Eating well, and finding the time to do it, can be difficult. ICON Meals is here to make it easier on you by offering fresh, wholesome, high quality pre-made meals shipped right to you.
ICON Meals offers ready-to-eat meals that are tailored to specific health goals like weight loss or muscle gain. In fact, they’ve been featured in our list of the best bodybuilding meal delivery and the best frozen meal delivery services, so you know it’s good. But, if you’re new to ICON Meals, no worries. In this ICON Meals review, GGR testers share their experience with the company to help you determine if ICON Meals is worth it or not.
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.
GGR Knows Meal Services
Garage Gym Reviews tests everything fitness, from personal training certifications to barbells to meal delivery services. Our team provides honest reviews of the gear you need to keep living a healthy life. Our reviewers are passionate about fitness and include personal trainers, registered dietitians, and Olympic weightlifters.
This review is brought to you by GGR performance editor Anthony O’Reilly, a NASM-CPT and Certified Nutrition Coach. Anthony scored ICON Meals on a scale of 1 to 5 using GGR’s testing methodology across multiple categories including:
- Taste
- Price
- Ingredient Quality
- Packaging
Icon Meals
ICON Meals
Product Highlights
- Fresh, ready-to-eat meal delivery
- Vacuum-sealed for freshness
- Build custom meals or chose from menu
- One-time purchases and subscription plans available
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Fresh, vacuum-sealed meals
- 35 signature meals always available
- Stays fresh up to 5 days (or freeze up to 6 months)
- 15% off for military personnel and first responders
Cons
- Limited vegetarian options
- No vegan options
Bottom Line
When you use ICON Meals, you’ll not only be able to choose from a one-time purchase or a subscription, you’ll also have the ability to customize meals or select meals from the main menu. There are 35 signature dishes that you can choose from anytime or browse the rotating weekly menu. Meals start at $12 and the minimum order needs to be at least 8 meals. Subscription meal delivery boxes come with either 12 or 24 meals and meal delivery frequency can be set anywhere from 1 to 4 weeks.
A Quick Look at ICON Meals
ICON Meals was founded in Texas in 2012 with the goal of providing ready-to-eat, high protein meals formulated by premier chefs. Since then, ICON Meals has become a strong competitor among meal delivery services. While they offer pre-made meals, they also offer custom meals, bulk meals, and even snacks, functioning as a veritable ready-to-eat grocery store.
Still situated in Texas, ICON Meals is small but is expanding. They have 75 employees and pulled in over $14 million in 2023. Their meals are designed to help customers reach specific fitness goals, and they emphasize health, safety, and sustainability.
RELATED: Best Keto Meal Delivery Service
Before You Buy
- You can choose from a standard menu, customize your meals, or buy in bulk.
- ICON offers keto, high protein, and low-calorie meals.
- It is not an ideal service for people following a vegetarian or vegan diet, as options are limited.
Is ICON Meals Worth It?
ICON specializes in meals for fitness enthusiasts and people with specific dietary needs. Their meal options include high protein, low carb, and gluten-free (the dietary trifecta!).
ICON Meals is not the most affordable meal service, but it’s not the most expensive—meals are $6.00 to $12.50 each. That said, they have a lot of meal options, plus you can buy in bulk and shop at their snack store. With meals like high protein pancakes, chicken tamales, or protein popcorn, you’re sure to find what you’re looking for. If you’re interested in meals for just yourself, check out our roundup of the best meal delivery for singles.
Great for:
- People looking to lose weight or build muscle
- Folks who prefer not to cook or who want pre-made meals on the go
- Fans of the keto diet
Not recommended for:
- Big families—the meals can get pricey and meals are single servings
- Anyone who wants to cook their own meals
- Vegans and vegetarians—there are very limited meal options
RELATED: Best Gluten-Free Meal Delivery Service
ICON Meals Specs
| Price per meal | $6.00-$12.50 |
| Meals per week | Varies – 8 meal minimum order, 12, 24 |
| Meal kit or prepared | Prepared |
| Diet options | High protein, low carb, Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Vegetarian (limited) |
| Fresh or frozen | Frozen |
| Delivery area | Nationwide; local pick up (Texas) |
Experience Using ICON Meals
Our tester, GGR Performance Editor Anthony O’Reilly, had only good things to say about ICON Meals. “This is honestly one of my favorite meal services,” he explains. “There’s a good mix of macro-friendly food and items that can be used by everyday people.” This is great to hear. He said of their menu offerings, “Overall, there was a wide variety of items and I could see many people taking advantage of ICON Meals.”
Registered dietitian Perry Nix likes that ICON Meals helps you select entrees based on your health and fitness goals.
“You can choose high-protein meals if you’re looking to gain muscle, or calorie-conscious meals if you’d like to lose weight,” Perry explains. “Something that makes ICON Meals unique is that you can create custom meals to suit your dietary needs and preferences. This is ideal for anyone trying to hit specific macros each day because you are in control of everything that’s on your plate.”
Price Per Meal
ICON Meal prices are fairly consistent across the meal plans, however, Anthony noted that prices vary depending on the meal or a la carte items, so it’s difficult to determine an exact price per meal. But, we can say that custom meals start at $6.
A typical meal from any of the plans starts at $11.50 for a one-time purchase. These prices are discounted when you subscribe. You can order meal plans that consist of 12 meals for $12 each or 24 meals for $11 each.
There are also snacks and seasonings that start at $9.99. For more affordable options, see our roundup of the cheapest meal delivery services.
ICON Meals Preparation
ICON Meals require little actual meal prep—just pop it in the microwave and enjoy! That said, the ease of preparation earned 5 out of 5 stars from Anthony.
Taste, Ingredient Quality, and Portion Size
Even though ICON Meals are ready to eat, they aim to maintain quality and provide reasonably sized servings.
For taste, GGR Performance Editor Anthony O’Reilly awarded ICON 4 out of 5 stars, saying that his favorite meal was the Titan Breakfast Burrito.
“It was well-seasoned and had a kind of Middle Eastern vibe to it,” Anthony says. “Plus, with more than 50 grams of protein, it was very filling! The other meals like the Beef Chimichurri with Carrots & Squash or Cajun Seafood Pasta were alright. They were pretty typical of frozen meals in that the flavor wasn’t super present, but it wasn’t offensive either.”
He added, “In terms of a la carte items, the honey habanero mac and cheese was the standout. It was a little sweet and had a bit of heat, but I could’ve done with more heat.”
Anthony was impressed by the quality of ICON’s ingredients, as well, which earned 4 out of 5 stars. “Ingredients are decent,” he said. “Lots of artificial ingredients are used in some of the meals and items, but nothing is overly bad.”
Portion sizes earned another 4 out of 5 stars, which is great considering the ready-to-eat meals are designed for efficiency. Anthony says the meals are generally pretty sizable and would be pretty good for the average person.
Meal Plans and Customization
ICON Meals has a lot of options, from chicken bowls to brisket, and no shortage of veggies, not to mention their bulk items and snack options. For this category, Anthony gave ICON 5 out of 5 stars.
ICON Meals are also highly customizable, earning them another perfect 5 stars. You can select from several meal plans and swap out items, or build your own custom plan.
Access to nutritional info and ingredients is always important. Here, ICON makes it easy by showing this right on the label of each meal, so they earn yet another 5 stars in this category.
Ordering, Packaging, and Shipping
ICON Meals earned 5 out of 5 stars for packaging and shipping. The meals are well packed and shipped frozen on dry ice.
For ease of ordering, our expert tester Anthony O’Reilly also gave them 5 stars. “It’s pretty easy to order,” he says. “Just sign up and choose as many meals or a la carte items as your heart desires. Many of them are broken up into things like keto, paleo, vegetarian, etc.”
ICON Meals vs Fresh N Lean
Fresh N Lean
Fresh N Lean
Product Highlights
Editor’s Note: As of July 2024, Fresh N Lean has ceased all operations and is no longer providing meal delivery services.
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 is another prepared meal delivery service that ships frozen ready-to-eat meals straight to your doorstep. They are similarly priced to ICON Meals and have several similar meal options such as keto, paleo, and low-carb. Check out our full Fresh N Lean delivery service review to learn more.
| ICON Meals | Fresh N Lean | |
| Price per meal | $11.00 – $12.99 depending on meal plan | $8.49 – $15.49 |
| Meals per week | 8, 12, 144, or custom | 5 or 710 or 1415 or 21Depends on meal frequency and days per week |
| Meal kit or prepared | Prepared | Prepared |
| Diet options | High protein, low carb, Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Vegetarian (limited) | Keto, Vegan, Paleo, Protein+, Whole30, Low-Carb Vegan, Mediterranean |
| Fresh or frozen | Frozen | Frozen |
| Delivery area | Nationwide with local pick-up | Nationwide |
Customer Experience
ICON aims to provide high-quality, healthy meals to help you reach your health goals. They are focused on safety and have a USDA-certified kitchen to ensure food safety. ICON is also devoted to sustainability and packages each box with environmentally safe and recyclable materials.
Customer Reviews
ICON Meals is well-liked by customers. There are nearly 1,000 reviews on Trustpilot at the time of this writing, with an average rating of 4.5 stars, and over 800 5-star ratings. Their Facebook page has an average rating of 4.1, based on individual meal reviews. Most of the review content focuses on the quality and taste of the meals. A few reviews express concern over shipping issues and lack of flavor.
Final Verdict of Our ICON Meals Review
In the end, ICON Meals makes healthy eating quick and easy. You can choose from meal plans, customize your meals, order bulk meals, shop a la carte snacks, and even pick up meals at a local store. Whether you want a lean box or a keto box, ICON is sure to help you meet your goals.
Full Rating
ICON Meals
Icon Meals is a meal delivery service with meals starting at $12 and the minimum order needs to be at least 8 meals. Subscription meal delivery boxes come with either 12 or 24 meals and meal delivery frequency can be set anywhere from 1 to 4 weeks.
Product Brand: ICON Meals
Product Currency: $
Product Price: 11.00
Product In-Stock: InStock
4.5
ICON Meals Review: FAQs
How long do ICON Meals last?
They have no expiration date but should be consumed within 7 days of shipping, or within 6 months of freezing.
Is ICON Meals a subscription?
Yes. You can subscribe for weekly meals, or order meals as you wish.
Are meal prep services worth it?
If you value your time or aren’t fond of cooking but have specific dietary needs, meal prep services may be worth it for you. They come in many different formats and will fit nearly any budget.
Are ICON Meals shipped frozen?
Yes. ICON Meals are vacuum sealed and frozen.
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.
