Best Meal Delivery Service for Families (2024): Making Family Dinners More Manageable

Ferris Bueller said it best—“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop to look around once in a while, you could miss it.” And ain’t that the truth? Life seems to get busier and busier, especially when you add kids into the mix.

If you feel like your family meals are the first thing to go when the schedule gets out of hand, you’re not alone. Maybe you don’t have enough time in the day or enough energy in the tank to prepare well-balanced meals. Either way, meal delivery services can help.

RELATED: High-Protein Meal Delivery

We’ve tried over 40 meal delivery services, putting them all through our rigorous testing methodology, and we’ve compiled a list of the 10 best meal delivery services for families. We considered factors like:

• Price per serving
• Ordering flexibility
• Taste
• Ease of preparation
• Portion sizes
• Ingredient quality
• Meal variety
• Meal plans and customization
• Access to nutrition information
• Packaging and shipping
• Sustainability efforts
• Customer service

Our team of registered dietitians, certified personal trainers, nutrition coaches, athletes, and parents considered every aspect of the best meal delivery service for families to provide you with as much information as we can so you can make an informed decision for your family. If you’re looking for a meal service that fits your family’s lifestyle and nutrition needs, then check out our top picks.

Medical disclaimer: This article is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. For health advice, contact a licensed healthcare provider.

10 Best Meal Delivery Services for Families

• Best Meal Delivery for Families Overall: HelloFresh
• Best Meal Delivery for Babies and Toddlers: Little Spoon
• Best Meal Delivery for Kids and Teens: Nurture Life
• Best Budget Meal Delivery for Families: Dinnerly
• Best Prepared Meal Delivery for Families: Magic Kitchen
• Best Meal Delivery for Busy Families: Gobble
• Best Meal Delivery for Picky Eaters: Hungryroot
• Best Plant-Based Meal Delivery for Families: Purple Carrot
• Best Organic Meal Delivery for Families: Green Chef
• Best Meal Delivery for Families Who Like to Cook: EveryPlate

Best Meal Delivery for Families Overall: HelloFresh

Good for: Families who don’t mind a bit of cooking.

Best Overall

HelloFresh

GGR Score: 4.1

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Product Highlights

• Meal service that delivers ingredients and recipes
• 6 different plans available, including vegan and pescatarian options
• Can swap out different proteins and sides
• Can purchase between 2 and 6 meals, in portions to feed 2 or 4 people
• 40 weekly recipes to choose from
• Sourced from U.S. farmers

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Saves on meal-prepping
• Can swap out ingredients
• Chef-curated recipes
• Sourced from U.S. farmers
• 6 meal plans to choose from

Cons

• Customer reviews complain about ingredient inconsistencies
• Some reviews claim meal portions are small

Bottom Line

HelloFresh is a subscription meal delivery service that provides ingredients and recipes for weekly meals. They provide six different plans, including plant-based, pescatarian, and quick and easy meals. Additionally, 40 different recipes are available each week, and proteins and sides can be swapped out as needed. The subscription is flexible, as you can skip a week, pause, or cancel your account at any time.

Whether cooking for yourself or your whole household, HelloFresh has a plan that can meet your nutrition demands. Each week, you’ll choose from more than 30 recipes to design a meal delivery that serves your family well.

To start, you’ll answer a few questions about what you need in a meal plan. Here, you can request family-friendly meals or what HelloFresh calls “kid-tested recipes.” You can also customize how many meals and servings you’d like delivered every week. You can order two to six weekly meals with two or four servings each.

So, what can you expect in your meal kit? HelloFresh meal kits come with step-by-step instructions and all the pre-measured high-quality ingredients you need for each meal. Each wholesome recipe should take no more than six steps and can be ready in about 30 minutes. Talk about HelloFresh setting you up for success!

Our testers rated HelloFresh 4.13 out of 5 overall with deductions stemming from the price per meal and the occasional not-so-fresh ingredients. Registered dietitian and regular GGR contributor Perry Nix, RD, LD, shares her perspective on HelloFresh:

“I really like that Hello Fresh offers Family Friendly meal choices. As a mom of two young children, it can be difficult to find nutritious meals that everyone will eat. Also, since you cook these meals at home, the kids can help prepare their meals, which inspires them to taste new foods.”

GGR’s SEO Director Ashley Little, who has used HelloFresh for years, says, “There are around 5-8 meals that I consider my favorites that I like to choose when they are in the rotation, but I’m regularly able to expand my palate and try something new, especially with the seasonal options they include,” when rating HelloFresh a 4 out of 5. She adds that some ingredients weren’t very fresh upon delivery (3.5 out of 5) but appreciated that most meals only require one or two dirty dishes, making cleanup easy!

For more, check out our in-depth HelloFresh Review.

Best Meal Delivery for Babies and Toddlers: Little Spoon

Good for: Families in the thick of the toddler years.

Best for Babies and Toddlers

Little Spoon

GGR Score: 4

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Product Highlights

• Kid-specific meal delivery service
• Options for babies and toddlers 
• Fresh meals store up to 14 days in refrigerator, 3 months in freezer
• All meals are nut-free
• Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free options

Pros & Cons

Pros

• All meals are nut-free
• Limited amount of added salt and sugar
• Suitable for a variety of dietary needs

Cons

• Limited menu
• Subscription plans only
• Shipping is not included

Bottom Line

Busy parents will rejoice in picker-eater approved menu items with hidden vegetables and wholesome ingredients from Little Spoon, a kid-specific meal delivery service. Little Spoon has meal options for babies who are not yet eating solid foods, little ones moving to bite-size pieces, toddlers eating finger foods, and smoothies for on-the-go snacks. Subscription plans offer biweekly delivery cadence that can be skipped, paused, or canceled at any time.

Whether you’re navigating baby-led weaning or trying to introduce new foods to your rapidly growing toddler, Little Spoon might be your MVP. Little Spoon is a comprehensive meal delivery service that caters to our kids—from the baby days to the big kid years.

Certified nutrition coach, personal trainer, and GGR Senior Editor Nicole Davis rated Little Spoon a 4 out of 5 rating, with deductions coming from shipping times (2.5 out of 5) and lack of customization options (3 out of 5). Little Spoon focuses on flavors kids crave with ingredients parents can feel good about. The toddler and kids meals have hidden veggies and preservative-free ingredients to offer balanced nutrition without the junk. And when it comes to protein sources, Little Spoon relies on antibiotic- and hormone-free proteins. Meals can be stored in your refrigerator for up to 14 days and in your freezer for up to three months.

But the best part about Little Spoon meal deliveries, perhaps, is how it helps parents introduce new foods to their kids. “My favorite part about Little Spoon is the diversity in ingredients that babies and kids are offered through their meals. It’s helpful to expose your child to many flavors and foods to diversify their palate early on. As they grow, they’ll be more likely to try new foods, which makes meal times a lot easier for the whole family,” says Perry Nix, RD, LD, and mom of two.

You can order four to 12 meals weekly, but orders are placed two weeks at a time. Little Spoon meals and snacks may cost anywhere between $2.82 to $7.50 each, depending on the stage of meals and the size of your order. Costs may be more expensive than traditional grocery shopping, but that doesn’t account for the added convenience of prepared meals and the high-quality ingredients used. Plus, Little Spoon meals come ready to heat and eat—a major pro when you’re trying to keep up in those toddler years!

For more, check out our in-depth Little Spoon reviews.

Best Meal Delivery for Kids and Teens: Nurture Life

Good for: Families with older kids who need nutritious, customizable meals.

Best for Kids and Teens

Nurture Life

GGR Score: 4.3

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Product Highlights

• Meals for children
• Fresh food
• Easy to follow instructions 
• Balanced nutrition

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Products range from finger foods and smoothies to full meals
• Ready in one minute with microwave
• Each product states if it is a good source of protein, iron, calcium, etc.

Cons

• No adult meal options
• Must make an account to use this service
• No free shipping after first week
• No smartphone app to manage subscription

Bottom Line

Nurture Life offers nutritious full meals for kids as well as finger foods, snacks, and smoothies. Offered on a weekly basis, meals are $7.49, with the ability to get a discount and free shipping during your first week.

With so many meal delivery services focused on serving the adult population, Nurture Life is like a breath of fresh air for parents. Nurture Life is a meal service that caters to kids, offering meals, finger foods, snacks, and smoothies.

Designing your meal plan is simple. Nurture Life offers various plan sizes ranging from 6-16 items, and it even fills your cart with suggested meals and snacks. Not a fan of the suggested options? No problem. Your order is completely customizable, so you can add and delete meals according to your kids’ preferences.

“Ordering is definitely easy! Just a few clicks of a button, and you’re good to go. They do make it easy to skip a week, and canceling was also easy. There is no app, but their website is mobile friendly, and I didn’t have any issues with it,” says Brittany Combs, GGR’s social media manager. She gave Nurture Life a 5 out of 5 for ordering.

Nurture Life also makes it easy to understand the nutritional content of its meals. We all want to know that we’re feeding our kids nutritious meals, so the breakdown of nutrition highlights of Nurture Life’s meals is definitely an added bonus. 

In addition to the nutrition facts, Nurture Life shares quick facts about the meals when applicable with terms like a good source of calcium, a good source of iron, hidden veggies, and an excellent source of protein so you can make informed decisions about your order. Brittany rated Nurture Life a 2.5 out of 5 for taste, with the primary issue relating to the hidden veggies that can be tough to get past picky eaters. 

Meals cost $7.49 each, but the price decreases the more you order. The food is shipped fresh but can be stored in the freezer for up to 90 days. The kids meals are meant to serve ages one to 12, so you might need to combine the meals with other macronutrient sources to meet the needs of your active teenager.

Best Budget Meal Delivery for Families: Dinnerly

Good for: Families on a budget—AKA all of us.

Best Budget

Dinnerly

GGR Score: 4

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Product Highlights

• Meal delivery kit with fresh ingredients
• Over 100 recipes to choose from
• Flexible subscription
• Prices start around $11 per meal

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Fresh ingredients
• Recipe cards for easy preparation
• Edit, pause, or cancel subscription at any time
• Ability to choose your delivery day of the week

Cons

• Fresh ingredients need to be cooked within 4 days of delivery
• Meal selection only after signing up and entering payment information

Bottom Line

Skip the food shopping and the chopping—Dinnerly is a meal kit service that sends you fresh ingredients right to your door with most of the food preparation already done. You’ll need to sign up and provide credit card information before browsing the menu and making your selection. Meals start around $11, but the more meals in your weekly subscription, you’ll receive a slight price break.

If it seems like your budget is giving you the side-eye these days, I feel you. It can be hard to keep up with today’s rising grocery costs, especially when the kids are growing as fast as they are. Thankfully, you don’t have to sacrifice nutrition or the convenience of delivered meals to stay on budget. Dinnerly is looking out for you.

Dinnerly’s meal prices start at $4.99 and go up to $8.04 per serving, depending on the size of your order. The more you order, the cheaper your meals. There aren’t set meal plans, so you’re responsible for picking all your weekly meals. Each week, you choose from over 100 recipes, including family-friendly, fast, low-carb, vegan, and vegetarian meals, and then Dinnerly ships the necessary ingredients straight to your door.

And the best part? Your dinner recipes should take at most five steps to prepare. Our Dinnerly tester was GGR Senior Editor Nicole Davis, CPT, PN1-NC, and mom of three, who confirms the simplicity of each recipe.

“For the meals you cook, so far it’s fairly easy—I’ve made 3 so far. Prep takes 5 to 10 minutes, then about 20 minutes of cooking time, so 30 minutes total. This is about the max I like to spend in the kitchen making dinner during the week.” 

However, Nicole notes that Dinnerly doesn’t send the recipe card with the food items (possibly to keep costs low). You’ll need access to the website to pull the recipe when it’s time to cook, so she rated this service a 3 out of 5. 

“All in all, this is one of the more affordable meal kit services by far,” says Nicole.

RELATED: Cheapest Meal Delivery Service

Best Prepared Meal Delivery for Families: Magic Kitchen

Good for: Families who have dietary restrictions but don’t have time to cook.

Best Prepared

Magic Kitchen

GGR Score: 4

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Product Highlights

• Frozen ingredients 
• Semi-prepared food 
• Easy to follow instructions
• No automatic shipping

Pros & Cons

Pros

• The food is all gluten-free and great for those with dietary restrictions
• There is a wide variety of fish, meats, carbs, and vegetables
• Products are both sold a la carte and as complete meals

Cons

• The meal bundle cannot be customized
• No free shipping
• No smartphone app to manage subscription

Bottom Line

Magic Kitchen is a meal delivery service that is entirely gluten-free with other options for those with dietary restrictions. The service allows you to individually select the meals that you would like, but you cannot choose auto shipments. Products range from $9.99 to $392.99 depending on whether you buy individual dishes or the gluten-free meal bundle.

Magic Kitchen’s mission is to provide nutritious and delicious meals for individuals and families with specific dietary needs. Choose from dialysis, low-carb, low-sodium, low-fat, and diabetes-friendly options, among others, and rest assured that your meals are designed by dietitians and prepared by top-notch chefs.

Magic Kitchen meals arrive frozen and microwave or oven-ready, meaning you can have a home-cooked dinner in minutes. Talk about easy meals. Plus, your order is completely customizable. You can order as much or as little as you want—either get through the week or stock your freezer full to have meals on hand as needed. Prices vary between meals, depending on the type of meal and number of servings you order.

If ordering off the a la carte menu, you can choose family-style meal deliveries where multiple servings of the same recipe are delivered. Examples of family meals include Roasted Turkey Breast, Beef Lasagna, Chicken Pot Pie, and Beef Shepherd’s Pie.

Our meal tester, Stephanie Lehner, gave Magic Kitchen a 3 out of 5 rating for taste (she found some meals bland) and a 4 out of 5 for ease of preparation. “Most meals did not require much work. I either put them in the oven or microwave. Some required more time than what was stated on the package. The few that I made in the microwave were extremely quick and easy to prepare,” says Stephanie

She went on to say, “The cleanup was minimal! At most, I had to clean the dishes or a cookie tray if I placed the packages on the tray to be heated in the oven.” Anyone who has cleaned up after a big family meal knows that’s a SCORE!

RELATED: Prepared Meal Delivery

Best Meal Delivery for Busy Families: Gobble

Good for: Families who don’t have a minute to spare cooking their meals.

Best for Busy Families

Gobble

GGR Score: 3.6

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Product Highlights

• Weekly subscription meal kits
• Fresh ingredients
• Semi-prepared food
• Easy-to-follow instructions

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Fresh ingredients
• Prepare dinner in 15 minutes
• Ability to skip a week
• Wide range of meals to choose from
• Seasonal Thanksgiving meal boxes available

Cons

• No smartphone app to manage subscription
• No free shipping after first week

Bottom Line

Gobble is a meal kit delivery service with three meal plans including: Classic, Lean and Clean, Vegetarian. Regardless of which plan you choose, you’ll have fresh ingredients show up at your doorstep that are mostly prepared and ready for your final touches. Depending on how many meals are in your subscription per week, prices range from $16.99 to $11.99 per meal.

The best meal kits prioritize efficiency and ease for their customers, and Gobble understood the assignment. Gobble delivers chef-prepped meal kits that get your meals ready and on the table in 15 minutes or less.

Start by choosing your meals from Gobble’s diverse weekly menu, including low-carb, pescatarian, and vegetarian options. Then, Gobble chefs get to work preparing your fresh ingredients. When your meals arrive at your door, there’s no measuring, chopping, or dirty dishes required in your meal prep! And since meals can be prepared quickly, busy families have more time to spend together.

Servings cost between $11.99 and $16.99, depending on how many meals are included in your order. You can order two to five meals per week with two or four servings of each meal. Gobble offers globally inspired flavors and family-friendly recipes, such as Pesto Lasagna Rolls with Broccolini and Grape Tomatoes and Grilled Filet Mignon Kebabs with Saffron Rice. Plus, meals can be prepared dairy-free, nut-free, and wheat-free by withholding certain ingredients from your recipes.

Tester Lauren Strong, GGR staff writer and certified personal trainer (CPT), gave Gobble a rating of 3.5 out of 5 based on meal plan customization availability and a 4 out of 5 for variety, calling out Gobble’s “big menu selection [that] looks like it constantly changes.”

Perry Nix, RD, LD, adds, “Gobble is great for busy families who prefer not to eat frozen dinners. The menu is extremely diverse, with everything from global cuisine to classic comfort food. Meals include protein, carbs, and vegetables to provide you with the nutrients and energy you need to feel good.”

For more, read our in-depth Gobble reviews.

Best Meal Delivery for Picky Eaters: Hungryroot

Good for: Families who need to customize their meals.

Best for Picky Eaters

Hungryroot

GGR Score: 4.4

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Product Highlights

• Grocery delivery meets meal kit
• Meal delivery service that sends you ingredients based on recipes you like
• Many recipes only take 10 minutes to prepare
• Starts at $70 per box

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Simple and quick
• Caters to many styles of eating
• Can add on groceries to your order

Cons

• You do have to cook
• Have to meet plan minimum each week (though you can adjust your minimum on a weekly basis)

Bottom Line

Hungryroot offers a unique take on meal delivery, in that you find a recipe you like, and the company will send you all of the ingredients to make it. There are many options for types of food to choose from, and you can even order extra groceries that you might need as well. You do have to cook though, so if that's not interesting to you, this won't be the right plan.

If you have picky eaters at home, you might be searching for a meal kit you can customize — so you can prepare meals your kids will actually eat. (We’ll get through this picky stage, fellow parents!) If that sounds like your house, Hungryroot might be your answer.

Hungryroot isn’t a traditional meal kit delivery service. Instead, it puts a fun twist on your everyday grocery shopping by providing personalized recommendations and accompanying recipes. It saves you time and gives you freedom to prepare your own meals.

To get started, Hungryroot asks you to take a quick quiz, giving them an idea of how many people you’re feeding, your family’s dietary preferences, and your health goals. Then Hungryroot works its magic and creates a grocery plan that fits your needs! Groceries and related recipes are automatically added to your cart, but you can change your order and adjust your recipes as needed—grocery shopping with the click of a button.

Choose from more than 300 kid-friendly recipes that include premium proteins, fresh fruits and veggies, healthy snacks, and even delicious sweets. Hungryroot offers groceries for grain bowls, pasta, stir-fries, burgers, smoothies, and more.

Weekly plans vary in price, depending on how much food you order. However, plans start at $65 per delivery, comparable to today’s typical grocery bills. GGR’s head of content, Kate Meir, NASM-CPT, USAW-L1, CF-L1, put Hungryroot’s subscription to the test, ordering four lunch and dinner servings. One of the main perks she highlighted? “It’s completely customizable. You create your own food profile with likes/dislikes, preferences, allergies, etc.,” she says. That alone was enough for Kate to give Hungryroot a 5 out of 5 for customization.

As for ingredient quality, Kate gives this service a 4.5 out of 5, adding, “Everything is high-quality—humanely raised meat and dairy, a lot of organic fruit/vegetables/grains. I did have some things, like a bell pepper mix, that weren’t organic. However, in terms of quality, everything is so fresh and crisp.” 

Sounds like groceries you can feel good about feeding your family.

Best Plant-Based Meal Delivery for Families: Purple Carrot

Good for: Families who live a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle.

Best Plant-Based

Purple Carrot

GGR Score: 4

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Product Highlights

• Vegan meal kits and prepared meals
• Breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and pantry items available
• Boxes ship weekly
• Quick prep options (meals that take less than 25 minutes)
• Most non-produce items are organic

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Has meal kits and prepared meals
• Can choose from the whole menu
• All meals and snacks are available
• Menus change weekly

Cons

• Can’t mix and match meal types
• No option for add-on proteins
• Maxes out at 4 meals per week
• Limited meal choices

Bottom Line

Purple Carrot offers vegan meal kits and prepared meals. There are no specific meal plans, but you can choose from the full menu, which includes breakfasts, lunches, dinners and “plantry” items—add-on products like brownie bites and salad dressing. You can’t mix and match meal types, though.

Purple Carrot specializes in vegan meals, offering customers meal kits and pre-cooked meal options. Whether you like to make your meals from scratch or heat up healthy meals in the microwave, Purple Carrot has something for the whole family.

You can order two to four meals per week with two or four servings included. Purple Carrot offers many different meals, but you may need to be strategic about choosing family-friendly options. For example, Peanut Pad Thai Noodles and Charred Corn Salad sound delicious, but they may not be top picks for the kids.

Prices start at $11 and go up to $13.25 per serving, comparable to the average takeout meal. Purple Carrot does not accommodate many dietary restrictions outside of gluten-free, nut-free, and soy-free. However, you can filter the meal options for high-protein and low-calorie options.

GGR’s performance editor, Anthony O’Reilly, CPT, CNC, put Purple Carrot to the test and reported back with positive results:

“I only went with the meal kit (the stuff you make at home). The ingredients were fresh, and I thought everything tasted really good! My favorite was the sloppy Joe (with tofu instead of meat). Considering this was a plant-based meal service, I was quite happy with how everything came out, and the portions were quite good.” He rated Purple Carrot a 5 out of 5 for taste and a 4 out of 5 for portion size, respectively.

Last but not least, you can order plant-based add-on grocery items through their “Plantry” section. So if foods like vegan cream cheese, crab cakes, or bacon strike your fancy, you can easily include them in your shipment.

RELATED: Plant-Based Meal Delivery

Best Organic Meal Delivery for Families: Green Chef

Good for: Families who prioritize organic ingredients.

Best Organic

Green Chef

GGR Score: 3.92

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Product Highlights

• Certified organic meal kit delivery service
• Meal kits can feed two, four, or six people
• New menus drop weekly; you can choose from 32 meals each week
• Add-ons, like prepared breakfasts and salads, available for an extra charge
• Delivers almost everywhere in the continental U.S.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Offers several specialized diet plans
• Can mix and match meal plans
• New meals drop weekly
• Most ingredients are organic and high-quality

Cons

• On the expensive side (but ingredients are organic)
• Shipping fee

Bottom Line

If you want high-quality and/or organic ingredients, Green Chef is a good option that can feed two to six people per recipe. There are several specialized diets to choose from, and you can mix and match from weekly menus to suit your needs.

Green Chef is a nutritious meal delivery service that caters to many different lifestyle preferences and dietary needs, including gluten-free, plant-based, keto, and Mediterranean. But what caught our eye when researching family meal services was the abundance of organic options Green Chef had to offer.

Green Chef is the first meal kit company to be certified by the California Certified Organic Farmers, and those standards carry into their products. Green Chef recipes include sources of organic produce, eggs, beef, chicken, and wild-caught seafood. And all ingredients go through extensive screening to meet their high-quality standards.

RELATED: Best Organic Meal Delivery

Setting up your subscription is easy—so easy our testers gave ordering a 4 out of 5. Choose a delivery plan that fits your lifestyle preferences and dietary needs. Then, order chef-curated meals from their list of more than 80 weekly menu options and wait for them to arrive at your door. Green Chef recipes are delivered with pre-portioned ingredients, meaning there’s no measuring while your kids scream, “MOM, MOM, MOM!” or “DAD, DAD, DAD!” 

Where Green Chef falters on the scorecard is the price per meal, ease of preparation, and portion size, all receiving 3 out of 5. GGR’s senior editor, Nicole Davis, CPT, PN1-NC, and mom of three, put Green Chef to the test, saying:

“The meals take about 30 minutes to cook, which is the most I’d want to spend cooking during the week. They do require multiple pieces of equipment, but it lists what you need on the recipe card.”

Depending on your family’s needs, you can order two to six servings of two to four meals per week. Prices range from $11.99 to $13.49 per serving, but remember, Green Chef prioritizes organic ingredients.

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

Best Meal Delivery for Families Who Like to Cook: EveryPlate

Good for: Families who like to spend time bonding in the kitchen.

Best for Cooking

EveryPlate

GGR Score: 4.1

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Product Highlights

• Meal kit delivery service with five menu plans to choose from
• Kits included pre-portioned ingredients and recipe cards
• Approximately 26 recipes to choose from each week
• Recipes serve two or four people
• Can opt for three to six recipes per week

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Low price per serving
• Can mix and match from all meal plans
• New menus drop weekly
• Most meals take less than 30 minutes to prepare

Cons

• Doesn’t cater to any specialized diets
• No substitution options
• Not a lot of focus on ingredient quality

Bottom Line

EveryPlate is a low-cost meal kit delivery service that offers new meals weekly. If you don’t have dietary restrictions or need to follow a specialized diet, it could be a good option for you.

Cooking with kids can be tricky, but some of the best memories are made in the kitchen. If you like to cook with your family, EveryPlate might have the setup for you. EveryPlate recipes typically have only six steps and require about 30 minutes of cooking time, meaning it’s realistic to get your kids involved in the process.

To get started, decide the number of meals and servings you want delivered weekly. Then, choose from 26 chef-curated recipes, such as the Crispy Southwest Chicken Sandwich, Caramelized Zucchini Linguini, and Pork Loaded Sweet Potatoes. Then, EveryPlate does the grocery shopping for you, sending you all the ingredients you need to be a home chef.

Perry Nix, RD, LD, uses EveryPlate meal delivery  for her family and says, “I was tired of meal planning and making the same meals over and over again. I’m now cooking with new ingredients I wouldn’t typically buy at the store, and my family enjoys the variation in meals.”

GGR product tester and certified nutrition coach (CNC) Erin Chancer rates EveryPlate a 4 out of 5 for taste and variety, but notes, “You will have a fair amount of cleanup, from pots, pans, and cutting boards.” So, be ready to put your kids on dish-duty after dinner.

Prices range from $4.99 to $7.49 per meal, depending on the number of weekly meals and servings you order. Of note—to keep costs low, EveryPlate does not cater to special diets.

Other Meal Delivery Services for Families We Researched

Meal delivery services are game changers when it comes to eating well-balanced meals as a family. While we’ve listed 10 of our favorite options above, there are others worth mentioning as well:

• Sunbasket: Sunbasket is a meal delivery service that offers meal kits and prepared meals. They feature meals that fit a variety of lifestyle choices, such as paleo, keto, Mediterranean, carb-conscious, gluten-free, pescatarian, and vegetarian. Meal kits start at $11.49 per serving before any available savings. You can also round out your order with market options like snacks and specialty meats. Sunbasket earned a 3 and 2.75 out of 5 for portion size and ingredient quality, so they didn’t quite make the cut.  
• Blue Apron: Blue Apron is a fresh ingredient and recipe delivery service that helps you cook your meals at home. You can order two to five meals per week with two or four servings per meal. You choose your recipes each week and can update your dietary preferences as needed. Meals start at $7.99 when ordering the maximum weekly meals and servings. However, putting together these meals can take a lot of prep and clean-up  (2.5 out of 5).
• Home Chef: With Home Chef, you can choose from over 30 meals and 18 extras each week. Fresh ingredients are delivered to your door, ready to prepare a well-balanced meal of your choosing. Meals start at $12, and you can even find Home Chef meals in select grocery stores. Home Chef also received a lower score for ease of preparation (2 out of 5) and price per meal (3 out of 5).

RELATED: Blue Apron Vs HelloFresh Vs Home Chef

How We Picked and Tested the Best Meal Delivery Services for Families

We weren’t messing around when we set out to find the best meal delivery services for families. We’re a team of certified personal trainers, athletes, nutrition coaches, and, most importantly, parents, so we know how important it is to trust what we feed our families. And we know you feel the same way, too. 

We relied on our professional and personal experiences and consulted registered dietitians to examine these meal delivery services from every angle. Below is a breakdown of some of the main criteria we grade on:

Price Per Serving

In our research, we found that meal delivery services can cost less than $8 or up to $16 per meal. Prices that were on the higher end were examined for cost vs. factors like portion size, while prices below this average were questioned for affordability vs. factors like ingredient quality. 

Taste 

Subscribing to a meal delivery service for your family only makes sense if your kids will actually eat the meals, so we prioritized taste in our research. We included our kids in the trials, so we have the inside scoop on whether or not the meals were kid-friendly. We also took customer reviews into consideration.

Ease of Preparation

Meal delivery services offer a wide range of options, from fully prepared meals to those that require cooking and cleanup. We looked at how involved the preparation process is and how helpful the directions are. 

Ingredient Quality

No matter how convenient a meal delivery service is, the meal probably won’t meet your expectations if the ingredients aren’t fresh or have a shorter shelf-life. Considering whether the meals are fresh or frozen, we examine if all the ingredients look and taste up to par. 

Benefits of Meal Delivery Services for Families

Meal delivery services can require an investment in more ways than one, but many families find them worth their while. Meal delivery services can also offer a wide range of benefits for families you may want to think about:

Convenience

Efficiency is the name of the game when it comes to parenthood, and having groceries or prepared meals delivered to your doorstep is about as efficient as it gets. Meal services help you skip the grocery store—and the dreaded candy aisle—and make serving well-balanced meals convenient for your family.

Meal Planning

Decision fatigue is real, especially when managing an entire household. By dinner time, my brain has all but shut down, drawing a blank on what to cook. Scheduling your meal deliveries helps you plan your meals ahead of time, ensuring your family will have a nutritious meal on the table after a long day.

Sustainability

As food waste¹ contributes to environmental concerns, we’re searching for ways to support sustainability in our food industry. Meal delivery services help streamline portion sizes and keep our food-to-waste ratios within reason.

Buying Guide: What to Look for in Meal Delivery Services for Families

Families will often have different dietary needs and food preferences, so there’s no one-size-fits-all meal delivery service. However, there are a few factors to consider that can help you navigate the many options available to you:

Meal Variety

Meal variety might be a deal breaker for some meal delivery services, especially when you start accounting for foods that your kids will eat. If possible, look for a delivery service that offers a variety of meals to help you adjust to your family’s ever-changing preferences.

Portion Sizes

When investing in a meal service, you will want to know that the portions provided are helping you and your family meet your nutritional requirements². Research portion sizes to ensure your growing kiddo has enough on their plate.

Price Per Serving

With added convenience comes added cost. While meal delivery services can make mealtimes much more manageable, the cost of some could be a deal breaker. However, there’s no need to break your budget when signing up for a meal delivery service.

Before signing up for a subscription, knowing that your order will sufficiently feed your family is important. Also, consider the quality of the ingredients for the price.

Customer Service

While we all hope for a smooth sailing experience, it’s always good to know that customer service has your back should anything go wrong. Before placing an order, check out customer reviews and make note of any mention of customer service encounters. Also, ensure you have a way to reach customer service should you need it.

Sustainability Efforts  

Some families incorporate meal delivery services to reduce food waste and care for the environment. However, some meal kits can increase the use of plastics, so consider searching for companies that prioritize recycling and green manufacturing processes.

Meal Delivery Services for Families FAQs

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases.

References

1. Paritosh, K., Kushwaha, S. K., Yadav, M., Pareek, N., Chawade, A., & Vivekanand, V. (2017). Food Waste to Energy: An Overview of Sustainable Approaches for Food Waste Management and Nutrient Recycling. BioMed Research International, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/2370927
2. Faizan U, Rouster AS. Nutrition and Hydration Requirements In Children and Adults. [Updated 2022 Aug 29]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK562207/

Chelsea Rae Bourgeois, MS, RDN, LD

Chelsea Rae Bourgeois is a registered dietitian nutritionist with several years of experience working in the clinical setting. Once a track and field athlete in the Southeastern Conference, she now finds joy in combining her passions as a health writer to help people embrace their wellness through nutrition and fitness. When she’s not writing, you can find her outside with her kids or dancing to Dolly Parton in the kitchen.

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