One of the many advantages of meal kit delivery services is that they may be a terrific way to make tasty dinners without having to run to the grocery shop every week. It might be challenging to determine which dietary limitations are best for you, though, when it comes to certain ones, such as the gluten-free diet, which restricts consumption of wheat, barley, and a number of other grains. Thankfully, a lot of meal kits and pre-made meal delivery services provide gluten-free menu items and recipes for quick, tasty, and inventive dinners.
I talked to dietitians and nutritionists about the finest meal delivery services to test out, highlighting each one’s meal selections, delivery frequency, and cost in order to find the best services with gluten-free options or completely gluten-free menus.
GO Ahead and SkipHow did I choose the top services for delivering gluten-free meals? Why should I trust NBC Select?
Selected.
-
Best overallSunbasket
$undefined$121.92Sunbasket
Learn more
-
Best health-consciousSplendid Spoon
$undefined$129.40Splendid Spoon
Learn more
-
Best budget-friendlyPurple Carrot
$56.00$106.00Purple Carrot
Learn more
-
Best chef-preparedCookUnity
$36.87$73.74CookUnity
Learn more
How I picked the best gluten-free meal delivery services
I talked to professionals about crucial aspects to look for while looking for gluten-free meal delivery services. The following are the most crucial ones they advise remembering:
-
Dietary restrictions:
If you re gluten-free or follow any other restrictions, such as avegan or vegetarian diet
, look for meal services that offer a variety of options to fit your dietary needs.
-
Serving size:
How many people are you looking to feed that follow a gluten-free diet? If you re only feeding yourself, it s likely best to select a single-serve prepared meal. But if you re also feeding a gluten-free family or partner, browse customizable plans with multiple serving sizes (typically ranging from two to eight servings). -
Customizability:
Having a sensitivity or intolerance to gluten, or choosing to follow a gluten-free diet for other personal or health-related reasons, doesn t mean you have to constantly eat the same meals. Look for services that provide a weekly rotating menu with several gluten-free options that serve you and your needs. -
Pricing:
The price of gluten-free meal delivery services are based on the quality of meals and ingredients, the frequency of your deliveries, how many people you re cooking for and the specific meal plan. However, seeking gluten-free meals shouldn t mean paying more for your meal plan. While not all services on the market cater to every dietary restriction or need, I ve selected services that don t increase the price for gluten-free restrictions. -
Delivery dates and times:
Most services will offer customizable plans to choose which days (and sometimes times) you want to receive your kit, so consider when you re available to receive your meals to ensure they don t go to waste. Most will also let you pause plans or skip weeks as needed, which allows you to be more flexible with these services.
Best gluten-free meal delivery services
I asked professionals which meal delivery services they preferred, and if they offered gluten-free options or had a completely gluten-free menu. Below, I’ve highlighted their specific suggestions, noting their prices, serving sizes, and weekly delivery volume. All of them provide pre-made meals or a mix of meal kits and ready-made goods.
Best overall:
Sunbasket
Sunbasket
The cost is based on two persons eating four meals a week.
- Gluten-free options
- Single-serve available
- Weekly rotating menu
- Not for larger families
Sunbasket claims that its pre-cooked meals and ingredient-based meal packages are prepared with organic vegetables and premium ingredients. The Gluten-Free Friendly meal plan, one of Sunbasket’s ten meal plans, offers five to eight gluten-free options per week. After trying Sunbasket for a week, NBC Select reporter Zoe Malin, who is pescatarian and gluten-free, praised the service’s assortment of meals and delectable pre-made selections. “The particular recipes I chose forced me to use ingredients that aren t in my regular rotation, like turmeric and artichoke dip, and make foods that aren t typically top of mind for me, like potato salad,” Malin explains.
Sunbasket is the best option for delivering nutritious meal kits, according to Lisa Moskovitz, CEO of NY Nutrition Group, and special diet chef and certified nutritionist Arienne Resnick. According to Moskovitz, it offers a range of possibilities that may be adjusted for both carnivores and those who only consume plants.
There are a number of gluten-free options available in the Fresh & Ready category, which includes single-serve meals that you can reheat in the oven or microwave in a matter of minutes. The service allows you to mix and match from more than a dozen meals from its weekly rotating menu if you don’t want to commit to a single plan.
Meal kits and Fresh & Ready meals start at $12 and $10, respectively, with an extra $6 for delivery. Meal kits come in two or four serving sizes, while Fresh & Ready meals are single-serve. There are two to five meals per week.
Best health-conscious:
Splendid Spoon
Splendid Spoon
- Snacks available
- Choose frequency of meals
- Healthier
- Vegan only
Smoothies, soups, noodle bowls, and larger entrees are among the more than fifty nutritious, prepared meals and snacks available at Splendid Spoon. All of them are gluten-free. You can choose your weekly meals and choose a box size of seven, fourteen, or twenty-one meals. Bestsellers from Splendid Spoon will be added to your cart automatically, or you can manually add your favorites.
Resnick suggests the service to anyone looking for quick and healthful meals. For some, this is a drawback, but for others, it’s a benefit because they taste as healthful as they are. “Well,” she says. Another huge bonus, according to Resnick, is the wide variety of juices and smoothies and the ease of thawing each one individually.
The cost is $10 for each meal, $85 for the plan, and $13 for shipping (which is free if you order 10 or more meals). | Meals: 5 to 20 per order | Serving size: single-serve
Best budget-friendly:
Purple Carrot
Purple Carrot
The cost is based on two persons eating four meals a week.
- Plant-based
- Pre-made meals and kits
- Can’t choose delivery day
You may select how much work you want to put into your meals with Purple Carrot’s prepared meals and meal kits. All of the meals are made entirely of plant-based ingredients, and Purple Carrot offers a number of gluten-free recipes in addition to pre-made gluten-free meals.
According to Resnick, the meal packages offer a great combination of traditional and creative ingredients, such as Baklava overnight oats and kimchi grilled cheese. And because the meals are fully plant-based, Purple Carrot can be an easy way for people to add more plant foods into their diets without having to fully convert to veganism, she says.
You can customize the number of dinners you get per week, which range from two to four meal kits and six to 10 pre-made meals. Deliveries take place on Mondays, Tuesdays or Wednesdays depending on your shipping location, and you can choose to skip a delivery on any given week.
Cost:Starting at $11 per serving for meal kits and $13 per serving for pre-made meals with free shipping |Serving size:2 or 4 servings for meal kits and single-serve for pre-made meals |Number of meals:2 to 4 for meal kits or 6 to 10 prepared meals per week
Best for beginners:
Epicured
Epicured
- For multiple dietary needs
- Snacks and desserts available
- Expensive
Epicured allows you to choose from a rotating menu of over 50 pre-made meals spanning breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and desserts. All Epicured meals are entirely gluten-free and low-FODMAP, which means they don t feature certain carbohydrates and food additives that can be hard for some people to digest. They re a great option for those with SIBO, IBS or a generally sensitive tummy, says Moskovitz.
If you don t want to choose individual meals, Epicured also offers several pre-selected programs, including anomnivore,pescetarianandvegetarianprogram, that helps you ease into a low-FODMAP diet, according to the brand.
Once you select your meals and register, each weekly order is automatically renewed if you don t manually pick your meals, orders are locked in on Friday afternoons with the same meals you previously selected.
Cost:The average price for each meal is around $15 and shipping is free if your total weekly order is over $100 (if not, the shipping cost depends on the delivery location) |Serving size:Single-serve |Number of meals:As many (or as little) as you want
Best chef-prepared:
Cookunity
CookUnity
Price is based on six meals per week.
- Multiple plans available
- For multiple dietary needs
- Reusable packaging
- Pre-made only
Having a gluten-free diet doesn t mean you need to sacrifice the joys of dining out. Cookunity offers chef-prepared meals with a wide range of gluten-free options for you to enjoy at home, with subscriptions ranging from four to 16 meals per week, Resnick says this service is one of her favorites: I appreciate that they provide full ingredient lists, down to the individual ingredients in cheeses. NBC Select social commerce editor Sadhana Daruvuri also enjoys it because she can get a variety of delicious meals while still spending about the same amount she d spent on groceries, she says.
You can also filter meals by other dietary restrictions, like dairy-free, high protein, vegan, vegetarian and more.
Cost:Starting at $11 per meal with free shipping |Serving size:Single-serve |Number of meals:4 to 16 meals per week
Best for multiple dietary restrictions:
BistroMD
BistroMD
Price is based on 20 meals per week.
- Snacks available
- Goal-specific plans
- Meets most dietary needs
- High shipping cost
BistroMD offers a specialized gluten-free plan that lets you choose from over 100 gluten-free meals each week, according to the service. TheGluten-Free programprovides breakfast, lunch and dinner for your choice of five days or seven days. The service also offers anEATS (Essential and Tasty Snacks) programthat provides healthy snacking options for an additional charge. BistroMD prides itself on being doctor-designed and therefore is more medically therapeutic than most other companies, says Moskovitz.
Cost:Starting at $7 per meal for the full program 7-day plan and $8 per meal for the full program 5-day plan |Serving size:Single-serve |Number of meals:Five to seven meals per week
Best splurge-worthy:
Sakara
Sakara Life
Price is based on three meals per day for three days in the brand’s Signature Nutrition Program.
- Goal-specific programs
- Plant-based
- Multi-day plans
- Expensive
- Can’t choose delivery day
Although Sakara is on the pricier side for a meal delivery service, it offers a large selection of ready-to-eat meals, all of which are gluten-free, organic, dairy-free and plant-based, according to the service. You can choose to do a one-week trial program if you re just getting started, or you can select a recurring subscription program that automatically renews each week with a set menu of meals that rotates weekly and seasonally. Sakara Life also lets you choose the number of days you want to receive meals (three or five days) as well as which type of meals you would like to receive (breakfast, lunch and/or dinner).
The full five-day gluten-free meal plan is a great way to jumpstart your wellness journey, according to Moskovitz. Sakara is very popular among my clients because of [its] varied menu, top-quality ingredients and delicious taste, she says.
Programs include theSignature Nutrition Programwhich comes with up to three meals per day (breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner, depending on your location) and your choice of two, three or five days and the30-Day Reset, a four-week program that lets you choose at least two meals (breakfast, lunch and/or dinner) for up to five days per week.
Cost:Starting at $28 per meal with free shipping |Serving size:Single-serve |Number of meals:2 to 15 meals per week with the brand s signature plan
Best guided program:
Provenance
Provenance
Price is based on average cost for 8 meals per week.
- Goal-specific programs
- Snacks available
- Six days of meals
- Expensive
Provenance offers ready-to-eat breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks that are entirely gluten-free and dairy-free. These organic prepared meals are great for those with intolerances, and most of the ingredients are also locally sourced and sustainable, says Moskovitz, adding that the meals taste as good as they look, based on her personal experience.
The service also offers aProvenance Detoxprogram, a six-day nutrition program where you can choose either an omnivore or vegan and plant-based plan. This program provides weekly prepared meals, detox teas, prebiotics and more (however, this program is only available for delivery in Los Angeles and New York City).
Cost:Starting around $15 per meal with $10 for shipping and $320 for the Provenance Detox program |Serving size:Single-serve |Number of meals:Choose between 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12 items for weekly meal delivery and get 12 pre-prepared meals, 12 detox tea servings and more with the detox plan
Best grocery delivery:
Hungryroot
Hungryroot
Price is based on four meals per week for two people/servings.
- Can experiment with meals
- Personalized plan
- Can edit at any time
- More like grocery delivery
Hungryroot, which is more of agrocery delivery servicewith a lot of the same benefits and customizations as other meal kits on this list, offers several gluten-free items to choose from. When you take the initial quiz about your preferences and dietary needs, Hungryroot creates a personalized grocery plan to meet those needs. In addition to delivering fresh food for the week, it also sends you specific recipes based on the groceries in your order, and you can edit your delivery every week in case you want a specific ingredient or food item.
With the ability to choose the type of meal you want and customize the groceries you get, Hungryroot allows you to be a bit more adventurous and cook from the hip, or also follow the recipes exactly, says Ben Leonard, chef and culinary manager for GreenPan cookware..
Cost:Starting at $65 for three two-serving meals (about $11 per serving), with an additional $7 for plans under $70 |Serving size:2 to 4 per recipe |Number of meals:3 to 8 recipes per delivery, in addition to other grocery items
Related
Change up your dinner plans with the best meal delivery services
Meet our experts
At NBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
-
Ariane Resnick
is a special diet chef and certified nutritionist. She s also a recipe developer and has written about nutrition, health, wellness and identity for a variety of platforms, including The Kitchn, Livestrong and Simply Recipes.
-
Lisa Moskovitz
is a registered dietitian and the CEO ofNY Nutrition Group
. She is the author of The Core 3 Healthy Eating Plan, a program that focuses on simple and sustainable ways to lose weight.
-
Ben Leonard
is a professional chef and culinary manager for GreenPan cookware.
Why trust NBC Select?
I’m anupdates editorat NBC Select who has extensive experience covering meal delivery services, includingpreparedandvegetarian meal services. For this article, I spoke to three experts about what to consider when shopping for a meal delivery service and how to determine the best one for you. Experts also shared their favorite meal delivery services to try out.
Catch up on NBC Select s in-depth coverage ofpersonal finance,tech and tools,wellnessand more, and follow us onFacebook,Instagram,TwitterandTikTokto stay up to date.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!