15 best meal prep services, tested over five years
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Bored of your post-work dinners? Same. Or at least, I was. Then, the best meal prep services came to save my weeknight meals from becoming stagnant. I’ve been busy testing the best meal delivery services for the past five years, learning that their benefits are plentiful. They make your 5-9 far less stressful, increase the variety of meals you eat, reduce food waste... reduce the number of takeouts you end up ordering. You get the picture. It’s no surprise the wellness crowd are getting in on the action.
Forget what you thought you knew: healthy meal delivery services weren’t just a lockdown thing; they do have a place in our lives now – particularly with countless businesses returning to the office full-time. In fact, the meal prep services I’ve reviewed for this edit are better than they were back then, home-cooked meals with better meal options for all dietary preferences than ever before. Pescatarian, flexitarian, vegan, paleo included.
Highlights? New player Field Doctor believes in the principle of food as medicine, serving balanced meals that target concerns like heart health, gut health and fatigue. Elsewhere, OGs Gousto and HelloFresh focus on tasty meals made from fresh ingredients for all of the family, while PrepKitchen reign supreme when it comes to increasing protein intake with delicious ready meals.
I suppose it’s there we have the greatest conundrum: with so much choice, how do you know which meal delivery service is best for your dietary needs? In the name of healthy eating, I’ve reviewed the best meal prep services below. It’s time unleash your inner home chef.
SKIP TO: How we test meal delivery services | Our full reviews | Are meal kits worth it? | What is the cheapest recipe box? | Is Gousto or HelloFresh cheaper? | How to get the most out of your delivery.
How we test the best recipe boxes:
I'm a Shopping Editor with over five years' worth of experience testing products – largely in the beauty and wellness spaces – for a living. For most of that time, I've been reviewing meal prep kits – alongside a team of experts and wellness contributors. So I'd like to think I know a little something about what makes a good meal delivery kit. When testing each, I ordered a weeks' worth of food and snacks – and scored them based on delivery, sourcing, freshness of ingredients, nutritional information provided – and other factors like how varied cuisine and meal plan options were, portion size, and how easy the recipe cards were to follow.
There are a few services in this edit that haven’t been tested; for those, we’ve referred to customer reviews and expert knowledge. Find out more about how we test here.
Meet the testers:
- Sophie Cockett, GLAMOUR Senior European Commerce Editor.
- Bianca Dawes, GLAMOUR Website Director.
- Lucy Smith, former GLAMOUR Commerce Writer.
- Chloe Gray, GLAMOUR Freelance Commerce Contributor.
What is the best-rated meal prep service? Scroll for our top picks.
1/131. Best Overall: Gousto
"I've been a genuine Gousto customer for around three years now – and it never fails to let me down. Unlike the services you've scrolled through thus far, Gousto serves pre-portioned ingredients to allow you to cook for yourself – which is something I love. I don't like relying on frozen meals too often.
"Upon ordering, the site is super easy-to-use, and the service now has over 500 recipes to choose from every month. Over 185 of those are vegan. You can order either one person boxes, or boxes for two-five people, and you can choose two-five recipes per order. This is great, because you're not restricted to eating Gousto every single night. You can choose your delivery day, and you can choose where your box should be left should you be out when it arrives. If you are, fret not: ingredients stay fresh for twelve hours without being put in the refrigerator.
"Having tested countless services, I'd say you get the most choice on meals with Gousto. I have loved so many of their meals over the years – from Sesame Hoisin Chicken With Wedges And Slaw to Fiery Chicken With Coriander Rice And Avocado Salsa. And I love the fact that you can keep the recipe cards to create your own cookbook, even more.
“You can choose add-ons like deserts, wine and snacks, and the meals are fresh, not-too-big and healthy. I have zero qualms.”
- Tested by: Sophie Cockett.
- Pros: Reduces food waste, encourages you to continue to cook, recipe cards are easy-to-read, ingredients are fresh.
- Cons: Nothing to note. I'm such a fan.
- Star dish: Lamb Meatball Biryani With Minty Mayo & Pickled Onions.
- Cost: From £24.99 for a 2-person box.
- Delivery: Nationwide.
- Gousto discounts: Get 50% off your first purchase right now, or scroll through more of our Gousto discount codes.
Read our full Gousto review here.
- 2/13
2. The Runner-Up: Chefly
“As far as microwave meals go, Chefly does a stellar job at transforming them into something delicious, fresh and healthy. The brand as a whole is all about speed and ease, with chef-prepared meals delivered to your door once a week which can each be reheated in no more than three minutes.
The meals came in a 100% recyclable cardboard box, and I found that they stayed fresh in the fridge for 10 days. I looked at ingredients, and noted that they're made up of a good mix of food groups. You can see the nutitional information of each meal on the website when ordering, making it easy to lean into a high-protein or veggie diet, for example – and even though the meals are healthy, they're anything but boring. Options including Rosemary Salmon, Lamb & Apricot Kofta, Gnocchi Primavera with Roasted Chicken or Pea and Mint Risotto with Grilled Chicken – yet meals average approximately 500 calories.
There wasn't much I didn't like, other than the fact that you may get a little bored of microwave meals quite quickly – so I'd prefer them as a lunch option or as something to fall on a few nights a week."
- Tested by: Sophie Cockett.
- Pros: Over 29 meals to choose from each week, ready in three minutes, healthy.
- Cons: You might get bored of microwave meals quickly, so they're best for easy lunches.
- Star dish: “The Grilled Bavette Steak, Roasted Carrots, Sweet Potato and Tenderstem Broccoli was so good.”
- Cost: Price start at £6.99 per meal for the highest-volume order, and you can choose between four and 12 meals per week.
- Delivery: All over mainland UK via DPD.
3/133. Best New Meal Prep Service: Field Doctor
"If you really care about your health – and the specifics of it – then Field Doctor is well worth trying. They're a new player in the meal prep services arena, aiming to create amazing food that feeds your health. And by that, I don't just mean food to help you lose weight or build muscle. Field Doctor let's you choose your meals to manage allergies and intolerances, reduce inflammation, improve gut health, optimise menopause or peri-menopause… the list goes on. Their website is incredibly thorough, which encouraged me to put huge amounts of trust into what they have created.
"Everything on my tailor-made plan (centred around eating more plants and reducing inflammation) sounded delicious. Chickpea masala curry, Italian meatballs, Malaysian tofu curry and red pesto and roasted vegetable penne were just some of the concoctions it threw up to me.
"When my meals arrived, although totally not important when it came to the meals themselves, the first thing I noticed was the branding. It appeals to the minimalist in me, with meals boxed up in Tiffany-blue packaging. Very chic.
"Inside, the meals included 100% whole ingredients – nothing processed round these parts – and they came frozen for freshness. I was a little worried about whether I'd need to defrost them before cooking, but you can actually reheat them from frozen – mostly in around five minutes.
"I sometimes find that frozen meals can go a tad water-y when you reheat them – which can lead to them losing some flavour. And sadly, this was the case with some of the Field Doctor meals I tried. They were all still delicious, don't get me wrong, but just a bit less flavourful than other services I've tried.
“That aside, I would order from them again. You can pick a regular delivery day, there's loads of choice, and they're a great healthy option to ensure you avoid too many takeaways.”
- Tested by: Sophie Cockett.
- Pros: Very aesthetic, meals tailored to specific health concerns, no processed ingredients.
- Cons: Not as full-of-taste as some of the other meal prep services I've tried.
- Star dish: Malaysian tofu curry.
- Cost: Single serve from £6.99 to £7.29. Double serve: from £10.39 to £10.79.
- Delivery: Delivery charge varies depending on your location. It can range from £5.50-£23.
AMIR MOUSAVI GOOD FOOD STUDIO4/134. Best Meal Delivery Service For Ready Meals: Prep Kitchen
"I've tried my fair few meal prep services, and at the time of reviewing, I was beginning to really get into the gym. Don't get me wrong, I'd always exercised – but I was starting to lift weights for the first time, and more closely track my protein intake.
“Prep Kitchen was game-changing in enabling me to do this as a bit of a novice, easily. When you log onto their website, you can choose a Muscle Gain plan – and then choose between lower carb or balanced high-protein meals. The ”balanced" option is most popular, so I opted for that, and was pleasantly surprised that you could choose up to 20 (!) meals per week. Perfect for hungry, gym-going couples.
"The variety of meals was amazing – there is Smoked Chicken Masala, Tofu Pad Thai, Peri Peri Chicken, Veggie Shawarma… the list goes on. And unlike so many other meal services I've tried, the dinners remain packed full of flavour. They're not watery or bland, ever.
“You can choose different meals for week A VS week B, and you can add breakfasts to ensure you never fall short. All-in-all, I was so impressed – and will absolutely ensure my freezer remains stocked (you can freeze them to ensure they last longer).”
- Tested by: Sophie Cockett.
- Pros: Meals are full of taste, ingredients ethically farmed in the UK, average of 40g portions of protein per meal.
- Cons: Nothing to note, other than the fact that they arrived pre-prepped, which stops you from cooking from scratch.
- Star dish: Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese.
- Cost: From £7.50 per meal.
- Delivery: Nationwide.
5/135. Best Gym Meal Prep Service: The Good Prep
"This Manchester-based company is so easy. You simply pick the plan that works best for your preferences and activity level (Trim & Slim serves up low-carb, high-fat meals, while Grow & Gain delivers up to 2,600 calories a day through high protein and carbs), then choose the meals you like the sound of.
"You can eat from The Good Prep as little or as much as you like – you could enjoy breakfasts, snacks and up to four other meals a day if you wanted to, or, you can choose just to order your evening dinners. TBH, the breakfasts were the part I loved. It's great knowing you're starting your day off with a healthy, high-protein breakfast that'll keep you full for a long time. Examples included Biscoff Protein Pancakes, Chicken & Sage Sausages or Protein Muffins.
"Every meal is made only from the freshest ingredients. The cherry on the cake? Every meal is ready in two minutes.”
- Pros: Low-carb, high-healthy-fat, tailor-made meal plans.
- Cons: It's pretty expensive, with the two-day taster starting at £49.
- Star dish: Beef Bolognese + Roasted Root Veg.
- Cost: from £99 per plan.
- Delivery: Nationwide, and delivery is free.
- 6/13
6. Best Meal Delivery For Speed: Frive
“I tried Frive for a week and was so impressed with how easy they made my life. Serving grab-and-go meals that are fresh and delicious, you can sort your breakfasts, lunches and dinners in one order. Each week, Frive spotlights a ”current" menu on their site (and the time of writing my review, they had Citrus and Miso Salmon Poke Bowl and Sticky Korean Turkey Bowl on the weekly menu) to choose from, and it changes super regularly."
“There honestly was not much I didn't like, other than the freedom of cooking my own meals – and perhaps the fact that meals only stay fresh for four days, so you might need to factor this into your routine. I'd probably stick to doing Frive every other week for the former reason.”
- Tested by: Sophie Cockett.
- Pros: Order through an app, meals are nutritionist-approved, meals are macro-balanced and high in protein.
- Cons: Nothing to note.
- Star dish: Citrus and Miso Salmon Poke Bowl.
- Cost: Meals start from just £4 per meal. You can choose from once or twice weekly deliveries to arrive on Sundays and Wednesdays, and the price is dependent on the number of delicious meals you choose. You can choose between and 3, 5 or 6 day plan – and you can pause or cancel your subscription at any time.
- Delivery: All of mainland UK.
Read our full Frive review.
7/137. Best For Food Freedom: Simply Cook
“Simply Cook sends you boxes full of herbs, spices, pastes and flavours so that you can create restaurant-quality meals by adding just four-six ingredients from your fridge or cupboard. The boxes fit through your letterbox, which is handy if you’ve nipped out on your daily walk, and recipes take 15-20 minutes to cook.
"The recipe cards make things super easy to follow, and you can choose from over 100 recipes when you’re ordering. My faves have got to be the Malay Laksa and Nasi Goreng. You can cancel, pause or change your subscription at any time, online for free.”
- Tested by: Sophie Cockett.
- Pros: Affordable. Offers freedom with portion size and cooking style.
- Cons: You don't receive all of your ingredients with SimplyCook, so you will still have to go out to the shop each week for all of the fresh components.
- Star dish: Cuban Prawn Pasta.
- Cost: £3 for four recipes during your trial, then £9.99 per box with free delivery.
- Delivery: Nationwide.
8/138. Best For Organic Ingredients: Abel & Cole
“Abel & Cole offer a delicious and seasonal selection of fruit and veg boxes for you to choose from which changes every week. There's so much variety, and all ingredients are, of course, organic.
Once you've chosen, they deliver direct to your door and collect your recyclable, collectable boxes the following week. Oh, and if you don't fancy a full recipe box, you can just order the standalone ingredients you're after, from meat and fish to produce for your pantry. It's such a great site."
- Pros: Great for totally organic eating.
- Cons: This isn't really a meal prep service, more of an ingredient-delivery offering.
- Cost: From £6 per plate.
- Delivery: Nationwide.
9/139. Best For Healthy Eaters: Green Chef
“Green Chef is a recipe box with five diet options to choose from each week. You choose between keto, lower carb, balanced, vegan options and vegetarian, (or mix and match tasty nutritionist-designed recipes to fit your lifestyle), then you receive healthy recipes that are easy-to-follow and made from fresh ingredients. My favourite recipes were the Chipotle Lentil Tacos and the Chermoula Chickpea and Turmeric Rice Bowl with Harissa-Cashew Butter Sauce and Pumpkin Seed. I loved that most dinners were ready in 30 minutes or less – life is busy, and I’m always keen to avoid the hassle."
- Tested by: Sophie Cockett.
- Pros: Lots of intro offers (right now you can get 30% off your first month), nutritious meals, low food miles, high-quality ingredients.
- Cons: Nothing to note.
- Star dish: Smoked Tofoo Red Thai Inspired Curry with Black Rice.
- Cost: From £4.70 per service.
- Delivery: Green Chef will deliver your recipe boxes across the UK, including: UK Mainland Jersey Guernsey Isle of Man Isle of Wight.
10/1310. Best Meal Delivery Service For Families: HelloFresh
“The price, options and flexibility of this delivery service make it a winner in my books. It's one of the most accessible services in the country and marries quality with low cost. My fiancé and I travel often and HelloFresh allows us to pick and choose which weeks we actually want food delivered. The recipes are consistently delicious and it’s fun to experiment with new dishes I would never think to cook on my own. And the gluten-free and vegetarian options are ACE. If you're looking to lose weight, there are plenty of options under 650 calories.
“There was nothing I didn't like, other than the recipe cards being printed on paper which can get a little mucky and wet when you're cooking. Card would be better. All in all, I'd sign up while you can get free dessert for life. Yes, really."
- Tested by: Bianca London.
- Pros: Low food waste, great variety, a fab choice for families.
- Cons: Less suited to counting macros or managing protein intake, if you're an avid gym-goer.
- Star dish: Fragrant Chicken Laksa with Red Peppers and Noodles.
- Cost: from £4.05 for 5 recipes for 2 people. Save with our HelloFresh promo codes.
- Delivery: All of the UK as well as outside of the country - as far as New Zealand, Canada and Japan, actually.
- HelloFresh discounts: Save money on your first order with our HelloFresh promo codes.
Read our full HelloFresh review.
Mindful Chef11/1311. Best Gluten-Free Meal Prep Service: Mindful Chef
“Healthy? Tick. Quality ingredients sourced from small farms? Tick. Ready for me to put together when I get home (no Tesco’s required)? Tick. Bonus? It actually delivered more. The thing about food delivery is that they give you just the right amount of food meaning there's minimal to no waste. Sure, portions are a little smaller at Mindful Chef than is offered by HelloFresh and Gousto – and the price is more expensive. But, I felt so confident that I was eating incredibly healthily which made me feel more energetic and, well, better. All recipes are low-calorie, gluten-free, no refined carbs, no refined sugar… Every box bought donates one meal to a child in poverty. The list of benefits goes on. Consider your dinners, sorted.”
- Tested by: Sophie Cockett.
- Pros: Healthy dinner, pause subscription at any time, one-person dinners are offered; Mindful Chef is committed to net zero by 2030.
- Cons: Slightly more expensive.
- Star dish: Tiger prawn korma.
- Cost: 1 person - from £7 per portion, 2 person - from £5 per portion, 4 person - from £4.50 per portion.
- Delivery: Nationwide.
Read our full Mindful Chef review.
12/1312. Best For Plant-Based Meals: Plantly
"Planty launched in 2019 with an ambition to create a vegan delivery offering that was wrapped around eating better, tastier and being better for the planet. With their commitment to taste they hired Michelin starred chefs to create their delicious dishes and this has led them to being awarded three Great Taste Awards. You can expect to receive restaurant-quality dishes which are packed with fresh, natural ingredients naturally resulting in maximum flavour all arriving in minimal packaging. This is healthy, tasty, vegan food that arrives effortlessly to your doorstep whenever you need what feels like your own personal chef.
“A great vegan meal delivery service which allows you to choose from 6 to 12 dishes, with up to 12 extras, Planty makes eating plant-based a total breeze. Every meal is frozen for freshness to keep the nutrients in, and rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. Planty has a huge focus on sustainability, so their packaging is 100% recyclable, compostable or reusable – and delivery is carbon-neutral. You simply heat everything up in the microwave and you're ready to go.”
- Tested by: Sophie Cockett.
- Pros: A very easy way to intro yourself to the vegan diet.
- Cons: You'd probably not want to eat Planty meals every night of the week, because it's sometimes nice to cook. But they're a great thing to have in the freezer.
- Star dish: Korean Bibimbap.
- Cost: From £5.65 per dish.
- Delivery: Planty delivers to any postcode in the mainland UK, except for a few exceptions. If you'd like to know whether Planty delivers to you, contact the team. Choose your plan and delivery day. Get it delivered Tuesday to Saturday with DPD, with free weekday delivery.
13/1313. Best Meal Prep Service For Gut Health: Kurami
“Kurami takes a holistic approach to health and wellness, charging its customers against ”meal-paths" rather than individual dishes. There are three Kurami meal paths on offer, and each one comprises everything you will need for the day. That's your breakfast, lunch, dinner, a snack and a drink. The Nourish path focuses on gut health, where everything comes in at around 1400 calories per day every week, while the Signature meal path comes in at an average of 1600 calories per day, and Signature Plus, 2000.
“There are sample menus available on the website, though what you receive is a bit of a surprise, and every dish is created by a nutritionist who focuses on wellness from the inside out. The dishes are totally delicious and don't skimp on size – including favourites like Aubergine Parmigiana, Mediterranean Cauliflower Salad, and Warming Red Soup with Bread.”
- Tested by: Sophie Cockett.
- Pros: Meals delivered to home or office, meals chosen to promote better all-round health, full meal-plans including breakfast and snacks are offered.
- Cons: It is expensive.
- Star dish: There is no star dish as such – the brand focuses on Meal Paths rather than dishes – but we loved the Tagine with Fennel and Olives.
- Cost: From £41.10 per day.
- Delivery: London delivery only.
Your meal prep FAQs, answered:
Are healthy meal delivery services worth it?
If the question is “will meal kits save me money?” – disappointingly, I'd argue not. Based on the meal kits I tested, most pre-portioned fresh meals won't save you much money directly. In fact, some of them are rather expensive. What they do save you is time and stress, and your time is worth money, right? I'm aware I'm not really answering your question here, but it really does depend how much you value not having to think about what you're going to eat every evening.
How do I get the most out of a healthy meal delivery service?
To get the most our of your meal delivery kit, I'd argue that you need to be choosing different meals every week rather than constantly gravitating towards the same favourites.
Variety is the spice of life, and the key to a healthy, balanced diet. So, to get the most out of your meal delivery kit, experts recommend choosing different meals each week rather than constantly choosing the same favourites. Use your recipe box as a chance to experiment with plant-based and vegetarian meals if you don't already, and choose meals that feel realistic from a time point of view. E.g.: if you're signing up to a meal delivery box because you're time-poor, don't be ordering recipes that take 50 minutes to prepare.
Which food delivery service is rated the best?
The cheapest recipe box overall is actually Simply Cook – but that's because you have to provide the fresh ingredients yourself. Simply Cook provides the spices and that is all. If you're looking for everything – from meat and vegetables to cards and dairy produce – to be provided, then the cheapest is Gousto, followed by HelloFresh.
Is Gousto or HelloFresh cheaper?
At the time of writing, Gousto is cheaper than HelloFresh, by about £10. That said, it's worth noting that both recipe box companies have introductory offers running almost constantly. For instance, HelloFresh is offering 60% off your first box as well as free dessert for life right now. Your friends might have referral codes they can share, too.
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