Skip the Grocery Store! Hello Fresh Meals Start at $2.79 Shipped (+ More Meal Kit Deals)

There’s so much hype over meal delivery services, plus so much stress over the dang price of groceries. It makes me wonder which option is really the best bang for my buck without resorting to fast food. With the average cost of groceries per month going up, we gotta figure out a way to save.

Before we get started, my biggest tip to get the cheapest meal delivery service is to only sign up if there’s a bomb deal attached. I tend to hop from service to service, depending on who’s giving me the best deal. The good thing for you is we do all that dirty work for you!

Download The Krazy Coupon Lady app for more gift ideas and other money-saving tips, deals, and coupons.

 

Here’s how to compare meal kit prices vs. grocery prices.

The key to comparing prices is to calculate the cost per serving for all ingredients. We looked at ingredients from meal kit recipes and compared them to grocery store prices for the same proportions. To do this we used the lowest-priced items when available for comparison. Here’s a look at how we did the math:

Walmart’s Great Value Honey is 12 ounces for $3.94, but if the meal kit only uses one tablespoon of honey, we have to do some conversions to compare prices apples to apples. One teaspoon is approximately 0.167 ounces. So that means the 12-ounce bottle has 72 teaspoons of honey. To calculate the cost per serving, we take the price of the 12-ounce bottle and divide it by the number of teaspoons (3.94 / 72). This works out to $0.05 per serving.

 

Hello Fresh vs. Walmart Grocery

New customers can almost always find a good deal on a Hello Fresh meal kit. Right now, you can pay as low as $23.92 per box ($2.99 per meal) when you choose the 2 people / 4 recipes per week plan. Or pay $44.64 per box ($2.79 per meal) when you choose the 4 people / 4 recipes per week plan.

Hello Fresh meals come with pre-portioned ingredients, so you have exactly how much you need for each recipe. When we calculated the Walmart grocery prices for the same ingredients and proportions used in the Szechuan Beef Noodles meal, interestingly, grabbing the Hello Fresh promotion turned out to be the cheaper option.

Here’s how it broke down:

Szechuan Beef Noodles Ingredients (4 servings)

• Ground Beef, 20 oz
• Shredded Carrots, 8 oz
• Scallions (2)
• Shredded Cabbage, 8 oz
• Szechuan Paste, 4 tbsp
• Sweet Soy Glaze, 8 tbsp
• Beef Stock Concentrate Packets (2)
• Ramen Noodles, 12 oz
• Sesame Seeds, 1 tbsp

Cost Per Serving: $2.99

Walmart Grocery shopping list

Ingredients from Walmart	Price per ingredient	Price per amount needed
Bundle Of Scallions	$0.88	$0.88
Ground Beef	$9.82	$5.45
Shredded Carrots	$1.77	$1.42
Red Cabbage	$4.51	$0.98
Spicy Szechuan 11.5 ounces	$3.68	$0.64
Kikkoman Sweet Soy Glaze, 10 fl. ounces	$3.48	$1.39
Swanson Beef Stock	$2.92	$0.18
Ocean’s Halo, Organic Ramen Noodles, 8.4 ounces	$6.68	$4.78
Great Value Sesame Seeds, 2.2 ounces	$1.94	$0.44

Grocery List Cost: $35.68
Cost for Ingredient Amounts Needed: $16.16
Per Serving Cost: $4.04

 

Green Chef vs. Walmart Grocery

Green Chef offers 30 recipes each week. You can choose from Keto, Paleo, Gluten Free, Fast & Fit, Mediterranean, Vegan, and Vegetarian. They’re also a certified organic company. Green Chef is a subscription service, so if you don’t want future meal kits, cancel your subscription seven days before your next delivery date. If you don’t, your service will auto-renew.

When we calculated the Walmart grocery prices for the same ingredients and proportions used for the Parmesan-Crusted Chicken recipe, the cost per serving is cheaper through Green Chef than at Walmart. Although the cost per serving is less at Walmart than purchasing from Green Chef, it will cost you $35.73 total in groceries to buy all of the ingredients to prepare the meal.

Note: We couldn’t locate hazelnuts at Walmart, so you’d need to pick those up at Target. Walmart also doesn’t sell a rosemary, basil, and sage blend. With that said, you’d need to buy all three seasonings individually. Additionally, we couldn’t find bottled lemon aioli. You can make it yourself with this recipe. It includes mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. We omitted the salt and pepper from the shopping list because you likely already have that in your kitchen.

Here’s how it broke down:

Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Ingredients (2 servings)

• Whole Roma Tomatoes (2)
• Green Beans, 6 oz
• Hazelnuts. 0.5 oz
• Chicken Cutlets (2, 5 oz each)
• Rosemary, Basil & Sage Blend, 1¼ tsp.
• Dairy-Free Lemon Aïoli, 1¼ oz
• Parmesan Cheese, 1 oz
• Basil Vinaigrette, 1oz

Walmart Grocery shopping list:

Ingredients from Walmart	Price per ingredient	Price per amount needed
Fresh Roma Tomato	$0.44	$0.88
Green Beans, 12 ounces	$2.88	$1.44
Chopped Hazelnuts – 2.25 ounces (Purchase At Target)	$2.99	$0.66
Perdue Harvestland Free Range Fresh Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts	$10.45	$3.33
Hellmann’s Vegan Dressing And Spread	$4.98	$0.21
Lemon Juice	$0.68	$0.68
Parmesan Cheese	$2.88	$0.58
Basil Vinaigrette	$2.52	$0.16
Rosemary	$1.94	$0.44
Sage	$2.00	$0.25
Basil	$1.00	$0.13
Minced Garlic	$2.97	$0.37

Grocery List Cost: $35.73
Cost for Ingredients Needed: $8.93
Per Serving Cost: $4.46

 

 

EveryPlate vs. Walmart Grocery

EveryPlate is the best value of all the meal services. Meals start as low as $1.85 per serving, and there’s no commitment like the other services. EveryPlate currently has the offer to make your first box as low as $1.85 per serving when you sign up for the 6-Recipe, 4 People Plan.

When we calculated the Walmart grocery prices for the same ingredients and proportions used in the Crispy Buffalo Ranch Chicken recipe, the EveryPlate promo turned out to be the cheaper option.

Here’s how it broke down:

Crispy Buffalo Ranch Chicken Ingredients (4 servings)

• Carrots, 24 oz
• Potatoes, 24 oz
• Franks Seasoning, 2 tsp
• Chicken Breast, 20 oz
• Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, 2 tbsp
• Honey, 2 tsp
• Fry Seasoning, 2 tsp

Per Serving Cost: $1.85

Walmart Grocery shopping list:

Ingredients from Walmart	Price per ingredient	Price per amount needed
Whole Carrots	$0.98	$1.47
Gem Potatoes	$3.67	$3.67
Franks Seasoning 4.12 ounces	$4.83	$0.39
Chicken Breast Family Pack	$15.18	$3.71
Great Value Buttermilk Ranch Dressing & Dip, 16 ounces	$1.97	$0.04
Great Value Honey, 12-ounce Plastic Bear Bottle	$3.94	$0.11
Tone’s Mild Fry Day French Fry Seasoning Blend 6.5 ounces	$3.98	$0.20

Grocery List Cost: $34.55
Cost for Ingredient Amounts Needed: $9.59
Per Serving Cost: $2.40

Related: TikTok’s Trending Cheap Dinners Make Weeknights Easy

 

Blue Apron vs. Walmart Grocery

Blue Apron is one of the most popular meal delivery services. This is mostly because it’s easy to use and gives you over 50 recipes to choose from each week. They offer five menu styles including Veggies, Family Friendly, and Fast & Easy. With the current Blue Apron promotion, your cost per serving comes down to $3.12 when you sign up for the 2-serving, 2-meals-per-week plan. There’s no commitment to continue after you receive your first box. The option is yours to cancel at any time.

When we calculated the Walmart grocery prices for the same ingredients and proportions used in the Sheet Pan Pork Roast recipe, the Blue Apron promo was the better deal.

Note: Blue Apron has their own blend of seasonings, which Walmart doesn’t have. So we had to purchase each seasoning individually to recreate the blend.

Here’s how it broke down:

Sheet Pan Pork Roast Ingredients (2 servings)

• Pork Roast (1)
• Sweet Potato, 1/2 lb
• Carrots, 3/4 lb
• Broccoli, 1/2 lb
• Shallot (1)
• Balsamic Vinegar, 2 tbsp
• Fig Spread, 1 tbsp
• Dijon Mustard, 1 tbsp
• Honey, 1 tsp
• Weeknight Hero Spice Blend, 1 tbsp. – Blue Apron Exclusive Spice Blend contains Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Smoked Paprika, and Whole Dried Parsley

Cost Per Serving: $3.12

Walmart Grocery shopping list:

Ingredients from Walmart	Price per ingredient	Price per amount needed
Smithfield Fresh Pork Sirloin Roast Boneless	$5.29	$5.29
Sweet Potato	$1.00	$0.50
Whole Carrots	$0.98	$0.74
Broccoli Crowns	$1.48	$0.74
Shallot	$2.47	$0.49
Wish-Bone Balsamic Vinaigrette	$2.28	$0.15
Bonne Maman Fig Preserves, 13 ounces	$5.68	$0.22
Great Value Dijon Mustard, 12 ounces Squeeze Bottle	$1.50	$0.06
Great Value Honey, 12-ounce Plastic Bear Bottle	$3.94	$0.05
Garlic Powder	$1.00	$0.13
Onion Powder	$1.00	$0.13
Smoked Paprika	$1.94	$0.24
Dried Parsley	$1.00	$0.13

Grocery List Cost: $24.27
Cost for Ingredient Amounts Needed: $8.86
Per Serving Cost: $4.43

 

 

Dinnerly vs. Walmart Grocery

Dinnerly markets themself as “The Affordable Meal Kit,” and we think they deserve the title. You can get a deal for as low as $1.29 per serving. There’s no commitment to continue after your first box. You have the option to cancel at any time. Plus, you can personalize your plan to serve two or four people and choose from three to six meals per week. Certain recipes do require you to provide a few of your own ingredients, so make sure you have all of them before you start cooking.

When we calculated the Walmart grocery prices for the same ingredients and proportions used for the Mini Skillet Meatloaves & Pan Gravy recipe, the Dinnerly promotion came out cheaper than if you shopped at Walmart.

Here’s how it broke down:

Mini Skillet Meatloaves & Pan Gravy Ingredients (2 servings)

• Russet Potatoes (2)
• Broccoli, 1/2 lb
• Grass-Fed Ground Beef, 10 oz
• Worcestershire Sauce, 1.5 oz
• Panko Bread Crumbs, 1 oz
• Granulated Garlic, 0.4 oz
• Beef Broth Concentrate Packet (1)

Cost Per Serving: $1.29

Walmart Grocery shopping list:

Ingredients from Walmart	Price per ingredient	Price per amount needed
Russet Potatoes	$1.00	$2
Broccoli Crowns	$1.48	$0.74
Marketside Butcher Organic Grass-Fed 85% Lean/15% Fat, Ground Beef	$6.28	$3.93
Great Value Worcestershire Sauce, 10 fl. ounces	$1.00	$0.15
Great Value Plain Panko Bread Crumbs, 8 ounces	$1.77	$0.22
Great Value Garlic Powder, 3.4 ounces	$1.00	$0.07
Swanson Beef Stock, 32 ounces	$2.92	$0.18

Grocery List Cost: $15.45
Cost for Ingredient Amounts Needed: $7.29
Per Serving Cost: $3.65