Grocery shopping can be stressful and includes more steps than you might think. Not only do you have to figure out what to make either for the day or the week, but you need to find time to get the groceries, and then on top of that, you want to ensure you aren’t buying too much so that it doesn’t go to waste. Not to mention the increased costs of groceries, making food waste even more upsetting knowing you paid so much.
Fortunately, food subscription boxes now save you time on groceries, provide only what you need for a recipe and help you through the steps of a pre-planned recipe. These subscription boxes are now readily offered by various companies, so this list will help you decide what is best for your needs.
Subscription boxes are not limited to home-meal kits either; snack boxes, drink boxes and even skin care options exist.
What Is A Food Subscription Box?
There are a variety of food subscription boxes available in Canada, from precooked meals to pre-portioned ingredients alongside recipes, snacks, and drink boxes. These boxes also include options for vegetarian or vegan meals, easy-to-make options, low-carb options and many more. Unfortunately, there may be fewer options for those who need a specific diet, like, if you are celiac.
These subscriptions often deliver weekly, a couple of times a week or only once a month if that’s what you prefer.
These boxes are made for convenience, and if you don’t know how to cook or where to start, these are also great for beginners to get the hang of cooking and the different ingredients needed.
There are even options to gift subscription boxes, more in the snack and drink realm, but still, a great find if you want to try new things that may not be readily offered in your grocery stores.
Often the recipes and meals offered are healthier than a frozen pizza or frozen dinners. They come pre-portioned, so you do not waste food by letting it sit in the fridge, and they arrive fresh! I recommend freezing any fish and poultry you receive if you do not cook it that day, as they are the most likely to go bad.
Best Food Subscription Boxes in Canada
GoodFood
GoodFood is the subscription box my family and I use; it has made my life a lot easier in terms of planning what to make and what to buy and saves a lot of time out of my day as a student whose focus is more on studying than groceries.
GoodFood offers slightly less costly options ranging from $11-$15 per meal. They offer two to four recipes for two to four people. They also have free delivery! You have a choice of recipes and receive ingredients and step-by-step instructions.
If you wish to avoid cooking, they also offer ready-to-eat meals, one being soups. Their ingredients are 85% from Canadian farms and local businesses, making it enticing for Canadians who wish to support Canadian businesses. Their options for recipes range from vegetarian, easy prep, and low-carb options, to name a few. I have even kept the recipe cards, so if I choose, I can remake some of the recipes on my own!
You can skip weeks or stop deliveries if you do not feel you need them for a particular week or if you are on vacation.
Unfortunately, GoodFood boxes come with quite a bit of packaging, but on the bright side, you can recycle everything! Even the ice pack. Little side note for the ice pack: you defrost it first and dump the contents in the garbage, then you can recycle the package (I made the mistake of dumping the contents down the sink the first time, thinking it was simply water, maybe a dumb mistake but hopefully one you won’t make :)).
HelloFresh
Pricing includes the number of meals you want, from their Pronto plan to their Family plan, ranging from three to five and for how many people, ranging from two to four. For example, the basic three meals a week for two cost around $73, and shipping is $9.99 for a total of $82.99. They also give discounts to first-time users, which you can find either on their website or through other promoters on social media.
HelloFresh might be the best-known subscription box out there, with the option to pick how many recipes and which recipes you want. Once selected, you can choose what week you wish to receive the subscription box and what week you want to skip if you have a lot of plans on eating out or going away for a while.
HelloFresh is available across Canada and offers different options based on a diet like vegan, keto or even Mediterranean. The way HelloFresh works is you have choices of recipes you want to cook then they provide the ingredients and the recipes with step-by-step instructions. You have a selection of around 35 recipes per week, usually different, but if you use the service often, you might notice similarities as time goes on.
Chefs Plate
Chefs Plate is similar to the other food subscription boxes, with the options to choose from various recipes and ingredients, as well as step-by-step instructions that get sent to you weekly in a temperature-controlled box.
However, their options are more limited with Meat & Vegetables, Vegetarian and Family Friendly options. They offer two to five recipes per week for two to four people. The cheapest option, two recipes for two people, is around $45.96, going up from there.
Like the others, you can skip, pause or cancel anytime. However, their options are more limited than others and offer fewer diet-friendly options.
WeCook
Unlike the other home-meal kits, WeCook offers fresh ready-to-eat meals! These meals are made from locally sourced ingredients that are put together in zero-waste facilities. They are well-balanced and perfectly portioned!
Their primary options include meat. However, you get to pick the side dish with your protein like rice & vegetables, potatoes & vegetables, and vegetables. They do offer vegetarian options. However, they are limited to only 1 or 2 recipes per week; their main focus is meat.
How it works is that you choose the portion of the meat you want, 100g or 200g, then pick the number of meals you want a week.
Starting from:
- 6 meals/week for $13.28/meal
- 9 meals/week for $11.73/meal
- 14 meals/week for $11.82/meal
- 22 meals/week for $11.34/meal
You can also get 23-30 meals/week, although this may be more for corporate businesses to utilize for their employees.
They offer free shipping to Ontario and Quebec, unfortunately not to the other provinces; however, they still deliver to them.
Their motto is “We cook so you don’t have to”! Since all you have to do is heat the delicious pre-made meal. Great for lunches if you are in school or at work!
Canada’s Baking Box
This subscription box is a little different because rather than helping you with lunch or dinner, it will help you learn how to bake! Baking can sometimes be even more challenging than cooking from a recipe since sometimes it requires more patience and little wiggle room for error. Fortunately, there exists a boxing box to help!
Canada’s Baking Box has monthly subscriptions, or they also have the option to pay in advance for three, six, or twelve months. Regular monthly subscriptions are around $39, with shipping costing extra. Unfortunately, they only offer vegan baked goods, no gluten-free options.
Included in the boxes are pre-measured ingredients for baked goods and step-by-step recipes. Unlike other home meal kits, they offer video instructions every month to help with the baking process, too, so if you are getting stuck, you will have access to those.
Best Snack Subscription Boxes in Canada
Urthbox
Urthbox is a snack and beverage subscription box that delivers monthly. The boxes they offer are:
- 7-8 snacks for $29.99/month
- 14-16 snacks for $39.99/month
- 21-23 snacks for $49.99/month
- 28-30 snacks for $59.99/month
These prices do not include the $7.00 shipping fee. In addition, they provide snacks that are healthy, organic and non-GMO. Urthbox also has options for those with dietary restrictions and allergies, like gluten-free and vegan, but do not offer any specific customization options per box.
They also have a points system, so once you accumulate enough points, you can redeem them for the best snacks you love.
Snack Crate
Snack Crate is another monthly subscription box that offers snacks from all over the world! What is super cool about Snack Crate is that you get snacks from different countries. How it works is you get to pick the size of your box and choose a country you want to try snacks from! The options for boxes are:
- Mini: 5 snacks for $15/month
- Original: 10-12 snacks for $29/month
- Family: 18-20 snacks for $49/month
Shipping is not included in these prices. Like other subscription boxes, you can skip or pause the weeks you don’t have to receive snacks.
MunchPak
MunchPak is a monthly subscription box that provides a variety of snacks from all over the world. They also have an option for a one-time purchase. They have box options for 5, 10, or 20 snacks.
For the 5 snack options, their plans are:
- $16.95/month
- $47/85 for 3 months
- $89.70 for 6 months
- $155.40 for 12 months
Shipping costs are not included.
For their 10 and 20 snack options, there is also an additional feature to add a drink! In addition, each box comes with facts and information about the snack and the country.
Try the World
With this subscription box, you get a gourmet box of treats from around the world. In addition, you receive 10+ different international snacks. Unfortunately, they do not have options for dietary restrictions or picking the country where the snacks come from, but they are curated to bring high-quality products.
Subscription options are:
- $35/month
- $90 for 3 months
- $150 for 6 months
- $240 for 12 months
Shipping costs are not included.
If you only want one box, you can look at their gift options to see the available individual boxes.
Best Beverage Subscription Boxes in Canada
Canadian Craft Club
The Canadian Craft Club subscription boxes are different from other food options. This subscription option is for beer lovers or those interested in learning more about beer.
You choose your box based on your price range, lifestyle (if you have a nice cold beer after work or only on the weekends), and what tastes you prefer. Then, Canadian Craft Club picks your beers specially for you. The beer options come from mainly North America, so that you can try different beers you may have never even heard of.
Their options include:
- All Canadian Pack with different Canadian beers for $49.99/month
- Feature pack with different North American beers for $64.99/month
- Full Pack with different Canadian and North American beers for $99.99/month
The unfortunate aspect of getting beer delivered is you must sign for the package once born, which could make it challenging if you’re away. There are also no options for customization, so what you get is what you get. Maybe have a tasting with friends so the beers you don’t like as much can be pawned off to a friend.
PLEASE make sure you are of legal drinking age when purchasing this product. The website may ask you to upload a driver’s license picture to ensure they sell to an adult of legal age.
Coast To Coast Coffee
Coast To Coast Coffee is another neat subscription box for coffee lovers. What is cool about them is their weekly, bi-weekly, monthly and one-time subscription offers. In addition, they deliver fresh roasted, organic and fair trade coffee.
The different pricing is as follows:
- Weekly: 400g for $20/week
- Bi-Weekly: 400g for $21/bi-weekly
- Monthly: 400g for $22/monthly
- One Timer: 400g for $22
Shipping within Canada is free too! Another great feature is that they ship the product within 24 hours of being roasted, so you know your coffee will always arrive fresh!
Other Subscription Boxes in Canada
RawSpiceBar
RawSpiceBar has a monthly spice subscription service that delivers a two-ounce spice pack and a recipe that goes with the season to help you create a delicious dish!
You also receive a newsletter to show you where your spice comes from, its history and how it is usually used in meals. In addition, their packaging is eco-friendly, specifically from the company noissue.
The plans they offer are as follows:
- $12/month
- 3-month plan for $35
- 6-month plan for $63
- 9-month plan for $91
- Annual plan for $119
Shipping is not included in these prices.
For recipes, they have meat options and vegetarian options, but you do not get to pick your recipes like some of the home-meal kits.
Vegancuts
This company offers monthly snacks, drinks, and meals, and even a subscription box for vegan skin and body care products.
For food, they offer everything vegan, from mac and cheese to avocado chips and vegan chocolate. You get a minimum of 10 100% vegan and cruelty-free treats, and their subscriptions are easy to manage.
Their skincare boxes are valued at $60+ that include non-toxic ingredients. It is not makeup but skin and body care products such as cleansers, moisturizers etc. Each product is also 100% vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, and free of chemicals.
Your price options for both the food box and skincare box are:
- $27.95/month
- $25.95 for 3 months
- $24.95 for 6 months
Shipping is not included.
Picking the Subscription Box For You!
You have many options, and it’s not all about more than home-meal kits! Snack and beverage options are great if you want to try new things. They are great for gifting to friends too!
Price ranges vary, so you can easily find something within your budget while also treating yourself.