Why Is HelloFresh Still The Most Popular Meal Kit? A Non-Cook Investigates (Plus, A Discount For R29 Readers)

Deal alert: Refinery29 readers receive 16 free meals and free shipping when you purchase your first HelloFresh meal kit; returning customers receive a discount of $79 over the next 8 deliveries.

Meal kit services have exploded over the past few years — and for good reasons. They help busy people make delicious homecooked meals without all the thinking (and grocery shopping) involved with what to make. Meal kits offer people who are intimidated by cooking with near foolproof, step-by-step directions on how to make dishes with pre-portioned ingredients. They are even helpful for people who frequently travel for short stays at sublets or Airbnbs, since grocery store hauls are not required. There are a sea of options to choose from, but HelloFresh has been the company leading the way since 2011 as the largest and most popular meal kit service in the US. So why has it stayed a frontrunner in such a crowded field?

HelloFresh delivers complete meal kits and recipes to your home in a large, insulated box that keeps its contents cool and fresh for up to 48 hours post-drop-off. For the uninitiated, it’s important to clarify that HelloFresh is not a prepared meal service — instead, ingredients are either presented in their most natural form or uncooked in their original packaging. Customers are then responsible for seeing things to the finish line, including chopping, stirring, and sauteeing their way to a completed dish. HelloFresh is additionally not to be confused as a “diet” meal plan — there’s nothing specifically for gluten- or allergen-free customers, including those who are vegan, paleo, or keto. The options are broader, divided into new recipe options every week in the following categories: Meat & Veggies, Veggie, Fit & Wholesome, Pescatarian, Family Friendly, and Quick & Easy. Customers can preview and select specific meals from next week’s menu options ahead of the delivery cut-off date and can pick meals from any category. (Or you can sit back and let HelloFresh select meals for you based on your preferences.) But before you dive into a HelloFresh subscription (or before you purchase a one-off delivery), it’s crucial that your kitchen is already outfitted with basic tools, cookware, and cooking staples like salt, pepper, cooking oil, and butter.

Customers have a few delivery options that determine the total pricing — the cheapest option is two meals a week for two people at $60.95 (the first box is discounted to $23.96 with our promo code); the most expensive option would be for six meals a week for four people at $226.75 (the first box is discounted to $95.75 with the promo). 

For my trial, I selected HelloFresh’s most popular option: three meals a week for two people, which came to $70.93 without the promo. The breakdown, of course, is about $24 a meal, or just under $12 per person, which may be slightly cheaper than eating out at a fast-casual restaurant in NYC, but not significantly so. HelloFresh meals can also feel like more of a complete dish than, say, just grabbing a $12 deli sandwich, since they often include components like a veggie side. It's also likely cheaper than most takeout options when you consider tip and delivery fees. Finally, the cost reflects the valuable time saved going to the grocery store, which goes beyond a simple price tag.

Personally speaking, I wouldn’t label all HelloFresh meals “healthy” — that part is subjective. But it's easy to find meal options that balance ingredients like lean protein, fresh produce, and grains. If you're someone who tends to keep things super simple when you cook at home, it's also a great way to incorporate more foods and flavors into easy weeknight dishes. The options can also be decadent (but not overly heavy) meals that come together quickly. For instance, the meal that I prepped and cooked was called Creamy Dreamy Mushroom Cavatappi, which true to its name, was heavy on the dairy and included the use of regular butter (from my own fridge), milk, garlic herb butter, cream cheese, and parmesan. The creamy sauce was then stirred in with pasta and fried sliced mushrooms. But I think, for me, this is what I appreciate most about HelloFresh — the fact that it’s simply a meal-kit provider that’s not trying to be anything too fancy, nor is it promising calorie-deficit results.

A resounding yes — as long as you have the right cookware. If you don’t have all the proper equipment, you will be forced to improvise (I wouldn’t recommend stopping in the middle of cooking to run out to buy a specific tool). For instance, with the pasta dish I made, I did not have a whisk for blending the flour with the butter for the sauce base, so I used a spatula to stir and scrape to the best of my ability. I also did not feel like separating the cooked mushrooms from the pasta sauce so, I just combined the two steps which turned out to be fine — but I wonder how much better my presentation would have been had I followed every step on the recipe card. (It didn’t matter; I had no one to impress with my cooking skills!) But to HelloFresh’s credit, I will say that for the non-cook, this meal was incredibly easy to make. The whole process took me about 45 minutes, from laying out ingredients to finally eating.

The box itself is rather cumbersome if you live in a building that requires a walk-up — the box dimensions were roughly 14 inches high and long, 11 inches wide, and weighing in at almost 17 pounds. The box is quite large because of all the insulation that it requires, which included a couple of ice packs that, despite their being directions written on the packaging, I did not know how to properly recycle since the inner gel-like contents were cold, messy, and not conducive to being discarded in my kitchen trash can. (Personally, I think the easiest and best option is to reuse the ice packs for, say, a picnic.) If you do want to recycle them, just make sure it's going to a place that processes plastic film. (Many curbside recycling programs only accept rigid plastic.)

Because of all the packaging, there was lots of cardboard material that needed to be broken down, flattened, and taken to recycling — much of which did not easily fit into my building’s recycling bin. Still, I appreciate the use of as many recyclable or compostable components than not! HelloFresh does mention on its website that 100% of carbon emissions are offset, including the shipping, which makes me feel slightly better. And while packaging is the most visible waste to the consumer, one study actually found that meal kits can have lower greenhouse gas emissions than food from the grocery store.

HelloFresh is a fantastic solution for people who need access to tasty meal ideas when grocery shopping is not an option, whether it’s because of timing constraints or wanting to avoid overstocking on unnecessary ingredient portions. It's also a good way to learn new, easy cooking skills. As a person who has found great success with HelloFresh despite never having cooked anything so elaborate in my life, I would wholeheartedly recommend giving this meal-kit provider a try if you’re interested in cooking but are intimidated by it, or if you’re too busy to buy groceries but still want to put in the time to make something at home (instead of getting takeout). All you need is some patience — or at least a long podcast episode playing in the background to keep you company.