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Eat healthy with our top choices for the best meal kits and ready-to-eat meals.
Meal delivery kits and services come in all different shapes, sizes and dietary accommodations — we know, we’ve tested dozens of them from healthy meal kits to vegan meal services and many more. If you buy organic, you’ll combine the convenience of easy-to-prep meals with top-quality ingredients. According to a non-profit pioneer in organic farming, The Rodale Institute, to qualify as an organic farm, pesticides, herbicides and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) must not be used. These are the same parameters set by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) when designating a product as organic. Any product that contains a minimum of 95% organic ingredients (excluding salt and water) can be given the organic label, according to the USDA.
The food and nutrition experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute conducted a more than three-month-long meal delivery service study with over 150 real-life home cooks and industry experts across the United States. We researched and evaluated over 40 services, including traditional meal kits, affordable meal delivery services for everyday life and semi-prepared and ready-to-eat meals. Using this data, our registered dietitians chose the best organic meal delivery services to meet a variety of preferences from paleo and keto to low-carb and Mediterranean and more. Each pick meets the USDA standards for organic food, unless otherwise specified, but they cater to a wide variety of dietary needs and flavor preferences. And most importantly, they all taste great!
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Below are our top picks for the best organic meal services in 2022. Stick around after our picks to learn more about how we test meal kits at the Good Housekeeping Institute. If you’re looking to add more variety to your diet, check out the winners of our 2022 Healthy Snack Awards.
Green Chef continues to shine in tester feedback for overall quality and taste and remains one of our top-tested meal delivery services. Green Chef was the first meal kit service to provide USDA-certified organic ingredients, according to the company. Currently, all produce and eggs are certified organic, and when organic ingredients are not available, they use conventional ingredients of the highest standard. The company offers easy-to-prepare meals, and most can be ready to serve in 30 minutes or less. All ingredients come pre-measured and include homemade sauces and dressings.
How it works: Begin by selecting your dietary preference, such as keto, paleo, lower carb, Mediterranean or gluten-free, then choose from the 30 weekly menu options. Select the number of people that will be eating — either two, four or six — and whether you prefer three or four meals per week. Meals are delivered weekly and include options such as pecan-crusted sockeye salmon, chicken with cilantro mojo sauce and kale and bean stuffed peppers, among others. You cannot mix and match recipes from different diet plans, but you can change your plan when you wish. You can also skip or cancel your subscription seven days before your delivery date.
Lab Lowdown: Our testers continue to give this service high scores for quality, ease of recipe prep, inventive ingredients and freshness. “I can’t believe what I’ve been missing out on,” reported one tester. “These meals are restaurant quality!” Multiple testers commented on the fresh ingredients, great flavor combinations and generous portion sizes.
Many people we’ve surveyed requested meals that tasted great and required little to no prep. This is where Fresh N Lean excels. All Fresh N Lean meals are organic, gluten-free and GMO-free and ready to eat in 5 to 7 minutes in the oven or 3 minutes in the microwave. While the percentage of organic ingredients used is not available, the company has its own farms in California that it sources from. In addition, they use grass-fed beef, wild-caught fish and free-range eggs and chicken.
How it works: Begin by selecting your plan. You can choose from protein+, clean keto, Whole30-approved, paleo and vegan, among others or shop a la carte. The menu is updated weekly and nutritional information for each meal is provided on the company website. Menu options include meals such as turkey bacon Brussels sprouts with chicken breast, hearty vegetable taco soup and a salmon chipotle bowl. You can also add sweet or savory snacks including organic cinnamon maple almonds or grilled salmon.
Lab Lowdown: Our testers gave this service high scores for the variety of menu options and satisfying meals. Testers commented that “the meals were super easy to heat up, convenient and healthy.” Others exclaimed this service is “great for people with a busy schedule that want to eat healthy and fast meals.”
Sunbasket stands out for offering one of the widest ranges of dietary preferences and add-on options. It also deserves a nod for its efforts in sustainability, going so far as to encourage its social media followers to show the creative and useful ways they’ve repurposed their packaging. Sunbasket offers both traditional meal kits and ready-to-eat meals. Produce, eggs and dairy are 99% USDA certified organic, and meat and poultry are antibiotic- and hormone-free with options for organic, grass-fed and grass-finished. The seafood is sustainably sourced, wild-caught and sticks to “best choice” or “good alternative” options as determined by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. Farms where ingredients are sourced are also highlighted on the website.
How it works: Choose from weekly menus that meet a variety of dietary preferences including paleo, carb-conscious, gluten-free, diabetes-friendly, lean and clean and Mediterranean, among others. Select two or more dinners to serve your choice of two to four people. Menu options include salmon with roasted new potatoes and charred broccoli, Thai turkey lettuce wraps and pork chops with mostarda and wilted greens.
Lab Lowdown: Testers loved the easy-to-follow recipes, variety and freshness of ingredients and overall quality. “Ingredients were fresh, recipes were creative and I tried things I normally wouldn’t have,” reported one tester. Testers also reported that they loved being able to select and customize their protein for this meal kit and multiple testers appreciated that it took the guesswork out of meal planning and prep and they could still enjoy a healthy meal.
At first glance, Sakara Life might appear pricey, but you’re paying for top-notch ingredients, creativity and delicious food. Sakara Life is known for its 100% organic, ready-to-eat meals and functional snacks, and they also offer supplements such as probiotics, vitamins and detox waters. All meals are plant-based, gluten-free, dairy-free, non-GMO and contain no refined sugars. Meals are developed around the philosophy that food is medicine and based on their own “nine pillars of nutrition” that emphasize the importance of using organic ingredients.
How it works: With a focus on meeting your daily requirement of veggies, select from chef-crafted meals like Beauty Blend salad with cacao-crusted avocado, berries and a spirulina vinaigrette, beet “rawviolis,” avo-cacao probiotic pudding and dreamsicle oats with orange blossom mylk. The menus change weekly, and the ingredients are seasonal. Creative and delicious, ingredients benefits are spotlighted on the packaging. Choose the number of meals you would like to order: two, three or five days. You can also order just breakfast, lunch or dinner during any given week. All meals arrive with a Detox Tea and their Complete Probiotic or choose to receive Beauty Chocolates.
Lab Lowdown: A user favorite, all meals are ready-to-eat with balanced portions and inventive ingredients. Testers loved that the food was satisfying, fresh, delicious and beautifully presented. “I loved being introduced to new and interesting ingredients that I had never heard of,” exclaimed one tester.
The topics of weight loss and dieting can be controversial, but what caught our attention about Veestro is that they offer a la carte options in addition to their 1200-calorie meal plan. Founded by a brother and sister team, Veestro is based on the philosophy that “more plants are better, however and whenever you can.” This service offers chef-crafted, fully prepared, 100% plant-based meals made with ingredients that are more than 96% organic with kosher, soy and gluten-free options. Meals arrive frozen and ready to heat and eat.
How it works: Begin by selecting from one of two plans, a la carte or weight loss. Choose your dietary preferences including high-protein, low-calorie, gluten-, soy- or nut-free, kosher and seasonal. The weight loss plan provides three meals a day for either five or seven days and averages at approximately 1200 daily calories. The a la carte option allows you to choose 10, 20 or 30 meals. All meals can last in your freezer for up to eight weeks and for three to five days in the fridge. Some favorite meals include meatless lasagna, red curry with tofu and country-fried chick’n. Sweet and savory breakfast options are also available.
Lab Lowdown: Testers loved the minimal prep time and well-seasoned large portions. “Each meal was flavorful, delicious and just the right portion,” reported one tester. While another tester said, “The meals came out of the oven looking fresh and colorful and tasted healthy.” High points were also scored for the completeness of the kit.
Kids’ food doesn’t have to be simple or boring, and Little Spoon proves it. The company offers healthy options for babies through big kid years. The brand’s Babyblends and smoothies are 100% organic and Plates for toddlers are made with mostly organic and non-GMO ingredients. All meat and eggs in Plates are hormone- and anti-biotic-free. All meals are also made without preservatives or anything artificial and they are low in sodium.
How it works: First choose a plan to receive 4, 6, 9, or 12 meals per week and then select your meals after checkout. You can specify dietary needs including no gluten, dairy, nuts, meat or eggs, and you can also choose what eating stage your child is at. Babyblends are suitable for babies four to seven months old until they are ready for finger foods. Plates are created for toddlers to children 10 years old, and they are designed with picky eaters and baby-led weaning in mind. Texture options include pinchable, mashable tots, bites and finger food, according to the company. Favored Babyblends include carrot, mango, banana and chia and the company also offers limited-edition and seasonal blends. Popular Plate options include cauliflower gnocchi and chicken nuggets. Creative smoothie blends include flavors such as banana bread with creamy tahini and cookies and cream with oat milk and chickpeas.
Lab Lowdown: Testers found the packaging of the Plates to be colorful and bright making mealtime more appealing for kids. Testers also appreciated the convenience, “These meals make life SO much easier as a working mom, and helped encourage my nearly 3-year-old daughter to experiment with new healthy foods outside of the rotation I always make.”
We made our selections based on tester feedback, the percentage of organic and responsibly sourced ingredients used and sustainable farming practices. We also looked at the breadth of menu choices, overall satisfaction, cost, recycling efforts and availability.
We tried to meet every age range, dietary preference and effort level. Some testers preferred ready-to-heat over the full cooking experience, so we included both options. We’ve also found that customization is important to many testers, so we took that into account. Last but not least, while taste is subjective, we chose companies that scored high points overall with testers.
As a result of our testing, we believe the companies spotlighted above deserve recognition for their performance in their categories. That said, this is a fast-growing segment in the food industry and we’re likely to see exciting new entrants emerging in the near future. We are currently and constantly testing new offerings in this category to keep readers up-to-date.
If you’re looking for organic ingredients, you can’t go wrong with any of our picks. If these choices are above your budget, check out our cheap meal delivery services or for a more comprehensive guide, our best meal delivery services.