The 6 Best Meal Delivery Services for Families (2025)

As a parent of two young kids, that hour between walking in the door and getting dinner on the table is the most chaotic part of my day. But the best meal delivery services for families can make the process a whole lot easier. Because whatever your household’s dietary restrictions or preferences—and no matter how much or how little cooking you actually want to do—a family-friendly meal kit subscription will lighten your load by taking the thought, grocery shopping, and some or all of the prep out of mealtime. Depending on the meal service you choose, you can get hella snacks too.

Our top picks:

Watch a video of tester Emily Farris working her way through these meal kits…

How we tested the best meal delivery services for families

AccordionItemContainerButton

As a busy, working mom who struggles to make dinner happen by 6:00 most weeknights, I’ve tried a lot of meal kits. In doing so, I’ve found that the best meal delivery services for my family of three keep the prep and the flavors pretty simple (I can always season my own serving as needed) but still allow me to put quality meals on the table.

That said, I’m well aware that what works for us won’t necessarily work for every family. My kids are generally less picky than many; they’re willing to try anything at least once and don’t follow any special diets or have any major food allergies. So in addition to leaning on my own anecdotal experience with family-friendly meal kits, I relied on the regular and much-more-methodical testing Bon Appétit staffers do throughout the year.

To ensure that our main meal kit review is always accurate and up-to-date, my colleagues and I regularly subscribe to the most popular meal kits for at least a month to assess the ordering and delivery process, the packaging and ingredient quality, and the reliability of the recipes (including their promised start-to-finish times!). Then, of course, we judge the food.

Using all of that information, I selected the best editor- and contributor-tested options that cater to specific household needs: bigger families, little kids, organic meals, lots of vegan and vegetarian options, etc. Like the main meal kit story, this list of the best meal kits for families is regularly updated based on feedback from our ongoing staff testing.

The best meal kits for big families: Home Chef

About Home Chef: Home Chef is a traditional meal kit service that sends pre-portioned ingredients and easy-to-follow, family-friendly recipes that make it easy to get a fresh meal on the table in 15 to 30 minutes. The portion sizes are large, the meal plans are customizable, and you can select your meal kits based on dietary needs and preferences.

Why we picked it: If you have a lot of mouths to feed, Home Chef is a great option, because the more meals you order, the more budget-friendly it becomes. Though Home Chef isn’t the most affordable meal kit on the market (that would be EveryPlate), it comes pretty close if you order from the Family Menu. Home Chef’s standard meals are two servings each and, on average, cost $7.99 to $9.99 per serving; but when you order from the Family Menu, meals are just $6.99 per serving, no matter how many you get (customizations like swapping your protein may come with an upcharge).

Our review: Bon Appétit and Epicurious contributor Adam Campbell-Schmitt tried Home Chef and found the recipes to be simple and kid-friendly enough to please his tough critics. When another colleague tested Home Chef recently, her favorite meal was a pork chop with mashed sweet potatoes. She also noted that many of the recipes had an old-school, nostalgic feel (think meat wrapped in puff pastry) that reminded her of the dinners she ate as a kid.

In addition to the meal kits, you can choose from Home Chef’s Fast & Fresh options: oven-ready entrees and other fully cooked meal options that make it possible to get dinner on the table even quicker. Home Chef also offers a selection of add-ons like extra protein, soups, salads, snacks, and desserts.

The best meal service for snacks and super-quick prep: Hungryroot

About Hungryroot: More of a grocery delivery service store than a traditional meal kit service, Hungryroot offers a large selection of high-quality ingredients (often semi- or fully cooked) and packaged items that can be thrown together for super-quick, satisfying dinners for two or four people. In addition to the ingredients intended for meals, you can also get many of your other groceries from Hungryroot, including meat, fish, eggs, dairy, poultry, pantry staples and snacks—so many great snacks!

There’s a pretty lengthy survey at sign-up to help the system learn your preferences. Then, you can narrow down your options by using Hungryroot’s impressive number of filters for cuisines and dietary restrictions, including pescatarian, high-protein, carb-conscious, dairy-free, tree nut–free, and even diabetes-friendly. And if you or your kids hate something, you can add it to your “never send” list.

Why we picked it: There are few things I dislike more than grocery shopping with my two young kids—which is why I’ve spent an embarrassing amount of money on weeknight food delivery. It’s also one of the many reasons I love Hungryroot. And the kit’s convenience extends to its prep: It’s not uncommon to enjoy your first bite within 10 or 15 minutes of beginning your cook. For example, this kid-friendly chicken quesadilla recipe uses precooked, seasoned chicken and takes just 10 minutes start to finish.

Our review: Setting your preferences and selecting your groceries is a little tedious at first, but once you get rolling with this service, it’s great. The ingredients are high-quality and many of the condiments, salad mixes, and other packaged foods are Hungryroot’s own brand (I’m kind of obsessed with their almond chickpea cookie dough, which is safe and delicious to eat raw). But you’ll also find brands you see in the grocery store, like Kevin’s Natural Foods. In fact, the Kevin’s Beef Bulgogi with broccoli florets (which arrived trimmed) is one of my favorite Hungryroot meals.