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By Lindsay Boyers

Sunbasket doesn’t just offer healthy meals; it’s built around the concept. Most of the ingredients the meal delivery service uses are sourced from local farmers, ranchers, and fisherman and the majority of produce, eggs, milk, and yogurt is organic—the company aims to include at least 99% organic ingredients in these categories. If it has to substitute any non-organic items, you’ll get a notification first from the brand.

The menu changes weekly and you can sort by meal type (breakfast, lunch, proteins, sides, pasta and sauce, or snacks), as well as other specifics like low-calorie, low-carb, Mediterranean, gluten-free, and more. If you decide you’d rather not cook, you can also choose prepared meals instead of meal kits.

Example Meal: 

-Mediterranean turkey meatballs with chard and red pepper-cashew crema

-Roast chicken with harissa-spiced veggies, cauli mash, and almonds

Sustainability & Quality: In addition to prioritizing organic, locally sourced ingredients, Sunbasket sources proteins from purveyors with high animal welfare standards. Fish is wild-caught, chickens are free range, and beef is grass-fed. Sunbasket also uses recyclable materials in its packaging; everything the company uses is either reusable, recyclable, and/or compostable.

Price: From $9.99 per serving

If you prefer that someone else cooks your meals for you, Trifecta is the healthy prepared meal delivery service you need. Delivered weekly, all meals are pre-cooked and ready-to-heat; you just have to heat them up in the appliance of your choice (air fryer, oven, microwave, or on the stove). The meals come fresh and will last in the refrigerator for 10 days, although you can also store them in the freezer for up to three months.

The meal plans cover most of the basics—clean eating, paleo, keto, vegan, and vegetarian—and everything is gluten-free, GMO-free, and low in saturated fat, sugar, and salt. You can also opt to make some of the meals, like the paleo entrees, Whole30-approved. All meals are prepared by professional chefs with high-quality ingredients, including the oils, that are organic and locally sourced whenever possible. Animal-based proteins are always sourced from farmers who take animal welfare seriously. 

Example Meal: 

-Korean beef bulgogi

-Keto Mediterranean salmon

Sustainability & Quality: Trifecta does what it can to reduce its carbon footprint by eliminating unnecessary steps in the food supply chain and using sustainable packaging whenever possible. All packaging is 100% recyclable, but the company’s goal is to use biodegradable packaging by 2023.

Cost: From $14.82 per meal

“Heart-healthy” can mean various things, so always make sure you check in with your doctor if you have specific concerns. Otherwise, a Mediterranean-style diet consistently comes out on top. HelloFresh offers many types of meals, including Mediterranean and Greek recipes that include heart-healthy, high-quality ingredients. You can filter by most popular or quick and easy meals that are ready in 30 minutes or less.

If Mediterranean isn’t what you’re looking for, you can opt for meat and veggies only, pescetarian or vegetarian plans, or “Fit & Wholesome” meals that focus on lower-calorie, nutrient-dense ingredients. As an added bonus, it’s also one of the most budget-friendly healthy meal service options.

 Example Meal: 

-Chicken gyro couscous bowls

-Creamy lemon salmon

Sustainability & Quality: HelloFresh uses some organic ingredients, but it’s not the company’s focus. When it comes to meat sourcing, a representative from the company visits every meat vendor on site to make sure they’re following animal welfare guidelines. All packaging is recyclable, with the exception of the gel pack contents, which must be thrown out.

Price: From $7 per serving

Blue Apron was one of the first meal delivery services and the company is still going strong, thanks to its regularly rotating menus of healthy options. The company offers three main plans—Signature, Vegetarian, and Wellness—the latter of which is designed for anyone trying to lose weight or maintain their weight loss.

Each meal in the Wellness plan is designed to support overall health, with options that are low-carb and or Weight Watchers-approved. The WW-approved meals provide additional information on how many points per serving each meal provides. Meals also come with “pro tips” to help you cater them to your lifestyle by recommending swaps to drop fat, calories, and/or sodium.

Example Meal: 

-One-pan chickpea & curry shakshuka

-Za’atar-roasted chicken thighs

Sustainability & Quality: Some of Blue Apron’s ingredients are certified organic, but the company focuses more on sourcing local ingredients from family-run farms. All ingredients are certified GMO-free, and animal-based proteins are sourced from farmers and ranchers with high animal welfare standards. Most packaging is recyclable and Blue Apron encourages composting as many scraps as possible.

Price: from $7.99 per serving

Purple Carrot started with vegan meal kits, but has since evolved into a full-service plant-based meal delivery service. You can choose from vegan meal kits or fresh, pre-cooked meals that you can heat up in about five minutes. There isn’t a lot of available customization for dietary needs, but you can easily identify recipes that are gluten-free, soy-free, high-protein, and lower calorie.

In addition to main éntrees, you can add breakfast items and lunches to your box, as well as plant-based pantry items like chocolate covered oat bites and cauliflower crackers. Menus change weekly, but if you want to plan in advance to ensure you’re getting enough variety in your life, you can view up to six weeks’ worth of menus in advance.

Example Meal: 

-Mafaldine pasta with melted leeks & garlic herb cashew cream

-Gochujang veggie bowls with midnight grains & kimchi mayo

Sustainability & Quality: Most of Purple Carrot’s non-produce items—which includes beans, nut milks, tofu, and vegan cheeses—are organic. Produce is occasionally organic, but not 100% of the time. Most packaging is recyclable, but you may have to search for a location that will accept certain plastics (or double check if they’re curbside recyclable in your area).

Cost: From $11 per serving

Freshly offers a little bit of everything. There are three main meal plans: plant-based, the signature collection, and lower-calorie options dubbed FreshlyFit. Within each of the plans you can find dairy-free, low-carb, and/or calorie-conscious meals. But one of the main focuses is on providing gluten-free meals that are suitable for those with Celiac disease and gluten allergies. While not all meals are gluten-free, many are. And the gluten-free meals are made in certified gluten-free kitchens with no potential for cross-contamination.

All meals are pre-made so they arrive ready to heat in single-serve packages. Because they’re preservative-free, they’ll only last 3 to 5 days in the fridge, but you can pop them in the freezer for extended storage.

Example Meal: 

-Indian-spiced red lentil dal

-Sesame-ginger chicken and noodles

Sustainability & Quality: Freshly makes it all of its meals without processed sugars and artificial ingredients, but there’s not a big focus on organic ingredients. Eggs are cage-free. Most of Freshly’s packaging is recyclable, but you may have to visit a nearby drop-off location.

Cost: from $8.99 per serving

It’s difficult to find a 100% organic meal delivery service, but Green Chef does its best to include as many organic ingredients as possible. All produce is organic and seasonally sourced, eggs are always organic, and animal-based proteins are sourced from farmers who follow strict animal welfare standards. Many of the meals are gluten-free and when choosing your menu, you can easily sort based on your preferences.

Another thing that makes Green Chef stand out is the option to bump meal kits up to six servings per recipe—many other meal kit services cap out at four. No matter which meal plan you choose, you can mix and match from 24 new meals each week.

Example Meal: 

-Middle Eastern-style beef bowls

-Pork meatballs with chipotle aioli

Sustainability & Quality: Green Chef is a certified organic company, which means the company buys certified organic ingredients from suppliers that undergo regular inspections. All packaging is made from recyclable, reusable, and/or compostable materials and most of it is also curbside recyclable when you’re done with it.

Cost: from $11.99 per serving

Home Chef is a meal kit service that’s built around healthy meals that take minimal time to prepare. Many of its recipes can be put together in 20 to 30 minutes, and others come together in as little as 15 minutes. And even though they’re quick meals, they’re still fancy enough to feel (and taste) like you spent a lot of time on them.

While Home Chef doesn’t cater to a ton of general dietary preferences, it does allow you to avoid certain foods, like beef, mushrooms, and/or tree nuts, and you can also filter recipes by additional qualifiers, like vegetarian (although your options are limited). You can also substitute ingredients and proteins to fit your lifestyle. There are meat-free options or organic chicken upgrades.

Example Meal: 

-Seared salmon and pickled ginger scallion sauce

-Mojito lime shrimp tacos

Sustainability & Quality: Home Chef uses limited organic ingredients, but ensures that all suppliers follow high animal welfare standards. Most packaging is recyclable, but you may have to find a location that accepts certain items (like plastic bags).

Price: from $6.99 per serving

If you want some control over your meals, but prefer not to cook, Fresh n’ Lean offers a bulk option that makes meal prepping a cinch (no grocery shopping or cooking required). This à la carte service allows you to pick and choose from pre-cooked proteins, starchy sides, vegetables, and a limited number of breakfast options. 

This is also a great option for feeding a family since packages are bigger than a typical pre-made meal. It works slightly differently than other meal delivery services; instead of choosing a specific number of meals each week, the program requires an $85 minimum spend. 

Example Meal: 

-Seasoned salmon

-Cooked sweet potatoes

Sustainability & Quality: Some ingredients are organic, but everything is GMO-free and proteins are high-quality (grass-fed, free-range, and/or sustainable). Fresh n’ Lean uses recyclable trays and plastic wrap for all its meals. The insulation is biodegradable and environmentally friendly.

Price: from $85 per week for bulk; $9.75 per serving for other plans 

Factor offers four main meal plans, one of which is designed around the macro-balanced keto diet. All of Factor’s keto meals are roughly broken down like this: 60% of calories from fat, 20% of calories from protein, and 10% or less from carbohydrates. If you need to play around with your specific macros, you can opt for extra proteins on the side or add your own fats at home.

New menus, which are designed with dietitians and cooked by chefs, come out each week. That means each time you replenish your order, you’ll get around 10 new recipes to choose each week.

Example Meal: 

-Chicken piccata with cauliflower mash & roasted broccoli

-Keto chorizo chili

Sustainability & Quality:  You won’t find refined sugars, GMOs, or antibiotics in any of Factor’s recipes. The company also has a zero-tolerance policy for animal welfare, always prioritizing humanely raised meats. Plus, most packaging is recyclable sans the plastic film that covers the food.

Price: From $11 per serving

Whether you want to feed babies or big kids, Little Spoon delivers. This child-focused meal delivery service offers baby food, finger foods, and age-appropriate meals for toddlers and bigger kids, as well as on-the-go smoothies. All baby food and smoothies are 100% organic, while the cooked plates are made with organic ingredients whenever possible (and always free of preservatives and artificial ingredients).

Many of the items are free of major allergens and kitchens are allergen-friendly. While some of the bigger kid plates do contain major allergens, they’re always clearly marked. You can also filter by allergens when ordering to avoid any unwanted additions.

Example Meal: 

-Broccoli bikes with sweet potato carrot poppers and green beans

-Sun butter + jelly smoothie

Sustainability & Quality: Little Spoon’s main focus is on high-quality ingredients. All baby food and smoothies are 100% organic and big kid meals are made with organic ingredients. All packaging is BPA-, phthalate-free, and toxin-free and curbside recyclable.

Cost: From $5.99 per meal