Is Gousto or Hello Fresh better for vegetarians?

If you’re a regular to my blog, you may have already seen my Gousto for vegetarians review. After recently trying out Hello Fresh, I thought it would be helpful to put together this guide comparing the two popular food subscription box services. Specifically I’ll be answering the questions is Gousto or Hello Fresh better for vegetarians?

I’ve broken my answer down into 5 factors which I think are important;

• Choice of recipes
• Cost
• Packaging and delivery
• Ease of cooking
• Taste and portion sizes

If you're curious about trying out Gousto or Hello Fresh as a vegetarian then keep reading.

Choice of recipes

Winner: Gousto

Gousto wins this round hands down. Every week there are at least nine vegetarian options on the menu, with four of those being plant-based. Recipes I’ve tried in the past include Truffle Mac ‘n’ Cheese, Crispy Tofu with Satay Sauce, Chilli Paneer Masala and Squash and Sage Lasagne. 

Hello Fresh only seems to have four veggie options on the menu each week. There's also no differentiation on the menu which recipes contain egg/dairy and which are plant-based.

Recipes I’ve tried in the past include Halloumi & Mango Chutney Curry, Veggie Coconut Carribean Soup, Butternut and Chickpea Curry, Pesto & Sun-Dried Tomato Gnocchi and Spicy BBQ Tofu.

Cost

Winner: Gousto

It’s difficult to compare cost because it depends on how many meals you want per week. I’ve put together the below table which I think explains it best. I’ve shown the prices for ordering a box of 3 or 4 recipes to feed 2 people, as this is what I usually order. Please note the below prices exclude any special offers you receive when you first sign up. 

One of the major downsides to Hello Fresh is that if you want vegetarian-friendly recipes you can only order the ‘classic’ box with 3 recipes per week. 

If you were to order 3 recipes for 2 people from Gousto it’s the same price. However, if you were to order 4 recipes from Gousto (something Hello Fresh doesn’t allow for veggies) it works out better value per meal. 

Packaging and delivery

Winner: Draw

I’ve been really impressed with the packaging from both Gousto and Hello Fresh. You can see they’ve made a conscious effort to reduce the amount of plastic used. The boxes are well-insulated and include ice packs, so if you’re not at home when it’s delivered the courier can leave it in a safe place. 

The only issue I had was with one of my Gousto boxes. Unfortunately a pot of coconut yogurt popped in the bag. They credited my account straight away, but it was a bit annoying having to run out to the supermarket to buy a replacement. 

Both companies offer free daytime delivery, or you can pay extra to have your box delivered during a specific time slot (i.e. morning or evening).

Ease of cooking

Winner: Hello Fresh

Both companies provide recipe cards with simple and easy-to-follow instructions. All the recipes I've tried have turned out how the photos look, which is always a good sign! 

One of the benefits I’ve noticed with Hello Fresh is they send you butternut squash which has already been chopped. I hate cutting butternut squash (with a passion) so this gets a big thumbs up from me. 

Taste and portion sizes

Winner: Gousto

While I’ve enjoyed the majority of the Hello Fresh recipes I’ve received, generally I haven’t felt like they're very adventurous. A lot of them have felt too simple.

In contrast, the majority of the Gousto recipes I’ve tried have tasted incredible. Even those I wasn’t expecting much from. I’ve even recreated a few of them, which I haven’t done with any of the Hello Fresh recipes.

One thing I have found is the portion sizes are generally bigger with Hello Fresh. When they say it feeds two people, you can actually get three medium-sized meals from it (or 2 large and a small meal). With Gousto, when they say a recipe feeds two people I’d say that’s pretty accurate. 

Final thoughts

I personally think that Gousto is the better option for vegetarians. They offer a greater choice of recipes which (most importantly) taste delicious. 

I've also found with Hello Fresh there’s more pressure to use the subscription service. Some weeks I like to do my own shopping, or I know I’ll be eating meals out a lot. Therefore having a box delivered at the same time every week just isn’t convenient for me. 

Although Gousto also offers a subscription service, I found it was much easier to cancel it so I can just order boxes whenever I fancy it.

Have you ever used Gousto or Hello Fresh? What do you think of food subscription box services?