Hungryroot's Delivery Service Is a Game Changer for Creating Healthy Meals Without Going to the Grocery Store

As someone who loves to cook and rarely looks at a recipe, I'm not your typical meal delivery service clientele—or at least I wasn't until I got bored of all my go-to recipes. My typical solution for this is a trip to the grocery store for a new product to spice things up, but recommendations to social distance and limit time in public spaces put a wrench in my plan.

Eager to give my tastebuds a reprieve that wasn't takeout, I decided to try out Hungryroot. The personalized grocery service is built around the philosophy of making healthy eating easier with recipes and products that emphasize nutritious whole foods. Bonus: Everything is super easy to prepare, with most recipes taking less than 10 minutes to make.

While the service is plant-forward, every delivery can be customized to a wide range of dietary needs beyond vegan or vegetarian preferences with options for nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, or gluten-free food. You can also pick from your favorite types of recipes—like grain bowls, stir-frys, and oven bakes—to truly personalize each shipment to your palate.

How Does Hungryroot Work?

When you sign up for Hungryroot, you input your preferences on how many breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks you want your box to cover. Hungryroot then provides a plan and pricing estimate based on the amount of food desired; the cheapest option starts at $59. If you're on a budget, you can adjust the meal count to match your price point.

Each plan equates to a different number of credits. Unlike other meal delivery services, which only give recipe options, Hungryroot lets you redeem your credits for either recipes or that week's grocery selection, which includes grains, proteins, veggies, sauces, and snacks. The pricing is the same for bundles or à la carte picks, so both kitchen creatives and less-experienced cooks will be satisfied by their options without feeling like they got a bad deal.

I preferred shopping through the products like the site was my own tiny grocery store. My kitchen was already stocked with grains and homemade breads, so I focused on fresh produce, flavorful proteins I couldn't recreate at home, a spread of delicious sauces, and ready-to-eat snacks.

What I Thought of the Food

There's a delicacy to creating plant-based food that also tastes amazing. As a vegetarian that's experimented with an all-plant diet, I know it's just as easy to create a meal that tastes terrible as one that's satiating and delicious—but that wasn't an issue with Hungryroot.

Its flavorful proteins, like the braised lemongrass tofu nuggets and savory spiced tofu bites, surpassed any similar recipes I've previously attempted at home. My roommate and I devoured two containers of the garlicky herb chickpea duo—a flavorful combination of green and regular chickpeas, onion, carrot, garlic, and lemon juice—in less than 48 hours. And ready-to-eat snacks, like the lemon artichoke quinoa cups and Moroccan spiced chickpea tagine, were the perfect afternoon pick-me-ups.

My My favorite part of the delivery was the robust selection of sauces. I ordered 6 different types: a creamy garlic parmesan, tangy coconut curry, flavorful tomato, zesty peanut Thai, aromatic green chile verde, and delicious dairy-free kale pesto. Most of the sauces had a surprising zing to them—likely from ditching artificial preservatives—that made the end result taste fresher. Plus, many packed unexpected superfood boosts, like hemp seeds in the tomato sauce and an almond-butter base in the parmesan sauce.

Plus, there were even a couple of desserts for the week: Base Culture's almond butter brownie and oatmeal spiced cookie dough. While I personally prefer the almond chickpea cookie dough (a previous sampling not included in my order), my roommate was a huge fan of the spiced version. Either way, we both felt good knowing our desserts didn't have any artificial sweeteners, high-fructose corn syrup, or hydrogenated oils.

Is Hungryroot Worth It?

I would totally order Hungryroot again just for the garlic chickpea salad alone. But on a more serious note, the current pandemic and nationwide orders to stay at home make Hungryroot a great alternative to waiting in line at the grocery store. You'll get access to some of the hottest health food brands—Beyond Burger, RightRice, Kite Hill, and VioLife Vegan Cheese—without a visit to a health foods store. Plus, deliveries of premade foods to your door ensures you'll have something nutritious to eat when a salad from your favorite lunch place just isn't an option.

I also love that it gives you creativity to play with your food. You're not forced to pick between 10 non-customizable recipes; instead, you can mix and match to create meals that excite you. Not to mention, it's more affordable than many of its competitors, with pricing ranging from $60 to $100 a week. I found a hefty $100 delivery included enough food to cover two weeks of groceries when subsidized with affordable additions, like whole grains and fresh greens.

It's worth noting that I experienced a two-day delay in my shipment—an understandable hiccup in these times—but regular emails provided updates on its delivery. If I use Hungryroot again, I would likely schedule deliveries for every other week. That way, I can make the most of my favorite finds while slowly discovering the new products Hungyroot rolls out.

Best of all, I feel like Hungryroot actually delivers on its promise: The food is healthy, delicious, and easy to make. Making healthier food choices throughout the week was so simple and switching up my meals took minimal effort. Luckily, I've still got a few sauces left to experiment with and a secret stash of chickpea cookie dough in the freezer.