HelloFresh is one of the easiest recipe boxes to start with, but it is not always the best fit for every household. Some people want more recipe choice, some want healthier meals, some want lower-carb options, and others simply want a break from cooking altogether.
In this guide, we compare the best HelloFresh alternatives in the UK. Some are very similar to HelloFresh, such as Gousto, Green Chef and Mindful Chef. Others solve a slightly different problem, such as organic produce boxes, recipe kits, one-off cooking boxes and ready meal delivery services.
Last updated: May 2026. Prices, menus and discounts can change quickly, so always check the latest offer before ordering.
Quick answer: the best HelloFresh alternatives
| Alternative | Best for | Why choose it instead of HelloFresh? |
|---|---|---|
| Gousto | Best overall alternative | More recipe choice and a flexible weeknight cooking feel. |
| Green Chef | Best for keto and low-carb | More structured around diets, lifestyle goals and nutritional preferences. |
| Mindful Chef | Best premium healthy box | A more health-led box with a premium feel. |
| Riverford | Best organic alternative | Better if you care most about organic ingredients and seasonal produce. |
| Vegan meal boxes | Best plant-based alternative | A better route if you want meat-free meals every week, not just occasional vegan recipes. |
| SimplyCook | Best cheaper shortcut | You get recipe inspiration and flavour kits, but buy the fresh ingredients yourself. |
| The Cookaway | Best one-off cooking experience | No subscription, more of a weekend or special-dinner box. |
| Ready meal services | Best if you do not want to cook | A better fit if your real problem is time, not recipe inspiration. |
Why look for a HelloFresh alternative?
HelloFresh is popular for a reason. It is familiar, easy to use and gives many people a simple way to cook at home without planning every dinner from scratch. For a lot of households, it is a good first recipe box.
But after a while, you may want something different. Perhaps you want more recipes to choose from, a stronger focus on health, better options for keto or low-carb meals, more plant-based dinners, organic ingredients, or simply a box that feels less like a standard midweek recipe kit.
The best alternative depends on why HelloFresh is not quite right for you. That is why we have split the options by use case, rather than just listing random meal boxes.
1. Gousto: the best overall HelloFresh alternative
If you like the idea of HelloFresh but want more variety, Gousto is probably the first alternative to try. It follows the same basic format: you choose recipes online, receive pre-portioned ingredients at home, and cook the meals yourself with recipe cards.
The main reason to choose Gousto over HelloFresh is recipe choice. Gousto has a strong reputation for variety, which makes it useful for families, couples and anyone who gets bored quickly with the same style of dinners.
It feels practical rather than premium. That is not a bad thing. For regular weeknight cooking, Gousto is one of the strongest all-round alternatives because it gives you flexibility without moving too far away from the familiar recipe box format.
- Choose Gousto if: you want the closest all-round HelloFresh alternative with plenty of recipe choice.
- Maybe skip it if: you want a much more premium, organic or diet-specific box.
2. Green Chef: best for keto, low-carb and lifestyle-focused meals
Green Chef is the most logical HelloFresh alternative if your main reason for switching is diet. It is still a recipe box, but the positioning is more focused on health, lifestyle and nutritional preferences.
This makes Green Chef especially interesting if you are looking for keto meal boxes, low-carb meal boxes, high-protein dinners, vegetarian meals, vegan options or pescatarian recipes.
It is usually not the cheapest route, but that is not really the point. Green Chef is better suited to people who want their weekly box to fit a clearer eating goal, instead of just making dinner planning easier.
- Choose Green Chef if: you want a recipe box that works harder around diet and lifestyle preferences.
- Maybe skip it if: your main priority is the lowest possible price per serving.
3. Mindful Chef: best premium healthy alternative
Mindful Chef is a better fit if HelloFresh feels a bit too mainstream and you want meals that lean more towards health, protein, balance and ingredient quality.
It is usually positioned as a more premium recipe box, so it may not be the first choice if your main goal is saving money. But if you want healthier dinners without planning everything from scratch, it is one of the strongest alternatives to compare.
Mindful Chef is also worth looking at if you care about options such as gluten-free meals, plant-based recipes or a cleaner, more health-focused weekly menu.
- Choose Mindful Chef if: you want a healthier and more premium recipe box.
- Maybe skip it if: you mostly want familiar family meals at the lowest price.
4. Riverford: best organic HelloFresh alternative
Riverford is not the most obvious HelloFresh alternative if you only want quick recipe cards and familiar weeknight dinners. But that is exactly why it deserves a place in this list.
Riverford is a stronger choice if you care most about organic ingredients, seasonal produce and a more farm-led way of cooking. It feels less like a mainstream meal kit and more like a food box for people who want better ingredients at the centre of the meal.
If you are bored of standard recipe boxes and want to cook around vegetables, produce and seasonality, Riverford is one of the more interesting alternatives.
- Choose Riverford if: organic ingredients and seasonal cooking matter more to you than the biggest weekly recipe menu.
- Maybe skip it if: you want the most HelloFresh-like experience possible.
5. Vegan and vegetarian meal boxes: best plant-based alternatives
HelloFresh usually has vegetarian and some plant-based options, but if you want meat-free meals every week, it can make more sense to start with a dedicated vegan meal box or vegetarian meal box category.
This is especially useful if you do not want to filter around meat-heavy menus every week. A more plant-led box can make the whole process feel easier, because the recipes, ingredients and meal ideas are built around that way of eating from the start.
For vegan cooking, brands such as Grubby are worth comparing. If you want plant-based meals without cooking, you may also want to look at the ready meals category.
- Choose a vegan or vegetarian meal box if: you want plant-based dinners to be the default, not just an occasional menu choice.
- Maybe skip it if: you want one box that works equally well for meat eaters and vegetarians in the same household.
6. SimplyCook: best if you want recipe inspiration but still shop yourself
SimplyCook is not a full recipe box like HelloFresh. Instead of receiving all the fresh ingredients, you receive recipe cards and flavour kits, such as spices, pastes, marinades and sauces. You then buy the fresh ingredients yourself.
That makes it a useful alternative if you like the recipe inspiration side of HelloFresh, but not the full weekly ingredient box. It can also suit people who prefer to shop at their usual supermarket, choose their own meat or vegetables, or keep more control over the final cost.
SimplyCook is best seen as a cooking shortcut, not a like-for-like HelloFresh replacement.
- Choose SimplyCook if: you want easy recipe ideas and flavour shortcuts, but still want to buy the fresh ingredients yourself.
- Maybe skip it if: you want a complete box with all ingredients included.
7. The Cookaway: best one-off alternative without a subscription
The Cookaway is quite different from HelloFresh. It is less about solving midweek dinner and more about creating a special meal at home.
The big advantage is that you can order when you want, without committing to a weekly subscription. The boxes are often based around world cuisines and more involved cooking, so this is a better fit for weekends, date nights, dinner with friends or anyone who enjoys spending more time in the kitchen.
It will not replace a simple weekly recipe box for most people, but it is a good alternative if you want something more memorable than another standard midweek meal.
- Choose The Cookaway if: you want a one-off recipe box for a more special cooking experience.
- Maybe skip it if: you need quick, low-effort dinners every week.
8. Ready meal services: best if you do not want to cook
Sometimes the best HelloFresh alternative is not another recipe box at all. If your real problem is time, cooking energy or washing up, a ready meal delivery service may be a better fit.
Prepared meal services send meals that are already cooked and only need reheating. You lose the cooking experience, but you gain speed and convenience. That can be more useful than another box of ingredients if you are busy, live alone, train a lot, or simply do not want to cook every evening.
Brands to compare include Frive, Tastily and other ready meal providers. They are not identical to HelloFresh, but they may solve the problem better if convenience is your main priority.
- Choose ready meals if: you want convenient dinners without chopping, cooking or much cleaning up.
- Maybe skip them if: you enjoy cooking and want to learn new recipes.
Which HelloFresh alternative should you choose?
The best choice depends on what you are missing from HelloFresh. A direct competitor is not always the right answer. Sometimes the better alternative is a healthier box, a plant-based box, a cheaper recipe kit or a ready meal service.
- Choose Gousto if you want the closest all-round alternative with lots of recipes.
- Choose Green Chef if you want keto, low-carb or more diet-led meals.
- Choose Mindful Chef if you want a healthier and more premium recipe box.
- Choose Riverford if organic ingredients and seasonal produce are most important.
- Choose a vegan or vegetarian box if you want plant-based meals to be the default.
- Choose SimplyCook if you want recipe inspiration without a full ingredient box.
- Choose The Cookaway if you want a one-off cooking experience rather than a subscription.
- Choose ready meals if you do not really want to cook at all.
Still unsure? Start with our meal box comparison and filter by diet, price, number of meals, household size and type of box.
Best HelloFresh alternatives by situation
| If you want… | Start with… |
|---|---|
| The closest HelloFresh alternative | Gousto |
| A healthier premium box | Mindful Chef |
| Keto or low-carb meals | Green Chef or our keto meal box comparison |
| Organic ingredients | Riverford |
| Vegan meals | Vegan meal boxes |
| Vegetarian meals | Vegetarian meal boxes |
| Recipe inspiration without a full box | SimplyCook |
| No cooking at all | Ready meal services |
FAQ: HelloFresh alternatives
What is the closest alternative to HelloFresh?
Gousto is probably the closest overall alternative because it offers a similar recipe box format, a large menu and a flexible weeknight cooking feel.
Is Gousto better than HelloFresh?
Gousto can be better if you want more recipe choice and flexibility. HelloFresh may still be the easier starting point if you want a familiar, straightforward recipe box. The best option depends on your household, budget and the type of meals you like to cook.
What is the healthiest HelloFresh alternative?
Mindful Chef and Green Chef are the strongest options to compare if health, protein, low-carb meals or structured dietary preferences are important to you.
Is there a cheaper alternative to HelloFresh?
SimplyCook can be cheaper because it sends recipe kits rather than all the fresh ingredients. For full meal boxes, prices and discounts change often, so it is worth checking the current cost per serving before deciding.
What is the best HelloFresh alternative for keto or low-carb meals?
Green Chef is one of the strongest options to compare because it is more structured around lifestyle and diet preferences. You can also compare more options in our keto meal box and low-carb meal box categories.
What is the best HelloFresh alternative if I do not want to cook?
A ready meal delivery service is probably a better fit. These meals are already prepared and only need reheating, so they are more convenient than a recipe box.
Are HelloFresh alternatives good for allergies?
Some boxes offer filters or menu information for allergens and dietary restrictions, including gluten-free meal boxes. If you have a serious allergy, always check the provider's latest allergen information before ordering, as menus and preparation environments can change.
Final verdict: the best HelloFresh alternative for most people
For most people, Gousto is the best place to start if you want a direct HelloFresh alternative. It keeps the familiar recipe box format, but gives you a different menu style and plenty of choice.
If you are switching for a specific reason, the answer changes. Choose Green Chef for keto or lower-carb meals, Mindful Chef for a more premium healthy box, Riverford for organic produce, SimplyCook for recipe inspiration without the full ingredient box, and ready meals if you do not want to cook at all.
The easiest next step is to compare the main options side by side in our meal box overview, where you can filter by diet, price, household size and type of box.
