Food subscription boxes are a great way to save time grocery shopping and cooking while helping you try new things.
They’re so popular that almost a million boxes are delivered throughout Canada every day! But with all the options, how can you decide which to choose?
I’ve solved that problem by breaking down the best food subscription boxes in Canada based on pricing and overall value.
What Are Food Subscription Boxes and What Kind Can You Get?
Some food subscription boxes include precooked meals, while others provide fresh ingredients and recipe cards that you can make yourself.
You can pick how often you want your box delivered – most companies offer weekly, twice a week, or as often as you need.
The draw of these subscription boxes is that they’re convenient. It includes all the ingredients to make a healthy meal, with some coming already prepped – you just need to heat up and enjoy.
If you go the snack box route, you’ll find yourself trying new options you probably wouldn’t find in the grocery store.
The design of food box subscriptions helps you live a healthy lifestyle — they’re portion controlled and full of fresh, healthy ingredients. Plus, depending on your diet, you can modify many boxes to fit your needs.
Here’s just a sample of the different kinds of food subscriptions boxes available:
- Meal prep boxes – With loads of options to choose from depending on your diet, these are popular options. Pick from vegetarian, vegan, keto, Mediterranean, and so much more.
- Snack boxes
- Coffee
- Hot sauce
- Beer and wine
Best Food Subscription Boxes in Canada
1. HelloFresh
Price: Per their website, three meals for two people per week costs $73 plus $9.99 shipping, totalling $82.99.
It’s hard to have a food box subscription list and not include HelloFresh at the top. The company is one of the original pioneers of home delivery meal kits.
With HelloFresh, you’ll pick how many meals you want per week and even select your recipes.
From there, the box will arrive with all the ingredients ready for you to cook. Follow the enclosed recipe card to enjoy a delicious, fresh, home-cooked meal.
- They’re available throughout Canada and allow custom food choices based on your diet – think vegan, paleo, keto, or Mediterranean.
- Flexible plans you can change or cancel depending on the week.
- Meal options for two to four people anywhere from two to five times per week.
- You choose from 35 recipes for the week.
- Easy to find promo codes and get money off your first set of meals.
- Meals are not ready to eat and need to be prepared.
- Pricey
- Meals could be repetitive if you use them several times per week.
2. GoodFood
Price: Slightly cheaper than competitors, GoodFood offers 2-4 recipes per week for 2-4 people. Depending on the plan you choose, each serving costs between $11 – $15. What makes it more attractive is its free delivery.
Similar to HomeFresh, GoodFood lets customers pick their recipe options and deliver fresh ingredients to their door.
They also offer ready-to-eat meals if you’re not in the mood to cook.
- You can skip a week or pause delivery if you’re away or don’t need the service.
- At least 85% of the ingredients come from Canadian farms and local businesses.
- Different style meals to choose from – classic, easy prep, low carb, and vegetarian.
- Free delivery
- Excessive packaging
- Pricey
- Slight recipe repetition.
3. Urthbox
Price: The lowest level box containing 7-8 snacks costs $29.99 per month. 14-16 snacks comes in at $39.99, 21-23 snack at $49.99, and 28-30 snacks at $59.99.
Urthbox delivers snacks, beverages, and other goodies to its customers every month. Its goal is to provide healthy, Non-GMO, organic snacks right to your door.
First, you’ll have to select a box size and type.
You can get the personal size, which includes 7-8 snacks and go as high as the team size, containing 28-30 snacks.
From there, you’ll get to choose your snack type. Urthbox caters to those with dietary restrictions or allergies.
They have boxes that are totally gluten-free, vegan, and one to help with weight loss.
- Lots of choices for any budget.
- Healthy snack options.
- Earn points on every order to redeem the snacks you love.
- No customization option.
- It could be expensive if you snack a lot.
- $7 shipping cost to Canada.
4. Canadian Craft Club
Price: The three package options range in price from $49.99, $64.99, and $99.99.
Not all subscription boxes are full of food. If you’re a beer enthusiast, you might want to think about trying out the Canadian Craft Club. Here’s how it works. Pick a package based on your price point, lifestyle, and taste.
From there, the club will select beers from around the world, specifically just for you.
Choose from three different package options, like the All Canadian Pack. This includes six cans, all different Canadian beers.
The next choice is the Feature Pack. You get six cans of different North American beers. Finally, there’s the Full Pack which includes a minimum of 12 cans from around Canada and other parts of North America.
- Exclusive craft beer options are delivered to your door.
- Three different package options to choose from.
- Someone has to sign for the package at delivery.
- Can’t customize.
5. Chefs Plate
Price: The Meat and Vegetable option for two people three times a week comes in at $59.94.
Similar to the other meal delivery services, Chefs Plate lets you choose from a rotation of weekly recipes.
They offer three different package options – Meat & Vegetables, Vegetarian, and Family Friendly. Customers can pick meals for two to four people, anywhere from two to five meals per week.
- Different meals to choose from each week.
- Pre-portioned ingredients with an easy-to-follow recipe card.
- You can skip a week or pause, or cancel your subscription anytime.
- Limited options if you have dietary restrictions.
- More expensive than buying the ingredients yourself.
6. Canada’s Baking Box
Price: You can choose from monthly subscriptions or prepay for three, six, or twelve months. Monthly subscriptions cost $39 plus shipping.
Currently, there’s a saving for six and twelve-month subscriptions, each coming in at $210 and $405, respectively.
Did you ever try to make a homemade treat only to have your cake flop?
With the help of Canada’s Baking Box, you can get delicious baked goods from monthly subscription boxes that already include pre-measured ingredients. Even better is the live demo streamed every month to show you how it’s done.
- Live demo with a pastry chef so you can master your dessert or ask questions.
- Pre-scaled ingredients so you can’t mess up or let anything go to waste.
- While there is a vegan box, there aren’t any others if you have dietary restrictions or allergies.
- Pricey
7. Snack Crate
Price: The Mini Box (5 snacks) costs $15. The Original Box includes 10-12 snacks and costs $26. Finally, the largest-sized Family Box contains 18-20 snacks and costs $49.
With a Snack Crate subscription, you can choose to get a monthly box shipped to your house with snacks from different countries.
You can select the size of your box (mini, original, and family), choose a country for your snack adventure, and get it shipped right to your door.
- You can try snacks from a different country every month.
- You can skip or pause your subscription.
- Three different box sizes.
- You might not like the treats from the country you selected.
- Ships to the U.S., Canada, and only a handful of other countries.
8. Coast To Coast Coffee
Price: A weekly order of 400g will cost you $20.
Do you love your morning coffee pick me up? You might want to try a Coast To Coast coffee subscription.
This local Canadian roaster lets customers order online and set up weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly orders. The coffee is always fresh roasted, organic, and fair trade.
- Free shipping across Canada.
- Shipped within 24 hours of roasting.
- You can pay as you go or pause your subscription at any time.
- Pricier than buying at your local grocery store.
Food Subscription Boxes and Sustainable Practices
As more consumers become environmentally conscious, companies are responding with initiatives to reduce waste, improve sourcing practices, and increase overall sustainability. Here’s how some of these practices play out in the industry:
- Packaging: Excessive packaging is a common concern with food subscription boxes, which often use insulating materials and ice packs to keep ingredients fresh during shipment. Some companies have made efforts to use recyclable and compostable packaging materials, and to minimize packaging where possible. For instance, HelloFresh uses a paper-based insulating liner that’s curbside-recyclable, and Sun Basket delivers in 100% recyclable boxes.
- Food Sourcing: Many meal kit companies prioritize sustainable farming practices and high-quality ingredients. For instance, Sun Basket sources organic produce when possible and guarantees their meats and poultry are antibiotic and hormone-free. Blue Apron partners with farmers to promote sustainable farming practices.
- Food Waste: One advantage of meal kits is that they provide pre-portioned ingredients, reducing the amount of food waste generated by over-purchasing ingredients. Imperfect Foods, another food subscription box, is built around the concept of reducing food waste, selling “ugly” produce that would otherwise be discarded because it doesn’t meet supermarket aesthetic standards.
- Carbon Footprint: Some studies suggest that meal kits could have a lower overall carbon footprint compared to grocery shopping, due to more efficient logistics and less food waste. However, this varies widely depending on individual behavior (like how far you drive to shop) and the company’s specific practices.
- Transparency: Some companies provide transparency about their sourcing and sustainability efforts. This can include information about where food is sourced from, how animals are raised, and what practices are used on farms.
Conclusion
Finding the best food subscription boxes in Canada is easy these days. Choosing the type you want is the hard part.
Luckily, there are many options to pick from and depending on your desires, you could probably find one within your price point.
If you’re still not sure if meal kits and snack boxes are for you, check out my guide to the best food delivery services in Canada. This way, you can still get food without leaving your house.
