Meal kit services like Marley Spoon and HelloFresh are all about convenience and flexibility. Their meals are satisfying and delicious, plus they are solo-, couple-, and family-friendly all in one!
These meals require no planning, grocery shopping, or excessive prep on your end. All you have to do is find your ideal recipes, and everything you need to cook in less than an hour arrives at your doorstep once a week.
If you’re particular about what you eat, you will be happy to know that they feature recipes with all the important nutrients, ingredients, and prep information plus the menus for the upcoming weeks, so you know nothing gets repeated twice.
Marley Spoon makes a great meal kit service for classic, homemade food. It has more vegetarian and a number of vegan recipes. In addition, the menu has over 50 recipes each week. Thus, it’s very generous and authentic.
HelloFresh is one of the best affordable meal kit delivery services you can subscribe to, but it does not adhere to specific diet categories (nor does Marley Spoon). However, its price per serving is more affordable than Marley Spoon in the long run.
From the portion size to different meal options for vegetarians, meat eaters, and a healthy lifestyle, HelloFresh is a great pick for food that tastes homemade and gourmet at the same time.
Why Pick Meal Kits Right Now?
Meal kits include pre-portioned ingredients, everything from fresh produce to seasonings, which you’ll need to make recipes of your choice. Services like Marley Spoon and HelloFresh feature numerous recipes for you to pick from.
All of the recipes are healthy, nutritious, and comforting. You can order as many meal kits as you want each week from a variety of different meal plans such as meat, vegetarian, desserts, snacks, and family-friendly recipes.
Other meal plan categories include low-calorie, low-carb, vegan, quick prep, kid-friendly, weight loss-friendly, and pescatarian. Thankfully, both Marley Spoon and HelloFresh offer recipes that fall into such specific diet categories.
Meal kits are more convenient than cooking from scratch because you do not have to prepare a meal plan or go to the grocery store weekly. Simply select the recipes that seem delicious and appealing to you. All the ingredients needed to cook those recipes are delivered to you, pre-portioned, and some are even prepped.
The benefits of subscribing to such a service are plenty, starting with the most important one – it saves time, money, and food!
You save time because you don’t have to go to the grocery store weekly. You save money because the meals are less expensive than takeout food. You also save food because the meals are pre-portioned according to serving size, so there will be no leftovers in the trash the next day.
You can select recipes according to serving size (2 or 4 servings per recipe) and select the number of recipes you want every week. Anything from 2 to 6 recipes per week are up for grabs.
Even if you’re a single person looking for healthy and delicious meals, you can easily order your meals for the entire week and keep them in the fridge for up to 5 to 7 days without them spoiling. Meal kits come with recipe cards and all the nutrition information. The recipe cards offer complete, easy cooking instructions, which you follow to cook a meal in less than 30 minutes.
Just for the sake of comparison, let’s look at the pros and cons of subscribing to a meal kit:
Pros:
- You eat home-cooked and healthy meals more often.
- You can keep track of the nutrition and ingredients of every meal you eat.
- No unhealthy ingredients or preservatives in the meal kits.
- More affordable than ordering takeout food most days of the week.
- Whole foods and vegetables are sourced from local farms.
- Recipes per serving encourage better portion control and zero food wastage.
- You can choose from more than 20 recipes each week.
- Provides specialized diets for vegetarians, vegans, omnivores, pescatarians, diabetes, and weight loss.
Cons:
- Very few meal kit services are allergy-friendly.
- Not the best choice for a strict gluten-free, nut-free, or dairy-free diet.
- The shipping fee may be too high.
- You have to order at least a week in advance.
- More usage of plastic and paper for packaging.
- If you’re a fussy eater, you might not enjoy every meal.
While there are many splendid options for a meal kit delivery service, Marley Spoon and HelloFresh offer an interesting spread of wholesome and nutritious meals. See how well they compare against each other below.
Marley Spoon vs HelloFresh: An Overview
Both Marley Spoon and HelloFresh operate similarly. They both feature incredibly easy and comforting classic recipes for you to choose from. Once you select the ones you like, you will receive the recipe meal kits, which you can cook at home by following the cooking instructions.
All the recipe ingredients are delivered to you, so you don’t have to go grocery shopping and buy the recipe ingredients yourself. The ingredients are pre-portioned according to the serving size you select. Plus, some ingredients, such as sauces, marinades, spice blends, etc., are pre-prepared and packed for your convenience.
Marley Spoon and HelloFresh deliver super-fresh and healthy ingredients. None of the ingredients contain preservatives, colorants, additives, or other processed ingredients. The meals are nourishing and taste homemade.
Another common thing between Marley Spoon and HelloFresh is that both offer really simple and classic dishes -nothing too experimental, modern, or fancy. These are recipes that everyone knows, like Pad Thai, Pan-Seared Vegetables with Chicken, Spaghetti, Burgers, Chicken Cutlets, Burritos, and a lot more.
The meal selection process is as simple as selecting the meal box size, which includes the number of servings per meal and number of recipes you want to pick per week. You select the recipes you want and add your delivery and payment details. The meal kit is then delivered to your doorstep at a convenient time.
Meal customizations for swapping meals, editing the number of servings per recipe, and altering the delivery day or time are possible even after placing your order on both Marley Spoon and HelloFresh.
Meal services like Marley Spoon and HelloFresh stand for delicious yet satisfyingly healthy recipes with little prep work involved. If you’re not a picky eater who enjoys simple recipes, you’ll find that both these meal kit services offer lots of recipe options for singles, couples, and entire families.
Having mentioned the different similarities between Marley Spoon and HelloFresh as incredible meal kit services, here’s how you can decide which one is the better choice for you.
Marley Spoon vs HelloFresh: Meal Options
Marley Spoon and Hello Fresh offer almost the same number of recipes weekly. Marley Spoon features over 45 meal options across a wide variety of common meal categories, such as the following:
- Healthy & Diet
- Vegetarian & Vegan
- Meat & Fish
- Under 30 Minutes
- Family-Friendly
Unfortunately, you cannot filter the meal options with these diet labels, but each recipe card has all the information you need about the dish whether it’s low in carbs, family-friendly, has meat, vegetarian, and cooking time.
The recipe list is enough to entice anyone looking for a straightforward and delicious meal plan. You can view and compare all the recipes with the nutritional information, cooking time, and ingredient information provided.
Plus, Marley Spoon provides you with last week’s menu and the upcoming menus for the next 2 weeks. You have access to four menus on Marley Spoon’s website before you sign up to become a member!
Moving on to HelloFresh, they also feature around 45 to 50 recipe options per week. The recipes are categorized in different ways, starting with their top-rated, most popular dishes and even seasonal favourites.
The recipes are tagged with several dietary information such as the following:
- Veggie
- Meat & Veggies
- Calorie Smart
- Carb Smart
- Easy Prep
- Quick and Easy
- Fit and Wholesome
- Mediterranean
- Plant-Based Protein
- Pescatarian
These nutrition- and skill-based filters help you find your ideal recipes faster; however, you cannot filter the menu with these categories. You will have to scroll through the entire menu and pick out the recipes that you like.
You can read the nutritional information, ingredient list, cooking instructions, and cooking time on each recipe page, which helps you make your decision better.
As with Marley Spoon, the accessible nutrition info of all the recipes provided by HelloFresh lets you easily compare and pick the better meal option before signing up.
HelloFresh displays 6 weeks of menus starting from the current week. You can see all the recipes HelloFresh offers for these 6 upcoming weeks, which boosts your confidence and trust in the meal kit service.
Marley Spoon vs HelloFresh: Pricing
For 2 servings per recipe and 2 recipe meal kits per week, Marley Spoon charges around $52 total for the entire meal box. With the shipping fee, the total cost for the week comes up to $61.95.
- Marley Spoon’s shipping fee is $9.99 per delivery.
HelloFresh, which is a bit cheaper per serving, charges you $47.96 for the same. When you factor in the shipping fee, the total comes up to $58.90 for the meal box, which is still more affordable than Marley Spoon.
- HelloFresh’s shipping fee is $11.99 per delivery.
Here’s the cost breakdown of Marley Spoon and HelloFresh side by side:
Total number of meals per week | Marley Spoon | HelloFresh |
4 servings total | $12.99 per serving | $11.99 per serving |
6 servings total | $10.99 per serving | $9.99 per serving |
8 servings total | $10.49 per serving | $9.49 per serving |
10 servings total | $9.99 per serving | $8.99 per serving |
12 servings total | $9.49 per serving | $8.49 per serving |
16 servings total | $8.99 per serving | $7.99 per serving |
20 servings total | $8.99 per serving | $7.99 per serving |
24 servings total | $8.69 per serving | $7.99 per serving |
To sum up, Marley Spoon charges a smaller shipping fee on every order than HelloFresh. But HelloFresh’s price per serving is more affordable than Marley Spoon. The cost difference is between $1 and $1.5 per serving, giving HelloFresh the advantage over Marley Spoon.
Marley Spoon vs HelloFresh: Flavor and Freshness
Marley Spoon gets only the most high-quality and superior ingredients, whether vegetarian or meat-based. Once the meal kit arrives, the ingredients inside stay fresh for an entire week,so you’re not compelled to use them right away, meaningit’s okay to cook these meals after a few days.
According to their Support page, Marley Spoon features some, if not all, organic ingredients, excluding seasonings, condiments, and sauces. The dairy products like milk and cheese are pasteurized. The meat is antibiotic-free and grass-fed.
All the ingredients are prepared and packed without any MSGs, additives, artificial flavors, and preservatives. Though Marley Spoon is not accommodative of allergies to nuts and other common food allergens, they have a nutritionist on board to design healthy and delicious meal options.
Like Marley Spoon, HelloFresh delivers nutritious and high-quality ingredients without processed chemicals, preservatives, and artificial flavors. None of the meal kits contain processed ingredients or lots of sugar or fats. In fact, the ingredients are freshly sourced from local farms and the meat is sustainablysourced.
Some of the ingredients on HelloFresh’s menu are organic, but all meat is free of antibiotics. Also, the seafood is sustainable. Finally, the seasonings and sauces are all homemade in that they do not contain excess sugar, salt, or preservatives.
The goal is to cook the meal kits once they arrive within 7 days for maximum flavor and freshness. You can keep some ingredients in the refrigerator, while others can be kept outside at room temperature away from direct sunlight. Storage instructions will be provided in each meal kit so you don’t get confused about how to store and prolong the shelf life of each ingredient.
HelloFresh does not cater to food allergies. The meal kits are prepared alongside nuts, dairy, shellfish, gluten, and other common food allergens. However, there is an allergen information tab on each recipe, so you know exactly what a recipe contains that may or may not cause an allergic reaction.
Marley Spoon vs HelloFresh: Special Diets
Marley Spoon does not have filters that cater to specific diets like keto, paleo, protein-rich, Mediterranean, low-carb, low-sugar, etc. By clicking on each recipe, you can see the nutrition breakdown of each meal in case you’re looking for meals with higher proteins and fewer calories or carbs. However, when it comes to meal customizations for specific diets, Marley Spoon is not diet-friendly.
One thing I did notice about Marley Spoon is that they have an all-around healthy and nutritious menu. They have plenty of comforting foods with familiar names and exciting new recipes. Marley Spoon labels each recipe with dietary filters like Low Carb, Healthy, Nutritious, Low Calorie, Dairy Free, No Added Gluten, and Veggie or Meat to help you comb through the recipes faster.
HelloFresh features six different meal plans making it slightly easier for people on a basic diet plan to look for relevant meal options. The meal plans are Meat & Veggies, Veggie, Family Friendly, Fit & Wholesome, Quick and Easy, and Pescatarian.
While selecting your meals for the week, you can easily opt for any one or more of these meal plans, but regardless, HelloFresh makes the entire menu accessible, so you can easily mix and match different meal options if you want to.
The Fit & Wholesome meal plan features recipes with fewer than 650 calories, and these meals are even carb-conscious. For a basic diet, this is a big advantage. For vegetarians, the Veggie diet plan features plant-based meals, but please note that not all veggie meals are vegan.
If your diet avoids meat such as beef, pork, or seafood, HelloFresh lets you swap proteins easily on select meals. You can pick a plant-based protein for one or more meals that have meat.
While HelloFresh offers an impressive variety of healthy and nutritious meals, they do not serve the needs of someone on a specialized diet. So, if you’re on a keto, paleo, protein-dense, Mediterranean, vegan, low-fat, etc. plan, you may not have suitable or enough options to choose from.
HelloFresh may not be the best option for a strict diet routine. Though all of their meals come with accurate nutrition info and ingredients list, the recipes are not designed to meet the needs of the abovementioned specified diet plans.
One of the good things about HelloFresh is that it offers a balanced blend of rich fruits, vegetables, and antibiotic-free meats for the healthy eater. You can select a few low-carb, low-calorie, and plant-based meals to maintain health and well-being.
None of the meal kits served by either Marley Spoon or HelloFresh has preservatives, excess sugar or salt, and artificial flavors. Everything is wholesome, diet-friendly, and appealing.
Marley Spoon vs HelloFresh: Preparation Time
Marley Spoon and HelloFresh simplify meal prep and almost completely eliminate meal planning for your benefit. Once you pick recipes you want to eat, the entire meal kit to prepare those recipes at home is delivered to you.
Besides the common pantry items such as salt, pepper, cooking oil, butter, and cooking utensils, you don’t have to bring anything to the table when preparing a Marley Spoon or HelloFresh meal.
Now, Marley Spoon offers different cooking times for people with more and less time on their hands. You can easily select your favorite recipes based on their prep time.
Marley Spoon tags all the quick and easy recipes to prep and cooks with the “Under 30 Minutes” label to make things easier. This means the recipe is fairly easy to cook.
Some recipes start with titles like “Easy Prep!” or “Fast!” to help you comb through the menu faster.
All the recipes come with a prescribed serving time that once you click on the recipe you like, you can view right away. Along with this very helpful information, you can see the recipe’s cooking level, dietary info, nutrition, ingredients, allergy, what you’ll need to cook, and the cooking instructions.
Most of Marley Spoon’s recipes have a quick and uncomplicated cooking time. Even recipes that take you longer than 30 minutes have a straightforward cooking process.
You won’t find some recipes with a longer cooking time, say 45 minutes, challenging. Marley Spoon really simplifies the act of cooking for people who want to prepare delicious meals at home without breaking a sweat.
As with HelloFresh, they feature the Quick and Easy meal plan with recipes that do not take longer than 30 minutes to prepare. Each meal kit comes with an allotted recipe card with the estimated prep time, helpful tips, cooking instructions, and nutrition info printed on the card.
The cooking instructions have large color photographs of each step, so you know exactly what to do when it comes to prepping and cooking the food.
Though the recipes are straightforward to understand, HelloFresh does include a wide variety of cuisines from all over the world -some you may already be familiar with, while others not so much.
If you’re new to cooking, the steps may be a bit difficult for you to follow, and I found that some of the recipes demand to multitask, especially when cooking meat. But overall, I do not see any pitfalls in their prepping process.
The cooking time is mentioned under each recipe, and relevant dietary information is on the menu. You don’t have to open the recipe page to find out the prep time of each recipe, which saves you time, unlike Marley Spoon.
HelloFresh offers recipes with a 10-minute prep time alongside meals that take at least 45-50 minutes to cook. You have plenty of different prep times to pick from and over 50 recipes on the menu, so you won’t be left empty-handed.
Marley Spoon vs HelloFresh: Add-Ons
Marley Spoon has some add-ons that change week to week. I’m talking about protein items such as steak, salmon, chicken, and some plant-based proteins.
The add-ons cost a bit extra, less than the per-serving cost of a meal, allowing you to boost the protein count of every meal. The add-ons are packed and sold exactly the way you might probably purchase from a supermarket.
Other add-ons like oatmeal, cheesecake, cookies, and other baked items are included as breakfast or dessert meals.
Most of the add-ons are pre-prepped and pre-cooked, so the convenience of adding extras on top of your weekly meal kit order is definitely impressive.
HelloFresh offers more add-ons than Marley Spoon. You can pile up as many add-ons as you want for a quick breakfast meal or a pre-cooked lunch. HelloFresh also features protein add-ons like plant-based protein, green beans, peas, carrots, salmon, steak, and chicken.
Other snacks like sandwiches, cinnamon rolls, breads, etc. can be added easily and cost less than the per-serving cost of HelloFresh’s meal kits. Most of the add-ons have a minimum order value of two servings each.
The extras are always pre-prepped, so it’s easier to store them after they arrive. Some may even be precooked.In that case, all that is required of you to do is to heat it in the microwave for a few seconds before serving.
Marley Spoon vs HelloFresh: For Vegetarians and Vegans
The vegetarian option of Marley Spoon is generous and hearty. The recipes are packed with nutrients and fewer carbs, plus Marley Spoon delivers fresh produce that is antibiotic- and preservative-free.
From all the meal categories on Marley Spoon, for vegetarian and plant-based eaters, the Vegetarian & Vegan meal option is perfect.
For example, on the menu, Marley Spoon offers the “Fast! Spinach Ravioli” recipe that is veggie, low carb, quick, and kid-friendly. It is made with a rich and creamy mushroom sauce, and the serving time of the recipe is between 10 and 15 minutes. For a vegetarian dish, the recipe is packed with proteins, and it has 21 grams of proteins per serving.
Marley Spoon does feature a few vegan recipes, which means the recipe does not contain any eggs, meat, dairy, and other animal products, including honey. The sauces and creams are all made from plants such as coconut, nuts, seeds, and nutritionally balanced produce.
The vegan options are limited in number when compared to the meat and vegetarian recipes on the menu. There are 16 different vegetarian recipes on Marley Spoon’s menu, and a few of them have the Vegan label alongside other dietary labels such as Nutritious, Healthy, Under 30 Minutes, Low Carb, Kid-Friendly, One Pot Meal, No Added Gluten, Special, and Dairy Free.
In comparison to Marley Spoon, HelloFresh has fewer vegan options, but their Vegetarian meal plan offers plenty of interesting plant-based options. The plant-based recipes are not vegan, which means they do include some animal-based products such as butter, milk, cheese, eggs, and honey.
If you want to eliminate animal-based products from your diet completely, HelloFresh may not be the best option. The veggie diet plan comes with proper nutrition and calorie information, including carbs, fats, sodium, and protein breakdown.
For example, Sun-Dried Tomato Spaghetti is a popular veggie dish on HelloFresh’s menu. It boasts 20 grams of proteins with 620 calories, and it’s one of the easier recipes to make with only 20 minutes of cooking time.
HelloFresh’s current menu features 9 vegetarian recipes: burritos, a Mediterranean salad, chickpea bowl, quesadillas, spaghetti, and risotto. Each recipe has dietary labels such as Calorie Smart, Mediterranean, Quick, Easy Cleanup, and Easy Prep.
While a comforting vegetarian meal plan, HelloFresh is not vegan-friendly. If you’re a vegetarian craving a plant-based diet with nutritious and unprocessed ingredients, HelloFresh is a suitable family-friendly meal kit service.
Marley Spoon vs HelloFresh: Protein Recipes
A few recipes from Marley Spoon and HelloFresh contribute to a healthier diet. All these recipes are available on Marley Spoon and HelloFresh’s current menu, accessible to all without signing up.
Protein, by default, is an important criterion in selecting these recipes. Increasing your protein intake is good for the health and building energy. It curbs cravings, keeps you full for longer, and helps in weight loss and aging.
Keeping track of your food intake may seem like a time-consuming task, but with the help of meal kit deliveries, it’s automated and quick. You have a catalog of recipes to pick from based on the number of calories, carbs, protein, fat, and sodium they have.
Plus, instead of keeping a log of the nutrient values in your notebook or laptop, you simply have to view your past orders with Marley Spoon or HelloFresh to see what you’ve eaten most of and not.
Marley Spoon’s Top High-Protein Recipes
Main Protein | Chicken | Beef | Seafood | Vegetarian |
Greek Sheet Pan Chicken | Chili-Honey Steak & Charred Cauliflower | Salmon with Creamy Tomato Sauce | Vegetarian Pad Thai | |
Proteins | 47 g | 43 g | 48 g | 25 g |
Calories | 640 cal | 720 cal | 940 cal | 800 cal |
Fat | 37 g | 54 g | 46 g | 39 g |
Carbs | 32 g | 24 g | 83 g | 94 g |
HelloFresh’s Top High-Protein Recipes
Main Protein | Chicken | Beef | Seafood | Vegetarian |
Bruschetta Chicken | Beef & Mushroom Ranch Burgers with Bacon | Miso-Sesame Shrimp & Bacon Ramen | Black Bean & Green Pepper Burritos | |
Proteins | 54 g | 51 g | 34 g | 22 g |
Calories | 980 cal | 1630 cal | 820 cal | 880 cal |
Fat | 59 g | 114 g | 40 g | 29 g |
Carbs | 57 g | 89 g | 62 g | 129 g |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can you make changes or customizations to the order once it’s placed?
Marley Spoon’s website has all the information you need regarding this. Once you log in, you can adjust the size of your meal box or swap some meals easily before the order is shipped.
Plus, if you want to go a little further and pause your subscription or skip a week, there’s an option for that too. You don’t need to contact customer care for the same.
Marley Spoon’s website is intuitive and user-friendly. It has all the relevant features and information you need,such as canceling your account, skipping any number of weeks, pausing your subscription, and reducing or adding more meals to your meal box.
The cutoff or deadline before the customizations will freeze is at least 5- 6 days before the scheduled delivery. The delivery day and other delivery-related updates will be live and available on the order page.
The same can be said of HelloFresh.They make meal customization after placing an order very simple and intuitive.
You can change your meals, add or remove recipe kits, and edit meal plans. You also get to change your delivery day and edit payment/location details without having to go through the trouble of contacting customer care. The Plan Settings page makes all this possible at the touch of a button.
Every order has a cutoff time that you can see immediately on your plan settings. The typical cutoff time for editing an upcoming order is at least 4-5 days before the order is shipped.
You can add or remove meals easily on future orders as well. Other customizations like skipping a week, pausing an order, and editing the delivery days on all your upcoming orders can be easily done without confusion.
HelloFresh does send you emails regarding your changes and order updates. You can also choose how you’d like to be notified about your order by going to Account Settings after logging in.
2. Where do they deliver and how fast is the delivery?
According to this website, Marley Spoon delivers directly to New Jersey, Texas, and California fulfillment centres. The meal kits are then forwarded and delivered from those centers nationwide.
While placing an order, you may be able to enter your preferred delivery day and time, but the drop-off time may vary depending on your location.
The meal kits are delivered with ice packs and insulation to keep all the ingredients fresh and firm during transit. Even if the meal box is kept outside your door for a few hours, the ingredients won’t spoil.
Once you enter your zip code, you will open different delivery slots, so you can set your preferences and opt for email or text notifications about your order. You will be alerted as soon as your order is shipped and out for delivery.
The delivery window from placing your order with Marley Spoon to it arriving at your doorstep is up to a week. You will be notified of any delay or pushback from Marley Spoon’s end. So, it’s best to order your first box at least 1-2 weeks before you want to use it. They do take longer than HelloFresh to deliver the meal box.
As with HelloFresh, they deliver all over the United States except to Alaska and Hawaii. The typical delivery time is between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., and the meal kits arrive on the day you select based on your zip location.
The meal kits contain ice packs and insulation for maximum preservation and freshness. You can opt for email alerts for order updates. Remember that HelloFresh uses UPS, FedEx, and other regional carriers to deliver, so you can expect some alterations in delivery time depending on where you stay.
The typical delivery time for a HelloFresh parcel to arrive at your doorstep is a day or two after the order gets shipped.
3. How do they pack their meal kits?
Marley Spoon packs their meals effectively and durably. Box liners, ice packs, vacuum-sealed plastics, paper bags, and small items such as containers, pouches, and seals are used. But don’t worry as all the plastic materials are recyclable, which means you can either drop them off at the nearest recycling center or apply for curbside pickup.
The packaging provided by Marley Spoon looks a lot like what you get in a supermarket, but the only difference is that Marley Spoon is more sustainable to use.
The plastics are numbered from #1 to #4, which indicates their recycling process. You can even keep the ice packs in the freezer for when you need them or empty the gel in the sink and keep the plastic cover aside for recycling.
100% of all the materials used by HelloFresh are recyclable, including the large cardboard box, cooling pouches, ice packs, soft plastics, and other smaller packaging items. You can read more about their recycling and packaging here.
HelloFresh has teamed up with Australasian Recycling Label Program to provide effective and accurate recycling guidelines. The packaging materials are labeled, meaning you can follow the correct recycling method for each item without any confusion.
Marley Spoon Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Very delicious, very healthy meals.
- Fresh, quality ingredients and special recipes.
- Fully customizable meals on an already varied menu.
- Suitable for those on a vegan or pescatarian diet.
- Best meal delivery service for families with kids (even picky eaters).
- Gluten-free meals are also available.
Cons:
- Not that many quick-to-cook recipes.
- Not all ingredients are pre-prepared.
- A separate shipping fee of $9 per box.
- Slightly expensive in comparison to others.
HelloFresh Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Large menu variety and easy-to-prepare meals.
- An affordable meal delivery service, even for 4.
- Both meals and groceries are delivered.
- Meal plans include low-calorie, vegetarian, and pescatarian.
- Family-friendly lunches and dinners too.
Cons:
- $10.99 shipping charges have to be added per box.
- No diet-specific options like gluten-free, vegan, paleo, keto, etc.
Final Verdict
One of the steps you’re supposed to take to make your diet healthy and stay fit is to try new healthy recipes every week. This can be challenging for most people due to the lack of time and/or discipline to get started.
Meal kits introduce you to new recipes every week, most of them being nutritionally balanced. Once you select the recipes you like, meal kits for every individual recipe are delivered once a week to your home.
You can try new dishes at home with services like Marley Spoon and HelloFresh, and it’s fun because you don’t have to prepare a meal plan or run to the grocery store to make such delicious recipes yourself.
Both services have a lot of features in common, but price-wise, HelloFresh is cheaper. Marley Spoon has more vegetarian and diet-friendly options than HelloFresh, the latter being a more family-friendly option for adding classic and nutritious recipes to your lifestyle.
Expert chefs and nutritionists design meal kits, so the recipes include a variety of experimental ingredients that are restaurant-inspired. Trying new herbs, spices, sauces, and proteins can up your game, and you can finally ditch unhealthy, takeout food from your routine, even on a jam-packed day!