HelloFresh

Introduction

HelloFresh is one of the biggest names in the meal kit delivery service industry and with a host of celebrities endorsing and collaborating with HelloFresh, including household names like Jessica Alba and Jamie Oliver – it is no wonder that the simple 6-step recipes and flexibility in your subscription helps to make HelloFresh America’s most popular meal kit.

Pros

• Fresh ingredients at an affordable price
• Flexibility thanks to no commitment whatsoever – skip or cancel weeks easy
• Easy-to-follow recipes with clear nutritional information
• Convenient and tasty meals

Cons

• No options for desserts
• Not ideal for singles because of a 2-serving per meal minimum

HelloFresh is Perfect For

• Busy couples or people that are time-poor and want to spend less time planning meals
• Anyone looking for healthy alternatives to enjoy at mealtime
• People that want to open up their taste buds to a variety of simple tasty meals

HelloFresh is Not For

• Singles or anyone ordering for just themselves

HelloFresh Bonus Offer

• Sign up to the free HelloFresh newsletter and get a $15 voucher and the latest recipes to your email
• College/University students in the United States get 15% off every HelloFresh box

HelloFresh Meal Plan Menu Examples

HelloFresh promotes on their website that inside their meal kit delivery box you will never deal with recipes that skimp on the chicken (or steak, fish, or any plant protein). 

While I agree that none of the meals I enjoyed featured lesser portions of protein, or what I would consider lesser. However, I wouldn’t go as far as to suggest that the meals had more protein than any other services. Check out 5 of my favorite meals from the HelloFresh kitchen.

Sugar-Rubbed Pork Chops with Caramelized Root Vegetables and Thyme Pan Sauce

A sweet-and-spicy sugar-based rub makes for a delicious basted pork chop. Complemented with a serving of caramelized parsnips, onions, and carrots – this is the perfect balance of sweet and savory.

• Rated 4 out of 4
• 35 minutes of preparation time
• Cooking difficulty – level 1

Nutritional Information:

• Calories 439
• Total Fats 115g
• Cholesterol 95mg
• Sodium 321mg
• Carbohydrate 44g
• Sugar 23g
• Protein 42g

Quick and Easy Spanish Chicken with Bell Peppers and Yellow Rice

This ready-to-heat pulled chicken recipe takes care of the hardest part of the preparation. Simply warm it up and add some spices to your liking, complemented with a serving of savory yellow rice and sauteed bell pepper for the perfect Spanish-style charm.

• Rated 3.2 out of 4
• 35 minutes of preparation time
• Cooking difficulty – level 1

Nutritional Information:

• Calories 530
• Total Fats 23g
• Cholesterol 120mg
• Sodium 560mg
• Carbohydrate 59g
• Sugar 8g
• Protein 35g

Apricot Balsamic-Glazed Pork Tenderloin over Ginger Rice with Sesame Green Beans

Pork tenderloin rubbed with garlic and onion powder, smoked paprika, and then pan-seared until crusty and blackened on the outside and bathed in an apricot balsamic glaze for the hint of sweetness. Served with a bed of ginger rice and green beans to top off a delicious dish.

• Rated 3.4 out of 4
• 25 minutes of preparation time
• Cooking difficulty – level 1

Nutritional Information:

• Calories 710
• Total Fats 45g
• Cholesterol 135mg
• Sodium 280mg
• Carbohydrate 64g
• Sugar 16g
• Protein 39g

Beef Ragu Spaghetti with Zucchini, Parmesan, and Pepperolio

A true Italian American classic meal packed full of hearty ground beef and thick bites of zucchini, piled high and dusted with cheese – how could you resist?

• Rated 3.4 out of 4
• 30 minutes of preparation time
• Cooking difficulty – level 1

Nutritional Information:

• Calories 830
• Total Fats 44g
• Cholesterol 110mg
• Sodium 1180mg
• Carbohydrate 92g
• Sugar 18g
• Protein 45g

Tuscan Chicken Linguine with Roasted Tomato, Basil, and a Creamy Parmesan Sauce

This dish is pasta to the next level, courtesy of linguine, tomatoes, and chicken with Tuscan herbs. Smothered in a creamy sauce featuring cream cheese, Parmesan, and garlic herb butter.

• Rated 3.4 out of 4
• 30 minutes of preparation time
• Cooking difficulty – level 1

Nutritional Information:

• Calories 810
• Total Fats 60g
• Cholesterol 190mg
• Sodium 470mg
• Carbohydrate 76g
• Sugar 7g
• Protein 43g

What’s unique about HelloFresh?

The HelloFresh meal kit delivery service offers one of the easiest home-cooked meal systems. While each HelloFresh box features simple pre-measured and pre-portioned ingredients, meaning you will be prepared and enjoying your fresh meal in 30 minutes.

HelloFresh is very popular across the world and within the United States, they have an estimated 44% market share! That alone is a tremendous feat. While big-name celebrities like Jessica Alba and Jamie Oliver have collaborated with HelloFresh – their success comes down to their focus on the average joes.

People like me who struggle to maintain the motivation to put together a good quality meal at the end of an exhausting workday.

The meals on offer at HelloFresh are exciting, without going too far into the exotic side – where many meal kit delivery services end up heading.

This focus on great tasting meals that are actually edible for the whole family is what sets HelloFresh out from the pack.

My boys both have autism so when it comes to eating meals, I have a hard time getting my kids to eat anything outside of a PB & J sandwich (thanks ‘slimy’ food).

I was over the moon when we first cracked open the HelloFresh box and found real food. Just a short time later the entire family was eating the entire meal – lifesaver in my books! This is actually a promotional aspect that HelloFresh strives on – they make family-friendly meals and they test them rigorously, all I can say is please do not stop with the family-friendly dinner options!

How to Get Started with HelloFresh

1. Register or sign in with Facebook

Getting started is easy and can be done by registering with your email address or using the quick sign in with Facebook.

2. Build your plan

Create a plan that suits your preferences best, select from Meat & Veggies, Veggie, Family Friendly, or Low Calorie. For picky eaters or children, the Family Friendly menu is the best pick with meals being tested for suitability too. Once you have decided on the menu you will need to select the number of people (either 2 or 4) and the number of recipes per week (2, 3, or 4).

3. Personal information and payment

Complete your personal details in the delivery section and then enter your payment details – which can be made via credit or debit card, or through a PayPal account. Just remember that your plan with automatically renew each week – unless you pause or cancel with 5 days notice.

4. Select your meals

The fun part! Time to select your meals and then get wait for your HelloFresh box to be delivered!

Meal options & Specialty diets

With so much variety in the choice of meals through HelloFresh, it might seem daunting to pick which ones you want, but in fact, it is easier than ever to mix and match your recipes thanks to the user-friendly website and the filtering options for 18 of the most popular world cuisines in the HelloFresh cookbook.

Choosing a menu from HelloFresh includes:

• Classic Plan
• Classic Plan (Veggie)
• Classic Plan (Family)
• Calorie Smart

For anyone that is on a specialty diet or restricted in their food choices, the Calorie Smart menu is the ideal choice and includes a selection of dietician-approved meals that are on average about 650 calories each.

How much does HelloFresh cost?

HelloFresh has 4 standard meal plans with each offering the flexibility to customize a menu from a selection of 20 delicious recipes each week. Check out the cost breakdown for each of these meal plans in the table below.

HelloFresh is a global product, which delivers to just about all locations in each of the countries that they service. For the United States, it is unlikely that you will be outside of the delivery areas, you will find out if there are when entering your zip code at the account registration step.

Shipping is charged at a flat rate of only $7.99 for all menu plans.

How Long Do HelloFresh Meals Last?

Each of the HelloFresh meals has its own recommended timeframe for cooking. For the most part, meals are to be cooked within 4 days to maintain their freshness. However, with the lower number of recipes per week (either 2, 3, or 4 recipes per week) it would be hard to see how the ingredients would begin to spoil – unless you are not cooking your food each day!?

What Comes in the HelloFresh Box?

The HelloFresh box is entirely recyclable which is great for the environment, plus you can check out how to recycle the materials here. While everything about HelloFresh is focused on maintaining a no-stress and no-waste lifestyle, inside the box you will find insulated liners to keep your ingredients fresh and cool all day on delivery-day.

With the easy-to-follow 6-step recipe cards that are found inside each HelloFresh box, you will have everything you need to turn your ingredients into delicious meals with no skills or prior knowledge. Plus, the recipe cards can be stored easily with the binder that can be purchased from their kitchenware section to supplement your meal kit – which is a great idea for reusing the recipes in the future, if you ever stop your HelloFresh subscription.

HelloFresh Customer Support

Head over to the HelloFresh help center to access a substantial library of answers to frequently asked questions. If you are unable to find answers to your questions, contacting HelloFresh can be done by using the contact tool on their contact page.

Slightly annoying, but the HelloFresh website doesn’t have quick access to live chat or their telephone contact numbers. These do exist though, they are just hidden behind forcing you to use the contact tool. 

You have to ask your question in the tool and let it source an answer from their archives. If you don’t have an answer you can then choose to contact HelloFresh – which can be done via live chat or via telephone on +1 (646) 846-3663.

For social media users, you can reach out to the HelloFresh support team and message directly on their socials at:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

HelloFresh Conclusion

The HelloFresh meal kit delivery service provides is perfect for anyone that does not have the best skills in the kitchen or lack the time needed to prepare and plan meals for the week. HelloFresh is a great option if you are wanting to learn to cook great meals without the stress, which is also an excellent option for families that want to involve the little hands in the kitchen thanks to the easy step-by-step recipe cards (they have full-color pictures too).

Although HelloFresh does not offer discounted serving prices for larger orders, the convenience and simplicity of fresh, tasty meals are where the real value is reflected in the subscription price. On top of great-tasting meals, the wine delivery service is a great way to supplement your meals, or save the bottles up and re-gift them! I loved that the HelloFresh meal kit delivery service gave me back time in the day, it’s pretty clear that their domination of the industry is warranted, not just for the American market but our friends in Europe and down under in Australia and New Zealand!