This Is The Best Meal Delivery Service Now That Fresh N Lean Is Gone

When Fresh N Lean went live in July, it prompted a seismic shift in the prepared meals hierarchy. Fresh N Lean was our favorite pre-prepared meal service for a few years in a row, but financial support has apparently forced the healthy subscription service to shut down.

Fear not, hungry readers looking for tasty meals to stock up on in the fridge, there’s a viable number two waiting in the wings and CookUnity ascending to the throne as the best prepared meal delivery service for 2024

Having tried many of the prepared meal delivery services available – and which liked a lot of them — I decided to try CookUnity last year. As you’d expect from a service featuring recipes sourced from a range of chefs, each with unique culinary backgrounds, CookUnity’s meals, which start around $11 per meal, were just as varied.

Overall, I found the quality of the CookUnity meals to be extremely high and the ordering platform easy to use. It’s one of the tastiest subscriptions I’ve tried and earns a spot on this editor’s list of the best meal delivery services for 2024.

Here’s a rundown of how CookUnity works and what I liked and didn’t like about it. CookUnity is currently available in most of the continental US, including all the areas and zip codes highlighted on this map.

CookUnity prices

Meals per week	Price per meal	Price per week
4	$13.59	$54.36
6	$12.29	$73.74
8	$11.69	$93.52
12	$11.19	$134.28
16	$11.09	$177.48

How CookUnity works

This is a meal subscription service, so you choose four, six, eight, 12 or 16. You can easily add, pause or skip deliveries or change your plan at any time but remember that meals will still come if you do. ‘t and you will be charged for them. Meals are delivered chilled with ice to keep them that way never frozen. Most can be easily frozen if you can’t get them out by the date suggested on the side of the box, but I’d argue that some freeze better than others.

Every CookUnity ready-to-eat meal has a chef’s name attached; the conclusion is that the chef created the recipe you are eating at your dining table or over the kitchen counter. Among some newer names, heavy hitters are available to order, including Einat Admony (Taïm, Balaboosta), John DeLucie (Waverly Inn, Lumaca) and Jean-Georges Vongerichten (Jean-Georges).

You can pick your meals each week from a rotating menu of over 150 meals or let CookUnity decide for you and be surprised when you open the box. When picking meals, you can sort through filters for specific diet plans, including vegan and vegetarian, keto, low-calorie, All-30 Friendly, gluten-free and more. You can see the full nutritional information and ingredient list as well as reviews from others before you add something to your cart.

CookUnity will choose an initial delivery day but you can change that if needed and also schedule within a certain window to make sure someone is home to pop those meals in the fridge.

When the meals arrive they come with simple heating instructions on the side of the box, often with a chef’s recommendation and a quick heat option — which generally means using the microwave. Spoiler alert: You’ll want to follow the chef’s advice even if it means spritzing a non-stick skillet after using a small piece of aluminum foil.

What I ate and how I liked it

I chose six meals and tried them all fresh within a few days of arrival. None of them seemed to be very good candidates for freezing, unlike some other services I’ve tried, some of which seem tailor-made for that. Overall, I found the quality to be very high and, while some were better than others, I didn’t like any of them.

Chicken tinga tacos with cilantro and guacamole: The pulled chicken that came in these tacos was incredibly tender and full of smoky, slightly spicy flavor. The corn tortillas weren’t the freshest but they didn’t completely ruin the meal.

Vegetarian crepe with cheddar cheese: This was another good one with spinach and mushroom bursting out of the flaky crepe. It could have used a bit more flavor and was a little soggy when reheated but it was an enjoyable lunch overall, and it was very filling too.

lamb kebab with roasted sweet potatoes, hummus and pickles: Amazingly tender lamb, packed with flavours, including mint and garlic. The sweet potatoes were also cooked very well, having started to brown around the edges. This might have been my favorite and it was really good as the oils from the lamb roasted the kebab from the inside out.

Tofu with hemp seeds and sweet potato puree: The tofu was soft if not a little soft and the sweet potatoes were creamy and smooth. It was served with a bright parsley sauce which might have been the best part.

Miso cod with sauteed vegetables: The cod tasted fresh although the vegetables left something to be desired – boring I guess. This was definitely a smaller portion than the rest, good for someone trying to cut carbs or calories but not enough to fill me up.

Bulgogi beef ramen: A solid dish with the properly cooked noodles and lots of tart kimchi flavor infused into the tender beef stir fry. Not the best bulgogi I’ve had by any stretch, but not the worst, either.

How much does CookUnity cost?

This service is in line with other high-end meal delivery services with meals ranging from $11 to $13 depending on how many meals you order per week. Others in the same category, including some of our good top picks Pete’s Paleo They are more expensive at $12-$15 per meal. There are cheaper options, however, including Mosaic Foods, which can be had for as little as $6 per serving when you order family meals.

What is the shipping cost for CookUnity?

You will pay a flat rate of $10 for each order through CookUnity. That’s pretty standard, although some services like Fresh N Lean will wave the fee if you order a lot of meals.

Who is CookUnity good for?

As this meal delivery outfit has a wide range of options, I would say this service is one of the best for someone who has a curious appetite and likes to try new dishes. The food is all over the map, quite literally, with many of the world’s foods represented, but there is consistency in quality and all the dishes I tried were solid or at least better.

There are plenty of healthy, low-carb, vegan and paleo options, so this is a good meal delivery service if you’re trying to stick to a specific eating plan.

CookUnity is also a great option if you’re obsessed with the celebrity chef scene and want to brag to your friends that you had Jean-Georges pizza for dinner last night. And yes, the James Beard Award-winning chef has a pizza recipe in French on the CookUnity menu. Go figure.

Who isn’t CookUnity good for?

Probably not a great choice for families as the portions are not huge and things would be expensive if you were ordering for three or four. It’s also not great if you have a very predictable schedule as I wouldn’t consider the freshly prepared food ideal for freezing and it’s definitely best eaten a few days after delivery.

The final verdict on CookUnity

I have to admit that I was surprised by the high hit rate of this meal service. When I saw how many literate cooks there were in the kitchen through the dozens of chefs they took recipes from, I worried that the service itself would be inconsistent. But in practice, every meal was well prepared with good taste and I didn’t come across a single blackout. The cod was the only meal I wished was a larger portion but overall every lunch or dinner was satisfying.

The most exciting thing about CookUnity is the sheer number of food options you can choose from, all coming from chefs of different backgrounds, cooking styles and levels of fame. As a bona fide restaurant junkie, I would consider CookUnity not only a delicious way to feed myself without cooking but also a fun way to learn about new chef personalities and restaurants for the next time I travel to a new city or looking for a place to eat locally.

Since you can pause or cancel the subscription at any time, I say give it a try and see how with you it’s good

The information in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objective.