Is HelloFresh Worth It In 2023
HelloFresh is a game-changer if you have a busy schedule but want to cook healthy meals at home without the stress of meal planning and grocery shopping. Thanks to the high-quality ingredients HelloFresh delivers straight to your door, you can quickly prepare tasty and nourishing meals in the convenience of your own home. Although some might argue that HelloFresh is a little pricey, it’s hard to deny its widespread appeal across the nation.
So… is HelloFresh really worth your dollars? I’ll explore its advantages and disadvantages, and review every aspect of this meal kit service to answer this question. You won’t want to miss my in-depth analysis of HelloFresh’s meal kit service if you’re a busy professional, parent, or just someone who values convenience and good eats.
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Contents
- What is HelloFresh?
- HelloFresh Cost
- Food Quality
- Recipe Review
- Portion Size
- Dietary Restrictions
- Delivery
- Creating Your Account
- Ordering on the HelloFresh Website
- Is HelloFresh Healthier Than Fast Food?
- Is HelloFresh a Good Way to Lose Weight?
- What Are The Advantages of HelloFresh?
- What Are The Disadvantages of HelloFresh?
- Is HelloFresh Worth It For You?
What is HelloFresh?
HelloFresh is a subscription meal kit delivery service that gives customers pre-measured ingredients and step-by-step recipe cards so you can prepare restuarant-quality meals at home without having to worry about grocery shopping and meal planning. The business was established in Berlin, Germany in 2011, and since then it has grown to deliver in 14 different nations, including the US, Canada, and Australia.
The mission of HelloFresh is to give customers an easy and affordable way to prepare nutritious meals at home, while also minimising food waste and promoting sustainable farming methods. Depending on your dietary preferences, you can select from a range of meal plans, including vegetarian, family-friendly, low-calorie, and others. HelloFresh has quickly established itself as a household name in the meal kit sector thanks to its creative approach to home cooking.
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HelloFresh Cost
HelloFresh costs between $9.17 and $12.17 per plate, and allows you to select a plan for 2 or 4 people with 3-5 servings, plus $9.99 shipping. The meal kit service offers a discount to new users using this link, which lowers the price on your first box to between $5.25 to $6.25 per plate, depending on your size selection, along with free shipping. They also have a rewards program set up automatically, which gives you freebies and vouchers after your 4th, 6th, and 8th orders within the first 12 weeks of your HelloFresh subscription.
Do You Get Charged if You Skip a Week of HelloFresh?
HelloFresh operates on a subscription basis, but you can skip a week at any time during your subscription at no charge.
Food Quality
With every HelloFresh box, you’ll get fresh, quality ingredients in a brown paper bag and a recipe card with easy steps to cook the meal. HelloFresh partners with some of the United States’ top suppliers, including Maple Leaf Farms, Sunkist, Sunset, and Villari. Fish is sourced from The Better Fish, a Fair Trade-certified ocean-farmed white fish supplier.
Throughout my subscription with HelloFresh, I’ve had very few instances where I’ve received a box with missing or poor quality ingredients. Whenever I have, HelloFresh has sent me a refund to cover the error. They’re quick to respond and provide great customer service.
Recipe Review
When it comes to choosing a meal kit, flavour is no doubt one of the biggest deciding factors. HelloFresh meals are known to be delicious and flavourful, and I can attest to that. It’s rare for me to order a meal that I didn’t like, unless I made a mistake in cooking it— oopsie! My favourite HelloFresh meals are the Italian ones; they’re always super easy and I’m obsessed with their cream sauce flavouring. My top 3 are the Ricotta Rigatoni Al Forno, Parmesan Pan-Fried Gnocchi, and the Creamy Mushroom Spaghetti. I also really enjoyed making the Brown Butter Honey Garlic Shrimp.
With about 40 meals to choose from each week, you can always mix it up. HelloFresh introduces new meals to their menu every week, so you can try something new with every box.
Portion Size
I find that the HelloFresh portions are perfect, in comparison to other meal kits out there. I order two servings per recipe and it’s never been too little. I often end up with some leftovers which is a huge bonus.
Something I’ve noticed with other meal kits is that they bulk up the portion size with a boring salad, giving less of the main, filling part of the meal. HelloFresh never does this; their side salads are big but they never skimp on the rest of the meal.
Dietary Restrictions
HelloFresh has vegetarian, pescatarian, high protein, low calorie and carb smart options. For other dietary requirements, HelloFresh provides a full list of ingredients and nutritional facts for every meal.
For any allergies, however, HelloFresh cannot guarantee there will be no cross-contamination within HelloFresh facilities.
Delivery
HelloFresh’s delivery service is reliable and timely. I live in Vancouver, and my box arrives around the same time every Monday morning. If there has been a delay in my delivery, I always receive a notification that tells me about the delay and when I should expect my box.
HelloFresh also provides a tracking system so you can monitor the status of your delivery. When entering your delivery address, you can provide special instructions for your courier, such as “leave at front door”, “leave with doorman”, or “other” where you can write your own request. In my experience, the special instructions have been followed, without any mistakes.
During delivery, HelloFresh also takes precautions to guarantee the quality and freshness of their ingredients, using insulated boxes and gel or ice packs.
Creating Your Account
To create an account with HelloFresh, you first need to decide the plan you’d like. The meal plan you choose in the beginning doesn’t restrict you later on, however, because you can adjust your plan as often as you want. You’ll be prompted to enter your email, phone, and address for delivery, as well as your credit card information for payment. Keep in mind that your card will be charged automatically each week with a box delivered, but you can skip a week or cancel at any time and your card won’t be charged.
During the account creation process, you’ll be prompted to select your dietary preferences, but again, you can change your selections at any time. If you select a specific meal plan, you can still select meals from any other category with no problem. The selection is only there to help HelloFresh provide you with default meals they think you’ll love.
Ordering on the HelloFresh Website
Ordering with HelloFresh is made easy with a simple web interface. When you log into your account, you’ll be shown your selection for the upcoming week. On the same page, you can view your selections for up to 5 weeks ahead. You can also edit your delivery for any week, changing the delivery address, box size, or skipping the week. Finally, you can see your order summary and make changes to your current meal selections.
Making changes to your meal selections is also very straightforward. They’re organized into categories and have clear descriptions of each meal with a high-quality image of the dish. On the meal selection page, you can also see how long it takes the meal to cook, any add-ons for that meal (extra protein, desserts, appetizers, etc.), and if you have to pay extra for a gourmet meal. As you make your selections, the interface shows you how many meal selections you’ve made, how many you have left, and if you’ve filled your box to its entirety.
HelloFresh’s website also stores all of your past orders, so if you liked a recipe and want to cook it again on your own, you can follow the recipe saved in your account.
Skipping Weeks
If you know you’ll be away for a week or you just don’t want a box at any time during your subscription, you can simply skip the weeks you don’t want to receive a box.
On the “My Deliveries” page when you log into your account, find the week you want to skip and select “Skip Week”. You can skip up to 5 weeks in advance. You’ll also have the option to unskip a week if you’ve changed your mind.
Pro Tip: I like to skip every week as far in advance as I can, and once I’m ready to select my boxes, I’ll unskip them. That way, if I forget to select my meals for a week, I won’t get a box by accident and get charged.
Is Cancelling HelloFresh Easy?
Cancelling HelloFresh is very easy. In your Account Settings, scroll to the bottom of the Plan Settings section to find the Cancel My Plan button. When you click, you just need to confirm that you want to cancel and you’re all set!
HelloFresh App
HelloFresh also has a mobile application that allows you to select meals, skip weeks, and edit your deliveries with the same ease as on the website.
Is HelloFresh Healthier Than Fast Food?
Yes, compared to fast food, HelloFresh is generally a healthier choice. HelloFresh sends fresh, whole ingredients in their boxes, and offers chef-curated recipes that emphasise balanced nutrition, portion control, and healthy cooking methods. Fast food, on the other hand, frequently contains a lot of calories, unhealthy fats, sodium, and added sugars. Therefore, choosing HelloFresh over fast food can be a step in the right direction towards leading a healthier lifestyle.
Is HelloFresh a Good Way to Lose Weight?
HelloFresh can help you lose weight by offering a large selection of nutritious meals, as well as low carb and calorie-smart options. They provide macro counts for all recipes using a nutrition value list for each meal. HelloFresh provides healthy and well-balanced meals, incorporating fresh produce, lean proteins, and whole grains, which can help you form better eating habits at dinnertime.
The pre-portioned ingredients from this meal kit delivery service can also promote weight loss because it controls your portions. You’ll get the exact portion you ask for—no more, no less—so you can’t over-eat or under-eat.
However, HelloFresh might not be enough to help you lose weight on its own. Losing weight also requires maintaining a healthy lifestyle overall, with regular exercise and sufficient sleep.
What Are The Advantages of HelloFresh?
HelloFresh offers a number of benefits for those who want to prepare healthy, home-cooked meals without the hassle of meal planning and grocery shopping. By understanding the benefits of HelloFresh, you can decide whether the service is the right choice for your lifestyle and dietary needs.
- Convenience: By bringing you pre-portioned ingredients to prepare a delicious meal to your door, HelloFresh saves you time from meal planning and grocery shopping.
- Variety: There are many different recipes from different cuisines like Italian, Middle Eastern, and Indian. With HelloFresh, you can experiment with new foods and flavours.
- Quality Ingredients: HelloFresh sources high-quality ingredients, such as fresh produce and meats from sustainable sources.
- Cost-effective: When compared to dining out or ordering takeout, HelloFresh may be a more affordable option. You only pay for the ingredients you actually use for each meal when using HelloFresh, which can help you save money on food costs.
- Healthy Meals: HelloFresh provides a range of portion-controlled, healthy meal options that are bursting with fresh ingredients. This can be especially beneficial for those who want to eat healthier but lack the energy or time to plan and prepare their own meals.
What Are The Disadvantages of HelloFresh?
While there are many advantages to the HelloFresh meal kit, no meal delivery service is perfect for everyone. HelloFresh does have some disadvantages that, for some, may outweigh the benefits.
- Cost: Compared to going grocery shopping and cooking meals from scratch, HelloFresh may be more expensive, depending on the ingredients you buy.
- Limited flexibility: Since HelloFresh requires you to choose your meals for the upcoming week in advance, it may be difficult for you to make last-minute food decisions. Additionally, you might only have a few options if you have strict dietary needs.
- Packaging waste: Even though HelloFresh works to use environmentally friendly packaging materials, some waste is still produced from individually packaging ingredients.
- Basic cooking skills required: HelloFresh customers need basic cooking skills and access to standard kitchen appliances like an oven and stove. Some of the recipes might be more difficult to prepare if you’re a novice cook or don’t have the necessary tools.
- No control over ingredients: Only a few meals allow substitutions, but these are only meat substitutions. Individuals with food allergies or sensitivities may find this to be a concern.
Is HelloFresh Worth It For You?
For me, HelloFresh is worth it. My alternative to HelloFresh is eating out, ordering takeout, or having the same meals everyday with no variety. I really value the ease of ordering, the time it saves from grocery shopping, the variety of recipes and ability to try new meals every week. Though it’s more expensive than grocery shopping for me, I know that without HelloFresh meal kits, I’d spend a ton more at restaurants.HelloFresh can be a convenient and time-saving option for those who want to prepare healthy meals at home without the hassle of meal planning and grocery shopping. When compared to eating out or ordering takeaway, HelloFresh is usually more affordable. But compared grocery shopping and home cooking, it’s more expensive. Whether HelloFresh is worth it for you ultimately depends on your personal needs and priorities.
