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 better bang for my buck without me having to resort to fast food. With the average cost of groceries per month going up, we gotta figure out a way to save, right?
This is where meal delivery kits can actually save you money. We compared the cost of meal delivery kits vs. grocery store ingredients and found out something surprising: many meal delivery kits have a lower price per serving than if you were to buy the same ingredients at the grocery store!
The key with these meal delivery kits 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 meal delivery discount at the time. The good thing for you is we did all that dirty work for you!
Download The Krazy Coupon Lady app or text HACKS to 57299 for the latest money-saving tips, deals, and coupons.
How we compared meal delivery kit prices vs. the grocery store.
The key to comparing prices between meal delivery kits and the grocery store is to calculate the cost per serving for all ingredients. This means we have to do a little math, since the grocery store will sell bigger sizes of the ingredients than the meal kits include.
For example, if a meal kit recipe uses just one tablespoon of honey, we have to calculate how much one tablespoon of honey would cost from the grocery store. And to make it fair across the board, we picked Walmart as our grocery store to compare prices. We also used a grams-to-teaspoon calculator online to estimate the cost of dry seasonings.
Here's an example of the math:
Walmart’s Great Value Honey costs $3.74 for 12 ounces. Since 1 tablespoon equals 0.5 ounces, we can figure that Walmart's bottle of honey contains 24 tablespoons. This makes the cost per tablespoon of honey $0.16 if you buy it at the grocery store.
Meal Kits That Are Cheaper Than the Grocery Store (Per Serving)
1. EveryPlate's Crispy Buffalo Ranch Chicken: 33% cheaper than Walmart
EveryPlate has the lowest cost per serving out of all the meal kits on this list. Meals start as low as $1.49 per serving for new customers, and there’s no commitment like the other services.
When we calculated the grocery prices for the same ingredients and proportions used in their Crispy Buffalo Ranch Chicken (four servings), the EveryPlate promo turned out to be the cheaper option by far.
Cost per serving
EveryPlate: as low as $1.49
Walmart: $2.21
How much it costs from Walmart
Below are the ingredients needed to make this EveryPlate meal, the amount you need of each, and how much you'd pay at Walmart. The total cost for four servings came out to $8.82, or about $2.21 per serving.
Ingredient (Amount Needed) | Estimated Walmart Cost |
|---|---|
Whole Carrots (24 ounces) | $1.62 |
Baby Potatoes (24 ounces) | $3.27 |
Frank's Seasoning (2 tsp) | $0.24 |
Chicken Breasts (20 ounces) | $3.34 |
Buttermilk Ranch Dressing (2 Tbsp) | $0.12 |
Honey (2 tsp) | $0.10 |
Fry Seasoning (2 tsp) | $0.13 |
Current EveryPlate deal for new customers:
2. Dinnerly's Mini Skillet Meatloaves & Pan Gravy: 28% cheaper than Walmart
When we calculated the Walmart grocery prices for the same ingredients and proportions used in Dinnerly's Mini Skillet Meatloaves & Pan Gravy (two servings) meal, the Dinnerly promotion came out cheaper than if you shopped at Walmart.
Cost per serving
Dinnerly: as low as $2.99
Walmart: $4.16
How much it costs from Walmart
Below are the ingredients needed to make this Dinnerly meal, the amount you need of each, and how much you'd pay at Walmart. The total cost for two servings came out to $8.32, or $4.16 per serving.
Ingredient (Amount Needed) | Estimated Walmart Cost |
|---|---|
Russet Potatoes (2) | $1.66 |
Broccoli (1/2 pound) | $0.84 |
Organic Grass-Fed Beef (10 ounces) | $3.98 |
Worcestershire Sauce (1.5 ounces) | $0.17 |
Panko Bread Crumbs (1 ounce) | $0.23 |
Garlic Powder (1/4 ounce) | $0.08 |
$0.07 | |
Eggs (1) | $0.22 |
Butter (3 Tbsp) | $0.38 |
Cooking oil (3 Tbsp) | $0.68 |
Flour (1 Tbsp) | $0.01 |
Current Dinnerly deal for new customers:
3. Blue Apron's Sheet Pan Pork Roast: 1% cheaper than Walmart
Blue Apron has their own blend of seasonings, which Walmart doesn’t have. So we had to purchase each seasoning individually to recreate their "Weeknight Hero Spice Blend" that's featured in this recipe.
When we calculated the Walmart grocery prices for the same ingredients and proportions used in their Sheet Pan Pork Roast (two servings), the Blue Apron promo was the better deal.
Cost per serving
Blue Apron: as low as $4.79
Walmart: $4.82
How much it costs from Walmart
Here's the full breakdown of the ingredients needed to make this Blue Apron meal, the amount you need of each, and how much you'd pay at Walmart. The total cost for two servings came out to $9.64, or $4.82 per serving.
Ingredient (Amount Needed) | Estimated Walmart Cost |
|---|---|
$6.01 | |
Sweet Potato (1/2 pound) | $0.50 |
Whole Carrots (3/4 pound) | $0.81 |
Brussels Sprouts (4 ounces) | $0.75 |
Shallot (1) | $1.12 |
Balsamic Vinaigrette (2 Tbsp) | $0.09 |
Fig Preserves (1 Tbsp) | $0.01 |
Dijon Mustard (1 Tbsp) | $0.06 |
Honey (2 tsp) | $0.10 |
Garlic Powder (1 tsp) | $0.02 |
Onion Powder (1 tsp) | $0.02 |
Smoked Paprika (1 tsp) | $0.10 |
Dried Parsley (1 tsp) | $0.05 |
Current Blue Apron deal for new customers:
4. Hello Fresh's Szechuan Beef Noodles: 1% cheaper than Walmart
When we crunched the numbers for Hello Fresh's Szechuan Beef Noodles meal (four servings), we found out that the Hello Fresh kit turned out to be the better deal than Walmart based on the cost per serving.
Cost per serving
Hello Fresh: as low as $4.49
Walmart: $4.53
How much it costs from Walmart
Here's the full breakdown on the ingredients needed to make this Hello Fresh meal, the amount you need of each, and how much you'd pay at Walmart. The total cost for four servings came out to $18.13, or $4.53 per serving.
Ingredient (Amount Needed) | Estimated Walmart Cost |
|---|---|
Ground Beef (20 ounces) | $6.90 |
Scallions (2) | $0.98 |
Shredded Cabbage (8 ounces) | $2.53 |
Szechuan Paste (4 Tbsp) | $0.69 |
Sweet Soy Glaze (8 Tbsp) | $1.50 |
$0.14 | |
Ramen Noodles (12 ounces) | $4.77 |
Sesame Seeds (1 Tbsp) | $0.28 |
Sugar (2 tsp) | $0.01 |
Cooking Oil (1 tsp) | $0.08 |
Butter (2 Tbsp) | $0.25 |
Current Hello Fresh deal for new customers:
New customers can almost always find a good deal on a Hello Fresh meal kit. You'll pay the lowest cost per serving if you go with the bigger-sized boxes.
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