The Best Prepared Meal Delivery Services for When You Need Dinner Now
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Finding the best prepared meal delivery service is, of course, different from looking for the best meal delivery service, period. Meal kits live on a spectrum. Some arrive simply as big boxes of groceries with accompanying recipes. Some include partially prepped ingredients, like premade sauces and chopped vegetables, but still require you to stir and cook your food. Others are more of a “just add water, heat, and stir” situation.
Read our review of the best meal kits overall, which includes options for the best meal kits you cook yourself.
- The best prepared meal kit overall: CookUnity, starts at $11/serving
- The best healthy prepared meal service: Factor, starts at $12/serving
- The best sustainable prepared meal service: Sunbasket, starts at $10/serving
- The bougie option: Sakara, starts at $26/serving
Regardless of the meal kit company you’re looking at, it likely claims to save you time and energy in the meal prep area. But in many cases, the kits require just as much time and effort, and just as many pans, to prepare meals from scratch. You will save time in the form of avoiding the errand of going to the grocery store or thinking about what you want to cook. But the reality of prepping the meal and cleaning up after it likely requires just as much effort (sometimes even more) than anything you’d regularly cook.
In this story:
We like these more labor-intensive kits like—HelloFresh, Purple Carrot, or Blue Apron—because we like to cook. They give us recipe inspo and they can be great for teaching newer home cooks techniques and flavor combinations (and if that’s your speed, then make sure to read our full review of all the best meal delivery services). But if you’re really looking for the quickest, easiest meal delivery options, consider opting for fully prepared meal kits.
This category has grown a lot in recent years—moving far beyond the territory of airplane food or frozen TV dinners you might associate it with, and into a robust selection of high-quality weekly meal options. We're talking spicy rigatoni alla vodka and beef birria tacos that are actually worth their salt, but that you simply reheat in the oven or microwave for a few minutes before serving. It might not be restaurant-quality and we’ll be the first to say nothing beats a home-cooked meal, but these options can certainly help flesh out your weekly meal plan for when you don’t want to just get takeout again. Below, we dive into what we believe is the best prepared meal kit, CookUnity, and share a few other options we’ve enjoyed using.
Best overall: CookUnity
To me, CookUnity isn’t just the best prepared meal delivery service. It’s the best meal delivery service, period. This food company focuses solely on premade, oven-ready meals, and all of its recipes are developed by award-winning chefs (many of whom we’ve featured here at Bon Appétit, including Teranga’s Pierre Thiam, Mokbar’s Esther Choi, and FieldTrip’s J.J. Johnson). With over 100 options to choose from, CookUnity has the largest weekly menu selection I’ve come across in this category, and I like that you can read ratings and reviews for every single dish—something I haven’t seen while browsing many other meal kit menus (and that I could see being useful for especially picky eaters).
Here, you’ll find a huge variety of meals (like thieboudienne, beef birria tacos, and slow soy-braised pork shoulder with soy-marinated eggs) across many different cuisines. In terms of quality and flavor, I find these meals to be miles ahead of the rest—all with a cooking time under 20 minutes. I’ve been using this service for about a year, and most of the dishes I’ve tried have been well-seasoned, deeply flavored, and come in generous portion sizes, especially compared to other fully prepared meal kit delivery services.
One of my go-to favorite meals is the short rib with herby mashed potatoes: The short ribs are melt-in-your mouth tender, the potatoes are the ideal combination of rich and creamy and light and fluffy, and you can really taste the red wine in the braise. Another one of my top picks is the grilled chicken yassa with jollof rice and plantains, which is perfectly sweet, tangy, and spicy. More of my repeats include the spicy lamb vindaloo, steak tampiquena, ginger salmon cakes with miso sriracha, and pappardelle with pork ragù. Unlike its competitors, CookUnity doesn’t primarily focus on special weight-loss or paleo diets or place a strong emphasis on “nutritious and healthy meals”—and I appreciate that. This is the place to go if you’re looking for tasty prepared entrées for easy meal prep, and you aren’t too concerned about those meals being low-calorie, low-carb, or high-protein. While you definitely can choose options that cater to specific dietary needs and preferences, the top priority with this delivery service is to offer quick, satisfying, and delicious meals. (And, I should note that they have one of the most robust selections of vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free dishes I’ve seen.)
How we tested
To find the best prepared meal delivery services, we, of course, ate a lot of meals from various highly-rated prepared meal delivery services. At a minimum, our testers tried each service for a three weeks to a month—but some (like CookUnity) we ate meals from for over the course of a year. We also relied on personal recommendations from our colleagues. Before trying the meal kits, we assessed factors like quality of ingredient sourcing, if the menu options were widely varied, and how well you could tailor the meal kit to your dietary preferences and needs. As we tried each kit, we considered how easy the meals were to make and how the food actually tasted after heating it up—and if all those combined elements justified the price.
Other prepared meal kits we like
- Factor","dek":["div",["p","If the slogan “healthy eating, made easy” is speaking to you, then you’ll appreciate Factor, another meal delivery service that focuses solely on premade meals. Factor works in collaboration with chefs and registered dietitians to provide nutrient-dense meals made with whole foods and organic ingredients. The weekly rotating menu offers 35 meal options and a number of add-on items, like cold-pressed juice and packaged breakfast sausage links. BA culture editor Karen Yuan describes Factor’s microwaveable dishes as “fancier, dietitian-approved TV dinners.” Her faves include the creamy tomato pork chop, garlic herb salmon, and the Indian-style vegetable rice. Most of the meals consist of protein (like grilled chicken, seared steak, or roasted salmon) sitting on a bed of vegetable purée, accompanied by a heap of greens. When ordering, you just select your meal preferences (including any dietary restrictions or if you want keto-friendly food) and the number of meals you want per week. While the meals are flavorful and satisfying, they can feel a bit redundant—and you should know there aren’t many vegetarian or dairy-free options."]],"functionalTags":[],"id":"627d4460544d63284f9a6dab","isHedClickable":true,"isPromotion":null,"name":"Factor","offers":[{"offerUrl":"https://www.factor75.com/r/home","price":"","currency":"USD","purchaseUri":"https://cna.st/p/LfXDK5GmEGKZf93qiv9ySZFDrqYEPnU8JD28mFZJ4gFX327pUF4gUgB6Bo3f6ohHeiZBfw1DyxutV7SQ1pZb3L1B7Y4FWjXaHT1RCWHNtH6D2xVjwfTzM28WXStMEtyDF9hm6vqqUXHuhUc6VtkzSPKbnWTo1XojfjiPcpFvUNKPYHPyNE6pnPL4Rt8U474DAtMwK3XifNC7MxZmoFnPPoahk","sellerName":"Factor","countryCode":"","reducedPrice":""}],"promotionHed":null,"promotionText":null,"socialIconsProps":{"links":[]},"itemSocialSharesProps":{"showBookmark":false,"links":[{"network":"facebook","behavior":"popup","url":"https://www.facebook.com/dialog/feed?&display=popup&caption=The%20Best%20Prepared%20Meal%20Delivery%20Services%20for%20When%20You%20Need%20Dinner%20Now&app_id=2309869772&link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bonappetit.com%2Fgallery%2Fthe-best-prepared-meal-delivery-services-for-when-you-need-dinner-now%3Fimage%3D627d4460544d63284f9a6dab%26utm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Donsite-share%26utm_brand%3Dbon-appetit%26utm_social-type%3Dearned","label":"Share on Facebook"},{"network":"twitter","url":"https://twitter.com/intent/tweet/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bonappetit.com%2Fgallery%2Fthe-best-prepared-meal-delivery-services-for-when-you-need-dinner-now%3Fimage%3D627d4460544d63284f9a6dab%26utm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Donsite-share%26utm_brand%3Dbon-appetit%26utm_social-type%3Dearned&text=The%20Best%20Prepared%20Meal%20Delivery%20Services%20for%20When%20You%20Need%20Dinner%20Now&via=bonappetit","label":"Share on X"},{"network":"pinterest","url":"https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bonappetit.com%2Fgallery%2Fthe-best-prepared-meal-delivery-services-for-when-you-need-dinner-now%3Fimage%3D627d4460544d63284f9a6dab%26utm_source%3Dpinterest%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Donsite-share%26utm_brand%3Dbon-appetit%26utm_social-type%3Dearned&media=https://assets.bonappetit.com/photos/627d4460544d63284f9a6dab/master/pass/blueberry-lime-and-cashew-smoothies.jpg","label":"Share on Pinterest"}]},"showLocalisedOffers":true,"isUpcEnabled":true,"index":0,"showClampedProductDescription":true,"isMobileView":false,"hasMultipleImageSupport":false,"showImageCreditText":false,"showMultipleImageCount":4,"hasProsConsFeature":false,"hasRatingFeature":false,"pros":[],"cons":[],"rating":"","shouldUseAmazonPrimeDayLiveAPIData":true,"order":0,"totalCount":3,"preHeaderOne":"1/3","showOrderedGallery":false,"hasAffiliateLinkDisabled":false,"layout":"ProductEmbed","component":"unified_product_card","hasMultipleImage":false,"componentType":true,"showProsConsData":false,"showBadge":false}">
1/3If the slogan “healthy eating, made easy” is speaking to you, then you’ll appreciate Factor, another meal delivery service that focuses solely on premade meals. Factor works in collaboration with chefs and registered dietitians to provide nutrient-dense meals made with whole foods and organic ingredients. The weekly rotating menu offers 35 meal options and a number of add-on items, like cold-pressed juice and packaged breakfast sausage links. BA culture editor Karen Yuan describes Factor’s microwaveable dishes as “fancier, dietitian-approved TV dinners.” Her faves include the creamy tomato pork chop, garlic herb salmon, and the Indian-style vegetable rice. Most of the meals consist of protein (like grilled chicken, seared steak, or roasted salmon) sitting on a bed of vegetable purée, accompanied by a heap of greens. When ordering, you just select your meal preferences (including any dietary restrictions or if you want keto-friendly food) and the number of meals you want per week. While the meals are flavorful and satisfying, they can feel a bit redundant—and you should know there aren’t many vegetarian or dairy-free options.
- Sunbasket","dek":["div",["p","Sunbasket leans in on health, sustainability, and quality sourcing. The brand strives to use 100% organic fresh ingredients, responsibly raised meats, and wild-caught or sustainably raised seafood. What sets this apart as one of the best prepared meal delivery service is its variety and diversity of high-quality ingredients. You’ll find many meals that extend beyond the typical “greatest hits,” so you’re less likely to get bored. Looking through the menu options, I would often see a dish or ingredient I’d never cooked before (like crispy ",["a",{"href":"https://sunbasket.com/recipe/hominy-fritters-with-shrimp-and-smashed-cucumber-salad","target":"_blank"},"hominy fritters"],"). Sunbasket doesn’t solely focus on fully prepared meals, but it ",["em","does"]," offer a good selection of ready-made, microwaveable dishes. Think chicken-andouille jambalaya, salmon biryani and Korean turkey japchae. The market also has add-on items for breakfast, lunch, and snacks."]],"functionalTags":[],"id":"63c1d7a29f64f16d74bcc706","isHedClickable":true,"isPromotion":null,"name":"Sunbasket","offers":[{"offerUrl":"https://sunbasket.com/","price":"","currency":"USD","purchaseUri":"https://cna.st/p/EGJMnSBTAYUHHtZ19yopXwJh93N3vRVsKf7GTjtUaqCoin73WigLqRG3ji2ivVHKTsUgkcJWb9keDPuWaugWrf3QZVkJ55rTaa1nVd81Mjc3JVXCrL2w1hBN9WFwbHj5ypfXLJ4xvNsr5yRJjQDfP9tbMa8SrabkutUT85WG8UhNzDn3uT9VB9oUHicG3NfEkkaYMSeZYpJsh5iXLye6i","sellerName":"Sunbasket","countryCode":"","reducedPrice":""}],"promotionHed":null,"promotionText":null,"socialIconsProps":{"links":[]},"itemSocialSharesProps":{"showBookmark":false,"links":[{"network":"facebook","behavior":"popup","url":"https://www.facebook.com/dialog/feed?&display=popup&caption=The%20Best%20Prepared%20Meal%20Delivery%20Services%20for%20When%20You%20Need%20Dinner%20Now&app_id=2309869772&link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bonappetit.com%2Fgallery%2Fthe-best-prepared-meal-delivery-services-for-when-you-need-dinner-now%3Fimage%3D63c1d7a29f64f16d74bcc706%26utm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Donsite-share%26utm_brand%3Dbon-appetit%26utm_social-type%3Dearned","label":"Share on Facebook"},{"network":"twitter","url":"https://twitter.com/intent/tweet/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bonappetit.com%2Fgallery%2Fthe-best-prepared-meal-delivery-services-for-when-you-need-dinner-now%3Fimage%3D63c1d7a29f64f16d74bcc706%26utm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Donsite-share%26utm_brand%3Dbon-appetit%26utm_social-type%3Dearned&text=The%20Best%20Prepared%20Meal%20Delivery%20Services%20for%20When%20You%20Need%20Dinner%20Now&via=bonappetit","label":"Share on X"},{"network":"pinterest","url":"https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bonappetit.com%2Fgallery%2Fthe-best-prepared-meal-delivery-services-for-when-you-need-dinner-now%3Fimage%3D63c1d7a29f64f16d74bcc706%26utm_source%3Dpinterest%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Donsite-share%26utm_brand%3Dbon-appetit%26utm_social-type%3Dearned&media=https://assets.bonappetit.com/photos/63c1d7a29f64f16d74bcc706/master/pass/blueberry-lime-and-cashew-smoothies.jpg","label":"Share on Pinterest"}]},"showLocalisedOffers":true,"isUpcEnabled":true,"index":1,"showClampedProductDescription":true,"isMobileView":false,"hasMultipleImageSupport":false,"showImageCreditText":false,"showMultipleImageCount":4,"hasProsConsFeature":false,"hasRatingFeature":false,"pros":[],"cons":[],"rating":"","shouldUseAmazonPrimeDayLiveAPIData":true,"order":1,"totalCount":3,"preHeaderOne":"2/3","showOrderedGallery":false,"hasAffiliateLinkDisabled":false,"layout":"ProductEmbed","component":"unified_product_card","hasMultipleImage":false,"componentType":true,"showProsConsData":false,"showBadge":false}">2/3
Sunbasket leans in on health, sustainability, and quality sourcing. The brand strives to use 100% organic fresh ingredients, responsibly raised meats, and wild-caught or sustainably raised seafood. What sets this apart as one of the best prepared meal delivery service is its variety and diversity of high-quality ingredients. You’ll find many meals that extend beyond the typical “greatest hits,” so you’re less likely to get bored. Looking through the menu options, I would often see a dish or ingredient I’d never cooked before (like crispy hominy fritters). Sunbasket doesn’t solely focus on fully prepared meals, but it does offer a good selection of ready-made, microwaveable dishes. Think chicken-andouille jambalaya, salmon biryani and Korean turkey japchae. The market also has add-on items for breakfast, lunch, and snacks.
- Sakara","dek":["div",["p","Sakara is a gluten-free, plant-based meal delivery service that offers ready-to-eat meals. The brand positions itself in the luxury wellness space, offering meals like “clarity curry” soup with naan, lavender “cheez” quesadilla with broccoli pesto, and “yoga bunny” breakfast (which is really just gluten-free carrot muffin with carrot coconut butter and a tiny apple). After ",["a",{"href":"https://www.bonappetit.com/story/sakara-life-meal-delivery-review","target":"_blank"},"using Sakara for a week"],", BA commerce editor Carina Finn said, “I felt like I was doing something both deeply indulgent and ",["em","really"]," good for me, which is kind of peak self-care.” Many of the meals rely heavily on nuts, seeds, beans, and whole grains, which makes them genuinely filling. If you’re skeptical, don’t be. Carina was impressed by the diversity, quality, and flavor of the meals. The biggest downside is the cost—most of the brand’s programs cost upward of $400 a week."]],"functionalTags":[],"id":"65c2aaa8a2ddfdbc181cb6c2","isHedClickable":true,"isPromotion":null,"name":"Sakara Meal Delivery","offers":[{"offerUrl":"https://www.sakara.com/pages/signature-omd","price":"","currency":"USD","purchaseUri":"https://cna.st/p/pJiQD5D8qM69V4dVtnMbBrxMzst4tVSKse7TwF57HqZdVj4i45nPJ28AFzWCpwQ1F2MnXRurzBpVVjMnytALz4y8oKHGX5KhLG8kx1Ad7RVkzH5pqMh1nbJ66sMqb7okUcpMhx7QEi5JGsxcmxvhpCFQENv87WeuDuDHQynaGszFTNQHKMQJiKK4yWGmzYvVtL2VWJbJ6wirjXEukgLDKW977VwYnZmmVAhAjXjbMVnm7ytr","sellerName":"Sakara","countryCode":"","reducedPrice":""}],"promotionHed":null,"promotionText":null,"socialIconsProps":{"links":[]},"itemSocialSharesProps":{"showBookmark":false,"links":[{"network":"facebook","behavior":"popup","url":"https://www.facebook.com/dialog/feed?&display=popup&caption=The%20Best%20Prepared%20Meal%20Delivery%20Services%20for%20When%20You%20Need%20Dinner%20Now&app_id=2309869772&link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bonappetit.com%2Fgallery%2Fthe-best-prepared-meal-delivery-services-for-when-you-need-dinner-now%3Fimage%3D65c2aaa8a2ddfdbc181cb6c2%26utm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Donsite-share%26utm_brand%3Dbon-appetit%26utm_social-type%3Dearned","label":"Share on Facebook"},{"network":"twitter","url":"https://twitter.com/intent/tweet/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bonappetit.com%2Fgallery%2Fthe-best-prepared-meal-delivery-services-for-when-you-need-dinner-now%3Fimage%3D65c2aaa8a2ddfdbc181cb6c2%26utm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Donsite-share%26utm_brand%3Dbon-appetit%26utm_social-type%3Dearned&text=The%20Best%20Prepared%20Meal%20Delivery%20Services%20for%20When%20You%20Need%20Dinner%20Now&via=bonappetit","label":"Share on X"},{"network":"pinterest","url":"https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bonappetit.com%2Fgallery%2Fthe-best-prepared-meal-delivery-services-for-when-you-need-dinner-now%3Fimage%3D65c2aaa8a2ddfdbc181cb6c2%26utm_source%3Dpinterest%26utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_campaign%3Donsite-share%26utm_brand%3Dbon-appetit%26utm_social-type%3Dearned&media=https://assets.bonappetit.com/photos/65c2aaa8a2ddfdbc181cb6c2/master/pass/blueberry-lime-and-cashew-smoothies.jpg","label":"Share on Pinterest"}]},"showLocalisedOffers":true,"isUpcEnabled":true,"index":2,"showClampedProductDescription":true,"isMobileView":false,"hasMultipleImageSupport":false,"showImageCreditText":false,"showMultipleImageCount":4,"hasProsConsFeature":false,"hasRatingFeature":false,"pros":[],"cons":[],"rating":"","shouldUseAmazonPrimeDayLiveAPIData":true,"order":2,"totalCount":3,"preHeaderOne":"3/3","showOrderedGallery":false,"hasAffiliateLinkDisabled":false,"layout":"ProductEmbed","component":"unified_product_card","hasMultipleImage":false,"componentType":true,"showProsConsData":false,"showBadge":false}">3/3
Sakara is a gluten-free, plant-based meal delivery service that offers ready-to-eat meals. The brand positions itself in the luxury wellness space, offering meals like “clarity curry” soup with naan, lavender “cheez” quesadilla with broccoli pesto, and “yoga bunny” breakfast (which is really just gluten-free carrot muffin with carrot coconut butter and a tiny apple). After using Sakara for a week, BA commerce editor Carina Finn said, “I felt like I was doing something both deeply indulgent and really good for me, which is kind of peak self-care.” Many of the meals rely heavily on nuts, seeds, beans, and whole grains, which makes them genuinely filling. If you’re skeptical, don’t be. Carina was impressed by the diversity, quality, and flavor of the meals. The biggest downside is the cost—most of the brand’s programs cost upward of $400 a week.
