HelloFresh Canada Review 2024: Is HelloFresh Worth It?
HelloFresh is a pioneer in the online meal kit industry with a wide and growing client base worldwide, and Canada is no exception. As meal kit delivery services have become more popular across Canada in recent years, several competitors have popped up in Canada’s urban centers, but for many rural areas, HelloFresh is the only option available. In fact, HelloFresh is Canada’s largest and most popular online meal kit. Our team has extensively analyzed this company to learn more about the services they provide. Read this HelloFresh Canada review to see if their meal kits are right for you.
HelloFresh Canada Review Summary
HelloFresh is a titan in the meal kit industry and has shown no signs of slowing down in recent years. Over several years of reforming and fine-tuning their business model and company logistics, HelloFresh has emerged as the world’s leading specialist in delivering pre-measured ingredients for fresh, home-cooked meals to customers’ doors.
While a few years ago it was one of the more expensive meal kits in Canada, it's now one of the cheapest. Rather than cutting their prices, this has happened because many competitors have increased their prices drastically. It's still not the cheapest though, and HelloFresh customers know that they are paying for more freedom of choice in their menu, better quality ingredients, reliable delivery, attentive customer service, and environmentally-friendly packaging.
The company offers generous discount codes for first-time customers. Canadians interested in trying HelloFresh at a heavily reduced rate can use the offer code HELLOFB20 to get $200 off their first orders.
Credibility and Reputation
Established in | 2016 |
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Registered in | Toronto, ON |
CEO | Dominik Richter |
Clients in Canada | 90,000 |
Independent rating |
HelloFresh started delivering food subscription boxes in Germany and quickly expanded its operation to the rest of western Europe, North America, and Oceania. The HelloFresh Canada branch began operations in 2016. Since that time, they have quickly expanded to become the biggest meal kit service company in Canada. The company has invested serious resources into the Canadian market, with the number of Canadian employees skyrocketing from just nine in 2016 to 796 in 2024. The head office is in Toronto but there are also four distribution centers in Brampton, Mississauga, Abbotsford, and Edmonton. This commitment demonstrates HelloFresh’s dedication to serving their Canadian client base.
Ian Brooks, CEO and founder of HelloFresh Canada, is confident the company can deliver fresh food to dinner tables nearly a week faster than high-end supermarkets. Allowing customers to benefit from tastier food by cutting out the middlemen, like wholesale vendors and supermarkets.
How HelloFresh Canada Works
Unlike most of Canada’s other meal kit companies, which tend to be more regional and localized, HelloFresh is available in most suburban communities and rural areas. Customers residing outside of major urban centers know how hard it can be to get custom services like meal kits delivered to their houses. Indeed, meal kits are especially valuable to rural customers who frequently have to deal with higher grocery prices and limited availability of fresh produce.
HelloFresh offers one of the widest selections of meals each week, so you can be sure you won’t get bored. Ordering is made simple too, either on their website or using the HelloFresh app. You’ll receive a weekly delivery with all of the ingredients pre-portioned and ready to go. Each meal comes with step-by-step instructions that will make you feel like a superstar in the kitchen.
As a global leader in the market, HelloFresh understands that customers want and deserve great customer service, top-quality meals, and good value for their money.
Meal Plans and Menus
They have a good selection of meals and plans available, depending on your needs. Plans vary based on the number of meals being ordered and the number of people being fed. Each week, the menu features more than 35 diverse meal options. These meals include several vegetarian options, as well as premium meals with pricier meats like steak or lobster. Menus are cycled to ensure that there are always new options available every single week, although particularly popular dishes are sometimes repeated. Per-servings meal kit costs vary based on the number of meals and the number of servings needed.
Selecting a meal plan is easy to do, since HelloFresh maintains both an online website and an accessible mobile app. Once the app and payment information are set up, selecting each week’s meals is simple, and can even be done several weeks in advance. Over time, the algorithm learns each customer’s general preferences and will make suggestions based on past choices. This is also helpful in the event that a customer forgets to make a selection for a certain week.How Much Do HelloFresh Meals Cost?
They don’t aim to be the cheapest meal kit company in Canada, although it offers very affordable plans, especially when you order more meals per person. The cheapest price per meal kit serving is $9.99 (Chefs plate is $8.99) if you order five recipes for four people, and the most you’ll pay is $12.99 if you order three recipes for two people. Use our table below to see how much you would pay per week & serving, and how much shipping is. Meat & Veggies
This is the most popular type of meal from HelloFresh Canada. There are always several vegetarian options included in the HelloFresh menu, and a wide variety of different meats are cycled through in order to cater to every palate. Most meals take approximately 30 to 45 minutes to prepare. This plan is great for adults looking to shake up their usual lunch and dinner schedule by trying out new recipes from a variety of cuisines.
Family-Friendly
Many families claim that these meals are what makes HelloFresh worth its value. It offers high-quality, healthy, and kid-friendly meals. After sending millions of meal kit boxes out around the world, HelloFresh claims that they have perfected the art of easy-to-prepare meals that kids will enjoy. Recipes are created with the family in mind, as spice levels are easy to control. Their meal kits are a nutritious alternative to fast food, and they also serve as an opportunity for family members with less cooking experience to step into the kitchen. This plan is intended for customers purchasing four servings of each meal.
Vegetarian
Eating more vegetarian meals or moving to a full vegetarian diet is all the rage these days — and for good reason! It’s not only healthier, but it’s also easier on the environment. The HelloFresh website says that “Our Vegetarian Plan involves an abundance of seasonal produce, hearty grains, and vegetarian-friendly proteins. It’s specially designed with our vegetarian friends in mind, although we have a feeling even the most loyal meat lovers will fall in love with the wide variety of creative and flavorful recipes.” This is a strong choice for both established vegetarians as well as people interested in trying a meat-free diet. It's one of the most varied vegetarian meal kits in Canada too.
Pescatarian
As more and more consumers redirect their dietary choices away from high-fat meats like beef and pork, pescatarianism has become an increasingly popular preference. Pescatarians are people who don’t eat meat, but do eat fish, and supplement their diet with plant-based proteins the way that vegetarians do. The HelloFresh Pescatarian Plan is therefore similar to the Vegetarian Plan, except it also includes fish-based dishes.
Smart Meals
Like the vegetarian meals, the Smart Meals are focused on healthy eating. In particular, Smart Meals are low-carb, low-calorie meal kits for those looking to stay off carbs and regulate their caloric intake. These recipes avoid sugar-heavy products and tend to stay in the realm of lean meats, whole grains, and leafy greens. Many fitness-oriented customers have praised this plan as a tool for reaching and maintaining their target weight and ideal body type.
Quick & Easy Meals Plan
HelloFresh recognizes that many of their customers are always on the go and want a meal kit that takes no time to prepare and uses fewer dishes. To address this, the company has recently announced their HelloFresh Quick & Easy meals. These are simpler meals with faster preparation, cooking, and cleaning times. As a result, customers who want to save even more time will love these HelloFresh meals.
The HelloFresh Menu & Ingredients
HelloFresh customers like their menus fresh and light. Canadians favour healthy greens and low-carb recipes. Some of the most popular menus by HelloFresh are:
We will introduce three of the most popular HelloFresh menus which you can cook and enjoy at home.
Blueberry BBQ Pork Chops with Sweet Potato Rounds
This is a quick prep, family-friendly menu with a sweet twist to BBQ sauce.
Ingredients (2 servings): 340 g boneless Pork Chops, 4 tbsp BBQ Sauce, 170 g Green Beans, 1 tbsp Garlic Puree, 113 g Baby Tomatoes, 340 g Sweet Potato, 2 tbsp Blueberry Jam, Pepper, Salt, unsalted Butter, and Oil
Difficulty level: Easy recipePreparation:
- 1. Preheat oven to 230°C. Peel, then cut sweet potatoes into 1/4-inch rounds and add them with 1 tbsp oil to a baking sheet. Season and roast until brown.
- 2. Season pork and pan-fry until golden in a large pan. Then roast in the top of the oven until cooked through. Slice.
- 3. Add BBQ sauce, blueberry jam, 2 tbsp butter, and 1 tbsp water, and cook until warm.
- 4. Cook green beans until tender, and add tomatoes and garlic puree. Season.
- 5. Serve and enjoy!
Smart Bacon and Egg Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette, Potatoes, and Mushrooms
This is a calorie-smart salad with less than 50 g of carbs and a sweet-savoury flavour.
Ingredients (2 servings): 100 g Bacon Strips, 1 tbsp White Wine Vinegar, ½ tbsp BBQ Seasoning, 100 g Bacon Strips, 1 tbsp White Wine Vinegar, ½ tbsp BBQ Seasoning, ¼ cup Cheddar Cheese, 113 g Baby Spinach, 2 Hard Boiled Eggs, 300 g Red Potato, 25 g Shallot, 113 g Mushrooms, 1 tbsp Maple Syrup, 1 tbsp Whole Grain Mustard, 1 unit Garlic, cloves, Pepper, Salt, and Oil.
Difficulty level: Easy recipe
Preparation:
- 1. Preheat oven to 230°C. Cut bacon crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces. Cook in a pan until golden brown and crispy.
- 2. Cut potatoes into 1/2-inch pieces. Add oil to a baking sheet and season with salt, pepper, and BBQ seasoning. Bake until tender and golden brown.
- 3. Quarter mushrooms, mince or grate garlic, cut shallots, and peel eggs. Whisk mustard, vinegar, and half the maple syrup.
- 4. Cook mushrooms in a pan until golden brown, add garlic, and season. Cook shallots in bacon fat. Quarter eggs.
- 5. Serve in a bowl and enjoy!
Carb Smart Sheet Pan Chicken with Chickpeas and Veggies
Enjoy this Tuscany-inspired, low-carb dish ready in less than 35 minutes.
Ingredients (2 servings): 2 Chicken Breasts, 200 g Zucchini, ¼ cup Basil Pesto, 170 g Carrot, 113 g Yellow Onion, 1 tbsp Balsamic Glaze, 1 tsp Garlic Salt, 370 ml Chickpeas, Pepper, Salt, and Oil.
Difficulty level: Easy recipePreparation:
- 1. Preheat oven to 22°C. Drain and rinse chickpeas, cut zucchini and carrot into half-moons, then cut onion into small pieces.
- 2. Bake chickpeas, onions, and half the garlic salt with oil until golden brown. Season with pepper.
- 3. Season chicken and cook in a pan until golden brown. Bake chicken, zucchini, and carrots until cooked through.
- 4. Slice chicken, serve everything on a plate, and enjoy!
Video of our HelloFresh Review
HelloFresh Dietary Options
HelloFresh doesn’t have meals that are tailored to specific diets or allergies at this stage. However, they do have Calorie Smart meals (650KCal or less) and Carb Smart meals (less than 50g of carbs). Plus, every recipe clearly lists allergens so you can choose meals based on these if you need to.
You can also swap ingredients in some of their recipes, so this is an advantage if there’s something you or your loved ones don’t like or can’t eat.
Packaging and Shipping Information
HelloFresh is the first global carbon-neutral meal kit company, which makes it one of the greatest eco-friendly brands on the market. HelloFresh meals come in boxes that are fully recyclable and kit bags that are fully compostable.
HelloFresh delivers to Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Québec, Newfoundland, and the Maritimes. This covers 95% of Canada’s population making it the largest meal kit provider in Canada. Their delivery fee is $9.99, except in Newfoundland where shipping is $19.98. However, the first delivery is free for every user.
Is HelloFresh Worth It?
HelloFresh meals offer good value for money. While it’s not the cheapest company on the market, it’s nowhere near the most expensive option and is more competitive than most. As a global specialist in meal kit delivery, you’ll be getting expert service and top-quality meals.
If you’re someone who likes to experiment in the kitchen or want to try new flavours, the HelloFresh menu will not disappoint you. It’s designed to enthrall even the fussiest of eaters so you and your family are never bored or at a loss for what to order.
The company’s high environmental standards are also worth taking into consideration. This offers a lot of customers peace of mind, especially when it comes to the packaging.
Promotion $200 discount available
We have an exclusive HelloFresh promo code for you to get up to $200 off, plus free breakfast for life when you order your first box.HelloFresh promo compared to other meal kit coupons
AB, BC, MB, NB, NL, NS, ON, PE, QC, SK
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AB, BC, QC, MB, NB, NS, ON, PE, SK
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A word from the site’s founder
For me, meal kits worked better than a marriage counselor! Honestly, I have nothing but good things to say in my HelloFresh Canada review.
Look, I know I’m going to take some heat for saying this, but if I’m being truthful, I have never truly pulled my weight in the cooking department since moving in with my talented, brilliant, amazing wife. And yes, she might also be my go-to proofreader, so it’s a virtual guarantee that she will read this.
I contributed to the general household chores chart by doing the laundry, outdoor maintenance, and lawn care, as well as usually taking the lead on supper clean-up.
But let’s be honest … that’s not really equal.
And … let’s just say it didn’t go unnoticed.
My problem wasn’t that I shied away from the time “slaving over the hot stove.” It was all the other stuff. The mental load of planning meals, making sure we had groceries (no easy feat in our humble rural abode), thawing meat, etc. That’s where the whole cooking process lost me.
Enter HelloFresh Canada!
Now, every Tuesday, a magic box appears on our porch packed with three delicious individual bags of yummy goodness. It takes me three minutes to haul the box in, unpack everything, and I don’t think about supper again until 30-45 minutes before it needs to be on the table!
Thanks to my HelloFresh Canada meal kits, I’m slowly but surely improving my culinary abilities as I learn different flavor combinations, and why extra steps — like searing before baking — can really add new dimensions to the taste palate. Who knew that adding garlic to meals was the key to life?!
For my family, the best thing about HelloFresh Canada has been the variety of meals offered. I never even imagined that my palate could diversify beyond the same miserable rotation of basic at-home cooking, with the occasional restaurant meal mixed in (and let’s be honest, when you regularly visit the same restaurant, most of us tend to get pretty much the same thing every time). Even though HelloFresh Canada uses primarily local ingredients, they find ways to adapt cuisines from all over the world to help build a global culinary experience.
If you’re a fellow free-loading eater reading this, you might be thinking to yourself, “This sounds swell and all, but he must be exaggerating on this whole it-made-a-difference-to-my-marriage thing.”
Trust me — I’m not. My HelloFresh Canada review is this positive because to my family, it was truly worth every penny.
Show this to your partner that does most of the cooking in your household, and they will likely explain to you just how much it means to my wife that I help take a little of that mental burden off of her shoulders. Go ahead and ask … I’ll wait!
Terms and Fine Print
Delivery
Delivery area | AB, BC, MB, NB, NL, NS, ON, PE, QC, SK |
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Home delivery | Yes |
Work delivery | Yes |
Must be present for delivery | No |
Delivery window | 8am - 8pm local time |
Box stays cold for | 12 hours |
HelloFresh will deliver meal kits to the customer’s doorstep sometime between 8 am and 8 pm once a week. Delivery is available in ON, BC, AB, SK, PE, NB, NS, and MB. The customer is not required to be at home to sign for the meal kit; it will be left at the specified delivery location. HelloFresh even offers workplace delivery if customers do not want their meal kits delivered to their home for any reason (such as package theft).
Flexibility
Switch between plans | Yes |
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Minimum subscription length | 1 week |
How to cancel subscription | Online account |
Extra charge for skipping week | No |
Weekly deadline to cancel/skip | Wednesday |
Auto-renewal | Yes |
Personalization options | Number of people, recipes per week |
A HelloFresh subscription will be automatically renewed until it is cancelled by the account holder. If the customer failed to make their own meal selections for a particular week, HelloFresh will pick meals on their behalf based on past preferences and ratings. Customers also have the ability to pause meal kit delivery for a set number of weeks, like if they are going out of town and won’t be eating at home.
Promo codes
Discount for new customers
If you want to try HelloFresh for yourself, you can get up to 20 meals for free. HelloFresh offers discount and promo codes that help you to save money. They also offer a student special where students can get up to 22 free meals in the first month if they register with UNiDAYS.
How to apply the HelloFresh promo code
The discount for new customers is automatically applied. To apply a voucher manually, go to the website, pick the meal kit that suits you, and enter the discount code in the box “Apply Promo Code” at checkout.
Refer a Friend
An option to save money for existing customers is to refer a friend. If you share your unique code with friends, they will receive a $40 discount on their first delivery and $25 off their second and third delivery. Each time your friends subscribe with your code, your account will automatically be credited up to $25.
Support and Usability
HelloFresh is a well-established international food delivery company with a solid reputation. Customers can place orders online on their website, or they can use the HelloFresh mobile app. In addition, customers can quickly browse their old recipes (which are automatically cataloged), check or change the status of future weeks, and more.
In case of any issues with the HelloFresh service or products, HelloFresh customer support is highly accessible via various means of communication. They can easily be reached by phone, email, via social networks, or by regular mail. HelloFresh’s business model is built on customer retention, so they maintain a robust support network to address any issues customers might have.
App Review
Download the app for free from the Google Play Store or the App Store.
Producer | Hellofresh SE |
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Available for | All ages |
Price | Free |
Play Store rating | |
App Store rating | |
Total downloads | 10,605,000 |
Languages |
HelloFresh Customer Reviews from Trust Pilot
“The ease of ordering is wonderful. The menus are delicious and portioned just right for our family. The delivery is always perfect and the food stayed cold until we get home from work to put it away. I love that the freezer packs are filled with water so they aren't harmful to the environment.”
~Shannon“The meals and quality of ingredients are excellent, restaurant quality. Since it's just my husband and I, it was hard to make meals from the grocery store and not ending up wasting food. HelloFresh has eliminated this problem. It's also helped me to become a better cook!”
~HeatherDistribution of reviews compared to industry-wide averages
In order to assess how the company stacks up compared to its competitors, we read their online reviews and marked them as positive, negative, or mixed. Positive and negative HelloFresh reviews were ones that decisively leaned in one direction or another, while mixed reviews were more middle-of-the-road. By this metric, the proportion of positive HelloFresh reviews was much higher than average. Meanwhile, the proportion of negative reviews was significantly lower for HelloFresh compared to the industry average. This suggests that its customers are more satisfied with this service than other, similar meal kit services.
Most frequently given reasons for liking or disliking the company
To better understand why some customers were extremely happy with their HelloFresh purchase while others were displeased, we looked at the most commonly cited reasons for leaving a review. Unsatisfied reviewers complained about high prices, unresponsive support, and stale produce. At the same time, satisfied reviewers praised the tasty food, clear recipes, and rich variety. HelloFresh customers are significantly more likely to specifically mention tasty food and clear recipes in their reviews, compared to customers of other meal kits. On the negative side, HelloFresh customers are slightly more likely than average to complain about pricing, but they are less likely to complain about unresponsive support, suggesting that HelloFresh invests resources into the speed and quality of their customer support division.
Three most popular recipes mentioned in reviews
To see which HelloFresh meals have really shone in reviews, we counted the most common recipes brought up by reviewers in a positive light. Customers especially praised the greek salad, the pork chops, and the sesame roasted chicken. Notably, over a quarter of recipes mentioned by name were chicken dishes, suggesting that HelloFresh’s chicken products are uniquely high-quality.
Frequently Asked Questions:
One concern that’s fairly unique to Canada is that the surrounding environment might not be too hot, but rather too cold. Some customers have noticed that in especially frigid temperatures, vegetable leaves may be frozen and wilted. Therefore, customers living in particularly cold environments could redirect their HelloFresh delivery to their workplace during the winter months, so that there is less risk of vegetables completely freezing. However, it should be noted that these instances are rare. HelloFresh has experience delivering food in all climates around the world, and their delivery quality is remarkably reliable.
Our Final Verdict: Is HelloFresh Worth it?
HelloFresh is undoubtedly our favourite meal kit delivery service in Canada. Users have a lot of choices in terms of meal planning, ingredients are consistent with the highest quality and freshness, the food is well-packaged and insulated, and the meals are both tasty and nutritious! Plus, the company demonstrates a commitment to the environment by supporting local farmers and using recyclable materials in their boxes. HelloFresh is an excellent opportunity for chefs of all experience levels to strengthen their kitchen skills and enjoy delicious meals.
If we look at how HelloFresh compares to its three biggest competitors (Chefs Plate, Fresh Prep, and Goodfood), it boasts the following advantages:
- It offers the greatest variety of meals weekly
- It’s carbon neutral and an environmentally friendly choice
- Customers find HelloFresh meals extra tasty
To see how HelloFresh compares to these other top companies in detail, check out our HelloFresh vs GoodFood, Fresh Prep vs. HelloFresh, and HelloFresh vs Chefs Plate pages. We hope our HelloFresh Canada review will help you make the right decision. Ready to order? Don’t forget our HelloFresh Canada promo code HELLOFB20 for $200 with your first box!
Select up to four quick and easy recipes out of 22 meals each week
Select up to four family-friendly recipes out of 22 meals each week
This plan contains 6-8 vegetarian meals with no meat or seafood
Feel great with tasty carb- and calorie-smart options containing less than 650 kcal or 50g of carbs per serving
Whip up a low-effort meal that's big on flavour and ready in a flash
Catch our fish, seafood, and veggie meals at the top of your weekly menu