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Ever wish you could snag your favorite restaurant dishes without splurging on dinner out or paying all those delivery app service fees? Same. That’s why I was curious about CookUnity. It’s not your standard meal delivery service with a one-size-fits-all menu. Instead, they team up with award-winning chefs—yep, actual big names like Rick Bayless, Einat Admony, and Akhtar Nawab—to craft meals that show up at your door fresh (not frozen) and ready to be heated. Basically, it feels like a chef cooked dinner just for me. I'd just have to provide my own ambiance.
With restaurant-level creativity and rotating menus, CookUnity has been gaining traction among busy professionals, parents, and foodies seeking something beyond the usual takeout. It's even landed on the Good Housekeeping Institute Nutrition Lab's list of best prepared meal delivery services (and even best low-sodium ones). I figured it's about time to do a deeper dive review.
We've tested more than 50 meal delivery services in our Lab, judging everything from flavor and nutrition to ease of use and overall experience. In addition to the feedback we've collected from over 300 home cooks across the country, I personally ordered a week's worth of meals to determine if CookUnity delivers on its promise of chef-crafted meals at home.
What is CookUnity?
Pros
- Restaurant-quality flavor and creativity
- Low-sodium options
- Wide variety of cuisines and proteins
- On-staff registered dietitian
- High marks for flavor, convenience, and portion sizes
Cons
- Not available everywhere in the U.S.
- Some meals are high in calories
- Menu options may be limited in smaller regions
CookUnity is a chef-to-consumer meal subscription service that delivers fully prepared, ready-to-eat dishes straight to your door. Unlike traditional meal kits or mass-produced frozen options, CookUnity partners with more than 180 independent chefs nationwide—from James Beard Award winners to up-and-coming culinary talents—so members can choose from a rotating, restaurant-quality menu each week. Meals are designed to strike a balance between convenience and flavor, offering a range of options that cater to different dietary needs, from indulgent comfort food to wellness-focused choices, including keto, GLP-1 balance, and protein boost.
Kristy Del Coro, MS, RDN, a CookUnity registered dietitian, says that meal creation is a collaborative process between one of CookUnity's 180 chefs and the nutrition and sustainability team. "While every recipe must meet CookUnity's ingredient and nutrition standards," she says, "flavor is always the top priority, because healthy meals only succeed if people enjoy them."
For their wellness-focused lines (Everyday Wellness, GLP-1 Balance, Keto, and Fitness Fuel), nutrition is equally prioritized, says Del Coro. However, "open communication ensures that chefs can request substitutions while preserving the cultural integrity of their dishes."
How CookUnity works
Signing up is straightforward. You create an account, set your preferred meal type, and choose a subscription plan ranging from four to 16 meals per week.
Meals change weekly, with most dishes rotating out based on seasonality and ratings. A selection of customer favorites remains available year-round, and chefs continually introduce new recipes. Feedback (via written reviews and one to five star ratings) determines which meals stay or evolve.
Menus are posted two weeks in advance, and you can either pick your own meals or let CookUnity auto-select based on your filters. You can make changes to your order or skip a week up to four to six days before your scheduled delivery date, depending on your location.
CookUnity ships to over 90% of the continental U.S., though menu variety differs by region. Currently, it does not ship to some Midwestern areas. The available delivery days may vary depending on your location.
Meal choices
When you choose your meals, you can filter by diet and lifestyle:
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Pescatarian
- Keto
- GLP-1 balance
- Mediterranean diet
- Gut-friendly (more than 10 grams of fiber)
- Calorie smart (less than 600 calories)
- Carb control (less than 35 grams of carbohydrates)
- Protein boost (more than 30 grams of protein)
- Sodium-wise (less than 700 milligrams of sodium)
Each meal comes with a detailed description, ingredient list, and nutritional information that helps you make informed decisions. Meal profiles also highlight the chef's background, so you know exactly who's behind your meal—a rare feature in this space.
I especially love that users can set up individual taste profiles for each person in the household. It's great for families like mine with diverse dietary preferences. Within each profile, you can specify allergies and preferences, such as preferred proteins, ingredients to avoid, and favorite cuisines.
Though options are abundant in certain categories, such as vegetarian, pescatarian, and protein boost, other categories, like keto and vegan, have fewer choices—and unfortunately, meal modifications aren't currently available.
How much does CookUnity cost?
CookUnity offers a range of meal plans, from four to 16 servings per week, starting at about $11 per serving. Choosing larger bundles provides greater value, particularly for those who plan to eat multiple dishes per day. By opting for bigger orders, you can reduce the cost per serving.
- 4-meal plan = $14.23 per serving
- 6-meal plan = $12.29 per serving
- 8-meal plan = $11.72 per meal
- 12-meal plan = $11.20 per serving
- 16-meal plan = $11.09 per serving
My experience testing CookUnity
Ordering and meal selection
Signing up was quick and easy, and browsing the menu and using the filters was a breeze. I selected options from all categories, opting out of the breakfast add-ons. There was only one delivery date option in my area, and the time window was from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., so I planned to be home that day. Text updates on the delivery day helped to ensure my meals wouldn't be sitting out in the sun.
The app and website are generally user-friendly, although I experienced a glitch when attempting to skip a delivery (you can skip up to eight weeks at a time in account settings). I received an email confirmation that the week would be skipped, but several days later, I saw that an auto-filled order had been charged to my card on file. Customer service was quick to respond but unable to reverse course. They said I had later gone into my account to un-skip my order, but even if I had accidentally done so, there was no email to notify me of that change.
Unboxing the meals
My week's worth of meals arrived on time and in good condition in a cardboard shipping box lined with insulation. The meals were neatly layered between frozen gel packs, which kept them cold. CookUnity recommends refrigerating your meals immediately. Each meal sleeve is stamped with a "use by" date (between four and seven days of delivery).
Overall, the branding feels modern, aligning with the service's gourmet positioning. Testers noted that the packaging made the meals feel like something from a boutique market rather than a standard delivery service. However, the print on the meal sleeves is tiny and a bit blurry, as if the printer was running out of ink. I needed to put on readers (which I don't usually wear) to follow the heating instructions. The ingredients list is even smaller.
CookUnity offers a returnable packaging program in select cities, where meals are delivered in insulated tote bags. In my case, the box and insulation were recyclable through curbside collection, but the ice packs had to be disposed of in the trash. The meal trays and sleeves are also curbside recyclable, but first, you need to rip off and discard the tray’s plastic film liner, which was easy enough for me, (I have long nails), but nearly impossible for my husband. If you can't peel off the liner, the tray can't be recycled.
Prep and cooking
There was no prep required. The meal sleeves include reheating instructions (in tiny print) with options for both oven and microwave use—often simply peeling off the plastic cover and sticking it in the oven for 10 to 20 minutes or microwave for two to three minutes. Some instructions suggest adding a little water, covering the dish with foil, or stirring it halfway through the heating process. Overall, the meals maintained a pleasant flavor, texture, and overall freshness.
I personally get nervous about heating food in plastic, so I transferred my meals into glass food storage containers before heating, which was easy enough.
Taste
Our testers gave CookUnity some of the highest scores in this year’s meal delivery service testing, particularly in the areas of flavor, food quality, convenience, and portion sizes.
“Everything was honestly just as good as I’d expect it to be in a restaurant,” one tester said. Another noted, “The meals were simple to prepare and absolutely delicious.” Another said, “You can taste and see the creativity that went into each meal.” All our testers said they would recommend CookUnity to a friend or family member.
We especially loved the creativity of the rotating menu. Dishes felt elevated but still approachable. That said, some testers were astonished to see that some of their meals clocked in at over 1,000 calories with high sodium levels (though lower-calorie and lower-sodium options—albeit less tasty-sounding—were available). Comfort food is the name of the game here.
Seafood dishes were by far my favorites among the meals I tried. I'm still thinking about Akhtar Nawab's Southern soul gumbo, which was rich, satisfying, and impossible to stop eating. Santiago Lopez's grilled barramundi over puttanesca sauce with corn rice also did not hold back. The barramundi was firm, moist, and with just enough char to give it a kiss of smokiness. It played well against the bold, briny punch of the puttanesca sauce. Every bite hit that savory-salty-spicy trifecta. The addition of corn rice was a clever touch, adding a subtle sweetness that balanced out the intensity of the sauce. Together, the components felt thoughtfully layered, comforting yet sophisticated, and something I could eat on repeat.
Rick Bayless' shrimp in mole verde, served with roasted zucchini and cilantro rice, would also be a reorder for me. The shrimp were plump and tender, with just the right snap when bitten into. The mole verde was bright, herby, and nutty all at once. The pumpkin seeds gave it richness, while the green chiles and fresh herbs kept it lively and green-tasting, never heavy. In fact, I loved all my Rick Bayless meals, including the flavor-packed red chile chicken enchiladas.
Among my selections, I ordered four premium meals that cost $4 to $7 more than the basic tier meals. These include ingredient upgrades, like flat iron steak, grilled salmon with shrimp, and pork ragu. I didn't find them to be tastier than the others, though, and enjoyed some of the more basic offerings (which tasted anything but) better.
While I didn't get a chance to try them, other testers called out these dishes as favorites:
- Chris Ratel's beef bourguignon
- Andres Mendez's chicken tikka masala
- Akhtar Nawab's lamb kebab
- Einat Admony's chicken shawarma
- Jose Garces' mission-style chicken burrito
Even the more health-focused meals, such as Roberto Vergara's grilled salmon salad with tangy lemon vinaigrette and Jona Silva's grilled artichoke and barley bowl with za'atar almonds, were very satisfying—even if not topping anyone's list as favorites. (The keto power bowl was the only dish I didn't finish, but it had a couple of things going against it: cauliflower rice and chicken breast, a combo that even an award-winning chef can't sell me on.)
One of the downsides of the service is the quick expiration dates. One tester lamented, "Two days after I got it, the label said it would go bad." So, rather than opening up the fridge and asking yourself what sounds good, you need to prioritize the meals in your shipment that need to be eaten first.
Nutrition
Meals typically range from 600 to 900 calories per meal, averaging around 700 calories. The calorie count is conveniently listed right underneath each meal's name on the website's menu page. Detailed nutritional information and ingredients for each meal are accessible on CookUnity's website and the meal sleeves. Members can also find nutrition support and educational resources, including blog posts and videos, on the website.
A registered dietitian on staff oversees nutrition quality, and for those watching their sodium intake, the service offers a sodium-wise filter for meals with a sodium content under 700 mg. Other dietary accommodations include gluten-free, dairy-free, keto, paleo, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, and Mediterranean diet–friendly options.
CookUnity also offers medically tailored meal programs for heart health, diabetes, cancer support, and Alzheimer's disease through CookUnity Business, the company's business-to-business arm.
Overall, CookUnity meals align with Good Housekeeping’s nutrition philosophy by offering a balance of variety, although some dishes may be richer than everyday fare. As someone who eats leafy green vegetables with nearly every meal, I found the CookUnity meals lacking in this department (as is the case with many meal delivery services, and restaurant meals for that matter). Since proteins and carbs tended to take center stage, I'd sauté some greens to serve alongside the meals.
Who should order CookUnity?
CookUnity is ideal for busy foodies who crave restaurant-quality meals at home or those who want convenience without compromising on flavor. It's especially suited for solo eaters or couples seeking portion-controlled, gourmet-style meals. While filling, the portions are smaller than what you can expect at a restaurant (think: salad plate size, not dinner plate).
It may not be the best fit for large families seeking value-focused meal kits, strict budgeters who require lower per-meal costs, or vegans looking for a more varied menu. It's also probably not the best option for anyone using a meal delivery service for weight loss. While CookUnity meals can support unique health and nutrition goals, their focus really is on great-tasting comfort food.
The bottom line: Is CookUnity worth it?
CookUnity delivers on its promise: restaurant-quality meals that are convenient, flavorful, and varied. It is one of the best-tasting prepared meal services we’ve tested, making it a great choice for anyone who wants restaurant-level meals without the time or price tag of dining out.
While the cost per meal is higher than average and availability isn’t nationwide, the taste and creativity set it apart from other prepared meal services we’ve tested.
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
As a recipe developer and food journalist, Perry Santanachote has researched and written numerous articles about nutrition and diets. She also develops meal plans and has personally tried dozens of meal delivery services because even cooks are sometimes too busy to cook for themselves.
As a registered dietitian and working mother, Good Housekeeping Institute Nutrition Lab Director Stefani Sassos is passionate about preparing healthy meals for her family without spending a lot of time in the kitchen. She uses meal delivery services to change up her family's regular dinnertime routine and get introduced to various new foods and unique preparation methods. Sassos appreciates that more services offer nutritious options to support a healthy lifestyle.
Perry Santanachote (she/her) has more than 15 years of experience in service journalism, specializing in food and consumer goods. She tests and reports on kitchen appliances and cooking tools. She also evaluates food products and cleaning supplies. She’s an experienced writer, product tester and recipe developer who has worked in labs, test kitchens and media organizations, including Thrillist and Consumer Reports.
Stefani (she/her) is a registered dietitian, a NASM-certified personal trainer and the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Nutrition and Fitness Lab, where she oversees all nutrition and fitness-related content, testing and evaluation. She holds a master’s degree in clinical nutrition from New York University, as well as advanced certifications as a Women's Fitness Specialist and a Behavior Change Specialist. Stefani is dedicated to providing readers with evidence-based content to encourage informed food choices and healthy living. She is an avid CrossFitter and a passionate home cook who loves spending time with her big fit Greek family.
