By 10 Best Cheap Meal Delivery Services (That Are Still Delicious)
If you’re looking to save time, money, and still savor what you eat, the best cheap meal delivery services do it all. Meal delivery services have risen in popularity during the pandemic as more people look to avoid crowded grocery stores and to try new recipes. These services cross grocery shopping and even ingredient chopping off your checklist by sending you specific amounts of everything you need to make a gourmet meal. Genius, right?
Of course, any subscription service adds up over time. Luckily, if you’re on a budget, many premium meal delivery services have affordable options that are under $5 to $10 per meal—a fair price, given what you might spend otherwise on takeout or on a bulk ingredient you wind up using only once.
The growing field of meal delivery services offers options for all types of cooks including, but not limited to, healthy meal deliveries with high-quality, organic ingredients for those with special dietary preferences. Whether it’s vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, carb-conscious, keto, diabetic, pescatarian, you name it; oven-ready meals that require five minutes in a microwave; smoothies you can throw straight in the blender; and pre-prepped kid-friendly meals tailored by food experts for your growing babes, there’s plenty to choose from.
Whether you’re searching for a meal subscription service that improves your culinary game, a plan that does all the prep work for you, or a plan that feeds your little ones, you can find a subscription service that is equally delicious, nutritious, and budget-friendly. Below, we’ve gathered the best cheap meal delivery services in 2022—all of which have meals that fall under $10—from brands like HelloFresh, EveryPlate, Blue Apron, Home Chef, Yumble, and Daily Harvest Many of which have sizable price discounts off your first order; but if you’re still unsure, check out our meal kit buying guide for more information.
Under $5 Per Meal
Little Spoon
Little Spoon
Why It’s Worth It: If you’re on the hunt for a kid-friendly but still cheap meal delivery service, look no further than Little Spoon. Known for its range of puréed organic baby food (called Babyblends), Little Foods’ menu of smoothies for little ones are sourced from organic fruits and veggies without any preservatives or additives. The baby food delivery service works with experts like pediatricians to personalize meal plans that take development into account for your baby or child. Food ships to your door cold and fresh with delicious flavor pairings like beet, banana, and mango; pitaya, pineapple, spinach, banana, and coconut oil.
Cost: Babyblends starts at $2.74 per purée; toddler and kids’ meals start at $5 a meal; smoothies start at $2.50 per smoothie; vitamins and remedies start at $6 a pack.
Availability: Nationwide, excluding Alaska and Hawaii.
Buy Now at Little Spoon
Dinnerly
Dinnerly
Why It’s Worth It: Dinnerly bills itself as the “affordable meal kit.” Launched in 2018 by Marley Spoon, you’ll find 28 recipes to choose from for each weekly box. The meal options require only a few ingredients and are simply to prepare—a win for people who aren’t out here trying to get on a cooking show. The meals are protein-heavy, though there are a few vegetarian options, including dishes like a bean burrito casserole and tahini noodles with broccoli. If you really don’t want to cook, the service offers snacks and desserts too.
Cost: Meals start at just $4.69. There is a minimum order charge of $44, and shipping on all boxes is $9. You can subscribe to a two-person box, or a family box (which serves four). Both are available in weekly boxes of three to six meals.
Availability: Nationwide, excluding Montana, North Dakota, Alaska, and Hawaii.
Buy Now at Dinnerly
EveryPlate
EveryPlate
Why It’s Worth It: EveryPlate is known for being one of the cheapest meal delivery services with meals that are easy enough for newbie cooks to prepare. The company’s aim is to bring “tasty value and convenience, not make you a chef.” Still, you’ll find yummy recipes for dishes like beef bibimbap bowls, apricot sriracha pork chops, and garlic rosemary chicken. Notably, if you are keto, gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian, low-carb, or vegan, this may not be the service for you, as EveryPlate doesn’t cater to special diets just yet.
Cost: Meals start at $5 per dinner (choose from two or four servings) and can be customized for an additional fee. Delivery is free for orders over $49, and $10 for anything less than that amount.
Availability: Available in most areas of the continental United States; input your zip code on the site to see your delivery options.
Buy Now at EveryPlate
Under $10 Per Meal
Courtesy of the brand / Amanda K Bailey
Daily Harvest
Why It’s Worth It: For fans of smoothies, Daily Harvest ships smoothies, soups, oats, and bites that only need to be tossed in the blender (or thrown in the oven) before you can consume. You’ll find breakfast chia bowls, smoothie kits, dairy-free ice cream, flatbreads, pumpkin-and-chai oat bowls, harvest bowls, and more on the menu. All ingredients are fresh, organic, and vegan, making it a perfect vegan meal delivery service. What’s more: Daily Harvest’s packaging is completely compostable.
Cost: Pricing ranges from $6 to $12 per item, with smoothies starting at $8. Plus, the more you order, the more you save.
Availability: Nationwide.
Buy Now at Daily Harvest
HelloFresh
HelloFresh
Why It’s Worth It: HelloFresh draws from varied cultural influences to develop its curated chef boxes. From Middle Eastern chickpea bowls to Korean bulgogi bowls, you’ll find plenty of options, including for anyone who’s vegetarian, vegan, or with other dietary restrictions. The meals range in difficulty on a scale of one to three, with gourmet dishes such as mahi mahi piccata and butternut squash agnolotti with kale.
There are also “fit” meals, which are the three most nutritionally dense recipes for that week; quick meals, which take half an hour max to prep; and variety meals, which feature “new ingredients and techniques” (i.e., an option for people who like to learn culinary skills).
Cost: Meals start at $8 per serving, plus $8 for shipping.
Availability: Nationwide, excluding Alaska and Hawaii.
Buy Now at HelloFresh
Yumble
Yumble
Why It’s Worth It: For parents who don’t have time for grocery shopping, Yumble works with food experts to make sure all their prepared meals are nutritious and easy for the pickiest eaters to enjoy. The brand sneaks veggies into kid-friendly foods (like mac & cheese and chicken nuggets), and they’re all ready to pop in the microwave without any prep. And if your kid is on a dairy-free or gluten-free diet, Yumble has options for that too.
Cost: Meals start at $8 and can be as low as $7, depending on the plan you choose.
Availability: Most of the East Coast, Texas, and parts of the West Coast and Midwest.
Buy Now at Yumble
Courtesy of the brand / Amanda K Bailey
Home Chef
Why It’s Worth It: Home Chef, a SELF-Certified meal delivery service, is a fun fit for someone who likes to learn about cooking. You choose from around a dozen meals each week (with menus set five weeks ahead of time), and those fresh ingredients and recipe cards ship to your door. In about 30 minutes or less, you can whip up delicious dishes that cater to picky eaters and anyone with dietary restrictions (including vegetarian, dairy-free, nut-free, soy-free, and more).
The service offers gourmet meals such as tomato risotto, shrimp scampi pasta, farmhouse fried chicken, and more. And if you love the sound of these meal kits but want to skip the meal prep, Home Chef has five-minute oven-ready lunches and dinners too.
Cost: Meals start at $9 per serving, depending on the available menu, with a $50 minimum weekly order value. Delivery is free for orders over $49, and $10 for anything less than that amount.
Availability: Nationwide.
Buy Now at Home Chef
Courtesy of the brand / Amanda K Bailey
Blue Apron
Why It’s Worth It: OG meal kit delivery service Blue Apron has been around long enough to have worked out the kinks in its well-oiled system. Developed to keep cooking and prep time for meals down to an average of 45 minutes, the recipe card directions are easy to follow and ingredients are sourced from sustainable farms. From vegetable pad thai to harissa-baked chicken to Beyond Burgers, you’ll find a wide range of meat, vegetarian, and carb-conscious meal options on the weekly menu.
Cost: Meals start at $9 per serving, depending on your plan (you can shop for two or four people, with two to four recipes shipped per week).
Availability: Nationwide.
Buy Now at Blue Apron
Splendid Spoon
Splendid Spoon
Why It’s Worth It: Splendid Spoon’s affordable meals require no prep and are entirely plant-based, gluten-free, and low in sugar and sodium. There are more than 50 smoothie, soup, grain bowl, and noodle dishes to select from, with a variety of subscription options and an on-demand box that doesn’t require a subscription. You’ll find tasty treats like chocolate cherry smoothies and cacao almond smoothies as well as filling brown rice taco bowls and green goddess bowls.
Cost: Meals start at $9.
Availability: Nationwide, excluding Hawaii and Alaska.
Buy Now at Spendid Spoon
Mosaic Foods
Mosaic Foods
Why It’s Worth It: Here’s another plant-based, cheap meal delivery service. Mosaic Foods makes frozen, ready-to-heat vegetarian and vegan meals that use fresh, nutritious, and affordable ingredients, with offerings of veggie bowls, soups, oats, and more. It’s a top frozen meal delivery service that even offers family-size meals—a big plus for anyone feeding more than one to two. You’ll find Moroccan vegetable tagine, Thai peanut curry, creamy pesto cavatappi, and more.
Cost: Meals start at $9, and each box requires a $70 minimum.
Availability: New York, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Baltimore, Boston, and the surrounding areas.
Buy Now at Mosaic Foods
