Meal kit services have been taking the world by storm over the past few years. They offer the convenience of food delivery services, the satisfaction of cooking your own meals, and specifically portioned meals that help reduce food waste. In Australia, there’s an increasing amount of options available, and it can be tough to decide which one is for you. As one of the most reputable meal kit services in the world, HelloFresh has quickly separated itself from the pack, and is easily the most recognisable name in the industry.
What Is HelloFresh?
HelloFresh is a meal kit service that delivers fresh ingredients recipes to your door each week. That means no more grocery shopping on an almost daily basis, or getting stuck in a rut cooking the same boring meals over and over. The standard boxes come for either 2 or 4 people, and include 3-5 meals for the course of the week. What differentiates HelloFresh from other meal kit delivery services however, is its robust menu and interesting recipes, keeping things fresh (literally and figuratively), week after week.
What’s On The HelloFresh Menu?
HelloFresh is constantly rotating its menu and introducing new recipes along with customer favourites on a weekly basis. Before signing up, you can even check out what’s currently on the menu on their website here. While there are some exciting options that pop up from time to time, their recipes stick to these key categories:
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Classic – HelloFresh’s standard box, including all their available favourite recipes.
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Veggie – Vegetarian recipes.
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Family-Friendly – Available in 4 portion meals only, this includes simpler recipes with familiar ingredients that are preferred by kids.
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Calorie Smart – All meals are less than 650 calories per serving.
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Quick & Easy – Meals that take 25 minutes or less to cook.
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Carb Smart – Meals with a maximum of 30g of carbs.
On top of the weekly menu, you can also customise your meals by adding new/extra ingredients to certain dishes if there is an ingredient you don’t like, or if you have your own inspiration for how to improve the recipe. You can also add extra sides, fruit boxes, soups and snacks.
An incredibly popular option, quick recipes come with a faster cooking time and easy clean up, so you can cook a delicious dinner for two people in less than 25 minutes. Look out for the lightning bolt tag on the recipe while on the website or the app to see which recipes can be prepared particularly quickly.
HelloFresh has also started experimenting with ‘ready to cook’ meals that come fully prepared and just need to be cooked. Ready to cook recipes are made up of pre-prepped proteins, veggies and sides, and are easily the most low-effort option for nights that you just don’t feel like cooking or washing up.
How Much Does HelloFresh Cost?
HelloFresh plans come in 6 different configurations depending on the number of people and weekly meals that are provided. They only offer meal plans for 2 and 4 people, but you can choose between 3 to 5 meals each week, and skip weeks whenever you need at no cost.
For 2 People
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3 meals per week – A$70
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4 meals per week – A$90
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5 meals per week – A$105
For 4 People
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3 meals per week – A$125
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4 meals per week – A$150
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5 meals per week – A$165
On top of these costs, you’ll also need to pay A$9.99 delivery (regional areas may vary) plus the cost of any additional special meals, sides, ready meals or snacks that you’ve ordered.
To help get you started, right now, you can save up to A$165 on your first four boxes. This offer is currently available via a coupon on the HelloFresh website and works on Classic, Family, Veggie & Calorie Smart plans.
Where Does HelloFresh Deliver To In Australia?
HelloFresh delivers to every major city in Australia, with a significant number of regional Eastern locations represented as well. However some additional delivery fees will apply the further off the beaten track you may live. You can check if HelloFresh delivers to your area by clicking here, and entering your postcode when you select a box to see delivery options.
The complete list of delivery areas according to HelloFresh (accurate as of September 2022):
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Adelaide
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Albury
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Ballarat
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Bendigo
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Brisbane
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Bundaberg
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Cairns
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Canberra
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Central Coast
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Central West NSW
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Coffs Harbour
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Darwin
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Gippsland
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Gladstone
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Gold Coast
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Hervey Bay
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Mackay
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Melbourne
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Mildura
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Newcastle
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North Coast NSW
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Northern Rivers
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Perth
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Rockhampton
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Shepparton
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Southern Highlands
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Sunshine Coast
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Sydney
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Toowoomba
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Townsville
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Tweed Heads
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Wollongong
When Does HelloFresh Deliver?
Deliveries are made between Saturday and Wednesday each week, with your final meal selections needing to be confirmed by either Tuesday or Wednesday the week before
(depending on which delivery day you choose). In each cycle, you’ll have plenty of time to adjust your orders for the coming weeks. But If you don’t customise your order by that delivery cutoff date, you’ll receive the standard box with that week’s classic menu items.
Is HelloFresh Worth It?
Depending on your cooking ability and enthusiasm for grocery shopping, HelloFresh is an
incredibly convenient service that slots well into a modern lifestyle. Its recipes vary in complexity and are generally full of ingredients you might not usually cook with, so it has an added benefit of not only providing meals for that week, but also recipes and the knowledge to recreate these dishes in the future.
HelloFresh also makes it incredibly easy to cancel your deliveries or skip weeks at a time if you’re going to be away or too busy to cook. If you live alone, or already cook for your household and are looking for a way to cut down on costs, HelloFresh may not be the solution for you. However, for couples or small families who want to cook more, and need a push in the right direction: HelloFresh is a great place to start, and offers a huge range of options for all tastes, occasions and levels of cooking ability.
