Meal Kit delivery service in the Puget Sound region (greaterseattleonthecheap.com)

Meal kit delivery service provides all the ingredients and recipes in the delivery box to make specific dishes and meals. These meal kits bridge the gap between grocery or CSA deliveries and restaurant delivery or takeout food.

About meal kits

All meal kits are more expensive compared to buying groceries. However, the convenience can make up for the cost. Here are some good reasons to use meal kits:

try new cuisines and recipes for relatively low cost
save money by dining out less often
prepare them as a date night activity—cooking together at home can be a pleasant, bonding activity.

Costs for meal kits costs range from $5 to $15 per serving. Expect higher per meal prices for smaller boxes (lower number of servings) with only a couple of meals or for more deluxe gourmet dinners with lots of ingredients and detailed, four-color recipe cards.

Sizes of meal kits vary based on the number of servings and meals in one box or shipment. Most meal kit companies offer boxes beginning around $50 to $70 per delivery, once or twice a month. Most meal kit companies offer different order sizes and delivery frequency.

Menus usually change weekly and most companies provide several different choices each cycle. Some provide meals designed for different dietary needs such as vegetarian, low-carb or Paleo, gluten-free, and others.

Most meal kits arrive on your doorstep in insulated containers and do not require you to be home to accept delivery. But be sure to confirm these details for any plan you choose.

By design, most meal kits require some preparation or assembly and cooking or re-heating. There are exceptions such as salads and smoothies. Some recipes are simple one-skillet meals. Others can require several steps and cooking pans. But all the ingredients, accompaniments, and recipes with cooking instructions come with the kit. You can prepare a complete meal more easily than planning and shopping yourself.

It’s relatively easy to try one meal kit to find out if a service suits your needs, tastes, and budget. However, most companies do NOT offer a trial box. Most require that you sign up for recurring service. If you decide you no longer want the service, you must cancel the service by the deadline. Otherwise, you will automatically receive the next box on your plan.

Shipping may be included in the price of meals or for orders meeting the minimum requirements. Many others add a nominal shipping charge, usually less than $10. (One way or another, you are paying for shipping.) But shipping costs don’t deter most people. Menu selection, frequency, and cost tends to be the deciding factor for most people.

While you must usually sign up for recurring delivery, almost all plans can be canceled at any time before the next shipment is processed. Like any service, be sure you understand the commitment and cancellation policies before you hand over your hard earned money.

Listed below are popular meal kit delivery services in the Puget Sound region.

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Meal kit delivery service include a box of ingredients with recipes to prepare a variety of meals at home – DepositPhotos.com

Popular meal kit companies

There are a wide range of meal kit services in the Seattle-Tacoma metro area offering pickup and/or delivery.

Local meal kit companies from the Puget Sound region

ACME Farms + Kitchen is a local company located in Acme, Washington. They offer meal kits composed primarily of locally sourced, seasonal products. A variety of dietary regimes and customization is available. Free delivery with minimum order. For recurring deliveries, use their subscription service.

Maven Meals offers a rotating menu of ready-to-heat dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Flat fee for delivery or pick up at Burien or Vashon location.

Budget meal kits

Dinnerly is a meal kit subscription service known for simple, affordable meals at lower cost than most other meal kits. To keep costs low, meal options are limited, and recipes are available online, rather than printed in the box. However, most recipes require only six ingredients, are simple to prepare, and ingredient quality is high.

EveryPlate is a very affordable meal kit service. They keep costs low by providing a limited selection of recipes that lean towards comfort foods and no special dietary needs.

Plant-based meal kits

Daily Harvest delivers plant-based vegan options for meals including smoothies and ready-to-heat dishes. Weekly and monthly plans are available.

Purple Carrot offers plant-based meal kits and snacks with recipes. You must give them your email to find out if your zip code is included in the areas they serve.

Sakara is a weekly delivery program focused on organic, plant-based, no-cook meals.

Splendid Spoon offers plant-based smoothies, soups and grain bowls in a variety of plans. Foods arrive fresh and may be frozen.

National meal kit companies

Blue Apron offers a rotating menu of easy-to-prepare meals that can include meat, fish, and plant-based foods.

Gobble features weekly dinner kits that are simple and quick to prepare. They offer a few different styles and dietary options, including vegetarian.

Green Chef offers meal kits in several dietary styles in a weekly or bi-monthly subscription plan. Menus change every week and feature an interesting variety of entrees and sides.

Freshly offers a weekly menu of ready-to-heat meals, including vegetarian. You can reheat in a microwave or transfer to an oven-safe dish.

Hello Fresh offers a variety of menu plans including vegetarian options and weekly rotating menus.

Home Chef offers weekly rotating menus, with several dietary styles plus flexible options to customize your meals. Choices include quick to prepare and oven ready dishes, entrée salads, and options such as extra protein.

Hungry Root isn’t a meal kit per se, nor is it standard grocery delivery. First, you set up a profile based on dietary preferences. Groceries are delivered weekly that you can usually prepare in 10 minutes to meals such as stir-fries, grain bowls, salads, and skillet pastas.

Marley Spoon with Martha Stewart features a rotating weekly menu in several dietary styles including vegetarian options.

Performance Kitchen | Healthy Frozen Meal Delivery offers prepared frozen, ready-to-heat meals online and grocers around the region.

Sun Basket offers a weekly menu of meal kits in a wide range of dietary styles, including vegetarian. Breakfast and lunch options are also available. Most meals are quick to prepare.

Meal kits can be a nice addition to your daily meal preparation. If you are on a tight budget, there are options for reasonably priced meals. You can also use meal kits to decrease the number of times you eat at restaurants (either dine-in or takeout), since meal kits cost less than restaurant meals of the same caliber.