13 Of The Best Grocery Delivery Services To Use While Social Distancing

Buy only what you need, and tip well if you can.

If you're practicing social distancing, at a high risk of contracting the coronavirus, or just don't feel comfortable going to the market right now, there are a handful of awesome delivery services that will deliver meal kits and groceries right to your door. Just remember that when it comes to tipping, these delivery people are putting themselves at risk to work during a pandemic, and now is a great time to be generous if you have the means.

Just a heads up, many stores are experiencing shipping delays so be thoughtful about when you place your orders, and only buy what you need.

1. Sun Basket

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Sun Basket's focus is on organic ingredients, and you can customize your deliveries to specific diets like pescatarian or gluten-free. This service is ideal for home cooks who want to make sophisticated and satisfying meals. The menus are made up of globally inspired recipes that you might not come up with on your own like sesame-crusted salmon with scallions and butter chicken with basmati rice pilaf.

Order your first delivery from Sun Basket (meal kits begin at $10.99 per serving).

2. Instacart

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This start-up serves cities around the country from New York to Houston, offering same-day grocery delivery. To get started, just enter your zip code and start browsing through products. Instacart also rounds up a handful of coupons you can apply to your purchase. In light of the spread of COVID-19, Instacart has announced a plan to hire an additional 300,000 employees to meet growing demand and help Americans with their grocery shopping.

Order your groceries today from Instacart.

3. Peapod

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Stop and Shop's delivery service is available in most cities nationwide, and it allows you to do all of your grocery shopping with the click of a button. The user-friendly website allows you to browse by aisle and it highlights money-saving specials and coupons. It also keeps track of your previous orders so you can re-order groceries in an instant, and it suggests new products based on your past favorites.

Order your groceries today from Peapod.

4. Whole Foods Delivery

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Whole Food fans loyalists skip the lines and the hassle and still enjoy all their favorite groceries, thanks to an in-house delivery service. Just look for your local Whole Foods store using the search bar and put together your grocery cart. Anyone can access Whole Foods' delivery, but Amazon Prime members benefit from free two-hour delivery.

Order your groceries today from Whole Foods Market.

5. Hungryroot

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Hungryroot takes a modern and health-conscious approach to grocery shopping. To begin, you'll tell Hungryroot a bit about yourself and your dietary preferences. Then, they'll help you curate a grocery list full of carefully vetted and nutritious products (think: spiralized zucchini noodles, chickpea pasta, and so much more). Finally, they send you those groceries to stock your fridge along with easy recipes that are meant to be cooked in about 10 minutes.

Order your first delivery from Hungryroot (starting at $59 per delivery).

6. Shipt

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This company ships all your favorite products from big name retailers around the country from CVS and Petco to Target and Costco so it's not limited to just groceries. Need socks, cat food, cleaning products, or so much more? Shipt has you covered. As an added bonus, Shipt also offers alcohol delivery. If you live in an urban area and need your groceries in a hurry, you can opt for same-day delivery.

Order your groceries today from Shipt.

7. Thrive Market

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If you're one who usually sticks to the organic aisle, you'll probably love Thrive Market. A membership gives you access to this online marketplace full of affordable, organic, and high-quality foods. To get started, you'll answer a series of questions like who you're cooking for, if you have dietary restrictions, and what you usually shop for. Then, Thrive will help you organize your perfect grocery cart made up of of anything from avocado oil and almond flour to sustainable seafood and free-range meat.

Sign up for a Thrive Market membership for $5 per month.

8. Blue Apron

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The OG meal kit delivery service, Blue Apron is perfect for those who want to make easy, no-fuss dinners at an affordable price point. All the ingredients — from the olive oil to the produce — is perfectly portioned so you won't have any waste. The boxes serve either two or four people, and you can choose to have two, three or four meals per week. Expect crowd-pleasing recipes like chicken and rice bowls, one-pot pastas, and stir-fries.

Order your first delivery from Blue Apron (meal kits begin at $7.49 per serving).

9. Purple Carrot

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If you're vegetarian or just hoping to cut back on your meat intake, Purple Carrot could be great for you. This service delivers ingredients to make exciting plant-based meals right to your door. Boxes can be customized to make two or four servings per week, and they include ingredients for creative, meatless recipes you probably wouldn't think of on your own such as Korean tofu tacos, stuffed Tuscan-style zucchini, roasted cauliflower steaks, and more.

Order your first delivery from Purple Carrot (meal kits begin at 8.99 per serving).

10. Dinnerly

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One of the most affordable meal kits on the market, Dinnerly delivers the ingredients for simple and convenient meals (think: steak tacos, cheesy chicken quesadillas, and deep dish pizza). Most recipes call for just a handful of ingredients, so you can expect to get dinner on the table quickly. While not the most adventurous of flavors, Dinnerly is a good option for families with young kids or picky eaters.

Order your first delivery from Dinnerly (meal kits begin at 4.49 per serving).

11. Martha & Marley Spoon

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This meal kit by Martha Stewart offers a weekly menu with 22 recipes to choose from, and all the meals are supposed to come together in 30 minutes. Martha & Marley Spoon strikes a good balance between familiar flavors (for example, Mediterranean roasted veggie flatbread) and more adventurous recipes (like Kung Pao cauliflower or Vietnamese shrimp and noodle bowls).

Order your first delivery from Martha & Marley Spoon (meal kits begin at 7.49 per serving).

12. Home Chef

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The appeal of Home Chef lies in its simplicity. Each week you can expect about a dozen fast and no-fuss recipes calling for basic proteins and grains that will appease most picky eaters. Your box could contain the ingredients for dinners like honey mustard-glazed salmon, chicken Florentine pasta, or more. Another highlight is that every menu features a few quick meals that can be whipped up in about 15 minutes, perfect for busy people or those who just don't love to cook.

Order your first delivery from Home Chef (meal kits begin at $6.99 per serving).

13. HelloFresh

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One of the more popular meal delivery kits available, HelloFresh delivers high quality, portioned ingredients for either two or four people. The recipes are easy to follow, and most portions are generous so you can enjoy one night's dinner as the next day's lunch. What we like best is the diversity of the weekly menus: Any given week you can choose from simple, comforting recipes like mushroom penne to more advanced meals like barramundi with salsa verde.

Order your first delivery from HelloFresh (meal kits begin at $7.49 per serving).