I decided to give Hello Fresh, the #1 meal delivery service a try after my sister-in-law sent me a free offer and here are our thoughts! First, I’ll explain the process and then I’ll break it down into our personal pros and cons.
You can also check out the video version here:
Upon entering the site, you can browse some of the features without creating an account but in order to proceed with the process, you will be prompted to create a free account. You can then choose which plan you’d like – calorie smart, meat & veggies, family friendly or veggies. After that, you choose the number of people and how many recipes you’d like per week. (PRO TIP: We chose 4 people and even the portion sizes for that were rather small. Well, perfect for dinner for Patrick and I, but no leftovers!)
After that, it automatically selects 3-5 recipes for you on a designated delivery date each week, but you have the option to modify both. The price is dependent upon the number of people and recipes you choose. You also have the option to view the recipes in multiple categories including quick & easy, one-pot meals, dietary restrictions, etc! Once you’ve got that set up, you just wait for your arrival.
We ordered 2 meals and they came inside one box. In that box was two bags labeled with the meal name on the outside and the contents for the recipe inside along with a recipe card with step-by-step instructions. Underneath was an ice bag and then the wrapped meats. So even if you weren’t home when your box arrived, they would still be chilled and fresh when you did get home!
Now let’s dive into the cooking process. Just remember, because the ingredients are fresh, you don’t want to wait too long and risk your ingredients going bad before cooking. I chose meals in the quick & easy category, so under 30-minutes. However, both Patrick and I were in the kitchen and it definitely took longer than 30-minutes – probably closer to an hour. BUT, we had so much fun doing it together and it actually made for a fun little date night in! The step-by-step instructions were simple enough that even someone completely new in the kitchen could understand, and having all the ingredients in one place cut out so much planning, shopping, etc!
We ordered the chicken shawarma bowl and figgy balsamic pork chops. Both came with a meat, carb and veggie which provided for a well-balanced, filling and delicious meal. Overall we loved our Hello Fresh experience. I love that they use some recycled materials for packaging, suggest using your meal bags as a waste bag while cooking and overall try to choose more sustainable options and less-plastic where possible. Now let’s go into a few pros and cons to wrap it up!
HELLO FRESH PROS
Fresh ingredients and meal plan delivered right to your door
Fun experience in the kitchen
Easy to follow instructions
Learn new cooking tricks
Incorporation of less-waste, more sustainable practices through their packaging and suggestions for after-use
Meal variety – if you’re tired of your same old weekly routine of pasta, chicken and rice and tacos, this is the perfect way to switch it up!
No contract – can skip weeks, or cancel at any time
CONS TO HELLO FRESH
They forgot one of the recipe cards in our box. Luckily I could find the recipe on their blog.
They also forgot the shawarma seasoning for one our of meals, which was the whole theme of the dish….. huge disappointment BUT we improvised and it was still amazing.
Although the instructions are easy to follow, even the “quick & easy” categorized meals took a lot of time + work, which if you have a toddler running around, that’s not always easy!
Price. They claim to be less-expensive than grocery store pricing and maybe in some regards they are. But overall, $87 for 2 meals that fed 2 people with no leftovers is more expensive than what we personally spend at the grocery store for 2 meals. However, they’re basing their price comparison on $87 for 2 meals to feed 4 people and if that portion-size works for your family then yes, the price might be worth it. Here’s their price comparison break down:
Overall, we loved our Hello Fresh experience and would definitely try it again to switch up our monitiouns meals, but would not purchase on a consistent basis mostly due to the fact that it doesn’t fit in our budget!
I hope you enjoyed this review and that it helped you make a decision if you’re looking to order Hello Fresh. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to drop them below in the comments or message me on IG.