Is being a Vegetarian really possible with HelloFresh?

Meal kit delivery boxes promise a lot of things - making your life easier, saving you stress, and potentially reducing your food bill too. But what if you don’t eat meat? What if you are vegetarian, can HelloFresh and HelloFresh alternatives really offer you all that while helping you stay true to your dietary lifestyle? 

Here, we look at whether the HelloFresh meals list is as vegetarian-friendly as the company proclaims, but also at whether it’s possible to stick to other dietary lifestyles too. We look at HelloFresh alternatives to see whether they can stand up to the original food box delivery company and ultimately answer: is HelloFresh worth it for vegetarians? 

What veggie options are on the HelloFresh meals list?

The** HelloFresh meals list **is extensive, but sometimes meal kit delivery companies tend to focus on giving a breadth of options to meat eaters. 

Not HelloFresh. 

They ensure there are plenty of meals to choose between each and every week. Here are some of our current faves:

Mexican Inspired Beany Tostadas With Guacamole And Cheese

Mexican food is great for vegetarians. Thanks to plenty of tastebud-friendly spices and meals that work well with pulses, as this recipe demonstrates, you’ll easily get a flavour hit while still meeting all your nutritional needs. The beans ensure you get some plant-based protein, while the avocado in the guacamole gives you plenty of good fats. The beans themselves are padded out with peppers and courgettes so there are plenty of ingredients to go towards your five a day - also thanks to the tomatoes and onions. 

Creamy Double Mushroom Penne With Cheese And Balsamic Dressed Rocket

Not everyone is a mushroom lover, but put them together with cream and pasta, and you’ll likely persuade even the most ardent of mushroom haters. What’s great about this dish is that it is so easy to make yet it is so filling. It’s a fantastic example of the perfect midweek meal, with the peppery rocket cutting through the creaminess of the pasta, keeping things fresh. With cheese on top of both for good measure, it will be hard for anyone not to want to lick the bowl when they’ve finished. 

Blue Cheese Cauliflower Mac And Cheese With Sriracha Drizzle

Updating a classic is what HelloFresh does so well, and this is a brilliant example of that. Mac and cheese is a hit even with people who aren’t veggie, but by including cauliflower and blue cheese, it brings more interest to the old favourite. Plus, cauliflower is exceptionally good for you, but putting it with cheese means that for the veggie dodgers in your family, you can get some goodness in them. Sriracha drizzle means those that like things spicy can add something extra to their dinner times - though those that like things plainer can easily leave it off. 

Veggie Tikka Masala And Basmati Rice With Pepper, Green Beans And Courgette

While vegetarians are often served curries as an easy go to, this is a wonderful instance of vegetables and spices working beautifully together to create a filling and nutritious meal. Plus, even if you have people in your family who aren’t vegetarian, you will be able to easily please them with this recipe as the tikka seasoning makes it totally delicious. Plain basmati rice keeps things simple, while the recipe itself shows you how to create a tasty meal from a few humble ingredients.

Honey Lime Glazed Halloumi Burger With Peri Peri Wedges And Avocado Salsa

What a dish. Halloumi is such a great cheese that is a fantastic substitute for meat - as is shown in this vegetarian burger recipe. The honey and lime glaze helps keep the cheese feeling fresh without being too rich. While the peri peri wedges help bring interest to potatoes. The avocado salsa is the perfect accompaniment to the other rich flavours and brings some green to your plate. All in all, it’s a really filling dish that will be gobbled up by everyone sitting around your table. 

What other dietary lifestyles does HelloFresh support?

Vegetarianism is no longer the ‘leftfield’ dietary lifestyle it once was. In fact, it paved the way for many different types of dietary lifestyles like Veganism or Paleo. So what else does HelloFresh support? Here, are how it categorises its other plans:

Mostly meat

While the title of this plan is mostly meat, you get more than just a steak delivered to your door! This is a balanced plan that contains meat, fish and a variety of seasonal produce, culminating in a very varied diet with few to no limitations. HelloFresh works closely with its suppliers so you know that meat is ethically sourced and higher welfare, while when it comes to fish you know it's been caught sustainably. 

Family

While strictly not a dietary lifestyle, HelloFresh are aware of the nuanced demands that feeding a family can mean. The family plan appeals to taste buds of all ages with easy, delicious and crowd-pleasing meals. You won’t have to worry about fussy eaters or filling up perpetually hungry children. Instead, you’ll be able to choose from quick-to-make recipes that nourish your household at the same time! 

Quick Cook

If you’re looking at meal kit delivery boxes, the likelihood is that you are running short on time catering for yourself or your household. If you are really struggling to get hearty meals on the table each and every night, HelloFresh has designated a number of recipes ‘quick cook’ so you can whip up a meal with little time or effort, yet still get the same big flavours. Again, while not strictly a dietary lifestyle, you can still be considered when purchasing this plan. 

Calorie Smart

If you are trying to lose weight, or maintain your current weight, you may be thinking about calorie counting. That's tough to do on your own as you have to be so accurate to really reap any results. The calorie smart range from HelloFresh is a huge helping hand therefore as all the recipes in this range are under 650 calories per serving. However, you won’t feel hungry - instead you’ll feel great as the recipes are all nutritious and all totally delicious. 

Pescatarian

Finally, if you are happy to eat fish, though you don't like meat, you can easily use HelloFresh to help support your lifestyle. There are many recipes you can choose from each week that use fish as its main ingredient. The meals are all well designed and will often stretch your abilities in the kitchen, without being at all stressful. Instead, they’re straightforward, but simply show you different ways to cook with fish, keeping mealtimes interesting and tasty. 

What HelloFresh alternatives are available for vegetarians?

GreenChef

GreenChef is a good option for those that are really trying to cut down their carbon footprint, in addition to being veggie. There are plenty of meals available for those that don’t eat meat, and you’ll find that the recipes are exciting as well as easy to follow. The result is that customers are provided with healthy, convenient food that is good for them and helps ensure that their bodies are getting all the nutrients they need over the week. 

Gousto

Gousto is one of HelloFresh’s biggest competitors. It offers a huge number of cuisines and recipes each week - plus recipes are great for time strapped customers who still want great tasting food. For veggies in particular, they are well catered for with delicious dinners designed by chefs for the Gousto meals list regularly. It means that users do not get bored with a limited set of meals available, and instead eat a wide variety of food, which is great for their taste buds, and their bodies. 

Mindful Chef

Mindful Chef is a little more expensive than Gousto, Green Chef and HelloFresh, but it remains popular. The reason being is that the quality is really high, so customers don’t mind signing up to the company and then sticking with them - even when their introductory offers run out. It has a wide range of vegetarian options on its menu each and every week, so it’s definitely an alternative that you could consider if you don’t want to go down the HelloFresh route. Produce is all ethically sourced and can help support a nutritionally balanced diet. 

Is HelloFresh worth it for vegetarians?

While we’ve gone through some HelloFresh alternatives that can more than satiate appetites and taste buds, plus mentioned many of the other dietary lifestyles that HelloFresh can support, we definitely think the answer to is HelloFresh worth it for vegetarians is a resounding yes. Simply on the basis of the halloumi burger alone, we think it is a great option for those who don’t eat meat, yet want to take advantage of all the benefits a meal kit delivery company has to offer. 

So if you are thinking of going veggie and need a helping hand with your first step, or you’ve been veggie for decades, HelloFresh will definitely be able to support you.