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HelloFresh

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7.7

Overall Score

Author: Kaitlyn Short

LAST UPDATED: November 21st, 2024

HelloFresh is a new way to eat delicious, organic, homemade without all the prep work. Unlike other meal plan services that send you pre-made/pre-cooked food each week, HelloFresh sends you ingredients. Every week, you go to HelloFresh's website and select three meals (from five presented) that you want to prepare and eat.

HelloFresh delivers everywhere in the United States, Wednesday–Friday and Monday–Tuesday in select areas. The company drops off one box each week with all the ingredients you need to make three meals for two to four people. Food comes in an ice box and also includes step-by-step cooking instructions. HelloFresh is available in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium, Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands.

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The Good

  • Convenient for Busy Lifestyles
  • Affordable
  • Acquire Cooking Skills
  • Chef-Curated Meals
  • Flexible Subscription Options
  • Mobile App

Convenient for Busy Lifestyles

HelloFresh is excellent for those with a busy lifestyle, as it offers flexible meal plans that are nutritious, easy to cook, and affordable. 

Many people agree that planning, preparing, and cooking meals can be frustrating and overwhelming (especially for those who are short on time). That's where HelloFresh comes in. The meal delivery service ships pre-measured ingredients directly to your door — eliminating trips to the store, prep time, and food waste. 

There are a variety of recipes that accommodate every appetite, household size, and schedule. Plus, you can choose from three recipe levels, which vary depending on your confidence in the kitchen. Level 1 recipes are straightforward and only require one or two pots/pans and are great for non-experienced cooks. Level 2 recipes are a bit harder and require some multitasking but still have a level of simplicity to them. Level 3 recipes require the most concentration and multitasking skills and are best for those who are confident in their cooking abilities and know their way around the kitchen. 

All of HelloFresh’s recipes are designed to be cooked in just 20 to 30 minutes. 

Affordable

HelloFresh boasts that its services are incredibly affordable, as its meal plans start at just $7.49. 

The company even did a 10-week price comparison study and found that HelloFresh is 75 percent cheaper than grocery shopping (the study compared HelloFresh's costs versus the cost of nationwide grocers).

Acquire Cooking Skills

We love that HelloFresh encourages people to learn how to cook. While many other meal delivery companies simply send premade meals, HelloFresh sends you high-quality ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes. Whether you follow the recipes exactly or add your own spin, it is entirely up to you. 

Chef-Curated Meals

HelloFresh has over 20 unique and delicious recipe options per week. If you’re having trouble picking from the extensive list, HelloFresh includes a categorizing banner to some of its meals. As you browse through the recipes, you might notice a banner that says “Hall of Fame” this indicates that this recipe is one of the most popular amongst customers. You might also come across a “Calorie Smart” banner, which means the recipe is around 650 calories per serving. HelloFresh has several other banners, including the following:
Chef’s Choice — Most popular recipes ever; offered multiple weeks in a row
Gourmet  — Top-of-the-line recipes with higher quality ingredients 
Gourmet Plus  — Top-of-the-line recipes with the highest quality ingredients 
Taste Tours  — Top-of-the-line international dishes greater in flavor and portion size
Craft Burger  — Top-of-the-line burger dishes great in flavor and portion size

Keep in mind that if you select a meal with a Gourmet, Gourmet Plus, Taste Tours, or Craft Burger banner, there will be a surcharge. 

Flexible Subscription Options

With HelloFresh, you can skip or cancel your weekly delivery at any time. However, the company warns that you'll need to do this before 11:59 p.m. (PST) five days before your delivery. 

Mobile App

HelloFresh's mobile app allows you to easily manage your account, update your meal selections, and track deliveries. The app comes with an interactive cooking mode, a built-in timer, and one of the largest curated recipe databases. Plus, if you're counting calories, HelloFresh's app will display your meals nutritional information. 

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The Bad

  • Meal Restrictions
  • Not the Quickest Option

Meal Restrictions

Although HelloFresh offers a variety of meal options, customers will need to be careful if they have any specific dietary restrictions. 

The Classic Meal plan can be customized to be beef-free, pork-free, seafood-free, Veggie, Family-Friendly, Calorie Smart, quick, or variety.

However, HelloFresh doesn't allow customers to tailor their meal plans for specific allergies. That being said, the company's dieticians review all meals for the eight major allergens: wheat, soy, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, fish, and shellfish. Once the ingredients have been identified, HelloFresh clearly discloses this information in the recipe.

It is also important to know that HelloFresh does not offer Keto, Paleo, gluten, dairy, or nut-free meals.  

HelloFresh leaves it to its customers to review the ingredients and determine which recipes best meet their dietary needs.

Not the Quickest Option

Although HelloFresh makes cooking dinner a lot simpler, it does require some time and effort. The meal delivery service drops off ingredients to your house, not premade meals. So if you're in a real crunch for time, takeout will be faster.

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The Bottom Line

HelloFresh is a great option for those who want to learn to cook or simplify the cooking process. There are several meal plans to choose from and you can select a cooking level that you're comfortable with. The delivery service is competitively priced and may even cost less than buying groceries. Plus, the company occasionally will offer free shipping or other enticing coupons to help you save. 

While HelloFresh has a variety of meals, the company doesn't alter the recipes for specific allergies, so you'll need to be vigilant about checking the ingredients if you have any dietary restrictions. Also, keep in mind that there are no Keto, Paleo, gluten, dairy, or nut-free recipes.

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Star Rating

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4.0

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404 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

46%

4 grade

31%

3 grade

8%

2 grade

3%

1 grade

11%

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Vera Marietta, GA

I ordered Hello Fresh and it did not come fresh! Hmmmm. And it was my first week. I received my package of three meals Thursday evening...weekend is here and just now getting to it. Today is Sunday 5:00. I am going to fix the crabcakes tonight. They look delicious. I opened the arugula and I had to throw a fourth of it away because it was too runny, the tomatoes are orange instead of red and the two green onions I can use half of them. They are so skinny I don’t know how it’s going to give it any flavor. If I had bought these products at the grocery store they would still be fresh. I have not tasted it yet so the jury is out. Also hI did cancel as soon as I got it when I was putting together my next three weeks. I upgraded to the crabcakes which was $12.22 but the next week was going to be over $82! Yikes ! It’s probably a great service for a lot of people but I don’t eat much chicken and I don’t eat pasta and that is what most of the recipes seem to be. For three meals a week I just don’t want to spend over $240 due to having to upgrade my meals. I hope you have better luck than I did.

6 years ago

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Victoria Washington, DC

I signed up with HelloFresh because I was offered an $80 off your first month (so about $20 per shipment). My first order, one of my meals was incorrect but no harm no foul, it still tasted good. I used about 2 out of the 4 orders for the month before I decided I probably couldn’t keep up with the payments when they reverted to full price (about $40 an order x 4 a month) so I canceled and didn’t use the complete $80. The food was fresh and good and there were a lot of interesting recipes I wouldn’t have thought up myself. My biggest issue was the amount of little packets and plastic bags that it created and I had to clean up. Otherwise, the actual service was fine and there were also no issues about shipping or damaged containers. By far my biggest issue came after the fact. Now, I realize they see me canceling so quickly they want to try and get me back with additional promos. If they just sent emails, whatever but no. They KEPT CALLING ME. Like at least twice a day, day after day. Usually I don’t pickup calls that aren’t in my phone (i figure if they leave a message it’s actually important) but I kept getting calls from an 800 number. I finally answered and it’s them. I kept saying “I’m not interested, I’m not interested” and the lady wouldn’t let me go. I finally agreed to whatever deal she was trying to offer me just to get off the phone with her. I called HelloFresh immediately after and canceled my account and blocked the 800 number. NOW I started getting calls from my area code, twice a day, day after day. I answered and it’s HF again. At least this lady accepted my NO. I hung up and have blocked this number. My question is, is this my life now?

6 years ago

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Montana Apopka, FL

I love receiving my meals but eventually it just got too pricey for me to continue doing it. The reason I am leaving such a low rating is because I continue to receive phone calls asking me why I cancelled and trying to get me to come back even after I’ve asked that my phone number be removed from the system as I don’t plan on coming back any time soon. If I do decide to come back later then I can call but I don’t appreciate the continuous phone calls throwing me a bunch of offers after I’ve already said I’m not in the budget to start back up again. I understand they are doing their job but it’s a real nuisance that they just push to get your service right then and there.

6 years ago

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Meredith Aptos, CA

I actually love their food but this week my delivery did not arrive so for the first time had to deal with their customer service. After sending a message to let them know that my delivery had not arrived (why do I need to tell them - they can see that they actually did not ship it on time). I was emailed that I would get a $10 credit. I called them and asked if the order would be okay since it has been on ice for what looked like 4 days. The customer service rep told me, “Other people got their orders late and they are fine.” Meaning, they have not died from rotten food consumption? That they are okay with an order a day late? Wasn’t clear. I contacted them again via email to ask if the food would be okay and they gave me another $10 credit but still did not answer whether if the food was okay they consume. They make you feel bad that you are trying to get an answer and they are obviously trying not to give an answer! Frustrating. Not worth the hassle if something goes wrong so I am cancelling.

8 years ago

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Priscilla Nelson Jasper, IN

I did not receive my package and the team member was giving me a hard time to credit my account. I was shocked this happened. It was not my fault, that I did not receive my package. She stated I would get it the next day. However, my first package was already getting warm by the time I received it. The vegetables were wilting. I decided to give it one more try and was very unsatisfied with the customer service!

5 years ago

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clberk Tacoma, WA

When the meals arrived they were very good and easy to make. The problem is they often arrived late and sometimes didn't arrive at all. It's very frustrating when you're counting on delivered meals to feed your family and then they don't show up. I ended up canceling my plan because they were so unreliable. I was able to get credits when the boxes were missing or the food had gone bad due to late delivery but it just all seemed like such a waste of food and time.

7 years ago

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Amanda George IL

I tried hello fresh and I will NEVER use it again. The food has no flavor to it and it is very small portions. Some of the veggies are rotten when they come and I had some packages damaged when they got to me and I didn't get a refund or replacement for them. Never again.

2 years ago

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Rita Farmingdale, NY

My issue is that I had asked for it to be delivered in front of my house which was an option. And it was left in the middle of my lawn and my box was dented. I canceled my subscription for further boxes. No one was home and anyone could have taken it off my lawn.

7 years ago

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Gabe Burton Riverton, UT

After four weeks of using Hello Fresh and I canceled my account. The first week the food came warm and ice was fully melted at 9 p.m. I was able to bend the carrots completely over and they didn't break. Complained in a response to an email they sent since I couldn't find any contact info. No response, but the delivery came earlier thereafter and wasn't thawed anymore. Each week I had some vegetable concern and after two weeks of emailing with no response, I gave up.

4 years ago

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M Zamora Austin, TX

Great service when they have good selections. Canceled because most weeks there wasn’t a good selection for picky eaters

2 years ago

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Kimberly A Hass

Quality of food (vegetables & meat) were lacking. We previously used Blue Apron & their quality far exceeded that of Hello Fresh

8 years ago

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Mat A Rancho Cordova, CA

I had to cancel my subscription because they would forget ingredients for the meals I was preparing. I feel like they could do a lot better.

5 years ago

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Ashley Wadiak Eagle Mountain, UT

Food is terrible and small portion sizes . The idea is great but it’s too expensive for what you get

5 years ago

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Clarissa Crawford Lehi, UT

I’ve always wanted to try this but I don’t feel like it’s worth my money, it’s too expensive

5 years ago