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Not everyone can be a culinary wizard. And even if you love to cook, sometimes you just don’t have the time to make a meal appear BAM like Emeril. Enter: ICON Meals.
ICON Meals delivers a variety of ready-to-go meals and snacks right to your door. But are they really ICON-ic? Here are the deets.
ICON Meals is a food delivery service based in Texas. The meals arrive fully prepared — all you have to do is heat ’em up. While the service doesn’t offer a subscription, you can order customized meals based on your dietary needs and tastes.
Here’s a rundown of the pros and cons.
Pros
- No more meal prep!
- It’s super customizable.
- You can save money on impulse buys at the store.
- Delivery is available all across the United States, including Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico.
Cons
- It can get pricey.
- The food isn’t organic.
- Shipping isn’t included.
- Limited variety for sides.
- None of the meals are plant-based.
- Some reviewers claim the meals are bland.
ICON Meals offers a variety of meal plans. You can choose one of four boxes:
- Chef Box (12 assorted meals)
- Keto Box (12 keto-friendly meals)
- Lean Box (12 low fat, high protein meals)
- Lean Box XXL (24 low fat, high protein meals)
Meals arrive fully cooked and ready to heat. You can also freeze them for up to 6 months.
You can also buy:
- snacks
- a la carte items (like bulk protein or veggies)
- customized meals that let you pick a protein with two sides
The cost of ICON Meals will depend on the box you choose and any add-ons you get.
Here’s how much each box will set you back:
| Box | Total cost | Cost per meal |
| Chef Box | $119 | $9.91 |
| Keto Box | $119 | $9.91 |
| Lean Box | $109 | $9.08 |
| Lean Box XXL | $219 | $9.12 |
The prices of snacks also vary. The fan fave is 10/10 the protein popcorn, which is $12.99 ($3.24 per serving). It comes in fun flavors like Birthday Cake and Monster Mash Krunch 😋.
As for the a la carte options, you can choose from foods like:
- salmon for $22 ($5.50 per serving)
- brisket for $15 ($3.75 per serving)
- Spanish meatballs for $16.50 ($4.12 per serving)
- roasted turkey breast for 14.50 ($3.62 per serving)
FYI: The shipping cost depends on where in the U.S. you’re located. But the company does occasionally offer free shipping as part of seasonal promotions.
And the grand total is…
*drum roll*…It depends! The most affordable option is the Lean Box, which would cost about $476 per month if you ordered it for 4 weeks straight. But the customizable options and add-ons can bring your monthly total closer to $600.
Is it worth it?
Is ICON Meals really worth the dolla dolla bills? Well, it comes down to what’s important to you. It might be worth the cost if you:
- are on a high protein diet
- want ready-to-go meals on the reg
- dig the idea of preproportioned meals
- want a full rundown of your nutritional intake
- don’t have time to cook or go grocery shopping
ICON Meals changes its menu every week. A sample 1-week menu might look like this:
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | |
| Breakfast | egg whites with Beyond Meat Vegan Patty and red potatoes | egg whites with brisket and sweet potatoes | whole egg with steak and home-style protein pancakes | whole egg with turkey bacon and oatmeal | egg whites with ground turkey and red potatoes | egg whites with chicken and sweet potatoes | whole egg with ground bison and home-style protein pancakes |
| Lunch | cod with asparagus and brown rice | chicken with broccoli and quinoa | salmon with green beans and brown rice | steak with Kyoto blend veggies and jasmine saffron rice | shrimp with broccoli and white rice | ground beef with asparagus and sweet potatoes | brisket with gluten-free penne pasta and red potatoes |
| Dinner | beef enchilada bake | chicken broccoli alfredo | mushroom and beef pizza | pulled chicken bowl with cilantro lime rice | Tex-Mex beef | turkey pesto sliders | creamy pesto chicken with cheesy ravioli |
| Snack | Wagyu beef bar | ICON Popped Protein Crisps BBQ | banana split protein popcorn | ICON Popped Protein Crisps sour cream & onion | dark chocolate sea salt protein popcorn | ICON Popped Protein Crisps nacho cheese | peanut butter vanilla protein popcorn |
ICON Meals’ packaging is 100 percent recyclable from start to finish, according to the company’s website:
- The cardboard boxes aren’t treated and don’t have surface chemicals.
- The thermal lining is made with nontoxic, eco-friendly recycled water bottles.
- The plastic food trays are made from water bottle caps collected in recycling programs.
Things get a little less green when it comes to the food, though. ICON Meals doesn’t claim to use ethically or locally sourced ingredients. Also, the food is not organic.
ICON Meals isn’t the only delivery game in town. Here’s how it stacks up to other popular meal-to-door services.
| Brand | Does it come prepared? | Cost per serving | Is delivery included? |
|---|---|---|---|
| ICON Meals | yes | $9.08–$15 | no |
| Home Chef | no | $7.49–$9.94 | free with deliveries of $40 or more |
| Snap Kitchen | yes | $9.58–$11.67 | free with weekly meal subscription |
| Fresh n’ Lean | yes | $9.33–$12.33 | yes |
When it comes to delivery meal services, ICON Meals is a safe bet. The service offers customizable boxes filled with prepped meals. All you have to do is heat them up and get your nom on.
But it does come with a steep price tag compared with cooking at home, so make sure to weigh that against the benefits.
P.S. You should talk with your doc before making a major change to your diet, especially if you have any health conditions that might be a factor.
