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The best cheap meal delivery services (starting at $5 per serving)

Apr, 20, 2023 Hi-network.com

Meal delivery services are a great option for feeding families big and small. They offer the perfect solution when you're too busy to grocery shop, especially when you're on a budget. It can take hours to create a budget, compare grocery sales, and complete weekly shopping hauls followed by a trek home to organize it in your kitchen. And you still need to take to prep, chop and assemble each meal.

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Why spend hours each week when you could spend minutes picking out a meal plan instead? Meal delivery services drop off pre-measured ingredients on your doorstep, so you can make dinner in record time. Some meal delivery services even provide ready-to-cook meals, so all you have to do is heat them up. Best of all, you can find many dietary options, such as Keto, vegetarian, and Mediterranean diets. 

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I compared dozens of meal delivery services to bring you the 5 best cheap meal delivery services on the market. Each subscription-based meal delivery service gives you the freedom to pause or cancel your subscription at any time. Almost every item is under$10 per serving, so this budget-friendly service will save you valuable time to spend in other areas of your life.

Also: The best food and drink subscriptions 

Dinnerly

Best cheap meal delivery service overall

Dinnerly/ Pros & Cons Pros
  • Wide range of dietary preferences
  • Six fresh ingredients per recipe
  • Market feature for individual add-ons
  • Six meals per week option
  • 28 recipe options per week
Cons
  • Doesn't include printed recipe cards
  • Market features cost extra
  • No vegetarian options for the 6-meal weekly plan
More Details

Dinnerly features:

  • Cost per serving:Starts at$4.99 per serving
  • Shipping cost: $9.99
  • Serving size:2 or 4 people and 3 to 6 meals per week 

If you're looking for simple, fast, and delicious meals, consider the Dinnerly meal delivery service. Each Dinnerly recipe has only six ingredients, allowing even the most recipe-challenged person the ability to make an impressive meal.

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Dinnerly creates a 28-recipe meal plan menu each week so you can order your favorites. Meals are labeled for dietary preferences so that you can choose from options like low-carb, kid-friendly, dairy-free, spicy, one-pot meal, no added gluten, vegetarian, and ready in under 30 minutes. Dinnerly keeps prices low by using digital recipe cards, simple packaging, and minimal ingredients in each dish, and the brand cuts costs by not heavily marketing its services. 

After making your weekly meal selection, check out the Market feature, which gives you the option to include smoothies, sides, desserts, or extra protein sources in your shipment. Everything except the gel inside the ice pack is recyclable, though not all packaging material can be recycled through the curbside collection if your recycle center won't pick up#1 and#4 plastics.

View now at Dinnerly View now at Google Play View now at Apple App Store more buying choices

EveryPlate

Best value meal delivery service

EveryPlate Pros & Cons Pros
  • Shop by meal preferences
  • Easy and quick meal assembly
  • Family-friendly options
Cons
  • It doesn't cater to special diets like Keto, gluten-free, or low-carb
  • Five meals per week limit
  • Limited weekly menu
More Details

EveryPlate features: 

  • Cost per serving:Starts at$4.99
  • Shipping cost: $9.99
  • Serving size:2 or 4 people and 3 to 5 meals per week 

When you choose the EveryPlate meal delivery service, you can customize your meal plan kit based on the following preference categories:

  • ClassicPlate: Meat, seafood, and vegetable options
  • VeggiePlate: Plant-based and vegetable options
  • FamilyPlate: Kid-approved meals fit for the whole family
  • EasyPlate: Meals ready in 30 minutes or less

EveryPlate creates a meal plan with 17 recipes to choose from each week. Pick your preferred meals, add them to your cart, and you're on your way to getting pre-portioned meals shipped right to your door. Once you get the box, each recipe takes just six steps to cook.

EveryPlate keeps its pricing low by focusing on affordable ingredients and responsible packaging. Boxes, separators, and box liners are 100% recyclable, though the film and cotton interior of the box liners should be disposed of in the trash. You can cut open gel ice packs to throw away the gel and either recycle the pack or reuse it for personal use.

If you're new to EveryPlate, you can currently get$72 off your first three boxes. This breaks down to$1.49 per serving for the first box, based on a 4-person plan for 5 meals weekly. To get this deal, scroll to the bottom of the front page, click on "Delivery Options", and then click the button to "get$1.79/meal + 20% off your next 2 boxes."

View now at EveryPlate View now at Google Play View now at Apple App Store more buying choices

Daily Harvest

Best cheap meal delivery service for organic and plant-based diets

Daily Harvest Pros & Cons Pros
  • Variety of options
  • Bulk discount pricing
  • Free shipping
Cons
  • Slightly expensive
  • Not family-friendly
  • Some items might not be sufficient enough for a meal
More Details

Daily Harvest features:

  • Cost per serving: $5.99 to$11.99
  • Shipping cost:Free
  • Serving size:1 person 

Daily Harvest is a great option for someone looking for a cheap meal delivery service offering organic, plant-based meals. Daily Harvest's pricing is different from other meal delivery services. You pay per item, and the price ranges between$5.99 and$11.99 per item. You can get a bulk discount of$5 if you order between 9 and 11 items,$10 for 12 to 23 items, and$25 for 24 to 26 items per delivery.

Choose from over 80 options offered by Daily Harvest, from lattes and snacks to bowls and flatbreads. Daily Harvest even has plant-based milk and ice cream. 95% of Daily Harvest items are organic fruits and vegetables, delivered to your door weekly or monthly.

All items arrive in dry ice and recyclable packaging. Frozen items can be thawed and enjoyed or microwaved, depending on which items you choose. You can change preferences inside your Daily Harvest account at any time until 6 p.m. ET on Sunday prior to your next scheduled shipment.

View now at Daily Harvest View now at Google Play View now at Apple App Store more buying choices

Home Chef

Best cheap meal delivery service for customization

Home Chef/ Pros & Cons Pros
  • Highly customizable
  • A la carte items for breakfast, snacks, desserts, etc.
  • Available to buy at Kroger
Cons
  • $10.99 shipping fee for two meals twice weekly
  • Add-ons increase cost
More Details

Home Chef features:

  • Cost per serving:Starts at$7.99
  • Shipping cost: $10.99 or$13.99 for 2 people and 2 meals per week (minimum is$49.95)
  • Serving size:2,4, or 6 people and 2 to 6 meals per week 

Home Chef meals start at$7.99 per serving, with over 20 meals to choose from each week. Home Chef may be the best choice for you if you like to customize your meal delivery services. Dietary preferences are limited to calorie or carb-conscious, and you can choose to avoid certain foods, such as pork, beef, shellfish, mushrooms, tree nuts, peanuts, and poultry. You can also add meals and edit serving sizes for each recipe when setting up your weekly meal delivery.

When you're selecting meals for the week, certain recipes will have a "Customize It" button underneath. Click and choose your preferred protein, which is carefully selected to complement each recipe. You can also bundle and save with breakfast or salad bundles, or choose extras like breakfast, dessert, bread, snacks, or protein packs. 

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You can search for meal recipes based on your cooking preference, such as oven-ready, microwaveable, grill-ready, culinary, and 15-minute meal kits for those days you just need a quick dinner. You can also purchase home Chef meals from Kroger grocery stores.

If you sign up for Home Chef now, you can save$90, spread out over your first four deliveries. 

View now at Home Chef View now at Google Play View now at Apple App Store more buying choices

Mom's Meals

Best cheap meal delivery service for diet-dependent health conditions

Mom's Meals Pros & Cons Pros
  • Caters to health conditions
  • Auto-ship not required
  • No cooking required--just heat and enjoy
Cons
  • Paleo and Keto diets not included
  • Limited meal options
  • High shipping fee
More Details

Mom's Meals features:

  • Cost per serving: $7.99 or$8.99 for self-pay
  • Shipping cost: $14.95 flat rate
  • Serving size:1 person

Mom's Meals is a company focused on serving nutritious meals for seniors and those who have health conditions that require a specific diet, offering almost 60 meal choices. Each meal costs$7.99 and caters to general wellness, vegetarian, low sodium, heart-friendly, and diabetes-friendly food needs. Pureed, renal-friendly and gluten-free meals are$8.99 per meal. 

Those covered by Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, Long-Term Services and Supports, and the Older Americans Act may be eligible for Mom's Meals through insurance. Caregivers and individuals can self-pay for Mom's Meals, and customers receive a 10% discount for using auto-ship.

Mom's Meals delivery service offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner options, and it's easy to choose based on various health conditions. Each meal comes pre-made, can be refrigerated for up to 14 days, and is easy to heat in the microwave. Meals can also be frozen, though be sure to thaw them in the refrigerator before heating. Veterans also receive a 10% discount.

View now at Mom's Meals

What is the best cheapest meal delivery service?

I chose Dinnerly as the best cheap meal delivery service because it offers the cheapest per-serving price and uses only six ingredients in a five-step process. All you have to do is check out the meal tags to make choosing your weekly plan faster and easier. Then sit back and wait for your pre-portioned ingredients to arrive at your door. 

I've broken down my favorite cheap meal delivery services below based on price, meal choices, and dietary preferences.

Cheap meal delivery service

Price per meal

Meal choices

Dietary preferences

Dinnerly

$4.99+

28 meals each week to choose from

  • No added gluten
  • No added dairy
  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan 

EveryPlate

$4.99+

17 meals each week to choose from

  • ClassicPlate
  • VeggiePlate
  • FamilyPlate (kid-approved)
  • EasyPlate (30 minutes or less)

Daily Harvest

$5.99

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