Dinner for a dime: 7 cheap meal subscriptions we really liked

Costs

Once you’ve decided between meal kits and meal delivery, you’ll want to find a service that fits your budget. There are meal kits with recipes for as little as $6 per serving with basic menus and no-frills recipes. More expensive services include recipes with more exotic ingredients, high-quality cuts of meat, and organic produce, but can cost as much as $15 or $20 per serving.

Meal package or ready-made meal delivery

The first big decision you’ll make is whether you want meal kits, which require some preparation and cooking, or a meal delivery service that ships fully cooked meals that you can heat up and eat right away. Meal kits take more time and energy, but they also cost a little less per serving. Pre-prepared meals take almost no time or energy, other than what it takes to actually eat the food, but they typically cost a few dollars more per serving.

Health

While most meal delivery services have healthy options, some are much healthier than others. If you like to eat low-calorie, low-carb, plant-based, or pescatarian foods, certain meal kits and meal delivery services are better than others. This list of the healthiest meal delivery services for 2024 is a good place to find the most nutritious options.

Number of meals per week

With almost every service, the more meals or portions you have in your order per delivery, the cheaper it is per meal. Ideally, you want to determine exactly how much food makes sense for your household. If you can’t imagine cooking more than twice a week, don’t order more than two meal kits, as they typically don’t last longer than a week in the fridge.

Most prepared meals come frozen or can be frozen after unpacking. That means it’s less of a problem if you order too many meals on your first try. Most services allow you to change the number of meals or servings in your plan, even after you’ve started.