Do you ever feel like you need a night away from the stove? A freezer full of frozen meals is ideal when you’ve had a busy day and you simply can’t face the idea of cooking an entire meal from scratch.
However, there is a common misconception that frozen meals aren’t very appetizing, are made from low-quality ingredients, and don’t meet your nutritional needs. But this isn’t always the case.
Frozen meal delivery services are here to debunk this myth! Super healthy meals are cooked fresh and flash-frozen to preserve the taste along with the vitamins and minerals. And, once boxed up, they are delivered straight to your door!
But what are the best-frozen meal delivery services? Below, you’ll find our in-depth reviews of five of the best. We’ve also put together a useful buying guide that will help you decide which is the best for you.
Best Frozen Meal Delivery Services Reviews
BistroMD
You may think that the concept of a bistro-standard frozen meal is an impossible thing to accomplish, but BistroMD has done exactly that. These delicious, nutritious meals don’t look like anything you’re used to seeing in the frozen food aisles of your grocery store. Nor do they taste like them!
They are packed with protein-rich ingredients and healthy vegetables. All you need to do is look at the vibrant colors of each meal to know that you’ll be feeding your body with multiple vitamins and minerals.
You can choose from a variety of different plans, and each of these plans has menus that are designed to meet specific nutritional needs. These included such things as vegetarian diets, vegan diets, gluten-free, and diabetic-friendly.
They’ve even gone so far as to create specialized menus for people experiencing menopause, helping you feed your body with everything it needs during this time.
BistroMD is also a fantastic frozen food delivery service for anybody trying to lose and maintain weight. This is because each meal has its caloric information clearly displayed on it, so there’s no more guessing how many calories you have left in your daily allowance.
While there are several pre-designed plans to choose from, you can also speak to a team member at BistroMD and they will help put a personalized plan together for you. This is perfect if you’re looking to meet certain health or lifestyle goals.
What’s on the BistroMD Menu?
Since BistroMD provides specialist plans, the meals you’ll receive will depend on the plan you’ve chosen. Whichever plan you choose, they all come with breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and even snacks!
By no means are you restricted to certain meals, either. You can choose from over 150 prepared meals, giving you the versatility to sample a huge variety of cuisine. They also only take 5 minutes to cook in your microwave, so they are ready to go whenever you are.
Each meal contains a scientific blend of complex carbohydrates, vegetables, whole grains, and fiber. They also contain lean proteins and healthy fats, all of which have ratios tailored to best suit the nutritional goals your chosen plan is designed to provide.
But what specifically can you expect to eat when you sign up?
Let’s use the weight loss plan as an example. This plan offers meals such as Caramelized Mushroom and Onion Frittata and Lasagna with Garden Marinara. You’ll even be given something to satisfy your sweet tooth, such as Espresso Fudge Bites.
Meanwhile, BistroMD’s “Heart Health” plan offers meals such as Grilled Salmon and Mediterranean-Style Chicken with Veg. Or, if the vegetarian and vegan plans are a better suit for you, you can expect meals such as Deliciously Stewed Lentils and Roasted Tofu.
Your meal choices are initially created for you, but you have full control over what you actually receive. All you need to do is view your created menu in advance and customize your breakfasts, lunches, and dinners to better suit your tastes. Over time, the menu choices that are initially chosen for you will be based on your past selections, so you may not even need to change anything after a while.
How Does bistroMD Work?
One of the best things about bistroMD is its simplicity. Here’s how it works from start to finish:
- Sign up by selecting a plan that suits your dietary needs
- Complete your order
- Wait 2-5 business days
- Your frozen meals will arrive
- Store them in your freezer
- Reheat and enjoy
It’s really that simple! If you’re looking for a healthy, delicious, no-fuss frozen food delivery service, bistroMD is one of the best available.
Diet-to-Go
Diet-to-Go has been creating top-quality frozen meals for over 20 years, so they really know what they’re doing. To put what they do into the simplest terms possible, they provide chef-prepared meals delivered straight to your door.
Don’t be fooled by their name, though. It may be easy to assume that Diet-to-Go frozen meals are specifically designed for people trying to lose weight. And, while they are a fantastic tool for this, they are also a great choice for anybody who wants the convenience of a frozen meal but doesn’t want to sacrifice taste or nutritional value.
Just like bistroMD, they have a choice of plans that are tailored to the specific dietary needs. These include “Balance Menu”, “Balance Diabetes Menu”, “Keto/Carb30 Menu”, and “Vegetarian Menu”.
What’s on the Diet-to-Go Menu?
But what does each of these plans consist of? Let’s take a look at each of them below to give you an idea of the sort of nutritional value they offer:
- Balance Menu: As its name suggests, this plan offers nutritionally balanced meals. They are calorie controlled, so ideal for anybody looking to lose or maintain weight. They are also low in sodium, carbohydrates, fat, and cholesterol.
- Balance Diabetes Menu: If you have diabetes and struggle to find the right things to cook, this is the one to go for. The meals are designed to control blood sugar naturally. They are also low in sodium, carbohydrates, fat, and cholesterol.
- Keto/Carb30 Menu: Another great one for weight loss. This plan provides meals that replace carbs with fat, so you’re only consuming 30 net carbs per day on average. Perfect if you’re trying to follow a keto diet but you’re not sure how to go about cooking the right thing.
- Vegetarian Menu: These are totally meat free, calorie controlled meals that are nutritionally balanced. They are also controlled for sodium, carbohydrates, fat, and cholesterol. In terms of protein, you’ll be eating eggs, beans, soy, and some dairy products.
One thing that’s worth mentioning about all of Diet-to-Go’s plans is that, unlike many other frozen meal delivery services, they are all-inclusive. This means that it comes with all sides and condiments, giving you even more value for money.
How Does Diet-to-Go Work?
Diet-to-Go meals are shipped to you every week after being created using fresh ingredients and flash-frozen. They’re also packed in large Styrofoam coolers, so they won’t spoil if left on your doorstep for a few hours after being delivered.
What’s more, they can be stored in your refrigerator for up to 7 days, so you don’t even need a freezer to enjoy weekly deliveries. They can also be frozen for up to 30 days, so there’s minimal wastage if you fancy eating something else during the week.
Home Bistro
Initially, a small home meal delivery service based in New York, Home Bistro is now a national frozen meal delivery service. The meals that they offer are healthy, nutritious, and, most importantly, delicious!
All of the meals created by Home Bistro are made from the freshest possible ingredients and then flash-frozen to retain that freshness. In turn, you’ll be able to taste each ingredient as if it was cooked from fresh in your own kitchen.
Home Bistro’s company chef hand-selects each of the ingredients used in their meals, so you know they’ll be top-quality. They also only work with certain meat suppliers who treat their animals humanely and ensure that they are free from any harmful additives.
What’s on the Home Bistro Menu?
There are a plethora of delicious meals to choose from with Home Bistro, which means you’ll be able to enjoy a different type of cuisine every night of the week. There are also certain meals that are nutritionally designed to meet certain dietary needs. These include:
- Heart-friendly meals
- Healthy gourmet meals
- Gluten-free meals
- Diabetic-friendly meals
- Vegetarian meals
- Cancer-support meals
- Low sodium meals
- Low-carbohydrate meals
- Paleo meals
As you’re not limited to certain plans, you can choose a combination of different meals, which helps to keep things interesting. To put it simply, you have full control over what you’d like to eat. As far as meal specifics are concerned, here a few examples of what’s on offer:
- Lemon Caper Piccata Steak with Gratin
- Chianti Braised Short Ribs with Rice
- Zesty Tofu Vegetarian Feast
- Tunisian Shrimp with Cannellini Beans
- Pecorino Romano Turkey Kabob
There’s also no set pricing with Home Bistro or no subscription needed to enjoy their frozen meals. Instead, you simply pay for the meals you choose. This makes it ideal if you are working with a limited budget.
Being able to choose how many meals you get delivered also helps to reduce your food wastage, as you won’t have to worry about what to do with that extra meal if you fancy going to a restaurant one night instead.
How Does Home Bistro Work?
Once you’ve set up your Home Bistro account (which is totally free of charge) you can start selecting which meals you’d like delivered to your door. As there’s no subscription or set pricing, you can select as many or as few as you’d like without any pressure.
Add your chosen meals to your cart, pay for them, and they’ll be with you within a couple of business days. And, if you order over $149.99 worth of meals, they are shipped overnight for free.
Veestro
If you’re looking for a vegan frozen meal delivery service, then Veestro is the one to go for. These delicious meals are made from 100% plant-based, organic, non-GMO ingredients in Los Angeles and flash-frozen to preserve flavor and freshness.
You have full control over which meals you add to your cart or, if you need a little extra guidance, you can filter things down by selecting certain dietary preferences. This includes things such as high-protein, low-calorie, kosher, and gluten-free. There’s even a nut-free option, which is extremely useful for anybody following a vegan diet, but allergic to nuts.
What’s on the Veestro Menu?
One of the best things about Veestro is that the meal choices change quite regularly. This keeps things interesting, and you’ll never have to worry about eating the same old thing week after week.
As this is a vegan frozen meal delivery service, none of their meals contain meat, dairy, or any other animal byproducts. But this doesn’t mean they lack anything in terms of flavor. Here are just a few of the meals you’ll be offered when you sign up for Veestro:
- Breakfast Oatmeal Pie with Berries
- Country Fried Vegan Chicken
- Raspberry Tofu ‘Cheesecake’
You’ll also be able to choose from loads of fruit and vegetable juices such as “Spring Into Action”. This contains celery, pineapple, green apple, basil, and sachi inchi powder.
How Does Veestro Work?
Simply head over to Veestro’s website and select your plan. You can choose to have 10, 20, or 30 meals delivered at a time, and the price of the meal reduces the more you order.
All you need to do then is choose the meals you find most tempting, and they’ll be created for you from fresh, flash-frozen, and delivered straight to your door.
Paleo on the Go
You may have heard of paleo food before, and Paleo on the Go takes the convenience of eating nothing but whole foods to a new level. The ingredients are meticulously sourced to ensure they are of the highest quality possible. They are then handcrafted, flash-frozen, and sent out to you.
The chefs also personally visit the local farms that provide their ingredients to build close relationships with them. This gives them that extra-special, personal touch.
All of the meals created by Paleo on the Go are made in kitchens that are free from dairy, soy, gluten, grains, pastured meats, and GMOs.
What’s on the Paleo on the Go Menu?
You might think that you’d have a limited number of meal options when following a paleo diet, but Paleo on the Go is here to prove you wrong! With over 50 selections to choose from at a time, you’ll be able to try something new every night of the week.
Just a few of the meals offered from Paleo on the Go include:
- Apple Cinnamon Paleo Pop-Tarts
- Asian Chicken Burgers with Fried Rice
- Butternut Squash Bisque
- Elk Burger with Wild Mushrooms
- Grass-Fed Beef Bone Broth
- Organic Collard Green with Smoky Bacon
There are also some delicious paleo baked goods to choose from, which is perfect when you’re craving something sweet at the end of your meal.
How Does Paleo on the Go Work?
You have two options with Paleo on the Go. You can either select individual meals, or you can choose chef-selected monthly bundles. Once you’ve decided which is best for you, you simply need to choose your meals and check out.
Unlike a lot of frozen meal delivery services, Paleo on the Go offers loyalty rewards too. Every time you purchase, you’ll gain reward points which can be used to redeem extra meals or anything else on the website in the future.
Buyer’s Guide
You might think that signing up for a frozen meal delivery service is a straightforward enough task. After all, surely it’s just a case of finding one that you like the sound of and waiting for your meals to arrive?
But, there are actually quite a few things you need to think about when it comes to finding the best frozen meal delivery service for your individual needs.
Below, we’ll take a look at some of the key points to consider when you’re making your choice. Taking a little extra time to think about these will help you find the right service the first time around and, ultimately, save you time and money.
Dietary Needs
The first thing you need to think about is your dietary needs. Lots of frozen meal delivery services offer multiple plans that are tailored to specific dietary requirements. If you’re omnivorous, aren’t looking to lose weight, or have any health issues, this isn’t quite as important.
However, if you are looking for a way to eat food that will help you achieve certain goals or keep you as healthy as possible, you should look at what plans your chosen service has to offer.
For example, if you’re turning to a frozen food delivery service as a way of managing your calorie intake and losing weight, it’s a good idea to choose one that has a weight loss plan.
Likewise, if you have diabetes but you’re concerned that you might accidentally eat the wrong thing, choosing a diabetic-friendly plan will take all the guesswork out of eating properly.
Certain meal services also offer vegetarian and vegan choices, which is ideal if you’re trying to eat more plant-based foods. It’s even better if you’re new to veganism and you’re not entirely sure where to start when it comes to creating your own meals.
Menu Selection Process
It’s also important to look at the menu selection process. Does the frozen meal delivery service you’re thinking of getting allow you to choose your menu? Or are the menus automatically generated and sent out to you?
As a general rule, it’s always better to choose a service that allows you to pick your own menu choices. By doing this, you can avoid certain ingredients that you know you don’t like. You’ll also be able to select a meal again that you’ve enjoyed in the past.
Another great thing about being able to select your own menu choices is that you’ll be reducing the amount of food waste your home produces. If you find you’ve been sent a meal that you won’t enjoy, you’re more likely to throw it out. But, if you know you’ve got a mouth-watering meal that you’ve chosen yourself, you’ll actually use it.
You should also check that you’re able to add certain filters to your menu selections, such as dairy-free, gluten-free, or nut-free.
Shelf Life
Frozen meals are designed to last a longer time than fresh meals. However, as with all frozen food, they will still have a shelf-life. Ideally, the longer their shelf life is the better, as you’ll be able to keep it stashed away in your freezer until you’re ready to eat it.
The average shelf life for a frozen meal is 30 days. It will still normally be ok to eat after this, but the freshness and flavor of the ingredients will begin to deteriorate.
So, if you’re planning on keeping frozen meals for those nights when you don’t want to cook a meal yourself, you’ll need to remember to use them within 30 days. If not, you could be wasting money and adding to your food waste production.
Some frozen meal delivery services create dishes that can also be kept in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. This is ideal if you’re short on freezer space.
Packaging & Delivery
You need to pay extra attention to how frozen food is packaged and delivered. It needs to stay within the ‘freezing’ temperature range at all times, otherwise, it may go bad.
Some delivery services use vacuum sealing as a way of packing and delivering their food. This is one of the best methods as it removes air and moisture (so no bacteria can grow) and retains the shape of the packaging during transport.
Other forms of packaging included ice packs, gel packs, and dry ice. These are all ideal for keeping your meals frozen until they arrive at your door. Some are even so effective that they can keep it frozen for a few hours after delivery, which is ideal if you’re not at home when it arrives.
Price
Finally, it’s always a good idea to look at how much you can afford to spend on a frozen meal delivery service as pricing can vary quite a bit between brands and their plans.
A good way to think about this is to work out how often you need your frozen meals delivered. If you’re planning to never cook again and rely solely on frozen meals, you’ll be spending a fair amount of money as you’ll need a weekly delivery.
However, if you only want to keep a few frozen meals stored away and ready to use when you don’t feel like cooking, you’ll want a service that you can order a few meals from when you need them. And, in turn, you’ll spend less money.
Some frozen meal delivery services, such as Paleo on the Go, also offer reward points for each purchase you make. This acts a bit like a savings account, allowing you to use your collected points to get money off future purchases. This is a great thing to look out for if you’re planning to order regularly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are frozen meals good for you?
As with any type of meal, it’s the ingredients it contains that will determine whether or not it’s good for you.
There’s no reason why frozen meals can’t be good for you, as long as they are made from healthy, fresh ingredients and have been flash-frozen to preserve their freshness.
What is a frozen meal?
A frozen meal is essentially a meal that has been created and then flash-frozen to preserve it. Frozen meals of the past were renowned for being unhealthy and packed full of additives.
However, these days most frozen meals are nutritious and are a fantastic way of getting a quick, convenient, healthy meal into your body.
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