There is a lot that goes into the simple question, “What are we having for dinner?”.
From deciding what recipe to make, to seeing if you have those ingredients on hand, to the prep of the ingredients, the list goes on and on. That’s where HelloFresh comes to the rescue! This meal kit delivery service supplies everything you need and will even choose meals for you based on your food preferences.
In this review, I’ll share my experience with HelloFresh, including how it simplified my meal planning and preparation. I’ll discuss the convenience of their service, the quality and freshness of their ingredients, and my thoughts on the meals I tried.
If you have been looking to simplify your cooking routine, this review will provide insights into whether HelloFresh is the right choice for you.
About HelloFresh
In 2011, Dominick Richter and Thomas Griesel got together to try a little food experiment. (All the best experiments involve food!) They wanted to try out a new way to get home-cooked meals to people around the world. They started by packing pre-portioned recipe ingredients for their own community. This experiment proved successful and became a full grown meal kit service business, revolutionizing the way people in 18 countries nourished themselves. And their mission is still the same today as it was back then: to make it as easy as possible for people to prepare their own weekly menu and cook from home.
With over a billion meals delivered, HelloFresh has become the biggest meal kit delivery service in the world. And they pride themselves on a few important things:
- Delivering time-saving and accessible meals, regardless of budget or lifestyle
- Offering produce that’s at its peak of freshness, from farm to table
- Crafting chef-conceived delicious dishes
- Reducing food waste
- Making it easy for people to connect over homemade meals
And what I really love is that HelloFresh is focused on sustainability. In fact, they’ve disrupted the traditional food supply chain by creating their direct-to-consumer model, which reduces our carbon footprint by 31%! That means less cars on the road to the supermarket, less packaging, and less food waste. Who doesn’t love that?
About HelloFresh’s Meals
HelloFresh sends you everything you need in their meal kits (minus the equipment you need to make it) to make an incredible breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I wanted to get a full idea of what HelloFresh had to offer, so I opted for 3 meals for the week. Upon first receiving my HelloFresh box, I opened it to find it was fully insulated. There were 3 cold packs of protein, 3 sealed brown bags, and 3 recipe cards with step-by-step instructions.
I honestly didn’t know what to expect from their bagged contents, and I was delighted to find they were filled with pre-measured ingredients! Wait… you mean I don’t need break out all my large bags of produce and bottles of oils, vinegars, and spices? I think I’m in LOVE!
Here are the HelloFresh meals that came in my box:
Mexican Chicken & Rice Bowls with Salsa Fresca & Lime Sour Cream: Chopped chicken breast, jasmine rice, sour cream, fresh produce for the salsa. Even hot sauce! This one reminded me so much of our Buddha Bowls. (Grains, proteins, veggies, a yummy sauce!) I was really excited to make this one. As a chef, I tend to wing recipes based on experience, but I wanted to follow the recipe for this one to get the full experience of cooking a HelloFresh meal the way it was intended and the way anyone who’s not a chef would. And honesty, it came out GREAT. 10/10. No notes. I especially loved the Lime Sour Cream! It just enhanced everything.
Szechuan Pork Noodle Stir-Fry with Carrot, Scallions & Peanuts: Next up was this savory, spicy stir-fry. This meal included a package of ground pork, scallions, a carrot, a clove of garlic, ramen noodles, and an assortment of pastes and sauces, including peanut butter! As someone who specializes in Asian cooking, you can say I was initially apprehensive about this one. But when it came to cooking it, it seemed straightforward, easy for anyone to do, had a short 10-minute prep time, and ended up being DELICIOUS. The peanut butter added something so unique to this dish. I absolutely loved it!
Italian Beef Stuffed Peppers: This was surprisingly a 4-person meal, which I appreciated as a little bonus since I opted for three 2-person meals. (This one just happens to come in either 4 or 8 person servings. Thanks HelloFresh!) It featured ground beef, bell peppers, crushed tomatoes, italian seasoning, couscous, as well as a few sauces, pastes, and produce items to give it the full Italian flavor treatment. This meal was remarkably easy to prep for, but took a little more doing when it came to cooking it (roasting, pan frying and broiling). I didn’t mind that, especially after I took my first bite. WOW. The flavor of the stuffed bell peppers was incredible!! HelloFresh definitely knocked it out of the park with this one.
Some of My Favorite Things About Hello Fresh
The Pros:
Here are a few things I love about HelloFresh.
The Convenience Factor: Let’s talk about the most obvious convenience factor: getting high quality ingredients delivered right to your door on a regular basis. That takes SO many things off your plate. Deciding what to eat. Figuring out how to make it. Driving to the store to get it. HelloFresh takes care of all of these things for you. All you have to do is bring the box in, store the ingredients, and cook those delicious meals whenever you’re ready. They give you the freedom to spend less time on the basic stuff and more time connecting with the people you love.
The Customization: HelloFresh is all about customization. Need just breakfasts? Just dinners? Just lunches and dinners? They have whatever you need. Just you and your partner or a family of 4? There’s an option for the number of people you need to feed. Are you vegetarian? Pescatarian? Health conscious? Got picky kids? Or just someone who only has 20 minutes to whip dinner up? There’s an option for all of that. Do you need 2 meals a week? Or maybe 6? Adjust your number of meals as you see fit. Don’t have time to decide what you’re eating for the week, or maybe you’re super selective and need to pick out all your weekly meals? HelloFresh accommodates for both scenarios. Whatever your dietary preferences, weight loss needs, food allergies, etc., HelloFresh can cater to you. AND, it’s a revolutionary way to achieve meal planning!
It’s a Culinary Confidence Builder: One thing I hear from a lot of people I know who have tried HelloFresh is, “I didn’t know how to cook” or “I didn’t like cooking, but HelloFresh recipes are so easy to follow. Now I know how to cook and I love it! I cook for myself all the time, and don’t even need to look at the recipe cards anymore. It’s actually made me experiment with my own recipes!”
HelloFresh is a good fit for experienced and novice cooks alike. Doesn’t matter if it’s your very first time cooking, they truly equip you with all of the ingredients and knowledge you need to whip up something you never thought possible. HelloFresh WILL build your culinary confidence, so much so that cooking might just become your new favorite hobby!
It’ll Shake Up Your Dinner Nights: We’ve all been there. You’re sick of your go-to’s and can’t think of what else to eat throughout the week. Enter HelloFresh with 100+ different options each week. And they’re constantly coming up with new recipes all the time, so your meals will never be boring again.
No Food Waste: If you know me, you know I hate food waste, so this might be my favorite thing about HelloFresh! Their pre-portioned ingredients are meant to be the exact amount you need to make your meal. That means no more buying large bundles of prepackaged produce that inevitably goes to waste. No more storing huge amounts of spices that take up too much of your pantry real estate. No more buying sauces you’ll only use once and then never use again. They give you everything you need in JUST the right portion sizes, which means virtually nothing goes to waste.
The Deals: HelloFresh perpetually has deals, especially for new customers. If you’re signing up for your first box, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to take advantage of a good number of meals at a significantly discounted rate, and maybe even free dessert!
The Cons:
It Can Get Pricey: Taking advantage of HelloFresh’s deals can save you lot of money compared to what you would normally pay at the grocery store to whip up these same meal options. When the regular price kicks in, it can get a little pricey compared to shopping on your own. The expense becomes mainly about the convenience factor, which is definitely a decent price for what you’re getting. But if spending about $80 for 3 meals per week seems like it would significantly hurt your wallet, then HelloFresh may not be the optimal choice for you.
We Made Some Killer Dishes This Week
Here’s how they turned out:
Mexican Chicken & Rice Bowls with Salsa Fresca & Lime Sour Cream
Szechuan Pork Noodle Stir-Fry with Carrot, Scallions & Peanuts
Italian Beef Stuffed Peppers
Check out the full video here:
Frequently Asked Questions About HelloFresh
How does HelloFresh work exactly?
What you get from HelloFresh are fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and easy-to-follow recipe cards delivered as often as you like. You can set your desired meal plan and even customize your weekly menu to exactly what you want.
What are their meal plan options?
When you sign up, you’ll be presented with a number of meal plan options and choose one that best fits your lifestyle. Here’s what they currently offer:
- Meat & Veggies: For people who like a variety of proteins and vegetables.
- Veggie: This is a vegetarian plan with plant-based proteins and fresh produce.
- Family Friendly: Let’s face it. Kids are picky. This plan comes with kid-approved meals (like burgers and fries!) that the whole family will enjoy.
- Fit & Wholesome: The balanced meals that come with this plan are only 650 calories or less per serving.
- Quick & Easy: Don’t have a lot of time? No problem! This plan focuses on fast and easy recipes with minimal prep and cook time.
- Pescatarian: If you prefer seafood and vegetarian meals, this plan was made for you.
Can you customize the weekly menu beyond the plan?
Of course! HelloFresh has over 100 weekly recipes, and you can easily go in and pick out your favorite dishes right on their site or app. You can also pause weeks, change servings, or add on meals as needed.
How fresh are the ingredients?
In my experience, VERY fresh. Peak freshness is one of HelloFresh’s main commitments, and their direct-to-consumer model significantly shortens the time between when the produce is harvested and when you receive it.
How long does it take to cook a HelloFresh meal?
Most HelloFresh meals take about 20 to 40 minutes to make, depending on the recipe and your cooking skills. Each recipe card will have the time listed.
The Final Verdict
When it comes to meal delivery services, there’s no wondering why HelloFresh is #1. They have a plethora of nutritious meals for everyone, no matter your lifestyle. And there’s just something magical and exciting about seeing that cardboard box show up on your doorstep, especially when you don’t know what’s in store for the week! (I like to be surprised.)
Looking to sign up for your own weekly meals? Head over to their website for the full rundown.
Have you tried HelloFresh? Are you a fan? What’s your favorite HelloFresh dish? We’d love to hear your take! Be sure to leave us a comment below!
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