Freshly Subscription Box Review + 30% Off Coupon
Freshly is dedicated to providing convenient, healthy meals, perfect for people with limited time – and limited willpower! Their meals come individually wrapped and precisely portioned to complement an active, weight-conscious lifestyle. Freshly’s recipes are rich in protein and low in carbohydrates, and their ingredients are all-natural and gluten-free. Designed by chefs and doctors, Freshly meal programs make it easy to stay fit and burn fat!
Note from Liz – Check out our latest Freshly review to see how the program has improved since we first reviewed it!
This box was sent to us for review purposes. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
Check out all of our reviews of Meal Delivery Services to see every meal kit subscription box option!
The Plans
You can choose from either the Freshly Fit or Freshly Flex Plans. Freshly Fit is an all-inclusive weekly plan offering 21 meals – 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches, and 7 dinners. (Cost: $229/week)
Freshly Flex is the more, well, flexible option! Choose from 12, 9, or 6 meals per week created to encourage healthy eating habits. The flex plan allows you to supplement your own cooking with ultra-convenient, no-fuss meals. (Cost: $129, $99, or $69/week)
The Menu
Freshly offers a variety of intriguing options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and the menu changes monthly. The only issue I had was that it’s hard to find meatless options, particularly for dinner. I’m a pescatairan (I eat fish, eggs, and dairy), and was surprised that there weren’t more fish or all-veggie choices.
The Experience
To start, Freshly’s on-site experience is elegant and user-friendly. Selecting meals and ordering are simple, and the pricing structure is straightforward. Bonus – they currently offer free shipping to the West Coast.
When the box arrived, I was impressed by the refrigeration technology (it was actually chilly inside when I opened the lid!). The box also comes with some lovely promotional cards that orient you to Freshly’s mission. I could tell that a lot of care went into packing the meals and keeping them as cool, fresh, and protected as possible. I was worried about there being too much packaging, but everything from the gel packs to the air pillows is recyclable or biodegradable. Phew!
The Meals
I got the Freshly Flex 6 plan. The meals come in vacuum sealed, microwavable trays made out of a super-safe, high-quality plastic. The seal is really tight, though – it was challenging to get the plastic film off of the trays. There was a note in the box addressing this issue – apparently, a more peelable film is in the works! Once I got them opened, here are the meals I sampled:
Breakfast
- Veggie Supreme Scramble
- Broccoli and Asparagus Omelette
The portion size was perfect for breakfast, but I would have liked a wider variety of veggies and less salty parmesan in the Veggie Supreme Scramble. The Broccoli and Asparagus Omelette was thick and full of veggies, though! The egg in both meals was a tad watery and rubbery, but it was as you would expect from a microwave breakfast. Verdict: An okay way to start the day.
Lunch
- Chicken and Green Chili Mac & Cheese
- Tuna Salad
The Mac and Cheese had a subtle heat, and the portion size was ample. It was made with a quinoa pasta that had a nice texture and a pleasant, nutty flavor. My sister tasted the chicken (I don’t eat meat), and informed me it was great quality, but a tad dry. There were loads of big pieces of white meat throughout the dish. Verdict: Almost awesome.
I was beyond pleased with the Tuna Salad. It was seasoned boldly, and the tuna mixture had a great ratio of diced veggies and vegan mayo. Some of accompanying carrots were floppy, but overall, this lunch was an unexpected star. Verdict: Totally yummy!
Dinner
- Roasted Apple & Fennel Pork Chop with Sweet Potato Hash
- Chicken Rustica with Au Gratin Cauliflower
It’s obvious that all of the ingredients that Freshly uses are high in quality, and that’s true of the Roasted Apple & Fennel Pork Chop. The meat was cut thickly and well presented, and the color and flavor of the sweet potatoes were bold and vibrant. The apple and fennel mixture was sweet and lingering. The primary issue my meat-eating sis and I had with this meal was the heavy-handed approach to seasoning. There was an unnecessary amount of black pepper, and it overpowered the top-notch pork and veggies. Verdict: Too hot to handle!
In stark contrast to the pepper-tastic pork, the Chicken Rustica was a delectable winner. Moist, tender chicken medallions seasoned with fresh basil and a creamy, hearty sauce made this meal the shining star of the 6-pack! Oh, and the cauliflower was crisp and filling, making it the perfect counterpoint to the juicy chicken. Verdict: Wowza.
Overall, the meals were full of good quality food. Some of the seasonings were a bit off, but you can always get a replacement for what you didn’t enjoy. And, you can’t beat the convenience! I can completely see the appeal of having Freshly for every meal.
Have you tried Freshly? What are your thoughts?
I am about as west coast as one can get; if I walk out my door in 5 minutes I am on the sand at the ocean. However, I tried to enroll in Freshly and they said they do not deliver to my area. I am guessing they only go to the major urban areas?
I hope they expand their shipping so I can get this in
N.Y.
I’m in Illinois. No shipping for me. I emailed them and they said the east coast was getting some new shipping areas which she thought might include northern Illinois “assume she meant Chicago” so I’m sure that still won’t include little ol southern Illinois.
i would be very interested in trying this as its gluten free but im in Ohio. i hope they expand soon.
My 3rd week of meals from freshly is due to arrive tomorrow. I’ve enjoyed everything I have received & the quality is excellent. I’m a pretty picky eater so I’ve been pleasantly surprised. I don’t eat fish, so I haven’t tried any of their seafood. My biggest complaint is the amount of onions in some of their dishes. Onions & I are not friends, so I’m used to picking them out if possible, but with a few meals it hasn’t been possible & my tummy hasn’t been happy. The non onion choices are pretty limited, but I’m learning which meals with onion I can & can’t order. Overall I highly recommend freshly. I got an email coupon for 50% off my 1st week & 25% off forever (it’s expired now) so including my discount and as long as I don’t order breakfasts (I can buy & make my own for much cheaper), I think it’s priced well for the quality.
We’ve tried freshly for two weeks (both students, so it is nice to not have to cook every day).
As mentioned in the review, some meals are better than others, but once you find out what you like it’s a pretty good service.
I’ve found the customer service to be a bit lacking (still waiting for a reply to my email about one of the meals arriving unsealed), and wish there were more fish//non-meat items. However, no other meal subscription can beat it in convenience, so we’ll probably continue to pick up freshly every few weeks when we have an especially hectic schedule.
you don’t eat meat but you ate the tuna salad ?
Towards the top of the post the reviewer mentions she is a pescatarian – “I eat fish, eggs, and dairy”.
🙂
I’ve tried a few Freshly meals myself and think that if this concept is something you are willing to pay for, Freshly does a good job.
Yes stephanie., some people don’t eat meat but do eat seafood. Pescatarian’s eat seafood but not meat.
The Freshly Fit plan is noted as $229 on their website, but this article lists it as $299. Is there an additional shipping charge?
My mistake! I updated the post – thanks!
I think this is perfect for us. I’ve always wished there was a premade alternative to Hello Fresh/Played/Blue Apron, for the (many) weekdays we don’t feel like prepping and assembling dinner. And frankly this is an even better value. With HF you get 3 dinner recipes/week. Here you get 2 dinner, 2 lunch and 2 breakfast meals, all for the same price as 3 dinners from HF. While we’ve enjoyed the quality and recipes overall with HF, the billing and shipping issues mean it’s time for a change. And this is just what we need. Thankfully we’re on the west coast!