Studies report that the best meal delivery services can be excellent for improving energy and protein intake, optimizing your ability to fuel your nutrition with balanced, hearty meals each weeknight. (1) “These prepared meals and meal kits can also help eliminate the challenge of regular grocery shopping and even serve as pathways for trying new dishes,” adds Chelsea Rae Bourgeois, MS, RDN, LD. However, the convenience factor of these subscriptions can cost a pretty penny, depending on your desired meal quantities and shipping location. With meals starting at $5.99 per serving and a vast delivery range across the contiguous United States, Dinnerly can be a great, affordable meal subscription option for those wanting to give these kits a go.
Having used Dinnerly for an extended period, we are fans of the low-cost service,offering a wide variety of meal kits and prepared, heat-and-serve plates. While those wanting detailed ingredient and nutrition information for each meal may feel somewhat underwhelmed, this can be a fun, budget-friendly option for those looking to rethink their weekly meal planning. In this Dinnerly review, we’ll go over the platform’s available menu options as well as the pricing, shipping, and available nutritional info. Taking inspiration from our supplement testing methodology, we also examined how efficient each meal was to prepare and how well-packaged the ingredients were during transport, among other factors. Stomach starting to rumble? Let’s set the table and get into our findings.
With meals starting at just $4.99 per serving, Dinnerly can be a great meal delivery service for athletes on a budget. Preparation is kept simple with five-step recipes, and there are even ready-made options for those particularly time-crunched evenings.
Medical disclaimer: The content on BarBend is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. The opinions and articles on this site are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. It’s always a good idea to talk to your doctor before beginning a new fitness, nutritional, and/or supplement routine. Individual needs for vitamins and minerals will vary.
Main Takeaways
- This affordable meal kit has dishes starting at $5.99 when you order 24 weekly servings in total with costs climbing to as high as $7.99 per meal, depending on your order quantity.
- Dinnerly offers both physical and digital recipe cards, according to our tester, but you will need to request the physical literature when placing your weekly order.
- Dinnerly’s packaging is fairly straightforward, although our tester recommends being home on your delivery date — the fresh ingredients can begin to sweat if left in the elements for too long.
Dinnerly Specs
| Price Per Meal | Starting at $5.99 |
| Meal Kit Type | Meal kit or prepared |
| Meals Per Week | Up to 6 |
| Average Prep Time | 30 minutes |
| Available Meal Options | Gluten-Free Friendly, Low Calorie, Low Carb, Picky Eater Approved, Quick & Easy, Vegetarian |
| Delivery Range | Contiguous United States |
| Meals We’ve Tried | Beef Stir-Fry in Garlic Sauce, Turkey Taquitos, Pastrami-Crusted Steak with Everything Bagel Potato |
As a meal subscription service, Dinnerly operates with a rotating menu of both meal kits and prepared dishes. Rather than selecting a specific meal plan, you’re given the power to choose your weekly dishes for a refreshing sense of variety in each order. The site also has clear filters for easier selections in accordance with any dietary restrictions or preferences. For example, if you’re looking for dishes catering to a vegan diet for athletes, there are markers that can be toggled on and off for simpler browsing. “If you need to filter for specific allergens, though, you will need to spend some extra time scanning through nutritional information,” notes our expert tester, a certified personal trainer.
Unlike some meal subscriptions that offer solely prepare-at-home meal kits or microwave-ready dishes, Dinnerly’s weekly menu contains both meal types that can better align with your needs and wants. If you know that your upcoming schedule is less accommodating, you can simply choose more pre-made servings for that week and update your selections in a future order when getting in the kitchen is less of a strain.
Speaking of your time in the kitchen, our tester states that the included recipes are well balanced between prep work, cook time, and cleanup. “In total, you can expect to spend up to 30 minutes per dish, which is what I routinely try to aim for when preparing a meal from scratch for my family,” they note. In terms of the recipes themselves, Dinnerly offers their meal instructions in both digital and physical formats. Our tester notes, though, that you’ll need to request physical recipe cards if you want to craft your own Rolodex of recipes for future cooking sessions.
As far as packaging, you can expect a well-secured box to arrive at your doorstep with added ice packs for ingredient freshness. However, our tester does state that while the ice packs do keep internal conditions cool, they do not prevent sweat from building up across certain items. Accordingly, we recommend being home for when your weekly Dinnerly box arrives to ensure your order isn’t spoiled or ruined by the elements. “I’ll also note that ingredients aren’t separated by meal, meaning you’ll need to organize your healthy carbs, proteins, and vegetables once you bring your order inside,” they add.
Finally, Dinnerly meals are priced affordably with costs starting at $5.99 per serving. Naturally, this number will be larger if you order smaller quantities, but we’ve seen no per meal price tag greater than $7.99 regardless of the recipe. You can select up to 24 servings per week, too, in case you’re using your subscription to feed a family of four (or just have a large appetite).
Who Should Use / Who Shouldn’t Use Dinnerly
“For optimal health, it’s recommended to eat a balanced diet consisting of a mix of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats,” states Dr. Dr. Raj Dasgupta, MD. While we feel that Dinnerly can provide the framework of a balanced diet plan, we understand that this meal kit delivery service may not be everyone’s premier solution for boosted nutrition. Below, we’ve listed some groups that may fare well with this budget-minded meal subscription service, as well as a handful that may want to look elsewhere for their groceries and weekly recipes.
Recommended for:
- Wallet-minded athletes wanting a meal kit subscription for less than $10 per serving
- People wanting a robust menu that regularly changes
- Individuals or small families who don’t need to feed more than four individuals each night
Not Recommended for:
- Those looking for a meal kit service with primarily organic ingredients
- Athletes unable to immediately move their Dinnerly box inside on delivery day
- Individuals looking for bulk orders beyond 24 servings per week
Our Experience Using Dinnerly
The BarBend team of competitive athletes, certified personal trainers, nutrition coaches, and lifelong fitness enthusiasts has, to date, tested 45 different meal delivery services — Dinnerly, included. For this detailed review, we took inspiration from our supplement testing methodology that has guided our examinations of the best protein powders, meal replacements, creatine supplements, and more. Our tester, a certified personal trainer, rated their order of Dinnerly recipes and prepared dishes on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest) in categories including taste, packaging, ease of preparation, and value, amongst others. Here are some of the highlights from those trials.
Menu Options
While there is some comfort to be found in a consistent flavor profile — it’s hard for me to overlook a best pre-workout supplement offered in Cherry Limeade — a little variety around dinnertime can be more worthwhile, especially when trying to consume key nutrients from a range of different food sources. With over 100 different menu items each week, there are plenty of options to choose from with Dinnerly’s meal delivery service.
Our tester regards Dinnerly as one of the best meal kits for variety given this level of versatility, rating the service at 5 out of 5 for the category. “It’s fun to choose from the brand’s lineup of family-friendly, kid-friendly, and even plant-based meals each week,” they note. “It’s very rare for me to run into repeat dishes, too, given the turnover of the weekly menu. I can’t say for certain that every dish is unique, but the only ‘repeat’ meals I’ve ordered have been household favorites.”
We also appreciate that your weekly selections are based on your selected preferences rather than siloed to fit a certain meal plan. If you’re curious about a vegetarian meal option, you can easily add it to your weekly order. Be mindful, though, that Dinnerly does not offer customizations to recipe cards, meaning you cannot swap, say, ground beef for a top plant source of protein. “There are enough plant-based meals, though, that I doubt most would be turned off by this fact,” says our tester.
Portion Size
Having a range of meals to choose from can be all in good fun, but how can you justify a meal subscription service if your dishes aren’t delivering on satiety. According to our tester, Dinnerly’s meal portions are perfect for singles and small households, scoring the serving sizes at 5 out of 5. “I traditionally order four servings for each meal chosen, which is enough for myself, my husband, and our three children. Each serving is well balanced size-wise, so we rarely have to deal with leftovers.”
While our tester has had positive experiences with the aforementioned order sizes, we do note that Dinnerly only offers up to 24 servings per order — six meal selections with enough portions to accommodate up to four people. This may be too low of a number for those with larger families or appetites, so be sure to do some math prior to subscribing. Calculate how many days you’re likely to rely on Dinnerly for meals and see if the 24-serving is filling enough for your palate.
Packaging
OK, so we understand that any shipping fiascos can be typically traced to your area’s parcel handler, but choosing a meal subscription service that packages its goods effectively can be a good safeguard against any bruised produce or spoiled proteins. Our tester states that while everything is neatly packaged in a standard Dinnerly order, you will need to re-organize to prepare for a week’s worth of cooking.
“You’d expect the meal kits to be packaged together with pre-portioned ingredients for a specific recipe,” they note. “Rather, everything is in a large box, so you’ll need to break out the recipe cards and match your ingredients accordingly. It’s no different than what you’d experience with a traditional grocery haul, but it is less convenient than other meal kits out there.”
We also rate the packaging at a modest 3 out of 5 since our tester has had issues when it comes to protecting the freshness of their ordered meals. “There are interior ice packs to ensure everything stays at a safe temperature during transport, but I have had instances of sweating produce even after just a few minutes of sitting on my doorstep,” they note. “I strongly recommend being home during delivery days in order to avoid any spoilage. It’s not a complete time bomb, but if you can prevent it, why not take the precaution?”
Prep Time
Dinnerly does offer prepared, heat-and-serve dishes for quick, convenient sustenance, but a majority of the service’s offerings are meal kits. As such, we looked at how long these recipes called for in the kitchen. “I do like that the recipes are simple enough, and there are fewer ingredients than other meal kits I’ve tried,” notes our tester, “But the instructions do call for multiple actions at once more often than not. In total, I’d say I spend roughly 30 minutes on each recipe between prep, cooking, and plating.”
This 30-minute window is the upper limit of how much they’d like to spend on a dish each night, so we score the prep time at 2 out of 5. “If you are looking to cut down on clean-up and prep work, Dinnerly does offer one-pot meals that only require a handful of tools and cookware items,” our tester adds. We’d also recommend this meal style — along with the variety of prepared dishes — for any athlete less versed in cooking.
Taste
Regardless of your type of diet, taste is going to be a driving factor in your meal selections. When it comes to Dinnerly, our tester definitely has their favorite dishes, but rates the service at 5 out of 5 for the category since there have been far more tallied wins than losses across their multiple orders. “A recent favorite of my household’s has been the Mezze Bowl with Roasted Chickpeas, but there’s a reason that I routinely save the physical recipe cards — each dish is that flavorful and tasty!”
Now, this isn’t to say that all meals through Dinnerly are going to leave your mouth watering — our tester does state that the meal kits outshine the prepared meals that give a sort of “Lean Cuisine” vibe every now and again — but we understand that you’re likely to give a meal a chance if you’ve heard its praises from outside sources.
Value
Value is one factor not lost with Dinnerly’s meal subscription service. Our tester scores the delivery bundle at 5 out of 5 for the category thanks to its low cost per serving starting at $5.99 per plate. “I’ve routinely had orders under $100, which is a definite plus considering that my box needs to feed five mouths,” they add. Of course, like any purchase, you can likely score a better price with a larger order, but even the highest Dinnerly meals equate to $7.99 per serving — a lower total than other meal kits we’ve tested in the past.
We also appreciate the simple ordering process, rating the service at 5 out of 5, as well. After selecting your food preferences and inputting your credit card information, you can choose your allotted meals for the given week. Our tester adds, “The companion app makes everything seamless, too. I routinely manage my skipped orders and package tracking right from its simple interface.”
What to Consider Before Buying Dinnerly
According to Chelsea Rae Bourgeois, MS, RDN, LD, “Meal delivery services can be game-changing tools for athletes short on time or those in need of some variance within their weekly menus.” As such, it’s imperative that you conduct some background research before signing up for a subscription of your own. Whether looking at Dinnerly as a worthwhile alternative to healthy fast food options, or weighing your options between multiple subscription services, here are some top factors we recommend considering.
- Ingredients: Meal kits and subscription services can be positive solutions for those aiming to increase their vegetable and whole-food intake, according to studies. (2) Naturally, then, it can be helpful to seek out a delivery service that uses worthwhile ingredients. Bourgeois states, “Prioritize meal services that offer lean proteins, fresh fruits and veggies, and whole grains.”
- Menu Variety: You should also look for meal delivery services with an appealing array of different dishes. While popular meals can be fun and enjoyable treats every now and again, a large or rotating menu can help ensure you’re consuming a balanced diet of different nutrients while also defending against flavor fatigue.
- Meal Preparation: If your skill set in the kitchen is limited to your best shaker bottle and the control panel on your microwave, a service that calls for you to prepare dishes from scratch is likely to be less efficient for your needs. Consider your comfort levels with cooking and align your meal subscription to your preferences. “Studies report that meal kits can also help bolster cooking skills given their pre-portioned ingredients and detailed recipe cards,” adds Bourgeois, “So feel free to get adventurous and challenge yourself if cooking is a growing passion of yours.” (3)
- Dietary Restrictions: As with any food or supplement option, you’ll need to take your personal dietary needs into question before signing up for a service. “Meal kits should be listed with clear nutritional and ingredient information, so be sure to choose a platform that caters to your needs,” states Bourgeois. You can also opt for a meal delivery service offering catered dishes for specific diets like dairy-free, keto-friendly, or other classifications. This can be a straightforward method to ensure your ordered dishes are aligned to your nutritional needs.
- Price Per Meal: The average home-cooked meal, according to reports, should cost around $4.23. (4) While most meal kits will be above this metric, you’ll need to consider the additional conveniences at play like fewer trips to the grocery store, in- and out-of-stock items, and menu variety. Crunch some numbers and determine how much you can feasibly spend on such perks and which order totals make sense for your finances.
Dinnerly Vs. Competitors
Every athlete (and palate) is different. Nowadays, there’s practically a meal delivery service for every need and want. While we’re fans of market variety, we admit that an abundance of options can lead to challenging decisions when it comes time to actually subscribe to a service. To help, we’ve outlined two popular meal delivery services we feel stack up well to Dinnerly’s offerings — EveryPlate and Home Chef.
| Dinnerly | EveryPlate | Home Chef | |
| Price Per Meal | Starting at $5.99 | $7.99 | Starting at $9.99 |
| Meal Kit Type | Meal kit or prepared | Meal kit | Meal kit or prepared meals |
| Meals Per Week | Up to 6 | Up to 5 | Up to 6 |
| Average Prep Time | 30 minutes | 20-30 minutes | Varies by recipe |
| Available Meal Options | Gluten-Free Friendly, Low Calorie, Low Carb, Picky Eater Approved, Quick & Easy, Vegetarian | Meat & Veggies, Quick & Easy, Vegetarian, Nutrish & Delish, Family Faves | Vegetarian, Calorie-Conscious, Carb-Conscious, Keto-Friendly, Gluten-Smart |
| Delivery Range | Contiguous United States | Contiguous United States | Contiguous United States |
| Meals We’ve Tried | Beef Stir-Fry in Garlic Sauce, Turkey Taquitos, Pastrami-Crusted Steak with Everything Bagel Potato | Caramelized Onion Burgers, Chicken Sausage & Tomato Linguine, Shawarma-Spiced Steak and Rice Bowls | Mustard Pretzel-Crusted Chicken Breast, Maple Dijon-Glazed Salmon, One-Pan Korean-Style Barbecue Meatballs |
As another popular and budget-friendly meal service, EveryPlate offers a nice array of dishes with weekly offerings on a rotating basis. We also appreciate that EveryPlate offers an a la carte menu for additional side dishes and protein sources. However, our tester notes that the listed cooking times can often be inaccurate, leading to more time in the kitchen and less time at the dinner table. Dinnerly orders also come in at slightly lower costs with servings starting at $5.99 compared to EveryPlate’s $7.99 price tag.
For those wanting specific meal kits tailored to their dietary needs, we’re big fans of Home Chef’s roster of delicious and nutritious meals. You do need to pay for such conveniences, though, with average meal costs hovering around $11.99 per serving. Our tester adds, too, that they’ve had some issues regarding ingredient freshness with some orders, although Home Chef is typically quick to resolve any debacles.
Places to Buy Dinnerly
You can sign up for a Dinnerly subscription directly on the brand’s retail page. Additionally, the brand routinely offers introductory discounts that can save you some cash on your first box, among other deals.
In addition to its weekly menu of meal kits and prepared dishes, Dinnerly also offers a ‘Market’ service that gives you the ability to order popular pantry and grocery items. Sadly, though, information on these add-ons is limited online, meaning you’ll need to conduct some further research on your own after signing up to see if this convenience is truly worth it.
Customer Experience and Brand Reputation
Owned by Martha Stewart and operated in conjunction with her Marley Spoon brand of meal subscriptions, Dinnerly offers family-friendly, affordable meal kits and prepared dishes that can suit a range of diets and preferences. To reach the brand with any inquiries, you can call 888-267-2850. Business hours are weekdays, 9AM to 10PM, as well as 9AM to 9PM on Saturdays. Our tester rates the customer experience at 5 out of 5, stating, “The brand is super easy to work with and I’ve rarely had any issues regarding my subscription. If problems were to arise, Dinnerly was quick to respond with a resolution.”
Dinnerly currently holds a positive reputation online with a 4.4-out-of-5 rating on Google based on nearly 2,600 customer responses. “This is my fourth week using Dinnerly and my family absolutely loves the meals. I love the diversity of the recipes available,” notes one positive customer review.
Our Final Verdict on Dinnerly
Dinnerly can be a great introductory service for those interested in meal kits. According to our tester, the available flavors are enjoyable and tasty, and you cannot ignore the low price point starting at $5.99 per serving. While packaging does leave something to be desired — expect to re-organize your deliveries, and be sure to bring your box inside as soon as possible — the available recipes and premium customer service do have us coming back for second helpings.
When considering a meal delivery service for your own diet plan, be sure to take a look at any available menus ahead of time to ensure the offerings are enticing and aligned with your dietary needs. Consider your cooking skills, too, since some of these subscriptions will require some ample time behind a burner or overtop a cutting board to create the mouth-watering meals featured online. Stick to your preset budget and get ready to bring some much-appreciated convenience to the table — your taste buds will thank you.
Dinnerly Review FAQs
Is Dinnerly easy to cancel?
Our tester, who has used Dinnerly for multiple extended periods, notes that skipping a week’s order or cancelling the subscription altogether is any easy process. Account management can be handled online, through the Dinnerly app, or by calling the brand at 888-267-2850 during listed business hours.
How much does Dinnerly cost per week?
Your Dinnerly order total depends on how many servings you opt to receive each week from the brand’s weekly menu options. From our research, though, you can expect to pay between $5.99 and $7.99 per serving, depending on your order quantity. Dinnerly orders can contain a maximum of 24 servings of six different meal selections.
How long can my Dinnerly box sit outside?
How long your Dinnerly box can comfortably sit outside can be subjective depending on your area’s weather conditions as well as your doorstep layout. In our experience, though, it’s best to bring your order in as soon as possible to best preserve the freshness and safety of the featured ingredients. To facilitate this, it may be best to try and plan deliveries around when you’ll be at your residence.
Do you get recipe cards with Dinnerly?
Yes, Dinnerly provides digital and physical recipe cards for each selected meal kit. According to our tester, though, you will need to request physical cards prior to delivery.
References
- IJmker-Hemink, V. E., Dijxhoorn, D. N., Briseno Ozumbilla, C. M., Wanten, G. J., & van den Berg, M. G. (2020). Effective elements of home-delivered meal services to improve energy and protein intake: A systematic review. Nutrition, 69, 110537. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31521950/
- Fraser, K., Love, P., Laws, R., Campbell, K. J., & Spence, A. (2023). Meal kit subscription services and opportunities to improve family vegetable consumption. Health Promotion International, 38(6). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10664410/
- Remolina, I., Teuber, M. J., Lee, E., & Fetter, D. S. (2025). Using culturally relevant meal kits to improve cooking skills, reduce food waste, and promote engagement with a Campus Food Access Resource: An Exploratory Pilot Study. Nutrients, 17(5), 843. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40077712/
- Maggiolo, N. S. (2024, October 31). The cost of eating out vs eating in by State. The Cost of Eating Out vs Eating In by State. https://www.topnutritioncoaching.com/blog/cost-of-eating-out-vs-eating-in
