The 5 Best Meal Kits for Singles in Canada (Tested & Ranked for One Person)
We tested and compared every major meal kit and meal delivery service for singles available in Canada. Our top pick is Factor, the only service built entirely around single-serving, ready-to-eat meals with dietitian-approved macros. But it’s not the right fit for everyone, so we ranked four more options covering cook-at-home kits, budget picks, and gourmet prepared meals.
Single-person households are now the fastest-growing living arrangement in Canada, yet most meal kit companies still force you into a 2-serving minimum. That means leftovers you didn’t ask for, delivery fees that hit harder when you’re only feeding one, and food waste that defeats the whole purpose. We’ve spent over a year ordering, cooking, and eating these kits as solo diners, and the differences between services are bigger than any marketing page will tell you. Below, we break down the five best meal kits for one person based on what actually matters: true single portions, cost per meal, flexibility, and how much food ends up in the bin.
| Service | From / Meal | |
|---|---|---|
| #1 Factor | $11.99 | Try Factor |
| #2 CookUnity | $9.00 | Try CookUnity |
| #3 HelloFresh | $9.99 | Try HelloFresh |
| #4 Fresh Prep | $11.49 | Try Fresh Prep |
| #5 Chefs Plate | $8.99 | Try Chefs Plate |
The 5 Best Meal Kits and Delivery Services for Singles in Canada
1. Factor — Best Ready-Made Meal Kit for Singles
Factor is the one we keep coming back to for solo diners, and it’s our #1 pick for a reason. Tracking macros? Following Keto? Just want dinner handled without touching a pan? Factor does exactly that. HelloFresh bought them in 2020, but they’ve stayed focused on what they do well: ready-made, chef-prepared meals that arrive at your door ready to microwave.
Why Factor Wins for Singles:
True Single Portions: Every meal is one serving, full stop. You’re not splitting a recipe in half or figuring out Tupperware logistics for tomorrow’s lunch. For anyone who’s been burned by the 2-serving model, this alone is reason enough to try Factor. The portion sizes are reasonable, though bigger eaters may find the Calorie Smart meals leave them reaching for a snack an hour later.
Dietitian-Designed Plans: Factor covers specific diets that most meal kits ignore: Keto, Calorie Smart (around 550 cal or less), and Protein Plus (30g+ protein per meal). Every menu item is labelled with full macros and approved by registered dietitians, so you’re not guessing at nutrition. If you’re specifically following Keto, it’s worth comparing Factor’s dedicated plans against HelloFresh’s Keto-friendly options to see which menu suits you better.
Zero-Prep Time: Meals arrive fresh, never frozen, and take about two minutes in the microwave. You’re not chopping anything or washing pans afterwards. Home at 7pm and want to eat by 7:05? Factor was built for that kind of evening.
Flexible Scaling: You can order between 6 and 18 single meals per week, and skip or pause any week without penalty. Ordering 10 or more meals significantly reduces the price per meal, which makes sense for solo diners who want to cover both lunch and dinner most days.
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Price and Practicality:
Factor’s single-serving meals run from $11.99 to $14.99 per meal, plus a delivery fee. That’s not cheap. You’ll notice the bill if you’re ordering 12+ meals a week. But we’ve tracked what solo diners actually spend when they don’t have a plan, and it’s almost always more between random Uber Eats orders and groceries that go bad. Most services run introductory offers for new subscribers, so check our meal kit discounts and coupons page for the latest deals. We’ve tested the cancellation process ourselves: skip weeks or cancel through your account, no guilt trip, no retention call. One heads-up, though: some of the Keto and specialty meals are loaded with sodium and saturated fat. Stick to the Calorie Smart or Vegan/Veggie plans if that matters to you.
Factor and CookUnity (below) are the two prepared-meal options on this list. The remaining three picks involve actual cooking, but each handles the single-diner problem differently.
2. CookUnity — Best Gourmet Meal Delivery for Singles
CookUnity surprised us. On paper, “chef marketplace” sounds like marketing fluff, but the food actually backs it up. Instead of one central kitchen churning out identical trays, CookUnity contracts with dozens of independent chefs who each bring their own specialty. So the menu rotates constantly and tastes noticeably different from the standard prepared-meal experience. They launched in Canada in mid-2025 and are currently delivering across Ontario, with more provinces coming.
Why CookUnity is the Gourmet Pick for Singles:
Massive Weekly Rotation: Over 100 single-serving dishes rotate every week, cooked by different chefs with different specialties. Thai one night, Peruvian the next, Italian the night after. That kind of range is hard to match when you’re eating alone and don’t want the same three meals on repeat.
Chef-Crafted Quality: These aren’t assembly-line meals. Each dish is made in small batches by a named chef, so you get textures and flavour layers that feel closer to restaurant takeout than anything from a grocery freezer aisle. The flip side: quality can vary between chefs. We’ve had some outstanding dishes and a few that felt phoned in. The rating system on the app helps. Stick to meals rated 4.5+ and you’ll rarely be disappointed.
Fresh Delivery: All meals arrive fresh, never frozen, and are ready to heat in minutes. You can skip weeks or cancel anytime through your account. The packaging leans sustainable too, using recyclable and compostable materials where possible.
Focus on the Solo Foodie: CookUnity’s entire model is built around single-serving portions. Eating alone doesn’t have to mean eating boring, and this is the service that proves it.
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- 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 isn’t cheap, and they don’t pretend to be. Pricing ranges from $9.00 to $12.59 per meal depending on plan size. The 16-meal plan hits the lowest per-meal cost, while the 4-meal starter plan is the most expensive per serving. Plans run from 4 to 16 meals per week. The biggest issue right now is availability: delivery is limited to Ontario, so anyone in BC, Alberta, or the Maritimes is stuck waiting for them to expand. But if you are in Ontario and you’ve been disappointed by the flavour of other prepared meal services, CookUnity is worth trying at least once.
3. HelloFresh — Best Cook-at-Home Meal Kit for One Person
HelloFresh needs no introduction. It’s the biggest meal kit in Canada and the one most people try first. We’ve tested dozens of their boxes over the past two years, and the consistency is impressive. Ingredients show up fresh, the recipes work, and the variety keeps things interesting week to week. The catch for singles is the 2-serving minimum. You will have leftovers. But if you don’t mind packing tomorrow’s lunch tonight, HelloFresh gives you more to work with than any other cook-at-home kit.
Why HelloFresh is a Strong Choice for Singles:
Works Well for One, Despite the 2-Serving Format: HelloFresh doesn’t sell a true single-serving kit in Canada. Their smallest plan is 2 servings. But the recipes reheat well, and the company actively markets to single households who use the second portion as next-day lunch. Compared to other 2-serving kits, HelloFresh gives solo diners the best leftovers experience because the recipe variety is so wide (you’re not eating the same thing twice in a week). Fair warning though: not every recipe reheats equally. We’ve had a few pasta dishes turn gummy by day two, so stir-fries and grain bowls tend to be safer picks for meal prep.
Unmatched Menu Depth: HelloFresh now offers over 100 weekly menu and market items, split across categories like Quick & Easy, Fit & Wholesome, and Pescatarian. That kind of selection matters more when you’re eating alone, because a smaller menu means you’ll get bored of your own leftovers fast.
Skill Building: Every recipe comes with clear, step-by-step photo instructions that actually teach technique, not just “combine ingredients.” Single people who want to get better at cooking (and eventually ditch the kit) will find HelloFresh doubles as a weekly cooking class.
Widest Canadian Reach: HelloFresh delivers to roughly 95% of the Canadian population, including remote areas most smaller services can’t reach. You can skip weeks or cancel online whenever your schedule changes. No phone call required.
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- 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 starts at roughly $9.99 to $12.99 per serving on the smallest 2-serving plan, plus around shipping. As a solo diner, your real outlay is $22–$35 for one recipe, but you’re getting two meals out of it (dinner plus next-day lunch). We’ll be honest: the delivery fee is the part that frustrates us most for singles. Splitting it across two portions instead of twelve hurts. Our advice? Commit to at least 3 recipes per week to dilute it. For a deeper breakdown of whether the price makes sense for your situation, see our guide on whether HelloFresh is worth it.
4. Fresh Prep — Best Eco-Friendly Meal Kit for Singles
Fresh Prep is Canadian-owned, Vancouver-based, and the service we recommend whenever someone asks about the packaging waste problem. Most meal kits generate a small mountain of plastic and cardboard every week. Fresh Prep actually built a system to deal with that. If you live in BC or Alberta and sustainability matters to you as much as the food itself, Fresh Prep deserves a serious look.
Why Fresh Prep is a Strong Choice for Singles:
Zero Waste Kits: Fresh Prep’s signature move. Your ingredients arrive in reusable containers instead of single-use plastic. After cooking, you rinse the containers and drop them in the cooler bag for pickup with your next delivery. It’s the closest any Canadian meal kit gets to a closed-loop system. One small annoyance: you do need to be home (or have a safe drop spot) for the courier to pick up the empties, which adds a layer of scheduling if your hours are irregular.
Hybrid Meal Options: You can mix ready-to-cook meal kits and single-serving Ready-to-Eat meals in the same order. That means a no-cook meal on a hectic Tuesday and a proper cooking session on a Sunday evening, all from one delivery.
No Delivery Fee: Fresh Prep offers free delivery on all orders, which is a real advantage for a single-person order. On other services, a $10 shipping charge can add 20–30% to your per-meal cost. There’s no contract either; you can skip or cancel anytime from your account.
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. If sourcing quality is a priority, our best organic meal kits in Canada guide covers how Fresh Prep and other services compare on ingredient standards.
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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 uses the standard 2-serving minimum for its meal kits, with prices starting around $11.49 per serving. Since there’s no delivery fee, what you see is what you pay, and after testing services where the delivery charge quietly adds $10+ at checkout, we appreciate that transparency. Several solo testers on our team found the portions generous enough to stretch a 2-serving kit into nearly three meals, which brings the real per-meal cost closer to $8. The obvious downside: if you’re east of Alberta, Fresh Prep can’t reach you yet.
5. Chefs Plate — Most Affordable Meal Kit for One Person
If budget is the deciding factor, Chefs Plate is where we’d start. It’s owned by the HelloFresh group and you can tell. The delivery logistics and recipe card format feel similar. But the recipes are deliberately simpler, the ingredients are more straightforward, and the prices are noticeably lower. Want a meal kit that does the job without any frills? This is it (see our full Chefs Plate vs HelloFresh comparison if you’re deciding between the two).
Why Chefs Plate is a Strong Choice for Singles:
Lowest Price Point: Chefs Plate starts at $8.99 per serving for larger orders, which is noticeably cheaper than HelloFresh or Factor. Even with the 2-serving minimum, you’re getting dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow for less than a single Skip the Dishes order.
Focus on Speed (15-Minute Meals): A rotating selection of recipes that actually take 15 minutes from bag to plate. Want to cook but don’t want it to become your evening? Chefs Plate respects your time more than most competitors.
Flexible Subscriptions: Skip weeks or pause anytime through your account. No phone call, no cancellation fees. Handy when your schedule is unpredictable and you’d rather not have a box show up on a week you’re travelling or eating out.
Wide Canadian Availability: Delivery across eight provinces (ON, BC, AB, SK, MB, PEI, NB, NS). That’s broader than Fresh Prep, though not quite as wide as HelloFresh, which also covers Quebec and Newfoundland.
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The Single-Diner Caveat:
The main trade-off for the lower price is less variety and customization compared to HelloFresh or Goodfood. Recipes lean comforting and familiar, which is great if you want zero decision fatigue but less ideal if you’re a foodie. The smallest order is two meals for two people (four portions total), so you need to plan on packing lunches to make the math work. A few reviewers also note that some dishes land on the bland side and benefit from a dash of your own hot sauce or spice rack.
Why Most Meal Kits Don’t Work for One Person
Meal kits were designed for couples and families. That’s where the volume is, and it’s how the economics work for the companies. We get it. Serving two people per recipe keeps ingredient costs down and logistics simple. But for singles, this creates a set of trade-offs that can undermine the whole point of signing up. We’ve lived with these trade-offs long enough to know exactly where they bite.
The Problem of the 2-Serving Minimum
Most meal kit companies in Canada require two servings per recipe. We’ve touched on this in each review above, but it’s worth looking at the numbers directly:
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 sign up for meal kits specifically to reduce food waste from solo grocery shopping. We’ve all been there. You buy a bunch of cilantro for one recipe and the rest turns to mush in the fridge by Thursday. Grocery stores don’t sell single shallots or half-bunches of herbs, so singles end up tossing spoiled produce regularly. The average Canadian household throws out over worth of food per year.
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.
Ready-made, single-portion services like Factor and CookUnity sidestep this entirely. One meal per container, nothing to prep or store, nothing going bad in the fridge between deliveries.
Final Verdict: The Best Meal Kit and Delivery Service for Singles in Canada
There’s no single “best” answer here, and we’d be suspicious of any article that claims otherwise. The best meal delivery service for singles comes down to your biggest daily constraint: time, budget, or specific dietary needs. What we can say after testing all of these is that every option on this list beats the alternative of impulse takeout and grocery-store food waste.
Here’s how to pick:
If Your Priority is Ultimate Convenience (Zero Cooking):
The Winner: Factor (#1). Best for time-poor professionals and anyone on a strict macro-based diet like Keto or Protein Plus. You get fresh, single-serving meals with accurate nutrition labels. No cooking, no 2-serving problem. The trade-off is price: $12–$15 per meal before delivery puts it squarely in premium territory. Skip this one if you enjoy cooking and want to build kitchen skills. Torn between Factor and a cook-at-home kit? Our HelloFresh vs Factor comparison breaks down the key differences.
If Your Priority is Price and Budget Control (Lowest Cost):
The Winner: Chefs Plate (#5). The lowest per-serving price of any national meal kit. Order the 2-serving plan, eat dinner tonight and pack lunch tomorrow, and you’re spending less than a single Uber Eats order. Not ideal if you crave variety or adventurous recipes. The menu stays on the familiar side and some dishes need a hit of your own spices.
If Your Priority is Sustainability (Low Environmental Impact):
The Winner: Fresh Prep (#4). The only brand with a reusable-container system that actually works at scale. Free delivery, B-Corp certified, Ocean Wise seafood. The downside: it’s only available in BC and Alberta, and you’re still dealing with the 2-serving minimum for cook-at-home kits. Anyone outside Western Canada is out of luck for now.
If Your Priority is Gourmet Taste and Variety:
The Winner: CookUnity (#2). The most restaurant-like experience you can get from a meal delivery. Over 100 dishes per week, all single-serving, from a rotating lineup of professional chefs. Great for anyone who eats alone but treats dinner as something to look forward to. Currently Ontario only, with more provinces coming. Not a fit if you’re watching every dollar; it’s priced at the same premium tier as Factor.
One caveat: meal kits aren’t for everyone eating solo. If you actually enjoy grocery shopping, meal planning, and cooking from scratch, a subscription may feel like an unnecessary expense. Same goes if you live in a smaller town where delivery windows are limited, or your diet is so restrictive that even a 100-item menu can’t accommodate it. In those cases, you’re better off batch-cooking on weekends and freezing portions yourself. And if you’ve tried HelloFresh before but want something different, we’ve reviewed the top HelloFresh alternatives in Canada to help narrow it down.
For everyone else? Busy professionals, people tired of wasting groceries, anyone who orders takeout more than twice a week: a pre-portioned subscription is the single smartest food move for anyone eating alone in Canada. Your grocery bill drops, the Uber Eats orders slow down, and you’re actually eating meals that match your appetite.
Not sure which service fits your routine? Compare all meal kit delivery services in Canada side by side.
Looking for the cheapest option? See our full cost breakdown of every Canadian meal kit to find the best price per serving.
Frequently Asked Questions: