The 7 Best Meal Delivery Services For Singles, According To A Registered Dietitian

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While I’ve learned to truly love my single life, finding a balance between eating well and not eating the same meal five days a week is a tall order. But meal delivery services for singles make it easy to prep tasty meals for a solo person quickly and efficiently, all while regularly introducing you to new meals. With these services, you can opt to have either prepared meals or meal kits with perfectly-portioned ingredients delivered right to your door at the frequency you desire.

Best Meal Delivery Services For Singles

If you've found yourself resorting to a bowl of cereal for dinner, a meal delivery service might be just what you need—no more wasting money on produce and groceries you’ll only use for one recipe. But before you supplement your single life with a meal delivery service, here's what to look for.

What to consider

Price per serving

Meal delivery services can help single people save money and reduce food waste while eating more exciting and nutritious food, as long as the price is right. Consider the price per serving and how many meals you’ll need each week to decide which service fits in your grocery budget.

Meal type

Do you have an hour or more each night to dedicate to cooking, or maybe just 30 minutes? Or maybe you’d rather just heat up a meal that’s already been prepared after a long day. Meal delivery services offer a wide range of meals, from kits that are fit for an adventurous cook or someone who has 30 minutes at the end of the day to put a meal together all the way to meals you just have to pop in the microwave. If you're someone who is always on-the-go or gets home late and never has enough time to cook, then a ready-to-eat meal may be better suited for you. But if you like to cook or just enjoy a more gourmet experience, then a meal kit that comes with a recipe card, instructions, and all the ingredients you need could be a better option.

Diet options

Are you on a health journey? Maybe you want calorie-controlled meals, plant-based, low-carb, or high-protein options to support your goals. Each meal delivery service offers unique diet options, so you can select meals that work for your tastes and health needs, or choose something specific, like a vegan meal delivery service.

Delivery area

Maybe the most important factor in choosing a meal delivery service is whether they actually deliver to your area. While many services are delivered to every state in the continental US, this isn’t the case for all of them.

How we selected

For the past few weeks, Women’s Health editors and registered dietitian Kelsey Kunik, RD, have been testing and researching the most popular, top-rated meal delivery services for singles. We evaluated each service in a range of categories, including price per serving, meal variety, ease of customization, diet options offered, and more. Using these insights, we compiled a list of the best options for every budget and preference.

Below, check out the best meal delivery services for singles, tested by a dietitian and Women's Health editors.

Meal Delivery Service

The Women's Health team spent nearly eight weeks testing several meal delivery services. When it came to the best ones for singles, Hungryroot was our best pick overall because the service allows you to easily choose foods that help meet nutrition goals at a price that's affordable enough to be an excellent deal for the value. The brand's most affordable plan starts at just $69 a week.

Editorial assistant Sabrina Talbert loved her experience with Hungryroot. Everything from the easy ordering and customization options allowing her to choose protein-forward meals to the detailed instructions and delicious end results exceeded her expectations.

“I had marked off that I wanted my meals to be protein-forward and Hungryroot definitely delivered on that by sending me meals that were more focused on veggies, lean meats, and high-protein snacks,” Talbert says. The meals do take time to prep—for Talbert, some meals took as little as eight minutes, while others went up to 25. All in all she found her meals very flavorful and satiating, especially raving about the lemon pepper chicken she was sent. Her only note was that some of the meals were higher in sodium than she would have liked, though the service does offer low-sodium options.

In addition to the diet choices of omnivore, pescatarian, vegetarian, and vegan, you can choose from nutritional plans that include anti-inflammatory, gut-friendly, immunity-boosting, carb-conscious, high protein, less sugar, and less sodium. You can also filter the recipes to include ones that are under 500 calories if you're on a weight loss journey. That's more diet options than most services on this list.

Plus, the meals aren't skimpy options that'll leave you wanting more. For example, the Pasta With Chicken Pesto Talbert had was almost enough for two people, she says. So, with some meals, you can basically save half for another meal, and make it a two-for-one deal. If you're looking to cut down food costs, Hungryroot is a great meal delivery service to do it with.

Read more: Best Prepared Meal Delivery Services

Meal Delivery Service

Women’s Health news and features editor Currie Engel has been testing Purple Carrot at home and loves how well it fits into her fast-paced plant-based lifestyle. “I’m an incredibly on-the-go person who doesn’t love spending hours cooking dinner on weeknights or meal prepping on weekends, so the ready-to-eat veggie meals–that just required popping in the oven or microwave–were absolutely ideal,” Engel says. Her favorite recipe in the order was the Blueberry Overnight Oats. The prep time was only five minutes, and it made breakfast and lunch incredibly easy and delicious throughout the week.

Unlike Green Chef (further down on this list), Purple Carrot delivers prepared meals, so there's no need to fuss around with any ingredients. If you're a single person who doesn't have much time or just haven't mastered the art of cooking for one, Purple Carrot is an easy way to explore a vegan lifestyle.

While the only actual diet plan offered is vegan, the meals have various nutritional preferences listed, such as <600 calories, soy-free, nut-free, low sodium, gluten-free, high-protein, and high-fiber, so you can choose meals that align with your unique goals. But keep in mind that even though most of the menu options are loaded with vegetables and whole grains, they're not all healthy. Some menu items, like the French Patty Melts, have over half a day's worth of sodium, while others may be too low in protein.

While Purple Carrot's meals are nutrient-rich, they won't make a great option for those who like to indulge in meat or fish occasionally. But if you're looking to add variety to your vegan meals, Purple Carrot is an excellent way to do that. Plus, the serving sizes are usually just enough for one.

Meal Delivery Service

There was one option that we tested that exceeded at freshness, and that was CookUnity. The meals never arrive frozen, and the label even includes a photo and name of the chef that prepared your order. Assistant love and life editor Addison Aloian loved every meal she tried from CookUnity. Her favorites include the steak and lamb meals that were made complete with a vegetable and a starch, leaving her satiated after eating. “It's the perfect lunch or weeknight dinner meal for when I don't feel like cooking—I just heat them up in the microwave or oven,” Aloian says.

The service allows you to choose between four and 16 meals each week with a choice to add a number of treats, breakfasts, and drinks to your order. You can also select specific diets, including paleo and keto, or narrow down your choices based on calories or low-carb, gluten-free, dairy-free, or low-sodium options. While the meals are fresh, they aren't made with boring ingredients, and we found CookUnity's dishes to actually be some of the most 'restaurant-like' dishes on this list with enough food for just one person. Think: flavorful options like Bulgogi Beef Ramen or Blackened Shrimp and Grits.

While services like Purple Carrot and Home Chef definitely help you meet your nutrition goals, CookUnity seems to place more of an emphasis on flavor, so curating a weekly menu is definitely a fun task if you're a single foodie.

Green Chef

WH contributor Kelsey Kunik, RDN, tested Green Chef for a week and really loved the menu options offered—most come with organic ingredients. "One feature I love about Green Chef is that to add to their sustainability efforts, they offer seasonal meals and selections," she says. Though the ingredients come pre-portioned, this service does require some cooking.

Her favorite meal was the Chicken with Cherry BBQ Sauce. "It had so much flavor and was pretty simple to put together." The awesome part about cooking with Green Chef, though, is that you will have leftovers. You can choose meals that offer two to four servings, and whichever you opt for, you will end up with leftovers that can be reheated into another meal for the day.

Green Chef does require time for cooking and cleaning. "When I made the Shiitake Mushroom Udon Soup with Egg (which was delicious!), there were quite a few steps and various pots, pans, knives, and cutting boards that had to be used," says Kunik. "That meant a lot of extra clean-up, which isn’t ideal on a busy night." The service is awesome if you're looking to pick up an extra hobby or enjoy cooking, but if you're a single person with limited time on your hands, a service like CookUnity or Factor that offers prepared meals may be better for you.

Meal Delivery Service

Kunik's favorite feature about Home Chef meals is that it offers an option of ordering meals at different stages. "I could order a full meal kit, an oven-ready meal, and a Fast and Fresh meal that just needed to be assembled and cooked through," she explains. "Having the option for multiple types of prep makes it easy when you have several busy days, but enjoy the process of cooking when you have time." The meal types also run the gamut of cuisines, whether you're looking for vegetarian plates like a Hawaiian-Style BBQ Tofu Flatbread or a meat-eater friendly plate like a Pear Chutney Pork Chop.

Kunik particularly enjoyed that the oven-ready meals made clean-up easy, since they can be prepped right in their tins. That being said, prepare to spend anywhere between 15 minutes to an hour if you opt for meals that aren't "heat and eat" options. When it comes to portion size, the meals pack just enough for one person, making them truly ideal for single people.

One health-related flaw that's a common theme among many menu items is the extremely high sodium content. Several options have over two-thirds of the recommended daily limit for sodium in just one serving. If you're salt-sensitive or looking to limit your intake, you might find the acceptable meal options limited.

Kunik's only note was that she wishes the meals stayed fresh for longer. "If I have to choose one con about my Home Fresh meal delivery, it’s that all three meals I got for the week had instructions to use within three to four days of delivery," she says. This is in contrast to other meal delivery services like Factor, which deliver fresh meals that can last up to a whole week in the fridge.

Meal Delivery Service

After testing Factor for her Factor Meals review article, Kunik re-orders the service during busy weeks when her kids aren't at home, and she doesn't feel the need to cook. The prepared meals take less than three minutes to warm up in the microwave, making them extra convenient for a single person who doesn't have much time for involved cooking. "And, honestly, they taste as good as anything I’d make at home," she says.

Kunik enjoys the ability to choose between different diet options each week since she likes a mix of meat, seafood, and plant-based meals in her diet. "The portions are perfectly-sized, and a few times, I had to save leftovers to snack on later in the day as the meals really are filling," she says. So far, one of her favorite meals is the Shredded Chicken Taco Bowl With Roasted Corn Salsa.

The only downside to Factor Meals is that we found some of the options contain a lot of sodium, similar to the meals from CookUnity. "As someone who’s pretty sensitive to salt, I forgot to select my meals one week and was a little disappointed that a couple of the options that were sent in my box had more sodium than I would usually eat," Kunik says. With Factor, it's important to keep in mind to remember to choose your meals before your scheduled delivery date. If not, you could end up with dishes you'd prefer to skip over.

Meal Service

Associate news editor Charlotte Walsh tried a huge variety of meals from Daily Harvest, including Forager bowls, meal bowls, rice dishes, smoothies, and frozen pop treats. Her favorites were the pops, which were super sweet and natural-tasting, and the Strawberry Peach Smoothie, which tasted exactly like her favorite $15 one from Whole Foods for half the price.

WH contributor Neha Tandon also tried the meal delivery service for our Daily Harvest Review article and absolutely raved about it. "These meals are surprisingly delicious considering the ingredients in them. Every ingredient listed is a fruit, vegetable, or mineral—they're even pretty low in salt yet somehow delicious," she said in the review.

You should keep in mind that Daily Harvest's portions are definitely a lot smaller than the ones offers by other meal delivery services on this list. The protein content and calories of most options are too small to truly count as a full meal. That being said, if you're a single person looking to eat smaller, more frequent meals, as opposed to a larger meal once or twice a day, or looking for healthy snacks to supplement your diet, Daily Harvest can definitely be a good option for that.

Each week you can choose between 9+ items, 14+ items, or 24+ items, which makes this an ideal delivery service for single people since you can customize the amount of food you get. The more you order, the more of a discount you receive.

Are meal delivery services worth it for a single person?

Many meal delivery services are ideal for people who are single and want to enjoy a variety of meals throughout the week without the hassle of planning, shopping, and cooking food for one. They can cut down costs by delivering just the right amount of food or ingredients you need without forcing you to spend money on any extra food that may go bad before you're able to use it. Plus, in our experience living in New York City, we found that most of the services on this list were cheaper per meal than ordering takeout at a fast casual restaurant.

Meet the expert

• Kelsey Kunik, RDN, is a registered dietitian, recipe developer, and creator of Graciously Nourished.

Read more about meal delivery services here

Best Prepared Meal Delivery Service | Best Meal Delivery Services | Best Keto Meal Delivery Services | Best Paleo Meal Delivery Services | Factor Meals Review | Sakara Life Review | Daily Harvest Review

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