The best meal kits for people with allergies, including yours

If you are allergic to one or more types of food, you're probably used to being extra careful during those weekly grocery shopping trips. Concocting a delicious meal that's also safe for food allergies shouldn't be a big, stress-inducing hurdle. That's why we singled out the best allergy-friendly meal kits like Home Chef -- which lets you swap out certain ingredients with ease.

And that's a big deal these days.

"Depending on your location, having access to grocery stores with specialty items isn't always easy," says dietitian and gut health nutritionist Amanda Sauceda. "Even if these stores are accessible, you may not have the time to create fresh meals from scratch, and that's the beauty of meal kit companies."

We've already worked through the question of whether meal kits are cheaper than grocery shopping (spoiler alert: they can be). The best meal kits also make it much easier to choose specific items, especially if you need to avoid allergens like milk, eggs, fish or soy products while gathering ingredients. All told, meal kits can help you whip up tasty and allergy-friendly meals with ease.

Best allergy-friendly meal kits for healthy eating

Whether you're looking for a variety of nutritious meals to choose from or need to keep an eye out for certain ingredients, here are the best meal delivery services for people with allergies:

• Best custom meals: Home Chef
• Best prepared meals: The Good Kitchen
• Best variety: HelloFresh
• Best nut-free meals: Hungryroot
• Best dairy and gluten-free: Daily Harvest

Take the stress out of cooking dinner with one of these top allergy-friendly meal kit delivery services:

Best for customizable meals: Home Chef

Home Chef won our top spot, thanks to the sheer variety of meals available each week. First-time customers may notice "customize it" buttons under more than a few weekly recipes -- this lets you easily swap out certain ingredients like proteins, which could mean the difference between finding tasty, allergy-friendly meals and skipping recipe after recipe.

Allergens like eggs, wheat, soy and shellfish are all clearly labeled in recipes. You can also customize your meal plan from the get-go, with certain plans or the option to list your dislikes (to avoid ingredients like pork, beef, fish, mushrooms, peanuts and more).

Prices typically start at $10 per serving, but that can go up depending on how many weekly meals (between two and six) and servings per meal (two, four, or six) you select at signup.

• Current promotion: If you're new to Home Chef, you can save up to 50% on your first box thanks to a promo that's automatically added at checkout. This can net you prices as low as $5 per serving.

Best prepared meals: The Good Kitchen

Meal kits can be great for the aspiring home chef, but if fully prepared meals that heat up within minutes are more your speed, then the Good Kitchen is the meal delivery service for you.

The Good Kitchen lets you make a list of ingredients you wish to avoid, making it easy to accommodate moderate to serious allergies without closely examining every recipe each week. There are also allergen notes with each meal.

The Good Kitchen also outlines three things it does not use in any recipes: gluten, dairy or refined sugars. This is a net gain for a healthy diet regardless of your allergies, but it's extra good news for anyone with a gluten allergy, or allergy to dairy products.

Compared with other meal delivery services, the Good Kitchen is on the higher end when it comes to pricing. Costs start at $12 per serving, but final tallies may vary per meal. (This is due to the added costs of working with a network of dedicated local chefs, according to the meal kit company.)

• Current promotion: New customers can currently save between 15% and 20% on their first order by plugging in their email address. Look for an offer tab when signing up to save.

Best meal variety: HelloFresh

HelloFresh built a reputation through a diverse menus -- we're talking more than 30 unique recipes each week. 

Customers can mix and match their preferences, or choose from curated plans like Meat & Veggies or Pescatarian. If you want a more in-depth look at HelloFresh, from first impressions to a rundown on the variety you can expect, check out our HelloFresh review.

With ingredients and allergens clearly labeled on recipes, you won't have trouble finding something you like that also fits your dietary needs. There is also a nice selection of diet-friendly meal plans to choose from, including beef-free, seafood-free, and veggie-based. 

HelloFresh also boasts a team of dedicated dietitians who review every recipe's ingredients to highlight any of the eight major allergens (more on these below). 

• Current promotion: First timers looking to subscribe to HelloFresh meal kits can currently enjoy an automatically applied discount that knocks more than 50% off your total.

Best for peanut or tree nut allergies: Hungryroot

Hungryroot improves on the food delivery game by offering delectable recipes and an assortment of grocery items. If you're looking for a one-stop-shop for meals throughout the week, Hungryroot may be for you.

When building your meal plan, Hungryroot lets you pick from a number of important dietary preferences. Add one or more of the following to your profile to filter out any unwanted allergens: dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, tree nut-free, peanut-free, egg-free, and shellfish-free. 

Customers take a sort of quiz when building their Hungryroot meal plan, and this gets into all sorts of little details. You can list your preferences for breakfast and brunch and a number of other things -- or just skip straight to the good stuff: selecting the foods you want shipped to your door each week.

• Current promotion: New customers can currently save 30% on the price of their first order by creating an account.

Best dairy and gluten-free: Daily Harvest 

If you're in the mood for meals made from sustainably sourced fruits and vegetables, we recommend rushing over to Daily Harvest. Find blended smoothies, nourishing harvest bowls, soups and more when browsing Daily Harvest's refreshing selections, all of which are completely gluten-free. 

Everything on Daily Harvest's weekly menu -- which includes more delicious options than ever before with pasta recipes and nutritionally-focused meal plans like the Whole30 collection -- is plant-based, organic and sustainably sourced. If you like superfoods, this meal delivery service is the one for you.

Plan options include small, medium and large, letting you pick between nine and 24 items per delivery. Save up to $65 on your order by using promo code DH65.

What are the main food allergens?

"The main food allergens that are known to cause allergic reactions in many people and might limit what you can buy at the grocery store are often referred to as the 'big eight' allergens," says dietitian and nutritionist Mary Sabat.

Sabat lays out the big eight below:

• Milk: This includes all products derived from milk, such as butter, cheese, yogurt and some baked goods.
• Eggs: Eggs can be found in many processed foods, including baked goods, pasta and certain sauces.
• Peanuts: Peanut allergies can be severe, and peanuts are found in a wide range of products, including snacks, candy and sauces.
• Tree Nuts: Tree nuts encompass a variety of species such as almonds, cashews, walnuts and more. They are commonly found in baked goods, cereals and nut butters.
• Soy: Soybeans and soy-based products like tofu, soy sauce, and soybean oil are used in numerous processed foods.
• Wheat: Wheat is a common ingredient in many grains and is found in bread, pasta, cereal and many processed foods.
• Fish: Fish allergies can involve a range of species, such as salmon, tuna and cod. Fish ingredients can be found in sauces, dressings and processed fish products.
• Shellfish: Shellfish allergies can be divided into two categories: crustaceans (e.g., shrimp, crab, lobster) and mollusks (e.g., clams, mussels, oysters). They are used in various seafood dishes and sauces.

In recent years, experts have added a few new items to this list. Common seed allergens include sesame and mustard, which can be found in breads, soups, oils, salad dressings and even veggie burgers. The FDA doesn't yet require seeds to be labeled as allergens, so this is one more reason to look carefully at ingredient labels should you have this allergy. 

Finding the best allergy-friendly meal kit for you

"When selecting a meal kit, consumers with allergies should prioritize certain considerations," Sabat says. "First, ingredient transparency is crucial, so opt for meal kit services that provide detailed ingredient lists and clear allergen labels. Check for customization options that allow you to exclude or substitute allergenic ingredients."

Some meal kit services like HelloFresh offer custom recipes that let you swap out certain ingredients. This can make it easier to pick and choose meals you're interested in trying out without being limited by worries of surprise appearances by certain allergens. 

"Investigate the company's policies on cross-contamination to ensure your safety," adds Sabat. "Specialized meal kit services catering to specific allergies can be a helpful choice. Read customer reviews, plan your meals in advance, and always have emergency allergy medications on hand."

Green Chef offers an inviting gluten-free meal plan while the Good Kitchen is ideal for gluten, peanut, or soy allergies (thanks to its dedicated facility that's free of said allergens).

How we compared the best meal kit delivery services for people with allergies

In order to set our readers up with the best meal delivery service for their allergy needs, we considered the following factors while reviewing worthy meal kits:

• Ingredient transparency: Perhaps the biggest thing we considered was how easy it is to double check details regarding ingredients: nutritional labels, food sourcing info, and sustainability practices were all on our list.
• Organic options: We looked for organic and sustainably sourced ingredients, which can contribute to healthier eating and may reduce the risk of childhood allergies altogether
• Menu variety: We prioritized menus that catered to different dietary limitations. Variety is the spice of life, but it's also a green flag for anyone who may need to choose meals carefully due to certain allergies.
• Customer service: At the end of the day, reaching out to someone with a meal delivery company can be the best way to ensure your needs are met when it comes to isolating ingredients and making substitutions. "Asking them some initial questions or getting clarification on things can be helpful to know if the company is responsive," says Sauceda. We made sure to stick with meal kit providers who won't leave you hanging should you try to connect with a representative.