Hello Fresh Subscription Box Review + Coupon – October 2015

Hello Fresh is a weekly meal delivery subscription that sends healthy recipes and the pre-measured ingredients you need to make them at home.  

Check out all of our reviews of Meal Delivery Services to see every meal kit subscription box option!

Subscribers can choose whether to receive a Classic Box (for omnivores) or a Veggie Box (for herbivores).

It’s easy to skip deliveries using the Hello Fresh website, and you can skip as many weeks as you like.

My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

The Subscription Box: Hello Fresh

 The Cost: The Classic Food Box starts at $10.75 per person per meal. The Veggie Box starts at $9.08 per person per meal.

ACTIVE DEAL: Limited Time Only! Free High Protein Item for Life + Up to 10 Free Meals One per box with active subscription. Free meals applied as discount on first box, new subscribers only, varies by plan. No coupon needed - just use this link.

 The Products: Healthy recipes and pre-portioned fresh ingredients.

 Ships to: The contiguous US.

Hello Fresh includes a booklet that spotlights seasonal ingredients and includes your recipes for the week.

 Each two-sided recipe includes an ingredient list, nutritional information, and step-by-step instructions.

Ingredients for each recipe arrived in their own box. I really like the packaging, but I had difficulty finding room in my fridge for all of the boxes.

Meats were packed separately to ensure they were kept colder than the veggies.

Spiced Turkey Meatballs

Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Calories per Serving: 635

I began my week of Hello Fresh meals with Spiced Turkey Meatballs.

First, I diced my parsnips and boiled them in salted water.

 While the parsnips boiled, I prepped my veggies and then roasted the carrots on a baking sheet for 20 minutes.

 On the stove top, I sautéed some of the onion, garlic, and bell pepper and then mixed them into the ground turkey along with a little nutmeg to form the meatballs.

I pan fried the meatballs and, when they were nearly cooked through, added the remaining onion and pepper to the pan to cook alongside them.

When the parsnips were soft, I drained them and mashed them with a little salt, pepper, and cayenne.

I plated the meatballs on top of the parsnip mash with the carrots on the side.

This dish reminded me of something my grandmother might have made for me as a kid- a hearty, simple, and filling meal (but one without any challenging techniques or complex flavors). I love parsnips, so I happily gobbled up the mash. The carrots were tasty, too, but I didn’t think the meatballs were anything special. Furthermore, I feel this type of simple cooking is something I can do easily without a recipe, so the meal didn’t really stand out for me or push me out of my comfort zone.

Pretzel Bun Bratwursts

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Calories per Serving: 728

Next up, I made pretzel bun bratwursts.

I made the cabbage-apple slaw first. I began by sautéing red cabbage in a pan with olive oil.

While it cooked, I chopped parley, dill, a clove of garlic, and an apple and, when the cabbage softened, I added garlic, apple, vinegar, and water to the pan. I allowed this to cook down and then stirred in the herbs.

I transferred the slaw to a bowl and used the same pan to cook the bratwurst. While they cooked, I toasted the pretzel buns in the oven. 

When everything was ready, I added the bratwurst to the pretzel buns with a little mustard and served them with the slaw.

I really enjoyed this dish. The slaw was tangy and flavorful, and I thought it was a great accompaniment to the sandwiches. The pretzel buns were delicious, too, and I felt the sausages were of good quality. I’m not sure I’d consider this a healthy meal (it also felt a little “semi-homemade” since the only thing I made from scratch was the slaw), but it was tasty.

Northern Thai-Style Galaam Oop

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Calories per Serving: 576

I finished my week of Hello Fresh meals with Galaam Oop, a Thai-style beef and cabbage dish.

To begin, I sliced shallot, tomato, and steak and roughly chopped peanuts and cilantro.

I cooked the shallot, turmeric, and cayenne in a pan with some olive oil and then added the cabbage and tomatoes. I covered the pan and cooked everything until the veggies softened.

Once cooked, I set the veggie mix aside and used the same pan to cook the steak. When it browned, I added peanuts and the veggie mix and cooked for a few minutes longer.

I plated the Galaam Oop family-style and topped it with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro.

I wasn’t sure what to make of this when I ordered it, but I ended up liking it well enough. The steak was a little tough, but it smelled great when it was cooking and the spices filled my apartment with a rich, exotic aroma. I’m not sure I enjoyed the recipe enough to make it again (though I might try making Galaam Oop myself using a slightly different recipe), but it was a pretty decent dinner.  

The Verdict: One of my neighbors regularly receives boxes from Hello Fresh, and I’ve been curious to try it myself for a while now. Signing up online was easy, but I found the meal selection to be fairly limited. I had five recipes to choose from, and, while they all sounded okay, there wasn’t a single recipe that I couldn’t wait to try. When the box arrived, I was impressed with how it had been packed and by the freshness of the ingredients. The recipes were well-written and easy to follow, and none of them took me longer than 30 or 40 minutes to prepare. As for the dishes, I thought they were all okay. I wouldn’t describe any of the meals as “restaurant quality,” but I thought that they were all fine. (The Pretzel Bun Bratwurst was my favorite.) As compared to Blue Apron and Plated, the recipes from Hello Fresh seemed a little more classic and a little less adventurous. Even the exotic sounding Galaam Oop had a pretty simple flavor profile (the only spices used were turmeric and cayenne). While this box didn’t blow me away, I liked the meals enough to give it another try. I think I’ll keep my account active and keep an eye on future menus to see if there’s one that jumps out at me.

Have you tried Hello Fresh? If so, what was your experience like?