What Is a Food Subscription Box?

A food subscription box is a service that ships food or culinary items to your home on a regular basis. Some food subscription services feature boxes that focus on a specific type of food, such as sustainably sourced seafood or organic smoothies , while other food subscription services showcase a variety of items, akin to an online gourmet market. Some subscription boxes place you in the driver’s seat to build a custom box, while other services may offer curated shipments and gift sets.

Can a Food Subscription Box Be Sent as a Gift?

Many services offer the option to send a food subscription box as a gift. Some services present preselected, curated gift boxes, while other food subscription companies may have you build a tailored box for the recipient. There are even a few food subscription companies that offer gift cards, so your recipient can create a custom experience on their own terms.

How Much Does a Food Subscription Box Cost?

Food subscription costs vary quite a bit, depending on the service and what it offers. On the lower end, a box may cost $16 per month, whereas, on the higher end, a box may be upward of $100. Price can often depend on the type and quantity of food items. Tea and coffee subscription boxes may cost less than a seafood or meat subscription box. Also, remember that some food subscription services have rewards and incentives, so the more you order, the more you save.

Do Food Subscription Boxes Offer Alternatives for Allergies?

Many food subscription boxes accommodate allergies and dietary restrictions, such as vegan or gluten-free . However, it’s best to review the ingredient list and try to understand facility and manufacturing practices. Contacting customer service with any questions can alleviate your specific concerns regarding allergies and dietary needs.

The 8 Best Food Subscription Boxes of 2024

Who wouldn’t love a subscription box filled with delicious items that spark joy? There’s nothing quite like receiving a shipment chock-full of your favorite artisanal goods delivered straight to your door. Whether you love assorted ice cream pints, a gourmet meal inspired by the Philippines, Maine lobster tails, “b’day truffles” (if you know, you know), or made-to-order roasted coffee beans directly sourced from Ethiopia, there is a food subscription box for you.

We’ve sampled and tasted a plethora of the best food subscription boxes so you can discover your next perfect gift for a host or a loved one. (And don’t worry — we won’t judge if you don’t feel like sharing.)

Best Food Subscription Boxes of 2024

Best for Baking: Red Velvet
Best for Meat: Rastelli’s
Best for Coffee: Intelligentsia
Best for Chocolate: Vosges
Best Meal Kits: Blue Apron
Best for Smoothies: SmoothieBox
Best for Seafood: Fulton Fish Market
Best for Kids’ Meals: Nurture Life

Best for Baking: Red Velvet

Red Velvet

Key Specs

Starting Price: $49 per month
Delivery Area: 48 states
Delivery Frequency: Monthly

Why You Should Try It

Red Velvet’s gourmet baking kits let you satisfy your sweet tooth in the best way possible.

Pros and Cons

Pros

There is free shipping with a subscription.
There are some gluten-free options.
There are gift set options.
Kid-friendly baking sets are available.

Cons

Shipments only arrive on Thursdays.
Red Velvet cannot accommodate all food sensitivities and allergens.

Overview

If you have dreams of becoming a star baker, try honing your cake-making skills at home with Red Velvet’s baking kits. Once a month, brush off your apron and receive two baking kits with premeasured ingredients, detailed recipe instructions, and helpful techniques and tips. Each recipe has a baking level associated so you can watch (and eat) your progress. (Think sweet delights like chocolate ganache cupcakes, coconut macaroons, salted caramel brownies, and chocolate cocoa sugar truffles.) Subscribe for a kit that arrives on the first Thursday of every month, or select from a menu of desserts and order à la carte.

Red Velvet also has curated gift bundles, dessert kits for dinner parties, and even baking sets geared toward children, so your little one can join in on the fun. If there's a baker in your life who already has the best cookie sheets, brownie pans, and measuring spoons, consider this for a gift instead.

Best for Meat: Rastelli’s

Key Specs

Starting Price: Prices vary by protein; pork starts at $8
Delivery Area: 48 states
Delivery Frequency: Weekly and monthly

Why You Should Try It

Thanks to Rastelli’s, high-quality and sustainably sourced meats are just a click away.

Pros and Cons

Pros

The brand uses responsibly raised meat.
You can send gifts to multiple people at one time.
There is a resourceful butcher’s blog.
There is a large selection of sides and add-ons.

Cons

You must call or email customer service to change or cancel orders.

Overview

Since 1976, family-run Rastelli’s has been creating a bespoke “farm to butcher to table” experience with hand-cut, quality meats. With close partners and transparent sourcing, Rastelli’s works directly with family-run farms and even has a state-of-the-art dry-aging facility. The company emphasizes grass-fed, organic, and pasture-raised beef, wagyu and private stock meats, and organic chicken, lamb, and pork cuts. Additionally, Rastelli’s offers add-on appetizers, sides, spices, rubs, and primal cuts that allow you to practice your butcher skills at home. It's a great excuse to whip out your favorite butcher knife.

Rastelli’s features a rewards program that is free to join, and you’ll earn points and rewards on every order and tap into discounts and savings. You can save even more money with an automatic shipment subscription. Once you’ve filled your cart from Rastelli’s vast menu, you can select a shipping frequency of every one, two, three, four, or six weeks.

Best for Coffee: Intelligentsia

Intelligentsia Coffee

Key Specs

Starting Price: $12 per item
Delivery Area: 50 states
Delivery Frequency: Weekly

Why You Should Try It

Find your perfect cup with Intelligentsia’s impressive collection of roasted-to-order coffees.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Coffee is roasted to order.
Shipping is free.
Intelligentsia is a strong mission-driven company.
The beans are USDA-certified organic.

Cons

There is not a return policy.

Overview

Sip and sample fresh, roasted-to-order java at home with Intelligentsia. What began as a single Midwestern family-run coffee shop has become a pioneer in the coffee industry, sourcing rare and fine beans from around the world. Intelligentsia sources and selects coffee that is directly traded from coffee farmers around the globe, including Guatemala, Colombia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Burundi.

New customers can start by taking a quiz to understand their coffee preferences and flavor profiles. Then, select from several subscription offerings — Intelligentsia’s choice, the Black Cat Project espresso, classics, seasonals, or “build your own” — and choose your quantity preference and delivery frequency weekly, or every two, three, or four weeks. Those who live near one of the company’s dozen storefronts can partake in live coffee brewing classes or visit the blog for free brewing inspiration to become a barista. If you have a friend who always has the latest and greatest espresso machine or coffee maker, this food subscription box makes a great coffee gift for them.

Best for Chocolate: Vosges

Vosges

Key Specs

Starting Price: Gifts start at $8
Delivery Area: 50 states and Canada
Delivery Frequency: Flexible

Why You Should Try It

No one does artisan chocolate quite like Vosges, and its selection of truffles, chocolate bars, and gifts is second to none.

Pros and Cons

Pros

There are plenty of gift options.
Vosges offers membership rewards.
You can order as frequently as you like.

Cons

This brand can be pricey.

Overview

Vosges Haut Chocolat is recognized as a preeminent artisanal chocolatier with a dedication to crafting some of the world’s most unique and exotic chocolate treats. Creator Katrina Markoff considers herself a “chocolatier and alchemist,” manifesting creative chocolate experiences with thoughtfully sourced ingredients from around the world. From exotic spiced truffles to chocolate bacon bars to seasonal favorites, Vosges presents an array of delightful gifts for any chocoholic, all of which are made without any fillers or preservatives. Vosges offers a few different themed Clubs, from Lunar Chocolate Clubs that ship monthly to single subscriptions off your favorite chocolates. For the latter, simply sign up (for free!) and earn rewards and savings; the more you spend, the more rewards you receive.

Best Meal Kits: Blue Apron

Key Specs

Starting Price: $8 per serving
Delivery Area: 48 states
Delivery Frequency: Weekly

Why You Should Try It

Blue Apron lets you dip your toes into the world of gourmet cooking with its ever-changing menu of weekly meal kits.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Blue Apron offers a variety of add-on market items.
Wine subscriptions are available.
There are kid-friendly meals.
It's a carbon-neutral company.

Cons

It's not ideal for those with serious food allergies.

Overview

Blue Apron gives you a chef’s confidence in the kitchen without any extra hassle. Its meal kits arrive at your door with fresh, preportioned ingredients, including sauces, spices, and condiments. Each week, select from an exciting rotating menu filled with internationally inspired meals, and ditch the age-old question of “what’s for dinner?” Experience global culinary adventures, such as hoisin pork belly, chicken and poblano tacos, and shawarma-spiced cod.

With several meal preferences, including kid-friendly, chef’s favorites, and veggie-focused, you can keep your whole family happy with enticing comfort food favorites. Blue Apron also produces fast-and-easy, pre-prepared meals for seamless, mess-free dinners and offers gift cards so your loved ones can enjoy convenient gourmet fare as well.

Best for Smoothies: SmoothieBox

Key Specs

Starting Price: $3.25 per serving
Delivery Area: 48 states
Delivery Frequency: Monthly

Why You Should Try It

SmoothieBox sends you all the frozen organic produce you need to make tasty, nutritious smoothies whenever you want them.

Pros and Cons

Pros

The smoothies are made with organic ingredients.
The brand offers free shipping.
The packaging is eco-friendly.

Cons

There are limited flavor options.
Smoothies require blending (so you must own a blender).

Overview

For smoothie fanatics, SmoothieBox is an excellent monthly subscription. SmoothieBox smoothies are composed of organic produce picked at peak ripeness, flash-frozen, and portioned in plastic pouches that are easy to store in the freezer. Since the company does the prep work for you, all you need to do is add a liquid of your choice and mix it up in your blender. The service boasts vegan options, and all products are free of added sugar and preservatives.

Each shipment contains 20 flash-frozen preportioned smoothie packs, with each pack designed for two servings. Build your monthly box from six smoothie flavors with options to add on protein, collagen, or nutrient powders. Best of all, shipping is always free.

Best for Seafood: Fulton Fish Market

Key Specs

Starting Price: $65 per month
Delivery Area: 48 states
Delivery Frequency: Weekly and monthly

Why You Should Try It

One of the leading names in seafood delivery, Fulton Fish Market offers a selection of fish, mollusks, and shellfish that is truly like no other.

Pros and Cons

Pros

A large selection of fish and seafood is available.
The seafood is sustainably sourced.
Fulton Fish Market offers reward points and subscriber savings.
There is a wide variety of subscription options.

Cons

Shipping costs vary and are pricey.

Overview

Enjoy one of the most celebrated and famous seafood markets without traveling to New York City thanks to Fulton Fish Market’s online seafood market. From dock to door, savor sustainably sourced, professionally cut seafood that ships both fresh and frozen. Select from a plethora of seafood items, including fillet, smoked, and tinned fish; shellfish; prepared sushi; and more exotic fare, such as octopus and caviar. If you've been wanting to put your fish fillet knife to work, we recommend this food subscription box for seafood lovers.

Order à la carte as often as you wish or subscribe to a weekly, biweekly, monthly or bimonthly plan, which includes savings and plenty of flexibility to meet your seafood needs. Plans include fresh and frozen seafood with options for four to six servings, six to eight servings, or 12 servings. And for the seafood diehard, Fulton Fish Market offers gift subscription bundles for three or six months each.

Best for Kids’ Meals: Nurture Life

Key Specs

Starting Price: $6.50 per serving
Delivery Area: 48 states
Delivery Frequency: Weekly

Why You Should Try It

With Nurture Life, you can feed your kids delicious, healthy meals without spending all night in the kitchen.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Meals for various eating stages are available.
The meals are made with organic ingredients.
There are helpful menu search tags and filters.

Cons

A subscription is required (you cannot order as one-time customer).

Overview

Dinnertime just got a lot more convenient for busy caretakers and parents thanks to Nurture Life. The company designs freshly prepared, nutritious meals for all stages of eating — from babies to toddlers to children — making meal and snack time easier for everyone. Each week, select from a diverse menu of dietitian-created entrées, finger foods, smoothies, and snacks that are ready to enjoy in minutes.

Plans include six, nine, 12, and 15 items per week, and with a bevy of search filters and dietary considerations, your picky child will be satisfied with thoughtfully composed, nutrient-dense meals and snacks with hidden vegetables and proteins. With comfort foods with a healthful twist, such as cauliflower fries, mac and cheese with hidden squash, and chicken dumplings with cabbage and leeks, your little one will be pleased — and you may want to polish off their plate if there are any bites left.

Final Thoughts

With so many unique food subscriptions available, it’s fun to sample and experience delicious foods without having to leave your home or plan a trip. Thanks to a bevy of online subscriptions and purveyors, foodies can enjoy just about anything — from briny oysters sourced from New York City’s preeminent fish retailer Fulton Fish Market to absinthe-infused chocolate truffles from Vosges to hand-butchered dry-aged meat from Rastelli’s. No matter your culinary preference, there is a food subscription box for you.

Compare the Best Food Subscription Boxes

Company	Starting Price	Delivery Area	Delivery Frequency	Free Shipping?	Gift Option?
Red Velvet Best for Baking	$49 per month	48 states	Monthly	Yes, with subscription	Yes
Rastelli’s Best for Meat	Prices vary by protein; pork starts at $8	48 states	Weekly and monthly	Yes, with $200 minimum	Yes
Intelligentsia Best for Coffee	$12 per item	50 states	Weekly and monthly	Yes	Yes
Vosges Best for Chocolate	Gifts start at $8	50 states and Canada	Flexible	No	Yes
Blue Apron Best Meal Kits	$12 per serving	48 states	Weekly	No	Yes, with gift cards
SmoothieBox Best for Smoothies	$3.25 per serving	48 states	Monthly	Yes	Yes
Fulton Fish Market Best for Seafood	$65 per month	48 states	Monthly	Varies; only in certain geographic areas and with a minimum order	Yes
Nurture Life Best for Kids’ Meals	$6.50 per serving	48 states	Weekly	No	No

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is a Food Subscription Box?

A food subscription box is a service that ships food or culinary items to your home on a regular basis. Some food subscription services feature boxes that focus on a specific type of food, such as sustainably sourced seafood or organic smoothies, while other food subscription services showcase a variety of items, akin to an online gourmet market. Some subscription boxes place you in the driver’s seat to build a custom box, while other services may offer curated shipments and gift sets.
Can a Food Subscription Box Be Sent as a Gift?

Many services offer the option to send a food subscription box as a gift. Some services present preselected, curated gift boxes, while other food subscription companies may have you build a tailored box for the recipient. There are even a few food subscription companies that offer gift cards, so your recipient can create a custom experience on their own terms.
How Much Does a Food Subscription Box Cost?

Food subscription costs vary quite a bit, depending on the service and what it offers. On the lower end, a box may cost $16 per month, whereas, on the higher end, a box may be upward of $100. Price can often depend on the type and quantity of food items. Tea and coffee subscription boxes may cost less than a seafood or meat subscription box. Also, remember that some food subscription services have rewards and incentives, so the more you order, the more you save.
Do Food Subscription Boxes Offer Alternatives for Allergies?

Many food subscription boxes accommodate allergies and dietary restrictions, such as vegan or gluten-free. However, it’s best to review the ingredient list and try to understand facility and manufacturing practices. Contacting customer service with any questions can alleviate your specific concerns regarding allergies and dietary needs.

Methodology

We independently reviewed dozens of food subscription boxes. We looked at myriad factors, including the delivery offerings, product type, pricing, sustainability initiatives, shipping fees and timelines, delivery areas, and customer service. After careful review, we identified which food subscription box earned a spot on our list.

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