The 5 Best Meal Kits for Singles in Canada (Tested & Ranked for One Person)
Living alone in Canada shouldn’t mean endless leftovers or paying a premium for food you don’t need. As the number of single-person households grows (now the country’s fastest-growing living arrangement), the classic 2-serving meal kit model simply doesn’t fit the reality of eating alone.
This is the definitive guide for the solo diner. We cut through the marketing and subscription fine print to find the top five solutions for one person: from zero-prep ready-made meals to budget-friendly cook kits. We ranked them solely on the criteria that matter most to you: genuine single-serving options, cost-effectiveness, flexibility, and minimal food waste. Here are the best meal kits for singles in Canada:
Factor is the powerhouse choice for Canadian singles who prioritize specific dietary goals, such as Keto, high-protein eating, or strict calorie management, alongside absolute convenience. Acquired by HelloFresh in 2020, Factor operates as a distinct service focused entirely on ready-made, chef-prepared meals.
Why Factor Wins for Singles:
-
True Single Portions: Every meal is a single-serving unit. There is no leftover guesswork or pressure to eat a double portion. This directly addresses the biggest challenge of the meal kit single person problem.
-
Dietitian-Designed Plans: Factor excels in catering to niche, health-conscious diets, with dedicated plans like Keto, Calorie Smart (under 550 calories), and Protein Plus (over 35g protein). Their menus are clearly labelled and approved by registered dietitians.
-
Zero-Prep Time: Meals are delivered fresh, never frozen, and require only about two minutes in the microwave to heat through. This is ideal for busy professionals or singles who do not want to spend any time cleaning or cooking.
-
Flexible Scaling: You can order between 6 and 18 single meals per week. Ordering 10 or more meals significantly reduces the price per meal, offering better value for solo diners who rely on the service for multiple lunches and dinners.
Back-To-School Sale: Up to $90 off + Free shipping on your first box
-
Canada’s #1 Ready-to-Eat Meal Delivery
-
Ready in Minutes – no prep, no clean-up
-
30+ Dietitian-Approved Options
-
Meal plans for every lifestyle: Keto, Calorie Smart and Protein Plus
-
Fresh poultry, fish & veggie choices
Price and Practicality:
Factor’s pricing for their single-serving meals typically runs from $11.49 to $14.50 per meal, plus a delivery fee. Yes, this is generally pricier than a basic cook-at-home kit. However, you’re paying for guaranteed zero-prep convenience and dietitian-approved quality, like grass-fed meats and high-quality oils. For busy singles, this trade-off is often cost-effective because the guaranteed portion control means zero food waste and fewer expensive takeout orders. We recommend filtering by the Calorie Smart or Vegan/Veggie plans, since some specialty meals designed for diets like Keto can be unexpectedly high in sodium and saturated fat.
HelloFresh is the global leader and the benchmark for meal kits in Canada, known for its extensive menu and high-quality, flavor-forward recipes. While HelloFresh traditionally serves a minimum of two servings, it’s the top-ranked cook-at-home option for singles. This is because it offers a wide range of customizable plans and delivers such consistent, operational excellence that managing the leftovers becomes genuinely worthwhile.
Why HelloFresh is a Strong Choice for Singles:
-
Dedicated 1-Serving Option : While the standard meal kit format remains a 2-serving minimum, HelloFresh has a highly publicized “dinner ideas for those cooking for one” plan. This plan curates recipes that are simplest to scale or reheat, and in some regions, HelloFresh has introduced specific 1-serving kits to directly compete with prepared meal services. This commitment to the meal kits for one person Canada niche makes them a flexible option.
-
Unmatched Menu Depth: HelloFresh offers an impressive selection of over 35 recipes each week, categorized by dietary and preparation needs (e.g., Quick & Easy, Fit & Wholesome, Pescatarian). This massive variety helps prevent the flavor fatigue that can occur when eating leftovers or rotating through a smaller menu.
-
Skill Building: For singles looking to become more confident in the kitchen, HelloFresh recipes are praised for their clear, step-by-step instructions. They teach essential techniques, enabling you to eventually replicate your favorite meals from scratch without the kit.
-
Widest Canadian Reach: HelloFresh boasts delivery coverage to approximately 95% of the Canadian population, including remote areas often overlooked by smaller, local services.
Click to Get up to 23 Free Meals + Free Sides for Life + Free shipping on 1st box
- Over 100 recipes and 200+ meal combinations you can choose from every week
- Fresh, pre-portioned ingredients. Cook and enjoy your meals in under 30 minutes
- Recipes everyone will love, including family-friendly, meat & veggie, vegetarian, and carb & calorie smart
Price and Practicality:
HelloFresh meal kits generally start around $10.99 to $12.49 per serving for their smallest, 2-serving plan, with shipping usually adding another or so. Remember that as a solo diner, you’re paying for both portions. So, the true cost covers both tonight’s dinner and tomorrow’s lunch, but that delivery fee is still hitting you hard, effectively doubling the price of your two meals before you even start cooking.
CookUnity is the premium newcomer in the prepared meal space for Canadian singles. It operates like a chef-to-consumer marketplace, which basically means they ditch the mass-production model and bring you meals cooked by dozens of talented local and international culinary experts.
Why CookUnity is the Gourmet Pick for Singles:
-
Unparalleled Variety: With over 100 rotating, single-serving dishes weekly, CookUnity eliminates the flavor fatigue common to many ready-made services. The rotating roster of chefs ensures a diverse range of global and gourmet cuisines.
-
Chef-Crafted Quality: Meals are not mass-produced; they are created in small batches by professional chefs. This results in superior texture and flavour, making the meals feel closer to restaurant takeout than a conventional microwave dinner.
-
Fresh Delivery: All meals are delivered fresh and never frozen, ready to heat in minutes. The packaging is often noted for prioritizing sustainability, using recyclable, compostable, or reusable components where possible.
-
Focus on the Solo Foodie: CookUnity’s entire model is built around single-serving portions, making it the perfect platform for the solo diner who values variety, authenticity, and culinary excellence above all else.
Click to Get 30% off your first week!
- Gourmet meals freshly prepared by award-winning chefs.
- Diverse Menu, Wide variety of cuisines and dietary options.
- Flexible Plans, Choose from 4 to 16 meals per week, with easy adjustments.
- Sustainable Practices, Focus on zero waste with fresh food packaging.
Price and Practicality:
CookUnity is positioned as a premium service, with pricing generally competitive with Factor. You won’t find deep discounts here; instead, the value is clearly tied to the superior quality and variety. Single diners can choose flexible plans starting from 4 to 16 meals per week. If you find standard ready-meals bland, or if you view mealtime as a culinary experience rather than a necessity, CookUnity offers a strong, high-quality alternative for ready-made meals for one in the Canadian market.
Fresh Prep is a Canadian-owned, Vancouver-based service that stands out by addressing the environmental guilt often associated with meal kits. It appeals directly to the single diner who prioritizes sustainability, high-quality, local ingredients, and flexible meal choices.
Why Fresh Prep is a Strong Choice for Singles:
-
Zero Waste Kits: Fresh Prep pioneered the Zero Waste Kit—a reusable container system that holds pre-portioned ingredients. Customers simply rinse the containers and place them in the reusable cooler bag for collection upon the next delivery. This dramatically reduces single-use plastic, directly solving a major pain point for the eco-conscious solo diner.
-
Hybrid Meal Options: Fresh Prep offers both ready-to-cook meal kits and single-serving Ready-to-Eat meals, which can be mixed and matched in the same order. This flexibility is perfect for a single person’s varying schedule: a prepared meal on a busy workday and a cooking kit when they have time to unwind.
-
No Delivery Fee: Fresh Prep offers free delivery on all orders, which is a major financial advantage for a single-person order, where delivery fees disproportionately increase the per-meal cost.
-
Quality & Locality: As a Certified B-Corporation, Fresh Prep emphasizes high-quality, local sourcing, including Ocean Wise-recommended seafood and hormone- and antibiotic-free poultry.
Up to 80% off first week for new users!
-
Sustainable meal kits delivered across Western Canada with pre-chopped, fresh ingredients.
-
Quick & easy recipes ready in 30 minutes — less waste, more convenience.
-
Flexible options every week: vegetarian, vegan, and family-friendly meals.
Price and Practicality:
Fresh Prep operates on the standard 2-serving minimum for its meal kits, with prices generally ranging from $9.81 to $13.50 per serving. Since delivery is free, your cost per portion is totally transparent and competitive right from the start. That said, many singles find the portions so generous they can often squeeze nearly three full meals out of a two-serving kit, which really boosts the value. While they currently focus deliveries on British Columbia and Alberta, their dedication to sustainability and convenience clearly earns them a top spot.
Chefs Plate holds the distinction of being the most budget-friendly of the national meal kit providers in Canada, making it the top choice for singles looking for meal kits who prioritize price above all else. While it is owned by the HelloFresh group, Chefs Plate maintains its identity by offering simpler, quicker, and generally more affordable recipes.
Why Chefs Plate is a Strong Choice for Singles:
-
Lowest Price Point: Chefs Plate consistently offers a lower cost per serving than its major competitors, with prices starting as low as $8.99 per serving for larger orders. This makes the inherent “two-serving problem” of meal kits easier to swallow financially, as you are getting two meals for less than the price of a single takeout entree.
-
Focus on Speed (15-Minute Meals): Chefs Plate excels at offering genuinely quick recipes, with a rotating selection of 15-Minute Meals. This directly benefits the busy solo diner who wants to cook, but only quickly. These simple, fuss-free meals minimize time spent in the kitchen.
-
Flexible Subscriptions: Like its competitors, Chefs Plate allows you to easily skip weeks or pause your subscription. This flexibility is crucial for the single professional whose schedule often changes, preventing unwanted deliveries and accidental meal waste.
-
Wide Canadian Availability: Chefs Plate provides coast-to-coast delivery across Canada, serving all provinces.
Try Chefs Plate Meal Kits From 3.99/Meal + Dollar Menu
- Canada's Most Affordable Meal Kit
- Dinner for two for less than $20
- Choose from 40+ fuss-free, flavourful recipes each week including family friendly and vegetarian options
- Get dinner done with new 15 minute meals each week
The Single-Diner Caveat:
The main trade-off for the lower price is the lack of true customization and variety compared to HelloFresh or Goodfood. Recipes tend to be comforting and familiar, which is perfect for avoiding decision fatigue, but may lack the adventurous edge a foodie seeks. Critically, the smallest order size is two meals for two people, resulting in a minimum of four portions. Singles must plan to use the leftovers for lunch the next day to realize the cost savings. Furthermore, while the recipes are simple, some reviewers note that the flavors can sometimes be bland, requiring the single person to add their own pantry spices for enhancement.
The Solo Diner’s Meal Kit Problem
When companies create a product, they usually aim for the largest market segment, which, for meal kits, is couples and families. This commercial reality forces singles into difficult choices that undermine the entire point of convenience.
The Problem of the 2-Serving Minimum
Most meal kit companies in Canada require you to order two servings per recipe. This isn’t just double the food; it’s a fundamental shift in how you plan your week:
-
Forced Leftovers: You now have to manage the “extra” meal. Do you eat it the next day and risk meal fatigue (eating the same thing two days in a row)? Or do you freeze it, requiring extra containers and forethought?
-
Hidden Costs: The minimum order size inflates your real cost. If a standard recipe is per serving, your dinner costs . When you add a delivery fee, that entire cost () is spread across only two meals, making the true cost per portion. By comparison, a family ordering six meals spreads that delivery fee across twelve portions, making their final cost much lower. You’re paying a premium for a logistical inefficiency.
The Vicious Cycle of Food Waste
Ironically, many singles seek meal kits to reduce the tremendous food waste that comes with solo grocery shopping. Grocery stores don’t sell single shallots or half-bunches of cilantro. Consequently, singles often end up tossing spoiled produce, which costs the average Canadian household over annually.
Meal kits solve this by providing pre-portioned ingredients. However, the packaging itself can be a concern. A single person receiving six distinct little plastic packets of spices for one recipe can feel environmentally guilty.
This is why ready-made, single-portion services (like Factor or CookUnity) are often the superior solution for single people. They completely sidestep the 2-serving rule, deliver one perfectly portioned meal, and eliminate prep time, making them a true anti-waste, anti-hassle option.
Final Verdict: Which Meal Kit Truly Wins for Canadian Singles?
Choosing the best meal kit for singles is not about finding a single perfect product; it is about matching the service to your lifestyle’s primary constraint—be that time, budget, or dietary needs. The truth is that while meal kits for one person Canada often feel like a compromise, the right service will genuinely eliminate food waste and reduce reliance on expensive takeout.
Here is a final breakdown to help you make your transactional decision:
If Your Priority is Ultimate Convenience (Zero Cooking):
-
The Winner: Factor (#1). This service is the non-negotiable choice for the time-poor single professional or anyone dedicated to a strict diet like Keto or Protein Plus. They deliver fresh, single-serving meals with accurate macros, effectively eliminating the 2-serving problem entirely. While the cost per meal is premium, the value lies in time saved and precise nutrition.
If Your Priority is Price and Budget Control (Lowest Cost):
-
The Winner: Chefs Plate (#5). Consistently the most affordable national option, Chefs Plate is the clear champion for the budget-conscious single. By accepting the 2-serving minimum and planning to use the second portion for lunch, you achieve the lowest effective per-meal cost. This is the smartest financial play to avoid last-minute, high-cost takeout.
If Your Priority is Sustainability (Low Environmental Impact):
-
The Winner: Fresh Prep (#4). If packaging waste is your biggest concern, Fresh Prep is the only brand with a genuine, scalable solution. Their Zero Waste Kit system of reusable containers and free delivery in Western Canada sets the standard for environmentally conscious solo diner convenience.
If Your Priority is Gourmet Taste and Variety:
-
The Winner: CookUnity (#2). For the single foodie who craves restaurant-quality cuisine without the communal experience, CookUnity’s expansive, chef-curated menu is unmatched. It delivers a premium, single-serving experience with exceptional flavor depth.
Ultimately, whether you choose a cook kit like HelloFresh for its huge menu or a prepared service like Factor for its sheer simplicity, subscribing to a pre-portioned delivery service is the smartest move for the modern meal kit single person household. It is the most effective way to save time, eliminate food waste, and finally take control of your meal plans for singles.
Not sure which meal kit is right for you? Compare Canada’s top meal kit delivery services and find your perfect match!
Looking for the cheapest meal kits? Use our cost comparison tool to find your best budget-friendly option now!
Frequently Asked Questions: