Our tester found Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon to be a great option for people looking to cook satisfying and comforting meals at home. However, it isn’t ideal if you have certain dietary needs or preferences.
Healthline meal delivery score: 4.2 out of 5
Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon is a meal kit delivery service comparable to HelloFresh and Home Chef.
It offers balanced, easy-to-prepare meals for couples or families and provides vegetarian options. The service allows you to choose from a generous variety of more than 100 meals each week.
However, it may not be the best fit for people with specific dietary needs.
Healthline Nutrition Editor Kelli McGrane, MS, RD, tried Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon to help you decide whether it’s the right meal kit delivery service for you.
Healthline review scorecardOne Healthline tester scored Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon across ten categories and allotted points from 0–5. The scores below reflect the average rating for each category.
- Overall: 4.2
- Sign-up, delivery, and cancelation processes: 4
- Meal variety: 4.5
- Nutrition: 4.5
- Sustainability: 5
- Ingredient quality and freshness: 4
- Ease of preparation: 4
- Taste: 4.5
- Affordability: 3
Learn more about how we test meal kits.
Disclaimer: Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon provided Healthline with a free press box. All opinions are our own and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the meal delivery service company.
What is Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon?
Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon, more commonly known just as Marley Spoon, is a popular meal kit delivery service. The company launched in 2014 but joined forces with businesswoman and lifestyle influencer Martha Stewart in 2016 to offer her recipes.
Each week, members can choose from a large selection of more than 100 meals, many of which are family-friendly or quick and easy to prepare.
Although the service does not offer specific meal plans, the weekly options include some meals that are OK for low carb, low calorie, vegetarian, and vegan diets.
Boxes are delivered weekly and include recipe cards and preportioned ingredients. The company also makes it easy to skip weeks or cancel your subscription anytime.
Pros and cons at a glance
Pros
- preportioned ingredients for quick and easy prep
- more than 100 meal options each week
- some breakfast and dessert options
- vegetarian plan available
- flavorful, comforting meals
- diet-related labels to help customers find suitable recipes
- recyclable or reusable shipping materials
Cons
- $9.99 shipping fee for each delivery
- no specialized meal plan options other than vegetarian
- not appropriate for people with severe food allergies or strict dietary needs
- some recipes less nutritionally balanced than others
Who tried it
- Name: Kelli McGrane, MS, RD
- Role: Healthline Nutrition Editor
- Dietary needs and preferences: flexitarian
- Meal-time preferences: make-ahead, one-pan, and 30-minute weeknight meals and recipes that are toddler-friendly
In addition to being a registered dietitian, I’m also a cookbook author and previously worked as a recipe developer.
As a nutrition editor, I’ve reviewed countless meal and grocery delivery services. I’ve also tried more than 25 of the most popular meal delivery services on the market.
As someone who grew up watching Martha Stewart cooking shows on TV and has made several of her recipes in the past, I was curious — and excited — to put Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon to the (taste) test!
My experience
Sign-up, meal selection, and cancelation processes
Tester score: 4 out of 5
Signing up was a breeze. I simply selected the number of people I’d be cooking for and the number of meals I wanted to receive that week.
However, unlike some other meal kits, like Sunbasket or Green Chef, the only customization option at this stage is to make your box vegetarian-friendly.
While I received my meals for free, the next steps would have been to enter my location, set my delivery preferences, and add my payment information.
Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon offers a rotating selection of more than 100 recipes each week, and you have total control over which recipes you receive in your shipment.
Most of the recipes are dinner entrees. However, the service occasionally offers appetizers, holiday foods, desserts, and breakfast items.
What’s more, Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon allows you to add extra protein to your order if you need it. Extra protein options come in variety packs, which can include items such as burger patties, steak, chicken, salmon, and shrimp.
While the service does not offer diet-specific menus, it does include several labels on each recipe to help you identify meals that suit your dietary needs and cooking preferences.
Some examples of labels are Low-Calorie, Under 30 Minutes, Kid Friendly, Healthy, Nutritious, and One Pot Meal.
If you need to change, skip a delivery, or cancel your subscription completely, you can easily do so by logging into your account online or in the app.
Meal variety
Tester score: 4.5 out of 5
Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon’s menu changes weekly, with more than 100 recipes to choose from. While the menu was a bit daunting, I had no issue finding recipes that appealed to my taste buds and was happy with the wide variety of ingredients and flavor combinations offered.
With that said, without filters or diet-specific menus, it took me a while to select my meals.
Delivery and packaging
Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon delivers to most of the United States, except for Hawaii and Alaska. The service ships weekly, and — if it’s available in your area — you can choose the best delivery day and time for you each week. Some areas may have only one available delivery day.
My meals were delivered on a Wednesday and arrived in good condition. None of the ingredients were bruised or spoiled, and all the correct ingredients were included.
As with most meal kit services, the items arrived in a recyclable cardboard box that contained ice packs to keep the ingredients cold. However, the service was unique in that while most items were loose in the box, all the pantry items were together in a brown paper bag.
Sustainability
Tester score: 5 out of 5
Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon’s shipping materials are recyclable or reusable. If you want to recycle the ice packs rather than reuse them, you’ll need to throw away the gel filling before recycling the liner.
Additionally, the company participates in a number of carbon offset projects to help reduce its carbon footprint. According to ClimatePartner, the company is carbon-neutral.
Nutritional quality
Tester score: 4.5 out of 5
As a dietitian, I think it’s important to point out that several Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon meals fall more into the “comfort food” category and are not necessarily well-balanced.
However, the company does include labels like Nutritious and Healthy to help you select meals that better suit your health goals.
Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon does not offer meal plan options that cater exclusively to certain dietary needs except for the option to make your box vegetarian.
The menu includes at least six vegetarian recipes each week, which is suitable for people following a vegetarian diet.
However, vegan options are much more limited since many vegetarian recipes feature dairy.
Each week’s menu includes two or three recipes labeled “low calorie.” These have fewer than 650 calories per serving. The service also offers some low carb selections each week.
However, if you need more than two or three of these meals each week, it may be difficult to fill your weekly box.
The company labels some recipes “dairy-free” or “no added gluten,” but Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon says it cannot guarantee that there is no cross-contamination with allergens or gluten.
Therefore, if you have severe food allergies or follow a strict gluten-free diet, Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon might not be a good fit for you.
Ingredient quality and freshness
Tester score: 4 out of 5
Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon recipes include fresh produce and meat, a variety of grains such as rice and pasta, and premade sauces or premixed seasoning blends.
According to the company’s website, it sources seasonal vegetables and works with “trusted suppliers” to source animal proteins. Many spice blends and sauces may also highlight local ingredients or seasonal offerings.
However, the service isn’t ideal if you prefer to eat mostly organic or prioritize higher quality ingredients, like grass-fed beef or sustainable seafood.
To optimize freshness, the service recommends cooking seafood recipes within 1–2 days of receiving the box, ground meat and chicken recipes within 2–3 days of receiving the box, and all other recipes within 3–5 days.
All the items I received appeared to be fresh and of good quality.
Ease of prep
Tester score: 4 out of 5
I received three meals, all of which were flavorful and easy to make.
The recipe cards were easy to follow, and I found that the timing and order of the steps made sense and helped the different components of the meal come together at the right time.
Two meals were designed to be one-pan meals, which would have been really convenient. However, I had recently moved and didn’t have quick access to an oven-safe skillet. As a result, I ended up using a skillet and a baking pan for both recipes.
Still, as written, all three recipes were designed for easy prep and cleanup — a big plus for busy families.
Taste
Tester score: 4.5 out of 5
We received recipes designed to feed two people. However, after my husband, my 20-month-old, and I had eaten, we still ended up with leftovers after each meal.
Here are some notes about each recipe:
- Fast! Chana Masala: As advertised, this meal was super quick and easy to make. I found it very flavorful, though my husband would have preferred a bit more heat. I was skeptical about the precooked rice and was pleasantly surprised to find it perfectly chewy and not at all dry.
- Vegetable Pot Pie: This was my favorite recipe, as the flavors were just so rich and comforting. The rosemary biscuits, in particular, were delicious, and I’ve since made the biscuit recipe on my own several times.
- Corn and Poblano Enchiladas: This recipe was my son’s favorite, as he loved the soft flour tortillas and the slightly spicy bean mixture. I accidentally left the corn on the stove a bit too long, but the charred flavor paired really well with the roasted poblano peppers. I did end up adding a dollop of Greek yogurt to help with the spiciness and a dollop of homemade guacamole for extra flavor (and nutrition).
Is Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon worth subscribing to?
Overall score: 4.2 out of 5
Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon offers comforting, family-friendly recipes that are mostly quick and easy to make.
While some dishes are more nutritious than others, the company includes diet-related labels to help you select recipes that better fit your dietary needs and preferences.
If you and your family regularly dine out, the service could help you save money. However, it’s still more expensive than planning and cooking meals at home.
Additionally, if you’re following a specific diet or have severe allergies, you may want to consider a service that caters directly to your needs.
Overall, Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon may be worth the money if you value the convenience of meal kit delivery, enjoy cooking, and do not have specific dietary needs.
How much does Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon cost?
The price per serving for Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon is based on how many servings you receive per week, and shipping costs $9.99, regardless of your order.
Here is a breakdown of the per-serving prices (before promotional discounts) at the time of publication:
| 2 people | 4 people | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 meals per week | $15.99 | $11.99 |
| 3 meals per week | $12.99 | $10.99 |
| 4 meals per week | $11.99 | $10.74 |
| 5 meals per week | $11.19 | $10.59 |
| 6 meals per week | $10.99 | $9.19 |
Keep in mind that the service regularly offers promotional deals for first-time customers, which can reduce the cost to as low as $4.99 per serving, depending on the number of servings and meals you select.
Brand reputation and customer reviews
Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon has mixed reviews. The company has a 3.9 out of 5 star rating on Trustpilot — based on over 4,000 reviews — but an “F” rating with the Better Business Bureau.
Happy customers say they appreciate the wide selection of meals and find the service convenient. They also note that they typically don’t have issues with ingredients being damaged or their orders being wrong or late.
However, some reviews are less positive. Common complaints include payment issues, late deliveries, and poor quality ingredients, such as bruised or spoiled produce.
Alternatives to consider
Here is a quick look at how Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon compares with some other popular meal kit delivery services:
| Service (Healthline score) | Price per serving | Shipping | Meal type | Special diets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon (4.2) | $8.69–$12.99 | $9.99 | meal kits | • healthy • low calorie • low carb • vegan • vegetarian |
| Blue Apron (4.4) | $7.99–$12.49 | $10.99 | meal kits | • vegetarian • low carb • pescatarian |
| HelloFresh (4.2) | $9.99–$11.49 | $9.99 | meal kits | • low carb • pescatarian • reduced calorie • vegetarian |
| Home Chef (4.3) | $9.99–$11.99 | $10.99 | • meal kits • prepared and oven-ready meals | • low carb • reduced calorie • vegetarian |
| Sunbasket (4.6) | • Meal kits: $11.49–$25.99 • Prepared meals: $9.99–$12.99 | $9.99 | • meal kits • single-serving prepared meals | • diabetes-friendly • gluten-free • low carb •Mediterranean • paleo • pescatarian • reduced calorie • vegetarian |
Frequently asked questions
Marley Spoon was founded by entrepreneur Fabian Siegel and is part of MMM Consumer Brands, Inc. The company also owns Dinnerly, a budget-friendly meal delivery service.
Marley Spoon’s fulfillment centers are located in New Jersey, Texas, and California. Your delivery is shipped from the fulfillment center that is closest to you.
You can skip, change, or cancel your order by logging into your account on the company’s website or app.
To change your order, simply go to “Orders” and then “Edit recipes.” Similarly, to skip a week, click on “Orders” and then “Skip order” under the order you would like to skip.
Just keep in mind that you must edit or skip your order by the deadline each week, or you will be charged for the next order. This deadline day will depend on your designated delivery day.
To cancel your subscription, you can go to the “My account” tab, click “Settings,” and then click “Stop subscription.”
The bottom line
Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon is a meal kit delivery service that highlights fresh and local produce and offers vegetarian options.
During our taste test, all the ingredients arrived in good condition, and the meals were both flavorful and easy to prepare.
However, the service might not be a good fit if you have severe food allergies or strict dietary needs. It’s also not ideal if you dislike cooking, and it’s more expensive than going grocery shopping and cooking meals from scratch.
Still, if you value the convenience of a meal delivery service and have no specific dietary needs, Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon is a promising option.
