Meal Kit Comparison: HelloFresh vs Dinnerly

These days we have so many excuses not to cook dinner. Busy schedules don’t leave time for grocery shopping, much less preparing a meal. Trendy diets make it complicated to find new and interesting recipes. The lazy appeal of food delivery apps that bring takeout to you, while expensive, is often too tempting to deny.

Whatever’s holding you back from making dinner, overcome it with the pre-portioned dinner kits offered by meal delivery services. If you’re new to the concept, meal delivery services send different recipes and fresh ingredients to your door every week. Just subscribe, choose how many recipes and portions you want and everything you need is shipped straight to your door. No more aimless trips to the supermarket. No more stressing over what to make for dinner. Just unbox and prepare!

There are plenty of meal delivery services to choose from, with various dietary options and plans to choose from. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the options, though, start by considering HelloFresh or Dinnerly. Both are extremely popular services and between the two, you’re likely to find a plan that’s right for your household. Read on for a comparison of both services to help you decide on the best meal delivery service for you.

Variety of Meal Plans

Chef-created HelloFresh meal plans are available in four varieties: Meat & Veggies, Veggies, Family Friendly, and Calorie Smart. Each plan comes with the choice of 2 or 4 portions per recipe. The only exception is the Family Friendly plan, which is only available in 4 portions. The Meat & Veggies plan comes with your choice of 2-4 recipes per week, while all other plans offer 2-3.

HelloFresh also offers the Wine Club boxes and the Grilling Box. Subscribe to the Wine Club to get 6 bottles shipped to you each month. Choose between reds, whites, or assorted. The summer special Grilling Box comes in two varieties: the Chef’s Choice box and the Surf & Turf box.

Dinnerly, on the other hand, keeps it simple, offering two plans to choose from: the Two-Person Box and the Family Box. As implied, the Two-Person box comes with 2 portions per recipe, while the Family Box comes with 4 portions per recipe. Both plans offer between 3 to 5 recipes per week. This is the best meal delivery service for busy households wanting a recipe planned for every night of the week.

Accommodating Dietary Restrictions & Allergies

Dinnerly prioritizes being straightforward. That means easy-to-follow recipes but also limited choices when it comes to customizing meal plans. Subscribers have the option of making either of their meal delivery kits vegetarian. Unfortunately, there are no limited-calorie or allergy-sensitive options.

If customizing your meal plan is important to you, HelloFresh is the best meal delivery service for you. In addition to their vegetarian (Veggie) and low-calorie (Calorie Smart) plans, HelloFresh meals can be catered to your dietary preferences. When picking your recipes for the week, choose one of the egg-free, nut-free, milk-free, and spicy recipes on the menu. The company’s in-house dieticians also evaluate each and every HelloFresh recipe and note all possible allergens.

Health and Quality of Ingredients

One of the many benefits of subscribing to a meal delivery service is that you are guaranteed fresh produce. Both Dinnerly and HelloFresh offer top-of-the-line ingredients, but for more variety, healthier, and higher-quality ingredients, choose HelloFresh. It’s right there in the name! HelloFresh prioritizes healthy, diverse meals and local, sustainable American producers. Many of their ingredients come from family-owned operations who grow their product attentively.

Dinnerly also prioritizes locally and sustainably produced ingredients. Compared to HelloFresh, however, their recipes are less health-focused and more focused on satisfying the family. With Dinnerly meals, you are more likely to get conventional recipes that you recognize. If you’ve got picky eaters in your household, this is the best meal delivery service for you.

Complexity of Recipes

By their very nature, pre-portioned meals are easy to put together. No need to measure ingredients. No testing quantities. But that doesn’t mean recipes can’t get complicated. People who are less talented in the kitchen will prefer Dinnerly. Their recipes are always limited to six ingredients and guaranteed to take less than 30 minutes to prepare.

HelloFresh meals are also easy to prepare but may take longer to prepare, up to 1 hour. They may also involve more ingredients that are unfamiliar to subscribers, making them slightly less approachable. But no need to fear—HelloFresh has plenty of resources to make bringing these recipes to life even easier. A blog, the HelloFresh smartphone app, and video tutorials on YouTube are there to help you. In terms of cooking support, HelloFresh is the best meal delivery system.

Price

When it comes to price, there is a clear winner. With portions starting as low as $4.99, Dinnerly is the best meal delivery service for households on a budget. Their two-person plan, which includes 3 recipes per week, costs $38.93, including shipping.

The same plan from HelloFresh costs $60.93, including shipping. The difference is that with HelloFresh, you are more likely to get higher-quality, more expensive ingredients. You also have a wider range of recipes to choose from and, as mentioned earlier, more options for customizing recipes. It’s also worth noting that this about the average price of a meal delivery service.

Delivery Process

HelloFresh delivers everywhere in the continental United States. Because of the freshness of their product, they are not able to deliver to Hawaii or Alaska. In most parts of the country, boxes arrive between Wednesday and Friday. You may also select your desired delivery window in your account settings. Shipping costs $6.99 per box.

Though Dinnerly is generally cheaper, their shipping fee is slightly higher at $8.99 per box. Their meal delivery kits can be delivered to most of the contiguous United States, though certain rural/remote areas are unserviceable. Delivery days depend on your location and cannot be specified.

Neither Dinnerly nor HelloFresh boxes need to be signed for, so you don’t worry about being home to receive them.

Best Meal Delivery Service: The Verdict

While both of these meal delivery services have their strong suits, one is not necessarily better than the other. Dinnerly is best for those who want help in the kitchen without breaking the bank. It’s also best for families with young children. Their recipes quick and easy to assemble, so you can spend more time with your kids. Plus, they’re simple and appealing to even the pickiest eaters.

Those that are more interested in mixing up their dinner repertoire with unique and interesting recipes should choose HelloFresh. Young professionals and people who are diet or health-conscious tend to prefer this meal delivery service.

If after reading this comparison of meal delivery services, you still want more information, consult the full reviews of Dinnerly and HelloFresh on our site. We’re here to help!