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by Alison Chew
Reviewed by Rebecca Housh, MS, RDN
HelloFresh
HelloFresh is a pioneer in the meal kit space and continues to adapt to the changing needs of its’ customers. With over 20 easy-to-follow recipes each week to offer dinner time variety, clearly labeled nutritional information to simplify meal selection, and high-quality ingredients sourced straight from local farms, HelloFresh brings you delicious convenient meals straight to your door.
Plus, with the addition of add-on’s like breakfast, lunch sandwiches, salads, sides, dessert, and proteins, HelloFresh is your one-stop shop for most of your weekly meal needs. Read on for our full HelloFresh review and unboxing video. Save up to $90 >>
What We Like
20+ meal kits each week, plus add-on’s like prepared meals, lunch sandwiches, salads, sides, dessert, and breakfast
Seasonal and Holiday Kits and Boxes
First carbon-neutral meal kit company
What We Don’t Like
Can’t see the full menu with add-on’s unless you have an active account
Shipping is $8.99
How much is HelloFresh?
HelloFresh meal kits start at $7.49 per meal with $7.99 shipping per delivery.
Serving size options: 2 or 4 people
Recipe selections per week: 2, 3, or 4 recipes per week
Recipe choices: 20 dinner recipes, 3 lunch recipes, plus sides, desserts, and protein
HelloFresh Reviews: Meal Kits, Prepared Meals, and Seasonal Meal Kit
For our second set of HelloFresh reviews, we tried two traditional meal kits, a Game Day kit, as well as two Heat & Eat prepared meals. If you are new to HelloFresh or haven’t been back in a while, their new selection of add-on’s is a must-try! Save up to $90 >>
The mashed potatoes with sour cream and green onions were delicious and something that I will do again in the future. We enjoyed the skin and the lumpy texture. The baked green beans were good, but I would limit the amount of oil used next time as they were pretty oily when removed from the oven. All in, it took about 40 minutes to prepare this meal. Save up to $90 >>
All of our ingredients were fresh upon arrival and no ingredients were missing. The portion sizes worked for 2 adults and we noticed that the amount of shrimp given was more than other meal kit services that we have tried. The food also stayed fresh for the 4 days that it took for us to make the kits. Save up to $90 >>
Did you know that HelloFresh tests each recipe 45 times before adding it to the menu? This ensures that recipes are clear as well as delicious. The instructions for our recipes were easy to follow and the skill level required, in our opinion, would be entry-level to intermediate. The recipes do require prepping, chopping, and several pans, but the step-by-step instructions walk you through everything.
We did notice that in the photos for the pork tacos the pickled shallots were bright pink, ours did not turn pink at all. This isn’t a big deal as they tasted fine, but something that caught my attention when comparing the final product to the HelloFresh recipe card. The average cook time for our three meals was between 30-35 min. See below for the Sizzling Hoisin Shrimp recipe. Save up to $90 >>
We really enjoyed all three recipes, but the Hoisin Shrimp was by far our favorite. The simple hoisin marinade was a huge hit and for under 600 calories per serving it’s a tasty go-to dinner.
The pork tacos came in a close second, but with a higher calorie count, around 960, and fewer veggies, it tasted delicious but we needed to supplement the dinner with a salad to make it complete.
The pork tenderloin was also very tasty and under 600 calories, with the same style of green beans as the shrimp alongside crispy roasted potatoes and a sweet figgy sauce. This dish was healthy and super easy to make. Save up to $90 >>
For two servings, the total price for this seasonal offering is $37.96. For us, this fed two adults and one child and was very convenient, and less expensive than ordering bbq takeout for the Big Game. Save up to $90 >>
The ribs were wonderful and arrive fully cooked in the sauce. We amped up the sauce with the included seasoning packets and warmed them up in the oven for about 20 minutes. On the package, it says 3 servings, and our family of 3 devoured every last rib. I would order these as a protein add-on as they were really tasty and super easy to make.
The loaded potato wedges were seasoned with a Southwest seasoning, baked for about 25 min, then topped with shredded pepper jack cheese until melted. The kit included ingredients for a simple lime crema (lime + sour cream + water) and pico (tomato, onion, lime juice, and jalapeno). I wasn’t sure that I would like these wedges with pico, but they tasted great and something that I wouldn’t have thought of myself. Save up to $90 >>
Finally, the onion straws rounded out this seasonal kit. We liked that the tempura batter didn’t add a lot of bread to the onions so that you could actually taste the onion flavor, but didn’t love that you had to fry them all in oil in batches. I would much rather bake them. They were good dipped in the blue cheese sauce, but our least favorite of the three.
I definitely recommend trying a seasonal kit or box if the recipes look good to you. They are a fun and easy way to make your holiday or special occasion stress-free. Save up to $90 >>
HelloFresh Reviews: Heat & Eat Prepared Meals
We tried two of the HelloFresh limited edition Heat & Eat meals. This included the Turkey Lasagna-Style Mac ’n’ Cheese and Coconut Cauliflower & Bean Curry. Both are priced at $8.99/each and in line with other Heat & Eat “prepared meals” that we have tried. Save up to $90 >>
I have to say that I was surprised by how good both of these meals tasted. They were both one serving, ready in 3 min in the microwave, and packed with flavor.
My only complaint is that the Turkey Lasagna pasta dish was a whopping 800 calories! I should’ve checked before I ordered. If you are on a diet be sure to read the label information before you order. Save up to $90 >>
HelloFresh Reviews: Update
Great news! HelloFresh is now the first carbon-neutral meal kit company! They have partnered with TerraPass to offset 100% of their carbon emissions. They expect to offset at least 50,000 metric tons of carbon and 24,000 megawatts of electricity.
HelloFresh Reviews: Bottom Line
With 20+ meal kits recipes to choose from each week with additional add-on’s like prepared meals, lunch, breakfast, dessert, and proteins, HelloFresh maintains fresh and seasonal recipes that are sure to please everyone in your family. They are becoming your one-stop shop for all of your weekly meal needs.
We love the variety that HelloFresh offers. Each week they have something for everyone – from customer favorites to burgers, several different seafood and vegetarian recipes, along with the standard pork, chicken, beef, and pasta. Unfortunately, you can’t see the full menu with all of these awesome add-on’s unless you are logged into and have an active account.
The HelloFresh recipes lean more American, home-cooking, comfort food with fewer international or global flavors as compared to some other meal kits. I’m sure that a majority of meal kit users enjoy these flavors, for us, though, we are more adventurous eaters and like to mix up our dinners to try new and interesting recipes. We will order HelloFresh when the menu fits our tastes and will skip when it doesn’t.
The cost of HelloFresh compared to other meal kit services is in the low to mid-range on the price scale with an additional shipping charge that most meal kits have.
I definitely recommend trying a seasonal kit or box if the recipes look good to you as it will make cooking for the week so much easier and will introduce new recipes to your dinner rotation. In addition, the seasonal and holiday meal kits are a fun and easy way to make your holiday or special occasion stress-free. Save up to $90 >>
- Largest menu! Meal kits, prepared meals, grocery, and pantry items
- Organic and sustainable ingredients. 99% of produce is organic; meats and poultry are antibiotic- and hormone-free; sustainably sourced seafood
- The most meal kit recipes available each week! 25-27
- First carbon-neutral meal kit company
- Only company with Meal Prep! Everything you need to prep multiple meals on Sunday for the whole week.
- Protein Upgrades
- Dessert kit available every week
- Elevated meal kit recipes
- A lot of globally-inspired flavors
- Ready in 15 min
- Swap Proteins
-Customizable proteins including Impossible meat substitute
- 6 servings size for families
- Very affordable
- Dessert kit available every week
- Very affordable
- Certified Organic Ingredients!
- Commitment to the environment through recyclable packaging and carbon offsets!
- 6 serving option for large families
- Only all plant-based meal kit company!
- Free shipping
CONS
- Expensive if you are not ordering 8+ servings per week
- Can’t see the full menu with add-on’s unless you have an active account
- American flavors; limited authentic global recipes
- Few globally-inspired recipes
- Lack of vegetarian options; limited options for other diets
- Can't see full menu with add-ons unless you have an active account
- Lack of vegetarian options; limited options for other diets
- Expensive
- Few globally-inspired recipes
- Lack of vegetarian options; limited options for other specialty diets
- Simple, limited-ingredient meals
- Digital recipe cards
- Lack of vegetarian options; limited options for other diets
- Simple, limited-ingredient meals
- Mostly American-style meals
- Lack of vegetarian options; limited options for other diets
- Can’t select meals from different plans in the same week
- Few choices per week
This post has been reviewed and approved by our dietitian Rebecca Housh, MS, RDN, LDN for nutritional accuracy.
Rebecca Housh is a registered dietitian based in Chicago, IL. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Physiology from Boston University and a Master of Science in Human Nutrition from the University of Illinois in Chicago. Rebecca is passionate about the idea of food as medicine in both preventative and therapeutic care. Her current professional interests lie in food security, food access, and nutrition for chronic disease.
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