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What is Hungryroot?
Hungryroot is a meal planning service whose mission is to deliver healthy, delicious, and easy-to-assemble meals to your door each week. You can also use Hungryroot as a grocery delivery service by adding extra snacks, desserts, produce or proteins to your order each week. All of Hungryroot’s recipes and goods arrive fresh and are made with whole ingredients.
The service also offers hundreds of options to suit a wide variety of dietary needs and preferences. As an on-the-go athlete, I tried Hungryroot for a week to see if it would help me keep my nutrition on track when short on time. Read on for my full Hungryroot review.
Our Ratings
- Overall: 4.5/5
- Value/price point: 4/5
- App: 4/5
- Personalization: 5/5
- Convenience: 5/5
How Does Hungryroot Work?
SPECS
- Starting Price: $65
- Shipping: Free with orders over $70
- Delivery Area: All 48 contiguous states and Washington D.C.
- Food Delivered: Fresh
- Diet Types: Dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, omnivore, peanut-free, shellfish-free, soy-free, tree nut-free, pescatarian, vegetarian, vegan
When you first sign up for Hungryroot, you’ll have to take a quiz to help determine which plan and recipes are best for you. Although this quiz is very comprehensive, it takes less than 10 minutes to complete. You’ll be asked about your dietary needs, allergies, and flavor preferences. You’ll also provide a little information about which kitchen appliances you have on hand to make sure you can cook your meals properly. Don’t stress too much about your answers; you can go back and edit your food preferences at any time.
After finishing the quiz, you’ll be able to pick your plan and recipes. First, you’ll customize how many lunch and dinner servings you want to purchase. Then you can add snacks, sweets, fruits, breakfast items, and other groceries to your order. Hungryroot will pre-select a few recipes for you based on your quiz answers, but you can swap these out and choose from hundreds of different options.
Once you’ve finalized your plan and picked the recipes and groceries you want to order, you’ll choose a delivery date. Delivery date options vary based on your ZIP Code and availability. You typically can set your delivery date to be within a week. If you finalize your order by 7 p.m. on Monday, the delivery date could be as early as Thursday. If you sign up by 7 p.m. on Thursday, your delivery date could be as soon as the following Monday.
Hungryroot doesn’t currently have a bi-weekly or monthly delivery option, but you can skip delivery weeks or pause your subscription as needed.
How Much Does Hungryroot Cost?
Each serving costs between $9.69-$11.39 per serving, depending on how many servings you buy. The price per serving decreases if you buy more meals. The least expensive plan is about $65 for three meals that feed two people. There is a shipping fee of $6.99 for orders less than $70, but it is easy to avoid this cost if you tack on an extra snack if you have a lower-priced meal plan. Additionally, you can add breakfast times, snacks, sweets, and fresh produce to your order. These grocery items are priced similarly to other grocery delivery service items.
What Hungryroot Recipes I Tested
Here's a small taste of the Hungryroot menu:
Lunch + Dinner Hungryroot Recipes
- Paneer Tikka Masala With Jasmine Rice + Rainbow Veggies: Hungryroot rainbow veggie mix, Hungryroot organic seasoned jasmine rice, Sach Foods original organic paneer, Maya Kaimal tikka masala simmer sauce
- Curry Lemongrass Tofu Bowl with Pea Snaps: Hungryroot pea snaps, Hungryroot coconut curry,
- Hungryroot braised lemongrass tofu nuggets, Hungryroot organic seasoned jasmine rice
- Cheesy bean fajita plate: Hungryroot brown rice quinoa blend, Hungryroot bell pepper onion saute, Andrew + Everett shredded sharp cheddar cheese, A Dozen Cousins simmered cuban black beans
Additional Groceries
- Base Culture mini nutty pumpkin bread
- Tuscan Tamale Company green chile + cheese tamale
- Unreal single dark chocolate almond butter cup
- Partake foods mini crunchy chocolate chip cookies
- Hungryroot cucumber corn black bean salad
GET STARTED: Take The Hungryroot Quiz
The Pros and Cons of Hungryroot
Pros
- Minimal prep time: Hungryroot meals are quick and easy to put together. You may have to chop a vegetable or two, you can assemble, heat and eat most of Hungryroot’s recipes without much prep work or cooking time.
- Customization options: There are recipes available for a wide range of allergies, diets, and flavor preferences to make meal planning easy—even for those with diverse dietary needs.
- Certified healthy options: Many of the groceries and ingredients available from Hungryroot are certified organic and non-GMO. The animal products also are often pasture-raised or antibiotic-free. While not every ingredient has these certifications, Hungryroot has made an effort to offer high-quality healthy foods in its recipes and grocery offerings.
- Customer service: I got a reply within hours when I emailed Hungryroot customer service and the customer service rep was knowledgeable and gave me all the info I needed.
- App and website usability: It could be easy to get bogged down when you have to choose from Hungryroot’s seemingly endless recipe options. The food preference quiz and filtering options make it easy to narrow down meals and groceries to suit your tastes.
- Groceries: Hungryroot has groceries options alongside their traditional meal service offerings, making it easy to do all your food prep for each week with a single order. You can also order Hungryroot’s signature sauces and seasonings used in the meal recipes, so you can stock up if you find a flavor you like.
- Healthy snack and dessert options: Hungryroot has unique healthy snack options that you may not have in your local grocery stores. Even the desserts are fairly nutritious—they sneak chickpeas into the cookie dough—so these add-ons can help you stick to a healthy diet even when you’re craving something sweet or salty.
Cons
- Packaging: Every item I purchased came in its own little box, wrapped in plastic, or both. The ice packs were filled with a biodegradable gel, but still came in plastic bags that needed to be cleaned and recycled. My Hungryroot delivery took up a bit of space in both recycling and trash cans.
- Price: If you went to the grocery store and picked out similar items, you could find cheaper substitutes for Hungryroot’s ingredients. You are essentially paying extra for convenience and quality, which may not fit every budget.
- Simple flavors: Some Hungryroot recipes may fall flat for those who like more complicated flavor profiles. Most Hungryroot meals are made with simple ingredients and come with a single sauce or spice packet without options to kick up the heat. Experienced home chefs and those who like more sophisticated meals will likely want to supplement Hungryroot recipes with extra spices and ingredients from home.
Who Should Try Hungryroot?
As an active person with a busy schedule, it can be very challenging to get all the nutrients I need without extra time to spend hunting down and preparing healthy recipes. I ordered a plan with two servings of three recipes—six servings total—and a bunch of extra snacks and groceries for my fiancé and me to try. This cost us about $100. I typically order groceries through a delivery service, so the price was comparable to what I usually spend each week.
I’ve tried food services before, but often end up disappointed with the lack of options for my gluten-free diet. This was not an issue with Hungryroot as I could choose from dozens of recipes—including stir-frys, curries, pastas, protein bowls, tacos, burgers, and more. They even offer allergen-friendly versions of traditional foods, such as non-dairy cheese and sour cream and gluten-free baked goods. There was also a wide range of options for fans of meat and gluten, making this a truly inclusive meal service.
My Hungryroot food arrived in an insulated box packed with ice packs that kept the food cold and fresh. Every recipe included a hard copy of easy-to-follow instructions, and the meals took less than 20 minutes to assemble and cook. All the recipes incorporated a protein, fresh veggie, and whole grain, and we felt full and nourished after each meal.
Another perk of the Hungryroot subscription was that we always had a healthy snack for the gym commute or after a long day at work. The meals were so easy to prepare that we had no excuse to give in to temptation and order takeout—even on the days when we were wiped out and didn’t feel like cooking. I’d definitely order Hungryroot again for weeks when I know I’ll be busy and need extra help with healthy meal planning.
Our Final Takeaway
If you’re looking to save time planning, shopping, or in the kitchen, Hungryroot is a convenient and healthy option to bring meals and snacks made with whole ingredients directly to your door. The recipes are made with fresh and balanced ingredients and can be ready in less than 20 minutes. Hungryroot’s grocery delivery option also can help you skip a trip to the grocery store. While some meals are simplistic and plans can be pricey, Hungryroot is an excellent and convenient choice if you’re willing to pay a little extra for convenience and quality.
Why Trust Us?
ACTIVE.com’s editorial team relies on the knowledge and experience of fitness and wellness experts including competitive athletes, coaches, physical therapists, nutritionists, and certified trainers. This helps us ensure the products we feature are of the highest standard. Collectively, the team has spent countless hours researching equipment, gear, and recovery tools in order to create the most accurate, authentic content for our readers. Customer satisfaction is also a key part of our review process, which is why we only feature products that are highly rated.
Disclaimer: Always make sure to consult with your doctor before starting a new diet. Any weight loss that totals more than one pound per week over a long period of time is unusual and should be monitored by a doctor.
FAQs About Hungryroot
How many meals do you get with Hungryoot?
You can get as few as three meals with a total of six servings or as many as eight recipes with 16 servings depending on which Hungryroot plan you choose. You can also choose to add on extra snacks and groceries with your order.
How long does it take for Hungryroot to deliver?
How long it takes Hungryroot to deliver your food depends on your ZIP Code and availability in your area. Hungryroot will deliver food on your selected delivery day after you order your food.
Can I skip a week with Hungryroot?
Your Hungryroot subscription defaults to a weekly delivery, but Hungryroot allows you to skip a week or pause your subscription.
Where does Hungryroot deliver?
You can get Hungryroot delivered to all 48 states in the contiguous United States and Washington D.C.
Is Hungryroot vegetarian-only?
Hungryroot offers a variety of vegetarian meal options, but you can also choose meat, fish, and vegan options.
Is Hungryroot a weight loss program?
Although it is not a weight loss program, Hungryroot’s fresh recipes and nutritious options could help you stick to a healthier diet.
About the Author
Jillian is a freelance writer based in North Carolina who covers all things related to health, wellness, and lifestyle. Her work can be found on ThisOldHouse.com, Health.com, BHG.com, Women.com, and more.
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