Late last summer, a CNET survey found that 16% of US adults avoid meal kits because they have concerns about overall healthiness and food freshness. With those worries in mind, we paid close attention to freshness, nutrition, dietary restrictions and certifications when testing meal delivery services. And one question stayed top of mind: "Does the food arrive fresh and in good condition, and is the final meal actually healthy?" Here's what we found.
Our Picks
While it's pricier than some other services, Green Chef has a massive selection of both meat- and plant-based recipes using mostly organic ingredients.
Pros
- Healthy meal kits with plenty of organic options
- Good recipes variety
- Allows protein swaps to suit your taste
Cons
- Expensive
- Some premium meals trigger an upcharge
This is simply the best prepared plant-based meal service I've tried and it's one of the most affordable, too.
Pros
- The best-tasting vegan meals we tried
- Interesting recipes
- Family-sized meals are just $6 a serving
Cons
- Not many low-carb options
- The flatbreads were just OK
Daily Harvest is one of the elders of the healthy meal delivery set and the service has fine-tuned its recipes. I tried the latest version of Daily Harvest and loved its new line of family-style pasta and rice dishes that clock in at less than $10 a serving.
Pros
- Meals are light, healthy and made with quality ingredients
- Pasta recipes are excellent and affordable
- Meals are priced a la cart
- Most food tastes great
Cons
- Soups and smoothies requires some prep
- Flatbreads were just OK
- Not many low-carb options
Purple Carrot is easily the best meal kit service for eating plant-based. The recipes, although limited per week, are interesting and unique and use high-quality ingredients.Â
Pros
- Fresh ingredients and vibrant recipes
- Great for learning to cook vegan food
Cons
- Expensive
- Meals take longer to make than other services
Hungryroot is for anyone who seeks online grocery delivery and healthful recipe suggestions with all the ingredients to make them but doesn't want to commit to the rigor of a meal kit subscription.
Pros
- A more convenient way to buy groceries
- High-quality items at good prices
- Flexible recipe suggestions
Cons
- A bit more expensive than shopping yourself
- Somewhat limited selection
Blue Apron offers steak and healthy seafood recipes and no longer requires a subscription to order from the service. It's also the most sustainable meal kit service when it comes to packaging.
Pros
- Easy to track calories
- Premium proteins like steak and seafood are included
Cons
- Shipping is $10 per box
- Doesn't allow for much customization
- No vegan options
With free dietician support, this meal service takes a holistic approach to better health through diet. Plus, the food is pretty tasty.
Pros
- Free dietician support
- Good for those with digestive issues
- Food is mostly tasty
Cons
- Clunky website
- No discount for ordering more meals per week
Splendid Spoon is a no-nonsense way to get your nutrients in with easy plant-based breakfast and lunch meals with no cooking required.
Pros
- Interesting smoothie recipes
- Lots of superfoods
Cons
- Expensive
- Smoothies can be high in sugar
Pete's may be pricey but you'll taste the difference. The tasty premade meals are perfect for athletes and those seeking high-protein and gluten-free options for extra energy.
Pros
- Food is mostly excellent
- Good for gluten-free, low-carb and high-protein diets
- Good portion sizes
Cons
- Limited plant-based options
- Meal plans are confusing
- Expensive
For more of CNET's meal kit tips and intel, here's our full roundup of the best meal kits of 2026 and the best vegan meal kits.
The best meal delivery services in 2026
Pros
- Healthy meal kits with plenty of organic options
- Good recipes variety
- Allows protein swaps to suit your taste
Cons
- Expensive
- Some premium meals trigger an upcharge
While it's pricier than some other services, Green Chef has a massive selection of both meat- and plant-based recipes using mostly organic ingredients.
Green Chef is a healthy organic meal kit service that will tailor your plan to maintain a paleo, keto, vegetarian (plant-powered) or just a steady balanced diet. Roughly 90% of the fresh ingredients included in Green Chef's meal kits are certified organic and its meats are sustainably fished, farmed and raised without hormones or antibiotics. In addition to organic meals, you'll find a lot of healthy grains, lean proteins and fresh greens making it the healthiest meal delivery service for 2026.
Some meal kit services on this list have more total options each week but Green Chef scores major points for quality and overall healthfulness. My favorite Green Chef meal was the artichoke crab cakes with quinoa and zucchini, but everything I made was light, fresh and delicious.
Read CNET's full review of Green Chef.
Best prepared meal delivery
Mosaic Foods
Pros
- The best-tasting vegan meals we tried
- Interesting recipes
- Family-sized meals are just $6 a serving
Cons
- Not many low-carb options
- The flatbreads were just OK
This is simply the best prepared plant-based meal service I've tried and it's one of the most affordable, too.
I tested a week's worth of Mosaic inventive meatless meals (full review here) and for plant-based meal delivery, it doesn't get any better than this. Mosaic is new on the scene and, to date, is the best 100% plant-based meal delivery service I've tried. Of the nine Mosaic meals I tried, none were bad and I enjoyed nearly all of them.
Personal favorites included the tender jackfruit chili and the olive, pepper and feta ragout, but there were plenty more that hit the spot. There were also no mushy vegetables -- a plague in meal delivery -- and the meat stand-ins like jackfruit, tofu and vegan sausage were used in creative ways and cooked extremely well.
Pros
- Meals are light, healthy and made with quality ingredients
- Pasta recipes are excellent and affordable
- Meals are priced a la cart
- Most food tastes great
Cons
- Soups and smoothies requires some prep
- Flatbreads were just OK
- Not many low-carb options
Daily Harvest is one of the elders of the healthy meal delivery set and the service has fine-tuned its recipes. I tried the latest version of Daily Harvest and loved its new line of family-style pasta and rice dishes that clock in at less than $10 a serving.
While the family meals represent the best value, most Daily Harvest smoothies, soups, grain bowls and flatbreads range from $7 to $10 per serving. The food is all vegan and gluten-free and is packed with healthy superfoods such as acai, kale, spinach, flaxseed, nuts, berries and beans.
Daily Harvest meals arrive frozen and ready to be popped in the freezer and then thawed quickly to serve. Food is partially prepared, meaning you'll have to add nut milk to frozen smoothie ingredients and blend, or add broth or water to soup before serving.
Your weekly order cost depends on which items you choose but plans require a minimum of nine items per order. There's an extra $10 for shipping per box so you'll get a better value if you order more in one shot. The subscription can be paused or canceled easily and at any time.
Read our full review of Daily Harvest here.
Pros
- Fresh ingredients and vibrant recipes
- Great for learning to cook vegan food
Cons
- Expensive
- Meals take longer to make than other services
Purple Carrot is easily the best meal kit service for eating plant-based. The recipes, although limited per week, are interesting and unique and use high-quality ingredients.Â
Purple Carrot (full review here) is the original plant-based meal kit service and this healthy food delivery service has a loyal and growing customer base. The 100% vegan meal kit service scores points for its inventive and interesting fresh meat-free ingredients and meal prep options like cauliflower and quinoa kofta or sticky apricot seitan stir fry.Â
Purple Carrot makes it easy to sort its offerings into high-protein or gluten-free meals that satisfy even non-vegetarians. Be aware that some of the Purple Carrot meals take a bit of time and some skill to prepare but if quality, homemade vegan meal kits are a priority for you (and extra trips to the store are not), this is probably the best meal kit for you. In addition to the tasty vegan meals, you can add extras like banana chia pudding or overnight oats with apricot, goji berries and cashew butter to your weekly delivery.
Best healthy grocery delivery
Hungryroot
Pros
- A more convenient way to buy groceries
- High-quality items at good prices
- Flexible recipe suggestions
Cons
- A bit more expensive than shopping yourself
- Somewhat limited selection
Hungryroot is for anyone who seeks online grocery delivery and healthful recipe suggestions with all the ingredients to make them but doesn't want to commit to the rigor of a meal kit subscription.
Hungryroot is part meal kit company and part healthful grocery delivery service. Unlike traditional meal kits, Hungryroot tailors a delivery of groceries with simple recipe suggestions that can be created from them. While services like Blue Apron and Sunbasket lock you into recipes with rather specific ingredients portioned for that particular meal.
Plans start at $4 a serving or $69 a week. Hungryroot gives you the option to add more servings in increments of two to four, with a flat increase of $10. The cost per serving decreases the more you order. Shipping is free for any plan of more than $70 a week.
Pros
- Easy to track calories
- Premium proteins like steak and seafood are included
Cons
- Shipping is $10 per box
- Doesn't allow for much customization
- No vegan options
Blue Apron offers steak and healthy seafood recipes and no longer requires a subscription to order from the service. It's also the most sustainable meal kit service when it comes to packaging.
This is welcomed news to those who didn't want a subscription commitment, since Blue Apron offers plenty of healthy, fresh options on the menu. Its vegetarian options also get high marks, including from our wellness editor and resident vegetarian Anna Gragert.
In addition to abandoining the subscription model, the service also created two new product categories: Dish for pre-made meals and Assemble and Bake for one-pan meals that require five minutes or less of hands-on prep. Those who want recurring deliveries can still opt in to Autoship and Save, which offers added discounts. There is also Blue Apron Plus, a new premium membership that offers free shipping on all orders, unlimited streaming of Tastemade Plus and exclusive perks and deals. It costs $10 per month.
Pros
- Free dietician support
- Good for those with digestive issues
- Food is mostly tasty
Cons
- Clunky website
- No discount for ordering more meals per week
With free dietician support, this meal service takes a holistic approach to better health through diet. Plus, the food is pretty tasty.
This comprehensive meal subscription includes free dietician counseling and is designed for those with food sensitivities and digestive issues. ModifyHealth uses a strategic elimination diet to help find the triggers of your adverse, The program puts a lot of focus on FODMAPS, which are fermentable carbohydrates found in many foods and are thought to be a common trigger for IBS and other gastrointestinal ailments.Â
ModifyHealth also offers tailored meal plans for diabetics and those with celiac disease, as well as those looking to improve heart health or eat fewer carbs. The food I tested was solid with lots of lean proteins, green vegetables and light, flavorful sauces. Some dishes were bland and required salt but most were good or better. The service costs a reasonable $13 per meal for dinners and $10 per breakfast meal no matter how many or few you order. If $10 or $13 per meal doesn't seem sustainable for your long-term budget, you can use ModifyHealth for a short time to help diagnose your issues and then transition to more healthful cooking yourself.
Read our full ModifyHealth review.
Pros
- Interesting smoothie recipes
- Lots of superfoods
Cons
- Expensive
- Smoothies can be high in sugar
Splendid Spoon is a no-nonsense way to get your nutrients in with easy plant-based breakfast and lunch meals with no cooking required.
This is the best meal delivery for ready-to-go, healthful breakfasts and light lunches. Splendid Spoon is hoping to entice folks who want to keep it simple, easy and nutritious for breakfast and lunch with its ready-made smoothies, soups and grain bowls delivered to your door weekly.
Soup options include cauliflower tikka and Mexican tomato, while smoothies come in tasty combos like almond butter and jelly, blueberry acai and a green matcha smoothie with spirulina, ginger and turmeric. Soups and smoothies are loosely categorized by their overall intended effect, like "heal," "energize" and "refresh." Splendid Spoon also offers a full-day soup cleanse add-on to "reset" your system.
One thing to note is that the smoothies can be high in sugar. If cutting back on the sweet stuff is a goal, you may want to look elsewhere or buy a good smoothie blender and make them at home.
Read our full review of Splendid Spoon.
Pros
- Food is mostly excellent
- Good for gluten-free, low-carb and high-protein diets
- Good portion sizes
Cons
- Limited plant-based options
- Meal plans are confusing
- Expensive
Pete's may be pricey but you'll taste the difference. The tasty premade meals are perfect for athletes and those seeking high-protein and gluten-free options for extra energy.
Pete's won me over in a week-long taste test, notching its place as one of the best healthy, organic meal delivery services I've yet to try. While it's not particularly budget-friendly at about $16 a meal, it is actually cheaper than other meal services that use organic ingredients and quality meat and the food was better than most of them.Â
Pete's Real Food meals were all well-prepared too. The meats were tender, the vegetables (mostly) cooked to proper doneness and all the flavors worked. The food wasn't overly seasoned and the recipes were mild and maybe even on the safe side -- but that's nothing a few shakes of hot sauce can't fix. If you're in training, avoiding gluten or keeping to a paleo plan and looking for a lot of protein, healthy fats and nutrient-filled carbs such as sweet potatoes and beets, Pete's Real Food should hit the spot. Pete's has lots of ordering options and the meals are made to freeze so if you don't want to subscribe, you can keep an inventory on hand for those moments you need a quick fix.
Read our full review of Pete's Fresh Food.
Healthy meal delivery services compared
| Service | Diets good for | Meal options per week | Subscription only | Price per serving (entree) | Shipping cost | CNET rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Chef | Vegan, vegetarian, organic, keto, paleo, gluten-free, diabetic, pescetarian, Mediterranean | 80+ | Yes | $12+ | $11 | 8.4 |
| Mosaic Foods (prepared) | Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, paleo | 40+ | Yes | $6-$12 | $10 | 9.2 |
| Daily Harvest | Vegan, vegetarian | 100+ | No | $5-$10 | Free | 9 |
| Sunbasket | Vegetarian, organic, keto, paleo, gluten-free, diabetic, pescetarian, Mediterranean | 18 | Yes | $11+ | $11 | 8.2 |
| Purple Carrot | Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free | 50+ | Yes | $11-$13.25 | Free | 8.6 |
| Hungryroot | Vegan, vegetarian, organic, keto, paleo, Whole30, gluten-free, diabetic, Mediterranean | 200+ | Yes | $9-$10 | Free on orders over $70 | 9 |
| Blue Apron | Vegan, vegetarian, low-calorie, keto, paleo, gluten-free, diabetic, pescetarian, Mediterranean | 100+ | No | $12+ | $11 | 9 |
| ModifyHealth | Digestive issues, diabetics, keto | 50+ | Yes | $12+ | Free | 8.8 |
| Splendid Spoon (prepared) | Vegan, vegetarian, low-calorie, Whole30, paleo | 30 | No | $10-$13 | $13 | 7.8 |
| Pete's Real Food | Keto, paleo, vegan, autoimmune, gluten-free, dairy-free, high-protein | 29 | No | $15+ | Varies by location | 9 |
Other healthy meal services we've tested
- BistroMD: This health-focused service is intended to help with weight loss and has dozens of weekly menu options that are 400 calories or less.
- Veestro: This vegan meal delivery service had some hits and misses. It's also on the expensive side with most plant-based meals costing $15.
- Territory Foods: This service relies on partnerships with local chefs to curate menus that are specific to each region. The food was excellent and there were plenty of healthy options. It's also expensive at between $14 and $18 per meal.Â
- Sakara Life:Â This fresh food service was tasty and good for a cleanse, but it's also one of the most expensive meal subscriptions I tried.Â
- Snap Kitchen:Â Snap Kitchen has solid prepared meals, mostly under 450 calories. The portions were a bit small, and some meals were underwhelming.
- FlexPro Meals:Â These frozen keto meals were some of the worst I tried.
- Nutrisystem:Â Although it's affordable, I disliked most of the meals I tried from this frozen meal subscription.
- Sunbasket:Â This service has high-end meal kits, but the bloated cost keeps it off our list.
- Thistle: This is a fresh food service much like Sakara Life. It's significantly cheaper than Sakara but the salads and bowls are fairly simple considering the cost.
How I tested healthy meal delivery services
To test each meal delivery service, I tried at least five and sometimes as many as 10 meals from any given service. I tried to choose a range of meals from the various menus and meal plan offerings. For instance, if a service offers plant-based meals I was sure to try at least one. I also mixed up the meal types to include rice bowls, meat dishes, plant-based offerings and other various styles offered by the brand. Further, I made sure to test a variety of cuisines -- Italian, Indian, Thai, Mexican -- if they were offered.
Because healthy food is subjective and people have varying nutrition needs and goals, I tried to approach this list from all angles and determine which meal services were healthiest for different types of eaters. Folks keeping to the keto diet, for instance, may consider low-carb meal delivery "healthiest." Others who deem vegan and plant-based food healthier than meals with meat will be looking for a service that provides more meatless options.Â
I also took careful note of each meal delivery service's website, including what information was provided (ingredients, nutritional info), how well the menu was organized and how simple it was to pick a healthy meal plan and order meals. When they arrived, I noted how well they were packaged and checked whether each meal was still chilled or frozen.
A spread of Mosaic'd plant-based prepared meals.
To reheat meals, I took a twofold approach. For some, I meticulously followed the heating instructions on the label. Since these are suggestions, I reheated other meals the way I would if left to my own devices. Often that meant warming gently in a nonstick skillet or reheating in an air fryer. Many of the meal delivery services offer a microwave heating option, but I almost always found that produced worse results.
Testing meal kits requires cooking and thus a different stand of practices and procedures for evaluation. Here's more on how we test meal kits at CNET.
What to consider when buying healthy meal delivery
Your nutrition goals
The first thing you'll want to consider is what your nutrition goals are, ideally with the help of a health professional, since some services are better suited to specific diets or health conditions. If it's eliminating some or all meat from your diet, there are vegan meal plans that will make it easy. If you're trying to cut carbs or calories from your weekly intake, other services specialize in keto, paleo and low-calorie foods. Others have meal plans specifically for diabetics in case you are carefully managing your blood sugar.Â
Type of meal delivery: Meal kits or prepared meals
You'll also want to decide if a meal kit service or prepared meal subscription is best. If you like the idea of cooking, but don't want to do the shopping and prep, a service such as Blue Apron or Sunbasket will take the legwork out of dinner a few nights each week. If you'd rather not cook at all, prepared meal delivery is the obvious choice. They'll send ready-to-eat meals to be stored in the fridge or freezer for whoever needs them.
Cost of meals
The price you're willing to pay is another important consideration. Meal delivery can make life much easier but not if it adds financial stress. Some meal services such as Mosaic Foods have plans that start as low as $6 a serving while others are as pricey as $15 per meal or more. Use our comparison chart to help determine which meal services best fit your budget and go from there.Â
How diet and nutrition impact your overall health
Most health experts will tell you that eating a healthy, balanced diet is just about the best thing you can do to improve your health. While strict diets aren't necessarily at the top of the list for doctors and dieticians, consuming more whole foods, protein and vitamin-rich vegetables as well as eating less sodium, unhealthy fats and sugar will drastically improve health outcomes over time. Heart health, bone health, cardiovascular health and even mental health are all tied directly to diet, and choosing a healthy meal service or subscription is one way to kick a healthy new nutritional regimen into gear.Â











