If you’re looking to spend less time meal planning and grocery shopping, meal delivery services can be incredibly convenient. These kits also offer portion-controlled meals, making it easier to ensure you’re eating the right amount of nutritious foods. (1, 2) Plus, if you’re cooking with family, they can turn mealtime into a fun opportunity to learn new recipes together. Meal kits can also take the guesswork out of cooking, making it a more enjoyable experience.
EveryPlate is one of the more budget-friendly options in the meal delivery industry. Their menus include comfort food favorites like burgers and quesadillas, along with healthier choices like turkey lettuce wraps to balance out your weekly meal planning. With so many meal kit options available today, read on to find out if EveryPlate is the right fit for you.
Key product features
What you should know
EveryPlate is a meal delivery service that caters to people watching their budget who want to eat a variety of nutritious meals.
- Our tester, who feeds a family of four, found the portions to be just the right amount.
- The starting price for a meal starts at $5.99, which is less expensive than some of its competitors.
- EveryPlate is great for busy singles, couples, and families who want to shop less at the grocery store and try new recipes.
What is EveryPlate?
EveryPlate is an affordable meal delivery service that can save you time by shipping meal kits directly to your house. This meal kit service is a less expensive version of HelloFresh, its parent company. EveryPlate meal kits start at $5.99 per meal and are easy to make from scratch.
EveryPlate offers a few extras to round out your meals, including Caesar salad kits, garlic bread, cheesecake, and extra low-cost veggies like 79 cents for zucchini and 49 cents for a sweet potato. You can also order proteins like chicken breast, steak, or pork chops, though they don’t offer specialty cuts of meat. If you’re interested in that, you can check out our best meat delivery services article.
Specs
| Starting price | $5.99 per meal |
| Shipping cost | $10.99 |
| Shipping area | Continental U.S. |
| Meal type | Meal kits |
| Number of meals per week | Three, four, or five |
| Meal options | Meat and veggie, vegetarian, family friendly, quick and easy, calorie smart |
| Cancellation method | Online or on the app |
How does EveryPlate work?
Signing up on the EveryPlate website is simple. During registration, you can select your meal preferences, including options like vegetarian, meat & veggie, family favorites, quick & easy, and calorie-smart meals. To keep costs low, EveryPlate does not offer specialized diets such as keto, gluten-free, vegan, paleo, or low-carb.
Subscribers can choose to order three to five meals per week, with portion options for two, four, or six people. To get started, you’ll need to enter your email address, create a password, and provide your home address and payment information before selecting your meals. However, you can browse the current meal options before completing the sign-up process.
Each meal listing provides nutritional details, including carbs, fat, protein, and calorie content. This is very helpful when trying to track your macronutrient and calorie intake to reach specific goals. The recipe cards also give estimates for prep and cook time, and they specify what will be included in the box as well as any pantry items you’ll need, such as cooking oil, salt, and pepper.
You can manage your account online or through the app on Apple or Google devices, allowing you to browse meals, skip a week if you’re away, or cancel your subscription at any time. Shipping starts at $10.99, depending on your location. If you need to change your delivery date, EveryPlate can accommodate requests made at least five business days before the scheduled delivery. Once you place an order, you’ll receive an email with order details and a tracking number. Your order should arrive within a week, and EveryPlate recommends consuming the food within one week of delivery.
The meals are easy to prepare, typically taking 30 minutes or less to cook.
If your order is late or missing ingredients, you can contact customer service at (973) 210-4915, available Monday through Friday between 6:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. EST, or use the chat feature on the website or app.
Our experience with EveryPlate
Our tester signed up for four meals, each serving four people. She appreciated the flexibility to choose the delivery day, though the delivery time window was broad, ranging from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Deliveries are available most days of the week except Saturday.
The meal kits arrived punctually in a recyclable box weighing approximately 18 pounds. Thanks to a dry ice pack included to ensure freshness, the ingredients were well-protected and maintained at the correct temperature. However, our tester noted that the packaging resulted in a significant amount of plastic waste. Each meal came with a recipe card featuring step-by-step instructions and photos of the ingredients and finished dishes.
Typically, meal kits provide most, if not all, of the ingredients in pre-portioned amounts for each recipe. Our tester, a beginner home cook with basic kitchen staples like salt and pepper, found herself needing butter, brown sugar, and ketchup—items not included in one of her recipes. Fortunately, she had butter and brown sugar on hand but had to substitute sweet and sour sauce for the ketchup in the meatball dish. It’s advisable to review the ingredient list for each recipe when your box arrives to avoid an unplanned trip to the grocery store.
Our tester prepared BBQ sweet potato and charred corn tacos, sweet and saucy soy garlic chicken, cherry meatballs with mashed potatoes and zucchini, and chili shrimp noodles for her family. Although she’s not a regular home cook, she found the recipes straightforward and beginner-friendly.
Overall, the meals were a hit with her family, and the portions were generous. The meatballs with mashed potatoes and zucchini were particularly well-received for their fresh and savory flavors. According to our tester, the leftovers were just as enjoyable.
We’ve featured EveryPlate in:
How to choose the right meal delivery service for you
Choosing the right meal delivery service for you can depend on several factors: your budget, your dietary needs and preferences, and even your location.
Dietary preferences
We value meal services that provide nutritional information and complete ingredient lists on their websites and apps, making it easy to preview meals before purchasing. If you follow a vegetarian diet, are looking for low-calorie options, or simply want to shake up your weekly routine with new recipes, EveryPlate has something for you. However, it’s important to note that EveryPlate does not cater to special diets like keto, gluten-free, vegan, paleo, or low-carb, and they do not use organic ingredients. If organic options are a priority for you, consider checking out our review of the best organic meal delivery services. EveryPlate keeps its prices low by not offering specialty diet options, so those with specific dietary needs may need to explore other meal kit services.
Food safety
EveryPlate provides information about food recalls and also offers tips for cooking food safely. Keeping a food thermometer on hand is a good idea to ensure that the food delivered to you is under 40 degrees F, before it begins to spoil, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). (3)
Budget
How much you are willing and able to spend per meal every week depends on your budget. EveryPlate offers affordable meals, but the added flat shipping rate of $10.99 may be a little expensive for some. That said, EveryPlate offers discounts through promo codes.
Ordering
When reviewing meal delivery services, we prioritize a user-friendly website or app. It’s essential to preview meals, ingredients, and cooking instructions before making a purchase. The ability to easily pause, skip a week, or cancel a subscription is also important. Discounts are a key consideration, and EveryPlate delivers with generous offers, including free meals throughout part of the year. Additionally, students can enjoy 75% off their first box with free shipping.
How we test meal delivery services
Signing up for a meal delivery service like EveryPlate can be a time saver when you’re busy. Letting someone else handle the hard work of meal prep takes a lot off of your plate (literally), so you can focus your energy on other things. We look for delivery services that can also provide meals that meet your dietary, caloric, and macronutrient needs. Unlike other services, EveryPlate does not offer specialty diets like keto, vegan, or gluten-free.
Not every meal delivery service is a great fit for every person or scenario. That’s why Fortune Recommends™ aims to test every meal delivery service we review personally. Our goal is to provide unbiased, honest feedback to help you pick the right service for you.
Here’s why you can trust our meal delivery reviews.
Every Fortune meal delivery review features:
- In-depth analysis by testers and/or authors who are certified nutritionists and/or registered dietitians
- Testing for portion/ingredient accuracy, taste, and freshness
- Fact-checking and reviewing by qualified experts
At times, we may feature meal delivery services we haven’t yet tested. Until we can try them, we examine each service’s cost, meal variety, nutrition breakdown, and customization options. We then update our reviews once we’ve tested them to highlight everything we liked and didn’t like.You can read our full meal delivery testing methodology here.
Meal choices—30%
A meal delivery service should provide numerous healthy, nutritious options for every meal of the day. It should also give you as much authority as you want over your order.
Here’s what we take into account in our meal choices rating:
- Multiple options
- Substitutions
- Guidance
- Label transparency
Food quality—30%
If you’re not looking forward to the meals from your delivery service, then it’s a problem. We aim to match you with companies that use delicious chef-designed recipes and have the dietary firepower of nutritionists and/or registered dietitians behind them.
Here’s what goes into our quality rating:
- Flavor
- Healthiness
- Freshness
Value—20%
Meal delivery services run the gamut in price, but what you receive should feel reasonable for what you’re paying.
Here’s what we factor into a program’s value rating:
- Fair price
- Multiple quantity options
- Customization
Customer experience—20%
We look at how subscribers experience meal kit services like EveryPlate to ensure the meal kit offers good customer service and answers questions in a timely manner. Additionally, we check whether people find the recipes easy to prepare.
- Packaging
- Ease of preparation
- Reviews
- Customer service
Compare EveryPlate
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| EveryPlate | HelloFresh | Marley Spoon | Hungryroot | Blue Apron | |
| Rating | |||||
| Starting cost per meal | $5.99 | $9.99 | $10.99 | $9.69 | $7.99 |
| Delivery area | Continental U.S. | Continental U.S. | Continental U.S. | Continental U.S. | Continental U.S. |
| Meal type | Meal kits | Meal kits | Meal kits and prepared meals | Meal kits and prepared meals | Meal kits and prepared meals |
FAQs
Is EveryPlate worth it?
We believe EveryPlate is a great option for busy individuals on a budget who don’t require a specialized diet. Whether you’re in the mood for a creamy mushroom steak with roasted red potatoes and green beans or a low-calorie sweet potato and black bean stew, EveryPlate offers plenty of comfort foods that won’t break the bank. Starting at just $5.99 per meal, the value and quality make it a cost-effective alternative to dining out or ordering in.
How much does EveryPlate cost?
EveryPlate meals typically start at $5.99 each, before applying any discounts. The service frequently offers special promotions and discounts. At the time of writing, EveryPlate is running a promotion where meals are priced at $2.99 each, along with an offer of free lunch for the rest of the year when you sign up with your email address.
How much is EveryPlate shipping?
Shipping costs $10.99 for each order.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases.
Our experts
Victoria Burgess, Ph.D., CSCS, CISSN
Victoria Burgess earned her Ph.D. in Health and Human Performance from Concordia University Chicago and holds her NSCA CSCS and Certified Sports Nutritionist (CISSN). She is an adjunct professor in the Human Performance and Nutrition department at Concordia University Chicago & Parker University, where she teaches undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral-level courses.
Lauren Panoff, MPH, RD
Lauren Panoff, MPH, RD is a plant-based registered dietitian, freelance writer, and content strategist for health and nutrition brands. She completed her nutrition education at Colorado State University, her dietetic internship through Michigan Medicine, and holds a Master of Public Health degree from Michigan State University. Lauren has been working in the wellness industry for over 15 years, including time spent in project management, public health standards, dietary supplement testing, inpatient and outpatient nutrition therapy, and child education. She has followed a plant-based lifestyle for over a decade and is passionate about helping others enjoy a healthier and more meaningful life.
Joana Neziri, M.S., NASM CPT
Joana is a writer, editor, and content strategist focusing on nutrition, fitness, and all things health. After earning a master’s degree in business from the University of North Florida, she began a career in research and digital marketing.
Jessica Coulon
Jessica is a contributing editor and writer who specializes in fitness, health, nutrition, and science content. Previously, she was an editor for Popular Mechanics and Bicycling, where she covered pro cycling news, wrote how-to guides, and tested all the latest and greatest bike gear. She was also a regular shoe tester and contributor for Runner’s World. You can often find her skiing or riding her mountain bike, and racing with the F1RE female enduro team.
Kelly Uhler
Kelly has a multifaceted background in elder care, health care, and copywriting. She has worked for organizations such as A Place For Mom and Homecare.com, which gave her the opportunity to work closely with families, providing reliable information to help them make informed decisions about their loved one’s health, safety, and quality of life.
Lauren Evoy Davis
Fortune Recommends Staff Writer
About Author
Lauren Evoy Davis is a health journalist with expertise in cancer and other chronic conditions. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from American University and a bachelor’s degree in English from Elon University. Her work has been published by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, National Council on Aging, HelpGuide, WebMD, Everyday Health, and Verizon. She tests meal kits, meal delivery services, and fitness apps. When not writing or reading, Lauren enjoys paddle boarding on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, weightlifting, and gardening.