In partnership with HelloFresh.
Chances are, if you've heard anything about meal kits, you've heard of HelloFresh. In a market that's so oversaturated it feels like there's a new brand popping up every week, HelloFresh is one of the few that's become a truly household name. While alternatives like Factor are more geared towards the fitness community, and Green Chef stands out for its all-organic and plant-based options, HelloFresh is what we like to call a good old-fashioned crowdpleaser. They've got a little bit of everything for maximum convenience — and after all, isn't that why you order meal kits in the first place?
Yet just because their offerings are less specialized doesn't make them less appealing; in fact, their legions of fans practically swear by them. As someone who usually likes to walk the less-trodden path, I'd tried the more curated services while never giving HF a chance — until my curiosity finally overcame me and it was time to see what all the fuss was about. What I found was a truly impressive amount of choices, with up to 60 (!) meals available for selection every week, but an even more surprising amount of consistency and big flavors.
Take it from a former skeptic: they're mega-popular for a reason.
We like
- Incredibly wide selection of meals to suit every appetite and timeframe
- Recipes are easy to follow and ingredients arrive fresh
- Packaging is recyclable and sustainable, which makes a huge eco-impact at the scale they operate on
We don't like
- Shipping fees feel high and aren't included in sticker price
- Other services offer more accomodation for allergens and diet regimens
DINNER RE-DEFINED
It's hard to fathom the reach that HelloFresh has: to give you a sense, they delivered over one billion meals in 2021 alone. Founded in the Netherlands just over a decade ago in 2012, their global success and impact speaks to a universal dilemma — how to get dinner on the table in a way that maximizes cost, nutrition and efficiency. Even for amateur gourmands like myself, the average weeknight is hardly amenable to long trips at the grocery store and mountains of prep work, yet ordering takeout is often a shortcut to maxing out your budget (and calorie intake).
So it's no surprise that meal kit delivery services have skyrocketed in popularity, but in order to have staying power, the product has to be solid. HelloFresh starts by helping you zero in on your priorities, with tailored menus broken down into six sub-categories: Meat & Veggies, Veggie, Family Friendly, Fit & Wholesome, Quick & Easy, and Pescatarian. Family Friendly meals avoid ingredients that could alienate picky younger eaters, Fit & Wholesome help you hit those macros whether it's bulking or cutting season — but it was the Quick & Easy meals that appealed to me most, since having dinner ready in thirty minutes or less is the Monday night Holy Grail as far as I'm concerned.
While I only needed to order meals for two (just my partner and I), families also have the option to order for four people at a time, with anywhere from two to six meals per person per week. The smallest plan clocks in at $60.95/week, or $12.49 per meal, while ordering six meals for four people will run you only $8.99 per serving or $226.75 total. There are also a whole bevy of discounts on offer, from the 16 free meals doled out over 9 weeks to 2-person, 4-meal plans, or the "Free Breakfast for Life" add-on to any plan for customers who remain active.
CHOOSING MY LINEUP
With the housekeeping taken care of, the fun part lay ahead — and I'm sure it won't surprise you to learn that for me, that was picking my meals. Having navigated quite a few meal kit menu sites previously, I was tickled by HelloFresh's inclusion of "Hall of Fame" recipes at the top, a way to shout out their most popular offerings for the new and uninitiated. It certainly worked on me, as I was quick to add crowd favorites like Spaghetti with Chicken and Brussels Sprouts to my cart, as well as branching off into the Honey Thyme Pork Tenderloin and Smashed Black Bean Tostadas.
I ended up perusing offerings from all the meal preference categories, and was blown away by the sheer amount of variety on display. There were 10-minute lunches like the Edamame and Chickpea Crunch Salad, premium proteins that took closer to an hour like the Scallops over Butternut Squash Risotto, and even pre-made, ready to reheat entrees like Garam Masala Coconut Chicken. No matter the timeframe you're working with, HelloFresh has got a solution, including make-ahead breakfast with multiple servings to cover you from morning 'til night.
LIVING UP TO THE HYPE
When the time came to unbox and cook my meals, I still wasn't sure what kind of quality I'd be working with. The double-edged sword of success and expansion is often a dropoff in ingredient quality. However that was decidedly not the case here, as every protein and piece of produce arrived fresh (true to the name) and in great condition. I found that the meals took right around the amount of time the recipe card suggested — as opposed to the thousands of "20-minute recipes" I've cooked that somehow ate up an hour — and even as a chronic over-salter, I thought they were delicious and well-seasoned as is.
While pre-made, microwavable meals obviously involve the least amount of effort (and I made sure to add a few for particularly hectic days), I much preferred getting to cook my own dinner without having to shop for it too. The Island Breeze Chicken Cutlets were a particular standout, and tasted so much better and crispier fresh than they would have reheated. I also loved the Mushroom Ravioli with Tomato Sauce for its ease and efficiency, plus the high-quality fresh ravioli they provided from Nuovo Pasta. It was a game-changer getting to cycle through different cuisines and flavor profiles without having to buy spices that I wouldn't use again until next year; in cash as well as counter space, the savings just kept adding up.
Especially as we get closer to the holidays, and the pressure to get work done beforehand ramps up more and more each week, HelloFresh is exactly the assist I need in my back pocket. Even the few nitpicks I have, like the $9.99 shipping fee per box, have proven themselves to be worth it with the weight it's lifted from my schedule. Families especially have a lot to gain from the wide array of kid-friendly options, and the rest of us have plenty to choose from when the menus are that extensive.
