Our honest Factor meal kit review: Fresh, tasty and fast
You might sign up for a meal kit service like Factor for a number of reasons, but one thing that unites us all when it comes to switching things up around the dinner table is this: convenience. If you live alone, it can be a challenge to make sure every dollar spent at the grocery store gets put to use. On the other side of things, keeping a level head while managing dinner throughout the week for a large family can feel like an impossible task.
As someone who's worn out his chef's hat reviewing meal kits like Blue Apron, HelloFresh, and Purple Carrot, it was time to try something different. Factor has been around since 2013, hooking families up with fully prepared gourmet meals that can be the perfect fit for anyone with limited time to play chef on weeknights.
Intrigued by some interesting menu options, I decided to procure a Factor box and dedicate a week to trying out meals like herb-crusted chicken, ground pork and cheddar chili mac, and jalapeno-lime cheddar chicken.
All told, I sampled six Factor meals. Let's get into my review.
In this review
- What is Factor?
- Pros and cons
- Meal options
- Factor Plans and pricing
- How Factor holds up against dietary limitations
- Customer reviews
- Our final verdict
- Related content
Save some time in the kitchen by reading my breakdown of Factor below. This will cover everything you need to know, from what to expect while building your first meal plan to how Factor meals compare to meal kits that you prepare yourself.
What is Factor?
Owned by HelloFresh, one of America's most popular meal kit services, Factor sets itself apart by providing customers with fully-prepared meals that just need to be heated before they're ready for the dinner table. While some other meal kits give you a choice between meal kits you cook yourself or prepared meals -- just look at Sunbasket's fresh and ready meal plan -- Factor simplifies things by focusing on fresh, ready-made culinary affairs.
"Fresh, nutritious, satisfying" -- that's the company's motto. To that end, the meals that arrive on your doorstep, neatly packaged and ready for the refrigerator (or oven or microwave, depending on your patience) are advertised as fresh and never frozen. Recipes are chef-crafted and put together by dieticians, which means you can expect a healthy dose of nutrition with each meal.
Factor keeps things interesting with a rotating weekly menu of more than 30 tasty meals to choose from. Ingredients and nutritional info are front and center when checking out a recipe online, making it easy to decide which meals belong on your dinner table.
Anyone who's ever subscribed to a meal kit delivery service will recognize Factor's plan selection page. Customers simply check off any preferences, such as food that fits a keto or vegan diet, and then do a bit of light math to determine how many meals they want delivered to their door per week. Unlike other meal kits, Factor meals are prepared in single servings, so you're left with a choice between six and 18 weekly meals.
Factor meal kit pros and cons
In my experience with Factor, I tested six tasty Factor meals in my own kitchen. This included four selections from Factor's weekly menu, as well as two limited-edition meals courtesy of Factor's recent Power Your Potential partnership with boutique fitness brand Barry's.
After a super-fast delivery and a quick transfer of meals from insulated box to fridge, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of each meal as I went about my week. The first recipe was a limited-edition meal: tabbouleh rice and grilled chicken with a medley of roasted peppers, fennel, and carrots. The included lemon cream sauce was a nice finish to an already impressive meal -- I really appreciated the "fresh and never frozen" aspect of Factor's recipes.
Here is my breakdown of the pros and cons for Factor:
Pros:
- The convenience of heat-and-eat meals is unrivaled when it comes to meal kits; if you crave a quick and easy solution to dinners throughout the week, Factor is for you.
- Over 30 chef-approved recipes to order each week.
- Minimal packaging materials means far less clutter to deal with than other meal kits, where plastic waste can be frustrating to deal with. Just an insulated delivery box, frozen gel pack, and your weekly meals.
- Additional items like smoothies and desserts can easily be added to your meal plan.
Cons:
- Meals are single-serve, which may be a drawback if you're cooking for a large family.
- Limited plant-based options or meals that work with certain dietary restrictions.
- High prices, single-serve options, and a $10 flat shipping fee per Factor box mean Factor may not be the best fit for large households or families.
Factor meal options
Factor's weekly meal selections offer a number of nutritious recipes. One thing you can count on is an impressive combo of protein paired with the perfect side: the cheddar chili mac and cheese that came with ground pork in my promotional Factor box made for the perfect pairing.
There are a number of meals available each week that cater to different preferences. Think low-calorie, high-protein, and plant-based options -- although not so many as some other meal kit companies. Some preferences are easy to sort through, thanks to labels like "keto" marking certain foods, but one label you won't find is "low-sodium." If you want to stick to low-sodium meals, it's up to you to compare nutrition labels (which you should be doing anyway).
Most meals range in calories from 350 to 900, with the average tally coming to around 600 per meal. Factor also stands by strict regulatory standards and beliefs when it comes to animal welfare practices, which is laid out in the Our Beliefs section of Factor's FAQ page.
How much do Factor meals cost?
Roughly matching the prices of other popular meal kit services, Factor dinners start at $11 per serving. Prices are lower the more meals you opt in for each week, which means box totals typically cost between $80 and $198. Factor also charges a $10 shipping fee with each order.
These prices are especially appealing if you're already cooking for one, but can seem a bit steep if you're ordering the full 18 meals per week. Compare these prices to other meal kits, such as Purple Carrot (with typical costs between $80 and $130 per box), which also ships out meals in two- or four-serving varieties.
There are also add-ons that you can tack onto an existing subscription, such as breakfast bundles, keto shakes and fruit smoothies. These extras are seasonal offerings, which means selections change every few weeks -- check back every now and then to find something you like.
Factor meals and dietary limitations
Where Factor excels at serving up varied and nutritious meals that are ready within minutes, it also comes up a bit short when it comes to certain special diets, restrictions, or preferences.
Here's what you will find when browsing Factor's weekly menu:
- A good number of keto-friendly recipes that come with an ideal balance of calories from fat, protein, and carbs.
- A handful of low-calorie recipes that can help you meet your nutritional goals with ease.
- A somewhat limited selection of vegan and vegetarian meals.
In contrast, you might want to check other meal kit options for certain dietary limitations such as dairy-free or paleo-friendly foods. There is also no specific category for low-sodium meals.
The reviews are in: This is what customers are saying about Factor
Customer reviews seem by and large to be positive when it comes to Factor and the company's weekly selections of fresh, never-frozen meals. There are more than a few customers who, like me, were impressed with the overall quality of ingredients. With other meal kits, quality can be hit or miss when it comes to pre-prepped meal options, so the fact that Factor is consistent with its food quality is a big plus.
Another common win for Factor is the convenience, er, factor. It's hard to beat cooking times under 10 minutes. Customers also praised Factor for its selection of nutritionally balanced recipes.
On the downside, some reviewers cited high prices as a big drawback for Factor meals. The cost per delivery can indeed be steep for anyone ordering for a larger household, but Factor remains the ideal choice for solitary chefs who live along or couples in need of something new and easy come dinnertime.
Are Factor meals worth the convenience? Our final verdict
I found Factor's meals to be not only nutritious, but tasty as well. The most challenging part of the hassle-free prep work period was remembering to preheat my oven. The rest was simple: peel off the plastic film, heat everything up until the proper temperature is achieved, and move everything to a plate.
No measuring and cutting up ingredients, no recipe card to double check every five minutes, and no dishes afterwards: Factor meals make dinnertime easier than ever.
If your biggest goal in subscribing to a new meal kit delivery service is finding a company that balances convenience with good-quality ingredients, we here at CBS Essentials recommend giving Factor a try. While there may be other top-notch meal delivery services out there that may be a better fit for anyone with certain restrictive diets or large families to provide for, Factor is definitely worth a subscription in our culinary book.
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