HelloFresh

Written by: Natalia S

 I’m a Vancouver-based mom and writer who loves to cook. Hope you enjoy!

HelloFresh is one of the most popular and well-known meal kits. Founded in 2011, it was one of the earliest on the scene and is making a big splash worldwide. It advertises fresh ingredients, a variety of choices, and an affordable alternative to creating your own meals.

But many people wonder if biggest means best. Does HelloFresh taste good? Is it fresh and healthy? How good is the value? Will all the ingredients be included? This review answers these questions and helps you make a decision to give this meal kit a try.

Meal Plans

You have 3 choices to choose from when selecting a plan. You can choose the Classic Plan, Veggie Plan, and Family Plan. For each plan, you can choose the number of people you are serving and how many meals you want. This is a relatively high level of customization, and it’s nice that you can change it from week to week. Each week, they also give a wide variety of meals. Since it is non-committal, if you don’t like what they have that week you don’t have to order anything.

After you order, the meals come in a cardboard cooler box and include everything you could possibly need to cook the recipes you selected. All the ingredients are separately packed, measured, and labeled. Along with the ingredients, the recipes are there, with step-by-step directions. The recipes even include pictures so they are easy to follow along. For you macro counters, they include nutritional information as well, which is a nice plus.

On top of the food, you can also order wine. Their wine plan is for 6 bottles per month and it includes a food pairing menu to help you choose which to drink with your meal. You can order all red, all white, or mix it up. The average bottle price is $15.

HelloFresh Pricing

Menu and Recipes

Ok. HelloFresh has such a wide range of flavors and combinations that you can satisfy pretty much any craving you may have. You can play it safe with some simple Beef Spaghetti with Ragu, or go for a more daring choice like Korean Beef Bibimbap. With 10 choices per week (one of the largest weekly selections on the market), it really is up to you. Another plus to their website is that if you fall in love with the meals, you can gift a meal plan as a gift for someone else to enjoy.

Dietary Options

HelloFresh boasts its ability to cater to specific diets and dislikes, and we’ve listed the full dietary options below. Also, if you are a picky eater, you can tell them what you like and they will make suggestions for you to choose from, which is a nice level of customization that most of these services don’t provide. They really want to make sure everyone can benefit from their meal plans. If you have allergies, they include all allergen information on the recipes online and in the box, so you can make choices that won’t affect your allergies.

Beginner Friendliness

Beyond the variety, they have even made it friendly to all cooking skill levels. As I said before, HelloFresh really lays everything out for you. Ingredients, labels, recipes, pictures, and directions. They have created the entire thing to be accessible and usable by anyone. So if you are 20-something and cooking for the first time, or if you are a Michelin Star chef, you can rest assured that you will be able to cook the meals you choose. One thing they could improve on is certain dishes require specific types of skillets or knives, which they don’t always make clear on the recipe cards.

HelloFresh’s Korean Beef Tacos

Cost and Delivery

Now, think about how much you spend on food each week, and compare that to the costs of HelloFresh. Each different plan has different costs and different shipping rates. Their meals are a bit cheaper than other meal kits, ranging from $7.99-$9.69 per serving. But they mostly make that back on shipping, which costs between $6.99 and $9.99 per box, whereas most other meal kit services have free shipping. Obviously, the more meals you select, the less you will pay per plate. So, roughly the most you will spend for 2 people to enjoy a restaurant-quality meal is $20 ($10 per plate), which is not bad at all.

Sustainability and Recycling

You may be wondering how good this is for the environment. Everything is separately packaged, so this does create a lot of waste. But, HelloFresh thought of this and made everything 100% recyclable, even the separate little packages for the spices. So, there is no need to fret about your meal kit being a danger to the planet.

HelloFresh FAQs

How does HelloFresh work?

HelloFresh works by having its customers choose 3 or 4 meals from a rotating weekly menu that serves either 2 or 4 people. These pre-packaged, prepped meals are then placed into separate kits and delivered in a box to the customer’s home or office. The meal kits are then assembled and enjoyed. You can pay for meal kits each week or pause or cancel whenever is convenient for you.

Does HelloFresh take EBT?

Unfortunately, HelloFresh does not accept electronic bank transfers (EBTs) as payment. Their accepted payment methods are exclusive to major credit cards, PayPal, and Google Pay.

How much is HelloFresh a week?

The cost per week for HelloFresh will depend on the number of meals you order and the number of servings. You can choose from 3 to 4 meals, for 2 or 4 people. This price per week will vary between $78.93 and $164.98 CAD (before tax and not including the $9.99 shipping per order). Keep in mind HelloFresh offers introductory pricing and discounts.

Does HelloFresh have keto?

Yes, HelloFresh offers Carb-Smart meals that contain less than 50g of carbohydrates. When you’re browsing their menu, look for the “Carb Smart (50g or less)” label for keto-friendly meals from HelloFresh.

Does HelloFresh save money?

HelloFresh can save you money on your food costs. Without going into too much detail, an affordable food budget should take up about 15% of your income. If the HelloFresh plan that works for your needs fits within that budget, you are golden! You will not only be saving on money, but also on time—which we all know is invaluable.

Read More About HelloFresh

• 5 HelloFresh Competitors to Try Instead
• Chefs Plate vs HelloFresh: Which Meal Kit Is For You?
• HelloFresh vs Blue Apron: Which Meal Kit Should You Pick?
• HelloFresh vs Grocery Store: Do You Really Save Money?
• Blue Apron Competitors: 7 Services Like Blue Apron

Conclusion: Is it worth it?

Yes, simply put, it is. Not only is it relatively affordable, but it is also healthy, fresh, and offers numerous choices for all types of eaters. You are given control of how many creative recipes you want, for how many people, and the recipes themselves. HelloFresh is a safe bet, and if you’re new to meal kits, a great place to start.

Order today and get 3 free meals on your first order!

What do you think? How does HelloFresh stand up to the pack? Let us know in the community review section below!