Dinner, Handled: Best Meal Delivery Services for Kids & Families

Blue Apron

Blue Apron has been part of the meal delivery game for a long time and their expertise shows. Choose among two-serving, four-serving, wellness and vegetarian menus to pick the options that are right for you. We love that the meals typically take 40 minutes or less and include kid-friendly ingredients like baked chicken and pasta while exposing kids to different flavors like curry and chile-lime. With super easy-to-follow recipes, you can definitely get the kids involved in the cooking process. 

Cost: Meals cost $8.99-9.99/serving with free shipping

Online: blueapron.com

CookUnity

CookUnity combines the skill of real chefs, the freshness and quality of locally-sourced ingredients and the convenience of a meal delivery service. Over 50 skilled chefs create more than 250 dishes to choose from each week; examples include Moroccan Chickpea Tagine, with Turmeric Rice, Pan Seared Chicken with Roasted Veggies and Spinach Puree and Poached Salmon with Asparagus, but the options and variety are extremely impressive. Additionally, CookUnity has partnered with nine of NYC’s culinary icons to bring a signature dish to the weekly menu. You can refine your choices to include meals for weight loss, healthier eating and other goals, as well as dietary preferences such as dairy-free, vegan, low-carbs, seafood, paleo, etc. Sign up for as few as four meals a week or as many as 16. Meals are delivered chilled fresh (not frozen) in eco-friendly packaging, and you can pick your delivery day. Choose your meals each week, or set your preferences and let CookUnity do the work.  

Cost: Starting at $10.49/meal with free delivery. 

Online: cookunity.com

Dinnerly

If your goal is to get a wholesome, easy meal on the table for your family, then Dinnerly is the meal delivery option for you. Each week Dinnerly customers choose from 19 new dinner options and each week there’s a featured dessert. The choices are totally kid-friendly with options like sweet and sour Swedish meatballs, turkey burgers and enchiladas. Each meal has only five prep steps and takes less than 30 minutes to get on the table, perfect for rushed weeknight dinners. Not interested in getting your box this week? No problem! You can skip any time. 

Cost: Meals start at $4.69/person

Online: dinnerly.com

Farmer’s Fridge

There’s basically no prep with Farmer’s Fridge. A variety of salads (examples include Smoked Cheddar Cobb, Southwest, Asian Chopped, North Napa, Buffalo Chicken Ranch) made with truly—and honestly, shockingly—fresh ingredients, come ready to pour into a bowl with well-paired and flavorful dressings. Pasta dishes and grain bowls can be eaten hot or cold and snacks like Dark Chocolate Trail Mix and Cookie Dough Bites were gobbled up by both the kids and adults in the house. Farmer’s Fridge recently debuted a new dish from award-winning chef Mike Solomonov that helps raise money for Broad Street Ministry, a non-profit that raises money for Philadelphia’s homeless, and introduced a back-to-school collection to help busy parents pack lunches—or prepare for a return to the office. Bonus: the packaging is really nice and reusable. 

Cost: Generous salads start at $8; plates are $9.95; snacks are $2.50 to $4.00, and you can even order an additional protein (grilled chicken, falafel bites) to add to a dish for $2.50. 

Online: farmersfridge.com

Gobble

Putting together dinner with Gobble literally takes just 15 minutes, as every ingredient is prepped and portioned for a one-pan meal. Busy families will also appreciate the "Sunday meal prep" option where you’re shipped all you need to prep grab-and-go lunches for the rest of the week in 90 minutes. Gobble will appeal to parents who have zero time to get dinner on the table; meals created considering dietary preferences such as vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free are also available. Sample dishes include Pan-Seared Sirloin Steak with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes & Béarnaise Sauce or Crispy Chicken Sandwich & Napa Cabbage Slaw with Caraway Vinaigrette. 

Cost: Prices start at $11.99 per serving, plus $6.99 for shipping.  

Online: gobble.com

Freshly

Freshly is a weekly subscription service delivering fresh (not frozen), chef-cooked meals that can be heated and served in three minutes. Unlike meal kits, all you need is a microwave, fork and plate to get a satisfying lunch or dinner on the table. Think “nutritionist-meets-personal-chef” vs. TV dinner when it comes to quality and flavor. 

With a food philosophy centered on less sugar, less processed and more nutrients, the menu features better-for-you versions of comfort foods with smart ingredient swaps. In addition, Freshly just launched its first-ever 100% plant-based menu––Purely Plant––featuring six new meals made with whole food ingredients. In June, Freshly also launched multi-serve proteins and sides that are designed to be mixed and matched to simplify meal prep and used for ‘half-scratch’ cooking.

Cost: Customers can order 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12 meals. Pricing starts at $8.49/meal

Online: Freshly.com

Green Chef

Healthy eating at home is the name of the game with Green Chef. Choose from three plans: Keto + Paleo, Balanced Living and Plant-Powered. Set up your deliveries to come weekly or less frequently if you prefer. Menus change every week and you'll enjoy options like Steak & Cheddar Melts, Salmon with Creamy Chimichurri, and Creamy Baked Penne Pasta.

Cost: Meals start at $11.99/serving

Online: greenchef.com

Hello Fresh

The goal of HelloFresh is to bring the fun of cooking back into people’s lives by doing all the planning, portioning and shopping for in-season, sustainably sourced, healthy and flavorful ingredients. HelloFresh prides itself on its delicious recipes with quick cook times; all your chopping, zesting and sautéeing will take less than 30 minutes. Family-friendly meals include Tomato Tortellini Bake, Ginger Plum Chicken and Pork Chops with Apple Rosemary Pan Sauce. We tried the Sausage and Spring Pea Risotto with lemon and parmesan. It was quite tasty, and prep amounted to mincing some shallots and quartering a lemon.

Cost: Opt for two to three meals per week from the Classic, Vegetarian or Family plans (which serve four people). Expect to spend about $10.75 per person per meal or $59 per week. Delivery is free.

Online: hellofresh.com

Home Chef

Home Chef meal kits offer fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes delivered weekly. With a variety 19 different recipes that rotate on a weekly basis, most recipes include a "Customize It" option to accommodate any dietary needs or preferences. Skip a week any time you'd like, the meals are convenient and kid-friendly. The 15-minute meal kits include options like Honey Garlic Chicken with Broccoli and Carrots, or Steak and Garlic Thyme Butter with balsamic Brussels Sprouts and Parmesan Twists. Home Chef has expanded its ‘Extras’ offerings to include ready-to-heat pizzas, all-in-one salad kits and a la carte protein packs such as skin-on salmon fillets, boneless chicken breasts and New York strip steak.

Cost: Meals start at $8.99/serving

Online: homechef.com 

Little Spoon

A meal service just for kids, Little Spoon offers organic baby food, kid’s meals, vitamins and natural remedies with no preservatives, no extreme heat processing, no GMOs and no additives. Baby purees include single blends and more complex combos (Broccoli Pineapple Banana Hemp is a bestseller) and meals for bigger kids are healthy heat-and-serve takes on faves like mac and cheese, potstickers and chicken nuggets, with lots of vegetarian options as well.

Cost: Purees are $3 or less and meals are $5 or less. 

Online: littlespoon.com

Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon

Thanks to easy-to-follow instructions, even a beginning cook can figure out how to put together Martha Stewart-approved meals with lots of locally sourced items. But, expect to spend at least 45 minutes doing it. The meals taste great, the menu changes weekly and there are 29 recipes available per week—some are even specifically ‘kid-friendly.’ Don’t keep much in the pantry? No problem. Order a grilled chicken Caesar salad and you’ll receive everything you need to make it, except salt, pepper and olive oil. One downside: it's a lot of packaging. 

Cost: A family kit feeds four adults and the per portion price ranges from $8.49 to $11.99, depending on the plan you choose (the more dishes the lower the price) plus shipping of $8.99.

Online: marleyspoon.com

Mosaic

Started by two busy NYC professionals who wanted to eat a plant-rich, healthy diet that was also affordable, Mosaic offers frozen veggie bowls, oat bowls and soups made with fresh, whole food ingredients. Meals are ready in under five minutes, contain 10 to 20 grams of plant protein and many are also vegan. Dishes include roasted garlic cauliflower soup, yellow dal curry bowl, vegetarian sausage and gouda oat bowl, and peanut tofu bowl. Opt for Mosaic+ for bowls created by popular chefs. Choose from eight dishes once a week, every two weeks, or every four weeks. 

Cost: Veggie bowls are $8.99, oat bowls are $7.99 and soups are $4.99. Mosaic+, $10.99. Minimum order $70; free shipping after $100.

Online: mosaicfoods.com

Nurture Life

Nurture Life makes delicious, healthy meals for babies, toddlers and kids. Each kid-friendly meal is nutritionally balanced, made with real, clean ingredients and is always packed with protein and veggies. Their meals are ready in one minute and are delivered straight to your door. We tried dishes for toddlers and loved the Cauliflower Mac and Cheese and the Chicken Biryani; Nurture Life also highlights ‘Picky Eater Faves’ such as the brand’s chicken meatballs with spiral pasta and veggies. In addition to tasting good, every meal is nutritionist-approved, and comes with facts about the healthful aspects of each meal.

Cost: Finger foods are $6.89/serving; Kids Meals start at $7.99, and school-safe snacks are $7.99.

Online: nurturelife.com

Provenance

Feeling a bit...sluggish? If you are looking for a health reset for yourself, check out Provenance. Provenance provides clean, nutrient-dense meals that only require you to heat and eat—no cooking needed. All meals are gluten-, dairy- and refined sugar-free. In addition to meals, you can opt for a system reset with the Feel Good Fix—a three-day program of healing foods and revitalizing beverages to flush pro-inflammatory toxins and reboot the body’s systems.

Cost: No subscription is required. Daily Essential meals are $12-29; the Feel Good Fix is $178. 

Online: provenancemeals.com

Purple Carrot

Purple Carrot delivers plant-forward meals for vegans, vegetarians and flexetarians, and you can choose to receive meal kits or pre-prepared meals. Meal categories include Quick & Easy, High-Protein, Gluten-Free or Chef’s Choice dinners and all meals are meat-free. You can add on breakfast, lunch and snack items to get you through the week. Skip or cancel delivery at any time. 

Cost: Plans start at $9.99/serving for meal kits and $11.99/serving for pre-prepared meals. 

Online: purplecarrot.com

Veestro

Looking for a meal delivery kit with 100% plant-based, organic, non-GMO, chef-prepared entrees, soups, and juices? Check out Veestro. 

There are no animal products of any kind, here—ever! Chick'n Nuggets with chipotle dipping sauce complete with veganaise will do the trick every time for your kiddos and no one will miss the meat. Veestro food is available a la carte, in full-on Meal Packs, and they also carry a surprisingly delicious weight loss menu plan. As with most vegetarian cuisine: many meals have nuts in them, but all meals are completely dairy-free and don't contain other allergens.

Cost: Starting at $9.90/serving, free shipping on auto-delivery options

Online: veestro.com

Yumble

It kind of doesn't get any easier than this. Yumble sends you four, six, eight, 10, 12 or 16 meals a week, which stay fresh in the fridge for a full seven days. The menu includes healthier versions of meals kids love—organic chicken nuggets with organic broccoli, hidden veggie mac-n-cheese, handmade fun-to-eat pockets filled with pizza or taco meat and now a whole line of ready to eat lunches that can be packed in seconds for school. Each delivery comes with something enjoyable for the kids that make mealtime easier for parents—fun utensils, a lunchbox, placemat and cards with playful conversation starters!

Cost: $6.99 per meal. Note: This is a weekly subscription service

Online: yumblekids.com