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Snap Kitchen is a meal delivery service that aims to make healthy eating easy and convenient.
Featuring a rotating menu with more than 30 meals to choose from each week, Snap Kitchen has plenty of fresh and delicious options that fit a variety of dietary patterns.
This article takes an in-depth look at Snap Kitchen, including how it works, how much it costs, and whether it’s worth the price.
Pros
- extensive rotating menu with choices for several dietary patterns
- more affordable than many similar services
- offers free shipping
- provides single-serving meals that require minimal preparation
- may aid weight loss
Cons
- limited selections for vegans and vegetarians
- unsuitable for severe food allergies
- uses conventional ingredients
- may provide portions too small for active people
Snap Kitchen is a meal delivery service that sends customers fresh, fully prepared meals each week.
The service offers options that accommodate some dietary restrictions, such as the keto diet. Customers also have the option of selecting meals from the full menu to create a custom plan.
Each week, you can order a bundle with your choice of either 6 or 12 meals, which all arrive on the same day.
The meals are individually portioned and require just one step of preparation — microwave heating — which can save you time and energy throughout the week.
All meals are gluten-free, soy-free, and made from quality ingredients. They are also free of preservatives, antibiotics, artificial sweeteners, and hormones.
Common allergens, including eggs, milk, tree nuts, peanuts, soy, shellfish, and fish, are labeled. Though the company cannot change individual recipes, you can filter the menu to exclude meals with various potential allergens.
Snap Kitchen can be a good solution for busy people who want to eat healthfully without much effort. Snap Kitchen’s website claims that its customers save an average of more than 4 hours per week on shopping, cooking, and cleaning.
Signing up for Snap Kitchen is simple, and the company is similar to other meal and ingredient delivery services, such as Sunbasket and Green Chef.
Sign-up process
You can sign up for a subscription by placing an order online. On the first page, you’ll decide whether you want 6 or 12 meals per week, provide your zip code and email address, and choose a date for your first delivery.
In the second stop, you’ll fill your box.
Finally, you’ll confirm and check out. This will sign you up for a weekly delivery from Snap Kitchen.
Meal selection
Snap Kitchen has an extensive rotating menu with meal plans catering to several dietary restrictions and preferences, including:
- low carb
- high protein
- keto-friendly
- gluten-free
- soy-free
- paleo
- Whole30
Once you fill out your basic info on the initial sign-up screen, you’ll be able to peruse 30 different meals and read details on what is included in each. To select a meal, you just click the “add to box” button. Once you’ve selected your chosen number of meals, you’ll check out.
The menu changes every 6–8 weeks, so even on the smaller plan, you’ll likely have some repeat meals before the menu is updated.
If you want to switch from the 12-meal plan to the 6-meal plan or vice versa, you can change your plan by emailing the company.
Snap Kitchen has a “Lock Date,” which is the deadline to skip or make changes to menu items, delivery address, payment method, and other aspects of your order. This date will vary depending on your delivery day, and you can find it on the Snap Kitchen website.
Here are a few examples of meals on the menu:
- Chorizo con Papas Breakfast Tacos with Salsa Roja
- Pesto Pasta with Chicken Sausage Meatballs
- Shawarma Chicken Bowl with Lemon-Tahini Sauce
- Almond-Crusted Salmon with Roasted Carrots & Zucchini
- Roasted Broccoli and Feta
- Chicken Salad with Cranberries & Pecans
Keep in mind that the meatless options are limited, so this service may not be ideal for those following vegan or vegetarian diets.
When I made my selections for my initial box, I was able to include a variety of meals that satisfied my breakfast, lunch, and dinner needs. There was a wide variety of options, and I had no trouble finding choices that fit my preferences.
Snap Kitchen is a nice option for people who want single-serving meals that require zero prep work and can be ready to enjoy in minutes.
This service has meals that meet general nutrition needs, as well as options that are created to meet the unique needs of keto, low carb, high protein, paleo, and Whole30 diets. Each meal is gluten- and soy-free.
Meals that contain any of the top 10 allergens are labeled on the website. However, the service does not guarantee that there is no risk of cross contamination. Snap Kitchen does not appear to offer meals that are certified kosher or halal.
Snap Kitchen offers weekly bundles with either 6 or 12 meals.
If you purchase 6 meals per week, the price is $13.84 per meal, and if you order 12 meals per week, each serving costs $11.34.
Snap Kitchen also offers free shipping for all orders.
Delivery is currently available to most of the United States but limited in certain regions. You can enter your zip code on the website to determine availability in your area.
In certain areas of Texas, including Austin and Houston, customers can opt to pick up their orders from a Snap Kitchen retail store.
My package arrived intact and at an appropriate temperature. The meals were packaged in a foam container with cardboard and ice packs inside, which certainly helped preserve the temperature and keep my meals fresh.
However, the foam is not biodegradable and may not be something you can throw in your curbside recycling, depending on where you live. Therefore, you may need to find an alternative, environmentally friendly method for disposal.
Each item came in its own microwave-safe plastic container.
The company says it uses bisphenol A (BPA)-free recyclable plastics in its products. However, this doesn’t mean that the products are free of other bisphenols, such as BPS, which is a common substitute for BPA that hasn’t been subject to extensive research (
To minimize the risk of plastic compounds leeching into foods, it’s best to microwave the food in a separate microwave-safe dish — ceramic or glass is usually a good option.
Sauces and other ingredients that were not meant to be heated were packaged in smaller plastic containers to be removed before I heated the meals. Everything appeared fresh and appealing.
The packaging uses quite a bit of plastic, which can be wasteful. And for people who are trying to limit their exposure to microplastics, heating meals in these packages will not be ideal.
Depending on where you live, your meals will spend 1–3 days in transit from Snap Kitchen to your door. The company assures customers that its packaging keeps meals fresh and cool for 72 hours without refrigeration. Available delivery days are calculated based on your location.
According to its website, Snap Kitchen uses high quality ingredients sourced from local suppliers whenever possible. You can view the full ingredient lists for different meals on the company’s website.
Animal products are one category of ingredients for which quality is often a concern.
Snap Kitchen uses red meat that is antibiotic-free and has no added hormones, as well as wild-caught shrimp and cod and open-ocean farm-raised salmon. Its poultry products are cage-free, and eggs are both cage-free and certified humane.
While some meals may contain organic ingredients, many also contain conventional produce.
Keep in mind that the meals are made in a kitchen that processes common allergens, which may not suit those with severe food allergies.
The meals arrive cooked and packaged with ice packs, ready to be stored in the refrigerator until use.
Because I’m a registered dietitian, freshness is extremely important to me. I do everything I can to avoid foodborne illnesses, and opting for fresh foods that are safe to eat is key.
In my experience, each Snap Kitchen meal was fresh and nothing appeared spoiled or unsafe to eat. The vegetables were not mushy or brown, and the meat had a perfect consistency. Nothing smelled “off,” and everything tasted just as I expected.
The meals I tried were as described on the website. While the serving sizes were appropriate for me, my larger husband still felt hungry and unsatisfied after eating some of the dishes.
As a dietitian, I prioritize eating produce with my meals, and I didn’t feel that these meals included sufficient quantities of vegetables. Most dishes contained some vegetables, but in my professional opinion, they didn’t provide enough to count as a standard vegetable serving.
Many dishes were a tad spicy for my taste. However, my husband said they tasted great to him. For those who enjoy more spice, these dishes may be a good fit in terms of flavor.
Most Snap Kitchen meals contain between 250 and 600 calories, which could help those aiming to decrease their calorie intake to lose weight (
The service also offers various meals that are high in protein, packing 30–45 grams of protein into each serving.
Some research suggests that increasing your protein intake could increase feelings of fullness and help regulate appetite (
Many of the meals are also rich in fiber, which could be linked to increased weight loss and reduced belly fat (
Additionally, Snap Kitchen offers meals tailored to several specific dietary patterns that have been linked to weight loss, including low carb, paleo, and ketogenic diets (
Snap Kitchen may be a good option for those looking to add more flavorful and nutritious meals to their diet while saving time on grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning.
It could also be a good solution for people who are unable to cook for themselves due to illness, age, or general lack of culinary skills.
The service may appeal to people who follow a low carb, ketogenic, or paleo diet, as it offers several plans to choose from.
It may not be suitable for individuals with severe food allergies or those following a vegan, vegetarian, or kosher diet. And for those who prioritize eating organic food, Snap Kitchen isn’t the best choice.
Snap Kitchen was a great service to have on tap to support my busy but healthy lifestyle. I found myself adding fruit and veggies to supplement the dishes, but it was still helpful to have the base for a healthy meal ready to enjoy within minutes.
However, because of the cost, I would not make this service part of my regular week-to-week routine. If I had a few weeks where I knew that my schedule would be extra-hectic and that preparing healthy meals might be a challenge, I could see this service being helpful.
Snap Kitchen, which was founded in 2010, makes a point of donating meals to those in need, such as teachers, first responders, and frontline workers, in addition to offering meal subscription plans.
According to its website, the service’s meals are created under the guidance of registered dietitians.
On Snap Kitchen’s website, subscribers praise the flavor and quality of the menu options.
However, several customer reviews on the Better Business Bureau website express frustrations about billing and issues with subscription service charges.
Based on four reviews, Snap Kitchen has a rating of 2.7 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot, along with more complaints about shipping and challenges with canceling subscriptions. One reviewer also mentions that portions seem small.
In general, many customers seem satisfied with Snap Kitchen’s meals but sometimes encounter difficulties with customer service and delivery.
Several meal delivery services on the market are similar to Snap Kitchen.
For example, The Good Kitchen provides a variety of breakfast, lunch, and dinner options suitable for several dietary patterns and preferences, including Whole30 and gluten-free diets.
However, The Good Kitchen is slightly more expensive than Snap Kitchen, with plans starting at $11.50–$15 per meal.
Factor is another similar service that delivers fresh single-serving meals starting at $11 per serving.
Factor offers choices for several dietary patterns and provides more detailed information on the sourcing and quality of ingredients than Snap Kitchen does. This may be an important consideration for some people.
| Price per serving | Shipping | Diet types | Ingredient quality | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snap Kitchen | $11.34–$13.84 | free | • keto • high protein • low carb • paleo • Whole30 • gluten-free | • some organic produce • antibiotic-free meat with no added hormones • wild-caught and/or sustainably farm-raised seafood • cage-free, certified humane eggs • cage-free poultry |
| The Good Kitchen | $11.50–$15.00 | free | • modified AIP • Whole30 • gluten-free | • non-GMO, locally sourced, and often organic produce • pasture-raised or grass-fed meats • pasture-raised poultry and eggs • sustainably sourced seafood |
| Factor | $11.00–$15.00 | $9.99 | • keto • low carb • paleo • plant-based • dairy-free • low calorie | • non-GMO and organic produce when possible • pasture-raised or grass-fed meats • antibiotic- and hormone-free poultry and eggs • sustainably sourced seafood |
Is Snap Kitchen worth it?
Snap Kitchen offers a variety of heat-and-eat meals that cater to several dietary preferences. If you order carryout frequently or don’t like to cook, it could be a good way to save time and money.
However, unlike services that allow you to choose your preferred number of meals each week, Snap Kitchen subscriptions automatically include either 6 or 12 meals per week.
Which is better, Snap Kitchen or Freshly?
Both services provide fully prepared heat-and-eat meals and offer a variety of options weekly.
If you’re looking for a subscription with a bit more flexibility, then Freshly may be a better choice, as it offers plans with 4, 6, 8, 10, or 12 meals.
While both services have gluten-free options, Freshly operates a certified gluten-free kitchen, which is important for anyone with celiac disease or another gluten-related disorder.
Freshly is also more budget-friendly, with meals starting at $8.99 per serving.
Can Snap Kitchen meals be frozen?
Snap Kitchen does not use preservatives, so the company recommends refrigerating and enjoying meals within 3 to 7 days of receiving them.
According to a Snap Kitchen representative, some customers have been successful when freezing their meals.
If you choose to freeze any item, the company suggests freezing it as close as possible to the date you receive it.
In addition, Snap Kitchen recommends removing the meal from the freezer and placing it in the refrigerator the day before you want to eat it so that it has plenty of time to defrost prior to reheating.
Any smaller containers of ingredients that are not cooked, such as tomatoes, olives, or tabbouleh, should not be frozen with the main meal.
Snap Kitchen is a convenient meal delivery service that provides a selection of fresh and flavorful meals.
Compared with similar services, it’s relatively affordable and provides options for several eating patterns, including keto, paleo, low carb, and high protein diets.
However, it provides very few choices for other diets and offers limited information on the sourcing of ingredients, which may not be ideal for some people.
Additionally, the shipping and packaging materials are not as sustainable as those of some other services, so if sustainability is a priority, this service may not be the best option for you.
