10 Best Low-Calorie Meal Delivery Services 2024

Planning out a dedicated weight-loss meal plan takes a lot of time and effort, and losing weight can feel like an uphill struggle. That’s why more and more people are looking to meal delivery services to help take the stress out of meal planning.

Luckily, there are some amazing low-calorie meal delivery services out there that cater to every kind of diet and weight-loss goal. I’ve rigorously researched the services available to rank the best options in terms of choice, quality, price, and nutrition. Every service on the list below has been tested at home by me and my team.

When it comes to low-calorie choices, Factor comes out on top. Its meals come fully prepared and contain fewer than 700 calories, on average. If you’re a fitness fanatic or simply trying to control your weight, it doesn’t get much more convenient than that.

The Best Low-Calorie Meal Delivery Services Reviewed

1. Factor – Best Chef-Prepared, Low-Calorie Meals

Factor caters to busy individuals who want to maintain a healthy lifestyle without sacrificing flavor. Its meals are nutritionally balanced and include a combination of lean proteins, fresh vegetables, and complex carbs. The menu is divided into 6 plans, which makes it easy to find something for any taste or preference.

What’s on the Menu?

For a low-calorie diet, the Calorie Smart meal plan has 18+ meals per week, but you can also choose from the Keto, Vegan & Veggie, and Protein+ plans, too. However, you’ll have to check the calorie content of each recipe since this information isn’t available while browsing the menu.

The overall menu is varied, with a blend of American and international cuisines, such as Thai, Italian, and Mediterranean. Even if you’re on a low-calorie diet, you can still enjoy delicious meals like Homestyle Ground Beef and Chive Potato Mash (510 cal/serving) or BBQ Chicken & Sweet Potato Mash pictured below (450 cal/serving), which our reviewer tried.

Factor delivers prepared meals, so the meals arrive fresh and ready to be heated and enjoyed. According to my colleague’s tested review of Factor, this is 1 of the reasons why so many people love it.

What Makes It Special?

Another reason to love Factor is its extensive add-on menu, with 40+ weekly options. Here, you can find a wide selection of smoothies, juices, healthy desserts, breakfasts, proteins, shakes, and wellness shots.

Factor also offers a free 20-min one-on-one online consultation with an expert dietitian. During your consultation, you can ask for help with your personalized nutrition plan, ask about your low-calorie diet, and more. This is an excellent opportunity to learn how to make healthy dietary changes and form better eating habits.

Is It Good Value?

Factor’s prices vary depending on how many single-serving meals you need each week. The larger the order, the lower the cost per meal. For example, its best-value box gives you 18 meals for just $103.41 on your first order if you use our link.

The minimum order is 6 meals per week, but this is also the most expensive option. If the maximum order is too much for you, you can compromise and get the most popular option, which is 10 meals per week.

2. BistroMD – Best for Low-Calorie, Weight-Loss Meals

BistroMD is a prepared meal delivery service focused on healthy weight loss through calorie restriction and portion control. The service offers several doctor-designed meal plans tailored to suit individual needs and health concerns, like diabetes, heart health, and menopause.

What’s on the Menu? 

The meals are prepared by professional chefs using only the freshest ingredients to create flavorful, healthy meals that can help you reach your health and weight loss goals. Even my colleague was impressed while reviewing BistroMD and concluded that the service was an effective short-term solution for weight-loss.

The most straightforward meal plans are the ones designed for men and women. These were designed based on each gender’s caloric and nutritional needs. For instance, both meal plans include 3 meals and 2 snacks, but the caloric intake is lower for women than it is for men. In both cases, the meals include healthy fats, lean protein, and complex carbs.

The other meal plans support different dietary needs, such as meals designed for a healthy heart (lower sodium content), gluten-free recipes, a diabetic-friendly menu, dishes for the keto diet, and meals for people going through menopause.

What Makes It Special?

BistroMD’s systems use scientific methods to target fat and provide you with the personalized support you need. This is why I think it’s more successful than other meal delivery services that promise healthy weight loss through nutritionally balanced meals.

Each meal plan provides options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner to keep cravings and temptations at bay. All meals are carefully selected from a rotating menu of 150+ recipes, and there are 7 weight loss programs to choose from (there’s no mixing and matching in between, though).

Is It Good Value?

With prices starting at $6.59 per serving, BistroMD isn’t exactly budget-friendly like HelloFresh, but considering the work that went into creating these programs, this is understandable. If the full 7-day plan is too much for you, there’s also the option to order meals for 5 days or to only get lunches and/or dinners.

3. Green Chef – Best for a Wide Range of Dietary Options

Green Chef’s recipes are nutritionist-approved and contain organic ingredients (mostly eggs and fresh produce). So, in a way, Green Chef takes the guesswork out of healthy eating. Its well-designed meal plans cater to several demanding diets, such as Calorie Smart, Keto, High-Protein, Gluten-Free, Plant Based, Mediterranean, and some others.

What’s on the Menu?

I like that Green Chef’s menu is a combination of American and global cuisines. Most of the recipes are easy to follow, so you can enjoy everything from Asian noodle dishes and stir-fries to Middle-Eastern rice bowls and classic American meatloaves without worrying about your cooking skills. The recipe cards describe each step in detail (with text and pictures).

The Quick & Easy plan includes meals with much shorter prep times than the other plans. You’ll have to open each recipe to access detailed nutritional facts and calorie content, which can be a bit tedious.

For more healthy food delivered to your door, check out the add-ons section. Green Chef’s add-ons menu rivals even Factor’s in size and diversity, with extra proteins (cooked and ready to eat), breakfast options, healthy desserts, and 10-minute lunches.

What Makes It Special?

The menu uses tags to help you find the best recipes for your needs. And, according to my colleague’s tested review of Green Chef, the Keto and Calorie Smart tags usually indicate low-calorie recipes (at 650 calories or less). For instance, a serving of Spicy Turkey & Rice Skillet, which is Gluten-Free and Fast & Fit, has 650 cal.

Green Chef uses recyclable packaging materials and sustainable ingredients to reduce its carbon footprint. The company also offsets 100% of its operational and distributional carbon emissions. However, I think it could work a bit more on reducing the amount of plastic wrapping.

Is It Good Value?

Green Chef’s high quality comes with a high price tag. Using a discount code  makes it much more affordable though. Its starting price is $9.99 per serving, which is available with the maximum order (4 weekly meals for 6 people). The cost-per-serving gets even steeper for the minimum order, which is 3 meals for 2 people.

4. Nutrisystem – Best Weight-Loss Program

Nutrisystem is a weight loss program that promises quick and lasting results if you stick to the schedule. The menu includes calorie-controlled recipes with options for all the meals of the day, plus snacks and desserts.

What’s on the Menu?

The menu is extensive, with over 130 options spread across different meal plans designed for men and women at all stages of adulthood. Most recipes are designed to fit the American palate, with a few Mediterranean influences. 

You can find a large variety of pizzas, soups, stews, pasta dishes, and recipes that include lean proteins such as chicken, beef, pork, or seafood. Most meals only need a few minutes in the microwave or oven and are ready to eat. 

On the other hand, meals like shakes or oatmeal don’t need any heating. According to my colleague’s tested Nutrisystem review, each meal is clearly labeled, so it’s easy to know how to store and cook them.

What Makes It Special?

Your Nutrisystem subscription comes with the NuMI app, which helps monitor food and water intake, plus activity. The app also connects you with valuable resources, like free recipes, challenges, and tips on how to make Nutrisystem work best for you. The system constantly adjusts your calorie goals to help avoid plateaus in your weight loss journey.

I like that you can choose between Chef’s Choice and selecting your own meals when placing an order. This way, if you feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of options or it’s your first time with Nutrisystem, you can let a professional choose your meals. Unlike HelloFresh or Green Chef, Nutrisystem is a monthly delivery service, so it can be quite difficult to know which meals are best for your goals.

Is It Good Value?

Prices start at $9.64 per day for the most affordable plan. All plans provide access to the NuMi app. If you want more options, you can add Hearty Inspirations meals or protein shakes, but the cost per day will also increase.

5. Home Chef –  Best Calorie-Conscious Meal Kits

Home Chef is a fantastic dieting aid since there’s a dedicated low-calorie menu. The tabs at the top of the menu page allow you to pick from a special range of Calorie-Conscious meals with less than 625 calories per serving, so you won’t have to sift through the whole menu to find the recipes that fit your dietary needs.

What’s on the Menu?

The Home Chef menu is varied enough to keep almost everyone interested and offers a good selection of meal kits that take between 20 to 50 minutes to turn into delicious home-cooked dishes that the entire family will appreciate. 

Most of the recipes are designed to fit the American palate, but there are a couple of international options. Our Home Chef review gives you more details about the menu.

Home Chef also has a good selection of add-ons, which include a wide range of breakfast items, snacks, soups, salads, bread, desserts, protein packs, beverages, and bundles.

What Makes It Special?

The thing I love most about this service is the Customize It feature. This tool lets you personalize almost every recipe for an upcharge. You do this by swapping the default protein with a list of alternatives. For instance, with the Everything Bagel Chicken, you can swap the chicken breast with filet mignon, sirloin steak, or USDA Choice New York strip steak.

You can exclude certain ingredients, like nuts and shellfish, while placing an order. There’s also a quiz that Home Chef uses to understand your culinary preferences a little better. Just answer a few questions about your preferred tastes, serving sizes, and delivery preferences.

Is It Good Value?

Home Chef is quite affordable, with meals starting at $9.99 per serving. Meals are priced individually, so whether you order the maximum (6 weekly meals for 6 people) or the minimum (2 meals per week for 2 people), the price per serving won’t change.

6. Eat Clean – Best “Clean” Low-Calorie Meals

Eat Clean caters to varied dietary preferences for those looking for low-calorie meals. It provides an assortment of low-carb, whole-food-based meal plans. This ensures that whether you're following a Traditional, Paleo, or Plant-Based diet, there’s a plan precisely tailored to align with your specific weight loss goals and requirements.

What’s on the Menu?

A global menu offers you culinary adventures. Expanding across several cuisines ensures that your meals, from breakfast to dinner, are not just low-calorie but also exciting and varied. Items such as Cuban Style Pulled Chicken and Coconut Crusted Chicken (pictured below) are crafted to keep caloric content low while ensuring a gourmet dining experience.

Most meals feature fewer than 50-60 g of carbs. Eat Clean carefully crafts its meals, which include those that traditionally contain more carbs. For example, breakfast items like pancakes are within this range. This meticulous consideration lets you indulge in dishes without exceeding your daily calorie allotment.

What Makes It Special?

Choose your portion sizes to control your caloric intake. With the availability of Regular Portion and Large Portion Meals, you have the autonomy to select a size that aligns with your caloric and nutritional goals. Our reviewer ordered regular portions and said they were a decent size. 

Ordering flexibility adapts to your schedule and needs. With a minimum order of 6 single-serving meals per week and a maximum of 20, it aligns with various consumption needs. It allows you to tailor your orders to your exact weekly requirements.

Is It Good Value?

You’ll need to stick to just 1 plan per order. The service offers around 8 or 9 varied meals in each plan, and you can’t mix and match meals across different plans. This means your selection is somewhat constrained to a specific diet per order. However, you might find this useful if you’re following a stricter diet.

Pricing commences at $4.30. However, it’s essential to note that as the number of meals per order increases, the price per serving goes down – so you may want to order more for the best value.

7. HelloFresh – Best for High-Quality and Varied Ingredients

HelloFresh provides full nutritional information (calories and macros) for each meal, which makes it easier to stick to a calorie-controlled diet. Every meal kit provides clear details on calorie content, the number of carbs, protein, fiber, sugar, sodium, fat, and cholesterol. This comes in handy if you’re using an app to track your macros and calories.

What’s on the Menu?

I like that HelloFresh’s recipes suit any skill level, from novices to experienced chefs. For something fast and easy, you just have to follow the Easy Prep and Easy Cleanup tags (most of these recipes take between 15-35 minutes). When you want something a bit fancier, look for tags like Premium Picks, Brunch, or Hall of Fame.

For low-calorie meals, follow the Calorie Smart tag, and you’ll find recipes that are 600 calories or less per serving. HelloFresh uses tags like Veggie, Seasonal, Vegan, and others to help you find the meals you want.

The menu is large enough to offer something for everyone, whether you’re a meat-lover or vegan. You can enjoy delicious and fresh meals that are tailored to your preferences. To learn more about the HelloFresh menu and how to mix and match across plans, check out my colleague’s tried-and-tested HelloFresh review.

What Makes It Special?

I was pleased to find that you can swap out proteins and sides according to taste. You do this using the HelloCustom feature, which lets you change, swap, or upgrade 12+ sides and proteins each week.

For instance, you can upgrade your Beef and Black Bean Quesadilla by swapping the beef with organic beef, or you can make it vegetarian. The customization options are useful for picky eaters but also can be useful for lower-calorie swaps, too. However, the options are a bit limited, especially compared to Home Chef, where most of the menu has multiple choices.

Is It Good Value?

HelloFresh pricing is reasonable, especially with larger orders that reduce the per-serving cost. A box of 6 meals for 4 people costs $107.75 for your first purchase when you use our link, but you still get good value even with the minimum order (2 recipes for 2 people).

8. Purple Carrot – Best for Plant-Based Diets

Purple Carrot is a 100% plant-based, gluten- and dairy-free meal delivery service, which is why it can be a great option for people who want to lose weight and lower cholesterol. Meals are usually between 500 and 800 calories per serving and include complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, and lean plant proteins.

What’s on the Menu?

Purple Carrot celebrates plants and their health-inducing properties. So, you won’t find any meat substitutes or artificial flavorings in these meals. There are also options from famous plant-based cuisines, such as Thai or Japanese, but the main attractions are meals that resemble classic American dishes.

Whether you're an omnivore or vegan, you'll find something delicious to enjoy on Purple Carrot's menu. Recipes like Japanese Gnocchi, Spicy Buffalo Tofu Bowls, Thai Peanut Noodles, and Mac N’ Cheese are flavorful and satisfying. My colleague was impressed when they tried Purple Carrot at home.

Purple Carrot is known for its meal kits, but it also offers microwavable vegan dinners and a good selection of extras.

What Makes It Special?

The company doesn’t guarantee organic produce, but Purple Carrot sources the highest quality ingredients possible and is constantly looking for organic options. If you’re looking for certified organic ingredients, Green Chef’s Vegan plan may be a better option.

Less Prep meal kits are also the perfect solution for busy weeknights, and they're ready in 15 minutes or less. The meal kits section also includes a limited selection of breakfasts and lunches, plus snacks, desserts, and a bunch of grocery items (Plantry items) to add to your order.

Is It Good Value?

To order, you first need to decide between meal kits and prepared meals, although you can mix and match once you start choosing your meals. With meal kits, prices start at $11.00 per serving for the maximum order (3 weekly meals for 4 people). The minimum order is 3 weekly meals for 2 people, and the pricing is a bit higher than with prepared meals.

For prepared meals, the price per serving is fixed at $13, and you can order 6, 8, or 10 meals per week.

9. Blue Apron – Best Low-Calorie Gourmet Meals

Blue Apron provides an exciting selection of gourmet, restaurant-quality recipes. You’ll find a variety of cuisines from around the world, from classic American flavors with a twist to Italian, Greek, and Asian cuisine. I mean, you don’t usually find recipes like Basil Pesto Gnocchi with Mushrooms or Spicy Pork Udon on a low-calorie menu, right?

What’s on the Menu?

Many of Blue Apron’s recipes are 600 calories or less. Both the Meal Kit menu and the Prepared & Ready menu have a handy tag, so you can identify these meals quickly.

It’s also easy to find fast recipes on the Meal Kit menu since the prep time is visible while browsing. When they tried Blue Apron, my colleague found that most meal kits take between 25 and 55 minutes to make.

The add-on section is a great way to spice things up. Here, you can find desserts, snacks, à la carte appetizers, ready-made sides (usually protein), and even microwaveable prepared meals with 1 and 2 servings.

What Makes It Special?

You can customize some of Blue Apron’s recipes with swaps, like swapping thinly sliced beef for flank steak. These customizations come with an additional cost, but they give you more variety. Unfortunately, these recipes aren’t tagged; you have to click on the recipe to see if you can customize it.

There’s also the option to remove the meat from some of the meals and make them vegetarian (follow the Make It Vegetarian label for this), which can help lower the calories. You can also choose the Veggies plan with a choice of 4 recipes each week.

Is It Good Value?

Overall, Blue Apron is a great service for couples and families looking to enjoy healthy home-cooked meals, and it has a fair selection of lower-calorie offerings. 

Its pricing structure is quite affordable since the price per serving for the maximum Meal Kit order (5 weekly meals for 4 people) is $4.00. A minimum order for the prepared meals is 4 single servings per week.

10. Marley Spoon – Great for Easy, Step-by-Step Recipes

Marley Spoon focuses on making cooking simple and pleasurable, with a wide range of meal kits and several ready-made and dessert options. Each recipe is designed to be ready in 6 steps or less, and the instructions are easy to understand even by novice cooks.

What’s on the Menu?

The menu is extensive, so everyone can find something to fit their taste and needs. For those of you watching your calorie intake, there are between 12 and 16 low-calorie meals each week. There are also low-carb meals, gluten- and dairy-free recipes, and vegan and/or vegetarian dishes. 

A large part of Marley Spoon’s menu is made of classic American comfort foods, like meatloaf and turkey burgers, or kid-friendly meals, like quesadillas and breaded pork cutlets. However, there’s something for the more culinary adventurous, with international dishes like Thai Lemongrass Salmon, Hoisin-Glazed Chicken Rice Bowl, or Korean Pork Rice Bowl.

The Marley Spoon menu also includes breakfasts, desserts, and Premium options. The latter are high-quality meals with extra trimmings and restaurant-quality ingredients (usually organic). Of course, since we’re talking about premium quality, these meals come with an upcharge, so they work best for special occasions. I’ve also found that because they’re more indulgent, they tend to be higher in calories.

What Makes It Special?

Marley Spoon uses seasonal produce from sustainable suppliers. Some of the ingredients are organic, so you can look for these recipes on the weekly menu. You can find out more in my colleague’s tried-and-tested Marley Spoon review.

Marley Spoon has a very user-friendly website. To find your favorites, you can follow the tags on each recipe. There’s a “low calorie” tag, and you might also find the “low carb” and “nutritious” tags useful.

Is It Good Value?

Prices start at $4.99 per serving for the maximum order (6 meals for 4 people each week) and can get pretty steep for the minimum order (2 meals for 2 people each week). You also have to add the $11.99 shipping fee for each order.

Quick Comparison Table

Tips for Choosing the Best Low-Calorie Meal Delivery Services

I’m here to help you choose the best low-calorie meal delivery service for you. These are the key criteria I used when reviewing and ranking the best low-calorie meal delivery services on the market.

• Low-calorie (or calorie-conscious) tags: Look for a meal delivery service with a dedicated low-calorie menu tag, like Factor. This helps you sort through menu options according to your dietary requirements. It also makes it easier to find low-calorie meals quickly.
  

• Full nutritional details: Choose a service that discloses complete nutritional and caloric information for each dish, similar to Nutrisystem. This allows for better alignment with your personal health goals. Another excellent choice for clean, low-calorie meals is Eat Clean. It makes dieting super simple and straightforward without having to think about calories.
  

• Dietary compatibility: If you adhere to specific dietary guidelines (for instance, if you're a vegan or have allergies to certain food items), verify whether your selected meal delivery service caters to your requirements. For instance, Purple Carrot is an excellent option for those following a vegan or plant-based diet.

• Consider options for swaps and substitutions: Opt for a meal delivery service that allows you to exchange and modify specific ingredients, proteins, and sides, such as HelloFresh. This flexibility enables you to tailor more meals to your personal taste. Just make sure that your caloric requirements are being met by whatever service you choose.
  

FAQ

Can I lose weight with Factor? 

Yes. Factor has a good selection of prepared, calorie-smart meals. Each meal contains fewer than 700 calories, on average, with some containing slightly more and some slightly fewer.

Are meal delivery services healthy?

Most meal delivery services endeavor to create fully nutritionally balanced meals that fit an individual’s requirements for healthy eating. If you’re particularly health conscious, looking to lose weight or following a particular diet (such as keto, or vegan), a service like Green Chef may be a great option.

What is the best low-calorie meal delivery service?

Best Low-Calorie Meal Delivery Services in 2024 — Final Score