If you’re looking for a much easier way to plan and prep your meals ahead of time then you’ll want to read this entire PlateJoy review.
In my last few posts I’ve been talking about how meal delivery services could help but there’s no denying how great it feels to make your own healthy meals and I believe PlateJoy is the perfect companion for a quicker, easier and seamless meal prep.
Truth is if you’re actually serious about meal prep and want to really commit to it then you need some kind of planning. Especially if you have a busy schedule.
Now you can choose to spend countless hours searching on Google, Pinterest, Instagram or whichever platform suits you or you could save yourself some time and have all of that work done for you.
And I’m not talking about just the recipes here but also all the nutritional info, grocery lists created for you and if you choose to you can even have someone do the shopping for you.
I think we’re both in agreement the latter sounds so much better.
That’s where PlateJoy comes in.
This post may contain Affiliate links. You can read my full Affiliate Disclosure here.
Table of Contents
What is PlateJoy?
PlateJoy is an online and mobile meal planning service that allows you to create your own custom meal plans and personalized grocery lists to save you time in the kitchen and help you eat better.
Essentially PlateJoy does all the work for you besides actually cooking the meals.
Emphasis on the last part of that sentence because PlateJoy is NOT a meal delivery service!
They do not deliver any fully prepped meals or ship out any ingredients to you (unless you use Instacart but more on that later).
Think of their services instead as your personal meal planning assistant.
All your favorite recipes, ingredients, shopping lists and nutritional info completely done for you and saved on a single platform for you to use at your convenience.
As far as meal planning goes, it doesn’t get any easier than that.
How does PlateJoy work?
The entire process is very simple and easy to follow.
You simply visit their website or mobile app then sign up with some basic info based on your health goals, specific diet or meal preference and PlateJoy handles the rest of the planning from there.
You’ll get a list of recommended menu items and recipes, they’ll create your own personalized shopping list and you even have the option to have your groceries delivered right to your doorstep with the help of Instacart.
Instacart is a separate entity from PlateJoy.
Here’s how instacart works:
You shop for your groceries online, schedule a delivery time, from there an instacart personal shopper fulfills your orders then brings everything straight you.
So you can literally have just about everything done for you with the help of PlateJoy – except for the prep and cooking of course.
But with all of the planning, guesswork and even your shopping eliminated there really isn’t any excuse for you not to have everything planned out well ahead of time.
You can try out their services completely FREE with this 10 Day Trial.
How much does PlateJoy Cost?
PlateJoy offers 3 different services available at different costs.
- Meal Planning (The most popular and their main service)
- Weight Loss
- Diabetes Prevention
I’ll show you what each service provides and the different costs associated but the focus of this post is on their Meal Planning services.
PlateJoy Meal Planning
The PlateJoy meal plan has 2 recurring subscriptions with the cheapest plan starting as low as $8/month.
- The first plan is a 6 month plan for $69 (~ $11.5/month)
- The second plan is a 12 month plan for $99 (~ $8.25/month)
You are billed for the full price upfront i.e. one installment.
Another point worth noting is if you choose to use instacart, there is an additional fee. Once again that’s optional.
Promo: Try it FREE for 10 Days
PlateJoy Weight Loss
Although PlateJoy is known primarily for its meal planning services, they also have a smart weight loss program to help you reach your weight goals.
The program provides you with a virtual health coach to support and motivate you throughout your weight loss journey and you also get custom meal plans tailored to your needs.
You’re also given access to exclusive video lessons from different health and fitness professionals.
The PlateJoy weight loss program also has 2 plans:
- The first plan is a 3 month plan for $89.
- The second one is a 6 month plan for $119.
These are also billed in one upfront installment.
Read more about their Weight loss services here.
PlateJoy Health: Diabetes Prevention
PlateJoy’s diabetes program is a digital resource that provides guidance on weight loss and reducing the risk of diabetes with the help of personalized nutrition and education.
Here’s what the program offers:
- FREE meal planning
- Weekly interviews with nutrition, fitness and health experts
- Easy activity and weight tracking
- Virtual health coaching, with diabetes prevention certified coaches
- A FREE Fitbit and weight scale
The program can be 100% covered by your insurance so it’ll be free if they accept it otherwise it is $89 to join.
You can read more about PlateJoy Diabetic Prevention here.
How to cancel PlateJoy
I’m bringing up this point very early on because I don’t want you to feel like this is another one of those services designed to trap you into a commitment with seemingly no possibility of ever canceling it.
You know exactly what I mean. I’m sure you’ve experienced it before.
Well PlateJoy isn’t anything like that.
However paying upfront for 6 months or a whole year is a huge commitment and it’s very easy to forget as time goes by so it is important to know what your options are if things change.
First of all you should know that you can pause your account for up to 1-2 months at a time and still retain the remaining value of your subscription.
If you decide to cancel completely, you can do so directly within your account.
No need to be kept on hold for hours over the phone.
Please note that cancellations can only be done through the website. The option to cancel is not available on the PlateJoy app.
There’s also an option to get a full refund within 10 days of signing up or renewing an account.
How to get in touch with PlateJoy Customer Support
Most of the answers to your questions can be found on the PlateJoy Help Center.
You can also follow them and ask questions on Twitter, Facebook, & Instagram.
If you’d rather send an email you can use service@platejoy.com for service related questions or press@platejoy.com for press inquiries.
PlateJoy does not have a customer service phone number.
PlateJoy Meal Plans
Reminder: PlateJoy does not deliver any food.
However they do offer meal plans and unlimited recipes for every dietary need.
The options available include:
- Low Carb
- Clean Eating
- Ketogenic
- Paleo
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Pescatarian
- Gluten Free
- Dairy Free
- Allergy Free
- Kid-Friendly Meals
- Batch Cooking
They’ve got you covered no matter what your needs are.
You can also change your dietary preferences anytime you need to at no extra cost and you can even upload your own homemade recipes and ingredients to the menus.
If you’re a picky eater or just not a fan of certain foods, you can have all those options removed from your ingredient list.
Bottom line is everything is custom tailored to your needs and you can make unlimited adjustments for free.
In the latter part of this post I’ll give you a brief walkthrough of what the PlateJoy platform looks like and where you can make those changes within your account.
Is PlateJoy Healthy?
I think this question stems from the fact that PlateJoy is sometimes mistaken for a meal kit delivery service which as you’ve just seen it clearly isn’t.
The better question to ask then is “How healthy are you willing to make your meals?”
As you can tell from the meal plans above, everything is designed to make it a lot easier for you to prep and eat healthy.
In addition to that, most if not all of the recipes are created with the help of nutritionists to ensure that the available meals match your needs.
It really is all up to you to prepare your your meals as you see fit and with so many options available, the possibilities are endless.
Pros of PlateJoy
I’ll start off by saying PlateJoy is intended for someone who is willing to make their own meals.
If for one reason or another you feel like you just don’t have the time to cook then none of this stuff matters.
If you already prep your meals or at the very least plan on doing so then here are a few excellent reasons why you should sign up for PlateJoy right away.
1 - It is very easy to use
The platform, the process and everything about PlateJoy is seamless and very easy to use.
I even dare to say it requires almost no effort on your part.
All you need to do is sign up, select your dietary preferences and the rest of the planning is done for you.
2 - Saves you time
Planning your meals takes a lot of time and effort but it still needs to be done.
Needless to say PlateJoy saves you all of the time you’d spend searching for recipes or their nutritional information.
Your grocery lists are done for you. Optional personal shoppers are available if you need them. Just so many timesavers at your disposal.
3 - Options for Special Dietary Needs
No matter what your diet is, there is an option available for you.
If something in particular doesn’t fit your needs or health goals a custom meal plan can be created for you.
4 - Meal variety
This ties into the previous point.
With so many options available and the ease with which it takes to plan your meals, it makes it easier for you to try new and different recipes.
No more feeling like you’re stuck in a food rut.
5 - Less Food Waste
With the smart grocery lists you’re able to indicate what you already have in your pantry and your list is automatically updated for you.
That means less money spent and also less food wasted.
6 - Automated Reminders
PlateJoy will automatically send you reminders about your grocery list and the items you need for your meal prep.
That’s great because you can easily plan your meals well ahead of time and know what to make next.
7 - Syncs with Fitness Trackers
Even though PlateJoy already provides you with the nutritional info, you can go a step further and easily sync it with your favorite fitness app to keep track of your calories.
8 - Optional Grocery Delivery
Grocery deliveries are the new norm so it’s good to know you have that option available should you decide to use it.
With the help of instacart you don’t even have to leave your home.
Simply shop online and have your groceries delivered to you at your convenience.
9 - It is Convenient
If we’re being honest, you really could do all of the things PlateJoy provides on your own.
Truth is you can do all of the planning on your own but the question is “How much do you value you time?”
Do you think that time could be put to better use elsewhere?
Do you think your meal prep would be less stressful if you didn’t have to plan out every single detail?
That’s the whole point of PlateJoy – convenience at an affordable price.
You can try it completely free over the next 10 days to see if it’s convenient or not. You’ve got nothing to lose. Use this link
Cons of PlateJoy
I wouldn’t quite call these cons because I believe their services are invaluable to the right person but here are a few things you do need to know about.
1 - You still need to cook your meals
PlateJoy does everything for you – besides the prep and cooking.
You still have to factor in how much time you’ll need to actually cook the meals.
The beauty is all the planning is taken care of so it’s easier to find the time you need.
2 - It isn't free
Personally I think the cost is a steal based on how much work is being done for you.
You’d have to be really savvy or some kind of professional planner to get it all done with a busy schedule.
That said the cost is still something to take into account especially since you have to pay for the full term up upfront.
3 - Repeated Meals
PlateJoy uses a pretty smart algorithm based thinking to help plan your meals and in most cases meal suggestions are based on the ingredients you still have available.
Although it is a good way to help reduce waste, it means you’re likely going to see some of your meals repeated.
That could potentially be a problem if you’re someone who gets easily bored with eating the same thing.
The workaround is to go in and make the changes yourself.
Who is PlateJoy Good For?
If you want to cook your own meals, eat healthy and reach your weight goals but don’t have the time to plan everything out then PlateJoy is an excellent fit for you.
For the average person who’s just beginning to meal prep I recommend it as the perfect companion.
Granted you could put in all the time and effort to plan it all out on your own but wouldn’t it be a smart investment to have it all done for you?
What are people saying?
I did look up some reviews to get a feel for what others were saying and based on a majority of the reviews I read, PlateJoy is really one of the best ways to save yourself plenty of time.
Most of it was positive and people were truly satisfied with their services.
Here are a few screenshots of what I found.
PlateJoy Review - YouTube
Click here to watch the video and read the comments.
PlateJoy Review Reddit
Click here to read the full thread and review on Reddit.
PlateJoy Reviews on TrustPilot
Of 208 reviews on TrustPilot, 83% rated PlateJoy as excellent.
Click here to see what others are saying about PlateJoy on TrustPilot.
PlateJoy Walkthrough
Signing up for PlateJoy is very but I like is how detailed it is and how you’re able to really customize everything to best suit your needs.
The entire process can be broken down into 3 steps.
Step 1: Personalize
This is where you get to select all your preferences.
It’ll ask you questions about the number of people you’re cooking for, level of activity, foods you like or dislike, the time you have available and even the different types of appliances you have.
This is neat because it really allows them to figure out a menu and recipes that will really work for you.
Step 2: Review Meals
Once you’ve put in all your information, you’ll get a list of different suggested recipes for all the meals you selected (breakfast, lunch, dinner, etc).
You can go through all of them and remove the ones you don’t like.
This is not a finite list and you’ll eventually be given more recommendations as you use the app but even at this stage you can also search for more recipes.
Step 3: Checkout
This is your final step.
At this point you’ll put in your credit card info and be given the option to select the 6 or 12 month plan.
Don’t panic, each plan still comes with the FREE 10-Day trial.
Just make sure you cancel before the trial period is over if you change your mind.
And that’s it. There’s really no hassle and you just have to follow the prompts.
You can also watch the video below.
(I apologize in advance for it not being the best edited video in the world but you’ll get the gist of how to sign up)
Is PlateJoy Worth It?
The answer is a resounding Yes!
The whole point of meal prep is to eat healthier and gain full control over what you eat especially if you’re trying to lose weight for example.
But finding the time to plan THEN make then make everything can very easily seem like another chore even though you know it is for the right reasons.
PlateJoy is definitely a timesaver and really does make meal prep a lot more feasible.
I believe it is the best meal planning available and recommend you try it today.
Meal Planning doesn’t get anymore easier than this.
Stay tuned for a future update on the different recipes I’ve tried with the help of PlateJoy.
Don’t forget to sign up for your FREE 10 Day trial!
FAQs
The PlateJoy meal plan has 2 subscriptions:
- A 6 month plan that costs $69
- A 12 month plan that costs $99
That comes out to roughly $8 – 12/month depending on the plan you select.
No, PlateJoy does not deliver meals.
They are not meal kit delivery service.
If you sign up for PlateJoy’s Prevent Diabetes Program, it could be covered for FREE by your insurance.
Just check with your insurance provider before you get started.