A Full Review Of HelloFresh, From A Registered Dietitian

As a registered dietitian, I strive to curate a balanced plate at a reasonable cost. I enjoy cooking the majority of my meals at home, but my creativity in the kitchen has recently been lacking. That, plus my lack of time in the evenings, made me jump at the chance to try a week's worth of meals from HelloFresh.

Meal delivery services aim to take some of the guesswork, hassle, and monotony out of food prep. New to the meal delivery scene, I was eager to see whether HelloFresh could streamline my dinner routine and provide nourishing entrees.    

One of the most well-known meal kit delivery services, HelloFresh offers a flexible and commitment-free subscription plan, with weekly shipments of pre-portioned ingredients and easy, step-by-step recipes to prepare meals at home. HelloFresh delivers the exact pre-portioned amount of groceries (including produce, proteins, grains, spices, herbs, and sauces) you need to create chef-curated recipes at home. Keep in mind, you'll still need some pantry staples and basic cooking equipment to prepare your meals.

When you sign up for HelloFresh, you'll be prompted to select a meal plan (more on those options later). Once your account is activated, you'll choose your first week of recipes. HelloFresh offers an extensive rotating menu with over 20+ chef-designed recipes on the menu each week. The app and the website are both very easy to navigate, and you can use either platform to pick your weekly recipes.

Your weekly cost will depend on your chosen number of meals per week (2 to 6) and portions per meal (2 or 4). In general, the cost per serving of HelloFresh meals ranges from $9 to upward of $12. There's typically a flat delivery fee of $10 per box. However, right now you can get your first box shipped for free, plus 10 free meals and 3 surprise gifts. HelloFresh is a lower-cost option compared to prepared meal delivery services from brands such as Trifecta or Territory, which typically range from $12 to $17 per meal.

Each week, there are over 50 menu and market options available to choose from, which rotate every week. There are typically a few "Hall of Fame" recipes (HelloFresh fan favorites) featured on the menu, too. Every recipe contains tags to help easily identify those that are "carb smart," veggie-focused, spicy, seasonal, Mediterranean, quick, and easy prep/cleanup.

I was not home when the box was delivered, but the insulation and ice packs kept the food chilled and safe until I returned home to store the items. Along with the ingredients, there were printed recipe cards with step-by-step instructions for preparing the meal, with helpful cooking tips and descriptions of the pantry items and equipment that I'd need. This information is also available online during the recipe selection process, so there won't be any surprises in terms of additional ingredients needed.

I don't have any allergies or intolerances, and I don't adhere to a specific diet. I did, however, want to select options that had a balance of protein, complex carbs, and vegetables. This unfortunately excluded almost every pasta recipe.

Each of my recipes was equally easy to prepare and clean up. Every meal was tasty, but the one that surprised me the most was the vegan tofu bibimbap. The sauce was bursting with flavor, and the gochujang pickles packed the perfect amount of spice. The leftovers kept well in the refrigerator, too—which I learned when I devoured them for lunch the next day. This recipe exposed me to ingredients and flavors that I don't typically cook with, such as tofu, gochujang, and bulgogi sauce.

The apricot-sumac chicken also expanded my palate. The tartness of the Middle Eastern sumac spice paired nicely with the apricot jam, and the meal was warming and comforting on a brisk fall day.

The HelloFresh menu does not account for many dietary preferences. There is a Veggie menu plan, but many of those meals have animal products (such as cheese), and the fully vegan options are limited. The Fit & Wholesome meals offer lower-calorie menu items—but, depending on your calorie needs as well as your other food intake throughout the day, a 650-calorie dinner may still be more than what you want to allot to a single low-calorie meal. Most meals range from 700 to 1,200 calories per serving.

HelloFresh is not suitable for people who follow a ketogenic or low-carb diet. There are some carb-smart choices, but according to the nutrition breakdown, it still looks like meals still contain 30 to 40 grams of carbohydrates per serving. Recipes are tagged when they align with the Mediterranean diet, although there are typically only two to three recipes per week with that tag.

While HelloFresh discloses common allergens and gluten for each recipe, there are no dedicated allergen-free or gluten-free menus.

I was pleased with the quality of the ingredients in my HelloFresh box, especially the fresh produce and proteins. Besides the apple, all of the produce arrived undamaged (I luckily had another apple on hand to use for the salad in the trout recipe) and kept until I was able to prepare the recipe.

While some ingredients are, not all of the food is organic. Instead, HelloFresh sources ingredients from environmentally responsible suppliers. The brand's website calls out The Better Fish ®, Wonderful Citrus, and Colavita brands, as well as the chicken welfare policy.

HelloFresh states that its produce has a "31% lower life-cycle carbon footprint than those of the same size from a supermarket," according to an analysis the company published in 2022.