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This company shut down its subscription service on November 26, 2019. According to their site, they are shifting to be a house culinary brand that offers a wide mix of products in their “stores”.
Are you sadly unsavvy in the kitchen? Or maybe you just don’t have time for all the meal planning and grocery shopping? Pull a culinary con on your family or friends by ordering from Plated, a popular meal delivery service. No grocery shopping, no ingredient measuring. Just healthy and eco-friendly meals you can whip up in less than an hour.
Article Overview
Key Features
- Choose from up to 20 recipes (more than most competitors)
- Ability to pick your delivery day each week
- Can pick 2, 3, or 4 servings for 2, 3 or 4 nights per week
- Partners with environmentally-friendly farms
- Uses only antibiotic- and hormone-free meats and sustainable seafood
- Sources from artisans for small batch items like pasta and tortillas that you won’t find in stores
- Packaging is recyclable and compostable
- Fully-functional iOS and Android apps let you manage your account on the go
Plated
Pros
- Higher than average number of meal choices per week
- Excellent flavors, spices and unique dishes
- Multiple vegetarian and gluten-free meal choices
- Antibiotic-free meats and produce sourced from family-run farms; sustainable seafood
- Flexible plans with option to change servings, nights and schedule at any time
- Most customers rave about the quality of food and taste
- Can skip weeks or cancel anytime
- Offers dessert
Cons
- Doesn’t cater to vegan diets
- Not all ingredients are organic
- Shipping is only free on orders over $60
- Several customer complaints about rotten or moldy food (but most say customer support remedied by giving meal credits)
Price
Plated provides free shipping on orders over $60. The per plate price for 2 servings per night is $11.95, and the price goes down to $9.95 per plate if you choose 3-4 servings per night. Here’s what you can expect to pay each week:
| 2 Servings/Night | 3 Servings/Night | 4 Servings/Night | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Nights/Week | $47.80 | $59.70 | $79.60 |
| 3 Nights/Week | $71.70 | $89.55 | $119.40 |
| 4 Nights/Week | $95.60 | $119.40 | $159.40 |
Coupon Code
Our link above applies discounts if available
What Meals Does Plated Offer?
Here’s a sampling of just some of the meals and desserts you can choose from for one week.
- Cilantro Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Duck Ragu Rigatoni
- Braised Pork, Apricots and Currants (Gluten-Free (GF))
- Soy Glazed Scallops (GF)
- Vietnamese Caramel Chicken (GF)
- South Indian Vegetable Curry (Vegetarian, GF)
- Roasted Broccoli and Quinoa Bowls (Vegetarian, GF)
- Mini Carrot Cakes
- Chocolate-Toffee Matzoh
How Do Customers Rate Plated?
Positive Reviews
I’ve been a customer of Plated for almost four years and I love them! My cooking skills were less than stellar when I started. My biggest challenge was being able to convert left over ingredients into a new dish, which resulted in me tossing at least $200 worth of food EVERY month. Once I started with Plated, there was no turning back. I receive the exact amount of ingredients needed for each dish, with detailed instructions and I create a great meal….EVERY time! One of the standout reasons for staying with Plated is their exemplary customer service. Everyone I interact with is friendly, professional, accommodating and helpful. I’ve had a few glitches with delivery or an ingredient that wasn’t up to par, and without any hesitation, excessive questions or requests to submit pictures of said ingredients, I have been given a full credit and even awarded a free dessert or two, along the way. If you desire great meals from around the globe and want the satisfaction of making them yourself, then look no further than Plated.com. – Sony, Trustpilot 3/27/2018
Plated is ideal for people who love food, and they customize all of your meals to perfection: desserts, seafood, meat and veggie meals. What I love most about Plated is the variety of food options on offer. This Meal Kits services company offers an incredible 20 dishes every week. These menus are designed for newbies and experienced pros alike. Some of the menu items can take a while to prepare, from 20 minutes up to an hour so bear that in mind. – Lee L., Sitejabber 2/27/2018
Negative Reviews
The first recipe from my first box was AWFUL. I was so disappointed. Lots of money for low-quality ingredients. The photos on their website are pretty and appetizing, but don’t fall for it. You can do so much better on your own. I asked for a refund and was refused. Cancelled my subscription before they could take more of my money and send more of this crappy food. – Stacey H., Sitejabber 2/17/2018
We have had to substitute or run to the store at the last minute to replace primary ingredients for three of the last six meals we have received. Spoiled chicken, rock hard avocados, bad tomatoes. Love the app and web experience, the branding (i’m not gonna lie!) and recipe variety drew me in but I’m not as confident in the actual operations. – Tara, Trustpilot 8/24/2017
Personal Experience
Read this first-hand review from Michelle, one of the co-founders of this website:
Plated was the first meal kit we ever tried; several years ago after seeing them on Shark Tank. It was fun with lots of exciting meals and cuisines to try, but we have since moved more towards Sun Basket due to changes in our personal diets (dairy-free, wheat-free and organic when possible). A friend was raving recently about Plated, so we decided to give it a go again.
Plated gives you several options on their website to select the number of servings per night and how many nights per week you want to make their meals. They also allow you to filter the meal options by Vegetarian, Seafood, Gluten-free, etc. which was very helpful in narrowing our choices, especially given our limited options these days! However, it does not have a vegan or even a no dairy filter, so that made this part of our recipe selection quite challenging. I had to click on each potential recipe and review the ingredients to find out if they contained dairy or not! But, eventually, I was able to make my meal selection work, for the most part.
Once the Plated box had arrived, I was able to confirm that the packaging was very comparable to most other services we have tried. The recipes cards featured big colorful photos that got me excited to get started!
The meals were tasty, and the portions were large (we ordered enough for two servings per meal but made 2.5-3 servings). On the negative side, the recipes involved too many bowls, pot and pans (lots of dishes to wash!) and they took a little longer (30-50 minutes rather than 25-35 minutes with most of the other meal kits we’ve tried).
It was delicious and if you like eating more adventurous, global cuisine, Plated is a great option. However, for our special diet needs, there are definitely better options.
Need Some Cooking Tips?
In addition to Plated recipes, one of the things we love about Plated is their video series that shows you how to make everything from brown butter sauce to homemade salad dressing. Here’s how to make the perfect soft- or hard-boiled eggs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVQ5kpI9My0
Is Plated Worth It?
Plated gets two thumbs up from us. Sure, it might be a bit on the pricey side, but it’s hard to beat their attention to spices, flavors and global recipes — not to mention their eco-friendly meals and packaging. Still not sure? Check out Plated competitors in our Best Meal Delivery Service review, where we rate 10 of the most popular food delivery services.
Why are you thinking about using Plated or switching to Plated from another meal kit service?
Plated
Pros
- Higher than average number of meal choices per week
- Excellent flavors, spices and unique dishes
- Multiple vegetarian and gluten-free meal choices
- Antibiotic-free meats and produce sourced from family-run farms; sustainable seafood
- Flexible plans with option to change servings, nights and schedule at any time
- Most customers rave about the quality of food and taste
- Can skip weeks or cancel anytime
- Offers dessert
Cons
- Doesn’t cater to vegan diets
- Not all ingredients are organic
- Shipping is only free on orders over $60
- Several customer complaints about rotten or moldy food (but most say customer support remedied by giving meal credits)
