eMeals Review 2024: Save Time on Diet Planning

Overview

If you want a curated meal plan while saving money with home-cooked meals – meet the eMeals app. While meal delivery services are super convenient, they can be pretty expensive. Ordering from eMeals is like ordering from a meal delivery service without any food being delivered.

eMeals is an app that makes a shopping list for you according to 1 of 15 meal plans. All you have to do is select your meal plan, select the recipes you like, review your shopping list, and get to the store. Or, you can order your groceries through one of eMeals integrated grocery shopping partners – like Amazon, Walmart, Instacart, Kroger, and Shipt.

No more spending time researching and planning recipes or making a grocery list – eMeals has you covered. Read on to discover more about this service.

eMeals' Offer: You Get Access to 15 Meal Plans

When you sign up for eMeals you’ll have access to 15 meal plans each with 7 weekly meals. When you select the meals you want, the ingredients are added to your cart. You can go to the store and buy these yourself or have the app arrange grocery pickup or delivery through one of its shopping partners. When the ingredients arrive, it’s time to get cooking.

Recipe Plans: You Get New Recipes Each Week

eMeals accommodates many specific diets and curates 7 recipes per plan each week. Each recipe plan usually includes a fun beverage, too – alcoholic and non-alcoholic. You’ll find most recipes are lunch and dinner appropriate, but you can find some breakfast-appropriate recipes when you search the catalog.

You can choose recipes for the following diet and prep-based plans:

• Plant-Based: vegetarian and vegan-friendly recipes

• Mediterranean: recipes of fresh veggies, healthy fats, and fish or meat

• Gluten Free: recipes excluding ingredients with gluten

• Diabetic: recipes including 30 to 55 g carbs and around 500 kcal per serving

• Paleo: minimally processed, grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free

• Keto: recipes of high fat, low carb, moderate protein foods

• Low Carb: recipes including less than 20 g net carbs per serving

• Low Calorie: recipes including 500 kcal or less per serving

• Heart Healthy: recipes including 800 mg sodium and 500 kcal per serving (estimated)

• Slow Cooker: recipes great for a slow cooker

• 30 Minute: easy prep recipes ready in 30 minutes or less

• Budget Friendly: recipes using typically affordable ingredients

• Kid Friendly: recipes of familiar favorites typically liked by kids

• Clean Eating: recipes using minimally processed ingredients

• Quick and Healthy: easy prep recipes with minimally processed ingredients

You’re required to pick a plan when signing up, but you can choose from any meal plan once you’ve created your account. For recipes you want to try, simply click + Add to List on the recipe card. You’ll see your Shopping List cart update and be able to view the recipe ingredients added to your Shopping List.

What’s great is the app keeps 2 lists for you – Meal Recipes and Shopping List. This way you can still see which ingredient is for which recipe and edit your List smartly. Sometimes, you’ll notice the same recipes on different menus, like Keto recipes on the Mediterranean or Paleo plan, and vice versa.

There are plenty of recipes with unique ingredients to satisfy adventurous palates. The prep time is displayed on each meal image, so if you’re not wanting to spend too long in the kitchen, then select those meals with the lowest prep times.

There’s no automated recipe selection feature, so you must manually select your recipes each week. The service automatically recommends recipes, but you have to open your account and select which recipes you want to create a shopping list for. If you prefer a more automated service, you might want to check out one of these Top Meal Delivery Services of 2024.

The most convenient feature is that you can remove any recipe ingredient from your List, making recipes 100% flexible according to your dietary needs. If you see an ingredient you know you want to avoid, you can simply swipe left on the ingredient to delete it from your List.

You can also share your shopping list with a pickup or delivery service like Instacart. You’ll have to integrate your grocery delivery service of choice by following a few quick steps. eMeals will share your Shopping List with that delivery service app.

So, this app is best for those of you who want basic assistance in meal planning, don’t mind choosing your own recipes each week, and are ok with doing the grocery shopping or using a grocery delivery service.

Customization: You Can Personalize Recipes to Meet Your Needs

All recipes are 100% flexible since you or a delivery service are doing the shopping, and you can remove any ingredient you don’t want from your Shopping List before you head to the store. All recipes are just suggestions that are meant to help you stick to the diet you need while giving you the flexibility to adjust as you need.

In addition to your weekly menu, you can always view all other available diet plan menus. You can add recipes from other diets to your weekly menu and Shopping List, which is a great way to try new diets and keep your weekly menu interesting. You can also view trending recipes, Collections, Occasion menus, and all your previous plans from the app home page.

While removing an ingredient is easy, there aren’t any replacement suggestions in the app. You can add some grocery items through the app, but if those items aren’t available, you’ll have to keep a second list of item replacements when shopping.

For even more recipes, you can use the Search feature to browse by category. Note that this is available in the app only. Super Fast, Kid-Friendly, No Cook, and Casual Brunch are a few categories. eMeals also shows you a collection of the top trending meals as rated by app users, which might be a great place to start if you’re unsure which diet plan to choose.

Unfortunately, you can’t filter recipes by allergen – except for the Gluten-Free plan. For those who have serious food allergies, this app doesn’t really add much convenience. You’ll still have to read through recipes and ingredient labels as you normally would. If you suffer from allergies, check out our list of the Best Allergy-Friendly Meal Delivery Services.

You also can’t combine more than 1 diet plan at a time to view recipes that match 2 diets. I eat gluten-free, sugar-free, carb-conscious, and calorie-conscious. While there’s a separate plan for 3 of those needs, I can’t choose from a menu that combines them to show me recipes that match each diet. Perhaps accommodating my diet is a tall order, but in the spirit of adding convenience to meal planning, I find the lack of allergen filters and diet combination features a demerit.

eMeals’ Recipes at a Glance

Meal Planning With eMeals: As Simple As It Gets

Creating a meal plan is eMeals’ main added value, which it provides each Wednesday. You’ll receive a new menu plan weekly that you can conveniently view on the app, download as a PDF, or print. This is like receiving recipe cards in your box from a meal delivery service. Each recipe shows the nutritional breakdown, ingredient list, and cooking instructions.

Prep times for meals are all different, so you’ll want to double-check your recipes ahead of time to ensure you have enough time to prep. You’ll also want to double-check they’re at your skill level! Most recipes are easy for the beginner chef, but for those who are completely new to cooking at home – you might want to account for extra prep time since you might be pulling up how-to YouTube clips as you go.

If you’re a novice chef needing cooking guidance, you might want to try Blue Apron. Blue Apron’s meal delivery service includes pictures in all its instructions and even has follow-along videos so you know exactly what you should do for each prep step. My colleague tried Blue Apron at home and found its clear instructions great for chefs of any skill level.

Cooking With eMeals: Most Recipes Take Around 30 Minutes to Prepare

Meal prep times vary with every recipe but mostly range from 20 to 35 minutes. You can find plenty of easy prep recipes in the Search feature. Categories include No Cook, Super Fast, On the Grill, and Simple to Go.

Shortlist of My Favorite Meals

I’m a “quick and easy” kind of chef and like to make meals requiring minimal prep. I also have several dietary restrictions including no-to-low sugar, gluten-free, and moderate protein. With those needs in mind, I browsed eMeals to find recipes that would create the most appealing weekly menu.

The Lemon-Feta Shrimp and Asparagus matches all my preferences – quick and easy, gluten-free, moderate protein, no sugar, low carb, and even matches my flavor profile. I like recipes with simple, clean ingredients that I can easily throw together in 1 pot or 1 pan. There’s also a wine-pairing suggestion for most recipes, as you can see above!

Affordability is another of my preferences, and while you can’t price check on eMeals’ app, you can price check if you integrate one of the grocery delivery services like Instacart. eMeals also has recipes tagged into searchable categories like “Super Fast” including the Salmon Salad with Avocado and Blueberries, which is ready in just 20 minutes.

Prices: You Only Pay for the Recipes

Keep in mind that you’re only paying for the recipe recommendations and a shopping list  – not the groceries on the shopping list or the delivery fees associated with any service you choose. You’ll have to pay those separately at the store or through your grocery delivery service app.

What’s useful about the app is you can try 2 weeks for free to see if it’s useful for you. This will help you determine whether the level of convenience this service offers is worth the subscription fee.

Dinner is the minimum required plan and is automatically billed after your 2-week trial. After the 2 weeks, you can add breakfast, lunch, or both by logging in on the website. You’ll see the breakfast and lunch plan options on your login home page.

How eMeals Works (Step by Step Guide)

eMeals is a subscription service that curates a flexible weekly grocery shopping list for you based on your chosen diet. Each week, the service recommends recipes based on your diet, and you choose which recipes you want to be added to your shopping list.

eMeals functions best via the app, especially if you plan on using a grocery delivery service like Instacart. Several grocery pickup and delivery services are seamlessly integrated with the eMeals app to make getting your groceries easier.

How to Sign Up (Just 5 Simple Steps)

1. Download the app. You can find it in the App Store or Google Play since it’s iOS and Android compatible.

2. Create an account with your email. Using an email that’s associated with your grocery delivery app makes integrating eMeals with that app much easier.

3. Choose your diet plan. Choose from 15 diet plans. The service will automatically only give you a dinner plan, and you can add a lunch or breakfast plan through your website login.

4. Choose your recipes. Click +Add to List to add the ingredients for that recipe to your shopping list.

5. Review and edit your Shopping List. Add any other last-minute food or drink recipes and remove any ingredients you don’t want.

6. (Optional) Order from a delivery service or go grocery shopping. You can connect eMeals with Instacart, Amazon, Walmart, and more. If you already have an account with 1 of these services, simply select which 1 you use, and eMeals will share your Shopping List with that service. Otherwise, you’ll need to sign up with one of these grocery delivery services, download the app, and create an account – very similar to the beginning of this sign-up process!

Managing Your Subscription

Weekly menus are delivered each Wednesday via email and on the app. When you receive your new menu, you can still access the previous week’s menu, just in case there was a recipe you’d like to repeat. Viewing your menu is easiest via the app, or you can log on to the website, download it as a PDF, or print it to start creating your own recipe book.

Managing your plan is a bit confusing since features change from website to mobile app. Some differing features are the subscription management features, menus, and the search feature. For example, there’s a page in the app dedicated to letting you search for recipes outside of your selected diet plan, while you can’t search for recipes on the website.

You can easily add breakfast or lunch plans on the website homepage, while you can’t do so through the app. However, you can only edit your Shopping List through the app, and while you can view your List on the website, you can’t edit it. This makes subscription management a bit of a dance between the website and app.

If you like your eMeals Shopping List and don’t need to edit items – this won’t matter. You can access the Shopping List on the app and on the website. You can download your List as a PDF from the website or from the app and view your current and next week’s plan through both.

While eMeals doesn’t have live customer service, canceling your account is easy. eMeals provides several ways to cancel your account along with instructions for each method you can use to cancel.

For more specific subscription management questions – the FAQ is very useful. You can easily search your topic of interest and find an answer or How-To for most topics. In researching eMeals service features, I found the FAQ section informative and sufficient for answering all my subscription questions.

Customer Service: eMeals’ Support Isn’t Great

I find eMeals customer service options to be a bit outdated since there’s no chatbot, live chat customer support, phone line, or email address. While this service doesn’t deliver any products, I still find this lack of customer service to be non user-friendly.

The only other customer service option is to Submit a Ticket via the app or website. If you have a recipe question, a billing issue, app malfunction, or a question about a meal plan that requires a timely response, you don’t have any contact options.

The most convenient customer service feature is the extensive FAQ. I found most of my answers about how eMeals works through the FAQ section, but could still only submit a ticket if I had further questions.

How eMeals Compares to Other Meal Delivery Services

eMeals is best compared to meal delivery services that have a variety of great meal plans you can easily follow or customize. Meal delivery services will overall be more expensive than eMeals since you receive meal kits or prepared meals according to your selected meal plan.

However, on average both are far cheaper than dining out and for those with allergies or restrictive diets – eMeals or a meal delivery service are great since you’ll know exactly what’s in your meals.

eMeals vs. Factor

Factor is another traditional meal delivery service that offers 4 diet-specific plans. What’s most convenient about Factor is that meals arrive fresh and ready to heat and eat in 3 to 5 minutes. You’ll find zero preservatives, artificial sweeteners, or flavors in Factor’s meals.

Like eMeals, you can stick to one meal plan or select meals from all plans. Factor is great if you want help with planning, shopping, and meal prep since all you have to do is select what recipes you want and heat them in the microwave when they arrive. Factor's prices drop with larger orders. You can get 18 meals for just $103.41 on your first order using our link.

eMeals vs. Blue Apron

Blue Apron is good for you if you want help planning globally-inspired gourmet meals.  Blue Apron’s main service is providing meal kits and ready-made meals with easy-to-follow recipes for chefs of any level.

You’ll find a wide variety of recipes that rotate each week, so you’ll never get bored. Blue Apron also provides weight-loss-friendly recipes (such as low-calorie or high-protein), so you can easily track your weight-loss journey with its service. Prices start at $4.00 per serving for meal kits.

eMeals vs. Noom

Noom isn’t quite eMeals or meal delivery services – it promotes behavioral change. The program is designed by psychologists and nutritionists to help you make dietary and exercise behavioral changes that will help you achieve your health goals. You can access it through the app or website.

Noom is like eMeals since it suggests recipes and categories of foods to eat and avoid. All you’ll have to do is write your shopping list based on the recipe suggestions. This program is best for people who can make behavioral changes with a virtual nutritionist, fitness instructor, and life coach. Auto-renewing subscriptions start at $70.

The Bottom Line: Is eMeals Worth It?

This app is a practical solution for reducing time spent on meal planning. You can choose recipes from 15 meal plans and many other curated recipe collections to find the meals that best suit your needs. If meal planning is stressful for you, especially if you want to plan your diet-specific meals ahead of time, this app is super helpful.

You can easily integrate your eMeals shopping list with grocery delivery services to enhance your meal planning convenience. eMeals is like your typical meal delivery service minus the delivered meals, but with complete recipe flexibility.

Nonetheless, its pricing may be slightly higher than that of its rivals, and it might not be the ideal choice for individuals with particular dietary requirements beyond what the app offers or food sensitivities.

FAQ

How does eMeals work?

eMeals is a meal planning app that creates a shopping list based on a meal and diet plan. After you choose a meal (i.e. breakfast, lunch, dinner) and diet plan (e.g. keto, plant-based, Meditteranean), eMeals recommends recipes based on your choices and creates a shopping list of ingredients for you to cook each recipe at home. You can remove any ingredient you don’t want on the shopping list and add recipes from other diet plans.

Can I customize eMeals diet plans?

Yes – you can choose diet type, how many people you’re feeding, which daily meals you want to cover, and remove any ingredients you don’t need from your shopping list.

What types of plans does eMeals offer?

eMeals offers different plans based on diet, the number of people eating, and what daily meals you want to cover. This means you can choose a diet plan like paleo or vegan for 1 to 6 people and which meals you want to cover between breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

How does eMeals help with grocery shopping?

eMeals does your meal planning and creates a shopping list for you by recommending recipes according to your diet, then curating a shopping list of ingredients based on those recipe recommendations. This service is great if you want to remove the effort of meal planning and creating grocery lists.