Meal delivery services can help you avoid grocery shopping and take the hassle out of choosing meals and prepping ingredients. Some will even deliver fully prepared meals to fill your fridge for the week.
I’ve curated a selection of the best meal delivery services in Denver. In order to shortlist the best meal kit and microwave-ready meal delivery services, my team and I tested every service on this list at home. Our top picks cover a range of dietary needs and cuisine preferences.
Factor is my top pick for its great service features and healthy prepared recipes. And have no fear, every service here has tasty food for hungry Denverites. Check out my full list and learn how you can eat faster, better, and healthier!
Factor – Best healthy microwave-ready meals
Green Chef – Best certified organic meals in Denver
Blue Apron – Best for beginner chefs in Denver
HelloFresh – Best diverse meal kits for Denverites
Home Chef – Best meal kit delivery service in Denver
Excellent for busy, athletic lifestyles
35 microwave-ready recipes each week
6 plans including Protein Plus, Vegan & Veggie, and Keto
Current Deal: Get up to $130 off + free shipping on your first box. Code: WEB130FREE
Factor’s microwavable meals are designed and approved by a team of registered dietitians. This ensures each recipe has a healthy balance of macronutrients. So all you busy Denverites can rest easy eating Factor's meals on those on-the-go days when you only have a few minutes to prepare your meals.
Factor’s meal plans cover a wide range of diets. The 6 plans include Protein Plus, Keto, and Vegan & Veggie, which you can mix and match as you prefer. Meals are prepared by professional chefs and delivered fresh – never frozen. The menu changes weekly and includes 35 main meals and over 40+ add-ons.
Just like the main menu, add-ons fit several dietary needs, such as keto, vegetarian, vegan, carb-conscious, calorie-smart, and protein plus. Factor's extras include desserts, meal bundles, cooked recipes, freshes, breakfasts, and smoothies with milk bases.
Each recipe is tagged according to which of the 6 plans it best accommodates. We found the colored tags on the menu really easy to navigate when we tested Factor.
Factor’s ingredients are always humanely and sustainably sourced. Each recipe is made with non-GMO and mostly organic produce. Poultry products like chicken and eggs are always cage- and antibiotic-free. Other types of meat are grass-fed and pasture-raised, and seafood like salmon is sourced in sustainable ways.
The most widely used meal tracking apps have Factor's recipes incorporated into them, making it simple to record your Factor macros. This includes LoseIt, Carb Manager, and MyFitnessPal.
You can schedule a complimentary session with a registered dietitian. Most services only allow you to do this after you order, but with Factor, you can have a discussion before signing up. This free consultation ensures that Factor’s meals meet your personal requirements.
Factor’s meals are particularly valuable for those seeking convenience without sacrificing nutritional balance. Additionally, Factor's shipping materials are industry-standard recyclable. You can reuse gel packs and meal trays and recycle cardboard, plastics, and insulated liners according to the recycling system in your zip code.
The minimum order is 6 meals per week with a maximum order of 18. 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.
A fully organic meal delivery service
45+ recipes available each week
Dietary options include keto, gluten free, and plant-based
Current deal: Free Salads for Two Months + 50% Off Your 1st Box
Green Chef is renowned for its focus on organic, sustainably sourced ingredients. The brand caters to various dietary needs and preferences and focuses on simplifying healthy cooking.
All Green Chef meal kits are super healthy and most take around 30 to 45 minutes to prepare. The recipes are adventurous and feature a wide variety of world cuisines. All eggs and produce are organic, all seafood is sustainably harvested, and all meats are humanely raised.
You can choose from 8 diet plans. These are Keto, Protein Packed, Plant Based, Gluten Free, Mediterranean, Quick & Easy, and more. Quick & Easy meals only take around 25 minutes of prep time.
Keto dieters will love Green Chef’s meal selection, with offerings like Spicy Tunisian Chicken with Pistachio Cauliflower Rice and Spicy Lemon Carrots. Its plant-based menus will keep vegans and vegetarians satisfied, too.
Whatever diet plan you choose, you can order any of Green Chef’s weekly recipes. Plans are more like filters than they are limitations on what you order. Though the meals on your plan will show up at the top of the list, you can order from the whole menu.
Ingredients arrive pre-portioned and packaged according to the recipe, and each recipe is separated into recyclable paper bags. Our reviewer noted prep time took an extra 15 to 20 minutes longer than estimated for each recipe.
Despite the extra prep time, though, the recipes are simple to follow. Novice chefs just might want to factor in a little extra time to get dinner on the table.
While Green Chef is one of the more expensive services, new customer discounts help. And as And as our Green Chef review notes, the premium cost makes sense when you consider the quality of the ingredients.
Prices start at $9.99 per serving, which is much more affordable than organic salad takeout. But it's a bit more expensive than grocery shopping and prepping on your own. You can order 6 to 24 servings per week.
Wide range of add-ons
Over 80 recipes each week
Dietary options include vegetarian, low-calorie, and low-carb
Current Deal: Enjoy meals starting as low as $4.00 + get your first week shipped for free!
Blue Apron promises easy meal kits for gourmet recipes that taste and look like a professional chef cooked them. Its offer includes a wide range of options, including family-friendly meals, and most of the recipes are based on in-season ingredients.
Blue Apron’s menus are available for individuals, couples, and families. It offers balanced, keto-friendly, plant-based, and health-conscious meals, among others. It also has a great Wellness plan that makes dieting much less of a chore. The restaurant-quality meals come in at just 530 calories per serving.
Most meal kits need about 25 to 30 minutes of prep time, but you can also choose from microwave-ready meals from the Prepared & Ready plan. These dishes include all the same high-quality ingredients as Blue Apron's meal kits.
The humane sourcing of meats and the sustainable farming of produce are 2 ways that Blue Apron prioritizes the quality of its ingredients. You can eat the dishes without worrying about the addition of hormones or antibiotics to it.
When we reviewed Blue Apron, we found it was among the best services for beginners. You can find complete recipes on the website and read through each step in advance. Or you can click the Cook Along button for a slideshow version of your recipe – with pictures. There are even some videos available.
There are some customization options available. Usually, you’ll just get the choice to swap a protein. You can make other swaps at home while cooking the meal kits.
The company is focused on using recyclable packaging materials, whenever possible. Additionally, the ingredients are pre-portioned for each recipe, which means you'll have little-to-no food waste.
Blue Apron is a good value for those looking for a balance between cost, quality, and culinary adventure. Despite the separate vegetarian meal plan, I found the overall plant-based offer a bit limited with around 8 options per week across both Meal Kits and Prepared & Ready meals.
Blue Apron's minimum order of Meal kits is 2 meals of 2 servings each per week. But you're free to order as many as 5 meals of 4 servings each per week. Or you can buy 4, 6, 8, or 10 Prepared & Ready recipes weekly. You’re also free to add additional meals to your order as well as add-ons. Pricing starts at around $4.00 per serving for the maximum order.
Hall of Fame tag lets you find customer favorites
Over 100 items on the menu per week
Dietary options include carb-smart, calorie-smart, vegetarian, and pescatarian
HelloFresh is one of the world’s largest meal delivery services. This service lets you select from 6 meal plans. These are Meat & Veggies, Veggie, Family Friendly, Fit & Wholesome, Under 20 Minutes, and Pescatarian. You can mix and match plans for a greater variety of options.
You’ll find 100+ meal kit recipes and other menu items on the menu each week. These are primarily American cuisine with some Mediterranean and Mexican influences. Recipes range from crowd-pleasing favorites like Mushroom and Chive Risotto to date night-worthy premium picks like Garlic Herb Butter Shrimp and Lobster Tails.
Most recipes take about 30 minutes to prepare, but prep times range from 10 to 50 minutes. For busy nights, HelloFresh also offers One-Pot and quick meals, which only take 10 to 15 minutes of prep time.
You’ll also find several recipes with 10-min, 15-min, and 20-min tags each week, which are usually salads and sandwiches. The BBQ Pulled Pork Sando with Gouda, Pickles, and Slaw only takes 10 minutes to prep, which isn’t only time-friendly for busy families but also a crowd-pleaser for kids.
Ingredients arrive pre-portioned and separated according to each recipe. You’ll still have to take care of most prep like cutting and washing produce or mixing up sauces.
HelloFresh labels its most popular recipes with a yellow Hall of Fame tag and lists them at the beginning of each weekly menu. If you’re unsure what to choose on your first order and are open to trying something new, you can fill your order with these top-rated options after you’ve created your account.
If there’s a problem, HelloFresh’s customer support team is there to help. We tested HelloFresh’s service and found that the customer service was as good as you’d expect from a company of this size.
HelloFresh provides a wide range of recipes with fresh ingredients at a competitive price point. This makes it a good value for those who enjoy cooking and want to explore different cuisines without the hassle of meal planning and grocery shopping.
HelloFresh’s minimum order is 2 recipes for 2 people per week, and you can get up to 6 recipes for up to 6 people per week. Larger orders offer a better per-serving price, while smaller orders are a bit higher. For instance, as a first-time user, you can get 6 meals for 4 people for only $107.75 by using our link.
A huge range of low-prep meal kits
30+ recipes available per week
Dietary options include carb- and calorie-conscious
Home Chef is particularly beneficial for busy individuals and families. Consider this service if you want to enjoy home-cooked meals without the hassle of extensive meal planning and grocery shopping.
The menu spans from classic American comfort foods to exotic international dishes, making sure that there's something to tantalize every palate. This variety not only introduces you to new flavors but also provides familiar favorites. This makes it ideal for both adventurous eaters and those with more traditional tastes.
The meal kits offered by Home Chef are designed for ease and convenience. They range from quick, simple recipes that can be prepared in about 30 minutes to more elaborate culinary experiences for those who enjoy spending more time in the kitchen.
For those with specific dietary needs, Home Chef provides a range of options. This includes low-calorie, low-carb, and vegetarian dishes, among others. Each recipe is clearly labeled with dietary information, making it easy for customers to find meals that fit their nutritional requirements.
Home Chef’s customization feature is its biggest draw. It lets you upgrade or substitute the protein options in many recipes. You can get chicken breasts instead of pork tenderloin, double up on your portion of steak, or replace white fish with salmon.
In our Home Chef review, we found that customized proteins come with an upcharge, so be sure to double-check your order total. This happens because of the premium upgrades you can get to your proteins. Filet mignon is a more expensive protein than chicken breast, for example.
While you can customize proteins, you can’t exclude or exchange other ingredients. This is why Home Chef is best for omnivores who have no allergies or special dietary needs. But you can exclude up to several ingredients, such as poultry, fish, shellfish, and peanuts while setting up your meal plan.
Home Chef’s prices, variety, and customizations are competitive. It’s hard to beat HelloFresh’s offering of 100+ recipes per week, true. But Home Chef still offers dozens of meal kits of primarily American comfort food with some internationally inspired dishes.
Prices start at $9.99 per portion, and you can order 2 to 6 recipes per week for 2, 4, or 6 people. That gives you 4 to 36 portions per week. This is among the largest order sizes offered by any meal delivery service.
Low-calorie plans designed by dietitians
Over 150 recipes across several menus
7 diet plans including Gluten Free, Keto Flex, and Vegan
A Ph.D. dietitian with over 20 years of expertise creates every BistroMD dish. People with varying dietary preferences can lose weight with the support of her team of certified dietitians who create weekly meal plans. BistroMD is ideal for individuals hoping to transition to a low-calorie diet.
Meals are designed to complete a 1,200- or 1,400-calorie-per-day meal plan. Each meal is around 400 to 450 calories, with calorie counts and nutritional information labeled clearly on each meal. Check out our tested experience with BistroMD’s complete meal delivery service in our review.
Sadly, you can’t make any ingredient swaps since each meal is designed to be part of a strictly planned and portioned calorie-conscious diet. BistroMD also doesn’t focus on ingredient sourcing. So you won’t find wild-caught, grass-fed, or organic options on the menu like you might with a service like Green Chef.
These restrictions won’t stop you from receiving well-balanced, low-calorie meals composed of whole ingredients. Depending on the meal plan you select, each meal has the right proportions of complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, and proteins.
BistroMD’s menu is crafted by registered dietitians, ensuring that you get nutritionally balanced and supportive meals that meet your health goals. This expert involvement adds a layer of trust and reliability to the entire offering.
Additionally, all meals arrive fully prepared and frozen in individually portioned packages. So, all you have to do is defrost, heat, and eat. I like how convenient this is since all decisions about food consumption are removed from your daily trips to the fridge.
However, what’s not clear is how long the meals are frozen before they arrive. If you prefer to receive fresh fully-prepared meals, try a service, like Factor.
The pricing of BistroMD reflects its specialized meal plans and dietitian-designed menus. It may be pricier compared to some other meal delivery services, true. But the value lies in its tailored dietary options and the convenience of having healthy, balanced meals readily available.
For each plan, you can choose 2 or 3 daily meals for 5 or 7 days. If you choose the maximum number of meals for 7 days, you’ll get 2 meals for the seventh day and My Night. This removes any thoughts about whether you’ll have a diet-friendly meal in your freezer or fridge. Pricing for the maximum plan of 20 meals comes out to $6.59 per serving.
Vegan breakfasts, lunches, and dinners
30+ meal kits and prepared meals on the menu each week
Dietary options include gluten-free, nut-free, and high protein
Everything on Purple Carrot’s menu is 100% plant-based. The Mile-High City has a good vegan restaurant scene, but avoiding unwanted animal products in your food can still be a challenge. Purple Carrot easily meets this challenge with meal kits, prepared meals, and easy-prep kits.
All Purple Carrot recipes rotate each week, so you still get fresh weekly recipe options. There are 2 dozen meal kit recipes, including 5-minute breakfasts, easy 15-minute lunches, and dinners that are ready in just 30 minutes.
Despite the smaller menu, I find the cuisine options varied and more for adventurous palates. You’ll find a mix of international recipes including Mediterranean, Indian, and Asian. Each meal kit is packed with veggies, herbs, and spices, and features veggies as the star flavors of each dish.
What I appreciate about Purple Carrot’s menu is its prepared meal options. You’ll find 16 meal kit recipes that rotate each week, as well as snacks and pantry staples in the Plantry. That means you can try a different prepared recipe each day of the week, every week.
I like that Purple Carrot doesn’t rely on meat substitutes for flavor or protein. Instead, it brings vegetables to the foreground with creative plant combos like Hoisin Tofu Steaks with Sticky Rice and Spinach Poppy Seed Salad. In our Purple Carrot review, we loved its diverse collection of recipes inspired by cuisines around the world.
Purple Carrot also offers High Protein meals, which have at least 20 g of protein per serving. Finding enough protein on a plant-based diet can be tough, but Purple Carrot’s High Protein plan makes it heat-and-eat level easy.
Purple Carrot is a bit more expensive than some general meal kit services, but its pricing is comparable to other specialized, plant-based options. The cost reflects the niche market it serves and the quality of ingredients used.
Pricing starts at starts at $11.00 per serving for the maximum meal kit order of 3 meal kits for 4 people. Prepared meals cost $13 per meal and you can order 6, 8, or 10 per week.
Top Plans | |||||||
Top Plans | |||||||
Our Rating | |||||||
Our Rating | 9.8 | 9.7 | 9.6 | 9.6 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 9.4 |
Best Offer | |||||||
Best Offer | $103.41 Per Box | $9.99 Per Serving | $4.00 Per Serving | $107.75 Per Box | $9.99 Per Serving | $6.59 Per Serving | $11.00 Per Serving |
Minimum Order | |||||||
Minimum Order | 6 prepared meals | 3 meals for 2 people | 2 meals for 2 people | 2 meals for 2 people | 2 meals for 2 people | 10 prepared meals | 3 meal kits for 2 people/6 prepared meals |
Meal Types | |||||||
Meal Types | Prepared meals | 10-45 minute meal kits | 5 - 60 min meal kits and prepared meals | Meal kits, speedy kits, prepared meals | Kits, speedy kits, oven-ready | Prepared meals | Meal kits, prepared meals |
Prep Time | |||||||
Prep Time | 2-3 min | 25-40 min | 5-45 min | 5-50 min | 5-50 min | 2-3 min | 3-40 min |
Active Deals | |||||||
Active Deals |
Since Denver is a dense metropolitan city, you have lots of meal delivery services options. Here are some professional pointers for choosing the meal delivery service that’s right for you.
Factor is my pick for the best meal delivery service in Denver thanks to its high-quality ingredients and healthy prepared meals. It’s a great choice for busy Denverites who want to eat healthily but are pushed for time. Plus you can choose from a range of niche diet plans.
Factor is the best fully prepared meal delivery service in Denver. You can choose from a range of healthy, microwave-ready meals each week across several diets.
Green Chef is the healthiest meal delivery service in Denver if eating organic is your version of healthy. You can choose from 8 meal plans to match your diet that include Keto, Plant Based, Mediterranean, Gluten Free, Quick & Easy, and a few more.