The Ultimate Meal Kit Subscription Guide has been updated with the best deals of 2021. In this guide, we break down everything you need to know about 8 of the most popular meal kit delivery subscriptions. All of these subscription boxes have been around for years and are still going strong.
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Most meal kit subscription services are still going strong. While a few have fizzled out over the last year or so, many are still in business and busier than ever.
The food in these meal kits always looks amazing, but are they really as tasty as they look? And, are they worth the price?
We tested a bunch of them out, with more to come, and put together The Ultimate Meal Kit Subscription Guide to help you sort through all the differences.
The Ultimate Meal Kit Subscription guide will give you all the details on each of 8 of the most popular meal kits on the market to help you decide which subscriptions may be worth trying.
You will find plan options, costs, dietary and allergy information, unique features and special offers for each meal kit subscription listed in this guide.
Table of Contents
The Ultimate Meal Kit Subscription Guide
Please be aware that plans, pricing, discounts and menu options for all of the following meal kit subscription companies are regularly changing.
Blue Apron
Blue Apron is arguably the most popular meal kit subscription available and therefore had to be the first one we mentioned in The Ultimate Meal Kit Subscription Guide. We have ordered this meal kit subscription box several times and have never been disappointed.
Blue Apron’s Vadouvan Shrimp & Sweet Chili Sauce
What Plans are Available with Blue Apron?
- 2 Person/2 Recipes (4 servings total)
- 2 Person/3 Recipes (6 servings total)
- 4 Person/2 Recipes (8 servings total)
- 4 Person/3 Recipes (12 servings total)
- 4 Person/4 Recipes (16 servings total)
What is the Price Range for Blue Apron Meals?
Prices range from $7.49 to $9.99 a serving.
Is There a Shipping Cost with Blue Apron?
Shipping is free, except for on the 2 Person/2 Recipes plan in which case it is $7.99.
What Special Diets are Accommodated with Blue Apron?
- Vegetarian options
- Weight Watchers
- Wellness (noted on some recipes now)
Does Blue Apron Provide Allergy Information?
Allergy information is not shown on the list of meals available. You have to click on each recipe to get more details on the ingredients used for each one.
What are Some Unique Features that Blue Apron Offers?
Blue Apron now offers some quicker, 20-minute meals. They also occasionally do fun collaborations. Past collaborations include Whole30 and Bob’s Burgers.
How Many Different Meals Can You Choose From Each Week with Blue Apron?
Each week, Blue Apron offers 11 meals to chose from, some of which are vegetarian.
Does Blue Apron Provide High Quality Food?
The simple answer is yes.
Blue Apron also offers a Freshness Guarantee, so if any of your ingredients do arrive damaged or unusable, you can fill out a form to let them know. We have never had an issue with any of the food we’ve received.
Can You Skip Weeks with Blue Apron?
Yes. You can skip as often as you want and up to 4 weeks in advance.
Is it Easy to Cancel a Blue Apron Subscription?
It’s somewhat easy to cancel your Blue Apron subscription, but not as simple as the click of a button. To cancel your Blue Apron subscription, you need to send an email to [email protected]. They will reply with instructions on how to complete the cancellation process.
Are There Current Blue Apron Special Offers?
Yes, for new subscribers:
- Save $60 off of your first 3 Blue Apron orders ($20 off per box)
You can also check out some of our Blue Apron reviews HERE and HERE.
Home Chef
Next up in our Meal Kit Subscription Guide is Home Chef!
Home Chef specializes in easy meals that can be made in around 30 minutes using fresh ingredients. While Blue Apron may be a more popular meal kit delivery company, Home Chef, is often rated the highest, especially in regards to customer service.
Of all the meal kits that we’ve tried, we’ve ordered from Home Chef the most often.
Home Chef’s White Turkey Chili
What Plans are Available with Home Chef?
Home Chef works a little bit differently. There is just a 2 Person/2 Recipes minimum order. You can add as many additional recipes, for 2 or 4 people, as you’d like.
What is the Price Range for Home Chef Meals?
- Meals start at $6.99 per serving
Is There a Shipping Cost with Home Chef?
Shipping is free on orders over $45.00. For order less than $45.00, the shipping charge is $10.00.
What Special Diets are Accommodated with Home Chef?
Home Chef notes when a recipe falls into these three dietary categories:
- Vegetarian
- Carb Conscious
- Calorie Conscious
Does Home Chef Provide Allergy Information?
Allergy information is given right on the list of recipes available each week! Allergens noted include:
- Wheat
- Milk
- Egg
- Soy
- Tree Nuts
- Peanuts
- Fish
- Shellfish
What are Some Unique Features that Home Chef Offers?
Home Chef offers a smoothie option and fruit basket each week. They also offer no cooking required 5 minute lunches and salads.
How Many Different Meals Can You Choose From Each Week with Home Chef?
Each week, Home Chef offers 15-18 meals to chose from, at least 3 of which are vegetarian.
Does Home Chef Provide High Quality Food?
Again, the simple answer is yes.
From the research we’ve done, you found very few complaints of Home Chef’s food arriving damaged or bad.
In our own personal experience, our food has always arrived fresh and undamaged. In one instance, our box was delayed several days due to a snow storm. When I contacted Home Chef to ask if it would still be edible, they told us to throw it out and they would send us a new box at no charge.
Can You Skip Weeks with Home Chef?
Yes. You can skip as often as you want and up to 5 weeks in advance. Home Chef does send out email reminders.
Is it Easy to Cancel A Home Chef Subscription?
Yes. You can cancel your Home Chef subscription by navigating to “My Account.” Choose “Account Information” from the drop down menu. On the next page, select “Pause Account” in red, under the Delivery Details heading.
Are There Current Home Chef Special Offers?
Yes! Home Chef offers new subscribers:
You can also check out some of our Home Chef reviews HERE and HERE.
Hello Fresh
Hello Fresh is another pretty popular meal kit subscription that we had to include in The Ultimate Meal Kit Subscription Guide. We’ve tried Hello Fresh a couple times. I absolutely loved the meals that we were sent, but have had issues with ordering and customer service in the past.
My hope is that they have worked out the kinks a bit, but I did include links to my two reviews at the bottom of this section if you’d like to read more about our issues.
Hello Fresh’s Butternut Squash Power Bowl
What Plans are Available with Hello Fresh?
Hello Fresh offers quite a few plan options including:
Classic Plans
- 2 Person/2 Recipes (4 servings total)
- 2 Person/3 Recipes (6 servings total)
- 2 Person/4 Recipes (8 servings total)
- 4 Person/3 Recipes (12 servings total)
Family Plans
- 4 Person/2 Recipes (8 servings total)
- 4 Person/3 Recipes (12 servings total)
Veggie Plan
- 2 Person/3 Recipes (6 servings total)
- 4 Person/3 Recipes (12 servings total)
What is the Price Range for Hello Fresh Meals?
Hello Fresh meals start at $7.49 per serving depending on which plan you choose.
Is There a Shipping Cost with Hello Fresh?
Shipping is $8.99 per box (free shipping with link below)
What Special Diets are Accommodated with Hello Fresh?
Hello Fresh offers vegetarian options each week. Some recipes are noted as calorie-smart or carb-smart.
Does Hello Fresh Provide Allergy Information?
Allergy information is given right on the list of recipes available each week. Recipes are noted as:
- Egg free
- Milk free
- Nut free
What are Some Unique Features that Hello Fresh Offers?
Hello Fresh offers 20-minutes meals as well as some upgraded options including:
- Dinner2Lunch (+$5.99/serving)
- Gourmet Meals (+$5.99/serving)
- Gourmet Plus Meals (+$7.99 serving)
How Many Different Meals Can You Choose From Each Week with Hello Fresh?
Hello Fresh offers different meals for each plan. The number of options varies:
- 15 on the Classic Plan
- 6 on the Family Plan
- 3 on the Vegetarian Plan
Does Hello Fresh Provide High Quality Food?
The answer in our own experiences is yes.
Can You Skip Weeks with Hello Fresh?
Yes. You can skip as often as you want and up to 5 weeks in advance. Hello Fresh does send out email reminders.
Is it Easy to Cancel A Hello Fresh Subscription?
Yes. You can cancel your Hello Fresh subscription by going to Account Settings and clicking “Cancel Plan” at the bottom.
Are There Current Hello Fresh Special Offers?
Yes! Hello Fresh currently offers new subscribers 2 options:
- Save $80 off of your first 5 Hello Fresh orders (spread out over the 5 boxes)
You can also check out some of our Hello Fresh reviews HERE and HERE.
Sun Basket
Sun Basket specializes in healthy meals made with mostly organic produce. Because of some of it’s unique features, we just had to include this meal kit subscription in our Ultimate Meal Kit Subscription Guide!
Sun Basket’s Salmon with Green Tahini
What Plans are Available with Sun Basket?
Sun Basket offers quite a few plan options including:
Classic Plans
- 2 Person/3 Recipes (6 servings total)
- 4 Person/3 Recipes (12 servings total)
Family Plans
- 4 Person/2 Recipes (8 servings total)
- 4 Person/3 Recipes (12 servings total)
- 4 Person/4 Recipes (16 servings total)
What is the Price Range for Sun Basket Meals?
Sun Basket meals start at $10.99 to $11.99 per serving, depending on which plan you choose.
Is There a Shipping Cost with Sun Basket?
Shipping is $5.99 per box.
What Special Diets are Accommodated with Sun Basket?
Sun Basket offers recipes each week with choices that accommodate most special dietary needs including:
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten Free
- Paleo
- Lean & Clean
- Pescatarian
- Diabetes Friendly
- Mediterranean
- Carb Conscious
Does Sun Basket Provide Allergy Information?
Some allergy information is given right on the list of recipes available each week. Recipes are noted as:
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Soy free
What are Some Unique Features that Sun Basket Offers?
Sun Basket uses mostly organic produce, responsibly raised meat and poultry, and sustainably sourced seafood. At times, you can upgrade the proteins in your box for organic and/or grass fed options for an additional cost.
How Many Different Meals Can You Choose From Each Week with Sun Basket?
Sun Basket offers a large selection of different meals for each plan. There are a number of options and tons fo add-ons available each week, including snacks, sauces, dips, proteins and much more.
Does Sun Basket Provide High Quality Food?
In our own experiences, the quality of the food has always been excellent.
Can You Skip Weeks with Sun Basket?
Yes. You can skip as often as you want and up to 6 weeks in advance. Sun Basket does send out email reminders, as well as an option to receive reminders via text message.
Is it Easy to Cancel a Sun Basket Subscription?
It’s a little trickier to figure out. You will need to go to the “Help” link at the bottom of the website. Once there, click on “Your Membership” from the Topics listed on the left-hand side. Next, choose “Cancelling Your Subscription” and then request cancellation of your subscription.
Are There Current Sun Basket Special Offers?
Yes! Sun Basket currently offers new subscribers the following option:
You can see my latest Sun Basket review HERE.
Marley Spoon
Marley Spoon is a meal kit subscription box that features recipes from Martha Stewart. This is another one that we have tried multiple times and love! No doubt, it made the cut into our top 10 for The Ultimate Meal Kit Subscription Guide!
Marley Spoon’s Stovetop Mac and Cheese
What Plans are Available with Marley Spoon?
Marley Spoon also offers quite a few plan options including:
- 2 Person/2 Recipes (4 servings total)
- 2 Person/3 Recipes (6 servings total)
- 2 Person/4 Recipes (8 servings total)
- 3-4 Person/2 Recipes (8 servings total)
- 3-4 Person/3 Recipes (12 servings total)
- 3-4 Person/4 Recipes (16 servings total)
What is the Price Range for Marley Spoon Meals?
Marley Spoon meals start at $7.99 per serving depending on which plan you choose.
Is There a Shipping Cost with Marley Spoon?
$8.99
What Special Diets are Accommodated with Marley Spoon?
Marley Spoon offers some vegetarian options each week. Some recipes are noted as “healthy” or low calorie.
Does Marley Spoon Provide Allergy Information?
Seafood is noted on the recipe choices, otherwise you have to open up the information for individual recipes to see which allergens they have.
What are Some Unique Features that Marley Spoon Offers?
Marley Spoon features recipes from Martha Stewart! They sometimes offer boxes for holidays and special occasions as well!
How Many Different Meals Can You Choose From Each Week with Marley Spoon?
Marley Spoon offers over 20 recipes choices each week.
Does Marley Spoon Provide High Quality Food?
The quality of the food has always been excellent in our experiences.
Can You Skip Weeks with Marley Spoon?
Yes. You can skip as often as you want and up to 4 weeks in advance. Marley Spoon does send out email reminders.
Is it Easy to Cancel A Marley Spoon Subscription?
Yes. Choose “Settings” from the top menu bar. Scan to the bottom and click “Stop Subscription.”
Are There Current Marley Spoon Special Offers?
Occasionally. Marley Spoon offers can be found HERE.
You can read our Marley Spoon reviews HERE and HERE.
Green Chef
Green Chef is a meal kit subscription that is actually certified organic! They send organic ingredients whenever possible, and will note if an ingredient is not organic. Several meal kits in our Ultimate Meal Kit Subscription Guide send organic ingredients, but Green Chef is the only one to be certified organic.
Green Chef Mole-Spiced Steak
What Plans are Available with Green Chef?
Green Chef offers two different plan options including:
- 2 Person/3 Recipes (6 servings total)
- 4 Person/2 Recipes (8 servings total)
What is the Price Range for Green Chef Meals?
Green Chef meals start at $11.99 per serving.
Is There a Shipping Cost with Green Chef?
Shipping is $6.99 per box.
What Special Diets are Accommodated with Green Chef?
Green Chef offers recipes each week with choices that accommodate quite a few special dietary needs including:
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten Free
- Paleo
- Keto (recent recipes were between 11-14 grams net carbs per serving and a few ingredients are not considered keto by some)
Does Green Chef Provide Allergy Information?
The only allergy information given right on the list of recipes available each week is gluten. You can find the allergens for each recipe by clicking on it.
What are Some Unique Features that Green Chef Offers?
Green Chef is certified organic and sends organic ingredients when possible. They cater to quite a few different diets and all meals can be made in 30-45 minutes.
How Many Different Meals Can You Choose From Each Week with Green Chef?
Green Chef offers different meals for each plan. The number of options varies:
- 5-6 on all plans except Vegan and Family Plans
- 3 on the Vegan Plan
- 2 on the Family Plan
Does Green Chef Provide High Quality Food?
We’ve only tested one box quite a while ago, but the food was excellent.
Can You Skip Weeks with Green Chef?
Yes. You can skip as often as you want and up to 4 weeks in advance.
Is it Easy to Cancel A Green Chef Subscription?
Yes. From the drop down menu under your name in the upper right, choose Account Information. On the next screen, you’ll find a link to cancel your account near the bottom.
Does Green Chef Offer Any Special Offers?
Yes! Green Chef currently offers new subscribers:
You can see our only Green Chef review HERE. I have tried a Keto box as well and loved it! The carb counts are a bit higher than most on keto diets prefer, but the food was amazing. I was able to squeeze them into my day by cutting carbs out in other meals.
Plated
Plated no longer offers a subscription meal kit service.
Their meal kits can be only be found in stores like Safeway, Albertson’s, and Vons.
Dinnerly
Dinnerly is a low-cost meal kit subscription under Marley Spoon. I have not yet tested out this meal kit subscription service for ourselves, but since it’s the only low cost option we’ve come across so far, I decided to include it in this Meal Kit Subscription Guide.
What Plans are Available with Dinnerly?
Dinnerly plan options include:
- 2 Person/3 Recipes (6 servings total)
- 4 Person/3 Recipes (12 servings total)
What is the Price Range for Dinnerly Meals?
Dinnerly meals are from $4.69 per serving.
Is There a Shipping Cost with Dinnerly?
Shipping is $8.99.
What Special Diets are Accommodated with Dinnerly?
Dinnerly has started to include notations below each menu item stating which diets each meal is appropriate for. These include:
- low calorie
- gluten free
- low carb
- dairy free
- vegetarian
Does Dinnerly Provide Allergy Information?
Allergens are noted on the recipes cards only.
What are Some Unique Features that Dinnerly Offers?
Dinnerly is a low-cost, no frills meal kit subscription. The recipe cards are sent electronically rather than printed.
How Many Different Meals Can You Choose From Each Week with Dinnerly?
Dinnerly now offers over 20 meals, desserts and add-ons to choose from each week.
Does Dinnerly Provide High Quality Food?
We have yet to test Dinnerly, so can not say from our own experience yet how Dinnerly’s food is.
Can You Skip Weeks with Dinnerly?
It’s very likely that you can easily skip weeks, as most meal kit subscription services allow this for several weeks in advance.
Is it Easy to Cancel A Dinnerly Subscription?
You can easily cancel your Dinnerly subscription under “My Settings.”
Does Dinnerly Offer Any Special Offers?
Occasionally. Dinnerly special offers can be found HERE.
Gobble
I saved Gobble for last and hesitated to include it in The Ultimate Meal Kit Subscription Guide.
I’ve only tried it once and it was not a good experience.
Ive decided to include it in this Meal Kit Subscription Guide because it is still a pretty popular service, likely because they send meals that can be made in 15 minutes using just 1 pan.
Gobble’s Salmon Cakes
What Plans are Available with Gobble?
Gobble offers a couple plan options including:
- 2 Person/3 Recipes (6 servings total)
- 4 Person/3 Recipes (12 servings total)
These are the default plans, but you can do more or less.
What is the Price Range for Gobble Meals?
Gobble meals are $11.99. The price does go up to $13.99 per meal if 4 or less meals are ordered per week.
Is There a Shipping Cost with Gobble?
The first week of shipping is free. After that, it’s $6.99.
What Special Diets are Accommodated with Gobble?
Gobble does offer vegetarian recipes.
Does Gobble Provide Allergy Information?
Gobble provides allergy information for:
- wheat
- eggs
- milk
- soy
- tree nuts
- peanuts
- fish
- shellfish
What are Some Unique Features that Gobble Offers?
Gobble allows you to add on as many additional meals as you’d like. You can also add on soups, sides, and desserts!
Gobbles meals are designed to be made in 15 minutes using 1 pan. This means that some ingredients are already prepared for you, such as sauces, cooked potatoes, and more.
How Many Different Meals Can You Choose From Each Week with Gobble?
From what it appears on the website, Gobble seems to offer 24 different meals each week. However, we can’t say for sure, especially considering our only experience ordering with them. We are not current subscribers and can not see how many soups, sides, and dessert add-on items are available.
Does Gobble Provide High Quality Food?
From our experience, we would say…mostly? But, we threw away steaks…
I don’t want to say that this is a bad company or that they send poor quality food. We’ve only tried it once and maybe we just had a bad box?
Can You Skip Weeks with Gobble?
It’s very likely that you can easily skip weeks, as most meal kit subscription services allow this for several weeks in advance.
Is it Easy to Cancel A Gobble Subscription?
It’s a bit complicated. You have to navigate to the Help Center at the bottom of the website. From there, click on Managing My Account, then choose the fifth option, How to Cancel My Account. In the middle of the paragraph on that next page, click the red “Click Here” to cancel.
Does Gobble Offer Any Special Offers?
Yes! Gobble currently offers new subscribers the best deal yet on a single box:
You can read our only review of Gobble HERE.
What are Some Other Meal Kit Subscription Services?
Freshly’s Lemon Thyme Chicken
Other lesser known meal kit subscriptions include:
- Purple Carrot (plant based)
- Freshly : take $30 off of your first 3 boxes. Check out my Freshly Review.
…and more!!!
Final Thoughts
Most meal kit subscription services follow the same concept of allowing it’s subscribers to pick and choose their meals with the option to skip anytime. Choosing the meal subscription kit for you might only come down to what recipes you like best, and if a particular service can accommodate special dietary needs, if necessary.
While The Ultimate Meal Kit Subscription Guide covers the basics of some of the most popular meal subscription boxes, there are still many more meal kit subscriptions available. When trying a new, lesser known meal kit subscription, it’s always a good idea to read some recent reviews first.
If you have any questions regarding the meal kits discussed in The Ultimate Meal Kit Subscription Guide, feel free to leave a comment below.
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