If you are looking for the best meal kits in Canada, there are several names to choose from. Top options include Chefs Plate, Spatula, Hello Fresh, Freshprep, and Cook It.
Meal kits are a tasty and convenient solution if you want healthy and delicious food choices but are pressed for time. But with all the options out there, choosing one can be challenging.
To make it easier for you, we reviewed 10 of them. Below, you’ll learn about the cheapest meal kits and ready-to-eat meal delivery alternatives, how they work, their pros and cons, and if they are worth your money.
Key Takeaways
- The cheapest meal kits in Canada include Chefs Plate, Spatula, HelloFresh, Freshprep, Cook It, Goodfood, and Plant Prepped.
- The cheapest ready-to-eat meal delivery in Canada include Heart to Home Meals, Factor Meals, and Livefit Foods.
- Meal kits are ideal for households whose members have no time for grocery shopping and preparing meals, but still want healthy and affordable meals.
Cheapest Meal Kits in Canada
Below are 7 of the cheapest meal kits available in Canada.
Chefs Plate
Acquired by HelloFresh Canada in 2018, this Toronto-based meal kit provider delivers fresh, pre-portioned ingredients with 24 weekly easy-to-prepare recipes that are ready in 30 minutes.
Food plans for 2 people with 3 recipes cost $60 plus a shipping fee ($9.99 per serving). View the full menu here. The company delivers to AB, BC, ON, SK, PE, NB, NS, and MB.
- Pros: Wide meal selections; more affordable than other kits; easy to prepare; locally-sourced ingredients
- Cons: No choices for specific dietary requirements
Get $80 off on your first three boxes with Chefs Plate.
Spatula
Spatula Foods is an Etobicoke, ON-based meal kit provider offering restaurant-quality meals curated by Michelin-trained chefs and are ready to eat in 10 minutes. The company offers cheap meal kits in Canada, starting at $9.89 per two-serving bag.
With 80+ meal choices, Spatula offers single-serve meals as well as meals for two and family packs. Delivery is available in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Southwestern Ontario, Ottawa, and Kingston.
- Pros: Affordable; easy to prepare; no need to defrost; ready in 10 minutes; free shipping if within GTA
- Cons: Up to $12.99 shipping fees for orders outside the GTA; limited delivery areas; serving size may be small for some
HelloFresh
HelloFresh is among the best meal kits in Canada. It offers weekly delivery of fresh, pre-measured ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes. It has as many as 60 meal choices to select from each week.
The price per serving starts from $12.99. For a two-person, three-recipe plan, the cost is $77.94. Meal plans can be viewed here. HelloFresh is available in ON, MB, SK, AB, BC, QC, NL, and the Maritimes.
- Pros: Huge selection of meal kit recipes; easy to prepare meals; different meal plans; specialty menus
- Cons: $10.99 shipping charge; fewer healthy recipes; no gluten- or allergen-free meal choices
Trustpilot rating: 3.9/5 stars
Freshprep
Vancouver-based Freshprep is a meal kit delivery service that sources its ingredients from antibiotic-free poultry and sustainably sourced seafood to ensure healthy meals. Meal plans start at $10.99 per serving. Visit Freshprep to view their menu for the week.
Freshprep offers 10 chef-designed recipes each week, with options like Carb Conscious, Vegetarian, Vegan, and Gluten-friendly. Freshprep services are available in Calgary, Edmonton, Greater Vancouver, Greater Victoria, Red Deer, Nanaimo, and the Okanagan.
- Pros: Affordable; chemical-free ingredients; zero waste meal kits; environmentally friendly
- Cons: Repetitive recipes; limited delivery areas; no mobile app; no online chat
Trustpilot rating: 4.4/5 stars
Cook It
Cook It is a Montreal-based meal kit delivery service that offers both ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook meals. Food plans available are regular and vegetarian. Visit Cook It and create your meal plan.
A ready-to-eat meal for 2 costs $14.30 per person, while a ready-to-cook plan for 2 with 2 recipes costs $15.13 per person. Delivery is free. Cook It delivers to QC, ON and the Maritime provinces.
- Pros: Free delivery; can skip delivery for up to 8 weeks; rich variety; meals from various international cuisines; more affordable than other meal kit services
- Cons: Limited dietary options; few service areas; reports of unresponsive support
Goodfood
Goodfood is another well-recognized provider of meal kits in Canada. This Montreal, QC-based online grocery and home meal and meal kit company offers over 50 chef-designed meals with farm-fresh, locally sourced ingredients each week.
Plans include Classic Basket, Easy Prep Basket and Family Basket. A 2-recipe meal plan with 4 servings costs $13.99 per serving or $111.92 per week. Goodfood delivers across QC, ON, MN, SK, AB, BC, and the Maritimes. Goodfood meal kit plans can be found here.
- Pros: Limited vegetarian choices; wide array of meals including healthy options; decent-sized portions; great signup bonuses
- Cons: Excessive packaging; complaints of delivery delays; deliveries are not guaranteed
Trustpilot rating: 3.7/5 stars
Plant Prepped
ON-based Plant Prepped prides itself in its 100% gourmet plant-based offerings with gluten-free and soy-free options. Ingredients are sourced from natural and artisanal food suppliers providing local and organic ingredients.
A 4-person plan with 3 dinner recipes each week costs $12.66 per serving or $151.99 a week. Shipping is free. Plant Prepped delivers to most of QC and ON. Visit Plant Prepped to order what’s on their menu.
- Pros: 100% plant-based; vegan meals; easy-to-follow recipes; high quality ingredients; free shipping
- Cons: No guarantee ingredients are allergen-free; accepts ON and QC deliveries only; limited variety in the menu
Cheapest Ready-to-Eat Meal Delivery in Canada
Below are meal delivery companies offering some of the most affordable ready-to-eat meal kits in Canada.
Heart to Home Meals
Heart to Home Meals is a ready-to-eat meal delivery service specializing in meals for seniors. It offers over 200 meal choices, with diet choices ranging from CarbControl to ProteinAssist, Vegetarian, High Fibre, Low Saturated Fat and Low Sodium.
Lunch and dinner meals cost $5.70-$64.45 per serving, while special diets range in price from $4.35-$10.45 per serving. Heart to Home Meals offers free delivery to most of ON, AB, BC, NS and MB. To order, visit Heart to Home Meals.
- Pros: Large selection of healthy meals; no preparation necessary; reasonable pricing; great service for seniors
- Cons: Out-of-stock meals; reports of small portions
Trustpilot rating: 4.5/5 stars
Factor Meals
Factor Meals is an ON-based meal delivery provider acquired by HelloFresh in 2020. It offers fully prepared, ready-made meals that can be prepared in minutes. Visit this link to view the latest weekly menu.
Meal plans include Chef’s Choice, Calorie Smart, Keto, and Protein Plus, with over 20 gourmet meals starting at $12 per meal. Factor delivers across ON, NS, NB, and PE.
- Pros: Fresh, not frozen meals; dietician-approved meals; free 20-minute online dietitian consultation
- Cons: Few plant-based menu selections; single-serve meals only
Trustpilot rating: 4.2/5 stars
Livefit Foods
Livefit Foods, headquartered in London, ON, offers 100+ healthy, fresh and ready-to-eat meals. Prices range from $12-$14 per serving. LiveFit offers a Subscribe’N Save option that lets subscribers enjoy 10% savings and free shipping.
Meal options are available for various goals, including weight loss, muscle gain, keto, vegan, veggie, gluten-free, and keto soup cleanse. Livefit delivers to ON, QC, AB, and BC. Meal options can be viewed here.
- Pros: Zero food-waste cycle; subscribers get 10% savings and free shipping; easy to prepare; generous portions; no subscription required
- Cons: Shipping costs of $10.95 and up; does not use Halal meat anymore; some meals may have small portion sizes
Trustpilot rating: 3.8/5 stars
How Meal Kit Delivery Services Work
Meal kit delivery services provide prepared meal kits with fresh, raw ingredients or ready-made meals and shipped to your doorstep. These kits are designed for people who have no time to spend shopping or preparing their meals.
These service providers typically operate through a subscription service. Most of them allow subscribers to customize their subscriptions every week. They usually offer free meals to first-time subscribers or when you sign up for their service.
Once you have signed up, choose from the meal plans and the available recipes you want to order for the week. The kits are shipped in ice, often in insulated boxes designed to keep the food cool for up to 8 hours. Recipe cards with step-by-step instructions are included in the boxes.
Pros and Cons of Meal Kits
Pros:
- Fresh ingredients
- Flexible meal plans and subscriptions
- Fast and convenient
- Easy to prepare
- Allows for customization
- Portion control
- Less food waste
- Better nutrition
- Pre-portioned or pre-made meals
- Availability of special diet options
- No subscription contracts
- Recyclable packaging
- No cancellation fees
Cons:
- Can be expensive
- Grocery shopping is still necessary
- Planning is still required
- Limited flexibility for picky eaters
- Diet and allergy restrictions
- Excessive packaging
- More packaging waste
- Risk of cross-contamination
Are Meal Kits Worth It?
Meal kits can be worth it for households with no time to spend planning and preparing meals for their families. With pre-cut, pre-portioned ingredients and ready-to-cook options, meal kits offer convenience and time-saving benefits, especially for those with no cooking skills.
Meal kits used to be considerably expensive when they first came out. But with more choices today, many meal kits now boast a cost per serving that matches or is even more affordable than purchasing groceries.
Ultimately, the value of meal kits is dependent on your lifestyle, priorities, and budget. They can be worthwhile expenses if the convenience and time-saving qualities align with your needs. But if you prefer more budget-friendly meals, have specific dietary requirements, or just want to buy the ingredients yourself, then traditional meals may be more suitable for you.
FAQs
There is no Dinnerly in Canada. It is a New York-based meal delivery company that provides services in most of the contiguous US states and delivers its boxes from California, New Jersey, and Texas.
Freshprep’s Zero Waste Kit uses easy grab-and-pour cups that customers can return with a reusable cooler bag during the next delivery or through a scheduled pickup. Also, Chefs Plate and HelloFresh use 100% recyclable materials, including their compostable kit bags and pouches.
The cost of HelloFresh food subscription boxes in Canada depends on how many meals and recipes you choose. For example, four meals for four people (or 16 servings) cost around $100 per week, while 3 meals for 2 people each week (or 6 servings) cost around $29.
One reason people stop their meal kit subscriptions is the cost. The meals can become too expensive once the signup promos or new-subscriber coupons run out. Excessive amounts of paper and plastic waste are another reason people stop using meal kits.
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