Most prepared meals either arrive frozen or can be frozen after unboxing. That means it's less of an issue if you order too many meals on your first go around. Most services allow you to change the number of meals or servings in your plan even after you've started.
With almost every service, the more meals or servings you order per delivery, the cheaper it becomes per meal. You'll want to decide exactly how much food makes sense for your household. If you can't imagine yourself cooking more than twice per week, don't order more than two meal kits because they typically won't last more than a week in the fridge.
While most meal delivery services have healthy options, some are much healthier than others. If you're keen on eating low-calorie, low-carb, plant-based or pescatarian food, certain meal kits and meal delivery services will be better than others. Our list of the healthiest meal delivery services for 2024 is a good place to find all the most nutritious options.
The first big decision you'll make is whether you want meal kits, which require some prep and cooking, or a prepared meal service that sends fully cooked meals that are ready to heat and eat. Meal kits will demand more of your time and energy but they'll also cost a little less per serving. Prepared meals require almost no time and energy, other than what it takes to actually eat the food, but typically run a few bucks more per serving.
After you've picked between meal kits or meal delivery, you'll want to find a service within your budget. There are meal kits with recipes for as cheap as $5 a serving with basic menus and no-frills recipes. More expensive services include recipes with more exotic ingredients, high-end cuts of meat and organic produce but they can cost as much as $15 or $20 a serving.
Our meal delivery experts have logged more than five years of cooking more than 75 meal kits and tasting upwards of 100 prepared meals, from popular meal delivery services to help land on our list of the best cheap meal subscriptions.
CNET staff -- not advertisers, partners or business interests -- determine how we review products and services. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission.
We're all busier than ever, and finding the time to plan out meals for a whole week and then actually shop for the ingredients can be a real problem. That doesn't mean you have to resort to junk food, though, and that's thanks to meal delivery kits. They're a great way to get the nutrients you need from a tasty and healthy meal in no time at all, and there is no shortage of options out there. Modern kits are better than ever and the budget-friendly options are absolutely worth checking out if you're looking to save some money.
What's the best cheap meal delivery service overall?
EveryPlate has the cheapest meal kits of any service I tried. David Watsky/CNET
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