When you first start looking at all the options available in the meal kit delivery industry, it can be a little overwhelming, especially if you’re on a specific diet like gluten-free.
Many choices are available within this industry, and multiple companies focus on different dietary requirements and lifestyles. So we can make your decision easier with our honest review of the Hello Fresh gluten-free option!
Is There A Hello Fresh Gluten-Free Menu?
Hello Fresh was one of the original companies in the States to provide a meal kit delivery service – a weekly subscription service providing pre-portioned fresh ingredients for cooking delicious meals at home.
While Hello Fresh offers meals that cater to different dietary requirements, such as vegetarian, pescatarians, and low-calorie, the company does not explicitly focus on creating gluten-free meals.
But, since the Hello Fresh menu contains so many meal options every week, you can find a few recipes that fit a gluten-free lifestyle.
After selecting the Hello Fresh meal plan and the number of meals you would like (for a couple or family), you can choose from over 20 dinner options.
On the menu, you can see the ingredients per recipe, so you can choose recipes with no gluten, or make sure you have proper replacement ingredients at home – like coconut amino sauce to substitute soy sauce or rice instead of pasta, etc.
The game-changer for us was the option to select your own meals for every week of delivery easily! You can trade a pasta dish for a mashed potato or rice one, so there’s no added or natural gluten.
On each recipe, you can see the ingredient list, plus if there are any of the top 8 allergens in a dish. Based on that information, you can change your menu according to your dietary restrictions (whether it’s gluten-free, peanut-free, or dairy-free).
It is important to note that since the meal kits are produced in a facility that processes wheat, it’s not recommended for customers who suffer from severe gluten sensitivity.
Some Hello Fresh Naturally Gluten-Free Options To Try
- One-pot chicken sausage & chickpea soup with spinach & Italian seasoning
- Brown sugar bourbon chicken with apple pan sauce, garlic mashed potatoes & zesty green beans
- Walnut coated chicken with salad, creamy greek dressing & feta (cook at home with gluten-free breadcrumbs instead)
- Miso maple-glazed salmon with toasted sesame & sweet potato jumble
- Bavette steak & sherry shallot sauce with garlic parmesan potato & roasted green beans
- Honey miso broccoli donburi with sweet potato, scallion rice & a protein fried egg
- Rosemary demi-glace pork chops with roasted carrots & parsnips
- Sweet ginger pork chops with buttery cauliflower rice & roasted broccoli
- Steelhead trout & sweet potato risotto with creamy grape sauce
- One-pan pork fajita lettuce wraps with blue corn tortilla chips & lime crema
The Hello Fresh Gluten-Free Experience – What To Expect?
The Recipes
With each meal kit, you get a clear and easy-to-follow recipe card. The card includes a nice picture of the dish on the front and simple step-by-step cooking instructions on the back. It really couldn’t get any easier.
The menu also features dishes defined as ‘one pot’ or ‘Easy Prep’ – for those who want extra simplicity.
Ease Of Use At Home
This was maybe our favorite part of using the Hello Fresh service – most recipes are designed to use a minimal amount of dishes. With most meals, we only needed one cutting board and knife, and a pan or sheet pan for oven cooking.
Also, The recipes are designed to be ready in 20-40 minutes.
The Packaging – Is It Eco Friendly?
We are concerned about waste, and sure you are too. With the Hello Fresh delivery box, it really didn’t feel like any more packaging than when we go to buy groceries at the store.
Obviously, there was a box and two large gel ice packs. But, the box and the paper bags inside the box are all recyclable and compostable, and the ice packs are reusable – just throw them in the freezer and use them the next time you travel to do a picnic at the beach.
The Cost
The HelloFresh subscription costs about $20 for a two-adult full dinner meal. When you compare this cost to buying gluten-free ingredients yourself, and even more to takeouts from a local restaurant – it is with no doubt a cheaper eating option!
Other Gluten-Free Meal Delivery Services
If you are after a meal delivery service that provides a dedicated gluten-free approved menu, you don’t need to get discouraged because we’ve got you covered!
Green Chef – A HelloFresh Daughter Company, With Gluten-Free Meal Kits
Hello Fresh acquired Green Chef a few years back. The company does offer certified gluten-free meal options as part of its paleo and keto meal plan, as `well as several gluten-free meals each week in the balanced living meal plan and the plant-power plan (that also offer some dairy-free options).
Some other meal delivery companies have even been certified gluten-free and provide an array of menu choices that are delicious, tempting, well-balanced, and filled with tasty gluten-free-friendly ingredients.
Companies like Freshly or Sun Basket are good options to explore!
To see our detailed review on the best meal kit services that cater to a gluten-free diet, please click here.
Why Use Gluten-Free Meal Plan Service?
If you follow a specific diet, such as a gluten-free diet, organizing a healthy and flavorful weekly menu can be an ongoing challenge. This is why meal kit services are appealing, especially if you have strict dietary requirements. A gluten-free meal plan can just take the headache out of your weekly recipe planning and do all the hard work for you.
When you use a meal kit service, it also means that someone else is doing your menu planning, grocery shopping, and in many instances, meal preparation for you.
In the case of gluten-free meal kits, you also know that someone else has ensured that all ingredients are suitable for the strict requirements of your diet. A meal kit company makes sure that your meals are delicious, nutritious, well-balanced, and relatively easy to cook with friendly recipe cards.
Meal delivery services are super-convenient and very attractive to use and ultimately will result in you eating better and having more valuable time on your hands.
Part of our reviewing process at the Meal Kit Comparison involves extensively testing every company that we include on our website. This involves creating an account, ordering a selection of meals on an ongoing basis, and reviewing each meal we try.
This process ensures that our team can give you first-hand feedback on all meal kit companies.
We looked at many different elements when looking at each company. For example, we looked at each company for their menu options, style of meals, quality of ingredients, and finally – the taste!
Bottom Line
We would defiantly say that if you are on a gluten-free lifestyle, HelloFresh would be an excellent option for a stay at home dinners!
The company provides a good selection of meals that support the diet. It can help you diversify your dinner time without heavy meal planning, grocery shopping, or spending lots of money on expensive takeouts.
Want to try the HelloFresh Gluten Free experience yourself?
FAQs
Several meal delivery services provide gluten-free meals. It is important to remember that some described meal deliveries are better suited for those following a gluten-free diet while others are better for those who have gluten-sensitivities.
SunBasket is an inclusive meal kit with options for vegetarian, paleo, gluten-free-friendly, vegan, calorie-conscious, following low carb diets, and many other dietary focuses. This delivery kit provides premade meals and meal kits with organic fruits, vegetables, and proteins. While Sun Basket is inclusive, it’s necessary to note that wheat is utilized in their kitchen, making this option ideal for those who opt to be gluten-free as a personal lifestyle choice.
Green Chef also offers many options to accommodate dietary needs, including vegetarian, vegan, keto, paleo, and gluten-free options that are available as part of the keto & paleo meal plan. This meal-delivery service is ideal for celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity – Green Chef received its gluten-free certification from the Gluten Intolerance Group. And to top that, it uses organic, non-GMO pre-measured ingredients for optimal gluten-free meals.
Another option to consider is BistroMD which provides prepared meals to help people lose weight. Each meal is carefully curated by M.D. Caroline Cederquist, a physician with experience in a weight loss clinic, and her husband. There are more than several gluten-free options weekly, allowing for plenty of options. However, all meals are prepared in the same kitchen, so there is a slight possibility of cross-contamination occurring. Overall, BistroMD works well for those who are gluten-intolerant or choose to be gluten-free.
The last option to consider is Freshly. Freshly features 100% gluten-free options as part of their meal service, which provides fresh prepared meals to maintain a healthy lifestyle through nourishing food.
With Freshly, ingredients are fresh, non-GMO, and created in a gluten-free facility, so you can be sure there are no gluten-containing ingredients. Other dietary accommodations included in the Freshly meals are vegan, vegetarian, keto-friendly, and high-protein meals. You can check the ingredients of the delicious meals before your weekly shipments to ensure it meets your nutritional needs.
HelloFresh options include pescatarian, calorie-smart choices, and vegetarian meals. While you will receive tasty meals from HelloFresh and many meal choices, gluten-free options are not currently available as part of the menu.
While HelloFresh is not ideal for those with coeliacs, Green Chef, which is owned by Hello Fresh, provides certified gluten-free meals as part of their keto&paleo meal plan, allowing those with gluten intolerances to order without worry.
Green Chef also offers many meal plans that work well for those with dietary restrictions, and it’s a USDA-certified company, meaning the service use organic ingredients in all the provided meals.
Surprisingly, many foods and sauces contain gluten in this day and age. For example, gluten is found as protein in wheat, barley, rye, triticale, and seitan (a vegan meat substitute).
Beyond use in food items like bread, other common foods high in gluten include bakery items like muffins and donuts, pasta, cereal, crackers, and alcoholic beverages. The exception to this, of course, is if the listed items are produced as gluten-free (and marked as such).
Something else to consider is the use of gluten to thicken sauces like soy sauce, soups, and other liquid-based food items. It’s best always to check the label to ensure gluten-containing products are not in use.
Some foods are naturally gluten-free to keep on hand, including vegetable noodles, brown rice, corn tortillas, and rice-based cereals.
Gluten is bad for those with gluten intolerances, wheat allergies, or celiac disease. Those who fall into this category and consume gluten can suffer from allergic reactions such as itchy skin, hives, and more.
In some cases, gluten can cause other issues like seizures or osteoporosis due to a damaged small intestine lining and mal-absorbed foods.
Gluten is not considered harmful for those who do not suffer from celiac disease or other gluten intolerance.
It’s always best to look for a medical professional to provide medical advice before adhering to a specific diet.
Generally speaking – Yes, HelloFresh is worth the money!
While there are not currently gluten-free products or gluten-free recipes, there are quite a few meal options, even for those who are low on time during the week, including low-calorie and low-carb options, kid-friendly meals, and more.
The Hello Fresh meal kit is one of the more convenient meal services, as you can choose all of your meals, out of a vast range of tempting meals, before the box ships. Each meal kit will arrive with step-by-step instructions for super-easy cooking.
Select between options for two people or four people along with how many meals per week you’re interested in, and the final total along with shipping costs are shown on the check-out screen.
Additionally, if your dietary preferences change, you can switch your requirements easily. It’s an excellent choice if you don’t have gluten diet restrictions or allergies.
Suppose you need a gluten-free certified meal delivery due to celiac disease or other gluten intolerance issues. In that case, we recommend spending your money on Green Chef meal kits (which is owned by Hello Fresh) or Freshly premade meals. Both services offer a variety of gluten-free meals, certified by the Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG). That means you can keep away the gluten without skimping on interesting tastes and variety.
