What is a meal kit? The big overview for 2026
A meal kit is a delivery service that sends you all the ingredients for selected recipes, portioned exactly, to your home. The concept is simple: you pick your favourite dishes from a weekly changing menu, the box arrives on the day you choose, and you cook fresh meals without the shopping stress and without food waste.
The meal kit market in Germany has developed considerably in 2026. What began as a niche product for big-city dwellers is now an established market with large subscription providers and smaller specialists. The cheapest entry prices are now around €4 per portion – but only for large boxes; if you order a few dishes for two people, you usually pay €5.50 and more, plus shipping.
Did you know?
The consumer advice centre of North Rhine-Westphalia (Verbraucherzentrale NRW) took a close look at meal kit offers (as of 09/2023): as a rule, you have to order at least two portions per dish – single people found nothing suitable at any of the providers examined. Usually you can choose 2 or 4 portions, and at some providers 3 or 6.
How does a meal kit work? Step by step
The principle is similar at every meal kit provider and can be broken down into three simple steps:
- Choose recipes: You pick your favourite dishes from a weekly changing menu. Depending on the provider, the choice ranges from a handful to around 100 recipes a week (HelloFresh), while niche providers such as momogo concentrate on specific cuisines.
- Receive the delivery: The pre-packed ingredients are delivered chilled in insulated boxes to your front door. Most providers use thermal packaging that keeps the cold chain intact for several hours even when you are out.
- Cook fresh: You prepare the dish using the enclosed step-by-step instructions. Preparation time ranges from 5 minutes (PrepMyMeal's ready meals) to 30 minutes (the cook-it-yourself boxes from Tischline or Wyldr).
There are basically two types of meal kit: the classic cook-it-yourself box delivers raw ingredients with a recipe, while ready-meal boxes (such as PrepMyMeal) deliver meals that are already prepared and only need heating up. The latter are ideal for people short of time, but the price per portion is higher and you miss out on the cooking experience.
The best meal kit providers in detail
HelloFresh: the widest choice
HelloFresh from Berlin is the best-known meal kit provider in Germany and advertises around 100 recipes a week, quick dishes from 15 minutes and a polished app. The price starts at €3.99 per portion – but this only applies to the largest boxes, and shipping adds €5.49 per box. New customers get changing discounts, most recently about 50 % off the first box and 20 % for two months.
A frequently criticised point is the subscription model with automatic renewal. If you do not pause in time or choose your dishes, the next box arrives automatically. You can pause and cancel in your customer account – just watch the deadlines before each delivery date.
Marley Spoon: premium quality
Marley Spoon positions itself as an alternative to HelloFresh with creative recipes for couples and families. Preparation time starts at 20 minutes, the price starts at €5.50 per portion, and shipping is €5.99 per box. Here too there are changing new-customer discounts (most recently 50 % off the first order).
Wyldr: organic at a fair price
Wyldr goes entirely for organic food and lets you personalise the box by dietary goal, such as high-protein, gut-friendly or anti-inflammatory. At from €4.11 per organic meal, Wyldr is only just above HelloFresh's entry price and, by its own account, delivers anywhere in Germany.
Tischline: with and without a subscription
Tischline delivers boxes with 3, 4 or 5 dishes for 2, 4 or 6 people across Germany – either as a subscription or as a one-off order without one. The subscription box starts at €42 plus shipping; for 2 people and 3 dishes that works out at around €7 per portion. A plus point is the flexible delivery slots, right up to evening delivery.
Costs & prices: what does a meal kit really cost?
The cost of a meal kit varies a lot depending on provider, portion size and type. In our comparison the price range runs from €3.99 to €9.95 per portion (cheapest box size in each case, excluding shipping). As a rule, cook-it-yourself boxes are cheaper than ready-meal boxes, and larger orders lower the price per portion.
| Provider | Price/portion | Type | Cost/week (2 people, 6 portions) |
|---|---|---|---|
| HelloFresh | from €3.99 | Cook yourself | from approx. €24 * |
| Wyldr | from €4.11 | Cook yourself | from approx. €25 * |
| Marley Spoon | from €5.50 | Cook yourself | approx. €33 |
| PrepMyMeal | from €5.70 | Ready-made | approx. €34 |
| Tischline | approx. €7.00 | Cook yourself | approx. €42 |
| My Cooking Box | €7.50 | Cook yourself | approx. €45 |
| momogo (formerly EasyCookAsia) | €9.95 | Cook yourself | approx. €60 |
Cost/week = price per portion × 6 (3 dishes for 2 people), excluding shipping. * The lowest portion price usually only applies to large boxes – for 3 dishes for 2 people it is higher.
For comparison: with 3 dishes for 2 people a week, a portion price of €5.50 plus around €6 shipping comes to about €39 a week, or a good €165 a month – for just three evening meals. You still buy breakfast, lunch and the remaining dinners yourself. So always budget for shipping and the box size you actually choose, not the advertised entry price.
Who is a meal kit worth it for?
Meal kits are not the right solution for everyone. Whether the service is worth it for you depends on your situation:
- Working couples: Ideal! No shopping stress after work, quick dishes in 15-30 minutes, automatic delivery. HelloFresh and Marley Spoon are the first choice here.
- Families: Worth considering with larger boxes (4+ people). Tischline (up to 6 people) and HelloFresh offer family-friendly recipes, and large boxes lower the portion price.
- Singles: Limited – classic meal kits usually start at 2 portions per dish. Ready meals such as PrepMyMeal can be ordered in single portions.
- Fitness enthusiasts: PrepMyMeal is the specialist, with precise macronutrient information and high-protein dishes.
- Hobby cooks: Providers such as Marley Spoon, Wyldr or momogo deliver creative recipes that go beyond the standard repertoire.
Important to know
Meal kits are more expensive than a supermarket shop. If you optimise purely on price, you are better off planning yourself and buying in bulk. The added value lies in saving time, variety and less food waste.
Tips for saving money on meal kits
The best money-saving tips
- Use new-customer discounts: HelloFresh and Marley Spoon tempt with changing discounts (most recently 50 % off the first box at each)
- Order larger boxes: The price per portion falls with more dishes
- Rotate providers: Switch to the next provider once the new-customer discount runs out
- Choose a flexible subscription: Pause in expensive weeks instead of cancelling
- Factor in shipping: €5.49 (HelloFresh) or €5.99 (Marley Spoon) per box makes small orders considerably more expensive
One effective money-saving tip: use new-customer discounts one after the other – for example HelloFresh first, then Marley Spoon. With 50 % off the first box, the portion price drops noticeably for a short time. Important: pause or cancel the subscription in good time before the next delivery date, otherwise the next box arrives automatically at the regular price.
Sustainability: how eco-friendly are meal kits?
Sustainability is a double-edged sword with meal kits. On the one hand, ingredients portioned exactly reduce food waste, because there are no opened packs left over. On the other hand, the individual packaging and shipping create additional packaging waste and CO₂ emissions.
Worth highlighting is Wyldr, which uses organic food only. How sustainable the packaging and cooling are differs from provider to provider – it is worth checking the details on packaging material and the return of cooling elements.
Our conclusion on sustainability: no meal kit is as eco-friendly as seasonal shopping at the weekly market. On food waste, though, meal kits have an advantage over normal shopping, because only the quantities you need are delivered.
Last updated: October 2026