Best nutritious food delivery programs in 2023: Pick the best one for you

How is it almost summer already?

If you're finding yourself as busy as we are, you may be looking for some quicker ways to get nutritious meals on the table. Maybe you want to try vegan options for the first time. Or maybe your primary care doctor or nutritionist has advised a weight-loss or weight-management program for you for 2023.

Related: How we pick our products

Whatever your reason for needing a little help with dinner, we've got you covered. We've found the best nutrition-related meal delivery programs in 2023. These meal kit and food delivery programs include vegan and vegetarian options, allergy-friendly meals, family-friendly dishes, prepared meals and more. Many of these services are backed by nutritional science and nutritionist-approved.

No matter if you're sticking to a 2023 budget and looking for a wallet-friendly meal delivery service or want to try a celebrity-loved nutrition program, we've found the right food service for you. We compared the most popular diet nutrition food delivery programs to find the brands with the widest delivery area, best meal planning, nutritious meal options, most options for eaters with a dietary preference and dietary restriction, as well as the most sustainable ingredients.

Best meal kit for plant-based eaters: Purple Carrot

Purple Carrot will help you achieve that New Year goal of eating less meat in 2023. The brand offers an extensive menu of both vegan meal kits and prepared vegan meals. The brand offers breakfast, lunch, dinner and plant-based grocery items. Customers choose the number of servings per-meal and how many meals they want delivered each week. Eating plant-based is more sustainable. According to the brand, each Purple Carrot meal kit results in 72 percent less carbon being released into the atmosphere as compared to the standard American meal with meat.

CBS Essentials senior writer Lily Rose is a fan.

"I love the variety of meals Purple Carrot offers. Just because it's plant-based doesn't mean your meals have to be boring. The instructions are easy to follow and I like that the Purple Carrot site includes how long dishes take to make and whether they're high-protein, gluten-free, nut-free and more."

Purple Carrot, $55 and up

$55 and up

Best meal kit for dietary restrictions: Green Chef

Green Chef is a great option for people with food sensitivities such as gluten-intolerance, vegans, vegetarians or customers on doctor or nutritionist-recommended meal plans such as keto, paleo and Mediterranean diets.

Customers choose the number of people these meals are feeding plus the number of meals per week. Most meals can be cooked in 30 minutes.

Menu items have included shrimp and kale caesar salad, vegan creamy corn and potato chowder, red pepper and egg shakshuka with pesto.

Green Chef, $81 and up

$81 and up

Best nutrition program for adventurous eaters: Sakara

This trendy nutrition program beloved by Gwyneth Paltrow and the Goop staff involves minimal meal prep. The organic, plant-based, gluten-free, dairy-free, non-GMO and no refined sugar meal service has gone viral on social media for its adventurous and nutrient-rich breakfast, lunch and dinner options. Menu items have included golden gooseberry parfait, a red beet burger and a butterfly bowl (blue pea flower rice, massaged lacinato kale, and elderberry dressing).

Customers choose their amount of meals and their delivery frequency. Customers can "super-charge" their results for an extra $39 a week with three green smoothies or three probiotic coconut kefirs. The brand also offers snacks and supplements for an added cost.

Sakara, $63 and up

$63 and up

Best customizable meal delivery plan: Home Chef

Home Chef formulates a customized meal plan for you. The program has customers answer a few questions about their taste, serving size and delivery preferences. Customers can pick recipes and use Home Chef's "Customize It" tool to upgrade, swap, or double up on ingredients.

The brand offers a wide menu of meals, including vegan, vegetarian, carb and calorie-conscious meals, desserts, coffee and more. Because it is so customizable, prices will vary. Meal kits begin at $8 per serving.

Right now, some of Home Chef's offerings include green chile pork flautas, basil and parmesan-crusted salmon, Filipino-style chicken asado and more.

Home Chef meals are also available in Kroger stores.

Home Chef, starting at $8 per serving

$8 per serving and up

Best food delivery plan for busy people: Factor

Nutrition programs don't have to mean cooking for yourself.

Factor's nutrition-focused meals come freshly prepared and ready to pop in the microwave or the oven. The brand offers keto-friendly meal plans, vegan and vegetarian meal plans, a calorie-conscious meal plan (meals 550 calories-per serving or less), a protein-focused menu (all meals contain at least 30 grams of protein), a dessert menu and more.

Customers that sign up with their phone number can receive a 60% discount on meal plans.

Factor, $78 and up

$78 and up

Most budget-friendly meal delivery program: EveryPlate

Your 2023 nutrition plan doesn't have to break the bank.

EveryPlate offers meal kits at a budget-friendly price. EveryPlate lets customers select and combine from food preferences such as EveryPlate's "Nutrish & Delish" menu (meals 650 calories or less), the brand's "Quick & Easy" menu (meals ready in 30 minutes or less), family-friendly meals, vegetarian meals and more.

EveryPlate, $39 and up

$39 and up

The best traditional meal kit delivery experience: Blue Apron

Blue Apron is a popular meal kit service that also offers a nutrition-led program. In addition to the brand's signature and vegetarian menus, Blue Apron offers a wellness menu featuring what the brand calls "nutritionist-approved recipes designed for your holistic health." The selections include carb-conscious and Weight Watchers-recommended options.

Current offerings include seared chicken and dijon pan sauce, sambal-glazed salmon and cilantro rice and for the vegetarian option, a harissa-honey tofu bowl.

Build your plan by choosing the number of servings you want in each box as well as the number of meals you'd like per week.

Blue Apron, $58 and up

$58 and up

Shop more kitchen essentials

Now that you've ordered your new nutrition program, order these top-rated kitchen essentials to prepare your meals in. All of these items are on sale now.

The Pioneer Woman non-stick cookware set: $49

The Pioneer Woman's Fancy Flourish cookware set features Ree Drummond's signature floral print. The set includes 19 kitchen essentials.

When you shop this Walmart deal, you'll get a 2.5-quart saucepan, a 5.5-quart Dutch oven, a skillet, a mini skillet and a cast iron skillet, an Acacia wood spoon, an Acacia wood turner, a 4-piece melamine measuring cups set, a 4-piece melamine measuring spoons set and a 12" x 8" ceramic baker with a lid.

"This is an excellent, high quality, cooking and bakeware set," wrote a Walmart customer. "It's also a great looking set. I absolutely love the beautiful baking dish, and measuring cups! It really helps to cheer everything up, and adds some charm to my kitchen. Everything feels very sturdy and durable and well made. The pots and pans feel heavy and not at all flimsy or cheap. They all function great and make cooking a breeze."

The Pioneer Woman Blooming Bouquet aluminum non-stick cookware set, $49 (reduced from $129)

Check availability nearby

The Pioneer Woman 11-piece knife block set: $49

CBS Essentials readers can't get enough of 'The Pioneer Woman' kitchenware -- it seems to be the perfect combination of style, performance and value. This 4.7-star-rated stainless steel knife block set includes an eight-inch chef knife, an eight-inch bread knife, a 6.5-inch Nakiri knife, five-inch utility knife, 3.5-inch paring knife, four 4.5-inch steak knives, a pair of shears and an acacia block.

Available in four colors.

The Pioneer Woman 11-piece knife set, $49

$49 at Walmart

The Pioneer Woman 12-piece ceramic cookware set: $89

CBS Essentials readers haven't been able to get enough of The Pioneer Woman cookware and kitchen items this holiday season. Now, Walmart has discounted this ceramic cookware set from the best-selling brand in time for the holidays. The set includes twelve items; a 1-quart saucepan, a 3-quart saucepan with lid, a 4.5-quart saute pan with lid, a 5-quart Dutch oven with lid, 8" and 10" skillets, an egg pan, an acacia woodturner and an acacia wood ladle.

The Pioneer Woman 12-piece ceramic cookware set, $89 (reduced from $99)

$89 at Walmart

PowerXL dual-basket vortex air fryer: $69

This top-of-the-line air fryer is currently $80 off. With this air fryer, you can use the dual-basket design to make two dishes at once or combine them into one extra-large 9-quart basket for larger items or family-sized meals.

The PowerXL features 7-in-1 functionality so that you can air fry, dehydrate, roast, broil, bake, air boil and reheat food all with one appliance.

PowerXL dual-basket vortex air fryer, $69 (reduced from $149)

$69 at Walmart

Gourmia ice coffee maker: $25

This is the perfect gift for the iced coffee addict in your life. This machine can easily brew iced coffee at home and it comes with a reusable tumbler.

Gourmia ice coffee maker, $25

$25 at Walmart