15 of the Best Sustainable Meal Subscription Services

The market for meal kits and meal delivery services has become a bit oversaturated, making choosing the right one more difficult than it used to be. So to make things easier, we rounded up 15 of the best of them, featuring a mix of meal kit subscriptions (boxes of pre-portioned ingredients so you can cook fresh meals) and meal delivery services (prepared meals that require little to no preparation). Not only do all 15 brands listed below share sustainability practices on their websites, but they also all offer vegan meal plans, which are inherently much gentler on the planet than meals centered around animal products.

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CookUnity's subscriptions all consist of fresh meals, which are sent in reusable, compostable, or recyclable packaging. The company also has a Returnable Packaging Program, which lets customers return ice packs and insulated bags with their next order. CookUnity offers meals of all kinds, including a colorful selection of vegan meals, such as the Vegan 'Chorizo' Chili Mac and Cheese and Jerk Marinated Tofu Bowl.

Daily Harvest is a fully plant-based and gluten-free frozen meal service, and the company is a big advocate for an organic and regenerative food system. Daily Harvest's offerings include frozen smoothies, pasta dishes, breakfast bowls, flatbreads, snacks, and more. The company's meals are all free of added sugar and nuts, and Daily Harvest also offers meal plans for those who want to eat a Whole30, Mediterranean, or gut-friendly diet.

Owned by HelloFresh, Green Chef advertises itself as the first USDA organic meal kit company. Green Chef's meal kits are sent out with premeasured ingredients, which the company says helps reduce food waste for home chefs. Green Chef offers a plant-based meal plan, and the company uses 100 percent renewable electricity at its offices and manufacturing facilities.

Hungryroot offers a meal plan of ready-to-eat meals, which the website recommends to customers after they fill out a quiz. The company offers all kinds of meals, including plant-based meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And to bulk up your order, Hungryroot also sells various fresh grocery items, pantry goods, and snacks.

Small company LeafSide is a 100 percent plant-based, unprocessed, and shelf-stable meal delivery company. Just add water to enjoy each meal, each of which is created following the nutrition guidelines of prominent plant-based physician Dr. Michael Greger. LeafSide's mission is to provide affordable, convenient, healthy, unprocessed, and eco-friendly food. Meals include the Creamy Potato Leek Soup and Goji Peach Paradise Sweet-Bowl.

Backed by Martha Stewart — and featuring some of her best recipes — Marley Spoon is a meal kit that offers over 100 recipe choices every week. Meals can typically be cooked in 20 minutes or less, and Marley Spoon offers plans for all kinds of diets, including vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, and gluten-free. The company has a sustainability report posted on its website with info on its sustainability pillars ingredient sourcing, climate action efforts, and more.

Methodology, which brands itself as the "ultimate luxury nutrition program" (with prices to reflect that), offers a zero-waste food delivery service. The company has a commitment to zero food waste, and sends out most of its fresh meals in proprietary glass jars, and some in some in proprietary plastic containers. All meals are free of dairy, gluten, and refined sugar, the company offers a vegan meal plan, and Methodology grows most of its ingredients in greenhouses.

Mosaic Foods is a fully vegetarian frozen meal service that also offers many vegan meals. All of Mosaic Foods' packaging is either made with post-consumer recycled fiber and/or is curbside recyclable, and almost all the packaging is made of paper, with very minimal plastic. The company's frozen meal offerings include smoothies, pizzas, veggie bowls, oat bowls, and soups.

Purple Carrot is probably the most prominent fully plant-based meal kit company on the market. The company offers meal kits for breakfast, lunch, and dinner so you can cook your own meal with fresh ingredients, as well as refrigerated ready-to-eat meals and frozen microwaveable meals. Purple Carrot is an advocate for the "plant-based revolution," and is motivated by how a vegan diet is the most environmentally-friendly way to eat. The company also provides clear guidelines on packaging recycling.

Sakara is a fully plant-based meal delivery service, beloved by celebrities from Gwyneth Paltrow to Hilary Duff, and known for its lavishly-priced fresh meals. All Sakara dishes are designed to be nutrient dense, and filled with plant protein, healthy fats, and veggies of all colors. Sakara meals are made with organic produce grown by responsible farmers, and the company donates and composts all surplus foods to those in need.

Splendid Spoon's ready-to-eat meals are all 100 percent vegan and gluten-free, and designed to make healthy eating more accessible. Meals include noodle dishes, smoothies, soups, and more, and everything can be stored in the fridge or freezer. Everything is non-GMO and free of artificial sweeteners, and Splendid Spoon promotes the nutritional, environmental, and emotional benefits of eating plant-based.

Sprinly's 100 percent vegan meals are premade and fresh, and can be heated up in three minutes or less. The website has clear guidelines on how to recycle and compost all packaging, and Sprinly partners with mission-driven nonprofits to donate organic produce to people in need. All food is free of artificial preservatives and refined sugar, and meals are designed "for omnivores, vegans, and everyone in between" to enjoy.

Sunbasket offers traditional meal kits so you can cook your own meals, as well as fresh and ready meals that can be heated up in a few minutes. The company makes meals for all different lifestyles, including vegan, vegetarian, and Mediterranean; produce is mostly organic; and the website has clear instructions on how to recycle and compost all packaging. Plus, Sunbasket donates food to various nonprofits feeding people in need.

Thistle makes "plant-forward" prepared meals that are all 100 percent gluten-free and dairy-free. Thistle's food is organic whenever possible, and the company offers a vegan meal plan, noting on the website that eating more plants is the most impactful thing we can do for the environment. In addition to making breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, Thistle also offers snacks, juices, and desserts.

Veestro offers premade, chef-designed, plant-based meals, with both fresh and frozen options. The entire company is vegan, citing the benefits a plant-based diet can have for the planet as well as our personal health. Veestro's mission is to make eating vegan easy and tasty, which is why its meals are all premade.