The 8 Best Meal Kits To Try in Ottawa

In the last year, while everyone was stuck at home, meal kit delivery services in Ottawa blew up. Between the nation-wide meal delivery services and the local, home-grown Ottawa-based companies, there’s never been a better time to eat well at home, easily. 

But it can leave a person wondering what the best meal kit delivery service is for them and their unique culinary needs.

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What are the best meal delivery services Ottawa has to offer?

With so many options available for those of us in O-Town, it can be hard to sort through them to find the ones that meet your budget and dietary needs with variety and flavour. 

That’s why I’ve put together this resource to give you the 411 on the best meal delivery services available in the 613.

*Tout Cuit has a minimum of 16 dishes per box

HelloFresh

HelloFresh is one of the biggest meal kit providers in the world, so it’s no surprise that the food prep titan delivers to Ottawa and beyond.

The HelloFresh highlights

• Healthy ready-to-cook recipes with pre-portioned ingredients
• Low calorie options
• Pescatarian dishes
• Vegetarian programs
• Meat-lover packages
• 20-30 minutes cooking time
• Simple ordering and delivery system
• Handy mobile app

HelloFresh meal kits start at $9.69 per portion and, as far as meal kits go, they tend to be on the healthier side of the spectrum. 

Packs come with pre-portioned ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes for meals suited to your preferences. The service lets you select up to 3 preferences from either mostly meat & veggies, family-friendly, low calorie, vegetarian, quick and easy or pescatarian. From pastas and bowls to healthy falafel platters and pan-fried salmon dishes, HelloFresh meals typically take 20-30 minutes to make.

The minimum order is 3 recipes with 2 servings for $78.93 per week. The family portions do err on the smaller side, so I’d suggest it to busy working couples. 

The downsides 

• Family portions are smaller than you’d expect.

GoodFood

GoodFood bills itself as Canada’s #1 meal kit because they’re one of the few major players that’s a Canadian company. They offer ready-to-cook dinner meal kits, groceries, breakfasts and snacks.

The GoodFood highlights

• Ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat meals 
• Groceries and snacks
• Great for planning a few months in advance
• 85% of their boxes are Canadian-sourced
• Vegetarian options
• Eco-responsibly sourced fish and meat
• Prioritize ingredients without additives or preservatives
• GoodFood supports the Breakfast Club of Canada
• Packaging and ice packs are reusable and will be recycled by GoodFood

GoodFood’s ready-to-cook meal service allows you to skip weeks or manage up to 12 weeks in the future if you’re the organized type. You can either select your preferred recipes or let their system curate them for you based on the preferences you indicate when you sign up. 

The recipes tend to be quite creative, and GoodFood boasts that at least 85% of their boxes are sourced from Canadian farms and businesses or are packaged in Canada.

Their smallest plan is $65.27 for 6 servings per week, offering 2-4 recipes per week. With their family basket plans, the pricing is fairly reasonable starting at $79 for 4 servings of 2 recipes. If you’re vegetarian, their baskets become even more affordable.

The downsides

• Not great if you have allergies or a strict diet

Chefs Plate

Chefs Plate is another heavy hitter that was actually founded in Ontario but acquired by HelloFresh in 2014. Their meal delivery service focuses on flexibility, offering a read-to-cook meal kit service with plenty of variety.

The highlights

• Ready-to-cook meals with pre-portioned ingredients and easy recipes
• Lots of variety
• Great for planning a few months in advance
• 85% of their boxes are Canadian-sourced
• Lower minimum order than some other services
• Recyclable and compostable packaging

Each week, users choose from a menu of 23 simple recipes, then receive their meal kit with all of the ingredients and recipe cards they need. 

Chefs Plate pricing starts at $8.99 per serving at a minimum of 2 servings of 2 meals per week. On their website, they claim to have a meal kit option for people flying solo, but it’s really just that basic plan. If you live alone and like variety, then this might not be the best option for you as you’d be receiving 2 portions of the same dishes.

The downsides

• No options for dietary requirements or allergies

Cook it

Hailing from the other side of the river, this Québécois meal kit company offers both ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat options. Their team of nutritionists put together a new menu of 16 dishes every week, all of which only take around 15-30 minutes to prepare. 

The highlights

• Ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat options
• 14 new dishes every week
• Short cook-time
• Vegetarian meal plan option
• Family-oriented
• All packaging is recyclable after a quick rinse

Cook it bills itself as the best solution for families, and with the ability to order 2-7 meals per week for 2-4 people, it’s a pretty reliable solution for busy families on the go. 

They also make efforts to be highly customizable. Users can choose their plans when it comes to the number of meals and day of delivery, and they also have plans for vegetarians and standard meals. You can cancel or skip a few weeks of your subscription or cancel at any time, and their pricing is quite reasonable. 

For their ready-to-cook meals, the minimum is 6 meals per week at $11.81 for regular meals and $11.17 for vegetarian meals; the ready-to-eat meals are $13.84 and $13.17 respectively. Cook it also offers free delivery. 

The tradeoff

• Difficult to navigate online menu if you can’t read French

Meal Prep Ottawa

As the name would suggest, Meal Prep Ottawa is one of the home-grown meal delivery services that provides pre-made meals to Ottawa and the surrounding area, including some parts of Gatineau and Hull. Their meals are prepared by chefs for the busy person who has big fitness goals and no time to think about meal planning or cooking.

The Meal Prep Ottawa highlights

• Healthy cooked meals for fitness-focussed people
• Rotating weekly menu
• Great for people with dietary restrictions and allergies
• Good solution for individuals and families
• Flexible plans
• Ketogenic and Paleo-friendly
• Vegetarian/Vegan options
• Order à la carte or on a plan

With a rotating weekly menu of macro-balanced meals prepared by in-house professional chefs, this is a highly customizable solution for clean eaters or those with dietary restrictions looking for science-backed meal plans. 

They provide breakfast, fresh salads, snacks, and classic meals either on a plan or à la carte, with specific options for people who are on a nutrition regimen. They also go one step further and allow you to indicate allergies and disliked foods (with the exception of garlic and onions; apologies to the SIBO-friendly meal kit seekers).

Meal Prep Ottawa offers free pick-up at their retail location, otherwise for orders over $60 before tax, delivery is free. For orders under $60 or for those who live outside of the free delivery catchment area, there’s a $7 delivery charge.

The downsides 

• The standard packs average out to around $13 per plate, which is quite steep compared to some of the alternatives.

LiveFit Foods

LiveFit is a meal kit delivery service that specializes in providing healthy pre-cooked meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner and everything in between. The company is focused on healthy eating and boasts a great variety when it comes to their meals. 

The highlights

• Healthy ready-to-eat cooked meals
• Ketogenic-friendly
• Vegetarian
• Vegan
• Gluten-free
• Halal
• Customizable
• Low minimum order requirement

They offer plans that address health goals like muscle gain or weight loss and accommodate different types of diets, including ketogenic, vegetarian, gluten free, vegan, halal and more. 

Most meals are priced around $12, but there are a few value options available around $8. There is a minimum order requirement of $50, and shipping costs are around $7.95 and up depending on where you are, but it is a great option for people with complex dietary needs who still want access to a diverse selection of meals.

The Tradeoff

• This is not a set it and forget it option. You need to manually select all of your meals yourself

Tout Cuit

Tout Cuit is a ready-to-eat meal delivery service that’s available across Ontario and Quebec. It’s a smaller company but it offers great options to pick meals à la carte as well as delectable themed tasting boxes for comfort food, Asian cuisine, pasta, vegetarian and more. 

The highlights

• Ready-to-eat meal delivery service
• Themed tasting boxes
• A la carte meal selection
• Vegetarian options

How does it work? You can either fill your box with a minimum of 16 meals of your choosing starting at $7.19 per meal or pick one of their pre-made boxes.

The Tradeoff

• The minimum order is a whopping 16 meals

Which of these meal kit delivery services is best for you? 

Meal kit delivery companies are starting to find their niches, so when you are picking a meal kit service, I recommend choosing the company that speaks to you and your needs. 

Do you want to cook at all or would you prefer to just reheat pre-made dishes? Do you have specific dietary requirements or ambitious health and lifestyle goals? How many people are you feeding? 

If you’re looking for ready-to-eat meals that will help you achieve your health and wellness goals, Meal Prep Ottawa is probably the perfect local choice for you. If you’re on a pretty strict budget, it’s worth exploring Chefs Plate. Just trying to go to work, pick up your kids, come home, and feed your family without losing your mind? Cook it will do the trick. 

If you live outside of Ottawa and are looking for a meal delivery service, have a look at the best meal kits available in Canada.