, so you’re locked into how the meals are made. That being said, if you’re not on a specific meal plan and want things to be as easy as possible, Fuel Meals is a good choice.

Our biggest callout is the price, which earns 2 out of 5 stars. Fuel Meals are packed with protein, but they’re a little expensive. To learn more, you can read our full Fuel Meals review.

If you’re looking for something a little more affordable, EveryPlate is a good choice.

Purple Carrot is a 100% vegan meal delivery service that has meal kits and prepared meals that are ready in less than five minutes. When signing up, you choose how many meals you want, and then you’ll get access to the full menu. There are breakfast, lunch, and dinner options, as well as “Plantry” items—plant-based foods and snacks like sausage crumble, salad dressing, and egg scrambles.

Anthony O’Reilly, GGR performance editor and certified nutrition coach (CNC), says his favorite recipe was the “Sloppy Joe” made with extra firm tofu (see image above) and adds, “Considering this was a plant-based meal service, I was quite happy with how everything came out, and the portions were quite good.” So good, that he rated Purple Carrot a 4 out of 5 for their portion sizes.

Even if you aren’t a full-time vegan or vegetarian, you could see benefits from using Purple Carrot. “Vegetarianism isn’t for everyone, but eating just a few plant-based meals per week could have a substantial impact on your weight, health, and even the planet,” says Perry Nix MS, RD, LD.

RELATED: Best Vegan Protein Powder

You can mix and match from all the items on the menu. However, if you opt for the meal kit option, you can only choose from the meal kits. You can’t put meal kits and prepared meals in one box. That being said, you can switch it up from week to week if you want some variety.

You can’t customize meals, but there are several gluten-free options, as well as some nut- and soy-free choices. The nutritional information for each meal is listed on the website, so if you’re trying to avoid specific ingredients, you can look through meals that way. Most of the non-produce items, like beans, nut milks, and tofu, are organic, but other than that, the company prioritizes ingredient quality as best it can, getting a 5 out of 5 from Anthony.

The downside to Purple Carrot is that you can only get four meals per week, and they’re not exactly cheap, earning 3 out of 5 for the price. However, you can choose from two to four servings per meal, so if you’re the only one eating, you can stretch meals out that way.

Read our full Purple Carrot review to learn more.

If you’re looking for a great option that’s not plant-based, our pick for the best overall meal delivery service for weight loss is Diet-To-Go.

Trifecta makes healthy eating easier by offering two main options: prepared meals and bulk meal prep options. Each meal plan includes up to 21 meals per week, but you can get as few as five if you don’t want to fill out your entire week.

There are six meal plans to choose from: Keto, Paleo, Whole30, High-Protein Vegan, High-Protein Vegetarian, and a general Clean program. 

As for the quality of these premade meals, Kate Meier— a certified personal trainer, competitive weightlifter, and GGR Head of Content— says, “I give [Trifecta] a 4 out of 5. A lot of the ingredients are organic or come from sustainable sources. The ingredients are really fresh and really healthy options. You can freeze them for up to three months, or you have to eat them within five days. They are also vacuum-packed, which I really like.”

However, as Perry Nix MS, RD, LD, says, there are downsides to opting for prepared meals. “Learning to cook nutritious meals at home is essential for sustainable weight loss. Relying on food delivery programs like Trifecta to provide nourishing meals is only a short-term solution and doesn’t help you develop the true behavior changes needed for long-term weight loss.” 

We also had some testers who weren’t big fans of the meals, such as certified personal trainer Anthony O’Reilly, who said it was good for the “food is fuel” crowd. Matt Dustin, CSCS, also agreed, saying they taste decent but not great. Matt gives Trifecta Meals 3 out of 5 for the flavor.

RELATED: High-Protein Foods for Weight Loss

Trifecta does offer a meal prep program as well, and rather than pre-made meals, you can choose from a la carte cooked bulk items. There are different proteins, carbohydrates, and vegetable options, like chicken breast, grass-fed burgers, sweet potato, and broccoli. These foods also arrive fully cooked, but you can mix and match them to put together your own meals.

While you can’t totally customize your meals, you can make a handful of small requests, like removing specific proteins or fish from your meal plan. Shipments go out weekly, but you can cancel at any time. Trifecta also offers a money-back guarantee on your first order. If you don’t like the food, you can request a refund for up to seven meals.

Our testers had a pretty positive experience with Trifecta. The reviewers on Trustpilot, not so much. The service has a rating of 1.7 out of 5, with users citing issues with meal quality and customer service. So, that may be something to consider.

Want to learn more? Check out our full Trifecta meal delivery review.

If you want to check out another great option for fully prepared meals, Factor is worth considering.

Some meal kits can be cost-prohibitive, but EveryPlate’s main goal is to make meal delivery accessible to more people. The meals start at $4.99 per serving, and each recipe serves two or four, depending on which box size you choose, and earn 4 out of 5 stars for the price. In addition to choosing the serving size, you can also opt for three to six recipes per week. 

New menus drop weekly, and you can choose from 26 to 30 new meals every week. Erin Chancer, GGR senior editor and certified nutrition coach, gives Everyplate a 4.5 out of 5 for how easy they make it to select, customize, and order your weekly meals. There are five plans to choose from—Nutrish and Delish, Quick and Easy, Family Faves, Veggie, and Meat and Veggie—but you can mix and match menus in each box from as many as you want.

“EveryPlate’s Nutrish & Delish menu offers meal kits with 650 calories each, which is much more sustainable than other companies offering meals with less than 400 calories,” says Perry Nix, MS, RD, LD. “With this program, you’ll learn to cook, eat healthier, and manage your calorie intake without feeling deprived, and you’ll be more likely to maintain your weight loss long-term.”

After deciding on your meals, you’ll get a box with pre-portioned ingredients and a recipe card to help you prepare the meal at home without a lot of fuss. Many of the meals come together in 30 minutes, including cooking time. When choosing your meals, you can see the estimated time commitment so you’ll know what to expect (and can avoid meals that take more than 30 minutes, if you want to).

However, Erin had this to say about the meal prep process: “[EveryPlate’s] estimations weren’t true to my experience. I spent much more time prepping everything before starting to cook, I’d say 60+ min. I chose not to follow exact directions and wait until fully prepped to begin cooking.” Because of the difficulty and time commitment needed, Erin rated EveryPlate a 2 out of 5 for ease of preparation, but agreed that this is the best meal delivery option for the price.

There aren’t any specialized diet options, rather than the categories mentioned above, but you can occasionally make small substitutions if you want to switch out the veggie side or main protein. Also, since this is a meal kit, you can omit ingredients from the recipe when you’re cooking it if you need to avoid a specific food.

Read our EveryPlate meal kit delivery review to learn more about our experience with this service.

If you want a meal delivery service that doesn’t require any cooking and don’t mind spending a little more money, we recommend trying Diet-To-Go.

Home Chef offers low-carb, low-calorie, and plant-based meal kits, as well as some quick prep meals that are ready to go right in the oven. Unlike some of the other companies, there aren’t specific meal plans or programs. 

When signing up, you can opt for two to six recipes per week, and choose enough ingredients for two, four, or six people, which makes it a good option for families. We give Home Chef 4 out of 5 stars for meal plans and customization. Many meal kit companies cap out at four servings per recipe. Boxes are delivered weekly—you’re billed when your order ships—but you can cancel or skip a week anytime.

GGR product tester Emily Chidester rated the portion sizes 5 out of 5, saying, “My husband and I love these meals, frequently getting more than the three we typically order because they are so easy to make and are delicious. They send you the recipes, so we’ve definitely made some of the meals on our own without the meal kits, too, because we love them so much. Many of the meals have wonderful sauces that just make the dish absolutely perfect. We’ve learned a lot about cooking just from making different recipes.”

When you sign up, you’ll get access to the full menu, which includes about 36 main meals and various extras, like goat cheese or smoothies. When browsing, you can narrow it down by ingredients and prep time, and also sort by some specifics like low-calorie and carb-conscious.

RELATED: Best Protein Powder for Weight Loss

The menus change each week to help prevent food boredom and keep you on track, earning 5 out of 5 for variety. Because there aren’t specific meal plans, you may not find as much variety as you would with more targeted programs. However, you can eliminate some ingredients to help customize the meals to your needs a little bit.

“Using Home Chef meal kits may help you improve your diet, but long-term weight loss is dependent upon changing multiple lifestyle factors,” Perry Nix MS, RD, LD, adds. “In addition to cooking healthy meals at home, you’ll want to implement healthy sleep, movement, and stress management habits.”

For more, be sure to read our full Home Chef review.

If you’re not shopping for a family and don’t mind individual meals, you may also love Factor.

If you’re looking for keto meals, Factor is the heat-and-eat meal delivery service for you. There’s a dedicated keto plan that offers six to 18 meals per week. There are also vegan meals and veggie options, plus high-protein and low-calorie choices. 

There are about 35 delicious meals to choose from each week. Since the menu isn’t entirely keto, you might have to repeat some meals if you sign up for the largest plan, but you can also mix and match from the entire menu if you’re not strictly low-carb.

RELATED: Best Keto Meal Delivery Service

Amanda Capritto, CPT, CNC, CES, CF-L1, and GGR staff writer, says, “The steaks actually were pink in the middle even after microwaving and didn’t turn into shoe leather, so shoutout to Factor for that. I did season most of the meals for extra flavor.” She was also very impressed by the portion sizes, saying, “This is the only meal service I tried that had ample portions! These meals can fill up a triathlete in the middle of a tough training block, so they can fill up just about anyone. Some of these are quite high in calories for one meal (750-800), just something to be cognizant of depending on your goals.” Amanda rates Factor a 4.5 out of 5 for their portions.

When your meals arrive, you throw them in the microwave or the oven and they’ll be ready in minutes without any prep work (or much cleanup). In addition to heat-and-eat entrees, you can also add premade smoothies, sides, and snacks to your box if you want to supplement your meals during the week.

Because these meals range in calories from 350 to 900 and focus on protein, complex carbs, and veggies, someone wanting to lose weight may prefer a little more guidance in the nutrition department, says Perry Nix, MS, RD LD, and this is where their nutrition coaching program may be beneficial. With your subscription, you can sign up for a 20-minute virtual session with a nutrition coach who can help you design your meal plan.

Factor is a recurring subscription and boxes are delivered weekly. They’re high-quality, but somewhat expensive, earning 3 out of 5 for the price. But you can edit your order, skip a shipment, and/or cancel at any time. 

Lastly, while she loves the convenience of these microwave-ready meals, Amanda rates Factor a 2 out of 5 for sustainability due to the abundance of plastic containers.

For more, check out our in-depth Factor Meals Review.

If you want something a bit cheaper and don’t mind cooking your own meals with ready-to-go ingredients, EveryPlate is a good choice.

Green Chef is one of the only certified organic meal delivery companies, making it one of the best healthy meal delivery services. All produce and eggs are organic and sourced from reputable suppliers, while proteins are raised with high animal welfare standards. You can also upgrade to organic beef or chicken and wild-caught seafood. If organic ingredients aren’t available for some reason, Green Chef will let you know before swapping anything out. This is a meal kit delivery service, so you’ll get a box full of ingredients each week, plus a recipe card to help you put your meals together. 

GGR performance editor and certified nutrition coach (CNC) Anthony O’Reilly has tried Green Chef, as well as other meal delivery services like Home Chef and HelloFresh, and says it’s on par with the best of them in terms of taste and quality. “I think my one qualm with Green Chef is there aren’t as many options as HelloFresh or Home Chef. The portions are a bit too small for my taste as well, but I understand their target audience isn’t people who are 6 feet, 3 inches tall and exercise for a living.”

Nicole Davis, GGR senior editor and certified personal trainer (CPT)—who is not 6 feet, 3 inches tall—agrees with Anthony, saying, “I’m not impressed with the portion size—this is the only service I tried in which I felt this way. I could easily eat one and some of another.” For portion size, Nicole rated Green Chef a 3 out of 5.

There are seven meal plans to choose from, most of which are catered to a very specific type of diet. You can choose from high-protein meals, keto, vegan, vegetarian, Mediterranean diet, gluten-free, and Fast and Fit, which includes low-calorie recipes that are ready in 25 minutes or less. 

Regardless of which meal plan(s) you choose, you’ll get access to the whole menu each week. New menus drop weekly, and you’ll have 32 options to choose from, earning Green Chef 5 out of 5 stars for variety. Green Chef’s keto and paleo meal plans contain 600 to 800 calories per serving, which may make being in a calorie deficit for weight loss more difficult, Perry says. That said, you’ll likely feel full between meals and may snack less throughout the day. 

Each recipe can serve two, four, or six people (you’ll choose your preference at sign up) and you can opt for two or four meals weekly. The price starts at $11.99 per serving, but depends on how many meals (and servings) you choose. We give this 3 out of 5 for the price per serving.

You can also throw add-ons, like chopped salads and ready-to-eat breakfasts, into your weekly box for an extra fee. The packaging is also eco-friendly and recyclable.

For more, check out our in-depth Green Chef Review.

If you want an option with larger portion sizes, Fuel Meals is our recommendation.

Freshology (part of Diet-to-Go) is a meal delivery service that focuses on five specific types of diets: low-calorie, low-calorie diabetes-friendly, low-carb/keto, Mediterranean, and vegetarian. When signing up, you choose your plan, then opt for delivery five or seven days per week. From there, you can choose two daily meals (this excludes breakfast) or three meals a day. Freshology earns 5 out of 5 for variety.

All meals arrive cooked and ready to eat. If you live close to the brand’s facilities, the meals arrive fresh; if you live further away, meals are flash-frozen to preserve freshness. You can heat them up in the microwave within three minutes or cook them in the oven if you prefer, so we give this service 5 out of 5 stars for ease of preparation.

To add some variety and help prevent food boredom, the menus for each plan are on a five-week rotation. In other words, your meal plan will repeat every five weeks, but you can swap meals and make substitutions at any time. Ingredients and nutrition facts are listed for each meal to help you narrow down your choices if you have dietary restrictions. You can also change your plan at any time during your subscription, so if you want to try several of the diet plans, you have that option.

Matt Dustin, CSCS, PN1-NC, tested Freshology and gave the meals 3 out of 5 stars for the taste. “Some of the meals were very good, better than expected, but some were very tough to eat,” Matt says. “In particular, a grilled cheese sandwich came pre-cooked, but the bread was extremely tough, and the cheese in the middle was nearly frozen.”

Freshology’s Balance menu is available in 1200- and 1600 calorie-per-day options, which is likely too little for most active adults, says Perry Nix, MS, RD, LD. “However, this plan and the Vegetarian meal plan adhere to the guidelines of the American Diabetes Association, American Cancer Society, and USDA for cholesterol, sodium, and fat, making them heart-healthy options for those wanting to manage their blood pressure and limit cholesterol intake while on a weight loss journey.”

The price starts at just under $10 per meal, which is a 3 out of 5 for value, but fluctuates depending on your commitment—if you opt-in for the full 21 meals per week, you’ll get a better per-meal price. Read our Freshology meal delivery service review for an in-depth look at this service.

If you want more variety, you might like the wide selection offered by Factor.

Many meal delivery services offer some gluten-free options, but Epicured’s entire menu is safe for those with gluten intolerance (or anyone avoiding gluten for personal reasons). All equipment, surfaces, and tools are cleaned and sanitized before and after each use, and tested for gluten by a registered dietitian. 

There are more than 50 meals to choose from, and you can plan up to four weeks at once; you can also sign up for a single week if you prefer to try a smaller quantity before you commit. You can sort meals by a number of dietary preferences and restrictions, like extra sensitive, GERD-friendly, pescatarian, dairy-free, egg-free, and fish-free. You can also filter by nutritional needs, like low-fat, low-sodium, low-sugar, and high-protein.

RELATED: Best Gluten-Free Meal Delivery

“They had a good variety, but not the most that I’ve seen on other food delivery sites,” says Lindsay Scheele, GGR lead product tester. There are full entrees like pulled BBQ chicken, as well as lighter fare like soups and turkey chili, and other sides and snacks. Overall, Lindsay gave this 3.5 out of 5 stars for variety.

A low-FODMAP (short-chain sugar carbohydrates) diet, characteristic of Epicured’s meals, is very restrictive and generally not recommended long-term, Perry Nix MS, RD, LD, says. “When someone follows a low-FODMAP diet, they’re typically advised to slowly reintroduce eliminated foods to determine which sugars are responsible for their uncomfortable digestive symptoms. If you needed to pause or discontinue your Epicured meal service, it would be extremely difficult to maintain a low-FODMAP diet.”

Food arrives fully cooked and chilled to preserve freshness. They last three to five days in the refrigerator, but you can freeze them to increase their shelf-life. There’s no limit to the number of meals you can order each week—you just add whatever you want to your box and you’ll pay per meal.

The meals average around $15, which is higher than some of the other options, but these are specialized and made with nourishing ingredients that are designed to promote gut health. In other words, a slightly higher cost isn’t surprising, but with the average meal costing $15, we only give this 2 out of 5 stars for value.

As for the taste, “There were some real hits and real misses, the mac and cheese and brownies were incredible. Everything else lacked a little in flavor,” says Lindsay. She ended up giving Epicured a 2.5 out of 5 in this category.

For more, you can read our complete Epicured review.

If you want a more affordable option, we recommend trying EveryPlate.