5 Best Meal Delivery Services For Families Review 2024

Ellie Busby

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Medically reviewed by Dr G. Michael DiLeo, MD

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Hungryroot

HungryRoot

  • Combines meal kits and groceries delivery.
  • Ultra-personalized to your tastes and preferences.
  • Accommodates a range of allergies and special diets.
Purple Carrot

Purple Carrot

  • Healthy, fresh vegan meal kit service.
  • Easy-to-use online interface.
  • Tasty meals with great flavors.

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EveryPlate

EveryPlate

  • Affordable, easy-to-prepare meal kits.
  • Meals take 30-45 minutes to prepare.
  • Menu changes weekly.

Cooking for a family can get tough, especially when everyone wants something different. You want to eat healthy because you have health goals, too.

Don’t worry, you’re not the only one feeling worn out and stressed by the prospect of preparing five different meals every night while making yourself something healthy. That’s why some meal delivery services cater to families while offering healthy meals to help you reach your health goals.

Here’s our review of the best meal delivery services for families in the United States in 2023. We picked our five favorites — which is the best one for you? Read on to find out.

Best Meal Delivery Services For Families In (March. 2024)

  • HungryRoot – Editor’s Choice
  • Purple Carrot – Best Meal Delivery Service For Vegetarians
  • EveryPlate – Most Affordable Meal Kit Delivery Service
  • HelloFresh – Best Meal Delivery Service For Weight Loss
  • Sunbasket – Best Meal Delivery Service For Diabetics

Should You Use A Meal Delivery Service For Family?

Your whole family has different nutritional needs, and it’s crucial they get the right nutrition for their stage of life. 

If your partner is training for a marathon, they need enough energy to fuel their training and protein to repair muscle.[1] But your five-year-old just started school, and their brain and body are rapidly developing, so they need more omega-3 to fuel their brain growth[2] and calcium to fuel their growing bones. Oh, and last month your teenager decided to become vegetarian. How can you ensure each member of your family is getting everything they really need?

That’s where meal delivery services can help. Each family member can have different food preferences, meaning each person gets what they want and what they need. You get to relax and spend your energy on more important things in life, like family time and hobbies you don’t usually have time for.

So, what are the best meal delivery services for families in 2023? Here are our top five picks.

5 Best Meal Delivery Services For Families In 2024

HungryRoot

HungryRoot is the best meal delivery service for gluten-free, busy families. They combine grocery delivery and meal planning, ensuring you never have to take a trip to the grocery store again. 

  • Combines meal kits and groceries delivery.
  • Ultra-personalized to your tastes and preferences.
  • Accommodates a range of allergies and special diets.
  • Very simple meals.
  • No nutritional information such as calories.
  • Can not choose different preferences per family member.

What we love about HungryRoot is allergy, flavor, and ingredient personalization. Don’t like creamy sauces but love herb-y foods? No problem. You’ll also choose your dietary preferences,  i.e., gluten-free, dairy-free, etc., your favorite plant-based proteins, e.g., fake meat vs. pulses, and eliminate ingredients you don’t like, such as cilantro or garlic. 

You can also choose your preferred breakfast, lunch, and dinner types. For example, are you a smoothie or granola sort of breakfast person? The process is visual, making it easy to do the quiz as a whole family.

Another unique thing about HungryRoot is that they personalize food preparation. For example, you choose whether you enjoy food prep, such as chopping, and how long you’d like to spend cooking, e.g., as little as possible, vs. you don’t mind spending time in the kitchen. HungryRoot even asks which kitchen appliances you use, such as an air fryer, blender, or microwave.

However, although HungryRoot asks how many people you’re feeding, all preferences are set for the whole family. So, if your family has wildly different food preferences, HungryRoot might not be the best meal delivery service for you.

Purple Carrot

Purple Carrot

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Purple Carrot is the best meal delivery service for vegetarians because they only offer 100% plant-based meals. The meals are healthy, and the ingredients are fresh.

  • Healthy, fresh vegan meal kit service.
  • Easy-to-use online interface.
  • Great flavors.
  • Lengthy meal preparation.
  • Not many customizations are allowed.
  • Not for families larger than four.

Purple Carrot is the vegetarian household’s dream — and you don’t even need to like cooking and cleaning up. You can choose whether you want meal kits to prepare your own meals or pre-prepared meals to heat and eat. Of course, the price rises if you choose prepared meals over self-prep.

Choosing your meals is simple, too, with an easy-to-use website interface and full nutritional information for every recipe. So, as a vegan or vegetarian, it’s easy to ensure you’re getting all the nutrition your family needs. Although you won’t get nutritional information delivered with your meal box, you can check all the nutritional info anytime online.

However, Purple Carrot prizes ease over flexibility and customization. You can choose gluten-free, but if you’re allergic to soy or don’t like peanuts, that’s tough luck. So if someone in your family has allergies or big taste dislikes, then Purple Carrot isn’t for you. 

Also, you can only choose between two or four servings per meal, so being a family of three or five might be a problem.

EveryPlate

EveryPlate is the most affordable meal kit delivery service for families. From as little as $4.99 per serving, EveryPlate has recipes that’ll please the whole family.

  • Affordable, easy-to-prepare meal kits.
  • Takes 30-45 minutes to prepare.
  • New recipes weekly.
  • Not suitable for those with allergies or dietary restrictions.
  • Not the best for specific goals such as weight loss.
  • Only two or four servings per meal.

HelloFresh decided they needed a cheaper, less flexible option for families, and the result is EveryPlate.

As a family with EveryPlate, you can choose between two or four servings per meal and between three and six meals per week. Of course, the more meals you choose, the cheaper each one gets, ranging between $4.99 and $6.49 per serving.

Each week you’ll choose all your meals from 17 new rotating recipes each week, so you’ll never get bored of the flavors on offer. Or — if your children aren’t fussy eaters — you can be surprised and let EveryPlate choose for you. 

You can choose up to five meal type preferences to build your custom plan:

  • Meat & Veggie.
  • Veggie.
  • Family Friendly.
  • Quick & Easy.
  • Nutrish & Delish.

However, if you or your family have dietary requirements other than being vegetarian, EveryPlate isn’t for you. You can’t choose gluten-free or dairy-free, for example, and allergies will not be catered to.

You’ll also need some basic kitchen cupboard staples, such as olive oil, sugar, salt, and pepper, as these won’t be included in your meal kits.

HelloFresh

HelloFresh offers more recipe options per week than other meal delivery services, meaning greater choice but a higher price tag. 

  • Lots of new recipes every week.
  • Offers kids’ meal boxes.
  • Offers a range of gourmet add-ons.
  • Don’t cater to those with allergies or intolerances.
  • More expensive than other companies.

The best part about HelloFresh is their kids’ meal kits. When setting up your account, choose the Family Friendly option, and you’ll get all the kid-approved recipes to choose from. You’ll have 20 new family-friendly recipes to choose from each week, meaning you’ll (hopefully) always find something your whole family can enjoy.

HelloFresh is more customizable than EveryPlate. Firstly, you can choose up to six meal type preferences to build your custom plan:

  • Meat & Veggies.
  • Veggie.
  • Family Friendly.
  • Fit & Wholesome.
  • Quick and Easy.
  • Pescetarian.

You can then choose unlimited add-ons and even swap sides and protein types to make the meals perfect for everyone. We really like this feature because it means you can order kid-friendly meals but choose gourmet add-ons and sides for the adults. 

Also, if you or your partner have health goals such as fitness or weight loss, the in-depth nutritional information and extra customizability of HelloFresh make it easy to cater to your kids’ taste buds whilst achieving your own goals.

The price per serving ranges from $8.99 to $12.49 for a family of four ordering six meals per week or two people having two meals per week, respectively.

Sunbasket

Sunbasket is the best option for families with special diets such as diabetes. They’re also 100% organic and source their ingredients sustainably, ensuring the best quality for your family.

  • All organic ingredients.
  • Mix and match meal kits and ready meals.
  • Caters for a range of diet types.
  • More expensive per serving.
  • No kid-friendly option.
  • Meals only serve two or four.

Sunbasket is the most expensive but highest-quality meal delivery service you can choose for your family. With all organic ingredients, you can be sure you’re feeding your family the best-quality food money can buy.

You also have total flexibility over your dietary requirements. Gluten-free, paleo, or diabetic? No problem — Sunbasket has plenty of options for you. The American Diabetes Association even approves their recipes.

Other options include low-calorie, vegan/vegetarian, pescatarian, Mediterranean, and low-carb, making Sunbasket the best meal delivery service for keto dieters, too. Also, you can specify no dairy, soy, lamb, pork, beef, shellfish, fish, or poultry, which is perfect if you have some fussy eaters in the family.

Hate food waste? Sunbasket understands that things can change quickly with families, so they make it easy to cancel next week’s delivery or even cancel your entire subscription.

However, while Sunbasket caters to a range of dietary requirements, it might not be suitable for those with severe allergies. For instance, their gluten-free meals are prepared in the same facility as their other meals, so it could be a risk if you have a celiac in the family.

Meals start at $9.99 per serving. 

Choosing The Best Meal Delivery Service For Families

There are many meal delivery services to choose from, but all delivery services for families have slightly different offerings. So, you need to prioritize when you choose the right meal delivery service for your family. Here are a few questions to ask yourself to get started. 

How Old Are Your Children?

The type of meal service you’ll go for depends on the age of your children. If you have older teenagers with mature taste buds, it’s likely that most meal delivery services will cater to them. However, if you have very young children — under five years old, for example — who are picky eaters, you might need to seek out a delivery service that offers kid-friendly recipes.

Do You Have Seniors To Cater To?

If you have an older member of the family living with you, such as a parent or parent-in-law, you’ll need to choose the best meal delivery service for seniors. They might have special dietary requirements, such as diabetes, limiting their options. In this case, you might want a more expensive but more flexible service that caters to different dietary requirements.

Do Any Of Your Family Members Have Special Dietary Requirements?

Speaking of special dietary requirements, if anyone in your family has a food intolerance or allergy, you’ll need to ensure you use meal kit services that guarantee they can cater to it. While some of the cheaper services won’t offer meals free from common allergens, some of the more expensive options offer multiple dietary options, such as meals free from dairy, gluten, soy, etc.

Do You Have Picky Eaters In Your Family?

It’s normal for young children to be picky eaters before their taste buds develop. But picky eaters make meal plans for the whole family a difficult task. Nevertheless, some of the top meal delivery services let you set a range of food and taste preferences, from the types of sauces you like to individual ingredients to exclude, such as garlic or eggplant.

Is The Cost A Priority?

You’ll find that the more you’re willing the pay, the more flexibility and customization you’ll get. But if cost is a priority, giving up some flexibility will make meal delivery services cheaper. For example, if no one in your family has intolerances or allergens, choose a cheaper service with fewer meal options.

How Many Meals Per Week Would You Like?

Are you one of those busy families looking for a daily meal plan or just a few meals per week to take the pressure off meal prep? It’s important to note that some meal boxes allow you to order a maximum of six meals per week, while others can cater to every meal, including breakfasts, kids’ lunches, and even finger food.

Would You Prefer Meal Kits Or Fully Prepared Meals?

The big question: Meal kits with everything pre-measured and a recipe card to cook yourself, or fully prepared meals you simply heat and eat? Clearly, there’s a big price difference. But some services even offer a combination of both, meaning you don’t have to choose one or the other — you can have the best of both worlds to mix and match each week.

Final Thought

In this review, we picked the best meal delivery service for families. However, each service excels in a particular area, so the best service for your family depends on your unique preferences. 

HungryRoot is the best all-rounder — especially for families of picky eaters — because it personalizes your family’s meal plan down to the type of seasonings you like. If your family is vegan, however, it makes more sense to go for 100% plant-based Purple Carrot. HelloFresh has a huge meal selection, while EveryPlate is perfect for those who aren’t so fussy and want to cut costs. Finally, Sunbasket is best for those who want prize quality over everything else.

So, there’s something for everyone — it just depends on what your priorities are.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best meal delivery service for a family?

That depends on your preferences. We think the best all-rounder is HungryRoot and EveryPlate is the cheapest option.

What is the most desirable meal package?

Again, that depends on you. Some services offer meal kits, others offer fully prepared meals, and others offer a combination of both.

Is there something better than HelloFresh?

HelloFresh has a great variety of meals and includes a kid-friendly menu option. However, it can be expensive for what it is. EveryPlate is a cheaper, less flexible option, and Sunbasket offers higher-quality healthy eating at a similar price range. It’s all quite subjective according to your preferences.

Are prepared meals worth trying?

If you’re simply too busy for meal prep and cost is not a problem, fully prepared meals might be worth trying for you.

What is the best fresh meal?

All the meal delivery services we’ve listed here offer fresh meals, whether prepared or as a recipe box. The best depends on what your other preferences are.


+ 2 sources

Health Canal avoids using tertiary references. We have strict sourcing guidelines and rely on peer-reviewed studies, academic researches from medical associations and institutions. To ensure the accuracy of articles in Health Canal, you can read more about the editorial process here

  1. Nunes, E.A., Colenso‐Semple, L., McKellar, S.R., Yau, T., Ali, M.U., Fitzpatrick‐Lewis, D., Sherifali, D., Gaudichon, C., Tomé, D., Atherton, P.J., Robles, M.C., Naranjo‐Modad, S., Braun, M., Landi, F. and Phillips, S.M. (2022). Systematic review and meta‐analysis of protein intake to support muscle mass and function in healthy adults. Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, [online] 13(2), pp.795–810. doi:10.1002/jcsm.12922.
  2. Shahidi, F. and Ambigaipalan, P. (2018). Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Their Health Benefits. Annual Review of Food Science and Technology, [online] 9(1), pp.345–381. doi:10.1146/annurev-food-111317-095850.
Ellie Busby

Written by:

Ellie Busby, MS, RDN

Medically reviewed by:

Michael DiLeo

Ellie Busby is a Registered Nutritionist (MSc, mBANT) and nutrition writer. She holds a bachelor's in Chemistry and a Masters in Nutrition. Ellie specializes in plant-based nutrition for health and fitness. She is also the Founder of Vojo Health, a personalized nutrition service based on genetic testing.

Medically reviewed by:

Michael DiLeo

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