We Put the Best High-Protein Meal Delivery Services to the Test

If you’ve ever tried to up your protein intake, you know that it’s not always the easiest diet change. Some of the highest protein foods take the longest to prep and cook (and often require that dreaded thawing-out period that we always forget about until right before dinnertime).

If you’re busy, just don’t love cooking, or are struggling to incorporate more protein into your go-to meals, the best high-protein meal delivery services can be a game changer. Many of them send fresh, precooked meals right to your door that are ready to heat and eat whenever hunger strikes. To help you find the ones that can most easily (and deliciously) up your protein intake, we tapped dietitians for their takes on the best of the best and tested them for ourselves—we’re breaking them all down below.

• Green Chef
• Factor
• Territory Foods
• Purple Carrot
• CookUnity

• Lots of dietary preference options
• Big selection of recipes to choose from each week
• Helps you learn new cooking skills and try new flavor combinations

• Some recipes require multiple pots and pans
• Recipes can take longer than advertised

If you’d rather cook your meals than microwave them, Green Chef is a great option. Jason Levee, MS, RD, CDN, a registered dietician at Whole Family Health, likes it for its high-quality, organic ingredients, which are sustainably sourced from traceable farmers and suppliers.

The brand’s Protein Packed recipes feature 30-plus grams of protein per serving and are designed to be made in only 30 minutes. “The recipe cards were really easy to follow,” one SELF tester says. “There were only about four or five steps, and each one had a photo accompanying it and a couple of bullet points to walk me through the process.”

“I was surprised that some of the prep work was done for me,” she adds. “For example, I made a soup, and the carrots were already cut into cubes and the chicken was pre-chopped, so I only needed to chop the celery, onion, and mushrooms. Little details like that made the cooking process go even faster.”

Meal preppers, this one's for you: “I brought the leftovers for lunch to the office, and it reheated well and tasted even better than I remembered from the night before,” our tester says. “I'd be happy if I ordered that at a restaurant! And most importantly, it felt like a balanced and filling meal."

Dietary options: Carb-conscious, gluten-free, high-protein, keto, Mediterranean, paleo, pescatarian, vegan, vegetarian

Meal examples: Caribbean-spiced tilapia with mango salsa, beef and sweet potato taco skillet, harvest salad with chicken and bacon, Italian pork puttanesca spaghetti

Cost: Meals start at $12 per serving. Shipping is an additional $10.

First-time customer deals: 50% off your first box and free salads for two months with first two-month subscription | Recipe options per week: 80 | Packing materials: Recyclable and compostable materials | Availability: Contiguous United States

• Ready to eat in two minutes
• Meals come with a lot of sauce and microwave well
• Several dietary options
• Shows calorie count to help with portion control
• Add-ons like smoothies and snacks are available in addition to meals

• Portions aren’t very big

Cooking healthy food every day takes long enough, and when you’re trying to make meals that are high in protein, it can be even more of a time suck. Enter Factor: a meal delivery service that offers tasty heat-and-eat meals with great macronutrient profiles. Their Protein Plus meals, which are higher in protein than other options, have roughly 40 grams of protein. They also offer yummy keto options, which have just as much protein per serving.

“I’ve personally used Factor and found it really convenient,” says Boakye. “Their meals are fully prepared and created by chefs and dietitians, so you get high‑quality, balanced dishes.” SELF's editor in chief, Jessica Cruel, is a fan too. “I like that you can select your meals before they arrive and there was plenty of variety, from seafood to steak and even surf and turf,” she says. “I also liked that I could keep an eye on calorie count, and I did my best to stay in the 500 to 600 range. Portion control is one of the hardest things I battle, so I appreciate everything being measured out for me.”

One note: I’ve tried Factor myself and thought the meals were quite good, but the portions were a bit small. Cruel agrees: “One thing I love... there's a lot of sauce! Also, none of the proteins were overcooked after the microwave. I will say I was left craving more food after every meal, but that is what I get for choosing primarily 'Calorie Smart' options,” she says.

With Factor, you can order entrees as well as breakfasts, snacks, desserts, protein shakes, smoothies, and extra proteins.

Dietary options: Protein plus, calorie smart, keto, chef’s choice, vegan + veggie

Meal examples: Indian-style butter chicken, smokey gouda chicken, Santa Fe-style green chile beef skillet, loaded bacon shredded chicken, queso fundido and ground beef

Cost: Meals are $11 to $14, depending how many you order.

First-time customer deals: 50% off and free shipping on your first box | Recipe options per week: 40 | Packing materials: Partially recyclable materials | Availability: Contiguous United States

• Produce tastes fresh
• Easy to microwave
• Great plant-based options (all meals are gluten and dairy free)
• Meals were satisfying, according to our tester

• We noticed that some meals lacked seasoning
• Some textures didn't hold up after being microwaved
• Pricey

Satisfying and delicious, Territory Foods impressed one SELF tester time and time again: “I grew up eating plenty of TV dinners, and none of the veggies in them quite tasted like the real thing—but Territory captures that fresh vegetable texture and taste,” she says. “I think the produce was fresher-tasting than other microwave meals and even some cook-yourself options I've tried in the past.”

While she found that some meals microwaved better than others, overall, she looked forward to trying new Territory dishes each week. “The texture of certain items (like chicken and mashed potatoes) didn't quite match up to what you'd expect of a fresh version," she says. “But at the same time, there were some unexpected winners—like the lemon artichoke tofu, which made me realize I've been sleeping on tofu and should eat more of it!”

Also great: The meal kit helped her avoid a food rut, which can be boring (and may cause you to miss out on key nutrients). "I think the uniqueness and variety of the available options also makes Territory a standout in the microwave meal space. You certainly won't get bored with this meal plan, and you could argue that the ease of getting a hot meal on the table in 3 minutes makes up for some of the minor losses in taste and texture,” our tester explains.

Her final verdict? “This meal kit will definitely make your life easier if you're someone who'd rather not fuss around with raw ingredients or spend time cooking. And it's a great option if you're looking for a variety of protein-forward and veggie-filled meals that are reliably easy to prep and satisfying.” (Sounds like a win-win!)

Dietary options: Mediterranean, paleo, vegan, whole 30, keto, low carb, plant-based

Meal examples: Lime Adobo chicken with cilantro green goddess, spicy Thai beef with rice, chickpea potato curry, peppercorn tri tip steak with red potatoes, chicken tenders with lemongrass barbecue sauce

Cost: Meals start at $9.50.

First-time customer deals: N/A | Recipe options per week: Up to 90 | Packing materials: Driver will pick up the reusable bag and gel ice packs during your next delivery, cardboard box and meal containers can be recycled | Availability: Most states

• All meals are vegan
• Lots of new, interesting, and delicious dishes (they're picky toddler-approved!)
• Recipe cards are clear and easy to follow
• Ingredients are often organic
• Offers meal kits, heat-and-eat meals, and some grocery items

• Some meals are high in sodium

Read our full review of Purple Carrot here.

It can be tough (and expensive) to come up with fresh, exciting plant-based dinners all the time—thankfully, there's Purple Carrot for nights when you're all out of ideas. Even our tester, who enjoys meat and dairy, enjoyed eating vegan and didn't feel like she was missing out: “I loved every Purple Carrot meal I ate," she says. "They were all extremely flavorful, and I found each one to be deeply satisfying—so much so that I saved the recipe cards to make them again.” (Her picky toddler liked them too, and if that's not proof they're delicious, I don't know what is.)

“My favorite recipe was the Buffalo cauliflower with dilly quinoa and tzatziki," she adds. "The spicy and savory mix of turmeric, dill, and lemon combined with tzatziki and Buffalo sauces is something I’ve craved multiple times since I ate it—so I’ll definitely be making that again soon.”

Some meals are higher in fat, sodium, and carbohydrates (something to note if you're looking to cut down on any of those). But our tester found that the portions made two filling meals each and kept well in her fridge—especially the overnight oats, which were so good she wanted to eat them every morning.

“At the end of the day, the food is damn good,” our tester says. “Even if you’re not vegan but you’re looking to shift your diet to be more plant-based, Purple Carrot is a great option for exploring those meal options in a low-effort, high-reward way.”

Dietary options: High protein, gluten free, under 600 calories, low sodium

Meal examples: Jackfruit Gyros, Bahn Mi bowls, one pot chile verde, black bean burgers, peanut Pad Thai noodles, Marry Me cauliflower

Cost: Meals start at $11 per serving. Shipping costs $12, or free for orders over $100.

First-time customer deals: Get $50 off of your first Purple Carrot order and free shipping when you use the code SELF50 at checkout | Recipe options per week: Around 20 dinner meal kits, 15 heat-and-eat dinners, plus breakfast and lunch options | Packing materials: Recyclable box and disposable cooling packs | Availability: 48 contiguous states

• Chef-created meals that don't require any cooking
• Can be heated up in the microwave or oven
• Less expensive than most other options on this list
• Lots of filters for different preferences and dietary restrictions

• We found that some portions are on the smaller side
• Steak didn't microwave as well as other proteins did

CookUnity delivers chef-made, oven- or microwave-ready meals right to your door (no cooking required). “They were very quick and straightforward—just peel back a corner of the plastic lid and microwave for three minutes,” our tester says.

While some microwave meals fall flat, CookUnity's offerings reheated well: “The pastas were amazing!" she says. "I would be happy to be served one of these in a restaurant. I also really enjoyed the chicken empanadas, butter chicken, and Marry Me chicken.” (One caveat: She says the ribeye steak didn't turn out as well as the chicken dishes did.)

We wouldn't recommend CookUnity if you're looking to gain some skills in the kitchen, since there isn't any prep work required. But “the flavors are there—they all seem to be well-balanced meals,” according to our tester. Plus, at around $8 per meal, CookUnity is less expensive than many other meal delivery services on this list.

Dietary options: GLP-1, keto, vegetarian, vegan, Mediterranean, paleo, pescatarian, low carb, dairy free, gluten free, under 600 calories, low sodium, high protein

Meal examples: Korean beef quesadilla; Mom's Sunday sauce rigatoni; chicken shawarma rice bowl; grilled spicy salmon bowl; blue cheese, dates, and chicken salad with honey-dijon vinaigrette

Cost: Meals start at $5.55 for your first box.

First-time customer deals: Get 50% off your first week and 10% off the next three weeks | Recipe options per week: Over 300 | Packing materials: Eco-friendly | Availability: Most states

While we haven’t tested these meal kits for ourselves yet, they come recommended by experts and they have many of the same features we liked about our top picks—so we still think they’re worth trying.

• Large, very high-protein portions
• Clear macronutrient information listed for each meal
• No cooking required
• Lots of add-ons available

• Limited dietary options

If you’re looking to put on muscle mass, but struggle with your protein intake, Fuel Meals is about to make your life so much easier. These fresh, heat-and-eat meals come packed with up to 60 grams (!) of protein each, and they’re ready in just three minutes. There are options for hypertrophy (high-protein, high-carb), weight loss (high-protein, low-carb), and performance (higher energy meals).

When you make your picks (either 7, 10, 14, or 20 meals per week), you can easily see the macronutrient profiles. You can also opt to have the brand make selects for you, based on your fitness goals.

“Fuel Meals is great if you’re looking for a lot of protein in each meal,” says Boakye. “They offer fun combinations and fresh, high-quality ingredients.” Thanks to the substantial portion sizes, you can split some meals into two and get more bang for your buck, depending on your macronutrient needs, she adds. Another bonus: On top of lunches and dinners, Fuel Meals also offers breakfasts, snacks, bulk proteins, and sides.

Dietary options: Muscle gain, weight loss, performance

Meal examples: General Tso's turkey meatballs, pineapple pepper stir fry, chipotle beef burger, buffalo chicken pizza, chocolate protein brownies

Cost: Meals start at $11.95. Free shipping for subscribers.

First-time customer deals: 40% off and a free pound of chicken with each order for life | Recipe options per week: 50 | Packing materials: Fully recyclable | Availability: Nationwide

• No cooking required
• Organic ingredients
• Low sodium levels (which is rare for heat-and-eat meals)
• Good high-protein vegetarian options
• Companion app has helpful info and access to the Trifecta community

• Pretty pricey

Trifecta offers a wide variety of meal plans, including a paleo and Whole30-friendly option that has about 30-40 grams of protein in each organic, heat-and-eat dish. They also offer plant-based meals that have about 20-30 grams of protein each, a solid amount for vegetarian dishes. “They’re careful with sodium and sugar levels, which is really important if you’re watching your micronutrients or managing a chronic condition,” says Boakye.

You can choose from 7, 10, or 14 meals per week, or opt for chef’s choice and let the brand decide what meals you’ll get. Trifecta customers also get access to free nutrition advice and community support with the Trifecta app.

Dietary options: Keto, paleo/Whole30, plant-based, GLP-1, clean

Meal examples: Egg bite shakshuka, basil pesto tofu scramble, piri piri inspired chicken, dijon mustard pork, plant-based chicken cacciatore, romesco tofu

Cost: Plans start at 7 meals for $112, $9.99 for shipping in contiguous US.

First-time customer deals: 50% off your first order | Recipe options per week: 100 | Packing materials: Recyclable and biodegradable materials | Availability: Nationwide

There are tons of options out there, and they’re all a little different. Here’s what you’ll want to keep in mind as you shop.

We asked registered dietitians to share the meal delivery services that they would recommend to their clients or have used themselves and loved. Many SELF staffers have also tested meal delivery services over the years. Taking all of these expert insights into account, along with customer reviews, we found the top high-protein meal delivery services for every dietary need and taste.

Related:

• We Tried the Most Popular Protein Bars—These Are Actually Worth Eating
• The Meal Prep Containers Preventing Us From Getting Takeout
• Whey Protein Powders That’ll Boost Your Shakes, Smoothies, and Baked Goods

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