HelloFresh review: See how we liked these easy and affordable meal kits

Blue Apron may have kicked things off some 10 years ago, but there’s plenty of healthy competition and choice when it comes to meal kits in 2021. HelloFresh is one of the most popular of the “newbies” — if the recycling in my neighborhood is any indication anyways — but whether it’s one of the best meal delivery services to try is another question altogether. In order to find out, I’ve decided to slice and dice my way through a few of the brand’s preportioned dinner recipes in a firsthand review of HelloFresh.

If you’re a little overwhelmed with all your choices in the meal-kit space these days, you’re not alone but, remember, the many players in the burgeoning culinary category have kept prices low and standards high. This competition also means more niche services that will send fresh ingredients and recipe cards for homemade meals that cater to specific diets and lifestyles. From vegan and vegetarian meal plans to budget-friendly recipe kits, gourmet meals, fully prepared meal delivery, keto-friendly food and more — all that choice only increases the likelihood you’ll find a meal-kit service you’ll love. As with anything else, finding the best meal delivery for you or for your family takes a little digging. That’s where we come in.

HelloFresh claims to be the No. 1 meal-kit service, although evidence for this is murky at best. The meal-delivery company bills itself as the most convenient service sporting a huge selection of fun, easy-to-make and healthy recipes designed to please everyone, including families with picky eaters. It’s also one of the cheapest meal-kit companies (a much more provable claim) with plans that start at just $7.50 per serving. 

But talk — or in this case, marketing lingo — is cheap, and I wanted to find out for myself if the food lived up to the hype, so I skipped the grocery store and cooked my way through a week’s worth of recipes to bring you this honest HelloFresh review.  

How HelloFresh works

Before we dive in, here’s how the service works. As HelloFresh is a meal-kit delivery service you’ll be doing a good amount of the work here, but all the fresh ingredients you need to execute dinner will arrive in one box, preportioned and ready to cook. You won’t have to do any shopping or measuring when you tackle a HelloFresh meal kit, but know you will have to do some light prep, chopping, mixing and cooking. 

HelloFresh has a range of meal plans that vary depending on the type of food you’re looking to cook, the number of people you’re cooking for and how often you want meal kits delivered. Once you make those decisions you’ll choose one of six HelloFresh meal plans: 

• Meat and Veggies: The most basic plan featuring a variety of recipes and meals.
• Family Friendly: Easy-to-prepare and kid-approved recipes.
• Quick and Easy: Meals that take 30 minutes or less.
• Veggie: Plant-based meals that are vegetarian but not always vegan.
• Calorie Smart: Meal kits that are around 650 calories or less per serving.
• Pescatarian: Meal kits and recipes featuring seafood and no meat. 

There is some crossover in meal kits each week from the various meal plans, but choosing one of these umbrella categories helps HelloFresh filter out the best recipes for you and your dinner goals. The more narrow the meal plan — such as pescatarian or veggie — the fewer options you’ll have each week. The plans are also priced the same no matter which meals you select, save for a few gourmet options that incur an upcharge. 

After you select your meal plan, choose the number of servings (two or four) that you’d like for each meal, and how many weekly meal kits you want to receive (two, three, four or five). These options are also easily modified, so don’t feel too much pressure and know you can adjust as you go.

As with many similar services, you can pick your own meals or let the meal-kit gods surprise you when you open your box. HelloFresh meals arrive once a week on a day of your choosing (besides Sunday). When mine showed up, the food was packaged neatly in cooler boxes, with meats and fish separated from other ingredients so as not to cross-contaminate. The meat was thawed but still cold and there was no sign of spoilage among any of the ingredients.

What are HelloFresh meals like?

Of all the meal kits companies competing for your attention, HelloFresh bills itself as one of the easiest and most approachable. While there are some “gourmet” options in each week’s menu, the bulk of the HelloFresh recipes are simple to execute, with most taking 30 minutes or less from start to finish. 

Some of the meals throw in a fun twist on a classic, such as meatballs with a spicy, creamy “firecracker” sauce, but most were familiar dishes like spaghetti bolognese, creamy mushroom cavatappi, chicken tacos and meatloaf. HelloFresh may have the most meal choices of any service — anywhere from 17 to 20 meals to choose from each week — but there are always plant-based options like vegan bulgogi bowls as well as seafood selections such as chimichurri barramundi and roasted trout.

There isn’t as much modification to recipes in the way that others like Home Chef permit. Having said that, most of the dishes are family-friendly and with as many as 20 to choose from per week, you’re bound to find at least a few that work. 

How easy are HelloFresh meal kits to prepare?

HelloFresh meal kits are mostly simple to make and that’s by design. With lots of tossed pasta dishes, tacos and pan-seared meats with easy-to-prepare sides, the most technical skill you’ll need on a regular basis is some basic chopping, working a frying pan over the stovetop or boiling water. The most involved meal I made was meatloaf, which required a bit of chopping and mixing prep, but was effortless overall.

Read more: Catch the best seafood delivery services of 2021

HelloFresh support materials 

While the printed directions that accompanied each recipe were neat, organized and clear, there were times when the directions could have gone an extra step to explain certain things in better detail. Specifying which sort of frying pan to use would be helpful, for instance, or how to tell if the pan is actually hot enough to drop the fish or pork loin in. Novice cooks would likely benefit from a bit more explanation, and I’d suggest reading through the instructions once before turning on the stove.

The HelloFresh app is useful, clear and intuitive. You can use it to place or change your weekly orders, look up nutritional information and locate any recipe. This is especially helpful if you tend to misplace important documents like I do.

What makes HelloFresh different from other meal-kit services?

Of all the meal kits I’ve tested, HelloFresh meals probably have the widest selection of “crowd-pleasing” recipes, making them an excellent choice for families or picky eaters. You won’t find a lot of big heat, spice or unusual ingredients with HelloFresh meals, and with as many as 20 meals per week to choose from, it’s hard to imagine not finding three or four that appeal to you.

What I cooked and how it went

Meatloaf a la Mom: I liked this meal kit, but in all honesty, I prefer my own meatloaf recipe. It was a solid result that could have used a dash of Worcestershire sauce or some dried spice to amp up the flavor. The roasted potatoes and carrots were also fairly basic but proved to be worthy companions to the meatloaf. 

Barramundi with poblano corn and potato: A delicious meal that I totally loved. For starters, I live in a bit of a black hole neighborhood for getting quality fish, so I’ve had to rely on online seafood purveyors. The barramundi fish was fresh and the meal was healthy, flavorful and easy to prepare. I think I caught myself shamelessly spooning the homemade salsa fresca straight into my mouth at one point.

Pork chops with honey butter, sweet potatoes and lemony green beans: As someone who doesn’t cook a ton of pork, I was excited to try this one, and it came out great. It was super simple to execute and the honey butter drizzled over the pork was addicting. As I’ve mentioned earlier, some small tips would have been useful. Though not specified, the step-by-step image shows a nonstick pan, but for something like pork chops, I think stainless steel or cast iron works better to get a good sear. 

Who HelloFresh meal kits are good for

HelloFresh is one of the best meal-kit options for families with one of the largest selections of recipes, which could impress even the hardest-to-please eaters. HelloFresh is a solid option for someone looking to cut time and hassle from their weekly meal planning routine since most of HelloFresh’s meals take around 30 minutes or less.

While there are some meal-kit companies that are focused on plant-based and vegetarian meal kits, HelloFresh has around five vegetarian options per week, so it’s a pretty good meal-kit service if you’re looking to learn to cook plant-based meals or add some more vegetarian and vegan recipes into your routine.

Read more: Best meat delivery for 2021: Snake River Farms, Omaha Steaks, Rastelli’s and more

Who HelloFresh meal kits are not so good for

Because there are limits on modifications, I would say HelloFresh is not ideal for anyone with strict dietary or allergy requirements. There are also meal-kit companies with more gourmet and technical recipes, so if your goal is to really stretch yourself as a chef, this may not be the service to do it. 

How much does Hello Fresh meal-kit service cost?

With HelloFresh, you pay by the serving, which is customizable from week to week, but it generally breaks down to $9 per serving for two people or $7.50 if you’re ordering for four, plus $8 for shipping per box. For a family of four to receive three nights’ worth of meals would be just under $100 per week.

At $7.50 per serving, HelloFresh lands in the middle of the pack but skews toward the budget-friendly end of things. You won’t find a ton of meal kits that are less expensive, but you can certainly find pricier ones with gourmet offerings such as ribeye and ahi tuna.

Hello Fresh packaging and environmental friendliness

HelloFresh does a great job with the packaging compared with some other companies I tested. The meals arrive packed in paper bags and all the ingredients were also thoughtfully packaged without excessive waste. Though there’s always some single-serve plastic involved with meal kits, I found it to be one of the more environmentally friendly companies, complete with recyclable ice packs and cooler bags. Here’s a little more about recycling your HelloFresh packaging.

Changing or canceling an order

You can add, change or cancel meals easily through the app or through the website, although using the latter feels more limited. Changes or cancellations to any order must be made before midnight PT at least five days before your scheduled delivery day. That date is made apparent when you open your dashboard.

The final verdict 

As someone who has a hard time making decisions but loves having options, HelloFresh was a double-edged sword. Even if the recipes were sometimes low on imagination, there were so many to choose from and everything I cooked was solid. If you’re looking to lighten your load and cook for a crew that doesn’t dig huge, bold flavors, this is a good option. Meals won’t require a ton of technical skill, although it may not be ideal for total beginners either. For as little as $8 per serving, you can take the guesswork out of a few meals per week without going broke. What’s not to love about that?

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.