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There are plenty of food subscription box services out there. However, only a few come with free-trial offers.
All of the items on this list give you some sort of food box for free when you either sign-up or place your first order.
With that said, let’s get started.
Here’s a list of 10 free food subscription boxes for a free meal or snack.
Table of Contents
Meal Kit Subscription Boxes
Meal kits are great. They eliminate the need to plan and shop for meals.
They cut down on food waste which costs the average household $640 per year. Meal kits help us to eat more healthfully and to control our portion size.
Preparing a meal with your partner or family is a great way to spend an evening. It’s also a good way for novice cooks to gain some skills and confidence in the kitchen.
Kits come with very detailed instructions and often even include step by step photos to help you along.
1. DoorDash
- Free Offer: $7 discount or free delivery on first order (promotions vary)
- Join DoorDash
DoorDash is quickly becoming one of the most popular meal kit apps out there.
This food delivery service was founded in 2013 to quickly bring fresh food to your door.
The great thing about this service is that since they’re so popular, you’ll find almost any type of cuisine on their app.
When you sign-up, you automatically get your first delivery free.
Sometimes they’ll give you a $7 discount on your first order – it really depends on the promotion that they’re holding.
Yet there’s usually a lit bit more when it comes to getting special discounts with DoorDash.
They also frequently have promotions to help their clients save even more money.
For example, take a look at this DashPass exclusive that gives you 50% off your next order over $12:
If you’re looking for an app that gives you frequent deals and discounts on food, DoorDash is the one you want to stick with.
If you’re looking to earn some extra money, you can also sign-up to become a DoorDash driver.
2. Blue Apron
- Free Offer: First 3 meals are free
- Join Blue Apron
Blue Apron meal kits include seasonal produce, meat raised without hormones, and sustainably sourced seafood. You can order for two people or a family. New customers get their first three meals for free!
Meals start at $8.99 per serving with free delivery, and there is no commitment, you can skip a week or cancel your subscription at any time.
You can choose the meals you want each week, and there are vegetarian options for the two-person subscription. Each meal usually contains a main course and two sides.
Some recent meal choices were beef medallions and brown butter caper sauce with Italian spiced potatoes and turnips, basil pesto and broccoli pasta with roast carrots and Thai chicken curry with mushrooms and bok choy.
Prepared Meal Delivery
Some of us just don’t like to cook no matter how simple the recipe. That’s okay. You can let others do the hard work for you.
3. Munchery
- Free Offer: 1 free meal and 30 day free-trial
- Join Munchery
Munchery is a prepared meal and meal kit delivery hybrid. You can choose a ready to eat meal or a meal kit with pre-measured, pre-prepped ingredients that you cook yourself. Munchery is only available to subscribers.
The monthly fee is $8.95 or $85 per year. New members get one free meal and 30 days to try out the service before subscribing.
Ready to heat meals range from around $8-18. Meal kits start at $51.95.
Munchery has something for even the fussiest eaters. You can choose your meal based on dietary restrictions, the type of cuisine, locally sourced, and sustainable ingredients.
You can also order side dishes, kid’s meals, and even non-alcoholic drinks. Currently, Munchery is not available nationwide, but you can enter your zip code to see if the service is available in your area.
Snack Box Subscriptions
Eating healthy meals isn’t too hard if you do a little planning.
But healthy snacking can be a little tougher. Most “snack foods” are just junk food. But there are some subscription boxes that will help you snack smart. And a candy one which isn’t good for you, but everything in moderation!
4. Naturebox
- Free Offer: 1 free sample box
- Join Naturebox
NatureBox snacks never contain artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners. They don’t use corn syrup, hydrogenated oils or MSG. New subscribers will receive a free sample box that contains six snacks; you just pay for shipping.
Your monthly subscription for $29.99, shipping included will contain eight full-size snacks that include things like dried fruit, nuts, trail mix, and popcorn.
5. Graze
- Free Offer: 1 free trial box with 4 sample snacks
- Join Graze
Graze snacks contain no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. Each snack is portion controlled and never contain excess amounts of sugar or salt. New subscribers will receive a free trial box that includes four sample snacks.
You can choose to receive a box of snacks weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Each box is $13.99, shipping included and contains eight snacks. You can choose your food preferences and Graze will tailor each box to your tastes.
There are more than 100 snacks to choose from including mixed nuts, cookies, and cereal bars.
6. InstaCandy
- Free Offer: 1 free trial box
- Join InstaCandy
If you’ve never branched out from Snickers bars and Reese Cups, you’re missing out. InstaCandy will expand your candy horizons with a free trial box; you just pay $4.99 for shipping for new subscribers.
Your subscription will be sent monthly and includes eight full-sized candy treats for $19.99 with free shipping. Each box will contain sweet candy, sour candy, and chocolate.
7. Heirloom Mail
- Free Offer: 1 free box of ingredients
- Join Heirloom Mall
We love this one! Heirloom Mail scours the world in search of interesting ingredients. When you subscribe to a three month, six month, or one year plan, you will receive a free box. The pricing is $81 for three months, $156 for six, and $300 for one year. Each box ships for $5.
Your monthly box contains one hand chosen ingredient meant to teach you about a new food and a food culture different from your own. The box also contains stories about the ingredient, a recipe that utilizes it, and an art postcard from the region your ingredient is from.
Some of the recent ingredients were hazelnuts from Oregon, Za’atar from Lebanon, and dates from Egyptian Oasis.
8. Pete’s Paleo
- Free Offer: 1 pound of their bacon
- Join Pete’s Paleo
There is no way around it. If you want to follow the Paleo diet, there is a lot of cooking involved. No bowls of cereal for dinner when you’re Paleo. But you don’t have to do the cooking. Pete’s Paleo will do it for you.
For new customers, Pete’s is offering a pound of their bacon which is made with no added sugar, contains no nitrates or nitrites, and comes from pastured pigs.
This bacon isn’t cheap, nearly $12 a pound so this is a good incentive. Everything is better with bacon, and everything is perfect when the bacon is free!
Each meal uses ingredients that are 100% Paleo compliant, organic, pastured, and grass fed. Pete’s Paleo offers customers several meal plan choices.
Your prices for single orders range from $101 for the five meal plan to $287 for the family plan. Subscriptions range from $94.94-$269.78. Most orders ship for free.
You can also order special program, the 21-day sugar detox plan. The price for the program ranges from $147.50-$350. Shipping is free.
You place your order on Monday, the meals ship on Wednesday, and arrive on Thursday or Friday. The meals come vacuum sealed and can be heated in the microwave or a sauté pan on top of the stove.
Some recent meal choices include chicken fajitas with sautéed bell peppers and roasted boniato, rendang beef with roasted turnips and sautéed kale, and grass-fed beef hash with country sweet potatoes with mushroom and look medley.
Drink Subscriptions
You’re going to need something to wash down all this free food. Good thing that there are drink subscriptions offering free trials too.
9. Wine Awesomeness
- Free Offer: 1 free bottle of one
- Join Wine Awesomeness
Wine Awesomeness will send you a box containing three bottles of wine each month. New subscribers will get a free bottle. Each box is $45 and shipping is included.
The wines will be chosen based on that month’s theme and tailored to your chosen preferences. You can choose red, white, or a mix. Your wine comes with a magazine detailing each wine and includes tasting notes and food pairings.
If you’re a wine novice looking to branch out and gain some wine knowledge, this is a great subscription.
A recent theme was the French harvest and included a 2015 Canteperdix, Ventoux, a 2016 Chateau Allegret, Bourdeaux, and a 2016 Chat Allegret Entre-Deux-Mers.
10. Blue Bottle Coffee
- Free Offer: 1 two-ounce bag of coffee beans from 3 choices
- Join Blue Bottle Coffee
Are you a coffee snob? Then you will love Blue Bottle Coffee. New customers can try the coffee out with a free two-ounce bag of one of the three types of offerings.
Subscriptions are $15-18 and don’t include shipping, and you can choose a weekly or monthly plan. The company offers blends, single origins, and espressos that are sourced by the founder from sustainable coffee farms.
The beans are roasted to order and shipped within 48 hours for maximum freshness.
Getting Free Food Through Subscription Boxes
Subscription services can be seen as a bit of an indulgence, but in some cases, they can help save money.
If you waste a lot of money eating out because you don’t like cooking or you waste a lot of food because you don’t get around to cooking it before it goes bad, then meal kit or prepared meal subscriptions can help you save money.
Wine Awesomeness’s price, $45 for three bottles of wine and free shipping is a pretty great deal. You can certainly get wine for less than $15 a bottle, but this service lets you try some high-quality wines for a great price.
True, no one needs fancy snacks or coffee but remember, being frugal isn’t about spending the very least amount of money you can. It’s about getting good value for your money and spending money on things that you enjoy.
If those things to you are fancy snacks and coffee, you are allowed to spend some of your money on things that give you pleasure.
