I might be Martha Stewart’s biggest fan. Watching Martha Stewart Entertaining on television as a teenager made a big impression on me and fostered my love of cooking and hosting. I own many of Martha’s how-to books and cookbooks, and I watched her Netflix documentary the moment it was available.
So when I heard that Martha Stewart had a meal delivery company called Marley Spoon, I jumped at the chance to get some free boxes and check it out. Jess, Stacie, and I have been so impressed with the quality of the Marley Spoon meals we’ve made at home, which is superior – in ingredients, taste, and portion sizes – to other meal delivery services we’ve tried.
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This post is sponsored by our friends at Marley Spoon.
In this Marley Spoon review, I’ll share my experience as a first time user, how the meal options work, what shows up, how to customize a box, and if I think it’s worth it.
What Is Marley Spoon?
Marley Spoon is a meal kit delivery service that delivers recipes and the ingredients directly to your door. The delivery box service is flexible: You decide how many meals you want per week, how often they arrive, and what types of meals you want to make. There’s a lot of variety, from simple “bakes” and kid-friendly meals that don’t require much hands-on time, to fancier options that can help you get out of a dinnertime rut.
This delivery box service has been around for more than 10 years and was named after a family-owned restaurant that the founders happened upon in the middle of a tropical storm. The Berlin-based owners partnered with Martha Stewart in 2016, and the rest is history.
How It Works
Of all the meal delivery services I’ve tried, I love the Marley Spoon website the best. It’s so easy to navigate and get your first box ordered. Here are the basic steps.
- Visit marleyspoon.com click on Choose Your Meal Kit
- Select if you want meals for 2 or 4 people. If you need more, you can add portions to any meal as you’re selecting recipes
- Select the number of meals you want per week (from 2 through 6)
- Choose the type of meals that fits your needs best: everyday variety; gluten-free; low calorie (650 calories or less per serving); low carb (40 g carbs or less per serving); picky eater approved, quick and easy (ready in 30 minutes or less); or vegetarian (plant based)
- Enter your delivery information, including zip code
- Set up your delivery day of the week (Monday through Saturday) and preferred delivery time
- Enter payment details and enter a password
- Select the delicious meals for your first box. You can choose the default recipes or edit your box to create exactly what you want. You can also just order market items, if you wish, as long as you meet the $47 box minimum.
- The box arrives with all the ingredients you need plus the recipe cards. Fresh ingredients are nicely packed on ice packs in a sturdy cardboard box separated by trays. Smaller produce, such as garlic and tomatoes, are nicely packed in small paper bags. The packing materials are used with sustainability in mind for reusing, recycling, or compost.
Marley Spoon sends an email when it’s time to select the recipes for my next box. I can skip boxes, pause, or cancel any time.
There is also an option to add portions to any meal, and some recipes allow me to customize the protein or grain. I can add side dishes, desserts, and add-ons from the Market. I really love the Market options, which include everything from breakfast burritos to kids pizzas and smoothies – basically, easy things to round out my meals for the week.
Pros And Cons
My dietitian colleagues and I compiled our experiences with Marley Spoon boxes into this quick glance of pros and cons. It’s a helpful way to get the info you need in order to make the decision for yourself when it comes to trying Marley Spoon.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| These meals are very fresh, low processed, and high quality, as I would expect from something that has Martha Stewart’s name on it. My family and I enjoyed all of the Marley Spoon meals I’ve made and I was pleased with the quality and taste of the real-food ingredients in each box. | The cost per portion is $9.99 to $10.49, depending on how many meals you get in a box. While this is on par with other delivery services, it costs more than making meals from scratch. On the other hand, it saves you from having to create a grocery list or take a trip to the grocery store. |
| There is a lot of variety and I love that I can select recipes that fit exactly my household needs from week to week, whether it’s recipes that require 15 minutes or less, those that are picky-eater approved, or something special for a date night in. There are also options to fit dietary needs, including low calorie or low carb, and dietary restrictions, such as gluten free or dairy free. | Not for beginning home cooks. Though none of the recipes are very complicated, they require at least a basic knowledge of cooking and kitchen tools. However, if you’re not confident in the kitchen, there are options that are simply ready to heat and those that require little or no chopping. |
| Try something new. I found myself making meals that my family wouldn’t normally try, and we loved them. This service makes it easy to break out of a dinnertime rut by providing the quality ingredients and recipes for me. | Need to supply some of your own ingredients. For example, some recipes require the use of some of your own pantry staples, such as cooking oil, vinegar, butter, eggs, flour, salt, and pepper. This is common with many meal delivery kit services, but worth noting. |
| Though the recipes are of great quality, they don’t require me to prepare a ton of ingredients. I find them to be appropriately streamlined while still providing so much delicious flavor. | |
| The portions are very generous, especially the protein portions, which has not been my experience with other meal kit companies. In fact, I had leftovers from almost every Marley Spoon recipe I’ve made, which I love to enjoy for lunch the next day. | |
| The Market add-ons are a feature I love. By adding options like breakfast burritos, muffins, veggie side dishes, smoothie kits and more, I can easily get all the food my family might need in a week from a single delivery box. | |
| I appreciate the low box minimum of just $47 each time I place an order. I can fill my box with meal kit recipes, or market-only items, or a mix and match of both. | |
| I love the flexibility, which allows me to choose the exact date of each delivery or to pause or cancel my membership at any time. Marley Spoon offers a great discount where I can save $50 per box for the first 5 boxes and get free shipping on the first box when using code REALFOOD |
Taste And Freshness
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that I love the real-food feel of Marley Spoon, Martha Stewart’s Meal Kit company. Every box I’ve received contains a lot of raw produce, such as lettuce greens to turn into delicious salads or potatoes to cut into wedges or pieces for roasting. There are also a variety of convenience items, such as pre-mixed spice mixes, sauces, and condiments that are ready to mix.
I appreciate that every recipe makes a full meal, meaning that I’ve never felt like I needed to add more food to the table. In fact, I often have leftovers of Marley Spoon recipes that I can pack in food containers to enjoy as lunch the next day, which is a huge plus for me.
Marley Spoon Versus Other Competitors
There are a lot of meal kit companies out there and I’ve tried quite a few of them over the years. Here’s how some of them compare to the Marley Spoon meal kit.
- HelloFresh – a lower cost option for beginners with pared-down recipes and easy directions, has fewer meal options each week
- Blue Apron – a lower cost option for beginners with pared-down recipes and easy directions, has fewer meal options each week
- Home Chef – basic meals (most are protein with a veggie side) that are a few dollars less per serving than most other options
- Green Chef – mostly organic and sustainably produced ingredients, on the highest end for pricing
- Sunbasket – a focus on healthy meals, dietary options, and mostly organic ingredients, on the highest end for pricing
Meal Prep Like A Pro
If you’re new to meal planning and meal prep, want to eat more healthful real foods, or are looking for variety, I believe Marley Spoon can set you up for success. Use code REALFOOD to get up to $250 off your first 5 boxes, including free shipping on your first box.
Who Should Use Marley Spoon
Depending on which box type and recipes are selected, I think Marley Spoon could work for a variety of people:
- Families of all sizes, including those with kids and teens – I love the flexibility to get as many or little recipes as I need each week, and that I can easily add or subtract portions to/from any recipe to feed more or fewer people. Jess loved that her teenage girls could help with the meal prep, and that they were exposed to foods and flavors they haven’t tried before. Stacie, who has three little kids, appreciated that there were family friendly meals and recipes tailored to picky eaters
- Empty nesters – when prepping a Marley Spoon recipe together one night, my husband and I commented that we miss cooking together, which is something we did often before we had little kids. It would be fun to customize a box filled with global flavors and fun and different recipes that just two adults could enjoy
- Busy people – those who don’t have time to meal prep from scratch or make recipes ahead of time for hectic weeknights would appreciate the simpler options in Marley Spoon. For people short on time, a meal kit service like this one removes the time it takes to make a weekly menu, find recipes, make a grocery list, and go grocery shopping to gather everything needed.
Is Marley Spoon Worth It?
Though a meal delivery kit is not something that I, personally, would get every week, I think it’s a great option that I’ll continue to use when I need it. Jess and Stacie feel the same way. When life gets especially busy or I just want some new recipes and flavors to get my family excited about dinner, then Marley Spoon is a great option.
At a cost of $9.99 per portion (or roughly $40 per meal for a family of 4), I find that it’s less than what I’d pay for a restaurant. And it’s comparable to what I’d pay for a fast-casual dining experience. But with Marley Spoon, I’m getting bigger portions and fresher, homemade food.
Frequently Asked Questions
The website is so easy to use, and every week I’m presented with dozens of delicious dinner options to choose from. I find that the recipe filters are so helpful, too. I appreciate the option to add on other foods to my box, such as breakfast options, fresh produce, and dessert from the marketplace. For those who need it, this can truly be a one-stop-shop for foods and recipes for the week.
When stored correctly in the fridge and pantry, the pre-portioned ingredients required to make each meal will last for up to one week.
This meal kit service delivers to most contiguous US states. The delivery days and time slots depend on location. My teammate Stacie, who lives in rural Minnesota, was able to get her first box within a few days of signing up.
Every recipe comes with a detailed recipe card that includes photography for many of the steps. I find that it’s helpful to read through each recipe from start to finish before I start chopping. This makes the recipes easy to follow and has always resulted in successful dinners for me.
This is a sponsored post. Although we received compensation for this post, the opinions expressed here are – as always – 100% our own. Thank you for supporting the great companies we work with thereby allowing us to continue creating high-quality recipes and content for you.
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