Looking to feed your family without having to shop for ingredients or worry about meal planning? Try a meal delivery service. A number of meal delivery services cater to children and families, and they're a great option if you want to streamline your weekly meals. Some services deliver meal kits while others provide fully prepared meals that you can simply heat and serve.
The best services deliver value in multiple areas, such as cost, flavor, variety, customer service, flexibility, and sustainability. And since most services are subscription-based, the best will also strike the right balance between a schedule that you control and one you can put on autopilot. Find your ideal service, and it will keep your family happily fed week after week for a reasonable price and without any boredom or hassle.
Best Meal Delivery Services for Families of 2024
- Best Overall: Green Chef
- Best Overall for Kids' Meals: Nurture Life
- Best Value: Dinnerly
- Best for Easy Prep: Gobble
- Best Plant-Based: Hungryroot
- Best for Picky Eaters: HelloFresh
- Best for Toddlers: Little Spoon
- Best for Vegan Families: Purple Carrot
Best Overall: Green Chef
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Key Specs
- Starting Price: $11.99 per serving
- Delivery Area: 48 states
- Products Arrive: Fresh
Why You Should Try It
Green Chef delivers organic meal kits that strike the perfect balance between easy prep, big flavor, and healthy eating.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Certified organic
Healthy and well-balanced
Vegetarian and vegan options
Cons
Kits only; no fully prepared meals
Available only by subscription
Overview
Green Chef is a great option for families because it's one of the few services we tried that can deliver meal kits that serve up to 12 people. The eclectic menu rotates weekly and is divided into six meal types: Keto + Paleo, Mediterranean, Fast & Fit, Vegan, Vegetarian, and Gluten Free. Green Chef also makes sustainability a priority with its extensive packaging recycling guide and a 100% carbon offset program.
Meals We Tried
- Harissa-spiced shrimp
- Sesame ginger bavette steak and shrimp
- Middle Eastern-style chickpea bowls
- Maple glazed carrots with figs
Best Overall for Kids' Meals: Nurture Life
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Key Specs
- Starting Price: $6.99 per serving
- Delivery Area: 48 states
- Products Arrive: Fresh
Why You Should Try It
Every item on Nurture Life's menu is made especially for babies, toddlers, and kids. Prepared meals take only one minute to heat, and snacks and drinks are ready to go.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Pre-diced finger foods
Helpful menu filters
Team of registered dietitians
Cons
No vegan options
Limited snack options
Overview
Nurture Life is a weekly meal subscription service designed for busy parents looking for an easy way to offer their children natural, appealing, and nutritious food. All of Nurture Life's meals are delivered fresh and fully prepared, so all you'll have to do is heat and serve. There's even a list of favorites for picky eaters.
Meals We Tried
- White mac and cheese
- Chicken and mac
- Beef taco pockets
- Tortellini bolognese
- Chicken dumplings
- Pesto and cheese ravioli
Best Value: Dinnerly
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Key Specs
- Starting Price: $4.99 per serving
- Delivery Area: 48 states
- Products Arrive: Fresh
Why You Should Try It
Dinnerly's low-cost, high-quality food is perfect for those on a budget. Dinner options start at just $4.99 per serving, so you can enjoy tasty meals without breaking the bank.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Excellent value
Balanced menu
Easy prep
Cons
Draws on your pantry more than most services
Some may find the dishes too simple
Overview
With Dinnerly you can order up to six four-serving meals per week, and at just $4.99 per serving, the service is an exceptional value for busy families. The large menu rotates weekly, providing a wide selection with plenty of variety, and the recipes are simple, saving you time on prep and cleanup.
Meals We Tried
- BBQ cheeseburger with sautéed onions and smashed potatoes
- Low-cal veggie drunken noodles with broccoli, peppers, and cilantro
- Grass-fed ground beef and cheddar quesadillas with corn
- Caramel chicken stir-fry with snow peas and jasmine rice
Best for Easy Prep: Gobble
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Key Specs
- Starting Price: $11.99 per serving
- Delivery Area: 47 states
- Products Arrive: Fresh
Why You Should Try It
Gobble's culinary team preps and portions all its meal kit ingredients, so you can serve fresh-cooked meals to your family in 15 minutes or less.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Good menu variety
Add-ons like sides, soups, and breakfast
Fast, easy preparation
Cons
Relatively expensive
Minimal dietary accommodation
Overview
Gobble is a weekly subscription meal kit delivery service. Unlike most meal kit services, Gobble ships the majority of its ingredients pre-prepped, so while you may have to do a smidge of trimming or chopping, your main task will be to simply combine and cook. The menu draws on a mix of international cuisines and rotates weekly, so there's always plenty to choose from.
Meals We Tried
- Scampi-style chicken with linguine in lemon garlic butter sauce
- Chimichurri fish tacos with shredded cabbage
- Grilled king salmon with heirloom tomato panzanella
- Korean bulgogi beef lettuce cups with sweet potato noodles
Best Plant-Based: Hungryroot
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Key Specs
- Starting Price: $7.99 per serving
- Delivery Area: 48 states
- Products Arrive: Fresh
Why You Should Try It
Hungryroot's flexible subscription offers a rich variety of plant-based ingredients along with simple recipes to quickly transform them into tasty meals.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Easy recipes
Great customer service
Lots of flexibility
Cons
Experienced cooks may be bored
Plans don't exceed four diners
Overview
In some ways, Hungryroot is more of a grocery delivery service than a meal kit service. But unlike a grocery delivery service, Hungryroot does the meal planning for you, complete with recipes, based on your responses to its questionnaire. Plans are so flexible that they might as well be personalized.
Meals We Tried
- Spinach artichoke and mushroom tortelloni
- Roasted salmon and sweet potato on Brussels
- Southwest chicken and rainbow veggie tacos
- Thai peanut beef and broccoli stir-fry
Best for Picky Eaters: HelloFresh
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Key Specs
- Starting Price: $7.99 per serving
- Delivery Area: 48 states
- Products Arrive: Fresh
Why You Should Try It
If you're looking for meal kits that appeal to even the pickiest family member, HelloFresh has an entire menu of crowd-pleasers that aren't too basic.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Perfect balance of simplicity and sophistication
Accurate prep times
Easy prep and cleanup options
Cons
Kits only, no prepared meals
Not suitable for those with allergies
Overview
HelloFresh is a meal kit delivery subscription service with a menu that consistently offers more than 50 weekly choices. It has six categories of cuisine—Meat & Veggies, Veggie, Family Friendly, Fit & Wholesome, Quick & Easy, and Pescatarian—and you can pick one category, all, or make your own selections each week.
What sets the company apart is the impeccable design of its dishes, which strike a delicate balance between adventure, familiarity, and cookability. HelloFresh might be your family's best bet for a service that truly appeals to all: young, old, picky, intrepid, or somewhere in between.
Meals We Tried
- Crispy buffalo-spiced chicken
- BBQ cheddar burgers
- Tex-Mex pork with mango salsa
- Pork sausage rigatoni rosa
Best for Toddlers: Little Spoon
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Key Specs
- Starting Price: $5.99 per serving
- Delivery Area: 48 states
- Products Arrive: Fresh
Why You Should Try It
Little Spoon delivers a surprisingly wide variety of finger food meals that are sure to keep your toddler happy while expanding their developing palate.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Wholesome
Filter by dietary need
Squeeze-pack smoothies and vitamin boosters
Cons
No free shipping
Menu doesn't rotate weekly
Overview
Little Spoon is a prepared meal delivery subscription service for babies, toddlers, and kids. With items like red lentil pasta, hidden veggie marinara, and purple carrot blueberry oatballs, the company offers some of the most wholesome and adventurous finger foods on the market. There's also a surprising degree of international influence on the menu, including dishes like pot stickers, pupusas, gnocchi, and tikka masala.
Meals We Tried
- Broccoli bites with sweet potato carrot poppers and green beans
- Chicken nuggets with veggie patties with breading and sweet potato carrot poppers and broccoli
- Whole wheat penne with veggie marinara and mini turkey kale meatballs
- Mac and three-cheese with invisible butternut squash carrots
- Chicken pot stickers with brown rice, quinoa veggie stir fry, and edamame
- Turkey rice ball with sweet potato mash
- Three-cheese egg bites with sweet potato hash
- Turkey kale patty bites with veggie millet poppers and carrots
Best for Vegan Families: Purple Carrot
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Key Specs
- Starting Price: $11 per serving
- Delivery Area: 48 states
- Products Arrive: Fresh (kits) and frozen (prepared meals)
Why You Should Try It
Purple Carrot is 100% vegan and offers both fresh meal kits and frozen prepared meals. It's the ultimate convenient and flexible choice for your vegan clan.
Pros and Cons
Offers both meal kits and prepared meals
100% vegan
Breakfast and add-ons available
Relatively small menu
Limited organic ingredients
Overview
Purple Carrot is a totally plant-based subscription meal delivery service capable of covering all your vegan family's mealtime needs. The company offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner kits, plus snacks and a rotating lineup of fully prepared frozen meals for when you're short on time. There are even special "Celebrations" boxes that are perfect for a cozy night with the spouse after you've sent the kids to grandma.
Meals We Tried
Meal Kits
- Sesame orange tofu with roasted green beans and sticky rice
- Curry roasted cauliflower with masala chickpeas and ginger cucumber salsa
- Rajas tacos with avocado and roasted corn salsa
Prepared Meals
- Peanut noodles with gingered edamame and braised tofu
- Creamy mac and cheese with peso peas and sun dried tomatoes
- Spelt risotto with summer vegetable caponata
- Chilled curried chickpea salad with dates and quinoa red pepper pilaf
- Tofu palak paneer with carrot biryani
Final Verdict
At the end of the day, we found Green Chef is the best overall meal delivery service for families in general, while Nurture Life is the best for kids' meals specifically. Green Chef isn't only a great service in terms of quality, selection, and ease of prep; it's also one of the few services that offers kits for families larger than four people. Meanwhile, Nurture Life's excellent lineup of both finger foods and kids' meals is a surefire way to appeal to even the pickiest little ones.
Compare the Best Meal Delivery Services for Families
| Company | Starting Price | Delivery Area | Products Arrive | Can Customers Choose Delivery Date? | Free Shipping? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Overall Green Chef | $11.99 per serving | 48 states | Fresh | Yes | No |
| Best Overall for Kids' Meals Nurture Life | $6.99 per item | 48 states | Fresh | Yes | Yes |
| Best Value Dinnerly | $4.99 per serving | 48 states | Fresh | Yes | No |
| Best for Easy Prep Gobble | $11.99 per serving | 47 states | Fresh | Yes | No |
| Best Plant-Based Hungryroot | $9.69 per serving | 48 states | Fresh | Yes | Yes, for plans over $70 |
| Best for Picky Eaters HelloFresh | $7.99 per serving | 48 states | Fresh | No | No |
| Best for Toddlers Little Spoon | $5.99 per serving | 48 states | Fresh | No | No |
| Best for Vegan Families Purple Carrot | $11 per serving | 48 states | Fresh and Frozen | No | Yes, over $85 and/or after 20 orders |
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Meal Delivery Services Good for Picky Eaters?
For the pickiest eaters, meal delivery services can be a godsend. Because most meal delivery services offer a wide variety of cuisines and dietary options, they're sure to have something for everyone. Whether you're young, old, vegetarian, kosher, or gluten-free, you can find a meal delivery service that caters to your needs.
Can a Meal Delivery Service Feed a Family of Five?
The answer is yes, but it may take some planning. Most meal delivery services offer a variety of plans to choose from, and some even allow you to customize your order. To feed a family of five, you'll likely need to order multiple meal plans or customize your order to include more servings. Additionally, you may need to supplement your meals with additional snacks or sides. However, with a little planning, it's definitely possible to use a meal delivery service to feed a family of five.
Are Meal Delivery Services for Families Expensive?
It depends. Some meal delivery services are more expensive than others. And some families will spend more on meal delivery than others, depending on their needs. In general, a meal delivery service will be more expensive than cooking at home from scratch but much cheaper than eating out all the time.
Do Meal Delivery Services for Families Help Reduce Food Waste?
One of the potential benefits of these services is that they can help reduce food waste. When you order a meal kit, you only receive the exact amount of ingredients you need, which minimizes spoilage and reduces the likelihood of uneaten leftovers. While there are other factors to consider when choosing a meal delivery service, such as cost, convenience, and packaging waste, the potential to reduce food waste makes them an appealing option for many families.
Methodology
We took a comprehensive approach to our evaluation, assessing each of the 40 companies we tested on a variety of factors that are important to the average consumer. Price was one of the most important factors in our analysis, but we also looked at flexibility, variety, flavor and texture, sustainability, nutrition, cookability, and customer service.
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