Snap Kitchen Review: This Easy Meal Delivery Service Wants to Handle Dinner

Benefits

• Meals were generally tasty

• Most meals contain less than 450 calories

• Lots of weekly options

Disadvantages

• Portions were small for the price

• No vegetarian or vegan options

• Some meals were disappointing

These days we expect everything to happen in the blink of an eye: news, entertainment and certainly food. Instant cooking is a prepared meals service that seeks to capitalize on “instant culture” with simple, freshly prepared meals sent to your door every week. Snap aims to manage lunch or dinner for you on days when you don’t want to cook dinner or spend money on takeout. You can store your weekly shipment in the fridge or freezer and quickly reheat one when the mood strikes.

Looks pretty good, right?

There are dozens of meal prep services aimed at busy people and many have some pretty delicious deals. I’ve tried most of the meal subscriptions, so you’d have to be pretty competent (translation: delicious) to get my wholehearted approval. To see how Snap Kitchen stacks up in a crowded field of meal delivery options, I tried a week’s worth of its meals.

Snap Kitchen lived up to its nickname with meals ready in a jiffy, and most of them were pretty decent. The portions were small though, and for the price I think there are better options. But for someone looking for smaller portions or wanting to reduce overall calories, Snap Kitchen may be the key to unlocking more time each week to do the things you love and less time searching for food.

Here’s what I thought of Snap Kitchen in case you’re considering trying the popular subscription service.

How Snap Kitchen works

Snap Kitchen is a prepared food subscription service that sends weekly boxes of ready-to-eat meals. You won’t be cutting, dicing, or cooking at all, you’ll just reheat and eat. It’s a instant. Get it?

Once you sign up for your meal plan – six or 12 meals per week – you’ll choose meals from a weekly menu of around 35 options. Recipes range from hearty pasta dishes to lighter dishes like grilled chicken breast and vegetables. There are one or two breakfast options, but most of Snap’s meals are for lunch and dinner.

You can select your meals each week or let Snap choose them for you. You can also skip a week’s meal delivery if you’re not around to eat them. But that East a subscription to keep them coming if you don’t pause or cancel.

Snap Kitchen delivers to most states, but not all. You can enter your zip code here to find out if you are in the area.

Snap Kitchen prices

Snap Kitchen offers two simple plans. You can subscribe to get six meals per week for $76 ($12.67 per meal) or 12 meals per week for a total of $126 ($10.50 per meal).

What do Snap Kitchen meals look like?

Snap Meals are eclectic, with 35 weekly options spanning multiple cuisines: Japanese, Indian, Korean, French and Italian. There are also some basic recipes, including herbed grilled chicken with vegetables. Some meals are rich in lean protein and healthy vegetables, while others would be better classified as comfort foods, rich in carbohydrates. There are almost no plant-based options and few seafood options.

While the meals arrive fresh and not frozenmost can be frozen if you don’t plan to eat them within the first few days. I would recommend freezing anything you don’t plan to eat within two or three days, especially anything with seafood.

I wouldn’t classify Snap Kitchen as a health-focused food delivery service, but it has plenty of healthy options. Portions also tend to be small, so if you’re looking to reduce total calories without giving up red meat, pasta, and potatoes, Snap has plenty of weekly selections. Most meals contain between 350 and 450 calories.

What I had and how I liked it

I chose six of Snap Kitchen’s meals and tried them over the course of a few days. Here’s what I ate and how I liked it.

Beef bourguignon and mashed potatoes and turnips: I had high hopes for this meal but the meat turned out tough and gruesome. The turnip and mashed potatoes were okay, but I wouldn’t want to eat that meal again.

Chicken Shawarma with Lemon Tahini Sauce: This meal was packed with flavor with a superb sauce to drizzle over. The chicken itself was a little dry and just okay.

Korean BBQ Meatballs: This dish was my favorite of the group. The meatballs were tender and flavorful with a nice umami-rich barbecue sauce. The broccoli that came with it still had some spring in it.

Jerk Chicken with Mango Salsa: This was another favorite of mine, with tender chicken and tangy mango salsa. Unfortunately, it was way too small, with only a few spoonfuls of rice that didn’t fill me up.

Pesto Pasta with Chicken Sausage Meatballs: The chicken meatballs were dry but still tasty. The pasta was slightly undercooked (a good thing!), so when I reheated it, it became a nice al dente. The pesto was also good, but be prepared to taste the garlic.

Cajun Salmon with Braised Greens and Bacon: The salmon was quite fresh. The braised greens (collard greens, I think) were good, although overcooked. The bacon added a nice flavor, as you would expect.

Who is Snap Kitchen for?

Since the meals are small, Snap Kitchen is good for portion control and general reduction of calories. Most contain less than 500 total calories with many meal options under 400 calories. I prefer to eat larger meals with healthier ingredients or fewer carbs. If you’re craving those heavier foods but don’t really rely on leftovers (who can blame you?), this might be a good meal delivery service to try.

Who is Snap Kitchen not good for?

Snap Kitchen is not suitable for vegetarians or vegans as there are no plant-based offerings every week. It’s also not a good option for big eaters. The small portions might frustrate someone with a sizable appetite.

I also wouldn’t recommend this service to families, as it would be expensive to feed three or four people with Snap Kitchen. To do this, try Mosaic foods: This is one of my favorite meal delivery services and one that offers family packages. Each plate is a budget-friendly meal kit service that I also loved and is great for families, with portions costing around $5. But you will have to cook yourself.

The final verdict on Snap Kitchen

Snap Kitchen succeeded on several fronts. The majority of meals were tasty, with a few duds out of the six I tried. The sauces were fun and the vegetables and starches were cooked well and not overcooked. The main problem I have with this service is that there wasn’t enough beef – I’m talking about the portion size. At over $10 a meal (for the cheapest 12-meal plan), I would expect the meals to be filling, and many simply weren’t. That said, if maintaining portion control is important, this might be a good subscription to try.

For meal delivery in this price range, I suggest Freshly Or Fresh and lean if you’re willing to spend a few dollars more per meal. For vegetarians and vegans, Mosaic foods is my top pick, with excellent plant-based prepared meals that cost between $9 and $11.

More meal delivery choices