The Best Meal Delivery Services for Families Make Dinner With the Kids Simple

EveryPlate was founded in 2018 and is a sister company to the popular HelloFresh. The company has a pared-down model when compared to its big sister and fewer frills. The company offers fewer ingredients, unfussy meals, and not as many marketing and packaging materials.

Customers can pick from a “ClassicPlate,” “VeggiePlate,” “Easy Plate,” and a “FamilyPlate.” Meals can serve two or four people a week with an option for three to five recipes a week. Meals tend to be on the heartier side and focused on comfort food favorites. Think hearty pasta, quesadillas, rice bowls, or a meat entree paired with a starch and a vegetable, like herby pork chops in tomato cream with lemon couscous and zucchini rounds.

EveryPlate's plans are ClassicPlate, VeggiePlate, FamilyPlate, and EasyPlate (meals ready in 30 minutes or less). The price per serving ranges from $4.99 to $5.49. Shipping is a flat $9.99 and is available throughout the Continental U.S.

Learn More: Read Our EveryPlate Review.

Family food blogger Catherine McCord, who founded Weelicious, started a family-based meal kit service called One Potato in 2015. Meals are made with child-size portions and pricing in mind to appeal to and please the whole family.

One Potato’s meals are all certified organic, and many ingredients are sourced from local farmers and purveyors. Customers input the number of family members, including both children and adults, and then they can choose from an omnivore or vegetarian box. Many of the meals are partially prepared in advance to ease the time-consuming effort of cooking multiple meals a night, with a goal of having dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less.

Complimentary cookie dough is included in each delivery box and customers can add on smoothies and extra cookie dough. One Potato offers a few vegan recipes as well as gluten- and nut-free versions of recipes. However, the foods are not prepared in a gluten- or nut-free facility. 

One Potato has two, three, four, five, and six serving sizes available each week for two or three recipes a week. Pricing is tiered, so the more that is ordered each week, the less expensive the cost is per serving. One Potato offers suggested serving sizes, which is helpful for planning. For instance, if you select five servings per meal, then One Potato will do a suggested breakdown like “great for 2 Adults + 3 Children or 3 Adults + 1 Child or Family Style Eating for 2 Adults + 2 Older Children.” Pricing is as follows:

• Two servings per meal with two meals or three meals a week: $13.95 per serving
• Three servings per meal with two or three meals a week: $11.13 per serving
• Four servings per meal with two or three meals a week: $9.73 per serving
• Five servings per meal with two or three meals a week: $8.88 per serving
• Six servings per meal with two or three meals a week: $8.32 per serving

Shipping can vary and can cost up to $20. As of November 2021, the company delivers to 13 states.

MamaSezz was created by Meg Donahue and Lisa Lorimer in 2011, after Meg’s mom became sick and her life was transformed by adopting a plant-based diet. MamaSezz focuses on large, family-sized prepared foods that can be heated in the microwave. Foods are plant-based and oil-, gluten-, egg-, peanut- and refined sugar-free.

The company packages its foods as bundles. Customers can pick from an a la carte bundle, which comes in two sizes: a small for one to two people or a classic, which offers more food. If you’d prefer to have someone do the choosing for you, you can pick a curated bundle, which consists of a detox, weight loss, protein, and a peak performance bundle.

If you select an a la carte bundle, you can build your box using a credit system called a “beet buck.” Each food item has a beet buck associated with it so you can build using your allotted beet bucks. Children can get involved and help their parents pick and choose what to eat each week. 

The company places a lot of emphasis on sustainability and packaging can be sent back for recycling using a FedEx slip that ships with your bundle.

If you select an a la carte bundle, you can choose a small or classic size. Each a la carte bundle has a beet buck total and a value associated with each item. A small bundle allows for 18 beet bucks and a classic has 25 beet bucks. 

Here’s a look at beet buck values for items in the a la carte bundle:

• Six servings of Mama’s baked beans: 2 beet bucks
• Eight servings of ranch dressing: 2 beet bucks
• Three servings of Gardener’s pie: 3 beet bucks
• Three servings of Mama’s mac: 3 beet bucks
• Three servings of classic cornbread: 1 beet buck
  

Boxes can be sent weekly, or you can choose to have your shipment arrive every two weeks, every three weeks, monthly, and as needed. Shipping is free. 

Here is a look at the various bundles available: 

• Small a la carte bundle (one to two people): $149
• Large a la carte bundle: $189
• Curated bundles: $189

Sunbasket is a popular meal delivery kit that sources organic ingredients whenever possible and places an emphasis on sustainably sourced seafood and meats. The company was started by chefs and tech entrepreneurs in 2014 in San Francisco. 

The company offers two types of meals: a “Fresh & Ready'' meal, which is ready to eat; and a Meal Kit, which is a more traditional meal and arrives with recipes, sauces, and pre-prepped ingredients for you to cook at home. Meal Kit meals are ready in 15 to 45 minutes. A variety of dietary plans are available, including paleo, pescatarian, gluten- and dairy-free, vegetarian, Mediterranean, carbohydrate-conscious, “Lean & Clean'' (which are 600 calories or less), diabetes-friendly, "chef’s choice," and "dinner ready in less than 20 minutes."

Diners can select from two or four servings a week, with two to five recipes each week. Each recipe comes in a small booklet with nutrition facts and cooking times for the various protein options. After recipes are selected, customers can add on snacks, breakfasts, lunches, pasta and sauce, and extra proteins. Sunbasket is a great option if your children are adventurous with foods and enjoy diverse and ethnic cuisines, such as Brazilian, Italian, Indian, Mexican, Moroccan, and Thai.

Sunbasket has a fresh and ready-to-eat meal kit and a more traditional meal plan with recipes and pre-prepped ingredients for you to cook at home. You can choose from a weekly plan with two or four servings and two to five dinner recipes. Pricing is tiered, so the more you order, the less the cost per serving. 

Below is an example of pricing:

• Two servings for two meals: $13.99 per serving
• Two servings for five meals: $10.99 per serving
• Four servings for two meals: $11.99 per serving
• Four servings for five meals: $10.99 per serving

Shipping is $7.99 for boxes that total less than $90 and free for boxes more than $90.

Learn More: Read Our Sunbasket Review.

Little Spoon was created by parents who wanted to find easy and approachable ways to feed and nourish their babies and children affordably. The company started with its signature “Babyblends” foods, which are blended foods designed for babies and young toddlers, and has since started to offer “Plates,” which are single-serving whole meals designed for toddlers and young children. Meals arrive on a reusable plate, sealed with a thin plastic film. Plates can be heated in the microwave and are dishwasher safe. If you prefer to heat food on the stovetop or in the oven or air fryer, the food must be removed from the plate.

The company also sells “Boosters,” which are concentrated probiotics, vitamins, and nutrient supplements that come in powder forms. Meals like penne and kale turkey meatballs, three-cheese tortellini, and chicken burrito bowls may appeal to the little ones in your family. Each meal comes with a vegetable and oftentimes vegetables are hidden within the entree, such as mac and three cheese with invisible butternut squash. 

Little Spoon's meals are ready-to-eat and can be heated in just minutes. Shipping is $6 and the company delivers throughout the Continental U.S.

The breakdown of the Plates meal plan is as follows:

• Four meals per week (eight meals per delivery): $6.49 per meal
• Six meals per week (12 meals per delivery): $5.99 per meal
• Nine meals per week (18 meals per delivery): $5.49 per meal
• 12 meals per week (24 meals per delivery): $4.99 per meal

Learn More: Read Our Little Spoon Review.

Dinnerly proudly touts itself as the cheapest meal delivery service on the U.S. market, and rightfully so. The company offers its lowest serving size cost at just $4.99, which is a very agreeable price when you have a few mouths to feed. 

Founded in 2017 by the Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon meal delivery kit service, Dinnerly offers customers a lower price point for weekly and fresh recipe kits with fewer frills. Meals are designed for the home cook who doesn’t have a ton of time, with most ready in about five steps and 30 minutes or less.

Customers can choose from a two- or four-person box, and three to six recipes each week with an option for a classic or vegetarian diet. You can expect to see at least 45 recipes to choose from each week, with a few options to swap in extra protein or a dessert or breakfast recipe in lieu of a dinner meal. To save on costs and reduce its footprint, Dinnerly skips most printed materials, including recipe cards, so all cooking instructions and recipe prep can be found on their website and app.

When choosing meals, Dinnerly provides filters and tags to help make your selection: Low carb, low calorie, one-pot meal, no added gluten, vegetarian, healthy, under 30 minutes, poultry, seafood, and kid-friendly are among their options. Foods are simple and comforting with meals that appeal to children, such as one-pot chicken and tomato rice; beef fried rice; two cheese veggie pizza rolls; and pan-roasted chicken with pot pie sauce. 

Dinner has two meal plans, with one plan for two people and one for four. Customers have an option to select three to six recipes a week. Prices are tiered, so the more you order, the less your cost is per serving. For example, a meal plan for four servings with six recipes is $4.99 per serving, whereas a meal for two servings with just three meals a week bumps up to about $7.50 per serving.

Prices for two servings a week:

• 3 meals: $7.50 per serving
• 4 meals: $7.24 per serving
• 5 meals: $6.89 per serving
• 6 meals: $6.62 per serving

Prices for four servings a week:

• 3 meals: $5.85 per serving
• 4 meals: $6.11 per serving
• 5 meals: $5.79 per serving
• 6 meals: $5.40 per serving

Delivery is $9.99, and the company delivers to the Continental U.S.

Learn More: Read Our Dinnerly Review.

Purple Carrot was founded in 2014 by Andrew Levitt after being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. Levitt started to incorporate more plants into his diet and found an overall improvement in his health.

Purple Carrot is a plant-based meal service with two types of meal plans: pre-portioned ingredients designed for customers to cook healthy and interesting vegetarian meals in their own homes, or prepared, ready-to-eat foods that can be heated up in five minutes or less. Meal kit dinners are designed for two or four servings with an option for three or four recipes a week. Customers can add on breakfasts, lunches, and items from the “Plantry,” like vegan pesto or tempeh bacon.  Meal kits offerings address many dietary needs, like under 600 calories, nut-, soy- and gluten-free, and a chef’s choice option. 

Purple Carrot has a meal kit plan and a prepared meal plan. The meal kits offer dinner with an option for adding on additional meals, such as breakfasts, which come as four servings, or lunches, which come as two servings. There are also a few “Plantry” food items. Prepared meals are designed for single servings.

Pricing is as follows:

• Two servings for three or four dinners: $13.25 per serving
• Four servings for two or three dinners: $11.00 per serving
• Breakfast for four servings: $4.49 per serving
• Lunch for two servings: $8.99 per serving 
• “Plantry” items start at $3.99 each
• Prepared meals (one serving): $12.99 each

Learn More: Read Our Purple Carrot Review.

In 2015, Ben McKean founded Hungryroot as a way to make plant-based meals in minutes. Part online grocery store and part meal kit delivery service, Hungryroot offers over 3,000 recipes and allows customers to mix and match ingredients to make easily prepared, healthful weeknight meals.

Hungryroot can streamline weekly menu planning and evening cooking, and meals can be ready in 10 minutes or less. Customers first take an online quiz to identify the right needs for their family. A plethora of dietary needs, including vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free shellfish-free, dairy-free, soy-free, and tree nut-free foods are available. Filtering further, customers can search by foods with fewer than 500 calories, spice level, cook times, and by protein.

Meals and snacks include breakfasts, tacos, stir-fries, salads, wraps, grain bowls, mains plus a side, flatbreads, veggie noodles, and bowls. Users can select from two or four servings a week and have the ability to mix and match items to create their perfect weeknight meals. 

Designed as a large online grocery store and meal delivery kit company, Hungryroot uses a credit-based system that allows customers to pick and choose ingredients and meals. Meals are designed for two or four servings.

Plans start at $70. Shipping is a flat $6.99 for orders under $70 and is free for orders over $70.

Learn More: Read Our Hungryroot Review.