For these Dinnerly meal box review we were given a sample. This post contains affiliate links and if you make a purchase we may be compensated. All opinions are our own.
By Alison Chew | Reviewed by Rebecca Housh, MS, RDN
Tip 1: When your box arrives, Dinnerly recommends that you make seafood dishes within 1-2 days, ground meat and chicken within 2-3 days, and other meat and veggie dishes within 3-5 days.
Tip 2: Much of the Dinnerly packaging can be curbside recycled including the box, box liner, bottles, and containers. The ice gel packs can be emptied into the trash and then recycled at a local recycling center that accepts #4 plastic. The cool pouch and foil pouch can be recycled at centers that accept #4 and #7 plastic.
We love that Dinnerly uses less packaging compared to other meal kits, but that means your ingredients do not come bundled together by recipe and that you will need to sort ingredients as you need them. This also helps to keep costs down. Get $45 OFF >>
Tip 3: In addition, Dinnerly does not include paper recipes within the box (which also helps to keep costs down) and recommends that you either print them at home or look them up on your phone or tablet while cooking. If you love to keep your recipes to use later, don’t fret, they are all saved in your Dinnerly account.
The instructions are simple by design, just 5 steps, as Dinnerly uses fewer ingredients in their recipes than most other meal kits. This cuts down on cost as well as the amount of time in the kitchen. Get $45 OFF >>
Dinnerly Meal Box Review: Meal Kits
We’ve tried several Dinnerly meal kits over the years including the Crispy Fried Shrimp Basket, Korean Beef Rice Bowl, Vegan Crispy Kung Pao Tofu, Stir-Fried Peanut Noodles, Chinese Take-Out Pepper Steak, Tandori Tilapia, and the Tuscan Rosemary Pork Tenderloin.Get $45 OFF >>
One of our favorite Dinnerly meal kits is the Crispy Fried Shrimp Basket with Garlic-Butter Broccoli Fries. This recipe is a little more involved than other Dinnerly recipes we’ve tried but turned out delicious and a meal the whole family enjoyed. Get $45 OFF >>
Another favorite is the Vegan Crispy Kung Pao Tofu. It was both easy to make and tasted delicious. Like take-out but better (healthier and less expensive!). Get $45 OFF >>
We also really liked the Tandori Tilapia over Rice and Peas. The Tandori spices add so much flavor to this dish and really made it stand out. We enjoyed the rice and peas but would’ve loved more peas.
Dinnerly Meal Box Review: Holiday Meal Kits and Baking Kits
We were super excited to try the Dinnerly Holiday meal kits as we have never ordered them before. We knew that we would be spending Easter at home this year and decided to add the brunch bake and scones to our weekly order. Get $45 OFF >>
Dinnerly often has a dessert meal kit or premade dessert on their weekly menu and we have also seen smoothies and breakfast items along with protein packs.
A couple of times each year, like Easter, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, they have special holiday meal kits. Keep an eye out for these as they often feed a crowd and are a great value!
The 2 person kits ofter feed 4+ people and the 4 person kits often feed 8+ people!
I made the Chocolate Cherry Scones with my 9-year-old son and he loved how easy they were to make. He read through the instructions and completed the recipe with little adult help. Yay! And they turned out so yummy.
We had plenty of chocolate chips and cherries to pack into every scone. Get $45 OFF >>
The sausage, egg, and cheese brunch bake for Easter was ok, but we felt like there was too much bread and not enough flavor. We added some red chile flakes to bump up the heat which helped. I would say this was more of a brunch stuffing that could be served as a side dish than your main course. Get $45 OFF >>
Dinnerly Christmas Meal Kits & Baking Kits
We tried the Double Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint cookies and the Sausage Gravy & Biscuit Skillet Casserole over Christmas.
The Double Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint cookies were super easy to make and tasted wonderful. They had a bold chocolate flavor with a nice kick of peppermint on top and were perfect to take to a holiday party or cookie exchange.
The Sausage Gravy & Biscuit Skillet Casserole was a great value as the 2 person plan could easily serve 4 people. This casserole had an egg base, eggs not included in the meal kit, with biscuits on top, followed by the sausage gravy. Yum!
We added a side of fruit to complete this Holiday brunch. Get $45 OFF >>
Dinnerly Meal Box Review: Extra Protein
Dinnerly, like other meal kit services, has added the ability for customers to add extra protein to their boxes. We love this option for two reasons. Get $45 OFF >>
The first reason is you can add more protein to your meal kits if you have children or an additional adult to feed. There are 2 adults and our son in my house and we like to buy the 2 person meal kits and supplement with extra meat/seafood and/or veggies.
The second reason we love the protein pack addon is it’s nice to have extra meat on hand to whip up a quick meal without having to go to the grocery store.Get $45 OFF >>
Dinnerly Meal Box Review: Bottom Line
Dinnerly’s simple approach to meal kits – fewer quality ingredients + simple recipes, make for affordable meals that the whole family will love delivered directly to your door.
We enjoy Dinnerly for the ease of recipes, simplicity of meals, and low cost. The meal kits are easy to make, though getting used to a digital recipe card took a little time. We love that in addition to 16+ meal kits each week, Dinnerly also has dessert kits and protein pack add-ons.
We really enjoyed the Holiday Meal Kits and Baking Kits and would purchase them again as they made cooking our Easter brunch and Holiday cookies a breeze. With only 3 people eating we had plenty of food and leftovers for days. Our family loves global flavors and likes to try new recipes so for us we will order from Dinnerly when the menu is interesting and will keep them in our meal kit rotation.
Compared to other meal kits Dinnerly is one the lowest-priced options currently on the market. Their recipes are simpler and lean more toward traditional American flavors with fewer globally inspired options. They also do not have very many vegetarian or vegan options.
If you are looking for an easy and affordable meal kit with simple recipes and a few quality ingredients, Dinnerly could be just what you are looking for! Get $45 OFF >>
This post has been reviewed and approved by our dietitian Rebecca Housh, MS, RDN, LDN for nutritional accuracy.
Rebecca Housh is a registered dietitian based in Chicago, IL. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Physiology from Boston University and a Master of Science in Human Nutrition from the University of Illinois in Chicago. Rebecca is passionate about the idea of food as medicine in both preventative and therapeutic care. Her current professional interests lie in food security, food access, and nutrition for chronic disease.
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