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When juggling family responsibilities, careers, exercise, and time with friends, finding the time to eat healthfully can be difficult. Often, we’d rather do anything else than make a grocery store stop or cook an entire meal from scratch at the end of the day.
Enter meal kit delivery services. With promises of carefully curated, healthy recipes delivered straight to your door, these companies appear to be a promising solution for saving time while eating well.
Hungryroot is a popular option, but does it “deliver” on its promises? We tested it for ourselves to see whether it ranks as one of the best meal delivery services. Our Hungryroot review has everything you need to know!
Medical disclaimer: This article is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. For health advice, contact a licensed healthcare provider. GGR also recommends choosing a product that has been third-party tested for quality.
Real-Life Testing by Health and Fitness Experts
Prioritizing nutrition is key for anyone with health or fitness-related goals, and our testers know this all too well.
Our expert team of strength and conditioning coaches, registered dietitians, nutrition coaches, certified personal trainers, and competitive weightlifters have tested over a dozen different meal delivery services and reviewed the best options for a wide variety of fitness, health, and weight loss goals.
Kate Meier, NASM-CPT, USAW-L1, CF-L1, and GGR’s head of content tested Hungryroot meals as part of her normal weekly routine and provided us with her honest review.
Hungryroot
Hungryroot
Product Highlights
- Grocery delivery meets meal kit
- Meal delivery service that sends you ingredients based on recipes you like
- Many recipes only take 10 minutes to prepare
- Starts at $70 per box
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Simple and quick
- Caters to many styles of eating
- Can add on groceries to your order
Cons
- You do have to cook
- Have to meet plan minimum each week (though you can adjust your minimum on a weekly basis)
Bottom Line
Hungryroot offers a unique take on meal delivery, in that you find a recipe you like, and the company will send you all of the ingredients to make it. There are many options for types of food to choose from, and you can even order extra groceries that you might need as well. You do have to cook though, so if that's not interesting to you, this won't be the right plan.
A Quick Look at Hungryroot
Hungryroot is a highly customizable, healthy meal delivery and grocery delivery service. They offer nutritious meals tailored to your taste preferences and dietary needs while also prioritizing sustainability.
Hungryroot meals are free from partially hydrogenated oils, high-fructose corn syrup, and artificial ingredients. Their meals require minimal prep and chopping, making meal prep simpler and less time-consuming.
Before You Buy
- Some prep is required. Most meals require some cooking and assembly.
- Consider grocery item add-ons. Hungryroot lets you add snacks, desserts, and other groceries to your order.
- Check for discounts. Currently, you can get 30% off your first order, a free gift in every Hungryroot delivery, and free shipping on $70 orders.
Is Hungryroot Worth It?
If you’re looking for a healthy, customizable meal delivery subscription service with meals that taste great and that will save you time in the kitchen, Hungryroot is a great option.
Considering the convenience, ability to personalize your meal plan, and online grocery store items, we think a Hungryroot subscription is a good value for the price.
Great for:
- Those looking for quick, minimal-prep meals
- Health-conscious consumers with specific dietary restrictions
- Picky eaters
Not recommended for:
- Those needing high-calorie meals
- People primarily needing oven-ready meal delivery options
- Individuals who prefer a simplified ordering process
Hungryroot Specs
| Price per meal | About $10 (varies based on which plan you choose) |
| Meals per week | 6+ depending on needs |
| Meal kit or prepared | Both |
| Diet options | High-Protein, Vegetarian, Vegan, Carb-Conscious, Low-Sodium, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free |
| Fresh or frozen | Fresh |
| Delivery area | Contiguous United States (not Alaska or Hawaii) |
Experience Using Hungryroot
In our experience, Hungryroot delivers on its promises to make healthy eating easier and less time-consuming. Their meals are incredibly flavorful, quick to prepare, and highly personalized.
Our product tester, Kate Meier, NASM-CPT, USAW-L1, CF-L1, thoroughly enjoyed her experience despite the slightly confusing ordering process. Kate said, “I love this service. It’s something I’d actually consider using moving forward! It’s easy to use and super customizable.”
Price Per Meal
Priced at about $10 per meal (depending on the plan you choose), Hungryroot made our list of the cheapest meal delivery services and earned a 4 out of 5 rating for price.
It isn’t the lowest-priced option out there, but we felt that the price per meal was worth it considering their quality and the amount of time and mental energy they save.
Hungryroot Meal Preparation
According to their website, most meals can be cooked in 20 minutes or less, although you can choose the level of prep time you prefer. Notably, they do offer some prepared meals that arrive previously frozen.
Kate chose minimal prep options, all of which came with recipe cards. She set a timer when cooking and noted that her first meal “only had me prepping for about 10 minutes, then was maybe 12 minutes to bake. But it was so easy—not a lot of chopping, because everything is prepackaged and ready to throw in a skillet.”
With only a skillet and pan needed for most meals, clean-up was also a breeze. Kate rated ease of preparation a 4 out of 5 stars.
Taste, Ingredient Quality, and Portion Size
From the extensive catalog of Hungryroot recipes, Kate tried:
- Seared Chicken Breast and Corn Black Bean Rice Bowl
- Everything Chicken Quesadillas
- All-in-One Chicken Burrito Bowl
- Turkey Meatloaf and Sweet Kale Salad
She was incredibly impressed with the 5-star flavor, noting: “So far, this is so good. Everything is so fresh, and you don’t need to do any seasoning because most foods are prepped already for you with spices.”
The delicious taste was due in part to the freshness and quality of the ingredients. Said Kate, “Everything is high-quality—humanely raised meat and dairy, a lot of organic fruit, vegetables, and grains… in terms of quality, everything is so fresh and crisp.”
The portion sizes met Kate’s needs, with meals providing between about 440 to 600 calories. They may not be enough for people with higher calorie needs, but because everything is so customizable, you can adjust how much food you receive.
Overall, Kate rated Hungryroot a 4.5 for ingredient quality and a 4 out of 5 for portion size.
RELATED: Best Bodybuilding Meal Delivery
Meal Plans and Customization
Hungryroot offers an extensive variety of plans, a few of which include:
- Low-sodium
- Low-calorie
- High-protein
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
- Soy-free
- Shellfish-free
- Anti-inflammatory
- Less sugar
They also offer a variety of keto and paleo meals, although not as distinct meal plans.
Kate was impressed with the fact that Hungryroot meals are “completely customizable. You create your own food profile with likes, dislikes, preferences, allergies, and more.”
The Hungryroot quiz asks you questions about what types of protein you like, preferred types of cuisines (Italian, Thai, Mexican, etc.), flavor profiles, and which types of snacks and desserts look appealing to you.
As a dietitian, I appreciated being able to view the nutrition information, allergens, and ingredients for each meal before you commit to ordering.
Overall, Hungryroot earned a 5-star rating here.
RELATED: High-Protein Meal Delivery
Ordering, Packaging, and Shipping
Unfortunately, the ordering process was somewhat confusing.
After taking the quiz, you’re prompted to pick generic meals that look good for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, add optional groceries, and choose your preferred delivery frequency.
After you pay, you’re taken to your virtual cart where you can view the items you’ll be receiving. You can edit these meals up to six days after paying.
While the idea of taking a quiz seems simple, Kate felt that it was “honestly a little confusing—seems like they send you some recipes and then some groceries. I feel like I need to get the order to understand what’s happening and how many meals I’m actually getting.”
Fortunately, Kate noted that everything arrived on the scheduled date and was in great shape, which earned the company a 5 out of 5 rating for packaging and shipping.
Hungryroot vs HelloFresh
HelloFresh
HelloFresh
Product Highlights
- Meal service that delivers ingredients and recipes
- 6 different plans available, including vegan and pescatarian options
- Can swap out different proteins and sides
- Can purchase between 2 and 6 meals, in portions to feed 2 or 4 people
- 40 weekly recipes to choose from
- Sourced from U.S. farmers
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Saves on meal-prepping
- Can swap out ingredients
- Chef-curated recipes
- Sourced from U.S. farmers
- 6 meal plans to choose from
Cons
- Customer reviews complain about ingredient inconsistencies
- Some reviews claim meal portions are small
Bottom Line
HelloFresh is a subscription meal delivery service that provides ingredients and recipes for weekly meals. They provide six different plans, including plant-based, pescatarian, and quick and easy meals. Additionally, 40 different recipes are available each week, and proteins and sides can be swapped out as needed. The subscription is flexible, as you can skip a week, pause, or cancel your account at any time.
To give a more balanced Hungryroot review, we wanted to compare it to a similar meal delivery company: HelloFresh.
One significant difference is that Hungryroot also offers prepared, heat-and-eat options for those who truly dislike cooking, while HelloFresh offers only meal kits that you prepare yourself.
For a more in-depth look, check out our Hungryroot vs HelloFresh comparison or see what the GGR experts had to say in our full HelloFresh Review.
| Hungryroot | HelloFresh | |
| Price per meal | $10 (varies based on the plan) | $8.99 (4 people, 6 meals per week) to $12.49 (2 people, 2 meals per week) |
| Meals per week | 3+ (choose from 2 servings or 4 servings per meal) | 2 to 6 (choose from 2 servings or 4 servings per meal) |
| Meal kit or prepared | Both | Meal kit |
| Diet options | High-Protein, Vegetarian/Vegan, Carb-Conscious, Low-Sodium, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free | Meat & Veggies, Veggie, Family Friendly, Fit & Wholesome, Quick & Easy, Pescatarian |
| Fresh or frozen | Fresh | Fresh |
| Delivery area | Contiguous U.S. | Contiguous U.S. plus “select zip codes in Honolulu, Hawaii, and Anchorage, Alaska” |
Customer Experience
Customer service can be contacted via an email request or by sending the company a text.
There isn’t a way to speak to anyone over the phone, however, and the online chatbot wasn’t particularly helpful when I tried it out.
Hungryroot makes many claims on its website about its commitment to sustainability, much of which comes from helping customers eat more plant-based foods. They cite the UN’s 2019 Climate Change Report1 and its findings that eating more plants and fewer animal products can help slow climate change.
They also aim to help reduce food waste through their pre-planned meal kits and by donating excess food inventory to local food banks.
We liked that Hungryroot uses shipping materials and ice packs that can be recycled. The single-use food containers are also recyclable but seem a bit wasteful.
Hungryroot also plans to join the Better Chicken Commitment, which aims to improve animal welfare by calling on producers to provide ample space, light, and sanitation for chickens and to avoid slaughtering chickens that haven’t been properly stunned.
However, it isn’t clear whether these standards are currently being implemented.
RELATED: Best Plant-Based Meal Delivery
Customer Reviews
Based on their 4.4-star rating from over 3,600 Trustpilot reviews, it’s clear that people love Hungryroot.
Customers praise the taste, freshness, variety, timely deliveries, and condition of the food upon arrival, saying that Hungryroot has helped them start “creating healthy eating habits.”
Rarely, some customers have reported issues with missing items, foods delivered at the wrong temperature and time of day, and leaking packaging. To their credit, Hungryroot appears to respond to every review and seems committed to addressing any complaints.
Final Verdict of Our Hungryroot Review
Once you make it through the somewhat confusing ordering process, Hungryroot is a great meal delivery option if you:
- Want to minimize prep/chopping time
- Like the inclusion of snacks and other grocery items
- Want nutrient-dense meals tailored to your dietary preferences
- Don’t need more than about 600 calories per meal
Full Rating
Hungryroot
Hungryroot offers a unique take on meal delivery, in that you find a recipe you like, and the company will send you all of the ingredients to make it. There are many options for types of food to choose from, and you can even order extra groceries that you might need as well. You do have to cook though, so if that's not interesting to you, this won't be the right plan.
Product Brand: Hungryroot
Product Currency: $
Product Price: 70
Product In-Stock: InStock
4.4
Hungryroot Review: FAQs
How does Hungryroot work?
The Hungryroot website quiz asks about your food preferences, how much time you want to spend cooking, cuisine and flavor preferences, and how many meals you want per week. You then choose your meals and can add grocery items and snacks if desired. These are all delivered to you.
Are meal kits worth it?
Meal kits may be worth it if you’re looking to save time grocery shopping, menu planning, and prepping meals. They can also cut down on the mental energy these tasks require. However, they may not be cheaper than doing your own shopping and meal prep.
How much does Hungryroot cost per month?
Hungryroot starts at $70 per month for three two-serving meals per week. It increases in price the more meals you add.
What is the cheapest meal delivery service?
We’ve reviewed dozens of companies, and some of the cheapest meal delivery services are Dinnerly, HelloFresh, and Hungryroot.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases.
References
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Special Report on Climate Change and Land. IPCC website. Accessed 3/19/24.
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