I’m a lazy cook, which is why I’ll try just about any meal kit, delivery subscription service, and/or prepared meal that comes my way. But I also have high standards for what I eat, so I’m usually left pretty disappointed. Mosaic Foods’ frozen meals, which I’ve tried a few times in the past year, do a lot of things better than the competitors. They offer more variety, portion sizes are bigger, and there’s actual vegetables to start—in fact, Mosaic’s options are 100% vegetarian and include some vegan meals as well. But they can be unreliable when it comes to flavor and are not always as convenient as a frozen meal should be (in my humble opinion), especially given the price tag. After trying Mosaic items from every category, including oat bowls, smoothies, veggie bowls, soups, and pizzas, I can say that I’d order certain items from Mosaic again and again, but I wouldn’t rely on the service more than a few times a week. Read on for my full Mosaic Foods review: how the meal service works, the dishes I loved and the ones I’d skip, and what to know before you sign up.
Rating: 7/10
Pros:
- Wide variety of options from a diverse range of cuisines
- Mosaic+ (chef-designed items that are a cut above the other offerings in terms of flavor)
- Filling portions
- High nutritional value
- 100% vegetarian with vegan options
Cons:
- Inconsistent flavor
- Some dishes heat more evenly than others, and others take too long to heat
- Highish price tag
What’s the deal with frozen meals these days?
When I was growing up, frozen meals catered to one of two stereotypes: meat-and-potatoes type dinners for hungry, cooking-inept men, or low-fat, 300-calorie dishes for dieting women. Neither category was very good—think freezer-burned vegetables and mystery meats that never quite thawed. Today the freezer aisles offer dozens of ready-made options for all kinds of eaters, and meal delivery services like Mosaic Foods and MagicKitchen.com bring them straight to your door. Americans’ appetite for frozen foods surged by 21% at the start of the pandemic and has only continued to rise, with frozen foods making up a $69 billion dollar market in 2021.
It’s not breaking news that freezing prolongs food’s lifespan and locks in nutritional value at peak freshness. About 40% of food in the U.S. goes uneaten each year, much of which is fruit and vegetables past their prime. Many of the new frozen food brands, including Mosaic, are built on the premise that, if we relied more on freezing, we could reduce food waste, and our entire food system would be more efficient and less taxing on the environment.
How Mosaic works
Mosaic Foods, which was founded in Brooklyn in 2018, sits at the intersection of health-minded and family-friendly food delivery services. Its roster of premade meals draws from a diversity of cuisines, uses mostly vegetables and no artificial ingredients, and is sold in portions meant to keep you full (no 200-calorie “lunches” here). Mosaic doesn’t advertise itself as vegetarian, but there’s no meat to be found in these dishes, and items are tagged as vegan, nut-free, wheat-free, and/or containing egg.
Mosaic is primarily an online retailer (though they currently have a pop-up in Brooklyn), and its delivery area covers most major metro regions in the Eastern and Western US. Like many of its competitors, a subscription is required, but it’s a fairly flexible deal. You choose your meal plan (six, 12, or 18 items) and your shipping frequency (weekly, or every two, three, or four weeks). And you can change, pause, or cancel your subscription at any time without penalty. Shipping is fast—one or two days—and the food arrives on dry ice, in a sturdy cardboard box with recyclable packaging, ready to go straight into your freezer.
