HelloFresh is one of America’s best-known meal kit delivery services. Subscribers can purchase dinner meal kits and a few options for lunch, breakfast, dessert, snacks, and regular groceries. Meal kits can confer some health benefits because they encourage home cooking, instead of going out to eat, and the proteins and veggies are measured and pre-portioned, which can help people who want to eat healthfully and not overindulge. (1)
Whether you are trying to spice up your weekly meal planning, or want to take fewer trips to the grocery store, HelloFresh has something for everyone, including people leaning into a vegetarian or pescatarian diet.
Our team product tester tried HelloFresh for a week to give you an honest review of the signup process, recipe quality, convenience, and more. Read our full review to determine if HelloFresh is right for you.
Key product features
What you should know
HelloFresh has meal kits large enough to feed a family of six and recipes that take less than 20 minutes to prep and cook.
- Our tester liked the fresh ingredients and simple instructions on the recipe card, and the meals were filling for her family of four.
- The price for HelloFresh meals starts at $9.99, which aligns with other budget-friendly meal delivery services and is less expensive than dining out or ordering in.
- HelloFresh is great for people who want to spice up their weekly meal planning with chef-curated meals representing global cuisines.
How HelloFresh works
To get started with HelloFresh, first you select your meal plan on its website. You can choose from Meat and Veggies, Veggie, Family Friendly, Pescatarian, Fit and Wholesome, and Under 20 minutes. Next, you select the number of people you are feeding, between two and six, and the number of meals you want per week, between two and six.
Next, you create your account. Enter your email address, create a password, and enter your delivery address and payment information. HelloFresh accepts VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, and PayPal. You can pause your subscription, skip a week, or cancel at any time, according to HelloFresh.
You can manage your account through the website, or on a Google or Apple device with the HelloFresh app, where you can review HelloFresh recipes, nutrition information, and rate and save your favorite meals. The app also has voice-activated cooking instructions that work with Amazon Alexa to talk you through the recipe while you prep and cook.
HelloFresh pricing and plans
When setting up your subscription for HelloFresh you can customize your plan by choosing two, four, or six people you are feeding and between two and six meals per week. Before discounts, the price starts at $9.99 per meal. Our tester spent $170 for four meals for her family of four.
HelloFresh offers discounts, which can reduce the price. Their current promotion offers 10 free meals + free breakfast for life for new subscribers. If you’re interested in comparing HelloFresh to other plans, read our reviews of the best meal delivery services.
What are HelloFresh meals like
HelloFresh offers meals in a variety of cuisines: American, Chinese, German, Mexican, Italian, Indian, and more. Once you choose your type of meals, such as “Meat and Veggie,” you can start to select from the dozens of meals HelloFresh offers each week.
The company has a new custom feature where you can swap out proteins and veggies in specific meals. For example, you can choose either potatoes or broccoli as a side dish to the Golden Chicken Schnitzel. Or with the Roasted Veggie Kale Salad, you can choose chicken or steak as your protein. These meals come with large recipe cards with step-by-step instructions and pictures of the dishes to help you know if you’re staying on track.
Our tester is a regular home chef but said the instructions were easy enough for a beginner. She would have liked more pictures in the recipe card to show how the food looks throughout the process, but overall she enjoyed the experience and had only a few pans to clean up after dinner. Some meals took a little longer than the recipe card estimated and some were pretty accurate.
“The majority of people I speak with, especially parents and those who work outside the home, are time-pressed in the evening, limiting their ability to prepare meals,” adds Chris Mohr, PhD, RD. A meal delivery kit, like Hello Fresh, can make that significantly easier by cutting shopping and prep time, yet add nutrient-dense, well-balanced foods to the diet.”
Feeding a family can be challenging, as our tester—a mom of two kids under six—can attest, but one of her kids liked trying new meals. She opted for One-Pan Beef Enchiladas Verdes, Brown Sugar Bourbon Pork Chops, Mandarin Orange Chicken and Broccoli, and Beef and Zucchini Baked Penne for her meals.
The chicken and broccoli dish was a hit with most of her family. She said the sauce was tangy and sweet, and overall it was very flavorful, and there were plenty of fresh veggies to go with the chicken. The addition of scallions and sesame seeds was a nice touch to elevate the dish.They also really enjoyed the beef enchiladas, and her 22-month old daughter wanted more and ate a big portion, but her four-year-old wouldn’t try it.
Not everyone is easy to feed. If you have picky eaters in your household, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends getting kids involved in meal planning by inviting your tiny chefs to help out with cooking in an age-appropriate and safe way, like stirring ingredients. (2) Even then, they might not like the food they cooked, especially if they’re trying something new. It can take kids anywhere from eight to 10 attempts at trying a new flavor or texture before deciding for sure if they like it. (3)
Interested in healthy eating? Read our reviews on the best healthy meal delivery services.
HelloFresh delivery process
Ordering
Our tester placed her order on a Thursday and received the box four days later, on a Monday. Although she was able to choose the day of the delivery, there was no option to choose a time of day or even a window of time; so when her box arrived at 6:30 p.m., it was past her family’s regular dinner time, so she’d have to plan ahead for future orders.
Delivery
HelloFresh delivers food in recyclable cardboard boxes with ingredients packaged in individual paper bags—no plastic. She said the food felt cold but the bags were ripped, and there was only one ice pack in the bag containing meat, so this might not be sustainable on a hot summer day if left outside for too long. According to HelloFresh, the box can be left outside for 48 hours, but we’re doubtful it would keep the meat below 40 degrees for that long, after which it can spoil and lead to food poisoning. (4)
Extras
Our tester also received some coupons and vouchers for cheesecake desserts that came as free add-ons to her order and a free gift which was a chocolate orange, a specialty confection that originated in England in 1932. (5)
Specs
| Starting price | $9.99 per meal |
| Shipping cost | First box is free; $10.99 |
| Shipping area | Continental U.S., and certain zip codes in Hawaii and Alaska |
| Meal type | Meal kits, snacks, desserts |
| Number of meals per week | Two to 6 |
| Meal options | Vegetarian, fast and easy, family-friendly, fit and wholesome, pescatarian |
| Cancellation method | Online |
How we test meal delivery services
Signing up for a meal delivery service can make it easier to prep, cook, and eat nutritious meals when you’re busy. Delivery services can also provide meals that meet your dietary, caloric, and macronutrient needs.
We tested HelloFresh for its convenience, quality, and portion sizes to see if this meal delivery service is one we’d recommend to others. We also assessed the packaging and whether this service can help reduce food waste.
Not every meal delivery service is a great fit for every person or scenario. That’s why Fortune Recommends™ aims to personally test every meal delivery service we review. Our goal is to provide unbiased, honest feedback to help you pick the right service for you.
Here’s why you can trust our meal delivery reviews.
Every Fortune meal delivery review features:
- In-depth analysis by testers and/or authors who are certified nutritionists and/or registered dietitians
- Testing for portion and ingredient accuracy, taste, and freshness
- Fact-checking and reviewing by qualified experts
At times, we may feature meal delivery services we haven’t yet tested. Until we can try them, we examine each service’s cost, meal variety, nutrition breakdown, and customization options. We then update our reviews once we’ve tested them to highlight everything we liked and didn’t like.
Learn how we test meal delivery services here.
Testing criteria
Meal choices—30%
A good meal delivery service should provide numerous healthy, nutritious options for every meal of the day. It should also give you as much authority as possible over what you can order. Here’s what we take into account in our meal choices rating:
- Multiple options
- Substitutions
- Guidance
- Label transparency
Food quality—30%
We aim to match you with companies that use delicious chef-designed recipes and have the dietary firepower of nutritionists and/or registered dietitians behind them. Here’s what goes into our quality rating:
- Flavor
- Healthiness
- Freshness
Value—20%
Meal delivery services run the gamut in price, but what you receive should feel reasonable for what you’re paying. Here’s what we factor into a program’s value rating:
- Fair price
- Multiple quantity options
- Customization
Customer experience—20%
We read other customer reviews and contact customer support ourselves to see if the company is responsive to requests and questions. How customer service handles inquiries can affect future purchasing decisions. We also assess if the packaging is sealed properly and if the food is relatively easy to prep and cook, or even just to heat up.
- Packaging
- Ease of preparation
- Reviews
- Customer service
Compare Hello Fresh
|
|
|
|
|
|
| HelloFresh | Home Chef | Blue Apron | Green Chef | CookUnity | |
| Rating | |||||
| Cost per meal | $9.99 | $9.99 | $7.99 | $11.99 | $11.09–13.59 |
| Delivery area | Continental U.S. and select areas in Hawaii and Alaska | Continental U.S. | Continental U.S. | Continental U.S. | Most states in the U.S. except Alaska, Montana, Hawaii, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia, Alaska, and some parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Upstate New York. |
| Meal type | Meal kit, breakfast, snacks | Meal kit, prepared meals, grill-ready ingredients | Meal kit, prepared meals | Meal kit | Fresh, prepared meals |
FAQs
Do people actually save money with HelloFresh?
Yes, you may be able to save money with HelloFresh, by purchasing pre-portioned meals so you have less waste of produce and proteins. With meals starting at $9.99, HelloFresh is less expensive than dining out at most restaurants and is a good way to save money by eating at home. Right now HelloFresh is offering new subscribers 10 free meals and a free breakfast with each box, for up to seven boxes. New subscribers get free shipping with the first box as well.
“Meal delivery services also provide the right amount of ingredients instead of buying larger quantities of ingredients you may only use for one meal, leaving the rest in your cabinet for months,” says Mohr. “This can also save you money at the grocery store!”
How much does HelloFresh cost?
HelloFresh starts at $9.99 per meal. If you order three meals per week for two people, that would cost $70.93 for the box, before discounts, plus $10.99 in shipping costs.
Is it hard to cancel HelloFresh?
You can cancel your HelloFresh account online. First you should log in to your account and go to Account Settings. Scroll down to Plan Settings and click Cancel Plan in the Status section. You will be asked a few questions about why you are canceling. Be sure to cancel by 11:59 p.m. PST five days before your next scheduled delivery to avoid being charged for the upcoming week.
Is HelloFresh a weekly or monthly charge?
HelloFresh charges by the week.
How many meals are in a HelloFresh box?
You can choose between two and six meals per box.
Can I freeze my HelloFresh meals?
You can freeze uncooked meats or cooked meals you want to save for later.
Is HelloFresh enough food for two people?
Yes, you can order meals starting with two servings. Our tester was cooking for herself, her husband, and her small kids, and she had leftovers with some meals.
Does HelloFresh have one-person meals?
HelloFresh meals are portioned for two people at a minimum, but depending on how much you eat, two servings might just hit the spot for someone who needs more than a single serving. If you’re cooking for one, you can enjoy leftovers the next day.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases.
Our experts
Chris Mohr, Ph.D., RD
Dr. Chris Mohr is an internationally recognized subject matter expert and speaker and performance coach. Through his facilitation and online resources, he works closely with some of the largest corporations in the world including Deloitte, Delta Airlines, Johnson & Johnson and more to help busy executives all over the world, develop the energy to thrive personally and professionally.
Jessica Coulon
Jessica is a contributing editor and writer for Fortune Recommends who specializes in fitness, health, nutrition, and science content. Previously, she was an editor for Popular Mechanics and Bicycling, where she covered pro cycling news, wrote how-to guides, and tested all the latest and greatest bike gear. She was also a regular shoe tester and contributor for Runner’s World. You can often find her skiing or riding her mountain bike, and racing with the F1RE female enduro team.
Joana Neziri, M.S., NASM-CPT
Joana is a writer, editor, and content strategist focusing on nutrition, fitness, and all things health. After earning a master’s degree in business from the University of North Florida, she began a career in research and digital marketing.
Kelly Uhler
Kelly has a multifaceted background in elder care, health care, and copywriting. She has worked for organizations such as A Place For Mom and Homecare.com, which gave her the opportunity to work closely with families, providing reliable information to help them make informed decisions about their loved one’s health, safety, and quality of life.
Lauren Evoy Davis
Fortune Recommends Staff Writer
About Author
Lauren Evoy Davis is a health journalist with expertise in cancer and other chronic conditions. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from American University and a bachelor’s degree in English from Elon University. Her work has been published by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, National Council on Aging, HelpGuide WebMD, Everyday Health and Verizon. She tests meal kits, meal delivery services, and fitness apps. When not writing or reading, Lauren enjoys paddle boarding on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, weightlifting, and gardening.