Meal delivery services used to be pretty much the same. Now, there are tons of options to choose from that boast creative, chef-inspired meals or healthful, gluten-free options among dozens of other dishes. Whether you’re looking for a meal delivery service for families or something that takes health into close consideration, you can’t beat the convenience of a ready-made meal service. Just pop it into the microwave or oven for fast, filling food that feels home-cooked.
When we heard about Factor75, we knew we had to try it. Fresh, non-frozen meals that put chef-created dinners on the table in less than 10 minutes? Count us in! After a week of testing for this Factor75 review, here’s what we thought of these near-instant dishes. Hint: These nutrient-rich meals beat the drive-through any day.
What is Factor75?
Factor75 isn’t your average meal delivery service like Home Chef or HelloFresh. Instead of shipping ingredients and a recipe card, each delivery consists of fresh meals made and conceptualized by real chefs. And, unlike a service like Tovala, Factor75’s heat-and-eat meals require no prep. Each meal arrives chilled (never frozen) and ready for your refrigerator. Just reheat the meal and enjoy—that’s it!
Factor75 focuses on healthful dishes that suit a variety of dietary lifestyles, including keto and plant-based. This sets them apart from similar services and makes them ideal for those who want a healthy lifestyle but don’t have the time to meal prep.
EMIKO FRANZEN FOR TASTE OF HOME
Factor shops, preps, cooks and delivers fresh meals to your door—just heat and eat!
Our Factor75 Review
Product Testing Manager Annamarie Higley enjoyed a week of meals for the purposes of this Factor75 review. Overall, she was impressed not just by the speed of each meal but also by the delicious flavors and quality ingredients. She tried five filling recipes: Loaded Bacon and Spinach Shredded Chicken, Indian-Style Butter Chicken, Stroganoff-Style Beef Burger, Nonna’s Sunday Beef Bolognese and a Vegetarian Tamale Bowl.
“I was off to a bit of a rocky start with this meal service due to some ordering snafus, but the accommodating customer service rep and quality of the meals themselves made up for it—and then some. If you’re looking for health-focused, filling meals, Factor75 has the ‘it factor.”
annamarie higley
Product Testing Manager
While we experienced a few issues right off the bat, they were nothing a quick call to customer service couldn’t solve. Annamarie was not able to adjust her initial delivery date as soon as she signed up, forcing her to receive the box a few weeks later than expected. It seemed like that first order was locked in, even if she fully deactivated her account.
However, when she called customer service, the rep was super easy to reach and accommodating. She was able to quickly shift the delivery back two weeks, and the updates were reflected instantaneously in the account.
Menu
While the menu boasts around 35 rotating meals each week, Annamarie notes that there is definitely a “formula” for the meals. This means they’re not as exciting as, say, CookUnity’s offerings. The meals remind her of an average “healthy” meal, containing a cut of meat, vegetables and grains. While unsurprising when considering Factor75’s focus on healthful food, the lack of menu creativity is worth noting.
However, when it comes to add-ons, prepare for tons of choices. These include breakfast bundles (e.g., pancakes, scrambles, egg bites), cold-pressed juices, protein shakes, desserts (e.g., cheesecake, macaroons), keto cookies, plain proteins, snacks (e.g., wellness shots, nuts, PB bites), frozen foods (e.g., empanadas, smoothies), protein powder, basic sides and no-heat lunches. These are offered to you after you’ve made all your main meal selections.
Filters and Dietary Options
Factor75 offers two rows of filters. Up top, you can sort by All Meals, Top Rated, New, Stay Balanced, Fuel Your Fitness, Fiber Support and Global Flavors. Beneath it, filter by Calorie Smart, Protein Plus, Keto, Carb Conscious and Vegan & Veggie. There are lots of specialty diets represented, making this a good plant-based or keto meal delivery kit option. Recipes are then individually labeled with buttons that coincide with most of the aforementioned filters. Spicy recipes and surcharged recipes are flagged, with each recipe’s calories and carbs listed.
Website and App
Our experience with the website wasn’t great. First, it’s “gamified,” which is kind of gimmicky—something we didn’t expect from a HelloFresh brand. It feels a little duplicitous, intentionally overwhelming and confusing. Annamarie notes that meals were automatically added to her cart. She’d choose one, and the cart would show that there were five meals in there, the other four of which she never clicked. She recommends double-checking the cart prior to checkout.
That said, the app is much more user-friendly. Some of the displays are a bit busy, but it doesn’t feel quite as confusing or distracting as the website. There’s pretty standard functionality, like editing and adding to orders in the “Deliveries” tab or rating and reviewing recipes in the “Cookbook” tab. There’s also a bit of a social aspect, allowing subscribers to invite people in the “Feed Friends” tab or unlock and track rewards in the “Achievements” tab. Additionally, the “Settings” tab is for changing profile information.
Delivery
Meals arrive in a pretty compact, branded box. It has a thick layer of fluffy, paper-sided insulation and two large ice packs that sandwich the stack of meals. The meals come in cardboard sleeves and plastic trays with plastic sleeves—not great for those trying to limit their plastic waste.
One thing to note is that you can’t track deliveries through the Factor75 website. Subscribers instead use the automated texts and website from the courier, Veho. Additionally, while Annamarie indicated on her account that she wanted her box left at my back door, they did not do this.
Loaded Bacon & Spinach Shredded Chicken
Annamarie particularly enjoyed her Loaded Bacon & Spinach Shredded Chicken, which can be prepped in the microwave or the oven, depending on preference. It takes only two minutes to cook in the microwave, or around 11 minutes for oven prep.
“The bacon on top was thick and high quality, and it got pretty crispy (that’s why I opted for oven prep!),” she says. “It also served as a nice textural contrast. The ranch was super yummy—not sure if it’s made in-house, but it’s certainly better than store-bought ranch—and it added another layer of dilly flavor. I’ll gladly eat this whole pile o’ food.”
Vegetarian Tamale Bowl
Additionally, Annamarie even enjoyed the recipes reheated in the microwave. “I opted to microwave this one,” she says of her Vegetarian Tamale Bowl. “My only complaint is that they tell you not to take the plastic film off until the very end of cooking, yet it’s hard to tell if the food is warmed through fully without taking it off. So, say, if I were to temp it, then put the food back in the microwave, the film would be off for that last portion of microwaving.”
“This has quite a bit of spice to it, to the point that some users might not be able to eat this,” she notes. “The corn ‘mash’—that’s what I would call it—does a nice job of offsetting the heat, though, because it has that subtle sweetness to it. The beans make this feel pretty filling despite the lack of meat, though I’m not the biggest fan of kidney beans. Overall, this has absolutely no shortage of flavor and could definitely pass as homemade.”
Pros:
- Dietitian-designed, healthful meals
- Strong meal and add-on variety
- Optional nutrition coaching program
- Hearty portions
- Good customer service
Cons:
- Doesn’t deliver to Alaska and Hawaii
- Poorly designed website
- Small menu
- Poor tracking
Why You Should Trust Us
We back all meal delivery service reviews, including this Factor75 review, by testing from different Taste of Home team members with varying degrees of cooking expertise. Our testers’ needs, wants and budgets reflect those of the average shopper. We aren’t new to testing this product category, either. In addition to over a dozen meal kits, our team has reviewed meat and chicken delivery services like ButcherBox, Snake River Farms and Good Chop. Our testing extends to grocery services, like Misfits Market and Thrive Market, as well.
Product Tester and former editor Annamarie Higley oversees Taste of Home’s product testing team and daily operations in our testing lab. She and her team assess online trends, search traffic and audience engagement to determine which items warrant testing firsthand in our dedicated office space or our homes. This includes everything from kitchen appliances to beauty products to power tools. Knowing we sourced, saw and tested these products ourselves, readers can feel confident in our recommendations and, ultimately, secure in their purchases.
Where To Buy Factor75
Interested in trying this ready-to-eat meal service after reading our Factor75 review? You can sign up on Factor75’s website. Subscriptions start at around $80 per week. The final price depends on the number of meals chosen and any add-ons. Whether you’re looking to switch up your diet to healthier alternatives or you’re simply seeking a service that provides two-minute meals, Factor75 truly has the “it” factor.
EMIKO FRANZEN FOR TASTE OF HOME
Factor shops, preps, cooks and delivers fresh meals to your door—just heat and eat!
FAQ
How much is Factor75?
Factor75 meal kit deliveries cost as little as $80 or as much as $450, depending on the number of meals.
How do you cancel Factor75?
Click on “Settings” in the drop-down under the account name. Then, scroll to the bottom of the “Plan Settings” tab, where there’s a button that says “Deactivate My Plan.” There’s a pop-up that allows you to change your box size instead, where you get the option to click “No Thanks.” Finally, that takes you to the cancelation questionnaire. Click “Deactivate Now.” From there, you can opt to provide further feedback. Canceling sends a confirmation email.
To skip a week of meals, go to the menu for the corresponding week. The skip button is right at the top, positioned pretty prominently next to the “Edit Meals” button.
Can you freeze Factor75 meals?
Factor 75 meals can be frozen, but this affects the cooking time. Some ingredients, especially creamy sauces, may not freeze well.