HelloFresh: Our Honest Review – CNET

What are HelloFresh meals like?

Of all the meal kits companies competing for your attention, HelloFresh bills itself as one of the easiest and most approachable. While there are some “gourmet” options in each week’s menu, most of HelloFresh recipes are simple to execute, with most taking 30 minutes or less from start to finish. 

Some HelloFresh meals you’ll find are fun twists on a classic, such as meatballs with a spicy, creamy “firecracker” sauce or turkey street cart-style bowls. But most are familiar dishes like spaghetti bolognese, creamy mushroom cavatappi, chicken tacos and meatloaf. HelloFresh has the most meal choices of any service — as many as 60 to choose from each week — and that includes plant-based options like vegan bulgogi bowls as well as premium seafood selections such as chimichurri barramundi and roasted trout.

How easy are these meal kits to prepare?

HelloFresh meal kits are mostly simple to make and that’s by design. With lots of tossed pasta dishes, tacos and pan-seared meats with easy-to-prepare sides, the most technical skill you’ll need on a regular basis is some basic chopping, working a frying pan over the stovetop or boiling water. The most involved meal I made was meatloaf, which required a bit of chopping and mixing prep, but was effortless overall.

Read more: Best Seafood Delivery Services for 2023

HelloFresh recipe cards and support materials 

While the printed directions that accompanied each recipe were neat, organized and clear, there were times when the directions could have gone an extra step to explain certain things in better detail. Specifying which sort of frying pan to use would be helpful, for instance, or how to tell if the pan is actually hot enough to drop the fish or pork loin in. Novice cooks would likely benefit from a bit more explanation, and I’d suggest reading through the instructions once before turning on the stove.

Mushroom, parmesan and tomato risotto: This is one of the more time-consuming meal kits I made (about 45 minutes) but it came out great. If I were to do it again, I might add a protein into the mix since the recipe, as it stands, has almost none. 

Street cart-style turkey bowls: If you live in New York, you know about halal cart meals with white sauce so addictive it should be illegal. This version of the street food staple was easy to make and just as satisfying as the real thing.

Pork chops with honey butter, sweet potatoes and lemony green beans: As someone who doesn’t cook a ton of pork, I was excited to try this one, and it came out great. It was super simple to execute and the honey butter drizzled over the pork was addictive. As I’ve mentioned earlier, some small tips would have been useful. Though not specified, the step-by-step image shows a nonstick pan, but for something like pork chops, I think stainless steel or cast iron works better to get a good sear. 

Who HelloFresh meal kits are good for

HelloFresh is one of the best meal-kit options for families with one of the largest selections of recipes, which could impress even the hardest-to-please eaters. HelloFresh is a solid option for someone looking to cut time and hassle from their weekly meal planning routine since most of HelloFresh’s meals take around 30 minutes or less.

While there are some meal-kit companies that are focused on plant-based and vegetarian meal kits, HelloFresh has around five vegetarian options per week, so it’s a pretty good meal-kit service if you’re looking to learn to cook plant-based meals or add some more vegetarian and vegan recipes into your routine.

Read more: Best Meat Delivery Deals

Who HelloFresh meal kits are not so good for

Because there are limits on modifications, I would say HelloFresh is not ideal for anyone with strict dietary or allergy requirements. There are also meal-kit companies with more gourmet and technical recipes, so if your goal is to really stretch yourself as a chef, this may not be the service to do it. 

Final verdict: Is HelloFresh Worth the Money?

As someone who has a hard time making decisions but loves having options, HelloFresh was a double-edged sword. Even if the recipes were sometimes low on imagination, there were so many to choose from and everything I cooked was solid — no duds in the bunch. 

Of all the meal kits I’ve tested, HelloFresh meals probably have the widest selection of “crowd-pleasing” recipes, making them an excellent choice for families or picky eaters. You won’t find a lot of big heat, spice or unusual ingredients with HelloFresh meals, and with as many as 60 meals per week to choose from, it’s hard to imagine not finding three or four that appeal to you.

If you’re looking to lighten your load and cook for a crew that shies away from lots of spice or bold flavors, this just might be the best meal kit option out there. Recipes won’t require a ton of time or technical skill, either. For as little as $8 per serving, you can take the guesswork out of a few meals per week without going broke.

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