Just like Arnold Schwarzenegger became a legend by flexing his muscles on stage, Martha Stewart became a legend by flexing her culinary skills on screen. If you were born before the new millennium (1991 here!), chances are your mom tried to replicate at least a recipe or two from her Martha Stewart Living TV series. And no matter your age, you should already know that Martha Stewart is synonymous with gourmet at-home eating.
Thanks to a strategic partnership between the culinary icon and Marley Spoon, you can upgrade your weekly menu with a diverse range of meal options without having to go grocery shopping for fresh ingredients. Home cooks who want to make healthier versions of comfort food classics with Martha Stewart’s signature touch can do so by subscribing to this meal delivery service.
To paint a complete picture of this premium meal kit service, I’ll treat this Marley Spoon review as a full-course meal, delivering digestible bits of information on everything from the pricing and portion sizes to the packaging and the company’s sustainability practices. Whether you’re an aspiring home chef, a busy professional, or someone who prefers to cook rather than meal prep, it’s time to dive into the review.
Our Kitchen, Your Guide: Expert Insights on Marley Spoon and More Meal Delivery Services
The Garage Gym Reviews team consists of certified personal trainers, certified nutrition coaches, CrossFit competitors, and an Olympian weightlifter. As health and fitness enthusiasts, many of us look at cooking as a way to nourish our bodies and minds with high-quality ingredients that set us up for success. But with different dietary preferences, lifestyle factors, and budgets, we understand it’s important to have a complete grasp of the market so every member of the GGR community can find an ideal fit.
Our team has put in the work at the office and in the kitchen to help deliver honest reviews of both prepared and meal kit delivery services, including Dinnerly and Blue Apron. Just like we use our fitness equipment testing methodology to evaluate the best treadmills and best dumbbells, we use a 1-5 scoring system to assess key factors such as:
- Price Per Meal
- Portion Size
- Taste
- Ingredient Quality
- Meal Options
Marley Spoon offers flexibility and flavor for those who like to cook but hate planning. You’ll need to commit to a weekly subscription and spend time at the stove, but the variety is top-tier.
A Quick Look at Marley Spoon
The Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon partnership started in 2016, providing subscribers a chance to recreate the culinary icon’s signature dishes at home. This premium meal service caters to many dietary preferences, including low-calorie, low-carb, keto, dairy-free, and gluten-free. Marley Spoon meal kits are delivered in insulated recyclable packing with ice packs to keep the fresh, seasonal ingredients at the correct temperature.
Before You Buy
- Marley Spoon offers more than 100 weekly recipes spanning different cuisines and dietary needs. For example, you can search for one-pot meals, kid-friendly or plant-based dishes, or recipes that take less than 30 minutes. The recipes also have allergen icons underneath, when applicable.
- While there are low-calorie options, Marley spoon recipes aren’t especially designed for folks on a weight-loss journey. However, research shows¹ meal kits may serve as a practical solution for those with limited time for meal prep or insufficient cooking skills.
- In addition to its subscription service, Marley Spoon has an online market where you can buy ready-to-heat options, meal shortcuts, extra proteins, snacks, and other add-ons.
- You can pause or cancel boxes at any time as long as you meet the weekly cutoff date.
Is Marley Spoon Worth It?
Be prepared to pay a premium for Martha Stewart’s meal kit service. The two-person plan, which contains two servings per meal, ranges between $52 to $132 per week. The four-person plan, which contains four servings per meal, costs between $88-$216 per week. You can choose between two to six meals per week, which makes Marley Spoon not as family-friendly as some other meal delivery services.
While we appreciate the variety of recipes, wide range of meal plans, and the company’s commitment to sustainability, the taste and ingredient quality left our product tester disappointed. Overall, it’s a decent option — but certainly not in the mix for the No. 1 spot on our best meal kit delivery list.
Great for:
- Martha Stewart fans who appreciate a curated cooking experience
- Those who don’t like meal planning, as you your Marley Spoon box includes pre-portioned ingredients and step-by-step recipe cards with prep and cook times, nutritional information, and images.
- Foodies and home chefs who enjoy gourmet, chef-inspired recipes
- Couples or small families
Not recommended for:
- People on a limited budget
- Larger families who need more than five servings per meal
- Those who want ready-to-eat meals or don’t have time to cook
- Beginners or those completely new to the kitchen, as some recipes have more challenging techniques or require multi-tasking
Marley Spoon Specs
| Price | Plans range between $51.96-$215.76 |
| Number of Meals Per Week | 2 to 6 |
| Serving Sizes | 2 to 4 servings per meal |
| Recipes Available | 100+ weekly rotating recipes |
| Prep Time | Average 30-40 minutes |
| Dietary Options | Low-carb, gluten-free, kid-friendly, dairy-free, high-protein, vegan, vegetarian, low-calore, |
| Box Options | Everyday Variety, Health Boost, Low Calorie, Low Carb, Pescatarian, Quick & Easy, Vegetarian |
Experience Using Marley Spoon
Former GGR performance editor Anthony O’Reilly is just as passionate about food as he is about fitness. As one of our most seasoned product testers, he’s had his fair share of delicious, nutritious meals, as well as some truly awful ones.
Despite high hopes, Anthony’s experience with Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon didn’t live up to the hype. While he highlighted some strengths of this meal kit delivery service, he had plenty of callouts that I’ll cover below.
Let’s peek inside the box.
Pricing and Value
Although the pricing has changed slightly since Anthony tested this box, let’s be clear: Marley Spoon isn’t budget-friendly. Here’s a complete breakdown of the pricing structure according to the Marley Spoon website:
Two-person plan
- Two meals for two people cost $51.96
- Three meals for two people cost $71.94
- Four meals for two people cost $87.92
- Five meals for two people cost $109.90
- Six meals for two people cost $131.88
Four-person plan
- Two meals for four people cost $87.92
- Three meals for four people cost $125.88
- Four meals for four people cost $159.84
- Five meals for four people cost $199.80
- Six meals for four people cost $215.76
NOTE: Marley Spoon says the two-person plan contains two servings per meal and the four-person plan contains four servings per meal.
At GGR, we assess meal delivery services on a price-per-meal basis. While it’s important to keep the servings-per-meal in mind, on a strictly per-meal basis, the price ranges between $22-$26 for the two-person plan and $36-44 for the four-person plan. That would easily put this as the most expensive service I’ve come across.
Even if you break it down to a per-serving basis, the price is still expensive. And considering the ingredient quality and taste left Anthony less than enthused, we rated this a 1 out of 5 for value.
Taste and Quality
Despite its gourmet-inspired roots, Marley Spoon didn’t deliver Martha Stewart-quality flavor. In fact, Anthony used the word “mediocre” to describe the taste, rating it a 3.5 out of 5.
“There’s no saving grace here, in my opinion, and I’m actually upset I didn’t cancel my second week’s order before it was too late,” he says.
Anthony brought up the Steak Frites option to illustrate his disappointing experience.
“The steak was tough, there wasn’t enough spices included, and once again, the ingredients were just not good,” he says. “The steak was advertised as “sirloin” but it was all muscle and no fat.”
While we’d all like that type of ratio for our physique, that’s not the case with a piece of meat. Unfortunately, poor-quality steak wasn’t the only problem Anthony encountered.
“Not only were the meats low quality, but the veggies weren’t fresh,” he explains. “The avocados were so unripe I could bounce them off the counter.”
Anthony rated the ingredient quality a 2 out of 5 — far lower than what you’d expect from a service associated with Martha Stewart.
Portion Sizes
Another reason we gave Marley Spoon a 1 out of 5 for value was because of the portion sizes—or lack thereof. Anthony rated it a 3 out of 5 in this category, noting that this was just one of many issues with Martha Stewart’s meal kit delivery service.
“Simply not enough food for two full-grown adults,” he explains. “Even my girlfriend, who isn’t a giant like me, was left hungry after each meal.”
Interestingly, that seems to be a common theme across many competitors. CookUnity earned the same score for portion sizes, as did Green Chef, the first organic meal kit delivery service.
RELATED: Green Chef Reviews
Ease of Preparation, Variety, and Customization
Two areas where Marley Spoon did impress Anthony: ease of preparation and customization.
“None of the recipes were complicated but I sometimes questioned why they did things the way they did,” he says, rating the prep process a 4 out of 5.
However, he still had a callout about the instructions, specifically when it came to making fries.
“There were no instructions that the potatoes should’ve been washed to get rid of extra starch as they should be when trying to get crisp spuds. I expected better from something with Martha’s name on it,” Anthony says.
On the other hand, he had nothing but praise for the variety and customization options. Marley Spoon earned perfect scores of 5 out of 5 in both categories.
“There are all different types of meal plans and a good mix of meat, fish, protein, and more,” Anthony says.
Packaging, Shipping, and Sustainability
While Marley Spoon deserves credit for its sustainability efforts, it deserves criticism for its packaging. Anthony rated the packaging and shipping a 3 out of 5, noting that he and his girlfriend experienced issues with separate orders.
“There were cases both times where ingredients were not fresh and on the verge of being spoiled,” he explains. “I do appreciate their real-time updates to let you know about your order’s progress.”
We’ll give a tip of the cap to Marley Spoon’s sustainability practices, as the company uses recyclable packaging and provides an annual sustainability report. That earns a 5-out-of-5 rating from us.
Marley Spoon vs HelloFresh
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.
While Martha Stewart may be among America’s most well-known foodies, HelloFresh is known as America’s most popular meal kit. Widely advertised on social media, this service doesn’t offer quite as robust of a weekly menu (about 40 recipes vs. 100) as Marley Spoon.
However, while Marley Spoon is better suited for couples and smaller families, HelloFresh can feed everyone at your dinner table.
“I really like that HelloFresh 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,” says GGR expert contributor and registered dietitian Perry Nix, R.D.
For more details on our team’s experience, check out our full HelloFresh review.
| Marley Spoon | HelloFresh | |
| Price | Plans range between $51.96-$215.76 | $8.99 (4 people, 6 meals per week) to $12.49 (2 people, 2 meals per week) |
| Number of Meals Per Week | 2 to 6 | 2 to 6 |
| Serving Sizes | 2 to 4 servings per meal | Choose from 2 or 4 servings per meal |
| Cook Time | 30-40 minutes | 20-45 minutes |
| Diet Options | Low-carb, gluten-free, kid-friendly, dairy-free, high-protein, vegan, vegetarian, low-calore, | Meat & Veggies, Veggie, Family Friendly, Fit & Wholesome, Quick & Easy, Pescatarian |
Customer Experience
Marley Spoon offers a few noteworthy perks. First-time subscribers can typically qualify for savings on their first box, plus free shipping. However, expect to pay about $11 for shipping per box if you continue your subscription.
We appreciate that Marley Spoon lets you make changes to your order as long as you make the cutoff date. You can easily get in contact with customer service via live chat or email. According to Anthony, it’s easy to cancel or postpone weekly shipments.
Overall, Marley Spoon earns a 5-out-of-5 rating for customer service.
Ordering Marley Spoon
Similarly, Anthony rated the ordering process a perfect 5 out of 5. You create a “taste profile” that allows the algorithm to make suggestions for your weekly meals. However, you have the freedom to pick whatever meals you want.
When you go on the Marley Spoon website, you can select a plan based on the number of people (two or four) and number of meals per week (two to six). You can select from multiple preferences for personalized recipe recommendations. When you sign up, you will input your payment details, which you can change in the future. This flexible subscription service allows you to skip, pause, or cancel at any time.
Customer Reviews
Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon have an overall rating of 3.9 stars based on nearly 5,000 reviews on Trustpilot. Some customers echo Anthony’s criticisms about less-than-fresh ingredients. Here are a few examples of what customers had to say:
Final Verdict of Our Marley Spoon Review
Marley Spoon may have a big name behind it, but it’s fair to say Martha Stewart wouldn’t serve meals of this caliber to her friends and family. While there are some notable pros (flexible delivery days, a variety of menu options, and great customer service), the lackluster ingredient quality and high price would make us think twice about skipping meal prepping for this.
Full Rating
Marley Spoon
Marley Spoon offers flexibility and flavor for those who like to cook but hate planning. You’ll need to commit to a weekly subscription and spend time at the stove, but the variety is top-tier.
Product Brand: Marley Spoon
Product Currency: USD
Product Price: 51.96
Product In-Stock: InStock
3.95
Marley Spoon Review: FAQs
Is Marley Spoon better than HelloFresh?
Based on our experience, we prefer HelloFresh, as it earned higher scores in key areas such as taste and ingredient quality. It’s also more affordable than Marley Spoon.
How much do Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon meal kits cost?
According to the Marley Spoon website, the pricing structure is as follows:
Two-person plan
-Two meals for two people cost $51.96
-Three meals for two people cost $71.94
-Four meals for two people cost $87.92
-Five meals for two people cost $109.90
-Six meals for two people cost $131.88
Four-person plan
-Two meals for four people cost $87.92
-Three meals for four people cost $125.88
-Four meals for four people cost $159.84
-Five meals for four people cost $199.80
-Six meals for four people cost $215.76
How long are Marley Spoon meals good for?
Marley Spoon recommends making seafood dishes within one to two days of delivery. Mince and chicken dishes should be made within two to three days, and other meat and veggie dishes within three to five days.
References
- Dobiecka, D. P., Markiewicz-Żukowska, R., Socha, K., & Naliwajko, S. K. (2025). New Dietary Trends—Meal Kit Delivery Services as a Source of Nutrients: A Scoping Review. Nutrients, 17(7), 1154. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17071154
