Best prepared meal delivery services for 2023, tested and reviewed

Cost: $13-$20 per meal/serving | Weekly menu options: 25+ Meal types: Paleo, Whole30, Keto, Mediterranean, low-carb, low-calorie, plant-based, performance-nutrition

Territory combines nutritionist input with creative recipes from local chefs to produce meals made in localized commercial kitchens, and you can filter meals by categories like Paleo, Whole30, Keto, Mediterranean, low-carb, low-calorie, plant-based, or ingredients you want to avoid or meals under a certain number of calories or sodium levels.

First off, we appreciate that all Territory meals are made without refined sugar, dairy or gluten. I did not tell any of my testers what was not in the meals and no one noticed or found them lacking in flavor or texture. The consensus was these are healthy meals with fresh ingredients that take the pressure off of dinner on busy weeknights and we would have been happy eating some of them weekly, especially when the temptation to pick up unhealthy takeout strikes.

• Subscription: Meals start at $13 each. Onre delivery of 8 meals a week is $130 (less if you use a promo code). In most regions, deliveries will incur a flat charge of $7.95 per delivery per order. If you receive two deliveries a week, that cost will double. For national shipping, the cost can range from $9.95 to $15.95 per week based on UPS two-day shipping rates in your area.

• Ease of use: Some meals are ready to eat cold and do not require heating. For most other meals, you can microwave according to package instructions.

• Menu choices: There are 25+ menu options per week. You may order a maximum of 24 meals per week.

• Taste: 8/10. We found ourselves looking for these meals in the fridge instead of turning to less-healthy quick meal options. That’s a win.

• Packaging: Most of the packaging is recyclable. You can find more specific information about recycling the packaging here.

Cost: $11-$13.50 per meal/serving | Weekly menu options: 35+ | Meal types: Keto, carb-conscious, vegan or vegetarian, calorie-smart, protein plus, 

If you’re trying to maintain a keto diet plan, Factor may be your best bet when it comes to fully prepared meal delivery services. The meals are packed with protein and flavor and are ready to eat in minutes. Meals start at $11 each, a box of 12 meals (including shipping), the cost is $143.88 without any promotion.

Factor was our overall favorite prepared meal delivery service for keto-friendly meals because it offers flavorful dishes (think Tex-Mex, Indian, Thai and more) and a variety of options to satisfy dietary restrictions such as keto and preferences such as protein plus. If you’re seeking lots of protein, but can’t stand the idea of plain chicken or beef at every meal, give Factor a go.

• Subscription: Meals start at $11 each. A box of 12 meals (including shipping) costs $143.88 without any promotion.

• Ease of use: Most meals are microwavable and ready in under three minutes.

• Menu choices: There are 35 meal choices per week, with the ability to filter recipes by the following categories and dietary restrictions: keto, vegan or vegetarian, calorie-smart, protein plus and more. A la carte options include breakfasts, snacks, smoothies and portions of fully cooked proteins. You may order a maximum of 18 meals per week.

• Taste: 7/10 When you have a high protein goal in mind and you get bored of the same flavors at every meal, these dishes fit the bill.

• Packaging: Most of the packaging is recyclable. You can learn more about how to recycle Factor’s packaging here.

• Read my full review on the Factor meal delivery service, and how it holds up in 2023.

Cost: $11.00 per serving | Weekly menu options: 30+ | Meal types: Vegan and Vegetarian, wheat-free, nut-free and no sugar added

Mosaic Foods offers lots of easy options for people who eat vegan, vegetarian and plant-based meals. With almost no effort, you’ll have balanced and nutritious meals on the table. Our vegan tester reported that he and his family enjoyed some of the meals, but not all, and found that when they heated them up in a skillet on the stovetop, the results were better.

• Subscription: Meals start at $11 each. A box of 12 meals is roughly $129.88, including shipping. Bonus: Mosaic Foods offers a 100% Guarantee, meaning if you don’t love your meals, the company will issue a full refund, no questions asked.

• Ease of use: Most meals can be zapped in the microwave in under five minutes. Family Meals are oven-ready, which means no hands-on work for you, but you’ll need about an hour’s lead time to heat these through. To prep the smoothies you must empty the contents of the cup into the blender with your liquid of choice (e.g. oat milk or water) and blend.

• Menu choices: There are 30+ menu choices per week, ranging from smoothies to family-size meals, to veggie bowls. There are also categories based on dietary preference such as wheat-free, nut-free and no sugar added. You may order a maximum of 18 items per week.

• Taste: 6/10. We were happy to have a change of pace from our usual home-cooked dinners and leftovers, but weren’t wowed by these.

• Packaging: 100% of Mosaic’s packaging is either curbside recyclable or made with post-consumer recycled fiber. You can learn more about their sustainability efforts here.

Cost: $6-$11 per meal/serving | Weekly menu options: 100+ options across 7 meal plans | Meal types:

Fresh N Lean is an organic meal delivery service that delivers a box of microwavable entrees to your door that satisfies specific dietary needs. They’re not what we would call gourmet meals, but rather easy meals with organic ingredients that you don’t need to think about. Just zap these babies in the microwave and you’ll be able to stick to whatever meal plan you choose — whether it’s keto, paleo, vegan, Whole30 or Mediterranean.

• Subscription: Prices start at $7.93 per meal. Ten paleo meals (lunches and dinners) costs $134.90 per week, including shipping.

• Ease of use: Microwave meals for less than three minutes.

• Menu choices: There were more than 100 meal options to try each week across categories like keto, paleo, protein+, vegan, low carb vegan, Whole30 and more. Fresh N Lean’s meals are organically-sourced, never contain gluten, added sugar or GMOs and are dairy-free, except for the keto meals. The weekly rotating menus also include breakfast options and snacks.

• Taste: 5/10. We would not order these meals again, but if meal prep is not in your wheelhouse and you want a consistent meal source that conforms to your dietary restrictions, try these.

• Packaging: Fresh N Lean meals are vacuum-sealed in BPA-free, recyclable trays. The plastic seals are also recyclable.

Cost: $11-$13.50 per meal | Weekly menu options: 100+ | Meal types: Paleo, Keto, Mediterranean, gluten-free, pescatarian, vegetarian and vegan

CookUnity delivers chef-crafted meals inspired by a variety of global flavors to your home in a way that none of the other meal delivery services do. This is seriously good food. We tried omnivore, pescatarian and plant-based dishes in categories like American, Indian, Vietnamese, Italian, West African and more, and there wasn’t a single dud in the bunch. I was so impressed with the high-quality shrimp and fish dishes in particular, as those are notoriously challenging to reheat without turning into cardboard.

• Subscription: $11.19 per per meal, and a box of 12 meals costs about $135, including shipping, which varies depending on your location.

• Ease of use: Most meals were microwavable and ready in under four minutes.

• Menu choices: There are more than 40 new dishes to choose from each week that you can filter by paleo, vegetarian, vegan, keto and Mediterranean, if you wish. In addition, you can filter by dairy-free, low-sodium, low-carb, less than 600 calories and gluten-free meals. The weekly menus also feature breakfast options, snacks, dips, dressings, desserts and pressed juices. You can order up to 16 meals per week.

• Taste: 10/10. These were the most delicious meals we tried. The quality of fresh, high-quality ingredients and diversity of flavors were remarkable.

• Packaging: CookUnity meal trays are industrially compostable, so if you have access to an industrial compost bin or organization, you can recycle them there. Otherwise, you can clean and recycle your trays with other paper materials. Learn more about their sustainability here.