We Tested All the Cheapest Meal Kits and Prepared Meal Services. These Are the Best
Life's busier than ever -- at least it seems that way -- and carving out time to plan a week's worth of meals, let alone shop for all the ingredients, can feel impossible. But that doesn't mean you're stuck with takeout or junk food, and it doesn't mean you have to spend a fortune on dining out and delivery. Meal delivery kits make it easy to enjoy healthy, flavorful dishes without the hassle, and today's options are better than ever. With plenty of budget-friendly choices -- some as cheap as $6 per serving -- you can save time, eat well and even cut costs.
What's the best cheap meal delivery service overall?
EveryPlate has the cheapest meal kits of any service I tried.
There are many reasons to delve into the world of meal delivery services. For one thing, groceries aren't as cheap as they used to be, but luckily, meal kit prices have remained relatively stable, which in some instance make them a better bargain in 2025 .
With all this new information, you might be wondering what the best cheap meal delivery service actually is. After much testing, I've found that there are plenty of options with services as cheap as $6 a serving. If you're looking for the most affordable meal kits, you can't go wrong with EveryPlate or Mosaic Foods , which is a vegetarian favorite. At CNET, we've tested EveryPlate numerous times over the years, and the budget-friendly option is the best cheap meal kit delivery service and has always stayed consistent.
There are great budget-friendly options available, including services that offer nutritious vegan meals and meal kits for $6 per serving. For those looking to elevate their meals, some meal kit services even include steak and seafood in their standard plans without extra charges.
Here are the most affordable meal delivery services in 2025, plus, why they impressed us.
Cheapest meal delivery services for 2025
How we test meal kits and meal delivery services
We cooked our way through dozens of meal kits from all of the most popular services.
Over the past few years, editors at CNET have tested nearly every meal kit delivery and prepared meal delivery service we could get our hands on, including the best budget meal delivery services. Many of the menu options for the meal delivery services I've listed include nutritious plant-based food or high-protein recipes with lots of veggies and lean meats.
To test each cheap meal delivery service, I tried at least four and sometimes as many as 10 meals from any given service. In 2025, my fellow editors retested the services to ensure they stood the test of time. We always choose a range of meals from the various menus and meal plan offerings. For instance, if a meal subscription service offers vegan or vegetarian meals, our wellness editor Anna Gragert , who's been a vegetarian for over 20 years, tested it this year. We also mixed up the cuisine types to include pasta, meat dishes, bowls and other various styles offered by the brand.
To test the best cheap meal kits, there was another set of standards and protocols to adhere to. Here's more on how we test meal kits at CNET .
Factors to consider when choosing a cheap meal delivery service
Cost
After you've picked between meal kits or meal delivery, you'll want to find a service within your budget. Meal kits with recipes can cost as little as $6 a serving, and they include basic menus and no-frills recipes. More expensive services include recipes with more exotic ingredients, high-end cuts of meat, and organic produce, but they can cost as much as $15 or $20 a serving.
Meal kit or prepared meal delivery
The first big decision you'll make is whether you want meal kits, which require some prep work and cooking, or a prepared meal service that sends fully cooked meals ready to heat and eat. Meal kits will demand more of your time and energy but they'll also cost a little less per serving. Prepared meals require almost no time and energy, other than what it takes to actually eat the food, but typically run a few dollars more per serving.
Blue Apron is budget-friendly and includes steak and seafood options.
Healthiness
While most meal delivery services have healthy options, some are healthier. Specific meal kits and delivery services are better than others if you want to eat low-calorie, low-carb, plant-based, or pescatarian food. This list of the healthiest meal delivery services for 2025 is a good place to find the most nutritious options.
A spread of Mosaic'd plant-based prepared meals.
Number of meals per week
With almost every service, the more meals or servings you order per delivery, the cheaper it becomes per meal. Ideally, you'll want to determine precisely how much food makes sense for your household. If you can't imagine yourself cooking more than twice per week, don't order more than two meal kits because they typically won't last more than a week in the fridge.
Most prepared meals either arrive frozen or can be frozen after unboxing. That means it's less of an issue if you order too many meals on your first go-around. Most services allow you to change the number of meals or servings in your plan even after you've started.
Why you can trust us
Our meal delivery experts have logged more than five years and have cooked more than 75 meal kits, and tested more than 100 prepared meals, from popular services to help land on our list of the best and cheapest meal delivery services.
