Freshly is a meal delivery company that sends prepared meals that are delivered fresh each week and require minimal prep work. This review discusses the types of meals available, the cost, a review of five meals and more.
This post contains affiliate links. See our Disclosure Statement for more information. The meals in this review were sent to me compliments of Freshly. All content and opinions are entirely my own.
As much as I love cooking, I also really enjoy trying different meal delivery subscriptions. For me, the aspect of trying new recipes and flavor combinations is the most fun, but they are also super convenient when short on time.
I’ve tried Freshly before, but it’s been years. They recently reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in giving them another try. I had a very positive experience before, so of course, I was happy to try them again.
Below you will find some basic information about Freshly, the types of meals they offer, the cost, and mine and my family members thoughts on the five meals that we recently tried.
Table of Contents
What Is Freshly?
Freshly is a weekly meal delivery service. Their meals are prepared and delivered fresh. There is minimal work for the customer to do once they receive their meals. Usually, it’s simply a matter of heating the meal for 2-3 minutes.
Most of Freshly’s meals are gluten free. They also note when a meal is soy free, dairy free, or plant-based.
How Much Does Freshly Cost?
Freshly offers 5 different meal plans:
- 4 Meals/Week for $11.49 per meal
- 6 Meals/Week for $9.49 per meal
- 8 Meals/Week for $9.29 per meal
- 10 Meals/Week for $8.99 per meal
- 12 Meals/Week for $8.49 per meal
You can skip weeks, change plans, or cancel your subscription anytime.
Shipping charges vary depending on the plan you choose and where you are located.
The most current promo code will save you a total of $60.00 ($15.00 off of each of your first 4 deliveries).
How Long Do Freshly Meals Last?
Freshly meals are typically good for 3-5 days but some can last up to 10 days if kept refrigerated below 41°F. Each meal has a use-by date stamped onto the back of the outer sleeve.
I received my order on the 10th of the month. The earliest use-by date was the 15th and the latest was the 20th.
Though it is recommended to keep these meals refrigerated, they can be frozen if you simply won’t be able to eat them by the use-by date. You will need to cook them a little bit longer when cooking from frozen.
How To Cancel Freshly
If you find that you need to cancel your subscription, Freshly has made the process simple. Click on the icon in the top right hand corner and choose “Settings.” Under “My Subscription” click on “Cancel Subscription.”
Freshly Meals Review
Packaging and Delivery
Because my meals were sent as a sample, I did not receive tracking. My box was shipped using 1-day, overnight delivery. I assume this is their standard shipping. Freshly uses a variety of carriers for their deliveries based on different locations and boxes can arrive any day of the week. You are able to choose from available delivery days for your location.
My meals arrived on time, which honestly is sometimes not the case with FedEx in my area. There were 3 ice packs layered under, between and over my meals, inside the box that were still mostly frozen even though temperatures were near 90°F on my delivery day and my box was outside for several hours. All of the meals were still very cold.
Each meal is packaged in a reusable plastic container with a cardboard sleeve. On the front of the sleeve you will find the name of the recipe and a brief description.
On the back is the heating instructions, the ingredient list and basic nutritional information. The use-by date is also stamped on the back.
All of the packaging is reusable or recyclable with the exception of the plastic film over each meal.
Down-Home Turkey Meatloaf
This is the first meal that I chose to eat. I am weird when it comes to meatloaf. I actually love it, but rarely make it even though I do have my own meatloaf recipe and my kids love it too.
Anytime I see meatloaf on a menu, I am inclined to get it, which is what happened here.
This meatloaf comes with a chive cauliflower and potato mash, as well as well a lima bean, corn and red pepper succotash. The meatloaf is topped with barbecue sauce.
I really enjoyed this meal. I did want a little more of the sauce for the meatloaf and added a tiny pinch of salt to the mash. Other than that, this meal was a definite win for me. The seasoning in the veggies was so good.
This is definitely a filling meal. I made it for lunch, but for me, it’s more suited for dinner.
The basic nutritional information for this meal is:
- Calories: 470
- Protein: 29 grams
- Carbohydrates: 41 grams
- Fiber: 8 grams
- Sugar: 11 grams (2 grams of added sugar)
- Fat: 24 grams
- Sodium: 590 milligrams
Sausage Baked Penne
Because I knew we would be leaving on vacation shortly after my Freshly meals were set to arrive, I had my husband and teenage son test a few out for me so that we would get through them all before we left. My husband picked this Sausage Baked Penne.
Most of Freshly’s meals are gluten free. My husband avoids gluten so he was happy to see pasta alternatives in Freshly’s meals. He also liked that vegetables like zucchini and spinach are added to this recipe.
The flavor was still very much like a traditional Italian pasta dish, even with all of the hidden vegetables. It’s a very tasty dish!
The basic nutritional information for this meal is:
- Calories: 510
- Protein: 19 grams
- Carbohydrates: 41 grams
- Fiber: 5 grams
- Sugar: 8 grams (0 grams added sugar)
- Fat: 30 grams
- Sodium: 790 milligrams
Steak Peppercorn
I received two of this meal because one of the other meals that I chose was no longer available. That meal was a seasonal special.
This is a grilled flat iron steak with a creamy peppercorn sauce on top. It’s served over mashed potatoes with a side of garlicky green beans and carrots.
I love everything about this steak dinner, especially the lower carb count. I’m not currently following any strict diet, but I do prefer to keep my carb intake on the lower side.
The steak was surprisingly very tender. These potatoes are not mixed with cauliflower, so it’s definitely a more classic meat and potatoes dish. The vegetables were also very tasty and had great texture!
The basic nutritional information for this meal is:
- Calories: 500
- Protein: 29 grams
- Carbohydrates: 37 grams
- Fiber: 6 grams
- Sugar: 7 grams (0 grams added sugar)
- Fat: 26 grams
- Sodium: 680 milligrams
Golden Oven-Fried Chicken & Mash
I chose this meal for my son who loves any kind of breaded chicken, mashed potatoes and corn. I have even made him eat so much cauliflower that he’s actually started to request it with dinner now!
This meals comes with chicken, a cauliflower-potato mash, sweet corn and sweet potatoes.
He really liked the chicken, corn and sweet potatoes. The seasonings were really good. While he didn’t love the cauliflower and potato mixed together, he still ate the entire meal.
He also ate the second steak and peppercorn meal and liked those potatoes more. Personally, I really like both, but I am huge fan of cauliflower.
The basic nutritional information for this meal is:
- Calories: 470
- Protein: 25 grams
- Carbohydrates: 39 grams
- Fiber: 5 grams
- Sugar: 8 grams (0 grams of added sugar)
- Fat: 23 grams
- Sodium: 600 milligrams
Bunless Bison Burger
This is another meal that my husband chose. I said above that anytime meatloaf is on a menu, I’m likely to order it. He is the same way with bison.
This meal comes with a premium bison burger made with 63% ground bison, 21% ground beef, and 16% mushrooms. It is glazed in a tomato sauce and served with loaded cauliflower and a spring succotash.
He said that the burger had a delicious, gamier flavor due to the bison and that it was really good.
He also enjoyed the loaded cauliflower and succotash. While he tends to eat much more than this for dinner (he’s a big guy!), this was the perfect size for lunch. For me, this would have been plenty for dinner.
The basic nutritional information for this meal is:
- Calories: 520
- Protein: 27 grams
- Carbohydrates: 36 grams
- Fiber: 8 grams
- Sugar: 16 grams (6 grams added sugar)
- Fat: 31 grams
- Sodium: 870 milligrams
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Plant based options
- Most meals are gluten free
- Low sugar content
- Less processed ingredients
- Healthy swaps, like adding cauliflower to mashed potatoes
- Delivered fresh
- No prep work
- Most meals stay fresh 3-5 days, some up to 10 days
- Less expensive than some similar services
- Single servings
Cons
- Some meals change weekly, but many remain the same each week
- Not organic
- No way to sort meals for certain dietary needs except for plant-based (though the information can be found by clicking on each individual meal)
How To Order
If you’d like to give this meal delivery service a try, head on over to the Freshly website (this link will automatically apply a discount code for $15.00 off of each of your first four orders). You can see the upcoming menus by selecting “Plans and Menu” from the top, center menu and scrolling down past the plans.
Enjoy this Freshly meals review? Be sure to check out my 2021 Meal Kit Subscription Guide and follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook for more!
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