We rank vendors based on rigorous testing and research, but also take into account your feedback and our commercial agreements with providers. This page contains affiliate links.Advertising DisclosureThis is a user-oriented comparison website, and we need to cover hosting and content costs, as well as make a profit. The costs are covered from referral fees from the vendors we feature. Affiliate link compensation does not affect reviews but might affect listicle pages. On these pages, vendors are ranked based on the reviewer’s examination of the service but also taking into account feedback from users and our commercial agreements with service providers. This website tries to cover important meal, coffee and pet food delivery services but we can’t cover all of the solutions that are out there. Information is believed to be accurate as of the date of each article.
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HelloFresh Review 2024: My Honest Experience

Our Top Choice For 2024
16 Free Meals + Free Dessert for Life + First Box Ships Free
Enjoy Our Exclusive Offer
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Author Joey Kendrick
Joey Kendrick
Updated on Mar 12th, 2024
Fact checked by Deborah Leigh

Overview

HelloFresh is among the most popular meal delivery services in the country. I had to try it for myself to see if it could live up to the hype. With so many competitors on the market, HelloFresh must be doing something right to stay on top!

This service’s biggest advantage is its massive menu. The 100+ weekly meal kits and other menu items cater to a variety of dietary needs and taste preferences, including a number of vegetarian and vegan recipes. There’s also a marketplace with countless extras that you can add to any order. HelloFresh even has a dog food delivery service called The Pets Table, so even your pets can eat well.

It’s hard to find any major negatives with HelloFresh. It doesn’t cater to niche diets like keto, and it has limited support for people with severe allergies. It also wouldn’t be suitable if you’re looking for a fully plant-powered service.

Overall, I loved my experience with HelloFresh. The recipes were simple enough for me to make (without too much trouble, anyway), but they’re also delightfully creative with flavors that’ll keep you interested from week to week. Read on for my full, unfiltered experience.

Pros
Cons
Easy-prep recipes for busy nights
Limited customizations
Eco-friendly packaging
Few plant-based meals
Great for beginnersFew allergen accommodations
Current deal – 16 Free Meals + Free Dessert for Life + First Box Ships Free

What’s on the HelloFresh Menu

4 HelloFresh recipe bags, recipe cards, and separate proteins

HelloFresh’s weekly menu offers 60+ meal kit recipes and is organized into 6 categories, making it easy to choose recipes that suit your taste and lifestyle.

Meal Options

The 6 categories you can choose from include:

  • Meat & Veggies

  • Veggie

  • Family Friendly

  • Fit & Wholesome

  • Quick and Easy

  • Pescatarian

You’ll also be able to choose from extras and sides in the Marketplace once you’ve confirmed your order size and plan category and entered your payment information. HelloFresh provides dinners and a few meals called 10-Minute Lunches. You can also find a few breakfasts and kids lunches each week.

HelloFresh initially selects recipes for you based on your chosen plan(s). And if you forget to choose your own meals one week, HelloFresh will do it for you so you don’t miss your weekly delivery. Otherwise, the plan categories are more like menu organizers than they are limitations on what meals you can choose. You can mix and match between plans in any way you like. Screenshot of HelloFresh's multiple plan options

HelloFresh has continually expanded its meatless offerings since it started. When HelloFresh first started, the vegetarian options were pretty limited. I ordered from the Veggie and Pescatarian plans and didn’t find much variety. Now, however, I’m much happier with the extended vegetarian and pescatarian recipes on the menu.

Diet

Is HelloFresh Good For This Diet?

Omnivore

Yes, there are many options

Vegetarian

Yes, there’s a dedicated Veggie plan

Vegan

Maybe, there are some options

Pescatarian

Yes, there’s a dedicated Pescatarian plan

Carb-Conscious

No, there are few options

Calorie-Conscious

Yes, the Fit & Wholesome plan accommodates low-calorie

Keto

No, there aren’t keto options

You can order between 2 and 6 recipes per week for either 2 or 4 people, regardless of the plan you choose. This is more or less on par with other mainstream meal delivery services. The prep time is noted on the main menu under each meal image and if you click on an image you’ll see the recipes marked as “Easy”, “Medium”, or “Hard.”

HelloFresh is a great choice for families with young children. The company makes a point of providing balanced yet crowd-pleasing comfort food dishes that will suit pickier eaters. The One-Pan Easy Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas, for example, would be popular with kids and grown-ups alike. Plus, the option to pick up to 6 meals per week is ideal for larger orders. Screenshot of a weekly HelloFresh menu.

You’ll also find some internationally-inspired dishes for more adventurous palates. For example, the Honey Miso Broccoli and Sweet Potato Donburi with Scallion Rice and Sriracha Mayo (pictured below) is a Korean-inspired dish. screenshot of HelloFresh's Honey Miso Broccoli & Sweet Potato Donburi with Scallion Rice and Sriracha Mayo

Customization

With the HelloCustom option, you can swap out certain proteins or sides on a number of dishes. When I first ordered from HelloFresh, this feature wasn’t available. However, I find it super convenient since customizing the proteins and sides in my meals gives me more variety.

For example, the Meat & Veggies plan can be customized to omit beef, pork, or seafood. Home Chef has had this swapping feature for a while on its menu, so it’s great to see HelloFresh catching up!

However, HelloFresh doesn’t cater particularly well to certain diets, despite the customization options. If you have allergies or dietary restrictions, or you’re looking for keto, gluten-free, or plant-based meals, other services such as Green Chef could work better for you

Plus, swapping proteins and sides adds an extra charge and isn’t available for all recipes. Swapping charges range from $0.99 – $3.49 per portion, depending on the ingredient you’re swapping.

Swapping also depends on ingredient availability. This means that while you might be able to swap chicken for salmon in a dish on the menu one week, you might not be able to the next time that dish is on the menu.

HelloFresh has taken steps to help people with intolerances or other food aversions. While you can’t swap particular ingredients you might be allergic to, dishes containing major allergens (like nuts, dairy, or soy) are clearly marked on the recipe cards. screenshot of HelloFresh's recipe card for Steak with Burrata & Arugula, with highlights around allergy, ingredient, and nutrition information

One downside of HelloFresh’s extensive menu is that there aren’t menu filters. You have to browse recipes by eye and read each recipe card to determine which recipes might suit you. This can be annoying if you need to avoid particular ingredients, or are trying to stick to a certain diet.

Once you’ve entered your payment information, browsing the menu is easier. You can select a plan, which serves as a type of filter based on the plan category. However, you still can’t browse by allergen or ingredient.

Unboxing

Overall, all of my ingredients arrived perfectly fresh, despite the ice packs in my HelloFresh box feeling a bit melted when it arrived just after noon. They were still cold, but things were starting to feel a little… moist.

The inside of a HelloFresh box with recipe bags and recyclable insulation

Ingredients for each dish arrive in their own paper bag. This made storage easy and there was no guessing what went with what. I’ve tried other meal kits where all the ingredients are simply dumped in the box, which was inconvenient and sometimes confusing. So, this was a massive plus for me!
A HelloFresh recipe bag

Underneath the recipe bags, you’ll find the chilled proteins, which HelloFresh recommends freezing until a few hours before you want to cook them. Any other fresh ingredients should, of course, be kept in the refrigerator.
Image looking into a HelloFresh box with the chilled ingredients at the bottom

HelloFresh does a fair job of using recyclable packaging where possible. However, you can’t get away from the fact that there’s still plastic used. This is mainly small sachets for spices and sauces and larger bags for things like salad leaves. However, it’s not as excessive as other services I’ve tried.
Empty plastic packaging from a HelloFresh recipe

HelloFresh purchases carbon offsets for 100% of its deliveries. I try to be an eco-friendly consumer, so this fact makes it much more likely that I’ll order from HelloFresh again.
HelloFresh box with its eco statistics printed on the side

The recipe cards are big, bright, and simple. I love recipe cards as I hate following instructions on my phone or computer while I’m cooking. Plus, these are perfect for saving and referring back to later on in case I want to try and remake a dish!
Close up of HelloFresh recipe card

Each card also contains full-color photos of every step, a complete list of the required utensils and pantry ingredients, and all prep and cooking time information. You’ll also find info on any HelloCustom swaps.
HelloFresh mushrooms and an onion on a chopping board

The vegetables looked better than what I often see at the grocery store! Even though HelloFresh doesn’t offer many organic ingredients like its more expensive competitors do (e.g., Green Chef, which we wrote a full review about), the produce, proteins, and other ingredients looked high quality.

Cooking (and Eating) with HelloFresh

HelloFresh claims that it tests each recipe 200 times before putting it on the menu. After trying these dishes for myself, I might just believe it! I was impressed by each dish I tested in terms of prep and flavor.

The recipes come in 3 difficulty levels – easy, medium, and hard. Hard recipes are practically non-existent, though, and the majority of the menu is labeled as easy. My order only included easy recipes, though 1 was a lot more involved than the others. The unboxed ingredients for a HelloFresh recipe

Some of my chosen recipes left me with piles of dishes to deal with afterward. If the thought of doing dishes sends chills up your spine, look for recipes labeled Easy Cleanup, Easy Prep, or One Pot. These include shortcuts to save you time and effort.

Shortlist of My Favorite Meals

Pork Katsu

A plate of Pork Katsu with rice and carrots from HelloFresh

HelloFresh’s “Better Than Takeout” Pork Katsu was the first dinner I cooked from my order. I found it to be a reasonably easy recipe to make, too. While it was fairly simple, everything came together in a delicious way.

Most of the prep was chopping the carrots and scallions. From there, I just had to bread and fry the pork while the carrots roasted in the oven. In my experience, recipes almost always take longer than advertised. In this case, dinner was on the table within a reasonable 45 minutes.

Tray with oven-baked carrots on the left and pan-fried pork on the right

Thoughtful, flavorful touches set this recipe apart. For example, HelloFresh had me add ginger to the rice and sesame seeds to the carrots. These aromatic elements complemented the shallow-fried pork cutlets, which were nice and juicy when cooked just right.

Even though it wasn’t exactly a showstopper, this dish was darn tasty. While I wish it took a little less time to prep and clean up, I’d definitely make it again. And I’m going to start adding sesame seeds to my roasted carrots a lot more often, too.

Mushroom French Dip Sandwiches

This recipe was far and away my favorite of the week. Rich, beefy French Dip sandwiches are an indulgence, and this vegan variant with savory mushrooms was just as pleasurable. The potato wedges weren’t the most exciting side dish, but they complemented the meal well.

Sauteed mushrooms and red onions were a magical combination, but the real hero here was the jus (aka, the dipping sauce). This umami-bomb was made with mushroom stock instead of beef to keep it vegan, and it was super tasty soaked into the toasty baguette.

Frying pan with sliced onions and mushrooms

High-quality produce is an absolute must for plant-based cooking. I’m pleased to say HelloFresh easily met these standards. Vegetarian recipes often feel like an afterthought with more meat-focused meal delivery services, so HelloFresh gets major props here.

From start to finish, I spent about 40 minutes making this meal. That means the time estimate on the recipe card was actually accurate! The cleanup was also the easiest of the week, so this was definitely an all-around winner.

Street Cart-Style Chickpea Bowls

This complex vegan dish was quite the finale to my week of HelloFresh. The Middle Eastern-inspired recipe consisted of seasoned chickpeas, aromatic Jasmine rice, a simple cucumber salad, and garlicky pita bread. It was tasty but surprisingly labor-intensive.

The recipe card estimated just 10 minutes of prep and 30 minutes of cooking time. I wasn’t keeping close track of time, but I definitely spent over an hour fiddling about in the kitchen. You have to slice multiple veggies for the salad, and the rice is a whole thing too.

Four bowls and pans used to make HelloFresh's Street Cart-Style Chickpea Bowls

I had to do a lot of multitasking and dirty a lot of dishes to make this. Every component was tasty and went well together, but there were many discrete elements that all had to be prepared individually. Still, it was worth it.

This HelloFresh Hall of Fame dish was also a good example of how HelloCustom works. I got the vegan version of the dish, which was centered around chickpeas. However, you can get the same street cart-style dish with diced chicken or ground turkey.

Recipes Summary


Difficulty Level

Estimated Cook Time

Actual Cook Time

Calories Per Serving

Best For

Pork Katsu

Easy

35 minutes

45 minutes

870 calories

Easy weeknights

Mushroom French Dip Sandwiches

Easy

40 minutes

40 minutes

940 calories

Vegetarians

Street Cart-Style Chickpea Bowls

Easy

40 minutes

60+ minutes

1030 calories

Vegans

Prices

Starting From

Order Size and Price (Before Shipping)

Shipping Fee

$12.49 per portion

2 meals for 2 people/week: $49.96

$10.99

$9.99 per portion

3 meals for 2 people/week: $59.94

$10.99

$9.79 per portion

4 meals for 2 people/week: $78.32

$10.99

$9.79 per portion

5 meals for 2 people/week: $97.90

$10.99

$9.79 per portion

6 meals for 2 people/week: $117.48

$10.99

$9.79 per portion

2 meals for 4 people/week: $78.32

$10.99

$9.49 per portion

3 meals for 4 people/week: $113.88

$10.99

$9.29 per portion

4 meals for 4 people/week: $148.64

$10.99

$9.29 per portion

5 meals for 4 people/week: $185.80

$10.99

$8.99 per portion

6 meals for 4 people/week: $215.76

$10.99

HelloFresh’s pricing keeps it pretty square in the middle of the pack. Going with a more expensive service, like Green Chef, allows you to choose meals personalized to your diet, while cheaper services offer more basic recipes with fewer ingredients.

Because of the way the price adjusts, the breakdown of costs can vary quite a bit. The lowest price per serving you’ll find is $3.32, but you’ll only pay that if you sign up to receive at least 6 meals per week for 4 people. The price per serving goes up for smaller orders.

Meal kits are often comparable in cost to buying your dinners from the supermarket. For reference, the average weekly grocery budget for a family of 4 each week is around $200. This does vary by location, but it’s a good comparison benchmark.

There are a number of ways you can save on costs, too. First and foremost, you can check out this coupon for your first order: 16 Free Meals + Free Dessert for Life + First Box Ships Free. Students are also eligible for a pretty hefty discount. Depending on your eligibility, HelloFresh offers a student discount of 15% off every order for a full year.

Shipping & Delivery

HelloFresh delivers anywhere in the continental United States. (Sorry, Alaska and Hawaii). Map of HelloFresh's delivery area

HelloFresh lets you choose your delivery day, which isn’t something every service allows. Doing so is one of the last steps you complete when you sign up, but I’ll walk you through the entire process later in the How to Sign Up section. You can also update your delivery day week by week if your schedule or preference changes.

There’s no way to specify a time, though, so just pick the day that works best for you. HelloFresh delivers anytime between 8 am and 8 pm. I work from home, so I just went with Monday. Even if you’re not in, the box is insulated enough so it can be left outside all day.

I was notified by email when my order had shipped. I expected a text message too – like I got when I tested Home Chef – but didn’t receive one. Still, I check my email often enough that it didn’t make a difference.

Screenshot of an email from HelloFresh offering tracking information.

My order ended up arriving just after noon, despite the broad delivery window. Unfortunately, I didn’t know the box had arrived until I checked the tracking information on my computer. I’ve since learned that HelloFresh has an app, which makes it much easier to monitor your deliveries and I’ll use that next time.

If that’s not your thing, you can also set yourself up to receive text notifications directly from the courier service. HelloFresh uses FedEx, UPS, and some regional services. The courier service changes depending on where you live. Once you confirm your order, you’ll receive an email detailing your courier and tracking information.

My package was left outside my door. In the past, I’ve had them left outside my apartment building, so this was much more convenient as the boxes can be pretty heavy!

HelloFresh box on a table

Rescheduling or changing your delivery is easy through the app or through live chat. You just need to ensure you submit delivery change requests before the change deadline.

Changes for all orders need to be made by 11.59 pm PST 5 days prior to your next scheduled delivery.

To change anything for your first order, you’ll need to contact customer service. While this might seem like an inconvenience, this shouldn’t be a problem since HelloFresh has 24/7 live chat.

How HelloFresh Works

HelloFresh makes it super easy to sign up, but it’s also possible to see the menu first without inputting your credit card information – just click on Our Menus on HelloFresh’s home page. Screenshot of HelloFresh's menu page.

Once you’ve decided you’re ready to sign up, you can do so in a few simple steps.

How to Sign Up for HelloFresh

    1. Click on Our Plans: This is where you select the plan you want (Veggie, Family Friendly, Quick and Easy, etc) and pick how many recipes you want to receive each week for either 2 or 4 people. Then click Select This Plan.

      2. Create an account: Before you go any further, you’ll need to create your account. This is really easy to do by entering your email address and then setting your password.

      Screenshot of the HelloFresh account creation page

      3. Add your address: This will give you the opportunity to see your available delivery days.

      Screenshot of address input page

        4. Input payment information: Once you’ve entered your credit card or other payment information, you’ll be officially signed up!

        Screenshot of payment details screen on HelloFresh

        Remember, HelloFresh automatically chooses meals for you when you select a plan. You can easily go in and swap these out for recipes of your own choosing. If you want to have a say in the dishes you receive, I recommend making these changes right away so you don’t forget!

        Managing Your Subscription

        HelloFresh makes it easier than most companies to skip weeks, cancel your subscription, or make other changes to your order.

        The change request deadline is 11:59 pm PST, 5 days before your next scheduled order. You can pause, cancel, customize recipes, adjust your delivery day, or any other order details as long as you meet this deadline.

        You can skip a week or pause your subscription with the touch of a button. Pausing your subscription is as easy as logging into your account and opening up your settings menu.

        This page is also where you can select your meals. If you don’t choose your own meals (or pause your subscription) by the 5-day cutoff, HelloFresh will send you a selection of meals based on your chosen meal plan.

        Customer Service

        I had a very positive experience with customer service. HelloFresh’s customer support features include 24/7 live chat, an iOS- and Android-compatible app, a phone line, a chatbot, and an extensive and easily searchable FAQ section.

        I was connected to a HelloFresh live chat agent within about 1 to 2 minutes every time I reached out. You can even contact the live customer support chat via the app on your mobile device, so a live agent is always just a few taps away.

        HelloFresh also has a phone line available from 11 am to 7 pm EST, 7 days per week. This is also a useful way to connect with live customer support, but I still found 24/7 live chat the easiest way to resolve my order issues and get my questions answered.

        There’s also a shortcut to easily report an issue with your shipment, such as a missing or damaged ingredient. Screenshot of the Contact Us page.

        When I tried the live chat, it was immediately clear that I was chatting with a real person called Kyla. I’d received a coupon by email after I had ordered (typical, right?), so I reached out via online chat to see if I could apply it to an order that I had already placed.

        I've never experienced such excellent customer service before. Although Kyla was unable to provide the entire discount, she refunded a portion of my money and deposited the remaining part into my account. Honestly, it was almost unbelievable. Screenshot of reviewer's chat interaction with customer service

        I also tested out what it’s like to pause or cancel your HelloFresh subscription and wrote about it in this short blog post.

        The FAQ section is easy to use. You’ll find Action Buttons to Help Yourself, which can help you solve common queries like updating your account or changing your order. Below that, you’ll find a robust set of Help Articles, which you can search using keywords. Screenshot of the FAQ page.

        The FAQ section from HelloFresh is straightforward and gets right to the point. For example, I was curious about how to recycle the packaging. A quick search using the word "recycle" gave me all the info I needed.

        Additionally, I discovered that HelloFresh has an extensive recycling program and even provides a dedicated page to help you properly dispose of your packaging.

        How HelloFresh Compares to Other Meal Delivery Services

        HelloFresh vs. Green Chef

        Green Chef is the best organic meal kit service out there right now. All its ingredients are non-GMO, and the produce is CCOF- and USDA-certified. Prices are higher than HelloFresh’s, starting at $9.99 per serving. However, you’ll find more diet-friendly options like the Keto, Gluten-Free, Plant Based, and Protein Plus plans.

        HelloFresh isn’t great for keto, gluten-free, or high-protein eaters, and it doesn’t prioritize ingredient quality as much, so Green Chef may be a better option for you if the price is right.

        HelloFresh vs. Home Chef

        Home Chef is one of the most popular meal kit delivery services in the industry. It’s a bit more expensive since prices start at $7.99 per serving and vary by dish. Dietary plans are less varied than HelloFresh and only include Carb-Conscious and Calorie-Conscious.

        Home Chef has a smaller menu than HelloFresh with around 30 recipes each week. However, it offers a unique range of low-prep meal kits, including 15-minute kits, oven-ready kits, and microwavable options.

        HelloFresh vs. Blue Apron

        Blue Apron is a gourmet meal delivery service for those who want to get a little fancy. With around 80 meal options per week, it rivals HelloFresh in terms of menu size and diversity. Plus, Blue Apron offers you the option of deciding between meal kits and prepared meals.

        On the other hand, HelloFresh offers several unique plan options like carb smart, calorie smart, vegetarian, high protein, family-friendly, and more.

        The Bottom Line: Is HelloFresh Worth It?

        I think HelloFresh is totally worth it, especially if you’ll be ordering enough to pay the lowest price per serving.

        In my experience, the recipes were well outlined and resulted in tasty meals. Plus, the customer service I received was hands-down outstanding.

        I think most people eating mainstream diets will be happy with HelloFresh meals. If you don’t eat meat or fish or have allergies, or you’re trying to stick to a certain type of health diet, you’ll probably feel like your choices are a tad limited.

        HelloFresh continues to expand its diet and customization options, but it’s still not as accommodating as some more specialized meal delivery services. Of course, no company is ever perfect (and I can always find something to complain about).

        If you’re still not sure that HelloFresh is right for you, you can see how it stacks up with other top meal kit services. Elsewhere, we’ve researched the leading companies and shortlisted the best meal delivery services out there.


        FAQ

        What is HelloFresh?

        HelloFresh is a meal delivery service offering family-friendly meal kits that you can cook in the comfort of your own home. When I tried it out, I found the recipes fairly easy to put together. Offerings range from one-pot wonders to craft burgers and globally-inspired gourmet dishes.

        Which HelloFresh plan is best?

        HelloFresh has 6 plans to choose from, and different plans work better for different people. Families with young children or picky eaters will love the Family Friendly plan, while folks with busy lifestyles will find the Quick and Easy plan a lifesaver. You can browse all of the plans each week, and mix and match dishes.

        Are HelloFresh portions small?

        HelloFresh offers generous portions on many of its dishes. Meals labeled Calorie Smart may be smaller to stay within the 600-calorie range, but there are many heartier meals. In my experience, even the lower-calorie meals were quite filling.

        There are no single-serving options. During checkout you can choose to receive 2 to 6 portions per recipe for 2 or 4 people each week, so you can choose how much you want to receive from each recipe.

        Are HelloFresh and EveryPlate the same company?

        EveryPlate is owned by HelloFresh, which also owns organic meal kit service Green Chef. At EveryPlate, you’ll find a weekly menu and hearty portions but the meals are simpler to reflect the lower price.  HelloFresh isn’t too expensive though, and you'll have plenty of meal choices each week.

        Does HelloFresh have dog food?

        HelloFresh operates The Pets Table. It specializes in providing human-grade, fresh, and dried recipes tailored for dogs. It offers a 2-week trial box, allowing pet owners to test their service. Just like the HelloFresh plans, you can select a personalized plan to perfectly meet your pup's dietary needs.

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