Review of HelloFresh Cooking Subscription Service
Mike doesn’t like following recipes. Yes, he’ll search for recipes when trying new dishes, but only for the temperature of the oven and to see how long to cook different proteins for. But he refuses to follow them step-by-step and makes it pretty well-known that he isn’t following a recipe. This is why I do all the baking in our house.
I need to put that disclaimer on all of these recipe pages because, well, it’s one of the reasons why it’s taken us so long to try a lot of these cooking subscription services.
Our Experience with HelloFresh
Right away, I’ll say that all of the produce, meat, and other ingredients, such as honey or spices, were fresh and seemed of high quality.
In addition, the recipes were easy to follow with pictures and clear instructions. I did think they underestimated the time on some of the recipes, but as we did more of them I was closer to the stated time. However, Mike likes to cook and likes to think he knows his way around the kitchen. I bet the learning curve for those using HelloFresh or another meal delivery service as a way to learn how to cook would probably take longer. Instead of having only one listed time on the recipe cards, I think they should have three listed for Expert, Weekend Chef, and Beginner. Or, at least offer a range.
For instance, the first couple recipes took us over an hour to cook, even though the recipe card said it should only take 45 minutes. Even some of the shorter ones, like Pork Carnitas Tacos, took more than 40 minutes when the card said 25 or 30 minutes. So, not only were we following these recipes, but it was taking longer than it said it should.
Pros:
- Usually used same pan (save on dishes!)
- Easy to follow recipe cards
- Food was always fresh
- Meals were delicious
- Convenient
- Fun to do with partner
- Portions seemed right
Cons:
- Expensive
- No leftovers
- Lots of cooking
- Lots of dishes
Yes, most of the recipes allowed you to use the same pan for cooking the protein and then the vegetables or sauce or gravy. But there were still a lot of dishes, especially for us poor folk who don’t have a dishwasher. Every dish needed a:
- Cutting board and knife
- Bowls for chopped up veggies and produce
- Pan and cooking utensils
- Baking dish
- Plates and silverware for eating
- Others (peeler, etc.)
You’re probably thinking, don’t you use all those things for every meal you cook?
Well yeah, of course. But we cook in huge portions, so we have leftovers that last at least three nights. So, after the first night when we make the dish, we’ve reduced the dishes to just plates and silverware.
And, while the food was fresh and delicious (we really didn’t have a bad meal), that’s a lot of cooking and washing of dishes. Plus, during the special that we signed up for, with $20 off per week, we were still spending about the same as we would when we go grocery shopping—I mean order from—the Chinese restaurant.
And we still had to do the damn cooking!
How Much Does HelloFresh Cost?
The cost varies depending on the different plan you choose. However, the prices range from $6.99 per meal to $9.99 depending on your plan. Plus, shipping ranges from $5.99 per week to $7.99.
What Are the Different HelloFresh Plans?
There are lots of options for you to choose from, so you can choose the plan that fits your family and diet.
| Plan | Number of People | Recipes per Week | Cost per Serving | Shipping | Total Cost per Week |
| Veggie | 2 | 3 | $ 8.99 | $ 5.99 | $ 59.93 |
| Veggie | 4 | 3 | $ 6.99 | $ 5.99 | $ 89.87 |
| Classic | 2 | 2 | $ 9.99 | $ 7.99 | $ 47.95 |
| Classic | 2 | 3 | $ 8.99 | $ 5.99 | $ 59.93 |
| Classic | 4 | 3 | $ 7.49 | $ 5.99 | $ 95.87 |
| Classic | 2 | 4 | $ 8.99 | $ 5.99 | $ 77.91 |
| Family | 4 | 2 | $ 7.87 | $ 5.99 | $ 68.95 |
| Family | 4 | 3 | $ 7.49 | $ 5.99 | $ 95.87 |
Please keep in mind that sometimes HelloFresh runs specials so that you can get a discount off these prices. Or, their prices may change before we’ve had a chance to update this page. Therefore, check with them regularly for current specials, discounts, and prices.
Popular HelloFresh Recipes
I’ll say it again, we did not have a bad meal from HelloFresh. Of course, some were better than others. Here’s a list of our top five favorite meals:
- Pork and Veggie Bibimbap: this we the first dish we tried as neither of us knew what it was. We added a fried egg and yeah, it worked.
- Beef Bulgogi Bowls: with carrots, cucumber, and sriracha crema over jasmine rice.
- Salmon Limone: with couscous, Italian herbs, and zucchini ribbon salad
- Hot Honey Chicken: with barbecue-roasted potatoes and buttery broccoli
- Swedish Meatloaves: with mashed potatoes, roasted carrots, and currant jam
Some of the dishes we had were in the HelloFresh Hall of Fame:
- Pork Carnitas Tacos
- Figgy Balsamic Pork
- Melty Monterey Jack Burgers
How Do You Pick Meals on HelloFresh?
They’ve made picking meals very easy and provide you with 15 different options each week. Of course, if you don’t make any selections, they’ll send you the first three listed. And, included in those 15 options, are some up-sell choices.
These usually include a Gourmet option, such as a Lemon Dill Lobster Ravioli and Shrimp, and a Gourmet Plus option, such as a Rib-Eye Steak with Savory Mushroom Sauce. These range from an additional $5.99 to $7.99 per person, though you should check with them directly for updated prices.
In addition, there is usually one option every week called “Dinner 2 Lunch” where you get enough portions for dinner and to use leftovers for the next days lunch. One of these options was a Chorizo and Beef Dinner and a Chili Burrito for lunch. These are usually an additional $5.99 per person, though there may be some that are more or less.
There are also three meal choices each week that are Veggie. I’m guessing you have to choose these if you’re part of the Veggie plan, though they may provide you more options. Some of the Veggie options include:
- Cheesy Black Bean Enchiladas
- Pasta Parmesan
- Chickpea-Powered Mediterranean Couscous
Each week you go in and choose your meals by a certain deadline. For us, I think we had to choose by Friday and our meals shipped on Tuesday, but you should check with HelloFresh for specifics. Plus, you can choose a week or two in advance. That way you don’t have to go in every week racing to choose your meals before a deadline.
And, of course, if you don’t choose, they’ll send you the first couple options depending on your plan. If you want to deactivate or pause your account, you have to go onto the website and do it manually. Don’t assume that they’ll cancel your plan if you simply don’t choose your meals.
HelloFresh and Stop & Shop
Back in June of 2018, HelloFresh and Stop & Shop agreed to offer HelloFresh meal kits in the 581 Stop & Shop and Giant-Landover stores across the U.S. These meal kits range in price from $14.99 to $19.99 and include some of their most popular dishes, such as Mediterranean Style Chicken, Peppercorn Steak, and Homestyle Meatloaf.
If this is more your style, you should definitely try it. I’m sure the quality is just as good as the meal delivery service. But, that’s too rich for our blood.
Overall Grade of HelloFresh
Giving HelloFresh an overall grade was tough because the food was so good and everything was so fresh. Overall, we were very impressed with those aspects.
But, we’re cheap and we’re not here to deny it.
Overall Just Married Life Grade of HelloFresh: 7
This is not because of the food or the recipes or anything else. We just think it’s too much for a weekly expense. If there were other options that allowed you to cook in bulk so we could have leftovers, we’d consider it again.
However, if you’re someone that cooks every night, then we’d definitely recommend this service. That way, you could reduce the number of times you go to the grocery store, because let’s be honest, who likes to go to the supermarket? And, at the same time, you could pick up some new cooking tricks.
Share Your HelloFresh Experience
Have you tried HelloFresh? Leave your comments and thoughts below. And, don’t forget to share images of your recipes on your favorite social media channels with #JMLcooking and we might feature you in an upcoming post!
Not interested in HelloFresh? Read our upcoming Blue Apron Review to see if that’s a better fit for you!
