Weeknight meals can be stressful. There’s the mental load of figuring out what to make, and the time suck of getting to the grocery store to buy all the right ingredients. One solution? Ordering a meal delivery service. These kits arrive at your front door with the exact portions of the ingredients you need and step-by-step directions that tell you just what to do with them all. And over the past two months, I tried out several meal kits to find which ones offer the best, most home-cook-friendly meals.
During testing, I learned that these kits go a long way to help streamline the cooking process. Yes, most arrive with lots of plastic packaging (some more than others). But you typically don’t have leftover ingredients that end up growing moldy at the back of the fridge. You also …
Weeknight meals can be stressful. There’s the mental load of figuring out what to make, and the time suck of getting to the grocery store to buy all the right ingredients. One solution? Ordering a meal delivery service. These kits arrive at your front door with the exact portions of the ingredients you need and step-by-step directions that tell you just what to do with them all. And over the past two months, I tried out several meal kits to find which ones offer the best, most home-cook-friendly meals.
During testing, I learned that these kits go a long way to help streamline the cooking process. Yes, most arrive with lots of plastic packaging (some more than others). But you typically don’t have leftover ingredients that end up growing moldy at the back of the fridge. You also don’t have to question what’s for dinner or whether an online recipe is legit or not. Plus, the best meal delivery services are also a great way to introduce yourself to new cooking techniques, ingredients, and dinner ideas.
If you’re looking to make home cooking a little easier on yourself — and maybe expand your repertoire while you’re at it — these are the best meal delivery kits to consider.
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The best meal delivery services for 2026 are:
- Best overall — Home Chef: from $7.99 per serving, Homechef.com
- Best tasting meals — HelloFresh: from $11.99 per serving, Hellofresh.com
- **Best budget meal delivery service **— EveryPlate: from $6eal.99 per serving, Everyplate.com
- **Best for convenience — **Hungryroot: from $8.99 per serving, Hungryroot.com
- Best plant-based meal kit — Purple Carrot: from $13.25 per serving, Purplecarrot.com
How I tested
I made my way through countless kits to find the best options that will level up weeknight meals (Jennifer Heimlich/The Independent)
To find the best meal delivery services, I ordered a sample box from several companies to be delivered to my home before making them in my own kitchen. I started by sorting through all the options on each website to consider the ordering process and how much I could customize the box. Then I noted how long delivery took and the state of the box when it arrived, including how fresh the produce was and how much plastic packaging was included. I cooked each recipe myself, following all the instructions on the recipe card. Then I served it to my family at home, including my husband and toddler, asking everyone for their thoughts on the end result.
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