Vegetarian Meal Cost Comparison: HelloFresh vs. Swiss Supermarkets
Key Takeaways
Visual TL;DR: HelloFresh and Grocery Stores Costs Per Portion (vegetarian)
Quick Summary: HelloFresh and Grocery Stores Costs Per Portion
HelloFresh’s Discounted First-Order Price: ~5–8 CHF/portion
New HelloFresh customers can enjoy lower prices with introductory discounts, but once those discounts expire, the cost jumps to ~10–18 CHF/portion (depending on the number of meals and people).
Pepesto’s Everyday Price: ~2.50–9 CHF/portion
By sourcing from Swiss supermarkets, Pepesto routinely beats HelloFresh’s offering for existing customers and often competes with its new-user deals for four-person households.
Short-Term Convenience with HelloFresh
If you have a coupon or prefer an easy meal kit, HelloFresh is a straightforward choice for smaller households when it comes to vegetarian meals.
Long-Term Savings and Flexibility with Pepesto
Smaller two-person vegetarian plans might see HelloFresh’s discount (when available) as a better option than the supermarket deals. For four-person vegetarian meals and when no discount is available, groceries regularly outdo even HelloFresh’s new-user pricing—leading to substantial annual savings.
Methodology 💡
Our analysis compares the costs associated with HelloFresh and Pepesto over a given week. We considered various household sizes and meal frequencies to provide a comprehensive overview.
Data Sources:
- 📊 HelloFresh pricing is based on current HelloFresh subscriptions and discounts in Switzerland. We consider a new user who gets a 50% discount on their first order, and existing users who don't have a discount code and pay the regular price.
- 📈 Pepesto pricing is dynamically calculated using local supermarket prices from Coop, Migros, Farmy, and Aldi.
- 🔍 We use HelloFresh recipes as a starting point and create equivalent Pepesto menus for different number of people and portion counts. Our technology quickly matches recipes to supermarket products, enabling rapid price calculation for both individual recipes and entire menus.
- ℹ️ We list the top 3 questions below, don't forget to also check the full FAQ
- https://www.hellofresh.ch/recipes/wurzige-spaghetti-al-pomodoro-671f9760662b2e47e398cd17
- https://www.hellofresh.ch/recipes/fettucine-mit-truffelol-and-baby-krauterseitlingen-6724b527a598974dca321c95
- https://www.hellofresh.ch/recipes/panierter-portobello-mit-roten-sesam-kartoffeln-671f976a10bbc833b98f8f93
- https://www.hellofresh.ch/recipes/chana-masala-mit-kichererbsen-und-babyspinat-671f9764662b2e47e398cd59
- https://www.hellofresh.ch/recipes/kartoffelsalat-mit-mozzarella-and-cherry-tomaten-671f97754251e0dbe4bdf7a0
- Download and install the Pepesto app.
- Adjust the portions in settings. Portions in Pepesto is the equivalent of people in HelloFresh.
- Import the recipes (recipes is the number of meals in HelloFresh). When importing a recipe (either from HelloFresh or anywhere else), Pepesto adjusts the recipe based on the portions.
- Add the recipe to the meal plan.
- Have a look at the price and the shopping list.
- Let us know how it went and if you have any feedback for us, we love feedback!
Detailed Cost Data & Visualizations 📈
Per-Portion Costs Table
| People | Meals/Week | Portions | New User Price (50%) | Existing User Price | New user/portion | Existing User/portion | Coop | Migros | Farmy | Aldi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 4 | 32.50 | 65.00 | 8.13 | 18.74 | 9.13 | 8.81 | 9.46 | 6.45 |
| 2 | 3 | 6 | 40.00 | 80.00 | 6.67 | 14.99 | 8.17 | 7.39 | 10.43 | 5.81 |
| 2 | 4 | 8 | 50.00 | 100.00 | 6.25 | 13.74 | 6.94 | 6.72 | 9.61 | 5.00 |
| 2 | 5 | 10 | 60.00 | 120.00 | 6.00 | 13.00 | 7.92 | 7.80 | 12.33 | 5.68 |
| 4 | 2 | 8 | 52.50 | 105.00 | 6.56 | 14.37 | 5.00 | 4.78 | 5.16 | 3.82 |
| 4 | 3 | 12 | 65.00 | 130.00 | 5.42 | 11.66 | 5.52 | 4.58 | 5.33 | 3.61 |
| 4 | 4 | 16 | 80.00 | 160.00 | 5.00 | 10.62 | 4.95 | 3.91 | 5.35 | 3.23 |
| 4 | 5 | 20 | 92.50 | 185.00 | 4.63 | 9.75 | 5.06 | 4.39 | 6.63 | 3.48 |
Visual TL;DR: HelloFresh and Grocery Stores Costs Per Portion (vegetarian)
👉 This chart compares cost per portion for HelloFresh (both new-user and existing-customer pricing) to several Swiss supermarkets in heavy-protein meal scenarios. For two-person plans, HelloFresh’s new-user discount is often better. However, once the initial discount expires, supermarkets consistently undercut the existing-user price. In four-person meal plans, multiple stores frequently come in lower than even the new-user discount, confirming that groceries can offer substantial savings for larger households.
Conclusion 🌟
Both HelloFresh and Pepesto appeal to busy professionals, families, and individuals who value convenience in meal planning and preparation. HelloFresh is a good option for anyone exploring meal kits for the first time, thanks to its promotional discounts and simple, ready-to-cook options. By contrast, Pepesto delivers a more flexible and budget-friendly solution—particularly for vegetarians—often achieving 20% to 70% in savings compared to other methods. By integrating your preferred supermarkets and offering substantial annual savings, Pepesto not only elevates your culinary adventures but also helps you stay on track financially.
Whether you’re experimenting with meal kits for the first time or aiming for a long-term, cost-effective approach to meal planning, Pepesto gives you the versatility and support you need to reach your goals.
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