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Add The New York Post on Google New York Post may be compensated and/or receive an affiliate commission if you click or buy through our links. Featured pricing is subject to change. I’ve cooked professionally in enough private clients' kitchens to know two things with certainty: (1) most people don’t hate cooking; they hate decision-making; and (2) nothing derails a healthy routine faster than coming home hungry with no plan, no groceries, no willpower.
Meal delivery services solve both problems. They remove the cognitive load, which for many of us is half the battle, and the good ones turn into something you look forward to.
Over the past few years, between private-chef work, writing commerce reviews, and simply trying to keep myself fed through periods of burnout, I’ve tested more meal delivery services than I can count. Some were forgettable. Some were brilliant. A few were so good they made me question why I ever insisted on doing everything myself.
The range of services available today is what surprised me the most during this process. Yes, there are meal kits designed for beginners, but there are also kits with instructional levels more suited to higher levels of experience. You can now find prepared meals made by award-winning chefs, and vegan comfort food can actually rival non-vegan versions.
Whether you want to lose decision fatigue, cook more at home, or eliminate that 5 p.m. panic-scan of your fridge, the right service will change your entire week.
Click to skip to our list of winners, or jump directly to a meal delivery service review:
Purple Carrot | Home Chef | Green Chef | HelloFresh | EveryPlate | Thistle | Daily Harvest | ButcherBox
The category of “meal delivery service” has exploded so impressively in recent years that it now encompasses several different formats.
Meal kits (like HelloFresh or Blue Apron) send pre-portioned ingredients with a step-by-step recipe. You still cook; they just eliminate the planning, shopping and measuring. These are great for building confidence in the kitchen or getting out of a recipe rut.
Prepared meal services (like Factor and CookUnity) send fully cooked meals that you heat and eat. They’re ideal if you want convenience without sacrificing nutrition or flavor. Many are designed by chefs or dietitians, and some focus on specific goals, such as counting macros, plant-based eating or fitness performance.
Hybrid and specialty services (like Purple Carrot, Daily Harvest, or Thistle) focus on specific dietary styles, cuisines, or nutritional philosophies more than any one meal delivery format. These can be vegan, plant-forward, high-protein, or functional-food focused. They can also offer meal kits, prepared meals, prepared single dishes and even grocery or pantry items.
No matter which format you choose, the core promise is the same: meals at home in less time with fewer decisions…and far fewer “DoorDash again?” moments.
West African Peanut Stew (left) and Mujadara-Style Farro (right) New York Post $100 OFF FIRST MONTH Pros:
Purple Carrot is my personal favorite…and I’m not even vegan (anymore). If you want to eat more vegetables but refuse to be bored in the process, this is the brand I would recommend every time. It understands vegetables better than many professional chefs I’ve worked with. Instead of trying to mimic meat or replace dairy, Purple Carr…