HelloFresh Meal Kit Delivery Review: Is It Worth the Money?

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HelloFresh is one of the top fresh food box delivery companies in the meal kit industry. The other two popular meal kit delivery services are Marley Spoon and Dinnerly.

Want to cut to the chase and try HelloFresh right now? Click here to get 40% OFF, (no code needed. My special link will automatically apply 40% OFF for you at checkout).

For those of you who read my review of Martha and Marley Spoon box, you might already know how much I absolutely loved Marley Spoon.

Marley Spoon was the first-ever meal kit delivery of any kind that we tried, and our family thoroughly enjoyed their gourmet meals.

A few weeks later, I decided to test out Dinnerly since it is meant to be cheaper and super family-friendly. (Dinnerly is owned by Marley Spoon). You can read my review of Dinnerly here.

Why am I telling you this?

Well, because, that’s when my meal kit obsession began. And I know I’m not the only one going crazy over these happiness-inducing brown boxes. Thousands of people are transforming their cooking and dinner plans with meal kit delivery.

But the question remains: Which meal delivery is best? Part of this journey of discovering the better meal kit involves looking at cost and value for money, taste, convenience, and quality. That’s how I have been reviewing Dinnerly, Marley Spoon and now HelloFresh.

The Meal Kit Industry Craze

There are many reasons to love having a meal kit delivered to your door. But, for our family, the main reason is that it somewhat relieves our busy schedule.

The ongoing demands of work and home life can take its toll even if you generally do well to keep up with it all.

You know the feeling… it’s 5.30PM, the kids are about to kill each other over a toy, the house is a mess, you’re “hangry” and you feel totally guilty about ordering yet another UberEats delivery. 

It’s not that you are incapable of searching for recipes on Google or Pinterest, doing the grocery shopping and cooking. It’s the fact that it is nearly impossible to do that every single week amongst everything else that’s going on. 

It’s the fact that you want to eat healthier, but you don’t have time to meal plan like an athlete or celebrity – Who am I kidding? Those guys have their very own chefs 🙂

And even if you do meal plan like a pro, some fresh produce always ends up rotting in the bottom half of the refrigerator, after which you swear this will be the last time that happens – until it happens the following week again. (I usually ambitiously meal plan to the point of overstocking the fridge, which leads to food waste and tons of guilt later).

That was pretty much my life until I took the plunge and started trying out fresh food box delivery services. I even tried out healthy ready-made meals.

And for those of you who are in a rush, I will give you the spoiler alert. I did enjoy HelloFresh. The recipes were simple, ingredients were mostly fresh and of high-quality, and there is good variety of meals to choose from. Want to try HelloFresh? Here is 40% off your first Hello Fresh box. 

The difference a box of fresh food box makes

These days, our family life is a little less hectic knowing that there is a healthy meal ready for cooking. And all I have to do is follow the recipe instructions and use that box of ingredients.

There is less food waste because I don’t grocery shop as much and I probably don’t waste as much money buying things I don’t need. Goodbye, guilt.

All this to say, my obsession with meal delivery is a true blessing. And even though the caveat is that it would generally be cheaper to DIY meal planning and grocery shopping, I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

So, with that out of the way, here is my review of HelloFresh meal kit delivery.

HelloFresh Meal Kit Delivery Review: Is It Worth the Money?

How does HelloFresh work?

HelloFresh works like Marley Spoon and Dinnerly. With HelloFresh, you go to the HelloFresh website and select the meals you want to cook. They will send you your meal kit within 14 days.

Almost all ingredients are provided with the exception of staples. And you are more than likely to have things like salt and pepper, garlic and soy sauce in your kitchen. I don’t find this a problem at all.

HelloFresh Meal Plans

HelloFresh offers three types of food boxes – the classic plan, veggie plan, and family plan. 

The classic plan gives you a choice of 10 recipes each week including traditional favorites, new cuisine adventures plus gourmet and dinner to lunch meal options. 

The veggie plan is their vegetarian meal kit boxes. And the Family Plan offers family-friendly recipes for families with young kids.

HelloFresh Menu and Recipes

So, what exactly is on the menu and what kind of recipes does HelloFresh offer?

The HelloFresh menu features a good variety of cuisines and most of the meals cater to special dietary needs. They have various diet options including vegetarian, low carb, naturally gluten-free, and low calorie. 

This is perfect for those are health conscious and live a busy lifestyle. It makes me feel good to know that I can enjoy convenience without compromising quality and my health.

The recipes on HelloFresh are organized into categories. To view all recipes, simply hover over the top menu “Our Recipes” and click on “Recipe Collection.” This will direct you to the entire recipe collection where you can also click and view the recipe ingredients and instructions.

Is HelloFresh subscription-only?

HelloFresh is a weekly subscription plan, however, you will be able to cancel your delivery before it is sent out. You can also pause your subscription anytime. 

HelloFresh also offers fortnightly and monthly meal delivery frequency, which is handy if you are not keen on the weekly delivery.

You won’t be charged a fee for cancellation or pausing, which is always a good thing.

Having a flexible meal kit subscription means that you can plan your weeks based on vacations, school breaks, and family or social events.

I don’t always get a meal kit delivered. There are times when I know that there won’t be much time to cook due to other plans and events. It’s best to plan ahead so that you don’t waste your meal kit delivery (and money).

How much does Hello Fresh cost per week?

Depending on whether you decide to order the classic, veggie or family plan, HelloFresh usually starts at $7.99 per serving. 

You can choose to order between 3 to 5 recipes per week and 2 to 4 servings per recipe, depending on your family’s needs.

Does HelloFresh offer a discount code or voucher?

Not always, but since you are here reading this review, you can get a discount! Using my special link, you can get 40% off your first box of HelloFresh. No need for a discount code, your 40% off will automatically apply when you checkout.

Can you lose weight with HelloFresh?

I often get questions about whether or not a meal delivery service can help you lose weight.

And, my answer is yes and no. That’s because it all depends on what you order. HelloFresh does focus mostly on healthy, fresh food. So, yes, HelloFresh can help you burn fat if you stick to the low calorie and low carb meals.

But, you also have to be mindful of what you eat, drink and snack on, the rest of the day. Changing up your lunch and dinner can help you lose weight, but not if you binge on unhealthy, high-fat or high-sugar food the rest of the time.

Secondly, the reason most people manage to lose weight with a meal kit subscriptions is because of the convenience they offer. When you have a meal plan and the ingredients are delivered to your door, it makes life easier, and you’re less likely to order junk food.

What are the pros and cons of HelloFresh?

There are a few pros and cons of HelloFresh. Here are the advantages:

Benefits of Hello Fresh subscription:

Simple recipes – I have had HelloFresh meal deliveries more than a few times. And I always find their meal kits super simple and delicious. Seriously, anyone can cook HelloFresh meals without messing it up!

Good quality – With the exception of one incident, all ingredients were fresh upon delivery to my door. The meat is good quality (free-range chicken breasts etc) and I have always found their fresh produce, well, fresh and crisp.

I’ll be honest – there was one incident where I received chicken breasts that smelled off.

I wasn’t comfortable with using the chicken since it was unusually odd smell compared to the others I have received in the past.  So, I emailed customer service, who were friendly and apologetic. They refunded me the cost of the meal.

Storage and delivery – All ingredients were delivered in an insulated box. And I was notified of my upcoming delivery via email the day before, which was sufficient notice for us.

Flexible / No Contracts – Skip meals by pausing subscription and delay your order whenever you want to do so. No hidden fees or charges.

No cancellation fees – Cancel anytime without having to pay fees or be tied to a contract of some sort.

Now, for the disadvantages:

Pricier than Dinnerly – As mentioned in my Dinnerly review, Dinnerly is way cheaper and they still offer good food. Pricing for Hello Fresh starts at $7.99 per serving while Dinnerly starts at $4.95 per serving. 

That said, it is worth trying out HelloFresh (you can get 40% OFF your first order through my link here). They also do offer special promotions every now and then. So, it’s worth keeping an eye out on your email even if you do cancel your subscription.

 

And that is the end of this review. I hope you got a little something out of it. Now, over to you. Have you tried any of these meal kit delivery companies? I would love to know about your experience.