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My sister recently switched to a plant-based diet, and it has been hard for her to keep up with meal planning and choosing healthy, well-balanced meals while avoiding meat and fish altogether.
One of the first suggestions that popped into my head was HelloFresh. This best meal kit delivery service offers vegetarian options, but how do their prices, and meals measure up to the competition?
HelloFresh
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Meal Kit Food Options
- Vegetarian
- Omnivore
- For Family
- Low calorie
Meal Plans
- Two people
- Four people
Number of Recipes per Week
- Two to five recipes
Recipe Levels
- Level 1 – for beginners or novice cooks
- Level 2 – for home cooks
- Level 3 – for intermediate cooks
Average Cost per Serving
- Around $7.50
Shipping Cost
- About $7
- Free shipping on your first box
Sample Recipes
- Vegetarian Plan
- The Mediterranean baked vegetables
- Roasted vegetable paella
- Garlic herb tortelloni
- Tunisian Stuffed Peppers
- Omnivore Plan
- Cheesy beef tostadas
- Tex-mex beef and poblano enchiladas
- Garlic herb tortelloni
- Lemon butter trout
- Family-friendly plan
- Spicy maple chicken
- Parmesan crusted chicken
- Cheesy beef tostadas
- Gouda pork burgers
- Low-calorie plan
- The Mediterranean baked vegetables
- Figgy balsamic pork
- Butternut squash and sage risotto
- Cheesy smothered mushroom chicken.
Minimum Order
- A minimum of two portions and two meals per week
Menu Variety
- Up to 17 recipes are added to the menu each week.
PROS
- HelloFresh recipes can be as easy or as difficult as you want them to be. Their recipes are categorized by level of difficulty, so you can select recipes that are either easy to follow or more technical to cook.
- HelloFresh accommodates a wide variety of dietary restrictions by allowing you to remove certain ingredients and giving you the ability to request diet-specific meals.
- Your first box ships for free
- Hello Fresh adds up to 17 new recipes each week, so you have a good variety of recipes to choose from
- The Hello Fresh customer service team is eager to please and easy to reach
- Hello Fresh delivers fresh and quality ingredients to your doorstep
CONS
- Some HelloFresh recipes need a bit of additional prep work like chopping ingredients
- They have a minimum order of two meals and two portions each week. It’s not ideal if you live alone and need fewer than four servings per week. However, if you don’t mind eating two portions of the same recipe, it should work for you.
- HelloFresh does not offer discounts or savings for large families online.
Review Summary: HelloFresh is a woman-owned business and is one of the top meal services in America. They put an emphasis on fresh and seasonal produce as well as sustainably-sourced proteins that are hormone-free. It’s ideal for you if you’re looking for a meal delivery service that can help you improve your cooking skills and make you feel the satisfaction of a home-cooked meal prep with less hassle.
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What is Hello Fresh?
HelloFresh delivers meal kits of fresh, locally-sourced ingredients right to your doorstep. The company—HelloFresh SE, is based in Berlin, Germany. It is currently one of the largest services in the US with operations in Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
The company is associated with helpful and insightful customer service practices, as well as their commitment to sourcing fresh produce from family-owned farms that employ sustainable practices.
How the Hello Fresh Service Works?
Hello Fresh is a weekly meal delivery service that delivers up to four meals per person to your home. Signing up to HelloFresh review is a fast, straightforward process that should only take you around five minutes.
The only time I found myself taking a bit too long was when I was picking out meals. But first, you need to start by choosing your meal preferences.
Choose between an omnivore, vegetarian, family-friendly, or low-calorie menu. Afterward, you’ll be able to select how many people you need to feed and how many portions each week you’d like to receive.
After selecting your plan, the page will display the cost of your order as well as prompt you to put in a discount code if you have one. Afterward, you’ll be able to select your own meals from up to 20 different recipes on their weekly menu.
Why Hello Fresh? Who is it Best for?
HelloFresh is ideal for you if you’re trying to learn how to cook, or if you are trying to improve your cooking skills. The service gives you a wide variety of recipes to choose from each week.
Each recipe is categorized under the level of difficulty to prepare and cook, which means there’s something for everyone regardless of your cooking skills.
HelloFresh is also ideal for you if you want to be as involved with the cooking and preparation process of your meals as possible, without actually having to plan and do most of the prep work and shopping.
The service delivers pre-proportioned ingredients that come with helpful, descriptive, and straight-forward recipe cards. The recipes even come with clear photos depicting each process, which makes it no problem to follow along.
But more than that, HelloFresh is a service that you should look into if you want to maintain healthier eating habits or if you want to stick to a particular diet. Often, the issue with eating healthy or sticking to your vegetarian lifestyle is the difficulty of planning, shopping, and preparing your meals.
HelloFresh makes it easier for you by delivering carefully picked, fresh ingredients alongside delicious, easy recipes.
Who is it Not Recommended for?
While HelloFresh has a good variety of meals and recipe options to choose from, you might not enjoy it if you consider yourself to be a gourmet chef. The meals may look too simple, even if they’re classed as a level 3 recipe.
Another reason why HelloFresh might not be the ideal meal kit delivery service for you is if you’re frequently short on time. HelloFresh meals are convenient, and they cut off a significant amount of work and time it would normally take you to prepare your own meals. However, they don’t offer five-minute meal options.
This means if you don’t have at least thirty minutes to put into cooking your food, you might not be able to commit to a HelloFresh meal plan.
It may not be a good option for you if you’re looking for strictly vegan meals. The Hello Fresh vegetarian menu is plentiful. However, they rarely feature strictly vegan meals on the menu.
HelloFresh also doesn’t focus on all-organic ingredients. While their meats and proteins might be hormone-free and their produce fresh and sustainably-sourced, they don’t put an emphasis on organic ingredients.
Type of Food Options
HelloFresh lets you choose from four meal plans. These plans cater to a specific diet and feature a weekly menu of up to 20 different recipes.
Vegetarian – the Veggie plan puts focus on plant-based meals. You can expect to find seasonal produce and only the freshest plant-proteins that are free from chemicals.
Omnivore – the omnivore plan highlights a healthy, well-balanced diet of meat and vegetables. You can expect to find a wide variety of meals that feature meat, seafood, and seasonal produce.
For Family – the plan features child-friendly meals that are ready in the least amount of time. The recipes are frequently quick and easy, so young children can also help in the kitchen while you cook.
Calorie Smart – the low-calorie plan focuses on meals with a maximum of 650 calories each. The recipes are approved by dieticians and are carefully created by experienced chefs.
Packaging & Sustainability
As I mentioned above, HelloFresh prioritizes its partnerships with family-owned farms with the highest sustainability practices.
Moreover, the company ships your meal kits in a fully-recyclable cardboard box. Most of their packaging components are made of 100% recyclable materials including the packs that come with instructions for recycling.
Unfortunately, it’s difficult to maintain a 100% recyclable and plastic-free packaging experience with any delivery. Since you’re dealing with food, companies need to maintain the highest levels of food safety standards.
The company uses plastic packaging as little as possible. Even the separators they use in their boxes to keep your meals organized are cardboard.
Hello Fresh Food Safety & Quality
HelloFresh employs the highest food safety practices in their kitchens. While you may be able to pick which ingredients you want to omit, the kitchen that prepares your meal kits are not allergen-free.
If you have serious food allergies, I suggest taking extra care or opting for a different service instead.
That said, the quality of ingredients and nutrition packed into each meal is consistently monitored. This means you’re getting the freshest ingredients available, and that you have access to carefully curated recipes.
Can I Freeze My Hello Fresh Meals?
If you’re really determined to make the best of Hello Fresh’s shipping service, here’s what you can do to cut down on the cost of meals. First, you should be careful when ordering a delivery when you’re in the middle of a big meal. Also, since the meals come in frozen form, you’ll have to defrost them at home. If you’re planning a large dinner, you can shop for smaller meals that you know you’ll still be able to eat later that day. For instance, buy a few pizza rolls and save them for the next day. Also, if you’re planning on making a dessert, opt for a Hello Fresh frozen dessert to save you a little bit of money.
You can also try adding a few Hello Fresh meals to your dinner rotation for the week so you’re not ordering multiple packages of the same meal on a single day. Speaking of the price, you should also consider the option to stop food-shipping services. However, there are a few potential downsides to this. For one, you’re bound to pay a higher price than when you order your own groceries. The average household spends an additional $400 per year on grocery delivery, versus the $70 a year spent on food shipping services.
Is HelloFresh Healthy?
HelloFresh’s food delivery service is not for everyone. “There are some ingredients that HelloFresh wouldn’t even consider using,” said Christopher Bliss, the managing editor of the food blog First We Feast. The brand, which opened its first restaurant in New York City in November, offers 20, 40, and 60-minute menus in order to cater to everyone’s busy schedules. The basic packages start at $9.99 per person and offer unlimited servings of one or two recipes.
The standard menu offers family-sized servings, and the business-minded option offers premium recipes for one to two people. The menu can be personalized with a variety of meal options and cuts of meat. All of the meals ship out via the company’s subscription service and start with a recipe that only contains ingredients that can be easily found at grocery stores.
Is HelloFresh Good for 1 Person?
If you want to cook for one person, do not get into the HelloFresh Diet program. It will likely not be easy, especially with some of the more extensive meal plans you will see. There are some strict rules about what you can and cannot consume, which can prove very difficult to follow in the long run. While it is hard to digest, this is one reason why HelloFresh Diet is an expensive diet in itself. Some of the meals on this program cost up to $8 per serving. That is quite a lot of money to spend when you already struggle to make ends meet.
The Ingredients Matter. Before getting into anything that might lead to a health problem, make sure to read up about the ingredients that are found in the foods on this diet program. You can find out about everything from nuts to legumes, the type of flour you can use, the expiration dates on the items, and the recommendations to consume them. Although you can eat meat as part of the HelloFresh diet, you may want to steer clear of these particular ingredients. You can buy them at stores that specialize in meat. This is one reason why some people who follow this diet end up getting very sick from it.
Food Meal Pans & Sample Menus & Sample Recipes
Veggie Plan
- The Mediterranean baked veggies with couscous, feta, and almonds
- Roasted veggie paella with garlic aioli
- Garlic herb tortellini with roasted zucchini and tomato
- Tunisian stuffed peppers with apricots, feta cheese, and chickpeas
Meat and Vegetables Plan
- Cheesy beef tostadas with tomato salsa, hot sauce crema, and long green pepper
- Tex-mex beef and poblano enchiladas with lime crema and pico de gallo
- Lemon butter trout with asparagus amandine and horseradish potato mash
Family-Friendly Plan
- Spicy maple chicken with roasted green beans and mashed potatoes
- Parmesan crusted chicken with cream lemon tomato spaghetti
- Gouda pork burgers with potato wedges and caramelized Sriracha onion
Calorie Smart Plan
- Figgy balsamic pork with rosemary potatoes and roasted green beans
- Butternut squash and sage risotto with walnuts and parmesan
- Cheesy smothered mushroom chicken with roasted carrots and mashed potatoes
HelloFresh Cost & How It Compared to Similar Services
Price per meal: from around $7.50
Shipping cost: around $7 with free shipping on your first box
Minimum order: at least two meals and two portions each week
Recipe Variety: up to 20 recipes on the weekly menu
Meal Options: low-calorie, vegetarian, with the option to remove/replace specific ingredients like seafood
Freshly
Both HelloFresh and Freshly are some of the most popular services in America today. However, there are also a few key differences like the type of meals they deliver.
Freshly delivers pre-cooked meals that are ready-to-heat whereas HelloFresh sends out meal kits that you need to cook.
Price per meal: up to almost $12 a meal
Shipping cost: shipping varies
Minimum order: four meals each week
Recipe Variety: over 30 meals on the menu
Meal Options: low-carb, dairy-free, you can also opt for recipes that exclude certain allergens
Freshly vs. Hello Fresh Comparison
Home Chef
Both HelloFresh and Freshly are some of the most popular meal delivery services in America today. However, there are also a few key differences like the type of meals they deliver. Freshly delivers pre-cooked meals that are ready-to-heat whereas HelloFresh sends out meal kits that you need to cook.
Price per meal: around $8
Shipping cost: free shipping for a minimum order of $45, otherwise you’ll be charged around $10 more
Minimum Order: at least two portions per meal
Recipe Variety: 16 meal options each week
Meal Options: carb-conscious, low-calorie, vegetarian, pescatarian, seafood-free, red-meat free, dairy-free, mushroom-free, and nut-free
Green Chef
Price per meal: around $12
Shipping cost: around $8
Minimum Order: three meals for two people minimum
Recipe Variety: four menus to choose from
Everyplate
Price per meal: around $5 a portion
Shipping cost: around $9
Minimum Order: three meals for two people
Recipe Variety: thirteen meal options
Blue Apron
Price per meal: under $8 each portion
Shipping cost: Free shipping unless you choose the two-person, two-meal plan, which will cost around $8 more
Minimum Order: at least two meals and two portions each week
Recipe Variety: 8 meals each week
Sun Basket
Price per meal: from around $11
Shipping cost: around $8
Minimum Order: three meals for two people minimum
Recipe Variety: from six to eighteen recipes each week
Dinnerly
Price per meal: from around $5 a meal
Shipping cost: around $9
Recipe Variety: a maximum of 14 meals a week
Meal Options: there are no specific meal options
Marley Spoon
Price per meal: up to over $10 a meal
Shipping cost: around $9
Recipe Variety: two portions
Meal Options: 27 recipes
How Do Hello Fresh Meals Taste?
One of the most important factors when choosing meal kit delivery services is the taste and flavor packed into each meal. HelloFresh did not disappoint, the meals I got were delicious and far from boring.
I enjoyed the creative twists they add into traditional meals and the variety of more adventurous flavors and recipes to choose from.
My favorite for the week was the lemon butter trout. It had just the right amount of acidity to combat the saltiness of the butter while giving it a rich, satisfying flavor that’s hard to forget.
At the end of each spread I might have felt full, but my tongue and mouth would have been happy to keep eating just for the taste alone.
Is Cancelling HelloFresh Easy?
If you find that HelloFresh doesn’t meet your requirements then there’s nothing you can do about it other than cancel your subscription. You can cancel your subscription online. Make sure to log in to your account to cancel your subscription, otherwise, you won’t see the option to cancel on the platform. Once your subscription is canceled, you won’t receive the necessary food shipments anymore. How to Check Cancellation Option. A spokesperson for HelloFresh told Gizmodo that the cancellation option is under “Schedule and Delivery Settings.” When you first click on the Schedules & Delivery Settings tab, there is an option to cancel your subscription. If you click on the Cancel button you’ll be presented with the following confirmation window.My Experience using HelloFresh
I felt full after each meal without feeling guilty or overfed. The meals were mostly well-balanced and felt like a reward after cooking. plus, the flavor profiles of each meal were exciting and delicious.
Moreover, Their customer service is easy to reach and always eager to please. Any questions I had regarding substitutions or requests for specific meals were answered promptly.
I also appreciate their commitment to recyclable packaging. They used cardboard when possible, but still utilized plastic pouches to comply with safety standards. The food is also kept fresh during transit thanks to a few ice packs that come inside the box.
I enjoyed the ice packs because I could reuse them. However, if you find yourself with too many packs from your deliveries, there are also easy to understand instructions on how to recycle them
Do You Actually Save Money on HelloFresh?
Determining whether you save money with HelloFresh depends on various factors, including your usual grocery spending habits, dining preferences, and the specific plan you choose. HelloFresh offers convenience and pre-portioned ingredients, but its cost-effectiveness can vary based on these considerations.
The cost of HelloFresh is typically higher than purchasing groceries yourself, as you’re paying for the convenience of pre-selected recipes and pre-measured ingredients. However, several factors contribute to potential savings:
Reduced Food Waste: HelloFresh provides exact portions, minimizing food waste that can occur when buying larger quantities of ingredients from the store. This reduction in waste can translate into monetary savings over time.
Time and Convenience: By receiving pre-packaged ingredients and recipes, HelloFresh can save you time in meal planning, recipe searching, and grocery shopping. If you value your time highly, the time saved could be considered a form of savings.
Eating Out Less: If you frequently dine at restaurants or order takeout, HelloFresh can be more cost-effective compared to those options. Cooking at home with HelloFresh could save you money in comparison to the expenses associated with eating out regularly.
Access to Specialty Ingredients: HelloFresh provides access to specialty ingredients that might be more expensive or harder to find at local grocery stores. This can result in savings when compared to purchasing these items individually.
Portion Control: HelloFresh’s portioned meals can assist in managing portion sizes, potentially reducing overeating and helping to control food costs.
However, it’s important to consider that HelloFresh might still be more expensive than sourcing ingredients independently and cooking entirely from scratch. Comparing the cost of HelloFresh to your typical grocery bill can help you determine if the convenience, reduced food waste, and time savings justify the higher cost.
In conclusion, HelloFresh can offer potential savings through reduced food waste, time savings, and the opportunity to replace dining out with home-cooked meals. While the cost per meal may be higher than purchasing ingredients individually, the overall value of time saved and reduced food waste could make HelloFresh a cost-effective option for some individuals or families.
Is it Hard to Cancel HelloFresh?
Canceling a HelloFresh subscription isn’t typically difficult, but it requires following specific steps. Remember:
Timing: Cancel before the designated deadline, often a few days before the next delivery, to avoid being charged.
Confirmation: After initiating cancellation, you’ll likely receive confirmation. Save this for reference.
Customer Support: Reach out to HelloFresh’s customer support if you encounter issues.
Plan Variation: Different plans may have varied cancellation terms, like commitments for a set number of weeks.
Terms: Carefully review HelloFresh’s terms and conditions, particularly regarding cancellations and fees.
Updates: For the latest process, check HelloFresh’s official site or contact their customer support.
While HelloFresh intends for the cancellation process to be user-friendly, checking their current guidelines ensures a smooth experience. Always mind timing, review commitments, and retain records for your peace of mind.
Final Thoughts
HelloFresh is an ideal meal kit delivery service to look into if you want a good variety of fresh and sustainable meal options. The ability to customize your menu to your exact specifications is also something you’ll appreciate when you’re feeding a family of various needs.
Moreover, their recipes are easy to follow and offer a reasonable variety of up to 20 meals each week, so there’s always something to choose from.
But if you don’t always have at least 30 minutes to set aside for cooking, SunBasket is an ideal alternative. They offer complex meal kits, as well as ready-to-eat meal options that you can fit into your schedule at any time.
#1 Best Alternative (MealPlated)
- Delicious, varied menu
- It is ideal for kids and adults
- Fresh and ready meals
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