HelloFresh Review

HelloFresh claims to offer affordable meal plans that are tasty, healthy, and easy to prepare.

But do they live up to these claims?

In this review, we’ll check that out.

Table of Contents

How Does HelloFresh Work?

It’s simple enough. You sign up and choose the menus you want to try that week.

The recipes are designed by professional chefs to be big on flavor, and they’re relatively easy to prepare for the beginner cook.

None of the recipes should take longer than 30 minutes, and you can choose between three different plans:

Meat and veggies: This option gives you the broadest range of choice. Choose meals for a couple or a family of four; for the four-meal plan, you get three meals per week. For the couple’s plan, choose two, three, or four meals a week.
Veggies: This meal plan is designed for vegetarians. You won’t get meat, but HelloFresh is careful to supplement with healthy, plant-based proteins. The rest of the meal is filled in with seasonal veggies and grains.
Family-Friendly: This package is designed to feed four people. The company has taken care to choose recipes that kids will love, too. With this box, you get to pick whether you want two or three meals a week.
Calorie-Smart: This menu provides you with meals that are lower in calories, and is perfect for those wanting to lose weight.

You can skip a week or cancel anytime. Simply give the company five days’ notice before the next delivery. You’re also able to adjust your order up or down with the same amount of notice.

Types of Meals Available

The meals range from full vegetarian to steak, and are relatively simple to prepare; they also include more upscale options—like craft burgers—instead of the standard fare.

You’ll get the basic recipe cards, and even a few add-ins, like tips on how to cook the perfect steak. The meals are also planned around seasonal produce to ensure that you always get the freshest options.

This meal plan is probably not going to suit you if you’re a real foodie.

If you’re already a great cook, we’d recommend looking into one of the other top meal services.

But if you don’t know much about cooking, this plan is for you.

Pricing

The price depends on the plan you choose:

Meat and Veggies

For two people, you’ll pay $8.99 per serving + $6.99 shipping:

Two servings a week will cost $42.95
Three servings a week will cost $60.93
Four servings a week will cost $78.91

For four people, you only have the option of two or three servings a week.

You’ll pay a base rate of $8.99 per serving and $6.99 for shipping:

Two servings a week will cost $78.91
Three servings a week will cost $96.87 ($7.49 per serving)

Veggies

The veggies plan only allows two or three meals a week.

For two people, you’ll pay $9.99 per serving + $7.99 shipping. Opting for three servings reduces these prices:

Two servings a week will cost $47.95
Three servings a week will cost $60.93

Again, for four people, you only have the option of two or three servings a week.

Like the Meat and Veggie option, you’ll pay a base rate of $8.99 per serving and $6.99 for shipping:

Two servings a week will cost $78.91
Three servings a week will cost $96.87 ($7.49 per serving)

Family-Friendly

This plan only offers a four-person option of two or three servings a week.

You’ll pay a base rate of $7.87 per serving and $6.99 for shipping:

Two servings a week will cost $62.96
Three servings a week will cost $96.87 ($7.49 per serving)

Calorie-Smart

Here you can choose between two or three meals a week.

For two people, you’ll pay $8.99 per serving + $7.99 shipping:

Two servings a week will cost $43.95
Three servings a week will cost $60.93 (save a dollar in shipping here)

For four people, you only have the option of two or three servings a week.

You’ll pay a base rate of $8.99 per serving and $6.99 for shipping:

Two servings a week will cost $78.91
Three servings a week will cost $96.87 ($7.49 per serving)

Company History

HelloFresh is headquartered in Germany and was started in 2011.

The founders believed that everyone deserved the opportunity to learn how to cook delicious food in an affordable, convenient, and healthy manner.

Alternatives

Chef’s Plate: Simple recipes that take under half an hour to prepare.
Hungryroot: Bases its meals on nutrient-dense, fresh fruit and veggies.
Peach Dish: Tasty meals sourced sustainably.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Straightforward instructions. Even if you’ve never cooked a thing in your life, the step-by-step instructions make it easy. Each recipe is graded by difficulty so you can advance in skill as you learn more.
You can exclude certain ingredients. That said, as with all food prep companies, there is a chance of cross-contamination of allergens.
They do allow you to choose low-carb meals.
It’s unusual for a meal kit company to allow you to choose all of your meals—HelloFresh does this.
There’s a lot of variety—you can choose from 16 different meals.
Very convenient.
Tasty, healthy recipes.

Cons

Could be expensive for a bigger family.
The portion sizes are adequate, but not generous.
You’ll have to chop and prep the veggies yourself.
You have to order at least two servings at a time.