I Compared Prices for a Week of Meal Kits Versus Groceries — And One Saved Me $30 (I Was Shocked!)

It has taken me some time, but recently I’ve come around to the idea of meal kits. Prior to this year, I had never tried a meal kit delivery service, though I’d spent years dreaming about them. What stopped me? I always figured I could make similar recipes at home for less. Now, I can humbly admit I was wrong. 

This year so far I’ve tried Home Chef and Blue Apron — both of which were considerably cheaper compared with groceries than I originally realized. So for my next meal kit adventure, I figured it was time to try the brand that, to me, is synonymous with meal kits: HelloFresh. 

I gave HelloFresh the same treatment, trying out a few of the brand’s dinners and then re-created them at home from scratch (grocery shopping included). Here’s how it all went down.

Founded in 2011, HelloFresh has since become the best-selling meal kit brand in the United States. 

It’s known for the variety of easy yet delicious dinners, preportioned ingredients, and simple recipes — whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting to cook at home more. There are now more than 100 recipes each week, according to HelloFresh’s website.

Subscribers choose between two to six meals per week that feed two, three, four, or six people. You can plug in any meal preferences or goals you may have, like prioritizing veggie-forward or pescatarian-friendly meals or recipes that take less than 20 minutes. 

In addition to the standard menu, HelloFresh also offers Ready Made Meals that require no cooking; just pop it in the microwave for three minutes. There are also a couple of Big Batch Dinners (including Smoked Ham and Cheese Sliders and Indian-Style Butter Chicken and Rice) that provide twice the amount of food for large families or group gathers, as well as Build-a-Plate options, like a Cheddar-Mozz Fondue Board or a Chicken Shawarma Pita Bar for a more DIY feel. 

Typically, two meals that each feed two people is $13.49 per serving, or $53.96 for a box (plus $10.99 for shipping). With the shipping cost added in, it amounts to $16.23 per serving. Boxes go up in price from there, though the per serving costs actually decrease. 

I ordered three meals (which is $82.93 in total, or $13.82 per serving): Shawarma-Spiced Chickpea Couscous Bowls, Salmon Limone, and Gochujang Chicken Salad Sandwiches. For the purpose of this comparison, I only re-created the first two. Here’s how the prices of the kits compared to the groceries I bought to make them at home: 

Shawarma-Spiced Chickpea Couscous Bowls: $30.37 ($15.18 per serving)

Salmon Limone: $25.49 ($12.73 per serving)

In total, I spent $55.86 on groceries, which is $9.09 less than HelloFresh (including shipping) or $2.27 per serving.

I spent less on groceries than expected because I had some ingredients I already needed at home (like spices). Plus, both recipes contained couscous and stock concentrate, so I only needed to pick up one of each, which helped bring down my overall bill. I also omitted dried apricots from the chickpea couscous bowl recipe because I could only find it in bulk. 

The meal kit was a bit more. That completely changes when I factor in the discount for new subscribers. HelloFresh is currently offering 10 free meals (as well as a free item in each box for the entirety of your membership), making the two-person, two-meal plan $6.45 per serving or just $25.78 for that initial box (shipping is also free). That actually makes it $30 less than my groceries.

I really enjoyed using HelloFresh, starting with choosing my meals. Everything on the menu looked so good. Before we get into the head-to-head comparison, I need to tell you that the Gochujang Chicken Salad Sandwiches was a revelation. 

It was easy to cook the chicken cutlets and still keep them juicy, using HelloFresh’s directions (on my own, I typically end up overcooking it). We eat a good amount of chicken salad in my home (using rotisserie chicken), and I’d never thought to make it with gochujang sauce, which offers a nice, spicy kick to the creamy mixture. With some onion-y scallions and a quick, homemade pickle to balance everything out, this was an exceptional lunch — way more flavorful than the one I usually make or buy. Plus, the side of oven-baked carrot fries tossed in sesame seeds was so easy to make and delicious, I might just put it in my regular dinner rotation. 

Let’s get back to what you really came here for: the comparisons! The shawarma chickpea bowl was a cinch to put together, though it did take a little longer than expected to cook (the recipe card said 40 minutes, but it actually took me closer to an hour). There were three main parts to this recipe: 

1. Roasting chickpeas along with carrots and sliced bell pepper that will be used as toppings in the bowl
2. Cook the couscous on the stove, which is the base
3. Quickly pickle red onion and mix together the harissa yogurt sauce to finish the dish off 

This was an easy dish to re-create at home, though I missed the shawarma spice blend included in my HelloFresh box and the dried apricots that added a little pop of sweetness. Both versions took about the same amount of time and effort to make. That said, I prefer the HelloFresh version a teeny bit more because I didn’t have to make my own seasoning blend. 

Plus, the HelloFresh recipe gave me a couple couscous cooking tips I’ve been using ever since, like toasting the couscous in butter first before adding the water and seasoning the water with stock concentrate, which will last in my fridge way longer than a carton of stock.

Lastly, I made the Salmon Limone. Of the three, this was by far the easiest and quickest to make, taking only 20 minutes or so. The salmon filets are cooked in a pan and seasoned with fragrant Italian seasoning — a combo I’d never tried before but loved. It’s served over a bed of couscous mixed with sautéed zucchini, fresh tomato, and scallions. (I was clearly on a couscous kick when I ordered my meals.)

All of that got topped with a lemony crema. It was a speedy, restaurant-quality dinner at home. My fiancé was so impressed. 

Re-creating this one with groceries was pretty simple because the kit didn’t include premade seasoning blends or pre-chopped produce (like I’ve experienced with other meals), though it came with a pre-portioned packet of crema. I used sour cream in my re-creation, which I realize is not the same and warranted a slightly thicker, tangier sauce that wasn’t bad, but didn’t pair as well. Because of that, I think the HelloFresh version edged out mine by a teeny margin.  

I can see now why HelloFresh is so popular. It truly was a great experience, from the quality produce to the premeasured ingredients to the simple, easy-to-follow instructions. Beyond that, I also appreciate that it allows me to minimize the amount of time I spend at the store on a weekly basis, and I get to try new recipes without having to buy whole jars of spices, bottles of condiments, and cartons of produce I might not end up using again. 

When compared with groceries, the discounted HelloFresh box wins without question. Spending more than $30 less for delicious, easy-to-make meals? It’s a no brainer. 

What meal kit delivery service should I try next? Tell us about it in the comments below.