Two Famous Meal Kits Head To Head – Including Our Hands-On Experience.
The meal kit industry is booming, and for a good reason, meal kits are a great and convenient way to eat well without grocery shopping. Vegetarians and meat lovers can benefit from and enjoy meal kits delivered directly to their doorstep.
Because meal kits are so popular and the industry constantly changes, choosing the right meal kit service can be challenging.
Here, we review HelloFresh and Martha & Marley Spoon. Sit back and let us break it down. See how the two compare to determine which meal kit service is best for you.
Hello Fresh Vs. Martha & Marley Spoon
Main Differences Between Martha and Marley Spoon & Blue Apron
The main differences between Martha & Marley Spoon and Hello Fresh are:
- Martha & Marley Spoon delivers High-Quality ingredients.
- Martha & Marley Spoon offers a wider weekly recipe variety.
- Martha & Marley Spoon provides generously portioned meal kits.
- Martha & Marley Spoon supports special diets like gluten-free-friendly, vegetarian, low-carb, low-calorie, and more.
Read our FULL comparison to see how we made our decision…
Variety of Meal Plan
Winner – It’s a Tie
HelloFresh offers three different plans:
- Classic Plan provides three to four dishes per week for two or four people.
- Family Plan provides two to three meals per week for four people.
As part of the registration process, you can accommodate your plan to different food preferences, like vegetarian, pescatarian, fit, fast & easy, and more.
Martha & Marley Spoon offers two flexible meal plans:
- The Two-Person Plan with the choice of up to six recipes weekly.
- The Four Person Plan, with the option for up to six recipes per week, is ideal for families.
Variety of Weekly Meal Kits
Winner – Martha & Marley Spoon
Each week, Hello Fresh offers a total of 30+ recipes to choose from, most of which are different every week to provide optimal variety. You can access all the recipes with the Classic Plan (and you choose three to four).
If you have the Family Plan, you select your meals from a list of nine, and the Veggie Plan is a choice of around five dishes.
Martha & Marley Spoon has the upper hand in this category, with 45 recipes that change weekly. Based on your specific diet, you can choose from categories like Health & Diet, Vegetarian & Vegan, Meat & Fish, Under 30 Minutes, and kid-Friendly.
Both companies offer a great deal of variety every week, including many culinary styles – all American classics, Italian, Mexican-style, Asian and more, so you have the option to try new meals and revisit old favorites.
Our Tasting Experience – Is It Delicious?
Winner – Martha Stewarts & Marley Spoon!
Our main goal at The Meal Kit Review is to provide an honest ‘hands-on’ experienced report to help you make informed decisions about meal delivery services. As part of our review process, we subscribe as real customers and taste home-cooked recipes from each meal delivery service for at least three weeks.
We enjoyed our experience with both Marley Spoon & HelloFresh, with Marley Spoon getting a higher final score. As promised, the home-cooked meal kits involve easy prep work and even higher than expected satisfying results.
Delicious Recipes We Loved The Most
Dairy-Free Buffalo Glazed Chicken Breast by Martha and Marley Spoon
The first thing I noticed when I opened the delivery box was the fantastic quality of the products they provided. The chicken breast was clean, the lettuce looked lovely and fresh, and it was one of the best meal kit deliveries we have ever received. It was nothing short of a joy! The beautiful fresh vegetables were especially appreciated as we love eating greens for dinner.
It must be noted that the portions were very generous. The chicken breast we received was not only incredibly clean, but it was also more than ample in size. There was also a HUGE, beautifully fresh lettuce head and two medium size carrots. The result was a gigantic salad we could not finish in one serving, leaving us with substantial leftovers for the following day. So it was almost like getting two servings for the price of one!
The cooking process for this dish was straightforward. It involved cutting all the ingredients and toasting the bread in the pan to make the garlic croutons. Then it was cooking the chicken with the quick buffalo hot sauce and preparing the salad! It was an easy meal that could fit perfectly after a long working day!
Southwest Stuffed Zucchini Boats By HelloFresh
We enjoyed this dish. It wasn’t a phenomenal recipe, but it was delicious and comforting, especially with the added touch of avocado sour cream and cilantro that gave it a Tex-Mex touch. Oh, and we added jalapeño to the pico de gallo for extra spiciness.
Like the competitor’s recipe, the cooking process for this was very easy. It simply involved halving the zucchini to create the boats, cooking the southern spice-flavored rice, making the quick pico de gallo and avocado crema, then stuffing and broiling the zucchini and serving. All in all, it took 30 minutes to cook.
We stuck to the vegetarian version, but Hello Fresh does offer the option to customize the meal kit with ground turkey or ground beef for extra proteins.
Other Meals We Tried From The Menu
Martha Stewarts & Marley Spoon Meals
- Skillet Chicken Parm with Casarecce & Spinach
- Vegetarian Skillet Cheese Ravioli with Creamy Spinach & Broccoli
- Garlic Knot Chicken with Orzo & Broccoli
- Fast Hoisin-Glazed Pork & Gingery Sweet Potatoes
- Gluten-Free-Friendly Coconut Turmeric Tilapia with Blistered Tomatoes & Rice
HelloFresh Meals
- Black Bean & Pepper Quesadillas with Salsa Fresca & Creamy Guacamole
- Figgy Balsamic Pork with Roasted Carrots & Thyme Potatoes
- Dijon Onion Crunch Salmon over Lemony Broccoli Spaghetti
- Roasted Garlic & Zucchini Flatbreads with White Sauce, Mozzarella & Grape Tomatoes
- Salsa Verde Beef Tacos with Monterey Jack & Southwest Crema
Style and Complexity of Dishes
Winner – Martha Stewarts & Marley Spoon
A delicious meal kit should be quick and easy to prepare but not lacking in flavor. After tasting dishes from Hello Fresh and Martha & Marley Spoon, we can confidently say that both companies offer flavorful meals – but our winner here is Marley Spoon.
Hello Fresh offers classic favorite meal options that many customers are familiar with.
Meals from Martha & Marley Spoon are classic meals with ingredients and easy techniques invented by the famous all-American queen of home cooking, Martha Stewart herself.
Both meal delivery services offer easy-to-follow recipes that are easy enough for anyone to put together without feeling too overwhelmed and in a short amount of time. Moreover, the menu features some fast recipes designed for extra busy schedules.
Quality Of Ingredients
Winner – Martha Stewarts & Marley Spoon
Both meal kit companies provide customers with high-quality ingredients.
HelloFresh uses meat, poultry, and seafood that is hormone-free and sustainably sourced. While some of the produce is organic, Hello Fresh focuses more on providing fresh fruits and vegetables with every meal.
Martha & Marley Spoon uses many of the high-quality ingredients that one would expect from Martha Stewart. Each recipe uses seasonally fresh ingredients and the farm-to-table method, ensuring some freshest and best quality meat and produce.
The Delivery Box
Winner – It’s a Tie
HelloFresh & Marley Spoon delivery arrives in a high-quality box with an easy-to-identify logo. Both companies also save you the work (and food waste) by portioning and sorting the ingredients per meal kit.
The packaging includes ice packs that keep your food at a safe temperature during delivery. The Hello Fresh box includes printed recipe cards per meal. With Martha & Marley Spoon, as part of being more eco-friendly, you will get the recipe cards to your email unless you opt-in for printed ones.
Meal prep is even easier because all the ingredients per meal kit are packed in paper bags. So there’s no confusion or guesswork on the ingredients. Also, the portioned-out ingredients ensure you have the “perfect” portioned-controlled dinner every time.
The Ease Of Use Of App And Websites
Winner – It’s a Tie
Hello Fresh’s and Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon’s app and website make it very easy to register, order, select your own meals, change meal plans, change the delivery date, and even skip weeks when needed and cancel online.
Each company’s site and app allow you to view future menus, a breakdown of ingredients, and other essentials such as cooking time and nutritional information.
Meal Kit Services Terms
Winner – It’s a Tie
Both meal delivery services offer a subscription-based meal delivery service. Still, the subscription has ample flexibility – including flexible scheduling, which makes skipping a week or changing your plan an easy process. Simply visit the website or app and request the changes you need.
Canceling your subscription is also a hassle-free process as well, that can b done online or by contacting customer support. You just need to make sure to do it 5-7 days prior to your next scheduled delivery day, depending on your state.
Add-On Options For Your Delivery
Winner – It’s a Tie
Martha & Marley Spoon meal delivery offers an add-on section as part of the weekly menu, which includes desserts, starters, brunch options, protein packs, some prepared meals, and more.
HelloFresh has an extensive market collection to help you complete your menu, with options for protein packs, treats, a quick breakfast, and more.
Meal Kit Services Terms
Winner – It’s a Tie
Both meal delivery services offer a subscription-based meal delivery service. Still, the subscription has ample flexibility – including flexible scheduling, which makes skipping a week or changing your plan an easy process. Simply visit the website or app and request the changes you need.
Canceling your subscription is also a hassle-free process as well, that can b done online or by contacting customer support. You just need to make sure to do it 5-7 days prior to your next scheduled delivery day, depending on your state.
Add-On Options For Your Delivery
Winner – It’s a Tie
Martha & Marley Spoon meal delivery offers an add-on section as part of the weekly menu, which includes desserts, starters, brunch options, protein packs, some prepared meals, and more.
HelloFresh has an extensive market collection to help you complete your menu, with options for protein packs, treats, a quick breakfast, and more.
Delivery Areas
Winner – It’s a Tie
HelloFresh delivers to the contiguous united states but currently does not deliver to Alaska or Hawaii.
Martha & Marley Spoon delivers to most states throughout the US but does not specify which states on their site. If you want to see if they deliver to your area, you can either enter your zip code at the beginning of the registration process or connect with a customer service rep via live chat.
Customer Support
Winner – It’s a Tie
It is greatly appreciated when services give good support to existing and new customers, and this is the case with both these meal kit services. Aside from the detailed FAQs section on the website, it is very straightforward to reach HelloFresh and Marley Spoon through email, chat, or phone.
Our Final Verdict
Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon Is Our Winner!
Hello Fresh and Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon offer a wide selection of recipes with flavorful and high-quality ingredients to make every dinner an enjoyable experience.
HelloFresh is one of the largest meal kit services and has lots of experience creating recipes that people love to cook and eat at an affordable price.
Martha & Marley Spoon, our personal favorite, is best suited for people who want high-quality home-cooked classic meals that are fun and easy.
We choose Martha & Marley Spoon as our winner because of the most critical elements – the taste and ease of use. Not only did our tasting team give each meal a thumbs up for flavor – every meal we tried was a hit! We also like the convenience of use for anyone who desires a delicious and healthy dinner or lunch that is easy to cook.
Lastly, we were pleasantly surprised by the high-quality ingredients we got with each delivery (including three recipes per delivery).
