Des Moines runs on pork tenderloin sandwiches the size of your head and sweet corn from farms 20 minutes outside city limits. The Iowa State Fair brings a million people every August for deep-fried everything. But the city's food scene has grown past Maid-Rite loose meat sandwiches, East Village now has farm-to-table spots like Centro and St. Kilda, and the craft brewery scene rivals cities twice this size. The problem is your desk lunch at Principal Financial or Wells Fargo doesn't leave time to actually enjoy any of it.
Too busy to read? Here's the move:
- Don't want to cook at all? Factor. 2 minutes in the microwave, actually tastes good. ($11.49/meal, 50% off first box)
- Broke but tired of Kum & Go sandwiches? Dinnerly. $4.69/meal is cheaper than anything at Hy-Vee that isn't ramen. (60% off first box)
- Bored of eating the same thing? CookUnity. 300+ dishes from real chefs. Korean BBQ short ribs one night, truffle risotto the next.
- Feeding a whole household in Ankeny or Waukee? Home Chef. Portions for up to 6, solid Kroger-backed coverage across the suburbs.
- Want local Des Moines food? Fresh Fit Meals. Dietitian-designed, ready-to-eat, three locations (Urbandale, Ankeny). Des Moines-owned since 2016.
Des Moines proper is compact, if you live in Sherman Hill, Beaverdale, Highland Park, or East Village, every service on this page delivers without issues. Factor and Home Chef cover the entire metro including Ankeny, Waukee, Johnston, and West Des Moines. CookUnity is strong downtown and in the close suburbs but gets inconsistent once you're past Jordan Creek Town Center in West Des Moines. Dinnerly covers most ZIP codes but I've seen delivery delays in outer Ankeny past I-35. If you're in Urbandale or Windsor Heights, you're fine with all of them. If you're in Altoona or Pleasant Hill, check the service's coverage map before getting excited.
Every intro deal available in Des Moines right now
What's actually on the menu this week
Real meals delivering to Des Moines right now, from national services and local kitchens
Our picks at a glance
How I actually tested these (no, seriously)
Scores are updated quarterly. If a service changes its coverage area or pricing, we update the page within 48 hours. Have a correction? Email eric@mealfan.com.
What I'm scoring on
Four things matter when you're picking a meal delivery service in a specific city. Here's how I weight them:
Every service is scored out of 100. Full transparency: some of the links on this page are affiliate links, which means I earn a commission if you sign up. But that never changes the rankings. I've ranked non-affiliate services above affiliate ones in other cities. The methodology is the same everywhere.
Des Moines-specific stuff that matters
Let's talk about what you're actually spending on food
Be honest with yourself. Open your DoorDash history right now. A burger at Zombie Burger downtown is $14. Add a side of Zombie Fries, a drink, DoorDash fees, and tip, you just paid $32 for lunch. Do that four times a week and you spent $512 this month on burgers that arrived cold. Factor meals are $11.49 each with the intro discount, ready in 2 minutes, and they actually taste like someone cooked them. Dinnerly is $4.69/meal. That's cheaper than a gas station sandwich from the Kum & Go on Ingersoll. If you're still spending $40/week on Grubhub and complaining about Des Moines cost of living, the problem isn't the city.
Which one should you actually get?
| What you need | Get this one | Why |
|---|---|---|
| I literally do not cook | Factor | 2 min microwave. That's it. Done. |
| I'm broke | Dinnerly | $4.69/meal. Less than a coffee at Frothy Monkey. |
| I get bored eating the same thing | CookUnity | 300+ dishes. New chefs every week. Never the same meal twice. |
| I care about what's actually in my food | Sunbasket | 98% organic. Dietitian-designed. Ingredients you can pronounce. |
| Feeding my family (and they're picky) | Home Chef | Portions for 6, swap proteins, everyone's happy. |
| I actually enjoy cooking | Blue Apron | $7.99/meal, solid recipes, you're the chef. |
| I want to support Des Moines businesses | Music City Meals | Des Moines-based, TN farms, macro-labeled. Scroll down for 3 more locals. |
The full lineup, side by side
| Service | Rating | Starting price | Type | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FactorTop pick HelloFresh Group* |
★★★★½90/100 | $11.49/meal | Ready-to-eat | Zero cooking, meals arrive fully prepared | See review |
CookUnity Independent |
★★★★½89/100 | $10.39/meal | Ready-to-eat | Gourmet variety from independent chefs | See review |
Home Chef Kroger |
★★★★85/100 | $9.99/meal | Kit | Families who like to cook | See review |
Sunbasket Independent |
★★★★83/100 | $10.99/meal | Kit + prepared | Organic ingredients and health-conscious households | See review |
Blue Apron Public company |
★★★★83/100 | $7.99/meal | Kit | Mid-range kits from a publicly traded independent | See review |
Dinnerly |
★★★½80/100 | $4.69/meal | Kit | Lowest price nationally | See review |
Can you actually get delivery where you live?
This is the part most review sites skip. "Des Moines delivery" means different things to different services. Here's the real coverage breakdown:
How Des Moines compares to other southern cities
Des Moines's meal delivery market is growing. You can compare coverage and services across different metros.
Full reviews
Every service below delivers to Des Moines. Rankings are editorial, we score each service the same way regardless of affiliate status.
Open the box, microwave for 2 minutes, eat something that doesn't taste like it came from a hospital cafeteria. This is the one I kept ordering. Meals last 5-7 days in the fridge, which matters when you work insurance hours at Principal and can't predict when you'll actually be home for dinner. The chicken pesto bowl is legitimately good. The portions are right-sized for one person, maybe a little small if you're 6'2" and genuinely hungry, but that's the tradeoff for convenience.
If Factor is reliable, CookUnity is exciting. Every meal comes from a named chef, not a factory line. Korean BBQ short ribs from Chef Alex, truffle mushroom risotto from Chef Maria. You can literally eat something different every single day for a month. The variety is unmatched. Coverage in Des Moines is decent downtown and in Beaverdale, Sherman Hill, but I wouldn't count on it if you live in Waukee or Johnston, check their map first.
The family option. If you're in Ankeny or Waukee with kids and a spouse, this is the move. Home Chef is backed by Kroger, so the coverage across Des Moines suburbs is rock solid. You do have to cook these, 25-45 minutes depending on the recipe, but the tradeoff is portions for up to 6 people and the ability to swap proteins. If your kid hates salmon, pick chicken instead. The recipes are clear and the ingredients show up pre-portioned.
The budget king, full stop. $4.69/meal is cheaper than a sad desk lunch from the Kum & Go on Ingersoll. If you're paying Des Moines rent and trying to save money, this is it. The recipes are simpler, you're not getting truffle oil or fancy garnishes, but that's the tradeoff. Six ingredients, 30 minutes, and you ate real food for under $5. The 60% off first box makes it basically free to try.
Des Moines-based meal services (3 found)
These services are based in Des Moines, founded here, operating here, and in some cases sourcing ingredients here. No other review site covers these. We researched each one individually.
Dietitian-designed and chef-crafted ready-to-eat meals available for next-day delivery or walk-in pickup at three Des Moines metro locations. Over 40 meals on rotation weekly with a 95% gluten-free menu.
Pre-prepped freezer meals where all the prep work is done, you just combine ingredients and cook. Fresh and frozen options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Hearty portions serve 5-6 adults for full-size meals.
Healthy and flavorful meals prepared fresh weekly by Chef Brandy, including freezer meals, grab-and-go lunch items, and fresh-baked goods. Located in Des Moines at 1938 SE 6th St.
Des Moines's food culture is one of the most distinctive in the U.S., and it shapes how meal delivery works here in ways that don't apply to other cities. Understanding this helps you pick the right service.
Why meal delivery matters in Des Moines right now
Des Moines runs on pork tenderloin sandwiches the size of your head and sweet corn from farms 20 minutes outside city limits. The Iowa State Fair brings a million people every August for deep-fried everything. But the city's food scene has grown past Maid-Rite loose meat sandwiches, East Village now has farm-to-table spots like Centro and St. Kilda, and the craft brewery scene rivals cities twice this size. The problem is your desk lunch at Principal Financial or Wells Fargo doesn't leave time to actually enjoy any of it.
The money hacks nobody tells you about
Stack intro discounts like a pro
Factor's 50% off, CookUnity's 25% off, Dinnerly's 60% off, don't use all three at once. Use Factor for your first two weeks, pause it. Jump to CookUnity, get their discount. Then Dinnerly. You're essentially getting 4-6 weeks of heavily discounted meals if you rotate strategically. After the intro period, stick with whoever fits your budget best.
Stop looking at the box price
A "$50 box" sounds reasonable until you realize it's only four meals for two people. That's $6.25/serving, not $50 total. Factor at $11.49/meal is more expensive than Dinnerly at $4.69/meal, but both are cheaper than Uber Eats markup. Do the math before you subscribe.
Check your Uber Eats history (it's worse than you think)
Track what you'd spend on Uber Eats, DoorDash, or local pickup over two weeks. Honestly track it. If you're averaging $40/day ($560/month), even Factor at full price ($11.49 × 4 meals × 7 days = $322/month) is a win. If you're eating cheap tacos most nights ($8/day), meal delivery costs more.
Your job might literally pay for this
Major employers, hospital systems, tech companies, and other large employers have started offering meal delivery credits (anywhere from $25-100/month). Ask HR. Some cover meal kits as a wellness benefit. If you can get even partial subsidy, the math gets way better.
The pause button is your best friend
Traveling to Memphis for a weekend? Your family's coming to town and eating out. Broke week. Use the pause button instead of canceling. Pause for one or two weeks, then restart. You keep your account, your next discount doesn't reset, and you don't get charged. Most people don't know this exists.
Real talk: should you even get meal delivery?
I'm not going to pretend meal delivery is for everyone. Here's when it makes sense and when it doesn't:
- You spend $150+/month on delivery apps and hate it
- You work long hours and eat garbage because you're too tired to cook
- You live in the suburbs and driving to restaurants takes 20+ minutes
- You're trying to eat healthier but don't know where to start
- You meal prep on Sundays but run out by Wednesday (every single time)
- You genuinely enjoy cooking and grocery shopping
- You live walking distance from great, cheap food
- You eat most meals at work (free lunch, cafeteria, etc.)
- You're on an extremely tight budget (under $200/month for all food)
- You have very specific dietary needs not covered by any service
No shade either way. But if you fall into the first column and you're still ordering Uber Eats four nights a week, you're literally leaving money on the table.
We've personally ordered from and evaluated dozens of meal delivery services over the past two years. For Des Moines, IA, we verify delivery coverage with real zip codes, compare actual per-serving costs (not just advertised prices), and assess menu variety and flexibility. Our scores reflect what a real customer in Des Moines would actually experience.
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