Meal kits continue to make a fuss among consumers looking for an easier way to eat healthy, varied meals at home without relying on delivery or hours for the stove. And Freshly is a meal kit option designed for those who eat with a lot of time and who do not want to sacrifice taste or diet for dinner.
Freshly is a subscription meal service that delivers fully prepared meals ready to warm up to customers across the country. Unlike other main meal sets such as Blue Apron and Purple Carrot, Freshley Meals has no preparatory work. Instead, simply put fully cooked, chilled dishes in the microwave for a few minutes and voila: you have a meal ready with delicious and nutritious content.
Basic information
Warm up and eat meals
Options for dinner and lunch
Weekly plans up to 12 meals
Choose your delivery day
Easy to pause or cancel
The menu includes full meals and side dishes
Recyclable packaging
Low calorie options
High quality ingredients
Vegan options
Freshley is one of the best meal delivery services for busy people who do not want to cook or order food to take away every night. Meals are varied, meet all dietary needs and could not be easier to put together.
We tested Freshley’s meals in a week to see what kind of service it is compared to competitors and whether it fulfills its promises. We took a special look at how easy it is to sign up for the service, costs, including how much you can see in advance menu options, delivery and packaging experience, how meals look and of course how they taste.
Here’s how our fresh meal week went and what to keep in mind if you’re looking for a new meal delivery service.
New review: Fees and delivery
Freshley offers five plan options, ranging from four meals a week to 12. The smallest box, with four meals, costs $ 47.16 plus postage of $ 11.99, which is $ 14.79 per serving. A fully filled 12-course box costs $ 107.88 plus postage, or $ 9.99 per serving. Shipping is $ 11.99 per box. The menus are available three weeks in advance on the Freshley website.
Freshly offers over 50 meal options each week, including side dishes such as fried French green beans and stand-alone proteins, such as roasted turkey meatballs, in addition to standard meals.
The menu satisfies a wide range of nutritional needs, including gluten-free, herbal, dairy-free and low-calorie options. Each menu item has easily accessible nutrition information, which makes Freshley one of the better meal sets for people who follow certain diets.
New review: Using the meal delivery service
Since all Freshley meals arrive fully prepared and ready to be warmed up and eaten, using the set really couldn’t be easier. The box comes with plenty of ice packs to keep things cool. Then all you have to do is put the meals in the fridge until dinner.
Each meal has clear instructions for warming up on the package. Generally speaking, you will need to peel off the corner of the plastic wrap on the meal bowl and heat the bowl in the microwave for two to three minutes, and then let the meal stand for a few minutes. That’s it! You can eat directly from a plastic container or eat for dinner (which Freshley recommends, and we do). We found that each meal was perfectly warm after the scheduled cooking time.
It is definitely easiest to heat dishes in the microwave, but if you don’t have them, you can heat them in the oven. Of course, this will take longer, because the oven needs to be heated and the food cooks slower than the microwave. You will also need to transfer the food to the oven pan, as the plastic pan will melt in the oven.
Fresh reviews: Taste and nutrition
We got three different meals in our Freshley box. We first tried the homemade chicken with a masterful Mac and cheese, which looks like a favorite because it is a staple on the menu. We were surprised by several things with this dish. First, the coating on the chicken was not a complete mess, and it actually had a nice texture, even after the microwave. The chicken was incredibly soft and juicy and didn’t even need a cutting knife. We were also impressed by the size of the bean portion, which was far from scarce.
Mac and cheese sauce was creamy and very tasty. We thought that the beans needed a little improvement in taste, so we added hot sauce (which Freshly recommended). The meal was satisfying and had an impressive nutritional value (560 calories, 35 g of carbohydrates, 27 g of fat and a huge 46 g of protein). In addition, since the mac and cheese sauce is made from butternut squash, you also get an extra hit of vitamins.
Then we tried a vegetarian meal: Middle Eastern falafel with white tahini sauce and whole grains. To be precise, it is whole grains of quinoa and rice. This dish was not as tasty as chicken; the tahini sauce tasted good, but separated a bit when heated, which gave the dish a strange texture. Falafel was tasty enough, but it lost its crunchiness in the microwave. Grains and vegetables (mostly roasted onions) were our favorite part of the dish. She also didn’t get along as well as the chicken - mostly because of the sauce problem.
Finally, we tried bistro chicken with French onions with creamy mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables, which is marked as an option with a high protein content, gluten and soy free. This was the most caloric meal on our menu, with 630 calories, 42 g of carbohydrates, 34 g of fat and 40 g of protein. Again, the chicken was just as soft as the homemade chicken. The sauce was nice and was enough to be included in every bite. There were also plenty of vegetables. They were slightly overcooked in the microwave, but they still tasted good. This was a hearty meal that wasn’t too heavy.
Fresh reviews: Customer reviews
Freshley scored an impressive 4.9 out of five stars on Trustpilot (opens in new tab), based on over 12,000 reviews. Customers delighted with the convenience factor of the meal delivery service. They say that meals help to separate from stress and time planning and making a healthy lunch or dinner. According to one satisfied client, “With Freshley, I don’t have to think about what I’m going to eat for lunch every day and I feel good knowing I’m eating a healthy meal. I love comfort! ”
Negative reviews are usually dissatisfied with the nutritional value of the meal, with one customer stating that they would like to focus more on vegetables and less refined carbohydrates.
Should you use Freshley?
If you are looking for a solution for a meal that is super aerodynamic and means that you can skip the store, chop, and even turn on the stove, Freshly is a great solution. Not only are the meals ready in minutes, but they are also delicious and high quality. On the other hand, if you are someone who enjoys the cooking process, you might be better off with a meal delivery service that sends you individual portions of ingredients and recipe cards to follow, so you can make your own meals. Plus, Freshley isn’t an old-fashioned TV dinner; meals are healthy, nutritious and, well, fresh!
If this product is not for you
If you still like the ritual of cooking at home, do not have a microwave or want cutlery to help you sharpen your culinary skills, consider Marley Spoon. You will receive pre-portioned ingredients and recipe cards that are easy to follow for gourmet recipes inspired by world cuisines.
On the other hand, if you follow a plant-based diet or try to eat more vegan meals, purple carrots make it easier to reduce your intake of animal products. You can cook your own meals from pre-portioned ingredients, and the service includes breakfast, lunch and dinner.