eMeals Review—Is The Subscription Worth It In 2023?

еMeals is a meal planning service with delicious recipes for any dietary preferences and delivers your groceries straight to your door. We’ve packed our eMeals review with all the information you need to see if the subscription is worth it.
We’ll go over pricing, pros, cons, comparisons with others, and check what customers say. Let’s jump right in.
All About eMeals
The best subscription box websites have two things in common — they all offer convenience and save time. Let’s see if eMeals ranks among them.
Overview and Highlights
Researching our eMeals review for 2022, we found the service started in 2003. It was among the first US meal planning operations of its kind.
Jane DeLaney found the company. The working mom struggled to keep a job, run a home, plan meals, and still have time to keep her head on straight. That’s when she thought of a convenient way to keep her shopping lists in one place. And she combined that with the right recipes.
Jane partnered up with her sister Jenny, a fabulous cook, and the two figured out how to keep the eMeals cost down while still offering stellar service. Today, with thousands of partnerships and users, the service is widely used across the US, making mealtime an enjoyable experience for many families.
eMeals Is Best For
eMeals is a fantastic option for anyone tired of figuring out what to cook every day and going to the grocery store for ingredients. If you think grocery shopping is a waste of time, this is the service for you.
eMeals Is Not Good For
If you want to stick to the recipes you know and love, no eMeals review will convince you the subscription is worth it.
What Does eMeals Offer?
eMeals is a subscription meal service that takes the hassle out of planning and grocery shopping.
It’s super simple. Based on your dietary preferences, you’ll get weekly recipe suggestions. You can subscribe to a basic dinner plan and then add breakfast and lunch options. Once you decide what looks good and read the eMeals nutrition facts, the service will put everything you need for the meals in a cart.
Also, you can select what to add or remove. When you finish your cart, you send it to one of the grocery partners:
- Walmart
- Kroger
- Shipt
- Amazon Fresh
- Instacart
The choice is yours — you can collect or have the items delivered straight to your door. And you can also select from multiple plans depending on your dietary preferences. Let’s check them out.
Popular Meal Plans
Here are some of the most popular eMeals dietary choices:
- Keto: High-fat and low carb meals
- Clean Eating: Healthy meals with wholesome ingredients
- Quick and Healthy: Nutritious meals that are simple and quick
More than one eMeals clean eating review mentions a few favorite meal examples:
- Cheesy Baked Pasta with Kale and Mushrooms
- Crunchy Asian Salad
- Grilled Chicken With Fresh Corn Relish and Green Beans
But as good as these sound, they may not be the most popular among the kids.
Family Plans
Many children are fussy when it comes to food. Luckily, eMeals offers some great plan options like:
- Budget-Friendly: Fast and affordable family favorites on a budget
- Slow Cooker: Meals that are perfect for a hand-off cooking experience
- 30 Minute Meal Plan: Family favorites, ready in no time
- Kid-Friendly: No more stress about the little picky eaters in your life. They’ll love these meals.
Some eMeals sample menu options on this plan include:
- Cheeseburger Tarts With Tater Tots
- Taco In A Pan With Carrots and Broccoli
- Apple-Cider Pork Chops With Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans
It’s a great choice for kids but not for the adult waistline. Let’s see what eMeals has for those looking to lose some weight.
Weight Management Meal Plans
As we get older, maintaining a healthy weight gets more challenging. No wonder we feel frustrated with meal prep and complicated recipes. Researching our eMeals low carb review shows that’s all a thing of the past with these meal plans:
- Heart Healthy: Recipes formulated specifically for the heart and overall health
- Low Calorie: Simple meals to keep you on track with weight loss
- Low Carb: Tasty meals without the guilt
- Paleo: Protein-rich meals for a healthy lifestyle
- Diabetic: Low carb meals to keep your sugar levels under control
To give you an idea of what to expect, here are some recipe examples:
- Chicken With Creamy Basil Corn Sauce and Steamed Rice and Green Beans
- Sheet Pan-Roasted Fish With Broccoli and Tomatoes
- Teriyaki Chicken and Broccoli With Hot Cooked Rice
But eMeals.com reviews remind us that the service also caters to special diets.
Specialty Meal Plans
Some of us have food intolerances or simply want to eat healthily. Luckily, eMeals lets us pick from the following:
- Plant-based: Super healthy meals with entirely plant-based ingredients
- Mediterranean: Simple and easy Mediterranean-style recipes
- Gluten-Free: Perfect for those with gluten sensitivity or allergy
On these plans, you might enjoy:
- Vegetable Pesto Soup
- Apple Sage Chickpea Patties
- Sticky Korean Tofu
Specific dietary requirements don’t have to mean a boring diet. Every eMeals paleo review mentions the delicious choices, which aren’t very common on this diet.
eMeals Add-ons
There are also lunch and breakfast plans with a wide range of ideas and recipes, so it’s not all about making dinner time easier. The cost varies, but we’ll get to that in a little bit.
If you want a meal subscription that sends recipes and pre-measured ingredients, we recommend checking if EveryPlate is a good alternative for your needs.
How eMeals Works
Now that our eMeals review has covered the basics, let’s see what else you can look forward to.
Website Experience
The website is easy to navigate and has a very simple layout which helps when you’re exploring what the service offers. There are more navigation options at the bottom of the page, which you can use to find what you need quickly.
Ordering Process
Subscribing is easy. All you need to do is:
- Go to the eMeals homepage.
- Click on “Try Free for 14 Days.”
- Select your family size and food style.
- Enter your email and a password.
- Choose a payment option.
- Enter your personal and billing information.
- Checkout.
Signing up for our all-inclusive eMeals lunch plan review took us less than five minutes.
Managing Your Subscription
You can pause your subscription for one to three months from your account. But if you want to cancel, you need to contact eMeals directly. We’ll tell you how to do that shortly. Also, be aware that all subscriptions auto-renew.
eMeals Pricing, Discounts & Options
There are a few price plans to choose from:
Dinner |
Breakfast |
Lunch |
All-day |
|
3 months |
$29.99 |
$8.99 |
$9.99 |
$39.98 |
12 months |
$59.99 |
$29.99 |
$39.99 |
$99.98 |
Customers say the service saves them $2,000 a year on average, so it sounds like a no-brainer to us.
Shipping & Packaging
Since the service uses multiple partners, the packaging depends on them. You can check which stores are available in your area by entering your zip code and address on the website.
Additionally, the eMeals cost covers only the planning service. The shipping price varies depending on the shop and whether you choose pick up or delivery.
Saving Opportunities
eMeals has a fantastic 14-day free trial, so you can try it and see if the service is to your taste.
eMeals Customer Support
If you need to get hold of the eMeals team, there are a few options. But before you do that, check the in-depth FAQ section on the website. It might have the answers you need. Alternatively, you can:
- Call: 800-372-4811 (Monday–Friday from 8 AM–7 PM CT and Saturday 8 AM–5 PM CT)
- Live chat: On-site (Monday–Friday)
- Email: [email protected]
Most subscribers are happy with the customer service, saying they got help quickly and without hassle.
eMeals Reputation & Customer Satisfaction
While researching our eMeals review, we found out that the service has a pretty stellar rating — 4.5 stars with over 1,500 reviews. Most of the feedback is super positive. Some of our favorite comments include:
“So easy to connect my grocery list to my grocery store app. Love it!” — Rachael
“This is a great resource, can’t be much easier. I tell everyone about this. Also, love that you can change meal plans whenever you want” — Lesa
Customers love how convenient it is to integrate the service with their weekly shopping.
Still, we also found some eMeals complaints. The most significant issue for customers is that they need to call in to cancel their subscription. Also, some complain that the service auto-renews after the trial. But eMeals makes that very clear to new subscribers, so ensure to read all the information before signing up.
eMeals Alternatives — How Does It Compare?
Monthly food delivery subscriptions are so convenient it’s no wonder they’re on the rise. And if Covid has taught us anything, it’s that we can use technology to our advantage. Let’s use it to check out some of eMeals competitors.
eMeals vs Mealime
Both services offer meal planning by providing recipes and adding items to a shopping cart. They also let you select the plan that best suits your needs. But Mealime also lets you make a list of over 100 ingredients you don’t like, and it will avoid them.
While eMeals has a 14-day free trial, Mealime has a free version. But you only get access to a few meal options and no nutritional information.
For the Mealime pro version, you’ll pay either $5.99 per month or $49.99 per year. In contrast, eMeals costs between $29.99–$39.98 for three months, working out to around $9.99–$13.32 per month, depending on the plan.
eMeals vs HelloFresh
HelloFresh is a meal subscription service that sends you recipes with pre-packed and measured ingredients. You don’t get the items from a grocery store, and you don’t pick the ingredients. In contrast, eMeals is a food planning subscription that delivers the items or prepares them for you to pick them up.
HelloFresh prices range between $57.95–$189.75 per week, but that’s for the food. We can’t give you an eMeals price for food as it depends on what you order.
eMeals vs PlateJoy
Both services offer meal planning, putting shipping lists together, and delivery.
PlateJoy has 14 meal plan options, whereas eMeals has only eight. Still, they all make finding meals easier for you.
With eMeals, you’ll pay between $9.99–$13.32 per month, depending on the plan. PlateJoy costs between $8–$12 per month. The difference isn’t significant.
eMeals |
Hungryroot |
Yummly |
Mealime |
PlateJoy |
|
Monthly Starting Price |
$9.99 |
$8.49 |
$4.99 |
$5.99 |
$8 |
Minimum Order |
$9.99 |
$59 |
$4.99 |
$5.99 |
$8 |
Meal types (breakfast, lunch, dinner) |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
Types of Meal Plans |
8 |
8 |
1 |
8 |
14 |
Snacks available |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Delivery Area (N of States) and other countries |
US |
Most of mainland US |
US |
US |
US |
Wrap Up — Is eMeals Worth It?
eMeals is a convenient meal planning service that saves you a lot of time. You no longer have to come up with weekly meals or do grocery shopping.
The service is perfect for those tired of looking for new and exciting weekly recipes that fit their dietary preferences. eMeals is worth the price, and you should give it a go. Plus, there’s a 14-day free trial.
- Large range of dietary preferences
- Quick and simple recipes
- Kid-friendly meals
- Option to add other groceries
- Must call to cancel
- Not very customizable for food allergies
FAQ
What is eMeals?
eMeals is a meal planning service that gives you recipes based on your dietary preferences. Also, it sends your shopping list to a store of your choice where you can collect it or have it delivered.
How to cancel eMeals
To cancel your subscription, you need to call customer support at 800-372-4811. Unfortunately, that’s among the most significant issues as most people don’t enjoy calling to cancel a subscription.
How much does eMeals cost?
The price varies, and you can either pay every 3 or 12 months. The three-month options range between $9.99–$13.32 per month. The yearly option works out between $4.99–$8.33 per month. But for more in-depth pricing information, scroll up to our eMeals review.