The Corona-virus increased the popularity of prepared meals delivery services in the U.S, and now millions discover the magic of eating healthy, portioned yet delicious food without any hassles.
While the meal kit revolution was all about providing you with the basic ingredients and instructions on how to pull it all together, we’re betting you no longer have time to do that — truth be told, cooking is really only fun when you’ve got the time to do it. That’s why these oven-ready meal kits and prepared meal delivery services have emerged as a turnkey solution when you need quick and easy lunches and dinners, but your takeout budget is running thin. Newer meal delivery services such as Nutrisystem and SouthBeach Diet have taken note of modern eating habits and there are prepared menus tailored for every type of eater, including carnivores, vegetarians and vegans and those keeping to a keto, paleo, low-sugar or low-calorie diet, and more.
Choosing the right meal delivery service is not an easy task though, and all the different options can confuse and frustrate you in your way for finding the service thats fits you best in terms of menu options, availability and price – And that’s exactly why we’ve tested, reviewed and collected ratings based on Quality, Taste, Customer service, Delivery and more in order to craft this list.
As more and more Americans are opting to work from home amid the coronavirus pandemic, they’ve also been buying toilet paper and sanitizing wipes in bulk — not to mention clearing grocery stores of bread, pasta, frozen pizzas and other staples. One easy way to avoid encountering empty aisles and practice social distancing? Meal kit delivery services that package up everything you need and send it straight to your doorstep.
Top Meal Delivery Services (2020 Updated)
Product
Benefits
Best value-for-money.
Meals include sides, desserts, and condiments so no additional shopping is needed and you can stay on track.
4 delicious, High-quality menus to choose from to help you lose weight.
Portion-controlled meals helps you not overeat.
4.3/5 Based on 1,452 Reviews
Portion-controlled meals helps you not overeat.
Good customer service & Fast deliveries
High-quality food
Great value-for-money.
4.1/5 Based on 889 Reviews
Unique types of food
Pretty good value-for-money.
Includes food for diabetic people
Portion-controlled meals helps you not overeat.
4.0/5 Based on 641 Reviews
Exotic types of foods
Huge variety of breakfasts, lunches and dinners
Great customer service
3.5/5 Based on 543 Reviews
Tasty variery of snacks
Impressive breakfasts
Very friendly staff
Portion-controlled meals helps you not overeat.
1. Nutrisystem (Editor Choice*)
Each of Nutrisystem’s meals is chef-prepared and portion controlled to ensure that both taste and nutrition are packed into every bite. After eating the delicious food, reading more than 500 reviews, and talking with real customers, We’ve picked Nutrisystem as our 1#, and for some good reasons, too. You can read more real, verified customers reviews here.
Not only is each dish dietitian-approved, but their menu choices allow you to indulge some of your strongest cravings while still meeting your weight loss goals. Dieters rejoice!
Nutrisystem also provides support from a community of health professionals, including a nutritionist, a dietitian, and a certified health coach. This is huge for those who are serious about losing weight and taking control of their health.
What’s on the Menu
The company strives to deliver restaurant-quality taste for a fraction of the calories you’d get if you were eating out. All of their meals are heart-healthy and calorie-controlled.
There are 4 main meal plans that you can choose from with Nutrisystem:
Balanced: The Balanced Menu is their most popular options, which has been helping customers lose weight for 25 years.
In fact, this menu earned the top #1 rating for taste by Epicurious.
This menu includes a wide variety of healthy and fresh foods, including vegetarian and seafood-free options.
All of the meals are calorie-controlled, heart-healthy (with low sodium, carbs, fats, and cholesterol), and nutritionally balanced.
Sample menu items include meals such as pancakes, turkey burgers, and chicken pizza.
Balance—Diabetes: The main difference with this plan and the Balanced Menu is that it follows the American Diabetes Association guidelines for fats and carbohydrates.
This program is designed for those living with pre-diabetes or diabetes who want to lose weight and prevent type-2 diabetes.
Each prepared meal is heart healthy and helps control your blood sugar naturally. Even though it is designed for those with diabetes, even those who are not diabetic can benefit from this plan.
Some sample menu items include egg & cheese sandwich, eggplant parmesan, and turkey chili.
Keto-Carb30: The Keto-Carb30 menu includes foods that support classic carb-restricted or Atkins-style diets. Click here to read more about the best low-carb meal delivery services reviews.
With an average of only 30 total carbs per day, this weight loss plan is keto-friendly and can put your body in a fat burning state.
Some sample menu items include baked chicken with goat cheese, lemon herb tilapia, and beef tenderloin with red wine sauce.
Vegetarian: This menu gives you the same great taste as the Balanced menu, but with strictly vegetarian food options.
Some sample menu items include chocolate zucchini bread, Asian soy over sesame rice, and veggie pizza
Nutrisystem Delivery
Nutrisystem’s motto is “Food Simplified”, and that couldn’t be more accurate. This service simplifies one’s diet by taking all the hassle out of meal planning.
The meals will arrive at your home with flexible options for their meal delivery service.
You will receive your dishes frozen in an insulated package. All you have to do is heat, eat, and enjoy. If you plan to eat them later, just stick them in the freezer to preserve freshness.
Why It’s Our #1
Nutrisystem has a holistic approach to nutrition and weight loss.
Each of their meals is dietitian-approved to help you meet your weight loss goals.
In addition, their meals have reduced sodium levels, low carbs, and keto-friendly menu options. This ensures you’re getting a healthy balance of nutrients without the bad stuff.
If you’re diabetic, Nutrisystem could be a perfect solution. Their Balanced—Diabetes menu cuts out added sugars and replaces them with heart-healthy alternatives.
With multiple different menus made available, there’s a formulated weight loss menu catering to just everyone.
Finally, and worthy of mention, in addition to their meal delivery services, you will also have access to an enthusiastic support team, including a free health coach with phone/email support any time.
All of these features combined make for a very promising weight loss and management program that is thorough and reliable, not to mention, the best weight loss meal delivery service on the market!
2. SouthBeach Diet
SouthBeach Diet takes a scientific approach to healthy eating.
Their weight loss meals are:
- Chef-prepared meals that taste great and target fat
- Customized physician-designed weight loss program
- Individualized weight loss support
Each of their healthy recipes is created under the supervision of registered dietitians.
This helps ensure each meal is packed with the right nutrients that your body needs while helping you achieve your dietary goals.
Their focus on wellness and healthy eating are evident in their wide selection of menu options.
These include low-carb, low sodium, diabetic, and gluten-free meals. Their commitment to helping people eat better and live longer is a driving force behind the company.
What’s on the Menu
SouthBeach Diet offers a rotating menu of more than 100 delicious meals and snacks.
Talented chefs then work with registered dietitians to create healthy and delicious meals that meet a variety of tastes and dietary needs.
They have a variety of special diets, including:
- Heart healthy
- Gluten free
- Diabetic friendly
- Low sodium
- Low-carb
- Menopause
- Dairy-free
- Mediterranean
The nutritional breakdown of the average meal is 40-45% calories from lean protein, 30-35% calories from complex carbohydrates and 20-25% calories from healthy fats.
This balance of macronutrients is designed to keep you feeling full and energized longer while limiting your caloric intake. In fact, each meal ranges from about 240-400 calories each. This is perfect for those trying to lose weight.
Breakfast may include items such as bagel egg sandwich with roast beef and pepper jack or steak and egg scramble. Lunch/Dinner include items such as pork enchiladas, salisbury steak with mushroom gravy, and shrimp etouffee and cheese grits.
Snacks include an array of chocolate bars, cookies bites, jerky, and protein shakes.
In addition to their meals, Balance also has a weight management supplement that you can purchase as a 30-day supply.
SouthBeach Diet Delivery
SouthBeach Diet is one of the most flexible prepared meal delivery services. There are no membership or minimum purchasing requirements. That means you can order as much or as little as you want.
All you have to do is order your meals online from their vast menu. You can narrow it down by meal (breakfast, lunch/dinner, or snacks) or choose from one of their specialty diets. If you prefer, you can also set up a recurring shipment of your favorite meals. Or, you can choose different items every week.
Once you place your order, it will be delivered in an insulated package (with dry ice) right to your door. You can either freeze your meals for later or heat and eat them in about 6 minutes.
Why It’s Our Runner-Up
We love the dietary expertise that is behind bistroMD and the company’s dedication to creating meals tailored to your body’s needs.
Meals average between only 240-400 calories. Not to mention the macro breakdown the company sticks to is designed to fuel your body and keep you feeling full longer.
Last but not least, we love how flexible their program is. It allows you to order as much or as little as you’d like.
Overall, SouthBeach Diet is excels in meal delivery plans for weight loss thanks to the company’s emphasis on healthy eating and convenience.
3. Fresh n’ Lean
Fresh n’ Leans consists of completely organic, chef-prepared, fresh, fully cooked meals. OK, but how is that different from everyone else on this list? Let’s break it down. Read the full review here.
What’s On The Menu
All Fresh n’ Lean meals are gluten, dairy, and GMO-free.
They’re prepared by chefs in our FDA-certified kitchen and are created without added sugar, processed ingredients, artificial flavors or anything unhealthy.
Fresh n’ Lean currently offer five different meal plans:
• Protein +: Includes high-quality animal protein with every lunch/dinner meal, as well as organic vegetables and whole grains.
• Paleo: Consists of high-quality animal products and organic vegetables, but no grains or legumes.
• Keto: Low-carb, high fat foods.
• Plant-based: Rich in plant-based proteins, organic vegetables, and whole grains.
• Low-carb/low-cal plant-based: Contains one standard plant-based meal with grains and one without grains per day.
Fresh n’ Lean Delivery
When you subscribe to one of the Fresh n Lean meal plans, they send you a box of freshly made meals every Friday.
Simply transfer them to your refrigerator after opening your package, reheat and eat your food whenever you’re ready.
You can somewhat customize your program.
You’re able to select one of their five delicious set meal plans that cater for various dietary needs and goals, and choose additional options from the A La Carte menu.
You can also let them know of any allergies and preferences, and Fresh n Lean is pretty good about accommodating you.
Why It’s On Our List
We love all the different meal programs all of which provide you with a strong weight loss program no matter what your lifestyle leanings are.
Fresh n’ Lean provides so many choices and tasty meals, not to mention menu diversity that we can overlook that they’re not as customizable as others on this list.
And perhaps the best feature are that all their delicious meals are heated and ready to eat in under 3 minutes!
4. Veestro
Veggie lovers rejoice! Veestro is plant-based weight loss food delivery service that is 100% vegan, fully prepared, and uses organic ingredients. Read more for details!
All of their meals are completely vegan. Each menu item is packed with protein and includes all the macronutrients that your body needs.
With Veestro, you can either order a la carte or sign up for one of their meal packs.
They have a variety of plans. These include their Meatless Monday pack for those transitioning into a plant-based diet, their gluten-free pack, kosher pack, and more.
What’s on the Menu
There are two main ways to order Veestro: either a la carte or through meal packs.
Their a la carte menu features a wide variety of plant-based dishes such as veggie lasagna, curries, or plant based proteins mimicking the taste of chicken and beef!
In addition to their a la carte menu, Veestro also offers several meal packs, including gluten-free and kosher options. Their wedding prep plan is also a great option for those looking to lose weight quickly with effective calorie-controlled meals.
Why It Gets a Shout-Out
One of the biggest complaints about weight loss meal delivery programs is their lack of options for vegans or people looking for more plant based meals. Veestro eliminates this problem by tackling it head on with the power of plants.
While Veestro may not be the ideal frozen meal delivery service for meat lovers, it is still one of the best weight loss meal plans overall.
If you’re considering moving to a more plant-based diet, Veestro is a great option and certainly deserves a shout out.
Real Talk: What do You Have to Lose?
Many people find that it is a challenge to cook properly portioned, nutritious foods at home that both satiate them and their weight loss goals.
With quality diet food delivery, however, you don’t have to worry about shopping or cooking. All you have to do is pick your meals online, heat, and eat. They give you access to healthy and delicious meals wherever and whenever those cravings strike.
The best meal delivery service is like having your own personal chef, only better. The top weight loss programs listed above enlist not only seasoned culinary experts, but also health and nutrition professionals to ensure your meals contain a healthy balance of nutrients that your body needs to thrive.
Lose the excuses and order your meals today!
