RealEats Meal Delivery Service Review 2024: All You Need To Know

RealEats helps you save time in your busy schedule by providing you with chef-curated meals.
The company offers between four to 12 breakfasts and dinners each week. The snacks and add-ons cost more.

The meals don’t use artificial ingredients, binders, or fillers.

In this post, we’ll talk about what Realeats is, who it’s for, and the different meal options with RealEats.

RealEats is a chef-curated meal-delivery service. They use farm-fresh produce, and meals are packed in vacuum-sealed packs and portioned right for single servings.

You can reheat the meal packet in a few minutes as a customer. You can drop the package into boiling water or put the package inside a microwave. The ingredients are sourced from farms located in New York or other agro centers.

The RealEats experience begins at the farm and reaches your table.

A busy single dad—Dan Wise, founded RealEats in 2017. As busy as he was, he couldn’t find high-quality, healthy food for his kids.

He wanted to build a system of healthy food that uses fresh, nutritionally packed ingredients and RealEats is that vision in life. RealEats is located in Finger Lakes’ agricultural belt in New York.
Dan Wise, the founder, and CEO, finds the Fingerlakes region perfect for its talent.

The CIty gave them a $350,000 grant from the Community Development Grant program and a $150,000 loan from the City’s Revolving Loan Fund.

RealEats delivers meals that are prepared from local ingredients and by chefs. The meals are generally ready-to-eat in under six minutes.

As a single dad, he used to wake up at 4 am to prepare meals for his kids. He wants to make it simple for anyone to access quality food and enjoy it.

Today RealEats ships food to 30 states and has a $2 million expansion planned for its Geneva facility.

RealEats is a weekly meal-delivery service. As a user, you can select meals from a menu that lists 24 meals/week. With RealEats, you must order a minimum of four meals a week. You can select add-ons like breakfasts, smoothies, and salads from local farms. You need to select meals before Thursday afternoon ET.

Each week, you get a selection of three featured meals. Think of the featured meals as the Chef’s choice for the week. These meals keep changing every week. There are more meals outside the category of featured meals that don’t change regularly. You can select your favorite meals that way. They use seasonal and organic produce whenever they can. The ingredients are mostly sourced from Finger Lakes in New York.

The food is free of artificial preservatives and uses non-GMO ingredients. RealEats delivers to 30 states in the United States, mainly in the eastern parts of the nation. Meals are packaged and pre-cooked and sit in refrigerators for seven days.

You can warm up the food by transferring the contents of the package to a microwave-safe plate. RealEats instructs you to keep the meals in the refrigerator, not the freezer. The plastic doesn’t melt on heating and is used for sous-vide cooking.

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RealEats has single-serve portions for dinners with proteins, vegetables, and some form of starch. RealEats offers salads, smoothies, and sides like hummus, proteins, and soups. When you sign up for RealEats, there’s an option for you to select four, six, eight, or 12 meals. The pricing starts at $13.99 per meal.

The meals are arranged in a grid with the plus sign below that lets you add the meals to your cart.

The cart area is placed on your sidebar. When you click on the meal, a pop-up shows information with these details: the name of the dish, the calories in it, carbs, proteins, and more. You get a brief description of the dish, a list of ingredients that went into it, and nutritional facts.

There’s a range of meats, seafood, beef, chicken, and vegetarian meals.

Here’s the breakdown of the 24 dishes on offer: nine poultry dishes, eight beef dishes, five seafood dishes, and two vegetarian dishes.

The delivery box generally arrives with two note cards. The first card has an “enjoy-by” date with instructions for you to reduce food waste. The second is a welcome note from the CEO with a message outlining the benefits of real food over big food. The note mentions the history of the company and its mission. Dan Wise, a single father, living in New York State, wanted to create enjoyable and sustainable meals; thus, we have RealEats.

The message from Wise goes on to explain how buying locally improves the financial wellness of local communities, how it creates jobs in those communities and then reiterates the importance of real food, by which he means organically sourced food.

The meal is bundled into small plastic packages. These packages included the different sauces and carbs wrapped with a paper sleeve. The paper sleeve had an image of the dish, the recipe’s name, the type of meal, its heating instructions, nutritional facts, recycling instructions, and more.

The delivery box had two notes and a sealed white plastic bag. Inside was an insulated liner, Nordic ice packs, and a meal bag.

These parts are bundled together with the help of a paper sleeve.

If you take the example of a protein meal, the protein will be packed in a different bag, the sauce in another, and the veggies in another. The three packages are bundled inside a paper sleeve and secured with a metal button. The packaging was perfect and not mixed together.

RealEats suggests two ways for you to reheat your food. The first uses a microwave, and the second uses the boiling water method. The packages can be put in water, and you can use that option if you don’t like microwaving plastic. Placing the package inside boiling water and turning them around is difficult, even when using tongs. So the microwave method seems much better for reheating the food.

Also, when you use the boiling water method, some water seeps into the food, and the dish starts tasting watery.

However, this method results in even cooking.

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Here’s an example. The garlic-lime shrimp has a great creamy texture. There’s the crisp, sweet corn that has a hint of smokiness. The shrimp is flavored well and tender. A squeeze of lime would make the shrimp even better.

The coconut chicken bowl had a hint of coconut but had mushy broccoli, and the chicken seemed dry.

The tofu dish had flavorful tofu with sweetened carrots. The tofu retains its structure even when you reheat it. The rice had a graininess to it and paired nicely with the sauce. Next is the peppercorn flat steak. It’s medium-rare and tender. The carrots were al-dente.

RealEat’s meals are good for those following paleo, low-calorie, or gluten-free diets. The company doesn’t offer diet plans but creates healthy meals nonetheless. The company wants to add more dairy-free and plant-based foods to its meals. Meals contain less than 700 calories and are good for lunch and dinner.

Subscribers can also buy breakfasts and more snacks from the website.

There are many vegetables like carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, kale, and beans. There’s quinoa, grains, mac and cheese, and different varieties of rice and pasta

Here is the nutritional breakdown of each of the meals from RealEats:

Beef Stir Fry

The beef-stir fry is keto-friendly and pairs both sweet and savory flavors. It is made with roasted peppers, onions, garlic-scented broccoli, and sesame cauliflower rice with edamame, giving it its unique flavor.

Nutritional information:
400 calories,
21g fat,
3g saturated fat,
20g carbohydrate,
13g sugar,
1g dietary fiber,
21g protein,
No cholesterol
430mg sodium

Turkey Chili W/ White Beans

This Turkey chili has low-fat ground turkey slowly simmered in the sauce for hours together. It is topped with broccoli and spinach casserole with melted gruyere cheese at the very top. It pairs well with the Baja-style riced cauliflower.

Nutritional information:
210 calories,
14g fat,
4g saturated fat,
7g carbohydrate,
1g sugar,
2g dietary fiber,
14g protein,
No cholesterol
360mg sodium

Thai Coconut Chicken

It’s an authentic Thai-inspired dish with real Thai green curry. The sliced chicken is laid on top of the green curry. The flavor of coconuts stands out. It’s lightly seasoned with green beans, carrots, and basmati rice.

Nutritional information:
110 calories,
18g fat,
5g saturated fat,
7g carbohydrate,
1g sugar,
No dietary fiber
21g protein,
60mg cholesterol
550mg sodium

Green Curry Whitefish

This dish is another Thai-inspired favorite. The dish uses sustainably-sourced whitefish that’s seared before simmering in the green curry sauce. The sweet green peas are lightly seasoned and topped with melted butter and saffron basmati rice.

Nutritional information:
280 calories,
11g fat,
6g saturated fat,
4g carbohydrate,
3g sugar,
No dietary fiber
41g protein,
100mg cholesterol
610mg sodium

Simply cooked chicken breast

This is a signature chicken dish. The dish has both flavor and tenderness. It’s served with a side of fresh-cut green beans, split baby potatoes roasted until they’re golden brown.

Nutritional information
170 calories,
5g fat,
1g saturated fat,
2g carbohydrate,
1g sugar,
No dietary fiber,
27g protein,
480mg cholesterol,
280mg sodium

Saag Paneer

The saag paneer is a classic Indian dish made of sauteed and mashed spinach topped with lightly seasoned cottage cheese, also called paneer. The flavorful curry pairs well with chickpeas nesting in spicy onion tomato gravy. There’s a side of fragrant saffron basmati rice.

Nutritional information:
150 calories,
2g fat,
No saturated fat,
31g carbohydrate,
1g sugar,
1g dietary fiber,
4g protein,
No cholesterol,
200mg sodium

Garlic lime shrimp with fire-roasted Southwest veggies, smoky mozzarella grits

This shrimp and grits dish aspires to be more than a basic dish. The shrimp is tossed in spices, garlic, and lime before searing it on the pan, and then a spoonful of creamy, smoky grits sourced from Upstate New York farms is used. The meal has flame-roasted vegetables like sweet corn, poblano peppers, red onions, and black beans as sides. The meal is only 430 calories.

Nutritional information
430 calories,
14g fat,
4.5g saturated fat,
37g carbohydrate,
9g sugar,
4g dietary fiber,
37g protein,
255mg cholesterol,
920mg sodium

Chicken tikka masala with cauliflower and potato curry, saffron basmati rice

The North-Indian-inspired dish has baked chicken simmered in rich tomato sauce. The saffron basmati rice is al-dente and gives off a rich fragrance. There’s a mixed vegetable side consisting of broccoli, beans, and carrots

Nutritional information:
460 calories,
23g fat,
10g saturated fat,
49g carbohydrates,
8g sugar,
5g dietary fiber,
18g protein,
255mg cholesterol,
880mg sodium

Peppercorn flat iron steak with baby carrots, dill, creamy parmesan risotto

This is a classic dish where a flat iron steak is seared well and is topped with rich peppercorn-based beef gravy. It pairs well with soft and sweet baby carrots glazed in sweet honey, with creamy risotto and nuts.

Nutritional information:
560 calories,
31g fat, 1
5g saturated fat,
35g carbohydrate,
10g sugar,
4g dietary fiber,
32g protein,
145mg cholesterol,
940mg sodium

Citrus miso salmon honey glazed carrots, quinoa with lemon

The Citrus miso salmon dish captures the umami flavor to perfection. There’s sweet citrus paired with tamari. The salmon is organic and that adds to its taste. It pairs well with the quinoa mixed with lemon. Slice carrots glazed in sweet honey and raw coconut oil to add a burst of flavor to the dish.

Nutritional information:
640 calories,
26g fat,
6g saturated fat,
64g carbohydrates,
29g sugar,
7g dietary fiber,
37g protein,
80mg cholesterol,
1270mg sodium

To summarize

RealEats is good for

Those who like delicious meals cooked with farm-fresh ingredients.

RealEats is not good for

Those on a budget.

On RealEats, you don’t get many customization options. What you get instead is variety. You can select from add-on items, beverages, multiple snacks, soups, chilis, and proteins. You get sides like hummus, salami, mixes, and health bars.

RealEats has four channels for customer support. You can contact them through email, through the online form on their site, by phone, or by using live chat from their site.

The cut-off time to change your order is until Thursday at 4:59 pm. You can make changes to meal plans and other details of your account. You can also pause or skip deliveries from the My account page.

RealEats and Personal Chef To Go are both popular meal-delivery services that create pre-cooked fresh meals ready in minutes. RealEats is located in Finger Lakes in New York. The company sources its vegetables and protein from areas around Finger Lakes. From there, the food is shipped to 30 or more states in the US.

The food is packaged in pouches that you can drop directly into boiling water to reheat and eat.
Personal Chef To Go meals needs to be reheated using the microwave. The company ships entirely throughout the US. They have a 12-item menu. RealEats has double the number of meals at 24. Personal Chef To Go doesn’t claim to use farm-fresh ingredients or organic produce.

RealEats is far cheaper. The average meal is $12.99 and $13.8 at Personal Chef To Go.

Sign-up is easy. Simply enter your email address and zip code to get started.

You can buy four, six, eight, or 12 meals/week with the price decreasing as the number of meals or people ordering the food increases.
Once you select your main meal options, you’re free to add breakfasts, snacks, and smoothies.
The shipping is free for all meals.

RealEats doesn’t require you to buy into their subscription plans. If you don’t place an order by 11:59 pm Wednesday, the site generates an automatic order based on your last orders. You can pause or cancel the subscription any time you want.

Once the meals arrive, they last up to seven days in the refrigerator.

They also list a best-by date for the meals.

RealEats’ meals don’t require any preparation. You can eat them right out of the box.
Most companies deliver meal kits that require an additional 30 minutes to an hour to prepare.

The only customization option is to change the protein or the sides for another. Say you don’t like chicken and want to swap it for beef.

The packaging is created with recyclable materials and uses insulated packs with frozen gel packs.

The cost per meal goes down if the number of meals someone orders goes up. This is the same as with other meal-delivery services.

People can pause, skip, or cancel deliveries at any time.
Shipping is free.

RealEats uses simple, freshly-sourced ingredients. According to the website, they never use artificial sweeteners or preservatives- creating each meal using only a few ingredients.

The main dish uses one of these core proteins:

• Poultry
• Seafood
• River fish
• Beef
• Tofu

The dinner arrives with two additional side dishes, which can be either a grain-based side or use a starchy vegetable.

Here are the usual options for vegetarian sides:

• Butternut squash
• Sauteed vegetables
• Mashed potatoes
• Green peas
• Honey glazed carrots
• Red cabbage coleslaw
• Chickpeas
• Corn and cilantro

You get multiple rice choices, grits, and quinoa for grain-based side dishes.

People can swap any protein or vegetable side for another option to suit their tastes.

People can place meal pouches into boiling water or a microwave. Each meal takes less than 6 minutes to cook.

Add-ons may include:

• Breakfast items like blueberry oatmeal or rancheros frittata
• Soups like four-bean chili or ginger-carrot soups
• Meat entrees have 2-3 servings like salmon filets, duck breast
• Extra side dishes can be roasted cauliflower, creamy grits, mashed potato
• The snacks can include peanut butter bars, smoothies, and soups

If you have a condition that requires you to get gluten-free meals, low-calorie options, or paleo meals, RealEats can help you.

The site lists nutritional information for each meal they serve. This can help your selection.
RealEats offers only scant vegetarian/vegan meal choices. The downside to this is your meals aren’t completely balanced.

If you want more of those meals, you must choose another service serving more plant-based meals.

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RealEats’s meals routinely have more than 600 calories. This makes it suitable for maintaining a body mass index right for most people.

On average, the daily calorie requirement for adult females is 1600 calories and 2000 calories for adult males, according to the National Health Service(NHS).

If females consume less than 1500 calories and males less than 2000 calories per day, they can lose half a pound in weight each week.

RealEats’ meals provide a balanced meal while not restricting calories by too much.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)  report shows that in a healthy balanced diet, there are fruits, whole grains, dairy, and vegetables.

It includes foods low in saturated fat like fish, eggs, and poultry.

The meals are healthy and nutritious, with ample protein and some vegetables.

A busy lifestyle can often limit the time we spend cooking. RealEats attempts to be a healthier alternative that helps you cook meals requiring very little preparation.

The meals you get from RealEats are much more nutritious than what you get off fast food counters. The low-calorie counts make them a great option for anyone who wants to lose weight.

Pros

• Plenty of meal variety in meals
• You get add-ons, dinner entrees, snacks, breakfasts, soups, and side dishes
• You can order from multiple sizes and options
• Uses seasonal, quality produce and local ingredients
• Free delivery with all meal plans

Cons

• Doesn’t work with specific diets or dietary restrictions
• The meals are produced in a facility that processes allergens
• The ingredients aren’t all organic
• The delivery isn’t made to all US states

RealEats doesn’t offer meals that are catered to specific diets, you get a full list of ingredients for each menu item that you can fit dietary preferences.

Vegan, vegetarian, and keto options are limited.

Real Eats offers plans that provide 4, 6, 8, or 12 dinners weekly. You can select a plan with or without breakfast options.

The pricing is as follows:

• 4 dinners: $14.99 per meal or $39.96 total
• 4 dinners and 4 breakfasts: $9.99 per meal
• 6 dinners: $12.99 per meal or $63.96  total
• 6 dinners and 6 breakfasts: $8.99 per meal
• 8 dinners: $11.99 per meal or $87.92  total
• 8 dinners and 8 breakfasts: $8.49 per meal
• 12 dinners: $10.99 per meal or $135.84 total
• 12 dinners and 12 breakfasts: $7.99 per meal

However when you are starting you get huge discounts. This is what the pricing structure with discounts looks like:

• 4 dinners: $8 per meal
• 4 dinners and 4 breakfasts: $7 per meal
• 6 dinners: $7.25 per meal
• 12 dinners: $6.75 per meal

RealEats ingredient sourcing makes it stand out from the rest of the pack. They use independent farms that provide them with high-quality local supplies.

Although not all ingredients are organic, most are free of GMO foods.

Real Eats doesn’t say on its site if the meals are directed toward one particular type of diet or allow for weight loss.

However, each meal has nutritional details that can help promote weight loss.

Most meals are also protein-rich, with 55 grams or more protein in a single serving. Increased protein intake can reduce your appetite and make you feel less hungry.

The plans are affordable, with meals starting at $9.99 per meal. They are a good, easy, and affordable option.

Several low-calorie meals are available for you to try out and lose weight.

RealEats, as a meal-delivery service, focuses on healthy, high-quality meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The meals keep rotating, adding new variety and fresh flavors according to the season.