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Dinnerly provides a meal kit subscription service, delivering premeasured ingredients to a person’s home with digital recipe cards that they can follow.

Dinnerly offers a rotating weekly menu of meals, giving customers a range of choices. Its service is relatively low cost compared with similar meal kit delivery services.

This article discusses the Dinnerly brand, what it offers, and health factors that people may wish to consider.

Please note that the writer of this article has not tried these products. All information presented is purely research-based and correct at the time of publication.

Medical News Today follows a strict product selection and vetting process. Learn more here.

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Dinnerly is suitable for individuals who may not have the time to prepare and arrange meals. Each meal kit arrives with the ingredients premeasured, so all a person needs to do is follow the cooking instructions.

Dinnerly offers vegetarian, dairy-free, and low calorie meals, meaning that it is suitable for people following certain diets. A person should check the ingredients of their chosen dishes before making a purchase.

Dinnerly provides its recipe cards exclusively via its website and app. As such, Dinnerly may not work for individuals who have limited or no internet access.

Dinnerly customers can choose which meal kits to order from a weekly rotating menu.

Each meal has a digital recipe card that is available online or on the Dinnerly app and gives a person step-by-step cooking instructions to follow.

Deliveries come in an insulated box with most of the ingredients necessary to prepare three to six meals per week.

An adult-sized serving costs $4.99 for six meals for four people. Smaller orders are typically more expensive per serving.

Learn more about other meal kit delivery services here.

Brand reputation

Dinnerly’s services have an average rating of 1.55 out of 5 on Better Business Bureau (BBB), based on 33 customer reviews.

Based on the positive feedback that mentions flexibility and varied meals, Dinnerly may benefit those who have a busy schedule and limited time to prepare meals.

However, there are many critical comments, with some reviewers claiming that:

  • not all ingredients were fresh
  • there were some missing items
  • they were unable to cancel their orders
  • the company did not send any updates regarding delays to deliveries
  • the company charged them for undelivered boxes

On Trustpilot, Dinnerly has a total of 3,801 reviews and a rating of 4 out of 5 stars.

Positive reviews mention that the recipes are quick and simple to make, the meals are filling, and problems are resolved quickly.

However, negative reviews mention damaged packaging that resulted in food waste and missing ingredients.

To get started, a person chooses a meal delivery plan. Within this, a person can select the number of people the meals should serve and the number of meals they would like per week. People can also make their box vegetarian at this stage if they wish.

In the next step, a person inputs their zip code, email address, and delivery details. They must then provide payment details before selecting their meals.

Shipping costs $9.99.

Dinnerly lets individuals choose between a two-person box and a family box for four adults. They can pause and restart their subscription when they choose.

Each week, there are around 40 meals to choose from, including vegetarian and fish-based meals.

Dinnerly labels each meal based on criteria such as:

  • gluten-free
  • low carb
  • low calorie
  • healthy
  • kid-friendly
  • vegetarian
  • one pot meal
  • dairy-free
  • ready in under 30 minutes

Instead of paper recipe cards, Dinnerly uses digital versions, so customers must have internet access to use these. The company also uses fewer ingredients per dish than other meal delivery services, including less packaging inside the box.

Before choosing which meals to order, a person can read the recipe online or on the Dinnerly app. The digital recipe cards include details such as allergens and preparation times.

Dinnerly claims that all recipes are simple to prepare, with each meal kit comprising six or seven ingredients. The company’s simplified approach makes it different than other similar services. Cutting back on packaging and materials means that it can make its pricing more competitive.

Dinnerly offers fresh breakfast, lunch, and dinner selections, and individuals can view the meals that are available during a specific week.

The company also provides instructions that explain how people should prepare their meals, catering to all cooking levels.

In addition, it recommends some extra pantry ingredients that a person may need, such as oil and salt.

The cost depends on the customer’s selected meal plan. A person can opt for the two-person box or the family box, which is for four people. They can also choose to order between three and six meals per week.

According to Dinnerly’s website, the pricing starts from $4.99 per adult-sized meal serving, which applies to plans including six meals a week for a family. Ordering fewer meals or meals for two people increases the cost per serving.

There is an additional shipping fee of $9.99.

People can find a wide range of meals on Dinnerly’s menu section. Below are some examples, along with the nutritional values.

Beef fried rice

  • Diet: dairy-free, kid-friendly
  • Preparation time: less than 30 minutes

Ingredients:

  • peas
  • beef strips
  • stir-fry sauce
  • one carrot
  • one medium yellow onion
  • jasmine rice

Nutritional values:

  • Calories: 800
  • Fat: 37 grams (g)
  • Protein: 30 g
  • Carbs: 86 g

Steak frites

  • Diet: low calorie, kid-friendly, healthy, gluten-free
  • Preparation time: 30–40 minutes

Ingredients:

  • one packet of turkey broth concentrate
  • steak seasoning
  • ranch steaks
  • fresh parsley
  • russet potatoes

Nutritional values:

  • Calories: 620
  • Fat: 36 g
  • Protein: 28 g
  • Carbs: 44 g

Apricot-mustard glazed pork tenderloin

  • Diet: gluten-free, dairy-free, healthy
  • Preparation time: 30–40 minutes

Ingredients:

  • whole grain mustard
  • apricot preserves
  • pork tenderloin
  • garlic
  • Brussels sprouts
  • one sweet potato

Nutritional values:

  • Calories: 550
  • Fat: 20 g
  • Protein: 43 g
  • Carbs: 48 g

Like other meal delivery services, Dinnerly has some pros and cons for people to weigh.

Pros

  • Single servings come at a low price.
  • Recipes are easy to follow.
  • Dinnerly offers a choice of around 40 meal options every week.
  • Meals cater to a range of dietary requirements.
  • Recipes do not require much kitchen equipment.
  • Dinnerly uses minimal packaging in its deliveries and ensures that most packaging is recyclable.
  • Customers can pause their subscription for any duration, but they must do this at least 6 days in advance of a delivery.

Cons

  • The kits do not always provide all the ingredients necessary for the recipe, so customers may need to use their own pantry and fridge staples, such as oil, eggs, and seasonings.
  • There is no option to stick to organic ingredients, which might not suit some people.
  • The meals are basic and might not suit those who like a lot of flavor and variety.
  • The minimum order is three meals per week, whereas with most other meal kit services it is only two.
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Dinnerly offers a variety of meals, and each serving is calorie-counted, helping customers make informed decisions about their nutritional intake. As certain meals are high in calories, some people may wish to read the recipe before placing an order.

Preparing meals at home is often a healthier option than eating out or ordering takeout. Older 2014 research on eating home-cooked meals found that people who did this more than five times per week had less body fat and a lower likelihood of developing excess body weight than those who did it fewer than three times. Other researchers agree that regularly cooking at home may result in a more nutritious diet overall.

People with allergies should be extremely cautious when ordering from meal kit services such as Dinnerly.

Although the company lists allergens in its recipes, it is not possible to guarantee that cross-contamination has not happened at one of its facilities. Some of the allergenic foods that Dinnerly facilities handle include eggs, shellfish, tree nuts, milk, wheat, and soy.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend making sure that someone is at home to receive the meal kit. The organization also states that people should refrigerate the ingredients as soon as the box arrives to avoid the growth of harmful bacteria. If the temperature of the food is higher than 40°F when it arrives, the CDC recommends notifying customer service and not eating it.

People looking to subscribe to a meal delivery service can choose from many options. The most suitable option will depend on their dietary preferences and their budget, among other factors.

Alternative services that people can consider include:

The table below compares Dinnerly with four alternative meal delivery brands.

DinnerlyHome ChefSunbasketPurple CarrotDaily Harvest
Price range$4.99 per adult servingstarting at $8.99 per servingstarting at $9.99 per servingstarting at $11 per servingstarting at $6.99 per serving
Meal kits or prepared mealsmeal kitsmeal kits and prepared mealsmeal kits and prepared mealsmeal kits and prepared mealsprepared meals
Shipping cost$9.99$10, or free for orders over $40$7.99freefree
Dietary options• low calorie
• low carb
• keto-friendly
• nutritious
• calorie-conscious
• carb-conscious
• vegetarian option every week
• paleo
• low carb
• vegan
• gluten-free
• dairy-free
• soy-free
• diabetes-friendly
plant-based• vegan
• vegetarian
• gluten-free
• dairy-free

Below are answers to some of the top frequently asked questions about Dinnerly.

Is Dinnerly a good service?

Dinnerly can work well for individuals who like homemade cooking but have a busy schedule or wish to save money.

The company states on its website that its services cost less than those of other recipe kits, as the meals come in simple packaging and contain few ingredients. People can view the recipe cards online.

However, a person should also consider reading customer reviews, including those relating to delivery and ingredient quality.

Is Dinnerly part of Marley Spoon?

Marley Spoon is the meal kit delivery service that owns Dinnerly.

It offers pre-portioned ingredients that people can use to prepare recipes belonging to cookbook author and television host Martha Stewart.

It also provides individuals with 40 recipes per week and is suitable for those who follow a low carb or vegetarian diet.

Is Dinnerly the same as HelloFresh?

HelloFresh is a meal kit service that offers services similar to those of Dinnerly.

It provides its customers with easy-to-follow recipes, nutritional information, and preportioned ingredients. The cost per meal starts at $7.99.

The company offers 25 recipes per week, and a person can choose between two and six meals per week for two or four people.

They can also opt for their preferred type of meal, selecting recipes that contain meat and vegetables, fish, or are family-friendly.

Dinnerly offers a relatively low cost meal kit subscription service. Meal kits allow people to cook at home without having to source a recipe and ingredients themselves.

People should look at the meal options online to see whether Dinnerly will suit their tastes and needs. Online reviews from various sites can provide an overview of the pros and cons of the meal kits and subscription.