18,697 reviews
AI reviews summary
HelloFresh receives a generally positive response for its ability to reduce the "mental load" of meal planning and grocery shopping. Users frequently highlight the variety of seasonal recipes, clear instructions, and the convenience of having pre-portioned ingredients delivered to the door. While many are satisfied with the quality, a significant subset of users reports recurring issues with ingredient freshness and aggressive sales or billing practices.
Pros
- Convenience and Time-Saving: Users value the elimination of meal planning and supermarket trips, noting that pre-portioned ingredients and easy-to-follow recipe cards make cooking accessible for busy families, seniors, and even children.
- Menu Variety and Flavour: The service is praised for its diverse range of cuisines and dietary options (such as low-carb and vegetarian), helping users break out of repetitive cooking habits with restaurant-quality flavours.
- Waste Reduction: Many appreciate that the kits provide the exact amount of ingredients needed, significantly reducing household food waste and the need to purchase large quantities of specialized spices or sauces.
- User-Friendly App: The digital platform is frequently cited as intuitive, making it simple to browse menus, skip weeks, and manage nutritional tracking.
Cons
- Ingredient Quality and Freshness: A recurring complaint involves receiving wilted greens, mouldy vegetables, or meat packaging that has leaked during transit.
- Billing and Subscription Issues: Multiple users report being charged for boxes they did not intentionally confirm, and many find the cancellation process difficult or "predatory," with charges occurring even after accounts were supposedly closed.
- Delivery Inconsistencies: Feedback highlights issues with boxes being left in the sun, delivered to incorrect addresses, or arriving outside of specified windows, often with poor communication from the logistics side.
- Aggressive Marketing: Several reviewers flag "bullying" or pushy sales tactics from representatives, as well as misleading promotional offers that are not correctly applied to accounts.
Verdict
HelloFresh is an effective solution for those looking to simplify home cooking and expand their recipe repertoire through a convenient, structured service. However, potential users should remain vigilant regarding the automatic subscription model and closely inspect ingredients upon delivery to ensure freshness.
I updated an old subscription of mine with HF on the system. I chose not to rush in and was still thinking about options, next thing I get a notification from my bank that a Hello Fresh payment had been processed. I had not pressed 'process or order', the system just went ahead and processed an order for me and choosing a meal (a chick pea meal,… Read more
not even my preference). Had I not seen it in a feed from the bank letting me know a payment had been processed, I would not have known. Firstly ,how can a company ask for my credit card details even before I look at the product and secondly, process an unauthorised payment. How dare you Hello Fresh. Fortunately, I was able to ring HF immediately to cancel this order. No other online company I know of who provides online ordering does this. I am furious that this is even allowed to happen. I am fully competent and capable of making my own choices. Based on the fact that the company has the audacity to implement such a policy, I cancelled my subscription. Such a shame, might have been a good thing to move forward with.
So far Hello fresh has been great. Easy healthy meals and am sure I am saving money and not wasting food. My only feedback is sometimes the fresh produce such as avocado, tomatoes are not near ripening making it very hard to use them for the recipe. Plus the garlic clove included is always so tiny.. why? Show details · 1
Unfortunately the food arrived with minimal use by dates on meals and mould on the product… not the first time this has happened beans where mouldy broccoli was yellow… to late to go to the supermarket to add to food already pre purchase so the kids had only rice and meat for dinner . Not a good when they promote fresh… Show details
Hi, Thank you for sharing your concerns in your… Read more (+1 reply)
Reviews with attachments
Cooking doesn’t come to me easily - I’m usually messy and disorganized and then it tastes awful. But tonight I cooked mushroom stroganoff and if was delicious. The ingredients are organized and my kitchen is clean and the dishwasher is running. I love these recipes. Show details · 1
The quality of the food, choice of menu and cooking instructions have been very good. Show details · 1
- +1
I’ve been really happy with Hello Fresh and the first time I’ve ordered meals this way. Single father, I order 4 boxes x 2 meals for myself and daughter per week and it’s a very convenient way to not have to think about what to eat what to buy for a few nights a week… which gives you more time to spend as a father or maybe just a little bit more… Read more · 1
time for yourself, point is you have options. We love cooking together and it’s a great way to show my daughter and me different meals and how to prepare. She loves getting the meal cards and getting all the ingredients together, gives her a felt sense of responsibility. Food is delivered promptly and fresh! We most eat vegetarian so a good choice and variation on standard recipes we were use to. $100 delivered a week plus time back and experience… it’s a done deal. I can see how for larger families it can be more expensive but for us, perfect.
Quick and easy to prepare, and tasted good too. Simple recipes too follow. Show details · 1
I really love the quality of food vegetables are so fresh and the meal portions are amazing and the food tastes amazing the step by step methods are very easy to understand Show details · 1
My husband and I are extremely happy with the 3 day a week Hello fresh program. It has created tasty Choices of meals which we choose every week. If we decide to skip a week or two we can or if we are going away we can pause the week… I find that is a terrific option. It is very affordable and ensures there is no food waste and everything we… Read more · 1
need is supplied. And most importantly we choose meals to ensure we get our veggie intake, prior to Hello Fresh we at times couldn’t be bothered to prepare our own meals. We are more than happy with the quality of the ingredients and freshness. It also keeps us up to date with our cooking skills yet nothing is too complex. Prior to Hello Fresh we were getting a-bit bored and lazy with our dinner preparation so now we have 3 days a week which we look forward to tasty meals.
First time using hellofresh and i am loving it so far. Super fresh ingredients and so far have all tasted amazing. Show details · 1
- +1
So far so good, into my 2nd week of hellofresh and love the convenience but love even more not having to think whats for dinner, its a case of puck a bag from the fridge and cook. Show details · 1
Great meals, best selection, good value, easy to cook, good instructions, usually 7/10 to 8/10 every meal Show details · 1
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I love the novelty of trying new delicious recipes in such a supported way with the recipes and convenience of delivery. Show details · 1
Easy fresh and great receipes made simple. This was Butter paneer very tasty. Show details · 1
Loving our weekly hello fresh meals… takes the planning and shopping hassle out and very yummy dishes ! We start the week knowing we have 3 meals all ready to cook and with easy to follow recipe cards Show details · 1
The food is fresh so easy to put together easy to understand recipes delicious hardly any waste !!!! Show details · 1
Takes the stress out of the weekday grind. Meals have great flavours and can usually be adapted to everyone’s taste. Always enough to feed everyone. Delivery is at regular day and time. Love HF! Show details · 1
- +3
Love how easy and tasty all the meals are. Kids love it too! Show details · 1
Latest follow-ups
Have been using hello fresh for many years , always been very happy with it . Over the last 4 weeks , 3 times I have been sent the wrong meals , even though every time , I have called to complain, screen shot all my meal selections, which I have… Read more
always made sure I do weeks before the cut off . The convenience of Hello fresh for me has now turned into an inconvenience. As such I have decided to cancel my subscription.
Follow-up · I did get a full refund on the incorrect meals that where sent . However having to contact them 3 weeks in a row took time out of my already busy week . I have always ordered my Hello Fresh meals weeks in advance . Even when I rang up to complain , I would then ask them to check the following weeks meals where correct. They would check rgem… Read more
Hi Lee, Thank you sincerely for sharing your concerns… Read more
I see the menus have changed a lot, but I’m really liking them. We are elderly and I’m tired of throwing away food because I’ve bought too much and it’s gone off. Ordering for 3 meals a week is perfect, especially with the current discount. I also like the change in delivery times. Show details · 1
Follow-up · Some meals have left out ingredients.
Food and recipes have been a lifesaver, busy working it was awesome to have all the ingredients at my finger tips and instructions clearly spelled out. Then i started havung issues with ingredients missing/off/ poor quality. The quickly offer you a… Read more
refund to use on your "NEXT NON DISCOUNTED BOX. Very sneaky because somehow, the next 90 boxes are slightly discounted and HelloFresh basically never have to answer for rubbish /off / missing ingredients for possibly 18months...if your subscription last that long.Very disappointing.
Follow-up · Food items which were most often not useable were fresh produce (tomato, beans, diced potato) and meat. Meat was often 'short dated' , useby date before week was over and should have been frozen as soon as received (not totally convenient) i didnt receive a refund because the discount would be applied to 'next nondiscounted box'...which was an eternity away. It was happening too frequently, at least1 in every 5 meals,
Hi Susi, Thank you sincerely for sharing your… Read more (+1 reply)
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Positive reviews
All the food options have been delicious and super easy to skip a week or change how many meals you want. I do wish there was a way to do get more discounts with our spamming your friends to sign up. Sign up, massive discount. Long term customer no huge savings. Dose definitely help with what's for dinner question each night. It's good to not have to plan meals each week. Show details · 1
We recently started using HelloFresh, and we absolutely love it! The meals have been fantastic, and even my partner - who's quite a fussy eater - is enjoying all the different dishes. It's made mealtimes so much easier, fun and more exciting! ☺️ Show details · 1
Easy recipes to follow and all the ingredients are automatically there without having to scrounge through the pantry. Thoroughly enjoying how quick and easy it is to follow the recipes. Thank you!! Show details · 1
Negative reviews
Complete scam. I had to give a credit card number to see what meals were available. It couldn't meet my dietary needs. I cancelled within the time frame for the next delivery (my first) and have still been charged.
Hi, Thank you sincerely for sharing your concerns in… Read more
I recently rejoined Hello fresh when a sales person came to my house offering a discount for the first 6 boxes. After I signed up, I realised that I had been charged $120 that same day without even ordering anything. Buyers beware and check your bank statements !!
Hi, Thank you sincerely for sharing your concerns in… Read more
Charged me $1 to look at the menu. Canceled account straight after and yet they have still taken $299 out of my account and now I have to wait 3-5days to get my money back for something I never approved in the first place.
Hi, Thank you sincerely for sharing your concerns in… Read more
Recent reviews
Recipes are generally easy to follow. Sometimes there are some freshness issues with food such as lettuce or leafy vegetables - but only rarely. There are very few gluten free options - especially with sauces etc. When this occurs we substitute with gluten free products that we own. Meat is very good, especially the beef dishes. We have never had a meal that we didn't like. Show details · 1
I've liked the meals that I've had so far. They're convenient and easy to prepare. It takes the "decision paralysis" out of deciding "what to have for dinner tonight". It also minimises the time & energy spent in ingredient preparation. The portions are generous - with a bit of creativity, we can make 3 decent-sized portions out of ingredients for… Read more · 1
2. My criticisms are: there's a LOT of plastic waste (sachets etc) which goes into landfill afterwards. Could some of the plastic packaging be replaced with biodegradable paper/cardboard products instead? Also the way you advertising pricing seems inconsistent. Some meals are priced and some you don't see prices until you get to the checkout screen. I appreciate that some ingredients are more expensive than others, but it would be good to know what each menu costs before getting to the checkout screen (less back and forth while deciding).
Extra Information
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Hi Kathleen, Thank you sincerely for sharing your… Read more