Fresh N Lean review

If your dietary goals include the words vegan, high-protein, keto, paleo or Whole30, it can be challenging to find or prepare tasty meals that fit your needs. Meal-delivery services can make it easier to eat healthy, convenient dishes that are appropriate for you. 

One meal-delivery option that’s well-suited towards specific diets is Fresh N Lean. With seven plans that cover options from keto and low-carb, to vegan and the Mediterranean diet, this is a solution that fits nearly every lifestyle.

Unlike more traditional meal kits, such as Blue Apron and Marley Spoon, which help you prepare your own dinner with pre-portioned ingredients, each Fresh N Lean meal arrives fully cooked in a vacuum-sealed container ready to be heated in under three minutes. 

If you’re wondering what a week in the life of a Fresh N Lean subscriber is like, we tested the service to see how everything from delivery, to meal taste and nutrition stacked up. Here’s what you need to know before starting a Fresh N Lean meal subscription. And if you decide it's not to you, our guide to the best meal delivery services has plenty more options.

Fees and delivery

When you sign up for Fresh N Lean, you’ll select a meal plan. Options include Protein+, Vegan, Whole30, Keto, Paleo, and Low-Carb. Then, you’ll select whether you want breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a combination, for five or seven days. 

Cost varies by plan. For example, five days of three vegan meals a day costs $134.85, or $8.99 per meal. The same amount of meals on the Protein+ plan costs $162.35, or $10.82 per meal. 

Shipping is included in the price. The service is a subscription, though you can pause or cancel at any time. You can also skip up to two weeks at a time or opt for bi-, tri- or quad-weekly delivery if you don’t want a box every week. The cancellation deadline is Saturday at midnight PST for the following week. You can cancel and pause your account online or by calling customer service. 

The deadline for selecting your meals is the Friday before shipment at midnight PST. 

Using the meal-delivery service

The first step in becoming a Fresh N Lean customer is to choose your plan and the number of meals you want. If you’d rather mix and match from the plans, you can use the a la carte option. 

From there, browse the extensive menu and fill your basket with meals. Fresh N Lean boxes arrive on Fridays, with a guarantee by Saturday. You can select a different delivery day for an extra fee. The meals are vacuum-sealed and arrive with ice packs. 

The positive thing about the packaging is that the meals stay fresh for longer than other meal kits. The meals stay fresh for seven to 10 days after delivery, or they can be frozen for up to eight weeks. And when you’re ready to dig in, you can pop the entire tray into the microwave, or reheat the meal on the stove or in the oven, according to the instructions on the label. 

Taste and nutrition

Fresh N Lean puts an emphasis on offering nutritionally balanced meals that fit a range of dietary needs. The meals are prepared each week with fresh ingredients that are organic whenever possible.

These meals are on the healthier side in the world of meal delivery, and most menu options have a formula of protein, starch and vegetable. From the Vegan plan we tried the Plant-Based Chicken with Roasted Herb Squash and Rice. The meal offers 22g of protein, thanks to the soy-based chicken substitute, which was surprisingly chicken-like. The squash needed extra seasoning (the packaging suggests to season the meal to taste with salt and pepper), but overall this was a filling and healthy-tasting meal. 

From the Protein+ plan, we tasted the Cajun Salmon with Yukon Potato and Spanish Rice. This meal contained 470 calories, 36g of protein, 14g of fat and 50g of carbs. There was a generous portion of salmon that was seasoned with Cajun flavoring. It did feel like a lot of starch to include both rice and potatoes, though. We would have preferred something green. 

Also from the vegan line, we tried a bowl with plant-based Beyond Meat balls, pasta and cauliflower. If you’re a fan of plant-based meat substitutes, this was a tasty and well-rounded meal. 

Customer reviews

Long-term customers of Fresh N Lean appreciate that the service makes healthy eating as convenient as possible. As one reviewer puts it: “Eating the meals have made me feel healthier and more satisfied with my food choices, while being extremely convenient.”

The service has a 4.0 rating on Trustpilot. The biggest complaints come down to a few incorrect orders, and personal taste preferences. 

Should you use Fresh N Lean?

If you’re looking for a meal solution that will help you stick to a specific diet Fresh N Lean makes it easy. There are extensive menu offerings and you can have nearly every meal of the week delivered to your door, which makes this one of the most convenient meal-delivery services on the market. And, if you live in a home with several different kinds of eaters, it’s easy enough to customize your box to fit those needs. 

If this product isn’t for you

On the other hand, if you’re looking to boost your cooking skills and want a meal kit that can teach you a thing or two, Marley Spoon is a great choice. The subscription includes the ingredients and step-by-step recipe cards to walk you through how to prepare a gourmet meal at home.

If you’re diving head-first into vegan eating, give Purple Carrot a try. You can purchase pre-made and do-it-yourself meals from this plant-based meal kit.