Dinnerly Meal Kits Start at $6 a Serving. We Tested the Budget-Friendly Service in 2026

When evaluating the best meal delivery services for each meal kits and ready meals, Dinnerly is tied with EveryPlate as the most affordable, at simply $6 a serving. Nonetheless, sure Dinnerly recipes now go as much as $11, bringing it into the midrange meal equipment class. With the worth enhance, have its recipes improved?

When our resident meal equipment professional, David Watsky, examined Dinnerly, he discovered the recipes have been principally tasty, with contemporary components, although they have been a bit fundamental. In our newest 2026 check, CNET’s Wellness Editor Anna Gragert, a vegetarian for 21 years who commonly cooks and eats vegan fare, gave Dinnerly a strive. She was wholly impressed by its scrumptious, thoughtfully crafted (albeit generally salty) plant-based recipes.

Sure, Dinnerly recipes are nonetheless on the easier aspect, with uncomplicated directions and few components, making them nice for these new to cooking, but not often missing in taste or freshness.

Here is every thing you could know in regards to the inexpensive meal equipment service in 2026.

How Dinnerly works

Dinnerly delivers all through the contiguous United States. It begins by letting you select between two, 4 and 6 folks, together with what number of meals you need (two to 6) per week. Emphasis on “per week,” as Dinnerly is a subscription, however you possibly can edit, pause or cancel at any time. At this level, it’ll present you the way a lot your Dinnerly order will value — the extra servings and meals, the decrease the worth per serving.

You additionally get to pick out the kind of meals you want, together with gluten-free pleasant, low calorie, low carb, fast and simple, picky-eater permitted and vegetarian. Extra filters can be accessible when you begin deciding on your meals.

After coming into your zip code and e-mail, you will enter your deal with and choose your supply date, from Monday to Saturday. The day you choose would be the day your order arrives each week. The supply time slot is between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. Subsequent, enter your cost information, then choose your meals.

Meal kits, ready meals and market objects

Whereas your bank card data is required earlier than you possibly can choose your meals, you possibly can nonetheless see Dinnerly’s menu as much as three weeks prematurely.

When selecting your meals, you possibly can choose from further dietary preferences, reminiscent of vegan, Mediterranean eating regimen and excessive fiber. It’s also possible to select the prepare dinner time, protein, meal sort, worth class, allergens, dish sort and delicacies. Together with meal kits, Dinnerly gives ready meals and market objects, like appetizers, cookies, snacks, drinks, baking kits and Splendid Spoon soups.

For future deliveries, Dinnerly will counsel recipes based mostly in your style profile, however you possibly can modify and swap them in your account as much as seven days earlier than your subsequent supply.

Should you favor to make use of an app, Dinnerly also has one.

Your subscription is simple to edit, pause or cancel

Upon getting a Dinnerly account, you possibly can cancel, pause or edit your subscription on the Orders web page. Nonetheless, you’ll have to make these adjustments earlier than the cutoff date, which is the day earlier than your order is billed. The billing date is 5 to 6 days earlier than your supply date. It’s also possible to see what number of days you’ve gotten left to edit your field on the Orders web page.

Every week, Dinnerly will ship you an e-mail reminder earlier than that cutoff date so when to make any adjustments.

How a lot does Dinnerly value?

Dinnerly prices between $6 and $11 a serving. Delivery is an additional $12. Market objects value additional and vary from $2 to $22.

Offers for brand spanking new prospects

Proper now, Dinnerly is providing new subscribers 50% off plus free transport on their first field, 13% off the second field and 10% off the third, fourth and fifth bins. This brings the associated fee right down to $3 to $6 a serving.

What Dinnerly meal kits are like

Dinnerly gives over 100 meal kits and ready meals every week. You’ll be able to select from 11 dietary preferences, together with vegan, vegetarian, keto-friendly, high-protein, low-calorie and kid-friendly. There are additionally seven delicacies choices: Asian, Italian, Mediterranean, Mexican, Center Japanese, regional American and different.

Seafood protein choices can be found together with beef, lamb, pork and poultry. For vegetarians and vegans, there’s tofu and plant-based alternate options, reminiscent of Unimaginable meat and Daring rooster.

Vegans rise up to 5 meal choices per week, whereas vegetarians get considerably extra: at the least 22 meals weekly. Those that choose the gluten-free pleasant choice get at the least 40 meals every week.

Are Dinnerly meals wholesome?

Relying on the meal, Dinnerly’s recipes could be wholesome, however the firm makes it arduous to inform. On its recipe playing cards, just a few vitamin information can be found, reminiscent of energy, fats, carbs and protein per serving. Whenever you attempt to discover extra data on the Dinnerly web site, you may discover one or two extra vitamin information, reminiscent of sodium, however there’s nothing in regards to the p.c every day worth, which exhibits how a lot a dish’s vitamins contribute to an total every day eating regimen.

When you’ve got particular well being issues, you will need to take a look at every particular person recipe you order to see if the accessible vitamin information align together with your present eating regimen.

How simple are Dinnerly meals to arrange?

Most Dinnerly meals take below half-hour to arrange, making them nice for folks quick on time. When you can go for digital recipe playing cards, your field comes with bodily playing cards which have clear, easy-to-follow directions.

Totally different from different meal supply providers, every Dinnerly meal equipment would not are available in its personal plastic or paper bag, decreasing packaging and making it extra eco-friendly. Thankfully, there aren’t a ton of components per recipe, making it simple so that you can kind by the components that are available in a paper field.

Some components are required from your individual kitchen, reminiscent of salt, pepper, olive oil, sugar, garlic and butter. Should you’re new to cooking and do not have these things available, then Dinnerly may not be the appropriate service for you.

What we made and the way we preferred it

Hoisin and sesame rooster fajitas: This was a stable meal and engaging however easy. It was powerful to see how a lot effort and time the meal equipment actually saved me versus doing all of it from scratch.

Broiled Southwestern tilapia with broccoli: This easy, low-carb meal was one other fundamental one. The Southwestern rub gave the fish good taste, and all of it tasted contemporary.

French onion soup with tacky croutons: This soup base for this mild meal was created from a packet of beef inventory and a few sauteed onions. Total, it had little or no taste. 

Brown butter asparagus-Gruyére ravioli: With added spinach, walnuts and crispy garlic, Anna liked this vegetarian recipe and particularly appreciated the added spinach for additional iron and fiber. Nonetheless, she would really like the meal equipment to incorporate the aspect salad talked about as a bonus thought on the recipe card.

Quinoa-veggie hummus bowl: Easy however flavorful, this vegan recipe was full of 22 grams of protein. It is also low in energy at 530kcal per serving. The contemporary dill was a beautiful added contact that took the dish to the subsequent degree.

Bean and cheese tamale pie: This vegetarian, kid-friendly recipe was scrumptious and filling — particularly with the cornbread crust and melted cheese on high. Nonetheless, it accommodates a whopping 2,220 milligrams of sodium per serving, which is sort of 100% of the every day beneficial worth of two,300mg.

Grilled Mediterranean Unimaginable sliders: This was considered one of Anna’s favourite vegan Dinnerly recipes, a lot in order that she plans to recreate it herself. Plus, it consists of 34g of protein regardless of being plant-based. Regardless that she would not have a grill pan, Anna was nonetheless capable of get a beautiful char on the zucchini and bell pepper in her chrome steel pan. The garam masala added to the Unimaginable sliders was additionally a tasty, considerate contact.

Sofrito tofu tacos: Generally vegan recipes that embody tofu could be bland, however Anna discovered this one extremely flavorful because of the taco seasoning. But it did style fairly salty, and upon trying on the vitamin information on-line (the recipe card did not checklist it), Anna discovered that it accommodates 1,290mg of sodium per serving, which is over half the every day beneficial quantity.

Teriyaki broccoli and mushroom stir-fry: Whereas this vegan, low-calorie recipe’s instruction card wasn’t included in her field, Anna was simply capable of finding it in her Dinnerly account. The addition of broccoli, mushrooms, scallions and contemporary ginger turned what may have been a fundamental recipe right into a dish full of taste and veggies.

Louisiana-style pink beans and rice: One other simple however scrumptious meal, this vegan recipe was made with Unimaginable’s plant-based patties. It was additionally easy to arrange with solely 4 directions, however Anna did wrestle with the rice as a result of if she wasn’t keeping track of it, it might have burned earlier than the 17-minute recommended time. One other issue to bear in mind is that this dish was additionally excessive in sodium at 1,900mg.

Who’s Dinnerly good for?

Dinnerly is among the finest meal equipment providers in the event you’re searching for an affordable, simple option to get dinner on the desk just a few nights every week. With over 100 meals per week, it is a good meal equipment service for households with youngsters or choosy eaters. Nonetheless, Dinnerly solely gives as much as six servings, making it finest for households of as much as six folks.

Whereas vegetarians will fare properly with at the least 22 weekly meals, vegans solely rise up to 5 meals per week. Whereas Anna, our plant-based tester, discovered her vegan meals tasty, these searching for a extra sturdy vegan meal supply service might need to strive one like Purple Carrot, which is devoted solely to vegan recipes.

Who’s Dinnerly not good for?

Should you’re trying to advance your culinary expertise from intermediate to a extra superior degree, we do not suggest this service. We discovered most of the recipes easy, fundamental and even boring at instances.

Environmental friendliness and packaging

As a result of Dinnerly ships all its meal equipment components in a single field with out particular person meal equipment packaging, there’s much less single-use plastic than different providers we have tried.

The field your components arrive in could be recycled. Relying in your location and local weather, you might obtain considered one of two field liners: paper liners, which could be recycled, or foil pouch liners, which might solely be recycled at facilities that settle for No. 4 plastics. The tray that accommodates your components is created from sustainably sourced paper fiber, which is recyclable.

As for the components themselves, they have an inclination to return individually wrapped. Plastic jars, clamshells and bottles can sometimes be recycled curbside, whereas movie and luggage should be taken to a recycling heart or grocery store that accepts No. 1 and No. 4 plastic. Total, you will need to verify what your recycling supplier accepts.

Throughout testing, Anna additionally famous that she ended up with additional components, reminiscent of spices. She would have most popular it in the event that they got here within the precise quantity required for the recipe, to negate any additional waste.

The ultimate verdict on Dinnerly 

When evaluating the 2 cheapest meal kit services aspect by aspect, EveryPlate nonetheless will get our nod with a better hit charge of meal kits. That mentioned, Dinnerly gives considerably extra recipe choices per week, together with seafood and plant-based picks. 

When you’ve got a crew of choosy eaters otherwise you your self have specific tastes, you may discover it simpler to get appropriate meals with Dinnerly than with different budget-friendly providers. It is also price noting that with such an unlimited vary of recipes per week, it might take some trial and error to seek out the Dinnerly meals that be just right for you or the hungry ones you are cooking for. 

Our wellness editor, Anna Gragert, liked the collection of vegan and vegetarian meals she obtained — though there may very well be a better collection of vegan meals per week. They have been simple to arrange, fresh-tasting and included a considerate mixture of veggies, greens, plant-based proteins and spices. Nonetheless, some have been on the salty aspect, and he or she needs Dinnerly offered extra vitamin information to assist prospects higher perceive how every recipe contributes to their every day eating regimen.

Finally, we predict Dinnerly is a superb meal supply service for these new to cooking or anybody searching for inexpensive recipes.