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“There’s something for everyone” is the kind of trite cliché people trot out when what they really mean is that you have a lot of choices. But with its revamped menu, HelloFresh is making a run at a literal execution of the adage. The biggest meal kit company in the world—as of 2024, it commanded close to 50% of the meal kit market worldwide—now has around 100 different recipes to choose from each week, including a whole set of microwavable heat-and-eat meals.
We decided to retest the service to see how the new jump in quantity changes (or doesn’t) the experience of cooking and eating with HelloFresh.
Read on for my full review.
What to expect in a HelloFresh box
Each HelloFresh delivery is packed with (somewhat cumbersome) ice packs that will keep the box's contents cool for a few hours until you're able to get them into your fridge. Inside the box, ingredients for each meal come packed in paper bags; they’re pre-measured but not actually prepared, so you'll find whole garlic cloves and produce that you’ll need to mince, grate, chop, and dice. Recipe condiments and flourishes like chicken stock concentrate, creme fraiche, or balsamic glaze come in tiny packages that you can rip open and add to your sauce or on top of cooked vegetables.
Each meal has its ingredients, minus any proteins, sorted into its own paper bag, to prevent any mixups in a recipe. Proteins arrive isolated, hidden under a layer of ice packs—which is nice for their preservation and to prevent any accidental leaky meat juices from soiling your other ingredients. Clearly labeled instructions tell you to keep digging for your beef, chicken, or shrimp so you don't miss them.
In terms of quality, everything I got was on par with the kind of quality I’d get shopping for myself at a chain supermarket: Produce arrived fresh and undamaged, proteins were mostly quality versions of less expensive options (think 51/60 shrimp, not jumbo prawns).
What I liked about HelloFresh
I’m a parent of small children who are periodically temperamental when it comes to food, so in order to get my kids to actually eat, I need softball recipes pitched right down the middle. And HelloFresh really nails that. Even dishes that contained bigger flavors—like a kimchi fried rice—offset and balanced them in ways that were friendly to more cautious palates.
The portions were also amongst the most generous of the half dozen or so meal kits I’ve tried. I ordered four portions (for my family of four) and had leftovers with every meal. That might be because my kids are still small, but it means that even if your family of four has teenagers going through a growth spurt, no one will leave the table hungry.
Finally, HelloFresh utilizes shortcuts in a smart way that doesn’t undermine a dish’s flavors. When executed badly, meal kits end up tasting like reheated TV dinners. That’s because, in order to maximize efficiency (both in the cooking and the packaging of the food), companies choose things like pre-cut garlic or pre-squeezed lemon juice. Ingredients like that pale in comparison to freshly minced or squeezed versions. HelloFresh finds shortcuts, but they're with items that can be portioned out without sacrificing flavor, like stocks or base condiments like soy sauce.
What I didn’t like about HelloFresh
HelloFresh meals are not quick prep operations. Ordinarily, the fact that a meal takes 45 or 50 minutes to make wouldn’t merit much of a response from me; that’s a typical evening’s work. But the HelloFresh recipe cards proclaim prominently that prep times would be as brief as five minutes and they just weren't.
I mention that because lots of people sign up for meal kits specifically as a way to save time not just in meal planning but in meal prep. But the reality with HelloFresh is that you’ll have to do 90% of the work of cooking a meal. The result tastes as fresh as a meal made from scratch, but it takes time.
Most of the proteins I got—pork chops and shrimp—were on the thinner side. That meant they cooked more quickly than the instructions suggested. Directions for the pork chops, for example, suggested cooking them for four to six minutes a side. But that resulted in overdone meat. If you’re experienced in the kitchen, I’m sure you’ll adapt quickly; but if you’re using HelloFresh to get more experience in the kitchen, it’s something to be aware of.
Is HelloFresh good for different eating plans and dietary preferences?
When you sign up for HelloFresh, you're able to select between six different recipe preferences, so you can decide if you want to include meat or fish in your order, or stick to veggie-only meals. This makes it easy for pescatarians and vegetarians to stick to their eating plans. Vegans might have a trickier time finding something that suits them: According to HelloFresh, they offer “up to two vegan meals per week.”
You can also choose quicker meals (labeled “Under 20 Minutes”) or “Fit and Wholesome” recipes that are under 650 calories per serving.
HelloFresh does not have an option to select gluten-free, nut-free, or dairy-free meals. In order to avoid allergens or intolerances, the brand advises you read all recipes and their ingredients carefully before selecting your meals. They do not protect against cross-contamination.
During signup, you also pick your plan size—how many people you're feeding (two, four, or six) and the number of meals you'd like each week.
How much does HelloFresh cost?
Most plans cost $10 per serving. In mixing and matching the number of people and number of meals for week, I found that two weekly meals for two people comes out to a little over $11 per serving, or $57 for your first box (as shown in the above screenshot).
The brand does offer a discount on your first box, with the amount saved varying by plan size. And for a limited time, HelloFresh is also including a Caraway pan for new customers with their third box.
Is HelloFresh worth it?
The main thing any meal kit needs to accomplish is easing the burden of planning what to eat every week. And in that, HelloFresh definitely succeeds. The weekly menu, which is twice as big as it was the last time we tested the service, is diverse enough to be interesting but safe enough to appeal to a wide range of people. And with the ample portions, I’d be happy to have it fill any of my dinner gaps.
