When it comes to flavor, variety, and nutritional punch, Factor meals deliver on the company’s promise. For one person, it’s well worth consideration. I break it down for you in this Factor meal review.
A primer on Factor meals
Factor meals provide a convenient solution for busy individuals looking to maintain a balanced diet, with fully prepared meals designed by registered dietitians.
Factor has a strong commitment to quality. It sources sustainably raised proteins and organic produce whenever possible to make sure that every meal is not only delicious but also environmentally friendly.
Meals are designed to support a variety of dietary needs and preferences, with options such as Keto, Calorie Smart, Chef’s Choice, and Vegan & Veggie.
How Factor meals work
Once you select your meal plan, you can choose the number of single-serve meals you want to receive each week. Meals are delivered once per week, and you can heat them in the microwave in just a few minutes.
For those logging their meals, Factor also lists detailed nutritional information for each meal, and many can be found in food databases of popular meal-tracking apps.
Factor customers can adjust meal selections, change meal plans, or pause subscriptions at any time before the weekly cutoff date in their online accounts.
Healthline score
Factor
$130 Off first 6 boxes with code HEALTHLINE130N
There are a lot of meal delivery services vying for your business. But it’s often a toss-up whether the taste of the food will match what a service promises.
With Factor, which boasts meals designed by nutritionists to make healthy eating easier, it does.
Keep reading for registered dietitian and nutrition editor Kelli McGrane’s Factor meals review and why she recommends this meal delivery service, especially for solo meal planning, after trying the service for 2 weeks.
Factor pros and cons
Pros
- fully prepared meals
- options available for several dietary restrictions
- nutritionally balanced
- add-ons available, including snacks, shakes, and juices
- high quality, sustainably sourced ingredients
- fresh, flavor-packed entrees
- not mushy, even though meals are premade and microwaved
Cons
- can be expensive over time
- risk of cross-contamination for those with severe food allergies
- not a great option for families
- some meals high in saturated fat or sodium
Meet our testers
Why our testers tried Factor
I’ve been using meal delivery services for more than 10 years, testing 25 services just within the past 3 years. I tried Factor for 2 weeks to determine whether the service is something I can recommend.
As for Currin-Sheehan, she shared that she has “tried meal kits before but was underwhelmed in taste and seasoning. The quality often tasted like airplane food. I’ve seen advertisements about how filling Factor is, and so the protein-plus cuisine appealed to me.”
Sign-up, delivery, and cancellation processes
Score: 4.5 (McGrane), 3.5 (Currin-Sheehan) out of 5
Sign-up and cancellation process
Getting started with Factor was a breeze. As with most meal delivery services, you first choose from one of several meal plans, which include:
- Chef’s Choice
- Keto
- Calorie Smart
- Flexitarian
- Protein Plus
- Vegan & Veggie
You can also pick how many single-serve meals you want to receive each week, ranging from 6 to 18. Choosing more meals each week can help lower the average cost per meal.
Next, you create an account by inputting details like your name and address. While you can choose which delivery day you want, the delivery day options are somewhat limited based on your location.
After you’ve input your payment information, you can browse the offerings for the week and start choosing your meals to curate your custom menu.
Choosing my meals was intuitive. While I don’t follow a specific diet, I appreciated that you can easily filter meals by dietary need and ingredient to find meals that fit your dietary needs and preferences.
Currin-Sheehan agreed. “The sign-up was user-friendly on the outset, and I really was impressed with Factor’s offerings! I especially loved the attention to diverse cuisines represented from across cultures,” she said.
If you want to modify your menu or make changes to your subscription, be sure to do so by the weekly cutoff date, which is listed online in your account information. If you wish to cancel your subscription, you can do so either by deactivating your account on the company’s website or by emailing customer service.
Currin-Sheehan was disappointed to see she was not able to order a single box at a time price.
“I found it to be confusing. I did not want more than 1 week’s worth — a single shipment — but there was no way to order just one.
“You have to physically call and request one box, then you still have to find that limited window after your first box is shipped and before they autoship your second box to cancel. One could easily miss this window and be committed to a second payment,” she explained.
Delivery
Factor food delivery ensures that your meals arrive fresh and ready to heat every week, with robust packaging that keeps ingredients at the ideal temperature.
Both weeks, my deliveries arrived smoothly — right on time and at the proper temperature. And while the containers were stackable and not particularly bulky, they did take up a good amount of space in my refrigerator.
Currin-Sheehan also said her meals arrived on time and packed in good condition with ice packs, which she has since been reusing, along the sides.
According to Factor, meals can be enjoyed for up to 7 days. Because I only ordered 5 entrees each week, I didn’t have any meals left by the 7-day mark. However, on day 5, my last entree was just as flavorful and fresh-tasting as the entree I tried on day 1.
Meal variety
Score: 4.5 (McGrane), 3.5 (Currin-Sheehan) out of 5
Many prepared meal delivery services have large menus that rarely change or rotating menus of just a few options. I was happy to discover that Factor’s menu changes weekly, and there’s a good variety of meals to choose from. In fact, I had a hard time narrowing down which ones to try.
I ultimately ordered the following items over the course of 2 weeks:
- Herbed Quinoa Pesto Bowl
- Tomato & Roasted Vegetable Risotto with Toasted Pine Nuts
- Pesto Salmon with Creamed Spinach & Tomato Butter Haricot Verts
- Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken with Zucchini Noodles
- Smoky BBQ Chicken Breast with Mashed Potatoes, Creamed Corn, and Green Bean Casserole
- Creamy Parmesan Chicken with Roasted Broccoli and Tomatoes
- Chickpea Curry
- Roasted Garlic Braised Beef
- Roasted Tomato & Feta Cavatappi
- Caribbean-Style Chicken Breast
Kristin Currin-Sheehan tried the following meals:
- Caramelized onion and Swiss Cream Chicken
- Butter Chicken
- Mushroom Chicken Thighs and Wild Rice
- Jalapeño Lime Cheddar Chicken
- Smoked Gouda Chicken and Riced Cauliflower
- Queso Fundido
A note on allergens
Factor labels potential allergens in each of its meals and provides a full breakdown of the nutrients in every dish.
However, keep in mind that meals are processed in a facility that also handles major allergens like eggs, nuts, fish, and wheat, so it may not be a great fit if you have severe food allergies.
Nutritional quality
Score: 5 (McGrane), 5 (Currin-Sheehan) out of 5
As a registered dietitian, I was impressed by the nutritional quality of each entree. The entrees I tried were nutritionally balanced, meaning that they each contained a lean protein, a healthy source of fat, and a generous serving of vegetables.
Factor has ensured that each entree is nutritionally balanced, containing a lean protein, a healthy source of fat, and a generous serving of vegetables.
With that said, some of the entrees are high in sodium, and some dishes, especially those on the Keto plan, are high in saturated fat.
Ingredient quality and freshness
Score: 5 (McGrane), 4 (Currin-Sheehan) out of 5
Factor prides itself on featuring high quality ingredients, including sustainably sourced seafood and antibiotic-free poultry.
While I only tried the service for 2 weeks, I didn’t experience any issues with damaged or spoiled ingredients.
In fact, unlike many other prepared meal delivery services, Factor’s ingredients — especially the vegetables and proteins — tasted fresh and didn’t get mushy, dry, or rubbery after microwaving.
Ease of prep
Score: 5 (McGrane), 5 (Currin-Sheehan) out of 5
Factor meal prep is pretty straightforward. All I had to do was remove the paper sleeve, puncture the plastic film once or twice, and microwave the meal on high for 2 minutes.
For those who prefer not to use a microwave, Factor meals also include reheating instructions for the oven.
Taste
Score: 4.5 (McGrane), 4.5 (Currin-Sheehan) out of 5
I found the ingredient quality continued to be excellent after reheating and didn’t experience any mushy vegetables or dry proteins — a major win for microwavable meals.
I also found the meals to be flavorful without being overseasoned, and I loved that each meal had a generous serving of vegetables.
The Herbed Quinoa Pesto Bowl stood out as my favorite. The quinoa was perfectly chewy, the sweet potatoes were soft but not mushy, and the pesto was zesty and flavorful without being overpowering.
The Roasted Tomato & Feta Cavatappi was another winner. It featured a sauce with a slight spiciness that was nice, along with juicy tomatoes, hearty noodles, and broccoli, which was soft without being mushy.
The only reason I didn’t award Factor a 5 out of 5 for taste is because, while the meals were satisfying, I can’t say that the flavor combinations were unique or differed greatly from what I’d typically make on my own.
Kristin Currin-Sheehan agreed with a 4.5 out of 5 for Factor meals in terms of taste. Overall, she found the meals to be more flavorful and filling than other meals delivery services she’s tried.
Some of her favorite dishes included the Caramelized Onion and Swiss Cream Chicken and Smoke Gouda Chicken and Riced Cauliflower, both of which she described as restaurant quality.
Her 16-year-old son especially enjoyed the Butter Chicken. He shared, “This was low key the best packaged meal I’ve ever had. I consider myself a butter chicken connoisseur and this butter chicken was so flavorful. It tasted authentic. The chicken was moist, the rice was al dente, and my only complaint is I would’ve liked more sauce.”
Currin-Sheehan was also a fan of the Jalapeño Lime Cheddar Chicken. “This meal was seriously, legitimately delicious,” she said. “The flavor and textures were ideal. The cauliflower rice was very good and added a great al dente texture and didn’t taste like cauliflower at all. The chicken was plump and moist, and there was enough sauce to go around — very creamy and cheesy.”
She did, however, note that she preferred her meals heated in the oven rather than in the microwave, and the veggies were great in the air fryer.
Sustainability
Score: 3 (McGrane), 4 (Currin-Sheehan) out of 5
Factor’s delivery boxes, food containers, and laminated insulation are all recyclable. Additionally, the gel packs used to keep the food cold during transit are nontoxic and reusable.
However, some items, like the PET and cotton insulation layers, are not recyclable. I also found it a bit tricky to understand which materials could be recycled without searching for that information on the company’s website.
Another way in which Factor strives to be more sustainable is by using high quality, sustainably sourced ingredients in all its meals. All meals are free of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The service also uses sustainably sourced proteins, including antibiotic-free poultry and pasture-raised pork.
However, Factor’s ingredients are conventional, which might not be ideal if you prefer eating organic. If organic ingredients are important to you, you might consider Green Chef.
Cost
Score: 3 (McGrane), 3 (Currin-Sheehan) out of 5
While Factor isn’t the most expensive meal delivery service, and its per-meal pricing goes down the more you order, when you include shipping, the cost adds up. Here is Factor’s pricing:*
- 6 meals per week: $13.49 per meal
- 8 meals per week: $12.99 per meal
- 10 meals per week: $12.49 per meal
- 12 meals per week: $11.99 per meal
- 14 meals per week: $11.49 per meal
- 18 meals per week: $10.99 per meal
*As of August 2024
Shipping is available within the contiguous United States and costs $10.99 per delivery.
Also keep in mind that Factor frequently offers discounts for new customers.
Final verdict on Factor meals
Score: 4.5 out of 5
The review outlines my personal experience with Factor, highlighting the pros and cons of the service. As a dietitian and an avid cook, I had some doubts about whether or not Factor would measure up. But I was ultimately impressed by the flavor, texture, and nutritional quality of the meals.
I would highly recommend Factor for people who prioritize fresh and nutritious single-serve entrees but don’t want to spend time preparing meals from scratch.
The biggest downside is the price. Because I’m pretty good about meal planning and prepping lunches for the week, it would be hard for my household to justify the cost of subscribing to Factor. Plus, I’d still need to grocery shop and prepare meals for the rest of my family.
However, I still think Factor is one of the best prepared meal delivery services and is worth trying if it fits your budget and you value the convenience that the service offers.
Factor is a great meal delivery service for having convenient, delicious, and nutritious meals on hand. It’s worth trying if it fits your budget.
Who will like Factor meals
For nutritious, delicious, convenient meals for one person, Factor is a great option. It may also appeal to people with specific dietary preferences, including ketogenic (keto), vegan, vegetarian, high protein and low calorie diets.
But it’s not cheap. If budget is a primary concern, you might check out our recommendations for more affordable meal delivery services.
Comparison with competitors
Among the many prepared meal delivery services on the market, Trifecta and Snap Kitchen are Factor’s closest competitors. Here’s a closer look at how these subscription services compare:
| Factor | Trifecta Nutrition | Snap Kitchen | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Healthline score | 4.3 | 4.2 | 3.6 |
| Price per serving | $10.49 to $13.49 | $13.79 to $15.85 | $11.88 to $14.67 |
| Shipping | $10.99 | $9.99 | free |
| Menus | • Chef’s Choice • Keto • Calorie Smart • Vegan & Veggie • Protein Plus • Flexitarian | • Clean • Paleo Whole30 • Keto • Plant Based | • High Protein • Low Carb • Keto • Paleo • Vegan • Vegetarian |
| Notable features | • weekly rotating menu • free of GMOs • optional add-ons, including snacks | • breakfast, lunch, and dinner options • features organic, sustainably sourced ingredients | • offers breakfast, lunch, dinner, and sides • free of artificial ingredients and preservatives • all meals gluten-free |
Frequently asked questions about Factor meal prep and delivery
Yes. Factor is a prepared-foods meal delivery service specializing in nutritionally balanced meals. It’s popular for its specialty menus that support dietary preferences including keto, low carb, and high protein. It also has a variety of other meal plans that will appeal to a broad spectrum of eaters.
Factor offers high protein, low carb, and low calorie meal plans, any of which could be good options if you’re looking to lose weight.
But whether or not you lose weight with Factor meals also depends on things like your exercise routine, lifestyle, and what else you’re putting on your plate.
No. Factor meals are made from freshly cooked ingredients. To preserve freshness, they are then “deep chilled” and immediately packed in insulated cold boxes for delivery.
The meals are meant to be kept refrigerated and eaten within 7 days.
Yes, HelloFresh acquired Factor in 2020, though the services remain separate.
Factor food delivery depends on the number of meals you order per week. Prices per meal range from $10.49 to $13.49, so the monthly cost can vary approximately from $188.82 to $323.76, plus the cost of $10.99 per delivery.
Some of the meal plans, like Keto and High Protein, contain higher amounts of fat because they contain fewer carbs and the increased fat helps boost satiety. Factor emphasizes the use of high quality, nutrient-dense sources of fat, including avocados, nuts, and oils. However, it’s important to note that many meals may still contain saturated fats.
While Factor may be a helpful component of a weight loss journey for some, there are currently no celebrity endorsements for the delivery service specifically for weight loss.
The bottom line
Factor is a meal delivery service that delivers on its promise to provide fully prepared meals that are nutritionally balanced and flavorful.
I liked that there’s a good variety of options to choose from each week and that the ingredients don’t get mushy or lose their flavor after being reheated.
However, the service isn’t cheap and only offers single-serve meals, so it might not be the right fit for everyone, especially those on tight budgets or with multiple people to feed.
