Best Meal Delivery Service for Singles (2024): 9 Tasty Options for Solo Diners

Dinner-for-one has its perks. You get to eat exactly what you want without worrying about others’ tastes or preferences. And if you don’t want to prepare a meal for yourself, there’s good news: Many of the best meal delivery services are designed for solo diners, so you can enjoy a home-cooked meal without much cooking. 

After several weeks of trying more than 40 meal delivery services, our GGR expert testers narrowed down the options to nine of the best meal delivery services for singles. We went through the ordering process ourselves and rated each service on a variety of factors, including:

• Menu variety: Were there enough meal options to keep things exciting? And did menus regularly change?
• Portion sizes: Were the portion sizes generous? Did we feel satisfied after eating or did we wish we had more? Was there enough to satisfy solo diners without a lot of leftovers?
• Ease of preparation: Did the meals require a lot of time in the kitchen, or could you quickly cook/reheat and then get back to more important things?

We also relied on our formal education—the GGR team is made up of certified nutrition coaches, certified personal trainers, and competitive athletes—to assess ingredient quality and nutrition. And we had registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) Perry Nix share her thoughts on every service on our list, highlighting the pros and the cons.

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.

Best Meal Delivery Service for Singles

• Best Meal Delivery Service for Singles Overall: Fresh N Lean
• Best Meal Delivery Service for Singles on a Budget: Dinnerly
• Best Meal Delivery Service for Singles for Weight Loss: Diet-to-Go
• Best Meal Delivery Service for Singles for Athletes: Trifecta 
• Best Meal Kit for Singles: Hungryroot
• Best Paleo Meal Delivery Service for Singles: Ice Age Meals
• Best Keto Meal Delivery Service for Singles: Factor
• Best Organic Meal Delivery Service for Singles: Green Chef
• Best Vegan Meal Delivery Service for Singles: Purple Carrot

Best Meal Delivery Service for Singles Overall: Fresh N Lean

Good for: Singles on specialized diets who just want to nuke their meals and go

Best Overall

Fresh N Lean

GGR Score: 4.1

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Product Highlights

• Meal delivery featuring 7 different meal plans
• Gluten-free options
• Non-GMO, no artificial ingredients
• Paleo, Keto, high protein, and vegan plans
• A la carte options with a $85 minimum

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Free shipping in the Contiguous U.S.
• Low minimum of meals
• Over 100 meals to choose from

Cons

• Very little customization when choosing meal plans
• Meals can be pricey

Bottom Line

Fresh N Lean is a prepared meal delivery service that has a variety of meal plans to choose from. From those plans, you can choose how many meals you’d like weekly, and notify anyone of food preferences. In addition, you can select exact meals from their A la carte section.

Fresh N Lean earned the spot of best overall for many reasons. The company uses whole food, nutrient-dense ingredients that are sourced locally whenever possible. A lot of the ingredients are also GMO-free and organic where possible. Additionally, the meals are all pre-made and single-serving, so they’re ideal for singles who don’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen. 

And this meal delivery service got really high marks during our testing. Expert tester, certified personal trainer, and GGR Head of Content Kate Meier gave Fresh N Lean a 5 out of 5 for taste, which was extremely rare, especially for microwave meals.

“I was SHOCKED. The meals sounded good, but once I nuked them, I didn’t think by the looks of them that they would taste good…The Paleo Red Pepper Chicken with Sweet Potatoes is delicious—whatever sauce is on there is perfection, and everything was juicy and moist,” she says.

Kate tried chicken, steak, and seafood meals, as well as a breakfast option and had rave reviews for all of them. FYI: You can heat these meals in the oven if you want.

RELATED: High-Protein Meal Delivery

Fresh N Lean also scored a 5 out of 5 for variety and portion size. There really is something for everyone, even those with a lot of dietary restrictions. There are seven health-forward meal plans—Keto, Vegan, Paleo, Protein+ (high-protein), Whole30, Low-Carb Vegan, and Mediterranean. You can also stock up on a la carte cooked proteins and sides, like beef, steak, salmon, and/or brown rice if you want to do some meal prep or just need extra calories and protein. 

As-is, the meals have around 450 to 520 calories each, and Kate says the portion size was great and she couldn’t always finish hers. 

There was really nothing Kate didn’t like. The only thing that bugged her was that it wasn’t easy to cancel her subscription. You can skip deliveries in your online account, but she had to call customer service to get her subscription canceled, which was annoying. 

Best Meal Delivery Service for Singles on a Budget: Dinnerly

Good for: Those on a stricter budget who are okay with no organic ingredients

Best Budget-Friendly

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.

Dinnerly is one of the least expensive meal delivery services out there, so if you’re ballin’ on a budget, it may be worth considering. Meals start at just $4.99 per serving, about half what you’d pay for similar services like HelloFresh and Blue Apron. And if you’re a first-time customer, you can also often take advantage of promo codes that considerably cut down the price of your first box.

Dinnerly has mostly meal kits, so it’s a good option for singles who like home-cooked meals, but don’t want to spend time grocery shopping or prepping ingredients. The meal kit recipes start at two servings each, but they’ll serve double duty: You can cook once and eat for two nights (or have leftovers for lunch the next day). Plus, the cost of the two servings is equal to the cost of one from some meal delivery services.

There are a handful of prepared meals that you can throw in your box if you want, but the choices are very limited, and GGR Senior Editor and certified personal trainer (CPT) Nicole Davis says they definitely give off Lean Cuisine vibes. On the flip side, she said everything for the recipes you cook looked and tasted fresh, and she liked that you can see where the meat is sourced from on each label.

As for the variety, Nicole gave Dinnerly a score of 4 out of 5 since there are so many different meals to choose from, and the weekly menu is always changing. “I tried two weeks’ worth of this subscription and the recipes changed even within that small time period, which I think is great. I’m not sure how often they repeat, but there are options for vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, light, fast, etc. I had a hard time choosing what I wanted to try!” she says.

The potential downside of Dinnerly is that there aren’t any specific meal plans—you choose all your food from one menu—but this also gives you more meal options. If you’re more flexible with your diet preferences, this meal service is a great choice.

Additionally, we rounded up some of the cheapest meal delivery services if you’re not totally sold.

Best Meal Delivery Service for Singles for Weight Loss: Diet-to-Go

Good for: Anyone looking for low-calorie meals who doesn’t mind supplementing with healthy snacks throughout the day

Best for Weight Loss

Diet-To-Go

GGR Score: 4.1

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Product Highlights

• Meal delivery service with 5 diet plans
• Ready to heat chef-prepared meals
• Mediterranean diet and low-carb options
• Choose up to 21 meals per week
• Customized meal plans available
• New meals every 5 weeks

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Appeals to a variety of diets
• Meals are ready to eat in 3 minutes
• Can order all 21 meals for the week
• Meal plans are curated for you, but you have the option to customize it

Cons

• Very limited customization
• Doesn’t offer any organic options
• Calories are very low on the standard plan

Bottom Line

Diet-To-Go accommodates a number of dietary preferences and restrictions, but the menu doesn’t have as much variety as some of the other programs. These are heat-and-eat meals, so they’re ready to eat in three minutes.

There are a number of weight loss programs, but if we had to pick the best meal delivery for weight loss, it would be Diet-to-Go. This is mainly because the whole focus is on low-calorie meals, while others have low-calorie menu options but don’t necessarily build weekly meal plans around them.

Perry Nix, MS, RD, LD, adds that ease of preparation is a big draw here, too, saying this service is “super convenient for people who want to lose weight by improving their diet but don’t have the time to cook meals.”

However, Perry also says it’s important to be mindful of how many daily calories you’re consuming, even with weight loss in mind. Most Diet-to-Go meals contain between 300 and 500 calories, which is on the really low side. While these can provide the foundation for your day, you should be adding some healthy snacks to up the calories a little bit (900 calories is too low for most people).

GGR Lead Video Reviewer Lindsay Scheele tried Diet-to-Go and gives it 3 out of 5 points for taste and 3.5 for portion size because the portions could be a little hit or miss. Sometimes, she felt satisfied; other times, she was left feeling hungry.

The TL;DR is that Diet-to-Go is a great option to kickstart your weight loss, but it’s really only a short-term solution. You’ll either want to switch to something else after six to eight weeks or make sure you’re getting extra calories and protein from elsewhere.

Best Meal Delivery Service for Singles for Athletes: Trifecta 

Good for: Athletic people who want high-protein meals and a lot of menu variety

Best for Athletes

Trifecta

GGR Score: 4.1

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Product Highlights

• Meal plans or bulk meal options available
• All food is pre-made and arrives fresh (but you can freeze it)
• Six different menu plans, including clean, Whole30, paleo, keto, high-protein vegan, and high-protein vegetarian
• Meals are delivered weekly, but you can cancel anytime
• High-quality ingredients, with a focus on organic, locally sourced, and sustainable ingredients whenever possible

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Several types of meal plans available
• Can also choose a bulk meal prep option
• Can get breakfasts as well as entrees
• The company prioritizes high-quality ingredients
• Some customization available

Cons

• Expensive, but ingredients are high-quality
• Limited personalization available

Bottom Line

Trifecta combines convenience with healthy eating. While all meals are pre-cooked and pre-portioned, the ingredients are high-quality and preservative-free.

If you’re an athlete or need to fuel an active lifestyle, Trifecta is our pick for delicious, single-serving meals that can work within different macro goals. There are four main Trifecta meal plans—Clean, Paleo/Whole30, Keto, and Plant-Based—each with an average of 20 to 45 grams of protein per meal.

There’s also a meal prep option that makes it really easy to throw your own meals together in your preferred portion sizes. With this, you get bulk-cooked proteins, carbohydrates, and veggies (four servings per item), so you can build your meals however you want. Everything arrives fully cooked, so you’ll just reheat and eat—minimal effort required.

GGR Head of Content Kate Meier, CPT, USAW-L1, CF-L1, and GGR tester Sarah Price tried Trifecta, giving it a 5 out of 5 for variety, customization, and portion sizes. They agreed that it’s really great for macro tracking and that you get plenty of food to fill you up. There’s also a decent level of customization since you can opt to remove up to six ingredients from your meals.

The company uses high-quality ingredients, too, so our meal testers were happy about that. As far as the meals go, the taste was a little hit or miss. Some were really good, and some were just “meh,” but that’s to be expected with most meal delivery services. Kate and Sarah said they found themselves going back to the same style of meals they knew they liked, which worked really well.

The ordering process was easy, too. You can opt for a curated “Chef’s Choice” box, or you can pick your meals. You can also add on breakfast meals if you want to cover your whole day.

Read more of Kate’s thoughts in our Trifecta meal delivery review.

Best Meal Kit for Singles: Hungryroot

Good for: Those looking for a one-stop-shop for meal kits and grocery shopping

Best Meal Kit

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.

Hungryroot isn’t really a meal kit delivery service per se—it’s more of a meal kit and online grocery store mashup. While most recipes in meal kits still require 30 to 45 minutes of your time, many of Hungryroot’s recipes take just 10 minutes to prepare. 

RELATED: Best Meal Kits

Kate Meier, CPT, USAW-L1, CF-L1, actually timed it and confirmed that dinner was on the table in 10 minutes, and there was very little cleanup. She used one skillet for most meals and didn’t have to chop anything.

There are a bunch of cuisine options, from Mexican to Thai to Italian, and the company sends ingredients and recipe cards. A lot of the ingredients are already pre-cooked, so you just have to combine a few things and then heat them through. And in addition to entrees, you can add on any groceries you need for that week, so it’s really a one-stop-shop that can save you a bunch of time. 

Kate gave Hungryroot a 5 out of 5 score for multiple factors, but taste and variety of meals were two of the most notable. 

“So far, this is so good. Everything is so fresh, and you don’t need to [add] any seasoning because most foods are prepped already for you with spices,” she says.

Kate gave Hungryroot a 4 out of 5 for portion sizes, too. Most meals were between 440 and 600 calories, which worked well for her. If you’re a competitive athlete or just have higher calorie needs, you could add some additional protein or rice to each meal.

“Because it’s so customizable, you can make it almost as big or as small as you want. Every recipe gives you two servings, so you could technically get eight or more meals each time,” she says.

The only thing Kate didn’t love about Hungryroot was the ordering process, which she said was a bit confusing at first. You get used to it over time, but it’s not as easy as some of the other services. Everything arrived on-time and fresh, though, so it all worked out.

RELATED: Hungryroot Vs HelloFresh

Best Paleo Meal Delivery Service for Singles: Ice Age Meals

Good for: Paleo dieters who don’t need any other types of meals

Best Paleo

Ice Age Meals

GGR Score: 3.85

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Product Highlights

• Frozen meal delivery
• Caters to Paleo and Keto-friendly diets 
• High protein content
• No subscription plans, order whenever you like

Pros & Cons

Pros

• High-protein meals with whole-food ingredients
• Macros provided on each meal
• Free shipping
• No subscriptions

Cons

• No customization on ingredients
• Only offered in 16-, 30-, or 60-meal increments

Bottom Line

When you order from Ice Age Meals, you are in control when it comes to choosing what you want to eat and how much you order. Nearly every menu item is gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free, and nut-free. Plus, all meals offer high-quality proteins, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats. There are no subscriptions or strings attached—order in increments of 16, 30, or 60 meals and receive your box in two days.

Ice Age Meals doesn’t have the same brand recognition as some of the other meal delivery services, but it’s our favorite for paleo meal delivery, specifically. Every meal is 100% paleo, which means they’re gluten-free, soy-free, and dairy-free by definition. But the company also accommodates allergens by making meals nut-free, too (except coconut milk, which is used in a few recipes).

Because all meals are paleo, there are no specific diet plans. Instead, you just fill your box from the weekly menu. GGR tester and certified personal trainer (CPT) Lauren Strong says this actually makes things a lot easier, giving the company a 4 out of 5 for their ordering process. These are pre-made meals that are microwave- and oven-safe. And overall, Lauren says that the meals tasted really good, and the portions were large and satisfying. 

Variety could be a little lacking for some. You can choose between 16, 30, or 60 meals each week, and while they do update the menu, the meals don’t change all the time. Lauren checked on the menu a few weeks after ordering and said there were a few new options, but most stayed the same. This is okay for those who don’t care about switching things up a lot, but it could be a deterrent if you like to try a lot of different foods. Lauren gave Ice Age Meals a 4 out of 5 for variety.

The last callout here is that these meals arrive frozen. This didn’t affect the taste (4 out of 5 from Lauren), and you don’t have to thaw them out before cooking—they’re microwave- or oven-ready as is—but it’s worth mentioning for those who prefer fresh meals. This can help reduce food waste since frozen meals last longer.

Best Keto Meal Delivery Service for Singles: Factor

Good for: Keto dieters who are a little more lenient with their net carbs

Best Keto

Factor75

GGR Score: 4.03

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Product Highlights

• Heat-and-eat meals that are delivered weekly
• Five menu plans, including calorie-controlled and keto
• Can mix and match from different menu plans for more variety
• New menus drop weekly
• Can order up to 18 meals per week

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Not restricted to one specific diet plan
• Meals arrive fresh and ready to heat
• Offers options for different dietary preferences
• Can cancel or skip a delivery anytime

Cons

• No options for customization
• No personalized plans for weight loss

Bottom Line

Factor75 is a heat-and-eat delivery service that works well for those on specialized diets. Boxes are delivered weekly, and you can mix and match from different menu plans to maximize your menu variety.

Factor is known for its keto-friendly meals and definitely lives up to the hype. While the net carbs are a little on the high side for some of the meals—the average is around 15 grams per meal—there are a lot of options to choose from, so you can find plenty that will work for you.

RELATED: Best Keto Meal Delivery Service

Amanda Capritto, CPT, CES, CNC, CF-L1, and GGR Senior Staff Writer, gave Factor a 4 out of 5 for both variety and taste, saying she was very surprised by how good the steak meals tasted and that they stayed pink in the middle even after microwaving. She did call out that all the meals followed the same format: a protein and a side of veggies (or grains if you want extra carbs). The flavor profile is different for each meal, but you’ll be eating the same kind of meal a lot.

Aside from that, there are plenty of healthy meals to choose from. There are about 20 keto meals each week and 36 meals total. The menu changes weekly, and you can see three weeks’ worth in advance to plan your meals. Should your dietary preferences change, Factor also has low-calorie, high-protein, vegan, and vegetarian options. You can mix and match meal plans, too, so if you ever have guests to feed or just want to switch up your macros, you have that option.

Factor also got high marks for ordering (5 out of 5) and customer service (4 out of 5). Amanda was able to do everything right through her account on the website, so she didn’t have to speak to a representative to cancel.

For more on Amanda’s experience with this meal delivery service, check out her in-depth Factor Meals review.

Best Organic Meal Delivery Service for Singles: Green Chef

Good for: Those who don’t mind paying a little extra for organic meals

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 USDA-certified organic company that prioritizes organic ingredients. They use fresh organic produce and eggs in all of their meal kits and offer organic beef, chicken, and wild-caught seafood upgrades.

But the higher ingredient quality isn’t the only draw here. Nicole Davis, certified personal trainer and GGR Senior Editor, scored them a 4 out of 5 for their meal plans and customization since they offer a total of eight meal plans: Mediterranean, Calorie Smart, Quick & Easy, Plant-Based, Protein Packed, Keto, Gluten Free and “Delicious Discoveries,” which randomizes meals to give you new weekly options to try. If you don’t have specific dietary needs, you can mix and match as many meal plans as you want.

Factor is a meal kit service, and Nicole says most of her meals took about 30 minutes to prepare, which is the most she’d want to spend on weeknight cooking, so she gave it a 3 out of 5 for ease of preparation. Everything is packaged really well to make things more straightforward, though.

“I really like how they have all of the produce, dairy, and spices packed into singular bags for each recipe, while the meat is packaged at the bottom of the box under ice. Makes it easier to grab and go when it’s time to cook,” Nicole says.

One thing to be aware of is that the recipes are more involved than others. They’re not necessarily difficult, but they often require multiple pots and pans, so there will be more cleanup involved.

Nicole says the portions on the smaller side, too. All the recipes come with a minimum of two servings, so a single person could easily just increase their portion size. The downside is that it would up the cost per serving, and you may not have any leftovers, so you’d have to cook twice for the same amount of food.

For more, check out Nicole’s in-depth Green Chef reviews.

Best Vegan Meal Delivery Service for Singles: Purple Carrot

Good for: Plant-based dieters who are okay with repeating meals

Best Vegan

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.

Most meal delivery services offer plant-based meals, but Purple Carrot is 100% vegan. Because of this, there aren’t any meal plans. Instead you get access to the full menu, which includes both meal kits and prepared meals.

RELATED: Plant-Based Meal Delivery

Each week, there are about 20 meal kits and eight prepared meals to choose from, so not a whole lot of variety here, but GGR Performance Editor and certified personal trainer (CPT) Anthony O’Reilly says there’s a decent amount of high-protein and gluten-free options.

If you choose a meal kit, you’ll get two servings with each recipe, but prepared meals are a single serving. Anthony says in addition to using fresh ingredients, the portion sizes are pretty generous, too, especially for a vegan/vegetarian meal service. He gave Purple Carrot a 4 out of 5 for portion sizes and a 5 out of 5 for ingredient quality, saying that everything was fresh and tasted delicious.

“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 says.

The only knock Anthony gave Purple Carrot was on their customization, scoring it a 3 out of 5. You can’t make any changes to the meals, and the company doesn’t accommodate any allergies (besides gluten), which is a bummer for those who need more targeted dietary plans.

All in all, our testers (who are mostly meat eaters) were very impressed with Purple Carrot and would order again.

Other Meal Delivery Services We Researched and Tried

Home Chef: Home Chef is another meal delivery service that we like but aren’t completely blown away by, especially as a choice for singles. It got high scores from the team for taste and portion size but scored a 2 out of 5 for preparation since these meals take a long time to make. If you don’t want to spend a ton of time in the kitchen, Home Chef is probably not your best bet.

Sunbasket: Sunbasket caters to a handful of dietary preferences. There are Diabetes-Friendly, Keto-Friendly, Vegan, and Pescatarian meals, and they have both meal kits and Fresh & Ready meals. However, Amanda Capritto CPT, CES, CNC, CF-L1, says they were just mediocre in flavor (3.75 out of 5) and there are better-tasting options.

CookUnity: CookUnity earned pretty average scores across the board (3.5 out of 5 overall). The portions were on the small side and Anthony found some bones in one of his seafood dishes. There were also several ingredients missing from his orders. Overall, he was disappointed. 

EveryPlate: Like Dinnerly, EveryPlate is a budget-friendly meal delivery service, but it differs because it doesn’t focus too much on nutritious meals. We understand that sometimes you have to trade some quality for a better price, but Dinnerly was better suited to our list (and it has more variety).

Daily Harvest: If you’re looking for lighter fare, like smoothies, soups, and flatbreads, Daily Harvest could be a good choice for you. But Amanda thought the portions were quite small (even for a single person) and didn’t feel satisfied, particularly with the oat bowls and smoothies. 

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

Our GGR team of experts is made up of certified nutrition coaches, certified personal trainers, certified CrossFit coaches, and Olympic athletes who tested more than 40 meal delivery services, from meal kits to heat-and-eat meals, then rated them according to several criteria laid out in our strict testing methodology.

In addition to rating them on subjective attributes, like taste and ease of preparation, we also considered ingredient quality (including freshness), meal variety, and access to nutritional information. We also rated them on sustainability and price.

For this roundup, we considered whether or not the meals could be easily adapted to serve one. Prepared meal delivery services send single-serving meals, but some meal kits go up as high as four to six servings. To minimize food waste, we only considered meal kits that had two-serving options.

Here’s a quick summary of everything else we looked at and the questions we asked:

• Price: We looked at the cost per meal, giving high marks to meal delivery services that kept the cost around $8-$10 dollars per serving. 
• Ordering flexibility: Was it easy to order? And could you change your deliveries and/or skip a week?
• Taste: How good did each meal taste? This was obviously subjective, but we tried to be as fair as possible and judged beyond personal preferences.
• Ease of preparation: Were the meals easy to prepare? Did they require lots of pots and pans that also led to a longer cleanup time?
• Portion size: Were the portions generous? Did the meals fill us up or did we leave the table wanting more?
• Ingredient quality: How fresh were the ingredients? Were any ingredients organic and/or sourced from local farms?
• Variety: How much menu variety was there? Did menus change regularly?
• Meal plans and customization: Were there a lot of meal plans to accommodate different dietary needs and preferences? What about allergies? Could you customize meals to your liking?
• Access to nutritional information: How easy was it to access nutritional information? Was it available on the site and on the food packaging or recipe cards?
• Packaging and shipping: How well was everything packed? Did the boxes arrive when they were supposed to?
• Sustainability efforts: Was the packaging excessive or overwhelming? Does the company use recycled materials and can the materials be recycled or reused when you’re done?
• Customer service: How easy was it to get a hold of customer service? Did customer service respond fairly when there was an issue?
• Customer reviews: What does the general population think about the service? Does it have high ratings or are there any major red flags?

Benefits of Meal Delivery Services for Singles

There are myriad benefits to signing up for a meal delivery service for singles. The most obvious, of course, is that you don’t have to do a lot of prep work in the kitchen. And if you choose prepared meals, you don’t have to do any prep or cleanup (aside from washing your fork) at all.

Here are some other benefits:

Less Food Waste

Meal delivery services for singles can lead to less food waste. You’re not buying groceries that you don’t end up using, and the recipes only make two servings, so you can eat one right away and have a quick lunch the next day with no extra food going into the trash. And if you opt for prepared meals, each one only has a single serving, so there’s no potential for food waste (unless you think the portions are too big).

Less Grocery Shopping

Grocery shopping is the worst (at least I think it is). With meal delivery services, you don’t have to spend any time at the grocery store. You also don’t have to spend time putting a meal plan together and then breaking out all the ingredients so you can go grocery shopping.

More Meal Variety

Meal delivery services expose you to meals and recipes you may have never thought to try yourself. They also make it easier to switch up proteins that you may be less used to cooking. This not only makes it easier for you to stay on track (food boredom can easily lead to snacking), but it also makes you more likely to hit your nutrient needs. Studies show that meal variety (or “dietary diversity”) is linked to better diet quality overall¹.

Easier to Stick to a Specialized Diet

If you have a lot of dietary restrictions or just want to follow a specific plan, it can be really hard to stay on track—especially if you have to prepare every meal yourself. The meal delivery services of today can accommodate many dietary needs and preferences, so simply add your preferred meals to your cart, and you’re good to go.

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

In addition to the factors we rated each meal delivery service on, you may want to consider these three things when narrowing down your options.

Price

Price is one of the first places to start when choosing a meal delivery service since the decision is likely going to come down to whether or not it fits into your budget. Don’t just look at the overall price though—consider the cost per serving and any promos you can get as a first time customer. For example, many companies offer a discount on your first few boxes or extra free meals in your first handful of deliveries.

While meal delivery services can appear more expensive than grocery shopping and fully preparing meals yourself, there are plenty of budget-friendly options. And they’re typically a heck of a lot cheaper than takeout.

Dietary Needs/Preferences

Dietary needs and preferences are just as important as price (if not more so). If you’re not following a specific diet, this is a moot point, but if you need specialized meals, you want to guarantee the meal delivery service you choose can accommodate you.

And make sure you read past the list of meal plans. Some services say they offer meals to suit a large amount of dietary preferences, but when you start digging into menus, there are only one or two options that fit the bill. This won’t work if you’re looking for variety, so double-check that there are enough weekly choices to keep you satisfied.

RELATED: Best Gluten-Free Meal Delivery

Ordering Flexibility

Most meal delivery services (and all of our top picks) are subscription based. This means that orders will automatically ship unless you cancel or pause delivery. If you don’t want deliveries every week, make sure the company you choose gives you the flexibility to skip a shipment. Bonus points if you can easily do this in your online account and don’t have to call in to customer service.

You may also want to check the flexibility on delivery days. If you work from home or spend a lot of time in your house, this might not be a big deal, but if you’re gone a lot, you’ll want to be available when deliveries arrive since they’re perishable. Look for companies that allow you to adjust your delivery dates as needed.

Meal Delivery Services for Singles: 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. Chan, S, Mozaffari, H, Conklin, AI. How is food variety conceptualised and measured as a diet quality indicator in developed settings? Protocol for a systematic scoping review. BMJ Open. 2023;13(7):e072154. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2023-072154

Lindsay Boyers, CN

Lindsay Boyers is a functional nutritionist, writer, and editor with over a decade of experience in online media. She's written 14 books and hundreds of articles on fitness, wellness, nutrition, and lifestyle. Lindsay holds certifications in holistic nutrition, functional nutrition, and professional food safety, as well as a B.S. in food in nutrition.

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Dinner-for-one has its perks. You get to eat exactly what you want without worrying about others’ tastes or preferences. And if you don’t want to prepare a meal for yourself, there’s good news: Many of the best meal delivery services are designed for solo diners, so you can enjoy a home-cooked meal without much cooking. After several weeks of trying more than 40 meal delivery services, our GGR expert testers narrowed down the options to nine of the best meal delivery services for singles.  » Read more about: Best Meal Delivery Service for Singles (2024): 9 Tasty Options for Solo Diners  » Read more