HelloFresh Review

HelloFresh is an exceptional, eco-friendly meal delivery service that provides affordable pre-portioned, pre-measured meals to ensure that no ingredients are wasted. Each meal comes with intuitive recipe cards to make prep that much easier.

MEAL KITS





How does HelloFresh meal delivery work?

Set up an account with HelloFresh, and from there you can pick exactly which recipes you want on any given week. After you get your account set up, you can easily skip or cancel your subscription if needed. If you're traveling or not interested in a particular week's meal offerings, you can simply put your subscription on pause until you're ready for more HelloFresh meals. In order to make an account, you need to input your email address. After logging in, you'll have the freedom to browse the site, check out the cookbook, browse through cooking guides, and more. You can choose your weekly recipes from over 20 different options, all depending on the seasonality of their ingredients.

Is HelloFresh good for families?

With the way HelloFresh operates, their meal plans are great for families. This is because the HelloFresh family plan is specifically designed for both kids and grown-ups.

Is HelloFresh good for singles and couples?

HelloFresh is a great option for couples due to the fact that their chefs are consistently churning out new recipes that are specifically designed to provide enough food for two people. However, at this time HelloFresh is not the most economically viable option for anyone who is single, just because each meal kit is meant for two people or more.

What's in the HelloFresh box?

In each HelloFresh box, you'll receive recipe cards that have been numbered along with corresponding paper bag ingredients. Additionally, you'll receive a pouch with high-quality insulation that contains all the ingredients you'll need, which can be easily stored in the fridge. The recipe cards contain large pictures and clearly detail what cooking tools you'll need to prepare/cook each meal that you receive from HelloFresh.

PREPARATION





How easy are HelloFresh meals to prepare?

HelloFresh meals are set up such that the prep process is meant to be very intuitive, thanks to helpful instruction cards.

Does HelloFresh offer a premade meal option?

At this time HelloFresh does not offer pre-prepared meals.

How long will it take to prepare a HelloFresh meal?

On average you can expect each meal from HelloFresh to take you about 30 minutes to prepare.

How long can I store my HelloFresh meals in the freezer/fridge before I eat them?

HelloFresh's packaging ensures that your meals are kept cool for two full days of shipping, plus another 12 hours if they need to wait at your door. It's not recommended that you consume any meat/poultry/seafood products from HelloFresh past the seven-day mark. However, many meal offerings from HelloFresh can be kept frozen for 1-2 months.

What supplies will I need in my kitchen in order to prepare HelloFresh meals?

To properly prepare and cook your HelloFresh meals you'll need basic kitchen supplies. This includes pots, pans, an oven mit, spatula, tongs, colander, bowls (varying in size), knife set, cutting board, and sheet pans.



DIETS





Does HelloFresh offer vegetarian and vegan options?

While a vegan diet plan isn’t available for HelloFresh, you do have the option to exchange any of the included ingredients for a vegan option. For example, users can choose a vegetarian plan and replace the cheese or milk with vegan cheese or milk. The dairy that is not used can be donated to a local church or food pantry, or you can share it with any roommates or family members that do eat dairy.

The same measure can be taken with any ingredient in a HelloFresh meal, including allergens. However, for severe allergies, please keep in mind that there is no guarantee that cross-contamination did not occur. HelloFresh indicates this on their website, and strongly encourages extra precaution and/or avoidance to keep you safe.

With the Calorie Smart meal plan, each recipe will be 650 calories or less, giving you less stress when designing your calorie management plan. You can always customize a recipe to fit your needs, making it easy to swap out one ingredient for another. Nutritional information is included with every recipe, both in the box and online. You can adjust your diet accordingly, swapping out any food items that you feel are necessary. Luckily, each recipe is already intended to fit into a classic, balanced diet with quality ingredients. So if you're just looking to eat healthier with no strict dietary guidelines, you won't have to do much adjusting at all.

As you search for your next recipe, you can choose your preferred meal based on different categories such as "Gourmet," "Easy," "Calorie-Smart," and other options. You can easily customize your recipes, regardless of which HelloFresh plan you're subscribed to.

Does HelloFresh offer special diet meal plans?

HelloFresh aims to offer their customers a wide array of health-conscious meal plans that cater to a wide array of dietary needs. No matter if you're vegan, calorie-conscious, or on a strict meat-based diet, HelloFresh will have a meal plan for you.

Can HelloFresh accommodate food allergies?

At this time HelloFresh is unable to tailor its different meal plans to anyone who has a food allergy. Although, you should note that because HelloFresh boxes only contain unprocessed ingredients, it's very easy to omit or swap out any ingredients that could trigger an allergic reaction.

Are HelloFresh meals healthy?

While HelloFresh doesn't specifically aim for their meals to help accomplish weight loss, with some strategic ingredient substitution here and there you can easily make your meals from HelloFresh fit within the realm of what would be considered a health-conscious meal.



CUSTOMER SERVICE





Does someone need to be home when my HelloFresh box is delivered?

You needn't worry about being home to accept your deliveries from HelloFresh. If you're not home for the delivery, HelloFresh will leave the box at your front door or wherever else you specified for the box to be dropped off.

What type of packaging do HelloFresh meals come in? 

HelloFresh is continually revamping their packaging to be environmentally friendly and sustainable. Because they have portioned their ingredients into perfect sizes for each recipe, this means there are quite a few packages ranging from small baggies for garlic cloves to stay-fresh containers for basil. HelloFresh addresses this in a responsible manner that remains convenient to the consumer. Nearly every part of their packaging — from the refrigerant gel packs to the tiny bottles that hold the balsamic vinegar — can be recycled or is made from recycled material.

The company consistently evolves, having upgraded their insulation from recycled fibers wrapped in recyclable plastic to corrugated cardboard that still functions as a strong insulator. This alone makes HelloFresh stand out as a company that is not satisfied with the status quo, and we’re certain they’ll continue to look for ways to incorporate better environmental practices into their meal delivery program.

HelloFresh has a 25% lower carbon footprint than store-bought groceries, making them a more sustainable option than a grocery store visit. Recently, HelloFresh also announced their plan to offset carbon emissions by 100%, furthering their commitment to improving their sustainability over time.

Is HelloFresh shipping free?

You'll be able to enjoy free shipping on your first box from HelloFresh along with a promotional discount that will save you 52%. Every delivery thereafter will cost you $9.99 in shipping.

How can I pause or cancel my HelloFresh subscription?

You won't have to worry about a cancellation fee with HelloFresh. However, you will be charged for the food from HelloFresh that has been delivered to you. If you're able to cancel your subscription before the food has been delivered to you, you won't be charged.

What is the HelloFresh refund policy? 

If you refuse a product from HelloFresh within the allowed notice period, HelloFresh will go ahead and process the refund to you within 30 days from when you originally gave notice. In this scenario, you can expect a full refund on the product that you refused.

Compare HelloFresh to Top Meal Delivery Competitors

HelloFresh isn’t the only competing brand that is both delicious and easy-to-use, and before you commit to a meal delivery service, it’s smart to weigh your options. This is a driving reason why HelloFresh offers their introductory discounts so that you can get a glimpse into the meal delivery world without making a big investment.

HelloFresh vs. Blue Apron

These two meal delivery kits offer unique, delicious recipes and provide vegetarian choices and family plans. Blue Apron sits at a slightly higher price per serving, but you do get a wider range of recipe options and their shipping is free for each box. HelloFresh tends to use more soy-free bases for their vegetarian meals, keeping tofu out of their protein arena for a healthier veggie meal. This also contributes to more unique, creative uses of their seasonal veggies in all of their veggie-focused dishes.

HelloFresh vs. Sunbasket

Sunbasket prices their servings a few dollars higher than HelloFresh and their portion sizes are much smaller in comparison. While they offer quality ingredients and appeal to the more health-centric audiences, Sunbasket is certainly not the “bargain” brand. That said, Sunbasket has a much wider variety of dietary choices for gluten-free, paleo, and vegan diners. For anyone with more restrictive diets, you might find more luck with Sunbasket. However, HelloFresh offers up a healthy meal that is more affordable and holds to a balanced, middle-ground diet. Plus, with HelloFresh's Calorie Smart, pescetarian, and veggie meal plans, they're able to more heavily compete with the meal plans of Sunbasket.

HelloFresh vs. Green Chef

HelloFresh beats their competitor in pricing, but Green Chef provides more dietary choices that you can customize. With Green Chef, you can easily select an entire plan focused on your diet, no matter how unique. While Green Chef is centered around being a healthy option, this plan is not necessarily aimed at beginning cooks. These more advanced meals might be daunting for the first-time chef. If this is the case, you should turn to HelloFresh for simple, fresh, healthy, and delicious dinners.