The 7 Best Weight Loss Meal Delivery Services (2024) | BarBend (2024)

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Signing up for one of the best meal delivery services can ease you into healthy eating habits while also helping you learn more about portion control. They can also make sure you’re hitting macro goals whether you’re looking to build, lose, or maintain your body weight. Our list of the best weight loss meal delivery services takes this one step further, providing those with busy schedules with meal kits that can support your wellness journey and weight loss plan.

Our team of certified nutrition coaches and registered dietitians have tried and tested over 40 of these services in an effort to help you navigate the right choice for you and your goals, budget, and palate. Whether you’re following a high-protein diet, are looking for low-calorie meals, or just want fresh ingredients delivered to your door, these food delivery services can take the chore of figuring out what’s for dinner off your plate.

The 7 Best Weight Loss Meal Delivery Services of 2024

• Best Weight Loss Meal Delivery Service Overall: Factor 75
• Best Weight Loss Meal Delivery Service for Dietary Restrictions: Hungryroot
• Best Vegan Weight Loss Meal Delivery Services: Purple Carrot
• Best Tasting Weight Loss Meal Delivery Service: Green Chef
• Best Weight Loss Meal Delivery Service for Nutrition Tracking: Home Chef
• Best Budget Weight Loss Meal Delivery Services: Dinnerly
• Best Keto Weight Loss Meal Delivery Service: Fresh N Lean

Editor’s note: The content on BarBend is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. The opinions and articles on this site are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. It’s always a good idea to talk to your doctor before beginning a new fitness, nutritional, and/or supplement routine. Individual needs for vitamins and minerals will vary.

How We Tested and Chose the Best Weight Loss Meal Delivery Services

The BarBend team is made up of competitive athletes, certified personal trainers, and lifelong fitness enthusiasts. To determine the best weight loss meal delivery services, we’ve tested 42 of the most popular services, using a multi-point methodology to rate each profile on a scale of 1 (not impressed) to 5 (we love it). Below are some of the areas we considered when curating this list.

• Ingredients: As athletes and wellness fans, we looked for services supplying nutritious meals featuring whole foods, fresh organic produce, chicken raised without antibiotics, and sustainably sourced fish.
• Time: When weight loss is your main focus, we know that a good amount of your time can get taken up with meal prep to support your weight loss goals. To help you reclaim your time, and focus on creating fitness goals instead, we sought to choose plans that require minimal prep and cooking times. Some services offer prepared meals that can be heated up in minutes, while others include meal kits with around 30 minutes of prep.
• Nutrition, Calories, and Macronutrients: Studies have shown that tracking your calorie intake can assist with weight loss, so we made sure to opt for meal delivery services that provide clear nutrition and calorie information, either on the packaging or easily accessible online. (1)
• Calories (and Types of Calories) Per Serving: Calories in vs calories out is the most simple way of understanding weight loss, and while everyone’s daily requirements will differ based on sex, age, and level of activity, we opted for meal options that provided reasonable calorie totals between around 300 and 700 calories. Most importantly, we wanted those calories to come from whole foods and balanced macros that can help you feel full for longer. (2)(3)
• Taste: The best part about testing meal delivery services is discovering how tasty our top choices proved to be. Of course, some services satiated more than others — ready-made meals will inevitably be less delectable than proper meal kits — so we made sure to note which choices made our taste buds happy and which ones gave us mushy veggies.

Best Weight Loss Meal Delivery Service Overall: Factor 75

Factor 75

Factor 75

With convenient microwavable packaging, Factor 75 can be excellent for time-crunched athletes that want to fuel up with worthwhile meals. The nutritional information is clearly printed across each dish, too, which can be great for counting calories and macronutrients.

Shop Factor 75

If you want to take the guesswork and prep work out of meal time, Factor 75 is our choice for the best weight loss meal delivery service. This service delivers meals to your door that only need a few minutes in the microwave before you’re chowing down. Ordering, ease of preparation, and access to nutritional information all scored a perfect 5 out of 5 with our tester.

When weight loss is the goal, figuring out what to eat and how much to eat is often the biggest hurdle to leap. If you’re wondering, “How many calories should I eat per day?” Factor can assist you by providing access to a registered dietitian who can help you select the right meals for your goals and dietary needs via a free 20-minute phone consultation.

“There are a ton of meal options to choose from, and there’s a good amount of shuffle each week so there are always new choices popping up for you to choose from,” noted our tester, a certified sports nutrition coach. Meals are tailored to vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian, protein-focused, and keto diets, however, we noticed that if you’re gluten-free or prefer a plant-based diet, your options may be limited.

“For microwave meals, the ingredients and taste was pretty good — meats were tasty but some of the veggies were a little mushy,” said our tester, who scored ingredient quality a 4 out of 5.

Whether you choose the Herb-Peppercorn Filet Mignon or Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken with Zucchini Noodles, the nutrition information comes printed on the packaging and is listed online so you can easily track your macros and keep track of your calorie intake. Nutritional information scored a 5 out of 5.

However, since these meals come prepared, there’s little wiggle room for customization if you don’t like or can’t tolerate a certain ingredient. Additionally, the sodium content in some of the meals can be as high as 1,000 milligrams, — the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends less than 2,300 milligrams per day — so that’s something you’ll want to keep an eye on if you’re concerned about your sodium intake. (4) Meal plans and customizations earned a 4 out of 5.

Best Weight Loss Meal Delivery Service for Dietary Restrictions: Hungryroot

Starting at $70 a month, get healthy meals to fit your preferences and goals that require minimal prep and chopping.

Shop Hungryroot

Finding meals to fit your diet can be stressful when you’ve got dietary restrictions that have you constantly checking labels for ingredients you want to avoid. Our choice for the best weight loss meal delivery service for dietary restrictions is Hungryroot, thanks to the wide range of dietary considerations and meal plans suitable for gluten-free, low-sodium, low-calorie, high-protein, vegan, vegetarian, and more diets.

Hungryroot is a grocery delivery service that selects items to ship to you based on recipes you select for the week. It’s like a hybrid meal kit and grocery delivery service.

What makes Hungryroot ideal for most dietary restrictions is that your order is fully customizable — after your grocery list is populated based on the meals and dietary restrictions you’ve highlighted, you can take out groceries you can’t or won’t eat, and add in ingredients you’d prefer.

Taste scored a 5 out of 5 with our tester, BarBend editorial member Kate Meier, NASM-CPT, USAW-L1, CF-L1. “Everything in my order was super fresh and tasty,” she said. “Most of the stuff came pre-chopped and seasoned, which helped cut down on the prep work I needed to do to get my meal ready.”

With a timer set, Meier clocked 22 minutes from prepping and cooking to the moment she was ready to sit down and eat. While she didn’t have to chop anything, she did require a pan and skillet for most meals, which earned a 4 out of 5 for ease of preparation.

“The meals I tried clocked in between 440 and around 600 calories, which is a good size for me, but wasn’t enough for my partner who needs around 800 or more calories a meal to support their weightlifting,” said Meier. Portion size scored a 4 out of 5.

[Related: How To Use Portion Control]

“The ordering process was a little confusing,” noted Meier. “I took a quiz, mentioned my goals and dietary restrictions, how much I like to cook, and what types of foods I like to eat — you’ll get groceries loaded into your cart and recipes to use, but I was confused about how many meals I was actually getting.” Ordering scored a 3 out of 5.

While the thought of having a box shipped to your home filled with single-use plastic may deter you from considering a meal delivery service, we were impressed with Hungryroot’s sustainability practices, which earned a 5 out of 5 score. “There are clear instructions on how to recycle the gel packs, ingredient containers, and the box,” Meier said.

Best Vegan Weight Loss Meal Delivery Services: Purple Carrot

Purple Carrot

Purple Carrot

Purple Carrot’s menu of meal kits and prepared dishes is 100% plant-based, making it an excellent meal delivery service for vegan and vegetarian athletes. Additionally, the brand offers pantry items and frozen meals for added convenience.

Shop Purple Carrot

When navigating meal delivery services, the options for vegans often feel like an afterthought. However, Purple Carrot’s 100-percent plant-based menu is built specifically for vegans and vegetarians, with a variety of over 20 meals for breakfast, lunch, or dinner that come as meal kits, premade dishes, frozen meals, and even pantry items.

“Everything that came with my delivery was fresh and really, really tasty,” mentioned our tester, a certified nutrition coach. They scored taste and ingredients a 5 out of 5.

“The meal plans are all totally plant-based — you won’t be able to add on some salmon or chicken —but you will find some higher-protein or gluten-free offerings,” they added. Having only plant-based options takes the work out of navigating menus and trying to find an option that can suit a vegan lifestyle. However, if you plan on sharing your meal delivery with a meat eater, they may be disappointed in the inability to add any animal protein to the order.

[Related: Vegan Diet Athletes Guide]

Our tester tried the meal kit and was most impressed with the Sloppy Joe recipe. “While each meal I made was really good and provided a portion that was filling, the tofu-based sloppy Joe recipe was amazing,” they said.

However, ease of preparation was a bit more of a struggle and our tester gave this area a 3 out of 5 score. “While most of the vegan meals are fairly simple, I thought the recipes lacked some specificity and detail that would benefit those new to cooking,” they said. “For one meal, I knew from experience that I needed to dry pat the tofu I used, but that wasn’t listed as a step on the recipe.”

Lastly, access to nutrition scored a 2 out of 5. “Unless you’re opting for the high-protein meal options, the nutrition info for the meals is hard to find,” said our tester. While this information may not always be included with your meal, you can opt to go online and view detailed nutrition information from the Purple Carrot weekly menu page.

Best-Tasting Weight Loss Meal Delivery Service: Green Chef

Green Chef

Green Chef

Green Chef’s weekly array of over 80 meal and market options are all composed of organic ingredients. Additionally, this meal delivery service can be a clean, enjoyable platform for athletes following Mediterranean, plant-based, keto, or gluten-free diets.

Shop Green Chef

The world has come a long way over the last 50 years, with self-driving cars, the internet, and the ability to eat healthy and lose weight without choking down bland, disgusting meals. Green Chef is our choice of the best-tasting weight loss meal delivery service thanks to a creative (and appetizing) menu packed with organic and locally-sourced ingredients.

Our tester ordered the four-meal kit, which is unfortunately the limit for the maximum amount of meals you can get per week. They also added on some breakfast offerings. “The chicken burrito bowls and chicken with mushrooms, Monterey Jack cheese, and squash were honestly delicious,” said our tester, a certified personal trainer. “My kids also demolished the muffins, they were that good.” Taste scored a 4.5 out of 5.

There are more than 80 rotating meal and market selections, with options for the typical meal kit variety of a protein paired with vegetable and grain sides, plus options for salads, soups, wraps, sandwiches, and more.

“While I liked the taste of my meals, I wanted more… I wasn’t impressed with the portion sizes, especially compared to other meal kits I’ve tried,” said our tester who gave portion size a 3 out of 5. If the serving size isn’t enough for you, you can also pair your meal with a shake or smoothie incorporating one of the best-tasting protein powders.

“From start to finish, meals took about 30 minutes to make, and I had to use multiple pieces of equipment, but at least everything I needed was listed on the recipe card,” they said, giving ease of preparation a 3 out of 5. “I had some cleanup to do when all was said and done and devoured.”

Best Weight Loss Meal Delivery Service for Nutrition Tracking: Home Chef

Home Chef

Home Chef

A nationwide meal kit service with bold flavors, a diverse menu, and easy-to-follow recipes. Meals are also sortable by dietary restrictions and preferences.

Shop Home Chef

If weight loss is your goal, a great place to start your efforts is by tracking calories and nutrients. Home Chef provides meal kits and prepared dishes that can suit a variety of diet plans to aid with weight loss, with nutritional information available online so you can easily take note of your intake.

The chart below provides a quick overview of some of the diet plans on Home Chef that may be best suited for those working towards weight loss.

When sorting out your meals for the week, the nutritional information is located on the website so you can make your choices armed with information about the macronutrients — healthy carbs, fats, and protein — that each meal provides. Access to nutritional information scored a 4 out of 5 with our tester.

Our tester has been using this meal delivery service for almost a year and they love the variety of meals, how tasty each meal comes out, and how this service has helped them learn to become better chefs.

“This is my favorite meal kit and we’ve definitely taken some of the recipes we’ve learned and added them into our own rotation, making them even when we haven’t ordered that meal from Home Chef that week,” they said, scoring taste a 5 out of 5.

Our tester’s been using this meal kit for a long time now, and they’ve occasionally gotten the wrong meal shipped to them. “While annoying, customer service is awesome, and with a quick note about what was missing from the order, we’ve always been quickly reimbursed with credits that can be used on our next delivery,” they said.

“Overall, the meals are tasty and the portion sizes are very filling for me and my husband,” said our tester. “While the oven-ready meals provide a mess-free cleanup, the meal kits did require a variety of dishes, pans, chopping boards, and knives, so clean up wasn’t painless.” Ease of preparation scored a 2 out of 5.

Read our full Home Chef Review.

Best Budget Weight Loss Meal Delivery Services: Dinnerly

Dinnerly

Dinnerly

With meals starting at just $4.99 per serving, Dinnerly can be a great meal delivery service for athletes on a budget. Preparation is kept simple with five-step recipes, and there are even ready-made options for those particularly time-crunched evenings.

Shop Dinnerly

Our choice of the best budget-friendly weight loss meal delivery service is Dinnerly, as they offer plans that cost as low as $4.99 per meal. Other meal delivery services we’ve tested can charge between $10 and $12 per meal, so you’re paying half as much here.

For a low cost, you’ll be able to select your meal frequency and the specific recipes you’d like for the week. “Some people might find this tedious, since there’s no option to just set your dietary preference and have meals automatically selected,” said our tester, a certified personal trainer, who scored meal plans and customizations a 3.5 out of 5.

Our tester tried the ready-made meals and the meal kits. “The ready-made meals reminded me of TV dinners, but it was nice that there wasn’t any work or cleanup involved. The meals I made tasted great – however I had to use the recipes online since there weren’t any cards with the recipe on them in the box,” they said, scoring taste a 4 out of 5.

You’ll also be able to use the companion app to view recipes. We like that the app keeps your phone illuminated while you work through a given recipe. Keep this one beside the best fitness apps on your phone and you’ll have everything you need at the tip of your fingers.

“There are options for a variety of diets, such as vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free, however you will have to do some digging to find them,” they said. Customization is also fairly limited, and you won’t be able to swap protein or sides. Since you’ll be cooking the dish at home with the meal kit, though, you can always choose to omit ingredients you don’t like.

Our tester, a certified personal trainer, found these meal kits ideal for saving cash and time during the week. “It takes me about 10 minutes to prep everything, and another 20 minutes of cook time, which helps during the week when I don’t have a ton of time to dedicate to making a meal,” they said. Ease of preparation scored a 3 out of 5.

“The ingredients weren’t organized by meal in the box, which took a little more effort for me when putting everything in the fridge,” they added, scoring the packaging and shipping a 4 out of 5.

Best Keto Weight Loss Meal Delivery Service: Fresh N Lean

Fresh N Lean

Fresh N Lean

Fresh N Lean meal delivery has over 100 meals you can choose from, with options for those following keto, paleo, vegetarian, Whole30, Mediterranean diets, and more.

Shop Fresh N Lean

Fresh N Lean is our choice for the best keto weight loss meal delivery service, but exactly what is a keto diet? Initially used as a diet to limit seizure frequency in prone individuals, this diet has become popular for individuals looking to lose weight thanks to the low-carb and high-fat profile of meals. (5) For more information about the keto diet, check out our video below.

Fresh N Lean is a ready-made meal delivery service, and our tester, a certified sports nutrition coach, loved how simple the ordering process was. “Ordering was a breeze. You can either pick a la carte menu items to build out the meals you like, or pick a meal plan based on your dietary needs or restrictions,” they said. “I was even able to order ‘in bulk’ for a side of protein in place of a meal.” Ordering scored a 5 out of 5.

When eating a keto diet, fat is one of your primary macronutrients, and Fresh N Lean makes an effort to provide their customers with healthy fats, cooking everything with avocado oil and walnut oil. They also utilize whole foods, grass-fed steak, chicken raised without antibiotics (most of the time), and a good amount of organic ingredients. Our tester gave ingredients a 5 out of 5.

Taste also scored a 5 out of 5 with our tester. “I was so surprised! I popped the meal in the microwave and had low expectations, but everything came out super yummy,” they said. Tasty, healthy meals that only take three minutes in the microwave? Yes, please.

Our tester did struggle to peel the film off of their meals after microwaving them — if you end up having the same problem, why not check out these four grip-strengthening exercises borrowed from rock climbers? You could also, of course, use a knife to cut into the packaging once it’s cooled off some.

“My only real complaint is that canceling my subscription wasn’t easy. I couldn’t find anywhere to do this online so I was forced to call customer service, which is just annoying!” said our tester. Customer service earned a 4 out of 5.

What To Consider Before Buying a Weight Loss Meal Delivery Service

No matter your preference, budget, or dietary limitations, we are living in the meal delivery service era and there’s a box out there that can suit your needs. However, with so many options to choose from, you may feel a bit weight-loss-meal-delivery-drunk — woozy from looking over all of the options available.

To help you out, here are some considerations to mull over to help you find the service that’s right for you.

Calories in Your Meal

If the goal is to drop some pounds, understanding calories in vs out is an integral part of the process of weight loss. Check out the best calorie calculator to get an idea of how many calories you should be eating each day. Armed with this information, you’ll be able to navigate meal plans and see which services offer meals that best suit your weight loss goals.

What’s Your Budget?

Meal kits and ready-to-eat entrees range in price depending on how many meals you order per week. Oftentimes, the more meals you order, the more money you’ll save per meal. Most meal delivery services range from around $5 up to $16 per meal. However, that’s not factoring in the cost of delivery, which can be free, but will often cost you around $11 per shipment.

Consider how much you’re willing to spend, and compare this to the cost of how much you currently spend on your meals. If this will help keep you from splurging on fast food every night, a meal delivery kit might end up saving you money.

Lastly, meal delivery services are rampant with coupon codes and alluring cost-saving trial periods. Before you sign up for a meal delivery service, just assume that there’s a coupon code out there on the internet and do a little bit of digging to find it. You may even find offers that provide you with free meals.

Dietary Restrictions

No matter your food allergies, preferences, or the type of diet you’re following, you can find a meal kit to suit your body and taste. Many of the most popular delivery services cater to vegans, vegetarians, and high-protein eaters, however, you’ll often find gluten-free, dairy-free, keto-friendly, and low-carb diabetes-friendly options.

When you’ve found a service that offers meals that you can eat, peruse the available menus to make sure their offerings are actually something you’d want to eat.

How Much Do Weight Loss Meal Delivery Services Cost?

The meal delivery services on our list range in price from $4.99 up to $11.49 per meal, however, this cost is dependent on how many meals are purchased and what meals are chosen. Use this chart to see how much they cost, but also be sure to check shipping fees and how many meals are needed per week to bring home the lowest price.

Benefits of Weight Loss Meal Delivery Services

Whether you’re an athlete wanting to fuel for sport or a CEO who doesn’t have time to prepare and eat meals, the benefits of weight loss meal delivery services paired with the best weight loss programs are undeniable for those looking to save time and prioritize their wellness with high-quality foods. Here are some additional benefits of these services.

• Food Allergens and Sensitivities: It’s a good time to be alive if you’re someone who struggles with a gluten or dairy intolerance. The same goes for those who prefer plant-based meals or have allergies that keep you from feeling like you can eat out easily. Many meal delivery services have a niche and a target audience of eaters, so regardless of your dietary needs, you’ll likely be able to find a service that works for you.
• Save Time: The last thing I want to do after wrapping up work for the day is stop by the grocery store and make a meal, which often means I’m reaching for snacks or quick fixes so my free time remains my free time. If your time is valuable, these meal delivery services are awesome at slicing the time you spend cooking down to between three and 30 minutes.
• Ready-Made Meals and Meal Kits: A good amount of the companies on our list provide options for meal kits or ready-made meals. Ready-made meals come pre-made, tend to look like at-home TV dinners, and are usually heated up in either the microwave or the oven. Meal kits are more like grocery deliveries, where the recipe you’re interested in is supplied with the exact amount of ingredients you’d need to make it. Many of these meal kits come with the vegetables chopped and meats seasoned, so your cooking time is cut down significantly.
• Can Help With Weight Loss: Many of the meal kits and ready-made meals on our list are designed by nutritionists, providing consumers with a well-balanced meal that can help keep them satiated and full for longer. Nutritional information can also provide consumers with the tools that allow them to track their intake when they’re working within a weight loss program or following an IIFYM diet — also known as the “If It Fits Your Macros” diet.

Weight Loss Meal Delivery Services FAQs

References

1. Dunn, C. G., Turner-McGrievy, G. M., Wilcox, S., & Hutto, B. (2019). Dietary Self-Monitoring Through Calorie Tracking but Not Through a Digital Photography App Is Associated with Significant Weight Loss: The 2SMART Pilot Study-A 6-Month Randomized Trial. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 119(9), 1525–1532. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2019.03.013
2. Harvard Health. (2024, April 3). Calorie counting made easy. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/calorie-counting-made-easy#:~:text=In%20order%20to%20lose%20at,then%20plan%20your%20menus%20accordingly.
3. Howell, S., & Kones, R. (2017). “Calories in, calories out” and macronutrient intake: the hope, hype, and science of calories. American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism, 313(5), E608–E612. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpendo.00156.2017
4. Nutrition, C. F. F. S. a. A. (2024c, March 5). Sodium in your diet. U.S. Food And Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-education-resources-materials/sodium-your-diet#:~:text=Americans%20eat%20on%20average%20about,recommended%20limits%20are%20even%20lower.
5. Masood, W., Annamaraju, P., Khan Suheb, M. Z., & Uppaluri, K. R. (2023). Ketogenic Diet. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing.
6. Rebello, C., Greenway, F. L., & Dhurandhar, N. V. (2014). Functional foods to promote weight loss and satiety. Current opinion in clinical nutrition and metabolic care, 17(6), 596–604. https://doi.org/10.1097/MCO.0000000000000110