Dinnerly Review

UPDATED March 11. 2024.
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Dinnerly is an innovative meal kit delivery service launched by Marley Spoon in 2017. It was created with the desire to make meal kits easily affordable and available to virtually anyone in search of a more convenient alternative to meal planning and grocery shopping.

While meal kits were designed to revolutionize home cooking, they are commonly considered to be a luxury, with the prices often too high for the average customer. In this Dinnerly review, we shall take a look at Dinnerly’s clever plan to bring about a real revolution in the industry with its low-priced, high-quality kits.

dinnerly box delivered

Our Dinnerly box is on our doorstep! Looks good and the sweet story printed on the box is a nice touch.

What Is Dinnerly

Dinnerly is a boxed meal delivery service that boasts the lowest pricing on the US meal kit market. It offers quick recipes for couples and families and responsibly sourced ingredients, pre-measured and delivered to your doorstep on a weekly basis.

The idea behind this service is as clever as it is simple. Many home cooks around the nation are interested in meal kits as an easy solution for effortless cooking. However, a large portion of them find meal kit subscriptions to be outside their budgets. Enter Dinnerly, which offers high-quality foods, chef-designed recipes, and handy home delivery, all wrapped in an attractive package that comes with a price tag that is twice lower than the average.

dinnerly pasta carbonara

Fresh out of our test kitchen, Dinnerly’s pasta carbonara with roasted broccoli. Simple, tasty, and ready in 26 minutes, a perfect example of what Dinnerly is all about.

As always, affordability comes with a set of trade-offs, but in the case of Dinnerly, these are rather acceptable. Ingredient quality is high but ingredient selection is not vast and the range of special diet options is limited but there are still plenty of options for different preferences. Considering that these flaws can be observed in services that are much more expensive, we believe that Dinnerly offers great value for your money.

Being one of the cheapest meal kit services in America, Dinnerly has seen a constant rise in popularity. Consequently, its offer is improving as its customer base grows. Its patrons already get to choose from a larger number of recipes than before and further improvements are in the works. Based on what we could see so far, it seems that Dinnerly may soon become a worthy rival to some of the best meal kit services around.

How Does Dinnerly Work

With Dinnerly, you can choose from 2 meal box types and 14 weekly recipes. The 2-Person box includes recipes and ingredients necessary to make 3-5 meals for 2 adults. The Family box contains recipes and ingredients for 3-5 meals for a family of 4.

dinnerly ingredients on the table

Dinnerly may be super-affordable, but that does not mean that its ingredients are of poor quality. While not top-shelf, its groceries are of the kind most health-conscious families choose at the store, just fresher.

At the moment, Dinnerly only offers dinner recipes. The recipes are picky-eater approved and most of the time, they are classic, well-loved recipes that suit the tastes of the majority of potential customers. Most of them feature red meat and poultry, but there are always a couple of tasty options for veggie lovers as well.

Although ordering from Dinnerly requires a subscription, it does not mean that you need to order even if the meals on the current menu do not suit your preferences or you simply have other plans. The subscription is extremely flexible and you get to skip as many deliveries as you please and easily cancel your subscription if you are not happy with the service. You can even switch between boxes whenever you feel the need to order more or less food. Dinnerly has truly done everything possible in order to prevent you from feeling stuck, providing you with full freedom to decide how often and for how long you wish to order.

What Makes Dinnerly Different

We have mentioned before in this Dinnerly review that this is the most affordable service on the market, which is its most prominent feature. It offers fresh and healthy ingredients and great recipes for only half of the usual price of meal kits. The company hopes that the low prices will attract a large number of new customers who wanted to give this kind of service a try but simply found it to be too rich for their blood.

Dinnerly recipes are unique in that they normally require only 6 ingredients, which makes cooking even easier and cuts down on the preparation time. Although the produce is fresh and natural and the meat is antibiotic-free and grass-fed, just as in the case of the pricier meal kits, there are no exotic, luxury items that would increase the price of the meals.

Another distinctive, money-saving feature of Dinnerly are digital recipes that are offered instead of the fancy recipe cards normally delivered within the meal kit boxes. This decision was made in order to avoid any unnecessary costs and in our opinion, it does not affect the overall quality of the service.

dinnerly packaging

We are happy to see that Dinnerly’s packaging is mostly made of recycled materials and plastic waste is kept to a minimum.

The company is also eco-friendly, using sustainable packaging that helps you reduce your carbon footprint. The official Dinnerly website also offers recycling instructions for the packaging, making it easy for you to dispose of the bags, boxes, and liners the right way.

Dinnerly recipes are unique in that they normally require only 6 ingredients, which makes cooking even easier and cuts down on the preparation time. Although the produce is fresh and natural and the meat is antibiotic-free and grass-fed, just as in the case of the pricier meal kits, there are no exotic, luxury items that would increase the price of the meals.

Dinnerly Meals and Recipes

Dinnerly meal options
For Families
For Kids

Like mentioned before in this Dinnerly review, the weekly menu features 14 options and satisfies a wide variety of preferences. Every week, there are kid-friendly meals available, so you do not have to worry about the little ones frowning at their plates in discontent. Most of the meals can be prepared in no more than 30 minutes, some of them require the use of only 1 pot, about 3 items per week are vegetarian-friendly, and quite often, there are low-carb, low-calorie, gluten-free, and dairy-free meals on offer.

dinnerly crispy chicken cutlet

Crispy chicken cutlet with Caesar salad – exactly half an hour to make and more delicious than it looks. An ideal choice for weeknights.

The great news is that the digital recipes are detailed and easy to understand, with lovely photos available for each step of the preparation. You also get information on the preparation time, the difficulty level, and allergens, as well as the basic ingredients you should have in your pantry and the pots, pans, and other kitchen tools you need in order to prepare the meal.

Dinnerly also offers nutrition information on its meals, including the number of calories and the amount of fat, proteins, and carbs present in every serving. What we especially like is the fact that Dinnerly lets you in on the little tricks that can help you make your meal even better. With the hacks attached to the recipes, you can upgrade your cooking skills and learn how to take the dish from fine to divine.

dinnerly one pan cheese ravioli

Cheese ravioli with zucchini and roasted red peppers is one of Dinnerly’s 30-minute, one-pot wonders. Great if you want to get your little ones to eat more veggies and wonderfully easy to cook.

Most of the meals can be prepared in no more than 30 minutes, some of them require the use of only 1 pot, about 3 items per week are vegetarian-friendly, and quite often, there are low-carb, low-calorie, gluten-free, and dairy-free meals on offer.

How Much Does Dinnerly Cost

With Dinnerly, the price of your meals depends on how many recipes you order per week and how many people you cook for. It ranges from just $2.49 to $4.99 per portion. Shipping does not come free of charge and it costs $8.99 per weekly delivery. The absence of free shipping is to be expected, as the price of the meals is surprisingly low and thus not enough to cover the shipping costs as well.

Now, let us see exactly how much you pay depending on which option you choose. If you opt for the 2-Person box, you pay $4.99 per portion if you get 3 recipes, $4.89 per portion if you order 4 recipes, and $4.79 per portion if you receive 5 recipes per week. With the Family box, you get 3 meals per week for $4.99 per portion, 4 meals per week for $4.69 per portion, and 5 meals a week for $4.49 per portion. Even with the shipping fee, the price per meal remains low enough to be more than worth it, especially if you factor in the time and money you spend on your trips to the store and the market and the time it takes to think of new recipes every day.

Dinnerly Pricing New

Dinnerly’s pricing is as simple as it is budget-friendly. There are no unpleasant surprises at checkout. All pricing information is provided straight away, including shipping costs.

2-Person box
Meals per weekPrice per servingPrice per week (shipping included)
3$4.99$38.93
4$4.89$48.11
5$4.79$56.89
Family Box
Meals per weekPrice per servingPrice per week (shipping included)
3$4.99$68.87
4$4.69$84.03
5$4.49$98.79

Where Does Dinnerly Deliver

When it first entered the market, Dinnerly shipped its meal kits to only 6 West Coast states. Now, the service is available in most of the continental US, with a couple of exceptions, including Upstate New York and certain rural areas of the country. If you are not sure if Dinnerly delivers to your zip code, you can find out in minutes by contacting its support staff.

Delivery days vary depending on location and you can choose the day that works best for you. The kits are delivered in insulated boxes with enough ice packs to keep the ingredients chilled during transit.

Dinnerly Pros And Cons

To make sure Dinnerly meets all your standards and expectations, it is important to know its biggest advantages and disadvantages. With a short overview of its pros and cons, you can easily decide if Dinnerly is the right meal kit service for you.

Pros
  • Most affordable meal kits on the market
  • High-quality ingredients
  • Easy-to-follow recipes
  • 14 new meal ideas every week
  • Suitable for kids and picky eaters
  • Extremely flexible subscription
  • Eco-friendly

Cons

  • No customization options

Sample Dishes

If you subscribe to Dinnerly, you can easily prepare culinary masterpieces using only the ingredients and recipes found in your meal kit box. You may not be a pro chef just yet, but with Dinnerly, you can easily make restaurant-grade meals. You don’t have to take our word for it – check out the images below to get a better idea of the types of dishes you can enjoy with Dinnerly.

Bottom Line

Dinnerly aims to make it possible for nearly anyone to enjoy the perks of simplified cooking by offering great ingredients and recipes at probably the lowest possible price. We had the pleasure of testing the service and have to say that we were pleasantly surprised to see that the quality of the service is not inferior to that provided by some of the best meal kit services out there. It is a perfect combination of convenience, deliciousness, and affordability and possibly the best option for home cooks who want to prepare their meals more easily without spending more cash than usual.


User Reviews (68)

Dinnerly is rated 3/5, based on 68 user reviews.

The Dinnerly reviews listed below reflect the opinions and experiences of real users and are in no way influenced by the service reviewed here. Before publishing each review, our team checks whether it was submitted by an actual user in an effort to prevent false or spammy reviews.

  1. | April 30, 2022

    Food was tantamount to Slop ,,,,, arrived a day Iate some of the food seemed questionable but overaII the meaIs were horrid….I immediately canceIed next order but these BASTARDS sent it anyway! Their customer service was as rude as their food is crude! Stay away from this outfit!!!!!!

  2. | November 4, 2021

    What a dreadful company. The food arrived, and some of it was fresh, and some of it spoiled before it could be eaten. I “paused” the additional meals they had pre-set up for me to receive, but they sent one anyway. When I got the notice it was being sent, I tried to cancel and called “customer service” and was told it could not be canceled. Take my advice and stay as far away from this company as you can.

  3. | September 14, 2021

    Canceled my subscription today after only three boxes delivered. 1. The boxes are too big for the ingredients inside. Therefore, during shipping, everything is thrown everywhere inside the box. The vegetables get mixed up with the meats and one box even had burst packets of hot sauce. 2. The gel inside the ice packs leaks and it’s nasty and gets all over the ingredients. 3. Missing ingredients. 4. Not even a week and the broccoli and bread ingredients had mold on them. DISGUSTING.

  4. | January 27, 2021

    My biggest challenge is figuring out what to eat. By the time I figure it out its late and we end up eating some sort of carry out. I chose Dinnerly to solve this issue I get the 3 meal plan for 4 people. We usually have 1 meal left over and its used for someone’s lunch the next day.. I have received 2 orders to date and my boxes are packed well, all my ingredients have been included, and downloading the recipes is simple. I like the recipes because they are delicious, they don’t have a lot of ingredients and are fast. The fast is important because we find ourselves eating at a normal dinner time. The price point is nice too,

  5. | April 16, 2020

    Absolutely the worst customer service of any meal plan kit. You cannot talk to a live person and almost every box is missing ingredients. I once had a box that simply didnt come and they offered a $10 coupon, but didnt refund my $48.11 Trust me- stay far, far away from this terrible company

    • Kerri Weller | April 22, 2020

      I agree! The first box was missing ingredients so I gave them a 2nd choice and it was the same thing. If you give them a card # and don’t authorize it again somehow they find your papal account and use that! Terrible food. The chicken was spoiled and the peas exploded when I opened them. Customer service is horrible as you can not speak to a live person.

  6. | February 2, 2020

    It sounded interesting, but based on the number of bad reviews I read I have decided not to order this service.

    • Jen G. | February 5, 2020

      Lol. You can’t rate something you haven’t even tried!

    • Jon R. | February 15, 2020

      I’ve used Dinnerly for almost a year, and have found that it a good service. I have had a couple of boxes that were missing ingredients, but Dinnerly was fast to add a partial refund to my next order. Overall, it’s the best choice as far as value and easy to cook recipes.

  7. | October 24, 2019

    I just received my Dinnerly box yesterday, and I am not happy at all. Everything was just thrown in the box and there are no recipe cards. I have no idea what products/spices go with what meal. I don’t even know what the meals are! It takes MORE time to look up the recipe online and try to find a printer to print it out since I don’t have a printer at home. The products were literally thrown into a box all together. There was a leak in one of the ice packs and everything was soaking wet, and I’m not sure the inside of those packets are even safe for foods, they could be packed with chemicals. The box was even wet when I picked it up off my porch! I was extremely upset as soon as I opened the box!!

  8. | August 28, 2019

    My box was shipped to CA, but I live in TX. I asked to be credited for this, but was denied three times. I loved the food and recipes. I probably would have been a loyal costumer for years. But, I don’t feel comfortable supporting a company that doesn’t follow good business standards. It’s such a shame.

    • Linda | May 9, 2020

      I guess you get what you pay for. Missing my second box, showed it was not delivered and I better get a credit. I will go to my credit card company and they will fight with them. The first box had missing ingredients and poor quality everything except for a can of tomato sauce. Meat was poor quality with grizzle. I cancelled them but the second box was already processed (according to them). You have to get the recipes from the website which is fine, but did anyone even try them??? They did not turn out at all. I threw out most of what I had. Very, very disappointed. Every Plate is much better and not much more in price. Oh, and I was asked if I wanted to tip the driver who delivered my first box. WTF????

  9. | August 4, 2019

    Up to my second box and husband and I loving the meals so far, was missing broccoli in my second box, bit disappointing but luckily had some in the fridge. Apart from missing product am happy with the quality so far.

  10. | July 8, 2019

    I’m surprised by all of the negative reviews. For the price I feel Dinnerly does a great job. Many recipes star beef or pork which I no longer consume, but they now offer 14 recipes per week and I can almost always can find 3 recipes that fit my wants. I find that each recipe for 2 creates 3 or 4 meals- especially if u choose to bulk up a recipe with something u have on hand(fried egg, side of veggies etc.). Being single and not wanting to cook nor shop/meal-plan daily this kit has been perfect for me. Meals always turn out better than they look in the Dinnerly image. I like a few other kits as well, sunbasket and green chef. But I order from Dinnerly more than any other provider.

  11. | June 28, 2019

    I’m surprised to hear so many complaints about this service. I’ve been VERY pleased with each of my meals over the past 3 weeks. The food has been fresh and unless you want leftovers, the portions have been appropriate. My daughter and I have even had seconds! They could put the items in bags but I just separate everything myself when I get my box. Not a big deal at all. 🤷🏾‍♀️ And the price is RIGHT!!!

  12. | June 12, 2019

    There are a lot of things that I like about Dinnerly (the price, often times the meals, etc) but there is one major, glaring problem with Dinnerly – I have yet to receive a box that is not missing at least 1 ingredient. Now, to be fair, I always call and they credit me $3 or $5 for the inconvenience but at least once, the omission was major enough that we could not make the meal. I think we have gotten 5 or 6 boxes so far so this isn’t just a one time thing. I also dislike that they do not include paper instructions like you get with many other delivery services (granted, I can appreciate that they are trying to cut costs here). I find their recipes a bit hard to follow as is – they don’t flow well to me. Some of the ingredients are not labeled which can make things tricky.
    That being said, this is the first meal delivery service where my husband and I both agree that the portion size is very appropriate for a single person. I also have enjoyed just about every meal we have made. There have been a few weeks where none of the meals appealed to me but I am a bit pickier than the normal person so it may not be an issue for others.

  13. | May 22, 2019

    I was very disappointed, the meal portions were to small for two people, the meats were thawed and warm when they were delivered, and I was missing 3 key ingredients. I cancelled my order after 2 weeks……

  14. | May 21, 2019

    I was very disappointed with Dinnerly. The green pepper that was sent had a large bad spot and could only use a portion of it. The recipe was not clear that for 4 you need to double, so my rice was a total disaster. All of the items were dumped into the box and everything was wet from the icepacks making a soggy mess. I still have two more meals and I am not sure if they are worth cooking. I have used Home Chef in the past so I am sure my expectations were high. I guess the saying is true… you get what you pay for.

  15. | May 17, 2019

    Worthless product. Every meal takes over an hour to make. The time listed is only cooking not including prep time. “Fresh produce” is a joke. We received garlic that was sprouting and zucchini that was bruised. The broccoli was turning brown. Directions are complicated and steps are out of order. Not every ingredient is included (needed to provide vinegar).

    This meal service is not worth the time or money.

  16. | May 14, 2019

    Ingredients missing – none of the meals were complete.
    I just received my first order. Disappointingly, there were ingredients missing, such that none of the meals were complete.

    I called customer service and relayed the missing components. I was told I would be given $15 credit for the missing items so I can go buy them myself in the store.

    That is ridiculous.

    A very disappointed customer,

  17. | May 10, 2019

    Meals are great . Recipes are kind of confusing to cook, you have to read each part two or three times to get what they are talking about. Price is good but why can’t there include the recipes? I am going to Everyplate just for that. Same Price better looking recipes and they include recipes printed.

    • Dani | May 26, 2019

      You can see the menu before signing up, you just have to google for it. its weird, but it is possible. Also, the recipe cards are digital to keep price down and incidentally save on waste. out of curiosity what one do you use now? i am considering trying one and trying to decide which. Seeing lots of reviews about missing ingredients and stuff from this one, so wondering what alternatives there are that wont be too expensive for us.

  18. | May 8, 2019

    We enjoyed our first week of Dinnerly – the meals were good and we were happy to try a second week.

    Unfortunately we were missing ingredients from all three recipes in our second box. We contacted customer service and they offered a small partial refund. Since ingredients were missing from every recipe, we requested a full refund and spoke with a manager. They replied that they could only give the small refund. Due to the delay of needing to go to the store for missing ingredients (we don’t live near a grocery store), additional ingredients went bad before we were able to make all three meals.

    What is the point of having a meal subscription service if I have to anticipate there will be missing ingredients and plan to not be able to make the recipes with what they send? I have seen a lot of reviews, even from people who like the service, that mention missing ingredients so it seems this is not a rare occurrence.

  19. | May 7, 2019

    This is the second boxed meal service that I’ve tried, and at first glance I’m not impressed.
    I had to sign up and pay first to see what recipes I could pick from; okay.
    Got to the recipes page and none of them were things that my boyfriend or I would eat. So I cancel it immediately, but am told that I will still be charged for the first box anyways. So I pick the 3 most likely meals that will be edible for us.
    They arrive on our day of choice (the only advantage this one has) and I open the box.
    Unlike other services, the recipe cards or instructions are not included. The only access to the recipes are on the website, and also unlike other services, there are no helpful pictures or videos with the instructions. Glad that I cancelled immediately; I would say that you get what you pay for, but I’m currently with a much better service for the same price.

  20. | April 25, 2019

    I was excited to try this. Most meals were decent. I got it for four weeks. However, my deliveries kept getting pushed back. This most recent one was scheduled to be delivered two days late. Sorry, but I’m not eating food that may or may not still be on ice two days late.

    I emailed the customer service that said they would respond in 24 hours. Didn’t happen. I called customer service the next day and the lady that helped me was wonderful. She reimbursed me for the whole box. I ended up canceling my membership. Although I wasn’t a fan of every dish I made, I thought I could deal with it. Now with the food being delivered late, not worth it.

  21. | April 17, 2019

    I’ve been using Dinnerly for the past 3 weeks and we are impressed with the taste and value. I was afraid that the serving portions would be too small but that has not been the case at all. First box was missing a couple common ingredients , but since everything has been there. They are easy to prepare and quick and easy. I work 12 hour shifts, so this is awesome as I don’t feel like cooking a complicated meal. Dinnerly takes away the drudge of deciding what to cook, and keeps us from eating fast food. Way worth the cost !

  22. | April 12, 2019

    We’ve been using Dinnerly for a while now. Prior to that we tried Blue Apron and Hello Fresh. We appreciate that Dinnerly is better for our budget than Blue Apron and Hello Fresh. All of them once in a while have a smashed product but that’s the nature of shipping. It’s rare. Yes we have to print the recipes…that’s not a big deal. Overall have been very happy with the Dinnerly service and price. The meals are not too hard to make and tasty.

  23. | April 9, 2019

    I have tried two other delivery meal plans. They were ok but twice the price. Maybe more selections but Dinnerly is just find for my needs. I commute three times a week. When I get home the last thing I want to think about is what to cook for dinner. Dinnerly so far has been good and it hits my price point. I’m staying!

    • Jon R | October 4, 2019

      It clearly states that the recipe cards are digital, to save cost.

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