10 Best Meal Delivery Services for One Person (2021) & Singles!

Table of Contents

A month ago, my sister came over to my home for dinner. As I was plating up the food, I casually mentioned that I ordered everything off a meal kit delivery service and cooked it on my own.

Begrudgingly, my sister told me that she hoped there were services like that for singles like her.

All of a sudden, I realized my sister’s dilemma. My sister is just as busy as I am. She spends nearly the whole day working and because of that, she has nearly no opportunity to head to the local supermarket to get fresh ingredients.

But did that mean she was doomed to stick to unhealthy takeout and McDonald’s? No.

That’s why I’ve compiled ten of the best meal delivery services for singles in the market today.

#1 Choice (MealPlated)

10 Best Meal Delivery Services for Singles

Sun Basket

Freshly

Dinnerly

Hungry Root

Purple Carrot

Mama Sezz

Hello Fresh

Green Chef

Gobble

Home Chef

Here are My Favorite Meal Kits for Singles:

There are many meal kit delivery services out there that cater to families, couples, and even children. So I understood when my client rang me up the other week to ask me if I had any recommendations for someone who lives alone. He complained that most meal delivery services catered couples to small families, but never single people.

That’s why I decided to compile some of the best meal delivery services for single people. Some of these services don’t offer meals for singles, but they can still work for you.

1. Sun Basket - Overall Best Choice

Sun Basket is ideal for anyone who needs more variety when it comes to meal options. From ready to heat meals, special diets like Keto and Paleo to additional meal options for breakfast and lunch, Sun Basket ensures their weekly menus are all-inclusive.

Here’s what you’ll like about them:

Ready to Heat Meal Option – Sun Basket’s ready to heat meal plan allows you to choose from various healthy pre-cooked dishes reminiscent of TV dinners. Unlike TV dinners, your meals will come out of the oven tasting like it was cooked fresh and containing mostly organic components.

A Variety of Additional Options – Sun Basket doesn’t just focus on dinners. They have additional meal options for breakfast, lunch, healthy snacks, and even dessert.

Popular Dishes

Steak with red pepper sauce and rosemary roasted vegetables
Salmon with lemon oregano sauce and artichoke fregola pilaf
Tofu burgers with oven fries and spicy-sweet chile mayo
Penne and meatballs in marinara sauce with Caesar salad
Gingered turkey meatballs in lemongrass broth with cauliflower rice

Dietary Restrictions Catered

Paleo
Lean and clean
Carb-conscious
Diabetes-friendly
Pescatarian
Vegetarian

Other Meal Options

Fresh and ready
Chef’s choice
Mediterranean
Quick and Easy

Pricing and Plans

Sun Basket doesn’t have specific plans in place like other meal delivery services. Pricing will depend entirely on how many meals you choose and how many people you’re cooking for.

Two Recipes – around $13 per serving
Three Recipes – around $12 per serving
Four Recipes – around $11 per serving

You have the option to choose whether you’re ordering a meal for two or four people. Since you’re ordering for one, you’ll be getting more than one serving per recipe so keep that in mind.

PROS

Sun Basket utilizes mostly organic ingredients
The service offers breakfast, lunch, healthy snacks, and specialty meat options aside from dinners
There are ready to heat recipe options for days where you don’t have time to cook a full meal
You can mix and match items from various “meal preference” options

CONS

There is no option to purchase meals for only one person
You’ll get two servings per recipe you order

Summary: Sun Basket is ideal if you’re looking for a company that offers you a variety of meal options from more complex meals you have to take some time to cook to ready to heat meals that are ready in 5 minutes. It is a kid-friendly delivery service.

However, you need to keep in mind that they don’t currently offer one-person plans. This means you’re going to receive two servings of each recipe you choose.

2. Freshly - Best Pre-Cooked Meal Delivery

Freshly meal delivery services for one person will have your meals ready in as fast as three minutes. Their food arrives pre-cooked so all you have to do is pop it in your oven and wait.

Here’s why you’ll like it:

Less Mess and Hassle – Freshly meals come pre-portioned to single-serving sizes. You can also pop them directly into your microwave and eat directly from the container which effectively minimizes dirty dishes.

No Preservatives and Additives – Freshly meals are focused on making healthy meals more accessible and convenient for you. As such, each meal that makes its way to you is free from artificial additives and preservatives that could be harmful to your health.

Popular Dishes

Golden oven-fried chicken and mash
Cauliflower shell bolognese
White bean turkey chili
Citrus kissed the orange chicken
Super pesto and sausage penne

Dietary Restrictions

Unfortunately, Freshly doesn’t employ specific measures to cater to dietary restrictions. However, you have the option to filter out specific food you’d like to avoid like turkey, fish, etc.

As for allergy concerns, you will have to manually check each recipe for any potential allergens. Their food is also stored in a facility that processes other allergens so it isn’t 100% safe for anyone with serious allergies.

Pricing and Plans

Freshly’s meal plans lets you choose between four, six, ten, and twelve meals per week. Each meal is packaged for one portion, which makes it ideal if you don’t want to have extra servings of the same meal.

Meals per Week:

Four around $12 per meal
Six – around $10 per meal
Ten – around $9 per meal
Twelve – around $9 per meal

PROS

Their meal plan can easily cater to weekly meals for one person since they don’t specify how many people you’re serving
Their meals can be eaten from the container so there’s no need to do the dishes
Their meals are ready in less than five minutes and can be heated in the microwave
They don’t use preservatives for their food

CONS

They do not deliver to many areas in the continental US
Their packaging is not very eco-friendly
Their food is stored with potential allergens, this might not be ideal for those with serious allergies. However, they take steps to prevent cross-contamination of food
There are no clear menu items set specifically for particular diets

Summary: Freshly is ideal if you’re looking for a meal delivery service that delivers healthy and delicious food that’s ready in less than five minutes.

Their plans rely specifically on the number of meals you want each week so there’s no room for extra servings unless you want them.

3. Dinnerly - Fast & Easy Cooking Box For One

Dinnerly puts emphasis on allowing you to cook a homemade meal for yourself with less hassle.

They utilize less ingredients, easy to follow digital recipes, and focus on convenient, healthy home cooking.

Here are its best qualities:

Affordable – at only about $5 per serving, Dinnerly will feed you with plenty of leftovers for the next meal.

Premium Ingredients – what makes Dinnerly cheaper than most of its competitors, is not the components they use. In fact, Dinnerly takes pride in using premium components. They simply lessen the number of components in each dish and don’t utilize unnecessary marketing gimmicks.

Popular Dishes

Lemony chicken and broccoli
Steakhouse cheeseburger
One-pot tex-mex chicken and rice
Sesame and ginger beef
Garlic butter shrimp

Dietary Restrictions

Kid-friendly meals
Low-calorie
Vegetarian
No Gluten

Pricing and Plans

Dinnerly lets you choose between two plans: the two-person box or the family box. For each box, you’re able to choose between three to six meals at around $5.00 per serving.

You will also have to pay extra for shipping which costs around $9.00

Additionally, you can also opt for a strictly vegetarian menu.

Delicious Meals Per Week:

Two Person Box

Three – around $40

Four – around $50

Five – around $60

Six – around $65

Family Box

Three – around $70

Four – around $90

Five – around $100

Six – around $112

PROS

Each portion costs around $5 only which is quite cheap compared to its competitors
Some meals can be prepared in less than 30 minutes
Their recipes are quick and easy to follow
They minimize waste by only using packaging when necessary. Their recipe cards are also digital

CONS

There is no single person serving options so you will get more than one serving per meal
The recipes are quite simple which makes them ideal for beginners, but might be boring for anyone who wants to cook more complex meals

Summary: Dinnerly focuses on cutting down on what’s unnecessary. Their recipe cards come in digital format which adds to their eco-friendly image.

And what’s more, they utilize the same premium ingredients so you know you’re preparing healthy and fresh food at home.

However, their meal plan options don’t account for single servings so you might have some leftovers after every meal.

4. Hungry Root - Perfect Read To Cook Meal

Hungry Root specializes as a meal kit with a grocery type.

They have options that allow you to choose which groceries you want to be accompanied by ways to cook them or have the experts choose something for you.

Unlike other meal delivery services, Hungry Root makes sure their recipes are quick and easy to follow. This means you’re not spending over an hour on prepping and cooking your meals only to devour them within ten minutes.

Here’s why you’ll like it:

Prepped and Ready Delivery – most of the components come prepped and ready when they’re delivered. Yes, that includes the protein! This means all that’s left for you to do is heat up a pan, follow a simple recipe, and put together your meal.

Wholesome and Nutritious Food – Hungry Root focuses on delivering wholesome components that are free from preservatives, artificial sweeteners, and other unhealthy junk. Their main goal is to help you put together a meal that makes you feel like your best self afterward.

Popular Dishes

Pest salmon kohlrabi noodles
Kale pesto sauteed greens
Cold peanut super blend salad
Red pepper chicken brussels
Pad thai fried rice

Dietary Restrictions

Vegan
Vegetarian
Pescatarian
free of Gluten
free of Egg
free of Nut
free of Peanut
free of Soy
free of Shellfish

Pricing and Plans

Hungry Root is one of the very few meal delivery services that offer a single person plan. You have the choice to feed yourself, yourself + one other person, or yourself + more people. After selecting the number of people you’re ordering for, you’ll be asked to let Hungry Root know your goals like weight loss, saving time, or trying new food among others.

There are options to specify dietary restrictions, and you’ll also be asked how you typically eat during breakfast as well as the number of days each week you’d like Happy Root to cover.

Their plans are custom-tailored to your preferences and needs. However, their meal delivery services start at under $60 each week.

PROS

Each plan is custom-tailored to fit your needs
They cater to a wide range of dietary restrictions
They offer plans tailored for one or more people
Happy Root delivers breakfast and lunch items as well as dinner items
The ingredients come fully prepped

CONS

At nearly $10 per serving, it’s not the most affordable

Summary: Happy Root may be a bit expensive considering their cheapest plan is just shy of $60.

However, it’s ideal for anyone who wants a custom-tailored plan with a variety of meal options to choose from.

They cover breakfast, lunch, and dinner and can deliver food good for seven days a week as well.

5. Purple Carrot - Best Vegetarian Meal Kits

Purple Carrot puts an emphasis on plant-based meals. This makes it ideal for anyone who wants to try the diet or are already sticking to a diet, but want to have more variety than the few recipes you can think of.

Here are its best qualities:

All Vegetables – if you’re looking out for your health, Purple Carrot is too. Their meals are healthy, delicious, filling, and well-balanced to keep you healthy, happy, and well-fed.

Quick and Easy Prep – Purple Carrot makes sure your cooking times are as minimal as possible. Most of their recipes can be prepared meal in less than an hour, which makes it fun and less inconvenient for you to cook.

Popular Dishes

Skillet pesto and penne
Pan-seared tofu over black rice noodles
Baked potato roses
Potato korokke with sushi rice and gingered snow peas
Spinach frittata

Dietary Restrictions

Vegetarian
Vegan
plant-based
Pricing and Plans

Purple Carrot lets you choose between two and four servings per week plus the option to choose between three or four dinners. Your plan and the overall cost will depend on your order and add-ons that you choose. But ultimately, Purple Carrot would cost you around $9 to $11 each serving

PROS

Quick and easy vegan and vegetarian meals
Prep times only take around 15 minutes
You have the option to add breakfast meals to your delivery

CONS

They utilize excessive plastic packaging
Their food is quite bland
They don’t have a single person plan
You only have eight recipes to choose from each week

Summary: Purple Carrot is dedicated to making plant-based food more accessible and convenient to the vast majority. Their plans are healthful, easy to prepare, and creative. Although their recipes aren’t the most flavorful, they’re still quite healthy and can be easily adjusted to suit your taste.

6. Mama Sezz - Best No-Cook

Another meal delivery service that focuses on plant-based meals on this list is Mama Sezz. They’re dedicated to delivering fresh, not frozen meals that require no cooking time which saves you time and effort. All there’s left for you to do is heat your food and enjoy it.

Here is why we like it:

Healthful Focus – Mama Sezz focuses on genuinely healthy food. This means your food is oil-free and certified gluten-free. You can also choose from a variety of soy-free meals.

A La Carte – unlike other meal delivery services, Mama Sezz does not require a subscription nor does it require you purchase more than a single meal. In fact, their a la carte choices are ideal if you just want to try out the service first.

Popular Dishes

Lazy lasagna
Dairy-free butternut squash and sage creamy pasta
Garlic ginger broccoli chick’n
Curried chickpea salad
“Fried” avocado

Dietary Restrictions

Gluten-free
Plant-based
Soy-free
Dairy-free
Vegan
Vegetarian

Pricing and Plans

Like I mentioned before, Mama Sezz does not require that you commit to a plan. This also makes it difficult to pin down exact pricing options. However, their meals will cost you around $5 to $6 on average per serving.

PROS

You do not need to cook your food you simply heat it in the microwave
All of your food will be delivered fresh and refrigerated
They allow you to return the box and all the packaging materials back to the company so they can be recycled for free

CONS

Some of their meals are quite bland

Summary: Mama Sezz is better suited for anyone who is looking for a service that is both eco-friendly and requires very little effort before you get to enjoy your meal.

Your food is already cooked when delivered to you so all you have to do is heat it up and enjoy.

However, some of their meals are quite bland, so you might need to do a bit of tinkering with the flavor to make it enjoyable.

7. Hello Fresh - Variety and Affordability

Hello Fresh promises a variety of meal options each week that is inclusive of various cuisines. If you’re one of those people who enjoy rewarding yourself after spending some time cooking your meals, then you’ll feel particularly accomplished after you follow a Hello Fresh recipe.

Take a look at its best qualities:

Various Meal Choices – Hello Fresh regularly adds new, exciting meal options to their weekly menu. If you’re adventurous and like trying out new food, you’ll appreciate the variety of meals Hello Fresh has to offer.

Top-notch Customer Service – Hello Fresh is dedicated to keeping you satisfied and satiated. Their dedicated support team is helpful, easy to approach, and eager to help you with any concern you might have.

Popular Dishes

Lobster ravioli and shrimp in tomato cream sauce
Bavette steak and sherry shallot sauce
Southwest chicken sausage and rice skillet
Pita pockets with zucchini and egg
Chipotle black bean tacos

Dietary Restrictions

Unfortunately, Hello Fresh does not currently cater to specific dietary restrictions. This means you’ll need to review each recipe thoroughly before placing your order.

Pricing and Plans

With Hello Fresh, you can choose between four meal plan preferences. You can also choose to get two to five meals per week. Shipping will cost an extra $8.

Meat and Veggies – from around $9 to $12 per serving
Veggie – from about $9 to $12 per serving
Family Friendly – from roughly $8 to $12 per serving
Calorie Smart – from around $8 to $12 per serving

PROS

Provide a wide variety of meal options each week
Their meals taste delicious and are well-balanced
Their recipes come with photos
They provide a detailed nutritional information list

CONS

Their packaging is quite excessive even though most of it is recyclable
They do not focus on organic components
They do not offer a single person plan

Summary: Hello Fresh is ideal if you like to try new food, love to cook, and would like to make it more convenient to stay healthy.

Their meals range from $7 to $12 per serving plus shipping.

Unfortunately, they don’t offer a single person serving plans.

However, you just might enjoy their food a bit too much to stick to one serving.

8. Green Chef - Variety of Lifestyle and Diet Choices

Green Chef caters to a wide variety of lifestyle and dietary choices. In fact, their plans are hinged entirely on your dietary preferences. They put a focus on highlighting vegetables in your meals while lowering saturated fat content for overall health as well.

Here’s why you’ll like it:

USDA-Certified Organic – Green Chef takes organic components seriously. They take pride in delivering only the best ingredients when possible to elevate your meals and your health.

Popular Dishes

Chicken bruschetta pasta
Tuna poke bowl
Enchilada quesadilla
Rosemary sirloin steak
Falafel-curry noodle bowl

Dietary Restrictions

Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten-free
Soy-free
Grain-free
Dairy-free
Keto
Paleo

Pricing and Plans

Green Chef’s plans rely heavily on your dietary preferences. In fact, each meal plan offers a different weekly menu from the others.

Keto Plan – around $13
Balanced Living Plan – roughly $12
Plant-Powered Plan – from around $10 to $12
Paleo Plan – around $13

PROS

Their menus target specific dietary preferences
Their meals are quick and easy to prepare
They use USDA-certified organic ingredients

CONS

You cannot choose meals from another plan
Shipping is not free

Summary: Green Chef is an ideal choice if you’re looking for a weekly menu that focuses on your dietary preferences. If you just want to try out other plans, it’s easy to switch as well. Moreover, the ingredients they use are mostly organic which adds to the overall health benefit you’ll get with each meal.

9. Gobble - Dinner in Less Than 15 Minutes

Gobble specializes in getting dinner to your table in no more than 15 minutes. What makes this service inherently convenient is the fact that you are required to do absolutely no prep work. This means you can focus on cooking your meals.

Take a look at why it made my list:

Little to no Prep Work Necessary – Gobble delivers mostly prepped ingredients to your doorstep. This means you don’t have to waste time peeling, chopping, or portioning components.

Popular Dishes

Tuscan sirloin steak with mushrooms and fettuccine in three peppercorn sauce
Souvlaki marinated salmon with greek orzo salad
Hatch green chile burger with mashed avocado and roasted carrots with jalapeno ranch dressing

Dietary Restrictions

Gobble caters to a few dietary restrictions. However, the system learns your dietary preferences after you take a poll when placing your order. You can choose to skip fish, pork, or other ingredients as you wish when you specify it in the poll.

Omnivore
Vegetarian

Pricing and Plans

Gobble lets you choose between two plans: the Classic or Omnivore plan and the Vegetarian plan. Each meal will cost you around $12 per serving plus $7 in shipping.

PROS

Quick and easy to follow recipes
Most of the prep work is done for you

CONS

Excessive packaging use
They cater to very few dietary preferences

Summary: Gobble is ideal for anyone who wants to cook food at home but doesn’t want to deal with the prep work that comes with it.

They guarantee that your meals will be ready within 15 minutes.

However, at around $12 per serving plus nearly $7 in shipping, it is quite expensive.

10. Home Chef - Good Value for The Money / Cheapest

Home Chef is one of the few services that offer free shipping. You’ll enjoy their reusable packaging and highly customizable plans that make it feel like you have a personal chef guiding you through your cooking.

Here’s what you’ll like about it:

Customize It Feature – Home Chef’s unique customize it feature allows you to specify which ingredients you want to switch out as well as double your protein. Generally, it lets you customize each meal to your exact preferences.

Popular Dishes

Farmhouse fried chicken
Blackened chicken salad
Chicken pad thai

Dietary Restrictions

Unfortunately, Home Chef doesn’t cater specifically to dietary preferences like gluten-free or paleo, but some of their meals can qualify. That said, you will have to do your own research.

Pricing and Plans

Meals – around $10 per serving
Lunch – about $8 per serving
Smoothies – roughly $5 per serving

PROS

Their plans are flexible and can accommodate a wide variety of dietary preferences
They have multiple additional options such as lunch and smoothies
Their packaging is recyclable

CONS

Does not expressly cater to specific dietary restrictions
They only offer three meal options for vegetarians each week

Summary: Home Chef is better suited for anyone who wants good value food and easily customizable meals.

Their customize it features lets you tailor each meal to your preferences and even allows you to double your protein portion.

Frequently Asked Questions

I understand you might have some questions regarding meal delivery services.

Below, I’m answering some of the questions my clients ask me the most.

Is Blue Apron Worth it for One Person?

Blue Apron’s services will cost you around $10 per meal depending on what meal plan you choose. However, it’s not designed for one-person deliveries.

If you want to get Blue Apron quality food with more value, I recommend taking a look at Sun Basket or Hello Fresh.

Both alternative services offer premium ingredients, a versatile menu that changes each week, and delicious, healthy meals.

Moreover, Sun Basket and Hello Fresh are more cost-effective. You can get a wider variety of meal choices from either company for as low as under $10 depending on your needs.

Which Meal Delivery Service is the Cheapest?

Home Chef gives you the most value for your money by delivering complex, well-balanced meals for as low as around $7 . At first glance, Home Chef may not sound like the cheapest option on this list. After all, Dinnerly feeds you for around $5 only.

However, Home Chef delivers more complex meals that are strictly more substantial and high-value compared to Dinnerly.

Moreover, Home Chef also offers free shipping for orders above $40, which is a better value compared to Dinnerly’s cheapest two-person box meal at around $40 plus shipping.

What is the Best Meal Delivery Program for Weight Loss?

BistroMD offers healthy weight loss meal plans that help you shed the extra weight without feeling deprived.

The meal plan service is designed by a doctor and focuses on delivering delicious, appetizing meals that are healthy, and will help aid in weight loss.

Are There Prepared Meal Delivery Service for Singles?

Yes. If cooking is not your thing or you simply don’t have a lot of time to spend preparing your food you can get meal kits that are delivered to you already prepared. It’s easy to understand why meal kit subscriptions are so popular. They make dining at home quick and convenient, allowing you to eat healthier and spend less time in the drive through or the grocery store.

Is Blue Apron Worth One Person?

Some might believe that the real Blue Apron is a kind of cutting-edge grocery delivery service with a unique opportunity to disrupt the already struggling grocery industry. Or that Blue Apron is a highly innovative high-quality meal-kit company with a unique value proposition. I argue that Blue Apron is neither of these things nor is it nearly as cheap and simple to use as its marketing would have you believe. Instead, Blue Apron is a uniquely problematic business built on an impossible business model. At its current price, Blue Apron is a risky buy for all but the most bullish of investors.

Blue Apron’s most profitable meal is the first one, and that meal usually costs about $60. This is why, on a per-meal basis, Blue Apron is (approximately) the cheapest meal kit delivery service out there. On the other hand, Blue Apron’s first-meal sale is likely to be the majority of its sales over the next several quarters. As Blue Apron’s service gets better, its per-meal cost is likely to rise. This is a major risk to the business. If it is unable to cover its cost of acquisition for its expensive meal-kit ingredients, the business could struggle to remain profitable. While there are other important considerations, I believe that Blue Apron’s expensive meal-kit ingredients are the biggest barrier to its growth.

Does HelloFresh Offer Meal Kits for Singles?

Starting today, we’ll all know how to answer a common question in modern dating: “Are you single?” The answer has been just as unclear for years, but HelloFresh (NYSE: HELLF) is taking its case to a different angle. The meal-kit service announced today that it will now offer personalized boxes for singles. Continue Reading Below. The company isn’t providing details about the size, format, or themes of the meals. But it has announced a deal with Match to sell the packages to a “select group of customers. The exact number of singles who will be targeted will be revealed soon. HelloFresh and Match reach out to singles. In the official press release, HelloFresh CEO Daniel Bae told the story of a single woman named Kendra who signed up for the service on a whim, left a glowing review, and was subsequently contacted by Match in order to facilitate the package deal.

What is the Cheapest and Healthiest Meal Delivery Service?

In order to consider all of the services available in the UK, we take a look at the services available on a free-to-use basis. The services listed below cost up to £6.99 for each order (at the time of writing, while the post code expansion has not taken place yet, many services offer free delivery). Some services will have a minimum spend, and others will not offer a service with a minimum spend. For instance, if a users need to pay to place a delivery on a customer’s doorstep, they will not get the firm delivered at no cost, even if the cost is less than the delivery fee, and the customer would still have to pay the cost of the meal to their delivery company.

Which of These “meal kits for singles” is Right for You?

Overall, Sun Basket is my top choice and I recommend it to anyone who doesn’t mind having an extra serving of the meals you ordered. They offer a wider variety of meal options including breakfast, lunch, and healthy snacks.

Purple Carrot is also worth your attention if you want to go for plant-based meals but don’t have the time to spend preparing and cooking your food. It takes only roughly three minutes to heat your food for immediate consumption.

On the other hand, Home Chef is a cost-effective solution if you want to have a wide variety of choices when it comes to your food, for free shipping, and as low as around $10 a serving for dinner.