7 Best Meal Delivery Services in Madison in 2024

Choosing the best meal delivery services in Madison is a lot easier said than done. Selecting a service that guarantees quality, diversity, and value for money isn’t all that simple when there seem to be so many options. It's like navigating a large food festival with endless vendors.

I've done the legwork this year to help save you time and find what you’re looking for. After thorough research and vetting, I've rounded up the best options.

Among all the options, Factor is my top choice. It offers an elevated dining experience with a large selection of prepared meals. The menu is inspired by global cuisines – and you get lots of extras, snacks, and beverages.

The Best Meal Delivery Services in Madison Reviewed

1. Factor – Best Prepared Meals for Fitness Enthusiasts

Factor is all about fresh, nutritious prepared meals that still feel satisfying. The company works with registered dietitians and professional chefs to create every meal. You can even start by speaking to a resident nutrition coach to discuss your health goals. 

What’s on the Menu?

Factor is best if you’re too busy to cook but want to keep track of your diet and fitness. We explain the variety of health-conscious plans to pick from in our tested Factor review.

Factor’s plans include Keto, Vegan & Veggie, Protein Plus, Flexitarian, and Calorie Smart. Most of the meals contain 600 calories or fewer. Around 80 to 90% of the meals have the Protein Plus label for those who wish to consume more protein than average.

There is an impressive number of cuisines on offer. Most of the meals are more Americanized, but there’s everything from Latin American, Asian, French-inspired, Italian, Greek, and many more.

What Makes It Special?

Factor's single-serving, prepared meals are perfectly suited for individuals or couples seeking quality and ease in their dining experience. The format eliminates food waste and simplifies meal planning and preparation, making it a smart choice for those with busy lifestyles.

You can get a bunch of add-ons and extras with Factor. Choose items such as pancakes, egg bites, extra smoked sausages, smoothies, keto desserts, extra chicken wings, steaks, veggie sides, granola, and lots more. It’s among the most impressive selections of sides I’ve seen.

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.

However, it's important to note that selecting meals labeled as Gourmet Plus will incur additional costs. With a starting point of 6 meals per week and various options up to 18, Factor provides flexibility to suit your lifestyle and schedule.

2. Green Chef – Best Organic Meals

Green Chef’s meal kits are some of the quickest, with an average prep time of 30 minutes. A few options each week may require up to 40 minutes, which remains manageable for busy individuals looking to streamline meal times without compromising on quality or variety.

What’s on the Menu?

Green Chef offers a variety of mix-and-match meal plans. These include Protein Packed, Keto, Plant Based, Mediterranean, Calorie Smart, Quick & Easy, Gut & Brain Health, and a specialized Gluten Free option.

The service focuses on nutritious ingredients, incorporating plenty of vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. The ingredients are free of GMO’s, pesticides, and antibiotics, and all proteins are raised with high animal welfare standards.

Green Chef offers a gourmet experience with a diverse range of international dishes. Expect Italian, Asian-inspired, Mexican, French, and more. Roughly a third of the menu comprises classic American recipes, like Cheesy Artichoke Chicken Sandwiches.

What Makes It Special?

The service also offers a broad selection of add-ons and extras. You’ll find breakfast items like egg bites and pancakes, lunches such as salads and wraps, keto-friendly cookies for dessert, and an array of protein add-ons featuring shrimp, salmon, chicken, beef, and various ground meats.

Green Chef also sets itself apart with a strong commitment to sustainability. The packaging is designed with a minimal carbon footprint in mind, and the meals incorporate high-quality, USDA-certified organic ingredients.

Is It Good Value?

It's worth noting that Green Chef doesn't provide ready-made meals. If you prefer heat-and-eat meals, consider exploring services like Factor. However, cooking with Green Chef is straightforward thanks to vivid recipe cards and clear instructions. Our tested review explores this further.

The smallest order from Green Chef is 3 meals for 2 people per week, with the possibility of ordering up to 4 meals for 6 people. With the biggest order, you can save roughly $1.50 per serving, resulting in a cost of $9.99 per serving.

3. Blue Apron – Best for Health-Conscious Meal Kits

Blue Apron is perfect if you want tasty, restaurant-style meals in the comfort of your own home. The recipes are gourmet, yet they also don’t take too much time to prepare. You can serve most meal kits in 30 or 40 minutes, while prepared meals require only quick heating.

What’s on the Menu?

In terms of actual cuisines, there are plenty to choose from. There’s everything from Latin American, French, Italian, Mediterranean, Asian, and lots more. See what our reviewer thought when they tried Blue Apron at home. 

Overall, the meals are pretty simple to prepare, too. If you’re a novice cook, you’ll enjoy adding new dishes to your repertoire. Each dish comes with easy-to-follow recipe cards that come with your delivery.

Many of the meals are kid-friendly, and you can order up to 4 servings. If you get the meal kits, it’s also easy to omit certain ingredients if anyone in your household is a bit picky.

It’s easy to customize some of your meals as well. Some meals allow you to replace the protein option. For instance, the Steaks & Garlic Mashed Potatoes will let you get bistro or tenderloin steaks, depending on your preference. Other meals let you make a meat-based meal into a vegetarian option.

What Makes It Special?

On top of that, you get access to lots of extras among Add-Ons. Blue Apron also has a Market section where you can buy subscription-free meal kits. This is great if you want to try out some of its meals before signing up for a subscription. Our tested Blue Apron review has more details on these choices.

Every week brings new options, too. There may be some overlap in terms of options from week to week, but for the most part, the menu will rotate. This includes the main meals, sides, snacks, and add-ons.

Is It Good Value?

Blue Apron’s minimum Meal Kits order is 2 meals of 2 servings per week, up to 5 meals of 4 servings. If you prefer Prepared & Ready recipes, you can buy 4, 6, 8, or 10 single-serving meals per plan. Note that you can add extra meals manually if you need more food. The price per portion starts at $4.00.

You can switch between meal plans from one week to the next. Or you can mix and match meal kits and freshly cooked, heat-and-eat options in the same week by placing separate orders.

4. HelloFresh – Best Family-Friendly Meals

HelloFresh stands as a budget-conscious, family-centric alternative to Green Chef. It provides an array of recipes that require around 20 minutes of preparation, catering to various dietary needs.

What’s on the Menu?

HelloFresh offers 6 specific plans. These include Meat & Veggies, Veggie, Family Friendly, Fit & Wholesome, Under 20 Minutes, and Pescatarian. You can find detailed information on each plan in our tested HelloFresh review.

The service also accommodates specific dietary preferences such as low-carb, low-calorie, and pescatarian. However, if you have any food allergies or intolerances, HelloFresh advises thoroughly inspecting the ingredients list of each meal before placing an order.

Expect to receive easy-to-follow recipes, fresh premium ingredients, and a wide variety of cuisines. You'll find lots of traditional American recipes as well as Asian-inspired, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and more.

What Makes It Special?

The breadth of meal and add-on choices offered by HelloFresh is one of the most extensive I've seen. Extras include breakfast items like granola, desserts, salad, sides, bulk proteins, and even some ready-made meals. But this just scratches the surface; I urge you to explore the site personally for a complete overview.

With HelloFresh, you can preview up to 6 weeks of menus ahead of time. Notably, the meals typically rotate each week, a deviation from many competitors who often reuse meals from previous weeks.

Is It Good Value?

HelloFresh offers great value for families looking to simplify their meal times without breaking the bank. With a diverse range of meal plans tailored to family sizes, this service provides fresh, quality ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes that cater to both adult and kid tastes. 

HelloFresh offers mid-tier pricing with great value for larger boxes, giving you a better per-serving cost. For example, first-time users can get 6 meals for 4 people for only $107.75, and shipping costs remain the same across box sizes.

4. Home Chef – Best Customization Options

Home cooking can be fun and easy – which is what Home Chef’s goal is. It offers a variety of meal kits and oven-ready meals that don’t take much of your time to prepare. You can find out more about Home Chef’s offerings in our tried and tested review.

What’s on the Menu?

Home Chef has a handy <30-minute menu filtering option on the menu. This will populate the menu with the fastest options. You’ll find meals that are as fast as 15 minutes, like the Diced Chicken Gyro or the Oven-Ready Dilly Alfredo Salmon, which takes 20 to 30 minutes in the oven.

Along with a selection of meat and fish dishes, you’ll find a good number of veggie dishes. Other dietary options include carb- and calorie-conscious, and veggie. You can also find a range of Keto-Friendly and Gluten Smart tagged recipes. 

I do like the number of cuisine options, though. You’ll find everything from Japanese, Italian, French, Asian, classic American, Latin American, Greek, and much more. I’d say that Home Chef’s meals are a bit fancier than Blue Apron’s, but also very kid-friendly.

What Makes It Special?

With its Customize It feature, you can replace the proteins in many meals. For example, the Portobello and Pepper Sauté is usually veggie. However, it can be sent to you with filet mignon, NY strip steak, boneless skinless chicken breast, or boneless pork chops instead.

Home Chef elevates the meal kit experience by offering an extensive list of ingredients you can opt to avoid, including shellfish, pork, tree nuts, and mushrooms, among others. This customization feature ensures that your menu aligns with your dietary needs and preferences.

Is It Good Value?

You’ll also spot some extras on the menu each week. These include salad and bread bundles, desserts, protein packs, and much more. Home Chef offers up a truly impressive selection of add-ons.

6. BistroMD – Best Weight Loss Plans

If you're targeting weight loss, BistroMD is a top pick. Its meals are scientifically crafted for weight reduction, and according to our review, the flavor luckily isn't sacrificed for health benefits.

What’s on the Menu?

You can select from various specialized diet plans – Heart Healthy, Gluten Free, Keto Flex, Diabetic Friendly, and Vegan. Choose the plan that best aligns with your goals. You can’t mix and match these plans. If that’s important to you, check out Factor.

BistroMD's menu filtering system is also a pretty notable feature. It allows you to focus on your preferred ingredients such as beef, turkey, chicken, soups & stews, and even pasta. 

BistroMD offers a wide variety of meals, spanning breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks, and more. You’ll see meals such as Butternut Squash with Chicken Meatballs and Grilled Salmon with BBQ sauce for lunch/dinner. The Vegan menu brings you exciting dishes such as African Peanut Stew and Harissa Chickpea Power Bowl.

What Makes It Special?

Every day brings a new meal to the table, keeping your diet journey exciting and far from repetitive. This avoids the fatigue that can set in from consuming the typical "chicken and broccoli" constantly.

The menu may not be as international as some meal delivery services, but it’s far from boring. Most meals cater to a broader audience with a strong American influence, but you’ll still see cuisines such as Mediterranean, Italian, and Mexican.

Is It Good Value?

The minimum subscription allows for lunches and dinners across 5 days each week. Options extend to covering lunches and dinners for a full week or embracing the Full Program, which includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner for either 5 or 7 days.

Prices start at $6.59 per serving, and the Full Program introduces a unique feature where you manage your dinner for 1 night each week. This flexibility encourages a balance between enjoying prepared meals and exploring personal cooking endeavors.

7. Purple Carrot – Best Vegan Meals

As a vegan-only service, Purple Carrot’s meals make it easy to stick to the vegan lifestyle, as our tested review points out. Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, or just looking to get more veggies on your plate, this company is your best bet.

What’s on the Menu?

The company’s menu features a combination of prepared meals and meal kits each week. Each meal is colorful, creative, and packed with good-for-you ingredients. The veggies are celebrated, and the company doesn’t rely on “fake” meats like Beyond products or meat analogs. 

Every dish is inspired by international recipes. For example, the Chickpea Massaman Curry is a Middle Eastern classic and only takes 30 minutes to prepare. There are plenty of classic American-style foods, like the Creamy Mac and Cheese pictured above. 

I also like that there are some breakfast, lunch, and snack items on the menu, too. It’s a great way to learn new plant-based recipes which you can cook again later on. 

What Makes It Special?

Aside from that, there are plenty of add-ons as well. For instance, you can get salad dressings, vegan cheeses, egg scrambles, soft baked cookies, chocolate, oatmeal, and plenty more. 

Purple Carrot's recipe booklet is included in every delivery. This is filled with each week’s recipes and makes a useful addition alongside your cooking books. It helps you to explore a variety of vegan meals and add more plant-based dishes to your diet.

Is It Good Value?

Purple Carrot has 2 separate minimum orders – for meal kits and for prepared meals. If you go with the meal kits, you need to order at least 3 2-serving meals per week. But you can mix and match a combination of each meal type in your account.

Quick Comparison Table

Tips for Choosing the Best Meal Delivery Service in Madison

To choose the best meal delivery service for your needs, consider the criteria I used when compiling this list:

• Prep and cooking times: If time is of the essence – why not look at trialing some speedy prepared meals? Factor dishes take just minutes in the microwave. If you like to spend more time in the kitchen as a way to relax after work or school, meal kits are a great way to cook without the time and effort of grocery shopping. 

• Specific dietary needs: Unless you’re the kind of person who is happy to eat pretty much anything, look for a service like Green Chef that can support several kinds of dietary needs. This is particularly important if you’re in a couple or family and you all have different preferences.

• Customization options: If you’re able to adjust each dish or order to your liking, you’ll likely never get bored. Home Chef has some of the best personalization tools. If customization isn’t an option, make sure the menu is varied enough for you. 

• Flexible delivery: Choose a service that fits your schedule. While most services will keep your food well insulated, you don’t want it sitting on your doorstep for too long! HelloFresh offers delivery up to 7 days a week, depending on your location.

FAQ

What is the cheapest meal delivery service in Madison?

Blue Apron is the most affordable meal delivery service in Madison. To get the starting price of $4.00 per serving, you'll need to order the largest order on the meal kit plan.

What is the healthiest prepared meal delivery service in Madison?

I recommend going with a service that takes pride in its ingredient quality. For instance, Green Chef offers a number of organic ingredients and easy-to-prepare meal kits. Plus, there aren’t very many items that contain high levels of fat, sodium, or sugar.

Can I lose weight while using a meal delivery service?

Best Meal Delivery Services in Madison in 2024 — Final Score