8 Best Cheap Meal Kits of 2026

EveryPlate is the clearest pick if your main goal is a low price per serving. Its FAQ says plans start at $5.99 per serving and shipping is a flat $10.99 per box, which makes the weekly total easy to work out before you order. On the US plans page, the default box of 3 recipes for 4 people costs $83.88, or $6.99 per serving, so the lowest rate needs a larger plan. You choose 3 to 5 meals a week for 2, 4 or 6 people from 35+ weekly recipes, and recipe cards follow six steps that take about 30 minutes. Weekly deal drops add items for $1, $2 or $3, and Minimal Cleanup recipes use one pan or a sheet pan. EveryPlate says it does not cater to restrictive diets, though recipes carry tags such as Calorie Smart and Carb Smart. New customers can get $2.99 meals on the first box, after which the regular price applies.

Dinnerly matches EveryPlate on headline price and beats it on menu size. The homepage says meals start at just $5.99 per person, and the weekly menu lists 100+ recipes, which Dinnerly says gives more price flexibility as well as more choice. Plans come in 2-person, 4-person and 6-person sizes, and the help center says shipping is not more than $11.99 per order. Dinnerly keeps costs down with a simpler approach, including recipe cards you can switch to digital only from your account settings. You can add Market items such as ready-to-heat meals, breakfasts and desserts to the weekly box, which helps cover lunches without a second order. The catch for small households is that Dinnerly does not offer plans for one person, so solo cooks pay for at least two servings per recipe. Compare the per-person price on your chosen plan size at checkout, since the $5.99 figure is a starting point.

Home Chef costs more than the two cheapest kits but saves the most work for the money. Its homepage lists meal kits starting at $8.99 per serving, and its FAQ says standard meals average $9.99 per serving depending on the menu. The minimum weekly order, including shipping, is $50.95 on the Home Chef Plan and $82.91 on the Family Plan. The menu has 20+ recipes each week across three styles: Oven-Ready meals that cook in an oven-safe tin, Express kits with pre-chopped ingredients ready in 30 minutes or less, and Classic kits. The Family Plan sells family-friendly meals in 4-serving increments, including Taco Kits. You can also add breakfast from $4.98, lunch from $9.98 and desserts from $3.98 per serving. Orders close at 12 p.m. CT each Friday, and delivery runs Sunday through Friday. For the lowest bill, stick to dinners on the Home Chef Plan.

HelloFresh is here for households that want more choice than the budget kits offer, at a higher price. Its homepage lists 100+ recipes a week and preferences that include Meat & Veggies, Veggie & Plant-Based, Quick & Easy, Family Friendly, Pescatarian, Calorie Smart, High Protein, Carb Smart and Mediterranean. You can swap proteins, adjust portions, and add ready-made meals or market items to the box, and HelloFresh says quick-prep recipes can be ready in 20 minutes. Pricing is the weak spot for this list: the US plans page only shows a per-serving price after you enter a ZIP code, which our check could not complete, so the price here is pending. If your budget is tight, compare the HelloFresh plan page against EveryPlate for the same plan size before you subscribe.

Hungryroot works differently from a classic meal kit, and that can help a tight budget. You answer questions about diet, goals and budget, and Hungryroot fills a cart of groceries and recipes to match, with a promise that it sticks to the budget you set. Published per-serving prices start at $3.99 for breakfast, $5.99 for lunch and $8.99 for dinner, plus snacks and sweets from $1.99. Shipping is free on orders over $70, and new customers get 30% off the first delivery. The recipe library tops 50,000 recipes, and filters cover High Protein, Anti-Inflammatory, Gut-Friendly, Less Sugar, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegetarian and allergy exclusions such as peanut-free and soy-free. Dinners cost more than EveryPlate or Dinnerly, so Hungryroot saves money mainly when you use it to replace grocery runs and takeout lunches rather than for dinner alone. Review the cart each week, since Hungryroot picks items for you.

Marley Spoon publishes its full price table in its help center, which makes it easy to see when it is good value. A Ready to Cook box of 2 meals for 2 people costs $68.95, about $17.24 per serving, while 6 meals for 6 people costs $372.63, about $10.35 per serving, and every order adds a $12.99 shipping fee. Boxes come in 2, 3, 4 and 6 person sizes with 2 to 6 meals a week, and the 3-person size is uncommon among the kits we compared. A basket volume discount lowers the price on meals and Market items as your order grows, and the menu is visible three weeks ahead. For single servings, Balance by Marley Spoon prepared meals start at 6 meals for $93.93. Dinnerly advertises meals from $5.99 per person, so price-focused households will usually save more there.

Gobble trades a higher bill for less work. Its chefs prepare parts of each recipe in advance, such as simmering sauces, slow-roasting meats and blending compound butter, so dinner kits cook in 15 minutes. Menus include Classic, Lean & Clean with meals of 650 calories or less, and Vegetarian, and you can add prepared meals, salads, soups, breakfasts and desserts. Gobble says meals are a flat rate per serving across the Classic and Lean & Clean menus, but the rate is not shown without signing up, so the price here is pending. New customers see an offer of the first 6 meals for $36, which applies only to the first order. Gobble delivers to the contiguous US except Montana, with limited service in Nebraska, New Mexico and Kansas. Meals can be made dairy-free, nut-free or wheat-free by leaving out ingredients that are packed separately. Choose it for speed, not for the lowest price.

Green Chef is the premium end of this list and belongs here only for households that want organic food at the lowest price they can find for it. Green Chef says it is the only meal kit that delivers fresh organic produce and proteins at no extra cost, and it bans 100+ ingredients from its recipes. Menus cover Mediterranean, Plant Based, Gluten Free, High Protein, Calorie Smart, Carb Smart, Functional Nutrition and Quick & Easy, with 15+ new recipes a week ready in under 25 minutes. Every customer gets free one-on-one nutrition coaching with a registered dietitian, and the menu lets you swap or double proteins, carbs and vegetables. The US plans page shows prices only after a ZIP code check, which we could not complete, so the price is pending. A household on a strict budget will spend less with EveryPlate, which starts at $5.99 per serving.