A low-cost meal kit that skimps on neither portions nor flavor. Meals are hearty and mostly scratch-made, with plentiful and high-quality proteins and produce at budget prices.

Some recipes take longer than advertised to make, and the box is haphazardly arranged. You might want to throw some rice in a cooker as an add-on. Dinnerly does not feel like a budget meal kit, although it is. Each Dinnerly portion costs between $6 and $10, less than top-end meal delivery services that start at $12.

By keeping the ingredient list shorter and focusing on simple flavorings, Dinnerly saves money while still delivering generous meals. Last year's tests felt a bit too simple, but this year's options are more international with interesting flavors and prep times around half an hour.

A third of meal options can be made vegetarian, and between 10 to 20 cater to GLP-1 diets. Items can be clearly filtered by allergens, whether dairy, fish, nut, egg, or gluten. A family of four can drop to $8 or $9 per portion, while six-person plans can go as low as $6.

Dinnerly is starting to approach its more expensive cousin Marley Spoon in quality and price. It offers a reliable promise of simplicity but loses access to some of the most extravagant or sophisticated Marley Spoon meals.