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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.
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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.
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