.png)
When Kristin Bryan, executive chef and head of culinary innovation at HelloFresh, set out to design the brand’s biggest menu relaunch to date, she had few key priorities. Top-of-mind objectives included lengthening the meal delivery service’s list of weekly meal options, enhancing the nutrient density of each dish, offering a greater range of meat, seafood, and produce options, and providing high-quality recipes that require less prep work and cleanup time than ever before. Six months later, the HelloFresh ReFresh, which launched earlier this month, was born—and we’ll just say it: Bryan has delivered (pun intended).
The revamped menu offers more recipes to choose from (now over 100 each week) and a greater variety of proteins and fresh produce. “[There’s] triple the amount of seafood, new proteins we’ve never offered before, such as lamb chops and half chickens, and a stronger focus on seasonal produce,” Bryan says. She’s added artichokes, seasonal squash varieties, shishito peppers, peaches, and more to the lineup.
About HelloFresh: HelloFresh, one of the first meal kit delivery services to hit the market, has an impressively large weekly menu. It’s aimed at a wide audience but allows you to choose plans geared toward different requirements: meat and veggie/carb-conscious meals, veggie and plant-based meals, quick-and-easy meals, family-friendly meals, and pescatarian meals. Unless you’re focused on specific dietary needs, it’s a great go-to.
Why it's great for families: Every week, you can choose your family meals from more than 100 options—which means that no matter what your household does or doesn’t like to eat, there’s almost sure to be a recipe or three you can all agree on. And, importantly for our considerations here, HelloFresh offers family-friendly meals, which are “kid-tested” and “picky eater approved” (citations to which kids and picky eaters are testing and approving not included). Additionally, HelloFresh offers “Big Batch” dinners (with an upcharge), which offer double portions for up to eight people or the option of leftovers.
What we love: Multiple Bon Appétit staff and contributors have tried HelloFresh over the years, and our testers have all been happy with the large portion sizes, fresh ingredients, and the add-on options, which include stand-alone proteins (chicken breasts, steaks, etc), smoothies, snacks, and desserts. Most recently, we tried Hello Fresh in a home with two adults and two kids, including some Big Batch options for families. The recipes were crowd-pleasing and satisfying for every age.
What we’d leave: Our one flag had to do with preparation and cooking time with the larger meals, which was often noted around 45 minutes on the recipe card and took even longer in practice, especially when batch cooking was necessary.
Specs:
| Type of meal delivery service: | Meal kit delivery service |
| Typical prep and cooking time: | 30–40 minutes |
| Gluten-free options: | Yes |
| Plant-based options: | Yes |
| Add-ons available: | Yes |
| Average meal price: | $9.99 |
| Additional shipping fee: | $10.99 per box |
Read our full review of HelloFresh
The menu overhaul was a labor of love for Bryan, who was inspired by early memories of spending time in her grandmother’s kitchen. “It was this warm and inviting place where we shared these small moments that had a huge impact on me as a child. I still think about how it made me feel to help her make cookies or fry a piece of chicken,” Bryan says. “Even as small as I was, I felt seen, heard, and loved around that table. That’s where I realized the impact of cooking at home together with the ones you love, and that sharing a delicious meal means making a lasting memory.”
According to HelloFresh’s first State of Home Cooking report, a survey of 5,000 US adults done in collaboration with market research firm Wakefield Research, the majority of Americans similarly see dinnertime as family time: 70% reported having sit-down dinners at home with others nearly every day of the week, and 83% of those surveyed said they believe that eating with others is better for mental health.
“Our [research] team found that more than nine in 10 Americans plan to cook at home just as much or even more in the coming year compared to last year,” Bryan says. “And the reason goes beyond necessity—people see home cooking as a wellness ritual, a creative outlet, and a way to connect with the people they love.”
Now, how to put together a stable of recipes and service that makes mealtime joyful for home cooks in a food rut (64% of the survey’s respondents said they have days when they want to “quit dinner”) and easy for people who dread the grocery store? It’s a tall order—but Bryan and the HelloFresh team were up to the challenge.
The HelloFresh recipe development process
Thanks to the State of Home Cooking report, Bryan was able to kick-start her sparkly menu redesign by listening to feedback from HelloFresh customers. “Recipe ideation began once we felt confident that we understood what our customers were looking for when cooking a meal at home,” she says. “Convenience, variety, and new techniques combined with taking control of their health and family time were all inspiration for my team. We also looked at flavor trends, coupled with fun creative cooking techniques—then went to work.”
To that end, Bryan emphasizes how imperative it is that her new recipes offer greater diversity in flavor. “It’s been fun to experiment with new ingredients, produce, proteins, and sauces to bring much more variety and bolder flavors to our menus,” she says, acknowledging that no two American households are the same when it comes to taste and textural preferences. “For instance, one of the most popular flavor trends right now is ‘swicy,’ which blends sweet and spicy flavors and influences some of our new Thai- and Korean-inspired meals on the menu,” Bryan says, adding that “swalty,” which blends sweet and salty flavors, inspired her recipe for Sweet Peach BBQ Bacon Burgers.
In addition to boosting diversity in flavor, Bryan’s ReFresh recipe development process set out to satisfy a wider range of health goals and food restrictions. To ensure that new meals meet the customer’s ever-changing nutritional preferences in a way that feels authentic and evidence-based, HelloFresh taps its dedicated team of in-house registered dietitians. “For example, our high-protein meals contain over 30 grams of protein per serving, our low calorie meals are all under 650 calories, and our new veggie-packed recipes feature at least two vegetable varieties per recipe,” Bryan says. Such parameters and health claims are determined and approved by the trusted RDs on staff.
Alas, after months of recipe ideation and extensive testing, “some recipes made the cut and others did not,” Bryan shares. Nothing to sweat over: “That’s all part of the ideation and experimentation process when innovation is key to creating a satisfying product.”
New menu highlights
When pressed for her favorite recipes on the ReFresh menu, Bryan says she loves the smoky pulled mushroom and veggie kebabs. “This recipe features an amazing new veggie ingredient that tastes just like pulled pork, only it’s pulled mushroom. It’s delicious and perfect if you’re doing a meatless Monday meal.”
Her runners up include a tilapia with zucchini puttanesca (a fish in tomato broth dish Bryan ensures has been “perfected”), and well as the ancho-orange chicken and veggie jumble. “This is a half chicken with the most delicious citrusy marinade with a touch of ancho chile spice. It’s a fantastic flavor combination, and one of those meals that just makes everything better,” she says.
Explore more meal kit stories
- Looking for a meal delivery service that won’t break the bank? Start here
- These are the best meal kits for families
- And if easier is always better in your book, you might want to try one of these prepared meal delivery services