Updated on Dec. 19, 2024
A meal kit using Martha Stewart's recipes delivered to your front door? Yes please! We tested Marley Spoon to see just what the experience is like.
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Martha Stewart is known for her delicious recipes for everything from impressive desserts to everyday meals. But what if all of the ingredients and step-by-step instructions for those dishes could be shipped right to your door? Well, they can!
With the same convenience as other meal kits, Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon is a meal prep service with more than 100 recipes to choose from each week. And, as a big fan of Martha’s, I knew I had to put this service to the test. If you’re curious about Marley Spoon reviews, I cooked through several recipes to see what this meal delivery service was all about.
VIA MERCHANT
Marley Spoon meal delivery service, which offers dozens of meals per week, is a fresh, convenient way to keep your household fed.
Marley Spoon is a meal delivery service much like HelloFresh, Dinnerly and Green Chef. Each box includes the ingredients needed to make your chosen meals, along with an instruction card to follow. The options on the menu each week are recipes from Martha Stewart, with a focus on full meals with great flavor. Choose from 100+ different rotating options, including meals that are plant-based and family-friendly. You can also choose from snacks, smoothies and desserts.
Each week, go online to choose your menu. From there, pre-packaged ingredients and instruction cards are delivered to your home. I knew the exact day my box would be delivered, but the perishable ingredients were still packaged in a separate cold bag in case they needed to sit for a while. It was simple to unbox and put ingredients away either in the fridge or pantry until I was ready to dive in and start cooking.
When you choose your meals on the Marley Spoon website, you can select a plan for two or four people. You can also choose from two to six meals per week. My box arrived well-packaged, causing no concern for the foods that needed to be kept cold. The insulated bag and ice packs kept things fresh, and everything nonperishable was wrapped and stored in a paper bag.
Ingredients such as eggplant, red peppers, onion and sweet potato, as well as the packaged meat, came very fresh. Other ingredients, such as small squares of Parmesan cheese or a mini container of ricotta, were portioned individually, making measuring simple and eliminating extra food waste.
The three dishes I tried were far more flavorful and interesting than I anticipated, which makes me want to try more of what’s on the menu. I love that the recipes aren’t the same each week. At first glance, the pictures of the final product and even some of the methods seemed intimidating. However, each recipe was divided into six steps, with helpful photos of each step that made it easy to follow along. Plus, with the recipe and instruction cards, I now have the option to make the meal again on my own time.
To truly see what Marley Spoon was all about, I tried multiple meals over the course of a week. Each meal came with the main ingredients needed to pull it off. However, the recipe cards noted other required pantry staples, such as olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and vinegar.
MOLLY ALLEN FOR TASTE OF HOME
The first dish I made was the Skillet Beef Moussaka. In the box, I found eggplant, onion, canned tomatoes, fresh parsley, mascarpone cheese, Parmesan cheese and a specialty spice blend. The process of cooking this meal took a bit longer (and required more dishes!) than I expected, but the results were certainly worth it. The final dish was hearty comfort food full of flavor. I loved the combination of ground beef, eggplant and other veggies, and the seasoning was well-balanced. Another major bonus: I ended up with plenty of leftovers to enjoy the next day.
VIA MERCHANT
Next up was the Italian Sausage Ragù Pasta. This kit was quick and easy, with red bell pepper, pork sausage, fennel seeds, cherry tomatoes, linguine pasta, fresh parsley, ricotta and Parmesan cheese included. The prep for this recipe was super simple, as well as the cooking method. I was shocked by how flavorful this dish was with so few ingredients. It easily stacked up to a restaurant-quality bowl of pasta—a fantastic weeknight meal.
MOLLY ALLEN FOR TASTE OF HOME
Last but certainly not least was the easy-prep Sheet Pan Piri Piri Chicken. After first reading the recipe card, I didn’t have high hopes for this dish. The method of broiling chicken seemed a bit odd to me, and I imagined such a simple dish might be bland. But it pleasantly surprised me. The box included shallot, sweet potato, Brussels sprouts, chicken breast, honey and a delicious piri piri spice blend. It required a bit of prep to chop the veggies and roast them in separate steps, but the results were amazing. The flavor of the seasoned vegetables and chicken, paired with the drizzle of piri piri vinaigrette, was incredible. I ended up eating every single piece of the roasted veggies in one serving—they were that good.
As mentioned, Marley Spoon’s meals are portioned for either two or four folks. This means they’re not designed for leftovers. However, if you are a pair and you order meals for four, you’ll be getting two meals per person per recipe. This is also a way to increase portion sizes, should you so desire. Another means of increasing portion sizes or ensuring you have leftovers is by adding side dishes, which are also available through the service. That said, the brand’s meals are based on the US’s standard dietary guidelines.
Marley Spoon’s weekly menu typically displays the meals available that week—the brand boasts over 100 options per week—and sometimes includes the cooking time. More specifically, it highlights certain meals that should take “under 30 minutes” to prepare. That said, our experience suggests the suggested cook times are probably only accurate for seasoned home chefs prepared beforehand. In practice, these meals could take longer to cook—a common complaint on forums.
Furthermore, the kits don’t actually include all the ingredients you need for the meals. Many of them require you to have kitchen staples—like olive oil, salt and/or vinegar—on hand. This could be frustrating for some users who aren’t prepared ahead of time and poses a major roadblock for anyone unprepared. After all, you won’t be able to complete a meal if it calls for vinegar and you simply do not have any in your kitchen. We recommend carefully reading your meal ingredients and instructions before you order so you can be prepared with those kitchen staples ahead of time.
The Marley Spoon site proudly displays that it offers dietary-specific meals for those who are calorie-conscious, dairy-free and vegetarian. There are even “gluten-free friendly” meals—however, it’s hard to say whether there is the possibility of cross-contamination in the production facilities. Unfortunately, that’s where the dietary catering stops. There are no available dedicated meals or plans for vegans, keto diets or allergy-friendly options. If your diet is restrictive in any of these ways, Marley Spoon may not be for you.
Thankfully, Marley Spoon is very forthcoming about its packaging’s recyclability—check out the brand’s how-to recycling page here. For the most part, the packaging is highly recyclable. The boxes and produce trays are made from cardboard that can be recycled anywhere and the liners are made from paper and plant-based foam. The films and bags (including ice packs, which need to have their non-toxic contents dumped in the garbage before recycling) are made of thin layers of #1 (PET) and #4 (LDPE) plastic, which are also recyclable but can take a bit more effort, requiring some customers to travel to a grocery store or recycling center to turn them in.
All told, Marley Spoon does appear to be doing its best to make its packaging as sustainable and recyclable as possible on such a large scale. Still, some of the packaging may be inconvenient to dispose of.
Along with the brand’s cook-it-yourself meals, Marley Spoon also has a collection of ready-made meals, which are even more convenient for those in a time crunch (or who lack culinary skills). These provide a quicker alternative to the meal kits and are designed for microwave or oven reheating. While they’re not as varied in their ingredients and styles, they’re an outstanding, quick alternate option.
With more than 100 meal prep kits to choose from, there are plenty of options to fit dietary restrictions. Choose to make your box entirely vegetarian, or set dietary preferences that fit low-carb, gluten-free friendly, low-calorie or picky eater-approved lifestyles. You can also select a specific meat protein type.
To clarify, you can’t currently select a dairy-free box, but you can look for meals tagged “dairy-free” and add them to your box. “Gluten-free” is not an option for a kit, but they offer “gluten-free friendly.” However, there’s still the potential for cross-contact with gluten-containing ingredients.
Furthermore, recipe labels identify meals that suit specific preferences like dairy-free or vegan, but it’s up to you to curate the box with these selections.
Marley Spoon strives to avoid cross-contamination, but their facilities and equipment handle major allergens. Thus, they can’t guarantee against it. Marley Spoon also lists all allergens in each recipe.
While both HelloFresh and Marley Spoon are meal services, they offer different experiences. Whereas HelloFresh kits focus primarily on simple, basic meals, Marley Spoon pushed me slightly out of my comfort zone in the best way.
Whether or not Marley Spoon is cheaper than shopping for groceries depends on your weekly grocery budget and how many Marley Spoon meals you order per week. For example, two meals per week for two people costs $52, or $13 per serving, while six meals per week for four people costs $208, bringing the cost down to roughly $8.70 per serving. While some people average less than $9 per meal when shopping for groceries, others may spend more. It’s also worth considering the value of the added convenience of having all of the ingredients delivered to your door.
Having tried HelloFresh in the past, I found the quality of ingredients and recipes from Marley Spoon to be better. The meals were far more flavorful. Of the meals I tried, they were fairly simple. However, some of the steps took me out of my comfort zone and required additional kitchen skills. But with that, I was thrilled to have the chance to learn something new along the way.
The shipping and delivery options are incredibly convenient, with the ability to choose your delivery day depending on your location. Nationwide shipping isn’t available, but the service is available in most states.
For more tasty eats, check out our reviews of Wildgrain and Misfit Market.
I am a former bakery owner with over a decade of experience writing, photographing and reviewing recipes. I also keep an eye on emerging food trends and kitchen gadgets so I can write top-notch buying guides. To date, I have covered pizza ovens, grills and desserts for Taste of Home. My work has appeared in many publications, including Good Housekeeping, Eater, The Kitchen, Simply Recipes and Food & Wine.
Nancy Snyder is a registered dietitian and seasoned professional in nutrition and culinary expertise. She reviewed and fact-checked this piece. With nearly a decade of experience collaborating with restaurant chefs and food manufacturers, Nancy has forged a path at the intersection of nutrition consulting and culinary innovation. She is also a senior shopping editor for Taste of Home, working alongside the Test Kitchen to identify and test products that help each individual reader elevate their personal kitchen experience.
If you’re someone looking for a meal kit service to try new and interesting recipes in the kitchen, I’d definitely recommend Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon. The service is great for foodies who want to expand their recipe repertoire, learn new skills and try gourmet meals with a convenient twist. The meal prep required a few more steps and dishes than I anticipated, but the results were well worth it. And I was pleased with just how fresh and high quality the ingredients were, without as much individual packaging and plastic waste as I’ve seen with other kits.
VIA MERCHANT
Do dinner the Martha way with Marley Spoon meal delivery service! Meals cost as little as $8.69 per serving.
Sign up for a subscription and purchase meal prep kits on the Marley Spoon website. Pricing ranges from $52 to $120 per week for meals for two people. Meals for four people range from $84 to $209 per week. There is an additional charge of $11.99 per box for shipping. Keep an eye out for deals and new customer specials, though. You can frequently snag a box for much less. Weeknight dinner is about to get a whole lot more interesting!
