HelloFresh is a meal kit delivery service that offers great flexibility: it delivers in many areas of New Zealand, has flexible subscriptions and allows you to choose which recipes you would like to receive in your next delivery. They don't really have different plans, instead you specify size of the plan (2 or 4 people and the number of recipes per week you would like to receive 3, 4, or 5 ). After that, you select the type of recipes you prefer, the categories are “Meat & Veggies”, “Veggie”, “Family Friendly” ,“Quick & Easy”, "Calorie Smart" and "Protein Rich". HelloFresh pre-selects your recipes depending on which type you set as your preference, but you can change the selected recipes either online or on the app and choose from 30+ possible recipes each week. The recipes you choose from have “tags” like “Veggie”, “Low calorie”, “Gourmet” and “Fresh and fast”, so you can easily identify meals with these characteristics (these last two carry an additional cost per serving). You can also purchase additional meals like lunches, soup, sides and pudding, this is covered in the “prices and availability” section of this review.

The ingredients for each recipe come organised in individual bags, so it saves you going through the list of ingredients and picking out the relevant items from the box (you only need to that with the handful of ingredients from the cool pouch that contains meat and dairy products). Along with the ingredients, you receive very detailed recipe cards, these show pictures and thorough descriptions of each step of the cooking process. You can also access the recipes from the HelloFresh app, which and lets you set timers where relevant and shows all the information form the recipe cards.

Subscriptions are flexible, so there is no minimum term and you can change the frequency of deliveries or the number of people the box feeds, as well as change your address, skip or re-schedule deliveries, and pause or cancel your subscription at any time. The cut-off time for any changes is 11:59pm five days before your next scheduled delivery. 

HelloFresh is environmentally conscious and aims to reduce food waste, source ingredients from local grocers and be the first global carbon-neutral meal delivery company. Most of the packaging is recyclable or reusable and their website also has ideas on how to reduce food waste.

When signing up to HelloFresh, you only need to choose the number of people you want to feed (2 or 4) and the number of recipes per week (3, 4 or 5). This constitutes your default, but you can make changes from week to week. After selecting your plan size, you can specify the kind of recipes you prefer. The available categories are:

• Meat & Veggies - Recipes featuring a range of quality proteins and seasonal produce
• Veggie - Creative and wholesome vegetarian recipes
• Family Friendly - Wholesome recipes designed specifically for families with young kids
• Quick & Easy - Recipes that are quick to prepare without much complication
• Calorie Smart – Wholesome recipes with under 600 calories per serving
• Protein Rich - diverse selection of protein-packed meals 

​The category you choose will determine the recipes HelloFresh pre-selects for you, but you will be able to view the full menu every week (30+ recipes) that you can choose from.​​ The prices based on the number of people and number of recipes per week as follows:

​As well as the meal plan you subscribe to, there are many add-ons that can be purchased through HelloFresh:

• Recipes labelled “Gourmet” (usually premium cuts of meat with a side of vegetables) incur an extra +$6.99 per serving – meaning you would pay an additional $13.98 if your plan is for 2 people and $27.96 if your plan is for 4 people.
• Recipes tagged as “Fresh and fast” (meals that are ready in 15-20 minutes and come with pre-chopped or partially cooked ingredients) incur an extra +$3.49 per serving – that would be an additional $6.98 if your plan is for 2 people and $13.96 if your plan is for 4 people.
• Some meals are customizable, for example a pasta with mushrooms to which you can add bacon (at an additional cost), directions for these additional options are also described in the recipe cards. Prices for additional ingredients vary from $0.99 to $5.99 per serve, depending on the ingredient.
• You can also purchase additional meals, for example a lunch meal for 2 ($16.99), soup for 2 ($6.95), sides like bread ($6.95), wedges ($7.95) or potato salad ($8.95), pudding or fruit boxes ($15.95). Please note these prices are just indicative, taken from previous HelloFresh menus and might differ from actual prices.
• “Dinner to Lunch” recipes come with an additional slight variation to the main recipe so that when you cook dinner you can also prepare 2 lunches for the next day, this would cost an additional $13.90.
• Every now and then you will see a recipe marked as “Taste Tours”, these are recipes that haven’t been on the menu before and consist of a main dish and side or starter and use more “adventurous ingredients” than usual recipes. These are charged at an extra $5.99 per serving.
• There are also seasonal recipes for the grill (that can be prepared on a barbecue or in the oven). “Grill Kit” recipes have quality cuts of meat and seasonal sides and cost an extra $3.49 per serve. “Gourmet Grill” recipes use premium cuts of meat and incur an additional charge of $6.99 per serve.   

HelloFresh is available in many regions of New Zealand, listed below in alphabetical order (locations available as of June 2021).

• A: Ashhurst, Auckland, Awanui
• B: Bulls, Blenheim
• C: Cambridge, Carterton, Christchurch, Clarks Beach, Coromandel
• D: Dannevirke, Dargaville, Dunedin
• E: Eketahuna, Eltham
• F: Featherston, Feilding, Foxton
• G: Gisborne, Greytown
• H: Hamilton, Hastings, Hawera, Hikurangi, Hunterville
• I: Inglewood
• K: Kaikohe, Kaitaia, Kaiwaka, Kawakawa, Kawerau, Kerikeri
• L: Levin, Lower Hutt
• M: Mamaku, Manaia, Mangakino, Mangonui, Martinborough, Marton, Masterton, Maungaturoto, Moerewa, Murupara
• N: Napier, Nelson, New Plymouth, Ngatea
• O: Oakura, Ohakune, Ohope, Ohura, Okato, Opotiki, Opunake, Otaki, Otane, Otorohanga
• P: Paeroa, Pahiatua, Paihia, Palmerston North, Papakura, Patea, Piopio, Porirua, Putaruru
• R: Raetihi, Rotorua, Ruakaka, Ruatoria, Ruawai, Russell
• S: Sanson, Shannon, Stratford
• T: Taihape, Tairua, Takapau, Taneatua, Tangimoana, Taumarunui, Taupo, Tauranga, Te Aroha, Te Awamutu, Te Karaka, Te Kauwhata, Te Kuiti, Te Puke, Thames, Tirau, Tokoroa, Turangi
• U: Upper Hutt
• W: Waharoa, Waiheke Island, Waihi, Waihi Beach, Waiouru, Waipawa, Waipu, Waipukurau, Wairoa, Waitara, Wanganui, Warkworth, Waverley, Wellington, Wellsford, Whakatane, Whangamata, Whanganui, Whangarei, Whitianga, Woodville

 
You can also find the most up to date list of locations where HelloFresh is available here , and check out upcoming menus here.

​Inside the box you will find colour-coded paper bags containing the ingredients for each recipe and a cool pouch for the sensitive ingredients, surrounded by ice packs. You will also receive the recipe cards for the week, which show:

• The colour-code for the relevant bag
• A list with pictures of the ingredients for the recipe as well as a list of pantry items
• An indication of how long it will take to prepare the meal, there are 2 time estimates: “hands-on” and “ready in” so you have a better idea of how much work is involved and when you can expect to start enjoying your meal
• A suggestion of whether you should cook the meal earlier than others
• The list of utensils you will need to cook the meal
• Another list of ingredients, this time with two columns showing the amounts needed of each ingredient when cooking the meal for 2 or 4 people
• Nutritional details: energy in kilojoules and calories, protein, fat (total and saturated), carbohydrates (and sugars) as well as the sodium content
• Step by step instructions on how to cook the meal, accompanied by pictures of each stage

We carried out an investigation of the various types of recipes offered by HelloFresh, and grouped them in a way that might be comparable to plans offered by other meal kit providers. We subscribed to a plan for 4 people with 3 meals per week and selected 15 recipes from the menus:

• 2 “vegetarian”
• 4 “low calorie”
• 4 “classic” (not especially tagged in HelloFresh)
• 3 “gourmet”
• 2 “fresh and fast”

Our aim was to evaluate the recipes based on the estimated cooking time, the number of utensils/ equipment required, and whether or not it would be easy to repeat the meal if you were to source all the ingredients yourself (expecting that if you were to repeat them, they wouldn’t necessarily be on the same level of quality since some seasonings are mixed especially for HelloFresh). Since taste is subjective, we didn’t aim to rate the recipes based on this criterion. 
In this section you will find photos summarising the cooking process from start to finish, starting with the ingredients as provided by HelloFresh, the oven trays and frying pans required to cook the meal, and the finished meal served in individual plates so you can have an idea of the portion sizes.  

We first evaluated 2 recipes from the vegetarian plan. Averaging the information from the recipe cards, the expected cooking time was 40 minutes and 823 calories per meal and we considered both of them would be easy to replicate by sourcing the ingredients independently. Full details can be found below. 

We then evaluated recipes tagged as “Low calorie”. According to the recipe cards, the average cooking time was 39 minutes and 509 calories per meal, and we considered all of them would be easy to replicate by sourcing the ingredients independently.  Full details can be found below.  

We then evaluated recipes without any special tags, which we classified as classic recipes from HelloFresh. According to the recipe cards, the average cooking time was 38 minutes and 807 calories per meal, and we considered all of them would be easy to replicate by sourcing the ingredients independently.  Full details can be found below.  

We then evaluated recipes with the tag “Gourmet” of which there are 1 or 2 recipes per week and as mentioned before, incur in an extra charge per serving. According to the recipe cards, the average cooking time was 42 minutes and 729 calories per meal, and we considered all of them would be easy to replicate by sourcing the ingredients independently.  Full details can be found below.  

We finally evaluated recipes with the tag “Fresh and fast” of which there are 1 or 2 recipes per week and as mentioned before, incur in an extra charge per serving. According to the recipe cards, the average cooking time was 15 minutes and 1,110 calories per meal*, and we considered all of them would be easy to replicate by sourcing the ingredients independently, though it would probably take considerably longer to prepare them. Full details can be found below.  
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*Note: We only cooked 2 meals, but to provide a fairer comparison, we selected 2 additional meals at random to average their cooking time and nutritional information. The adjusted average would be 872 calories per serving and 15 minute cooking time. 

You can sign up online through hellofresh.co.nz/plans, choose the size of your plan (number of people and meals per week) and the type of recipes you prefer. After completing the check-out process, you will be able to select your meals.

Yes, plans are flexible so once you’ve signed up, you can change plans, update your address, skip or change your delivery date. The weekly deadline to make changes for that coming week’s delivery is changes is 11:59pm five days before the date of delivery. Full details on cut-off dates can be found here.

Yes, you receive a tracking link via SMS, which you can follow to check the current status of your delivery. This will be sent from New Zealand Post or Urgent Couriers. 

There are different delivery windows available depending on the area you live in. Customers based in the North Island can choose a delivery window between Saturday and Wednesday, while those in the South Island can receive their deliveries on Sunday or Tuesday (depending on location).

Yes, we found the recipes easy to follow thanks to the very detailed instructions provided in the cards from HelloFresh. As well as clearly detailing the steps, these include pictures of the meals being prepared. You can also follow the recipes in the HelloFresh app, these contain the same detailed information from the cards but you can also set timers as you go along, which we found extremely helpful for keeping track of cooking times.

Yes, there is a very handy app available. From it you can update your details, change delivery dates, select your recipes and also access the cooking instructions for the week’s meals.

 You can put the cardboard box and plastic containers in your recycle bin, re-use the cool pouch and ice packs or dispose of the ice-pack gel down the drain as it’s water based. Your soft plastics (like salad bags, and the wrapping used for herbs and meats and ice pack bags) can be taken to your local soft plastics bin for recycling; you can find your nearest location here. Visit HelloFresh’s website for full details on their sustainability plan, packaging and carbon neutrality scheme.​

Yes, you can pause or cancel the subscription at any time. Their FAQ describes how to cancel or pause your subscription. 

Yes, you can change your preferred type of recipe, number of people and frequency of deliveries on the account section on the website, you just need to keep in mind the cut-off time for changes.

Yes, that is one of the main features of HelloFresh, you can choose from a selection of 30+ recipes from their menu every week.

HelloFresh is available in most regions of New Zealand, you can find full details in the prices and availability section of this guide.

Unlike other meal kit providers, HelloFresh does not offer a specific plan for gluten-free diets or any other specific needs. However, the individual sachets of seasoning mixes and pouches of dressings list the ingredients. You can also find full details of all ingredients per recipe on this page.
In your account settings, you can also apply the following preferences so recipes that comply with these requirements are shown first (but you can still choose from the full menu):

• Veggie
• Protein Rich
• Calorie Smart (<650 calories)
• Carb Smart (<30g of carbs)
• Pescaratarian
• Naturally Gluten Free
• No Pork & No Fish
• No Pork

The recipe cards provide information on the following:

• Energy in kilojoules and calories
• protein
• fat (total and saturated)
• carbohydrates (and sugars)
• sodium content.

​Yes, you will usually need some “pantry items” that you will most likely have at your disposal, basic things like oil, milk, eggs, salt, pepper, flour, butter, brown sugar, white vinegar, etc. 

According to HelloFresh, each meal contains roughly 2,000-3,000kJs (478 – 717 calories) and is calculated on an average daily recommended total of 8,700kJ (2079 calories) per day over three meals.
​
From the recipes we tried, the overall calorie average was 757 calories, the average calories per meal type was as follows: “Gourmet” 729 calories, “Vegetarian” 823 calories, “Low calorie” 509 calories, “Classic” 817 calories, “Fresh and fast” 1,100 calories (but this was due to the meals we selected, there are often healthier options on offer).

There are no loyalty offers from HelloFresh at the time of this writing, but there are various ways to save on subscriptions:

• Coupons: You can find various discount codes around the internet, you can claim $100 off from HelloFresh directly, the discount is spread over 4 deliveries, though: you get $50 off your first box, $30 off the second one, $10 off the third and another $10 off the fourth.
• Friend referrals: If you are referred to join HelloFresh by an existing subscriber, you can have a discount on the first box ($59.99 in total, $50 off the box price and $9.99 to make your delivery free), and your friend will get $50 of credit in their account as well. Your friend will need to share their referral link with you to receive this discount.