I'm a foodie and can confirm Gousto's recipe box is the ultimate shortcut to healthy dinners
There's over 100 recipes for you to choose from each week.
I'm what you would consider a foodie. So much so, I can be quite hypercritical of anything I eat out, or cook myself at home. My partner and I are relatively organised when it comes to doing weekly shops, and planning our meals — so subscribing to a meal delivery service was never something that was considered, although I've always had the urge to give one a go. So when the chance came to trial a week's worth of recipes from hugely popular recipe box service, Gousto, it felt like the right time, especially with an inherently busy schedule coming up.
Seven of Gousto's most popular recipes and over 50 ingredients later, I can't believe how much I enjoyed each dish, how fresh the ingredients were, and just how easily everything came together.
And with 2025 well underway and healthy eating a high priority for many, it's the perfect time to shout about how good a service (and deal) it really is.
For my honest thoughts on why Gousto is worth the subscription, a closer look at the recipes I got to taste, and pricing, keep reading.
🛍️ Product reviewed: Gousto Recipe Box Subscription
⏰ Tested for: 1 week
⭐ Rating: 4/5
💸 Reasons to subscribe: Fresh ingredients, prompt delivery, easy-to-follow recipe guides, great variety of meals available,
✋ Reasons to avoid: Plastic used to package some ingredients, ingredients not labelled according to coordinating recipe
Choose between over 100 recipes online and subscribe to weekly, fortnightly or monthly deliveries with meal box delivery service, Gousto.
- Prompt delivery
- Good portion sizes
- Super fresh ingredients
- Great variety of flavourful recipes
- Ready-to-use and pre-portioned ingredients
- Plastic used to package some ingredients
- No labelling between ingredients and coordinating recipes
Gousto FAQs
Is Gousto a monthly subscription?
Gousto is a flexible subscription service that gives you the freedom to choose from up to 100 recipes every week. Subscriptions can be set so you receive boxes on a weekly, fortnightly, or monthly basis. You also have the option to receive either 2, 3, 4 or 5 recipes per box.
Can you order a single box without a subscription?
You can order a single box without having an active subscription.
Do you get everything in a Gousto box?
Each box comes with all the ingredients you need for your chosen recipes (except a few basics like oil and salt), including chilled produce, fresh vegetables, herbs, spices, and condiments. As well as the relevant recipe cards, and any other extras you might have ordered from the Gousto Market.
What kind of ranges do Gousto offer?
You can choose between a variety of ranges including; Calorie Controlled, Healthy Choices, Save and Savour, Prepped in 5, 10-minute meals, Everyday Favourites and more, previous special ranges include SE Asia.
💸 Reasons to subscribe
First and foremost, there's the choice in recipes. Online, Gousto has over 100 recipes for you to choose from each week, across a variety of ranges and diets. Over the testing phase, I got to try a selection of dishes from varying cuisines using a scope of different ingredients. And they were genuinely tasty. A personal favourite was the Sri Lankan-Style Coconut Dal With Aubergine Pickle (which I've gone on to make multiple times since).
The recipe cards themselves are easy to follow, with clear signposting on ingredients and the quantities needed, depending on how many you're cooking for.
✨ A closer look at the recipes I tried over the week ✨
Hoisin Duck Bao With Duck Fat Chips & Smashed Cucumber
Sri Lankan-Style Coconut Dal With Aubergine Pickle
Korean-Style King Prawn Jjam-Pong Noodle Soup
Saucy Red Thai Curry Chicken With Brown Rice & Greens
Herby Pork & Beef Gnocchi Bolognese
In terms of difficulty level, there was a good range. As anticipated, some recipes took longer than others, required a little more prep than the night's before, or needed another read through to fully understand the steps, but I really liked having the choice between a lower-lift, easier meal and slightly more hands-on dish for dinner.
Health-wise, each meal was well-balanced and bursting with a great selection of veg.
Upon delivery, the box was split into two — one side for the dry ingredients, and one for the refrigerated goods, making it simple to sort through and store as and where they needed to be in my kitchen.
The freshness of ingredients is something that took me by surprise. Part of me expected the ingredients to arrive limp or a little old. Instead, every single ingredient was crisp, and as fresh as you would find them at your local grocers. Not just that, but various items (including the spices, herbs and sauces) arrived pre-portioned and ready-to-use. This was a huge help, and saved the faff of having to measure out ingredients individually.
Another positive was the portion sizes. This was a concern I had ahead of trialling Gousto, as I like myself a good-sized plate of food. Thankfully, the portion sizes held up, and I was more than satisfied after every meal.
Gousto definitely exceeded my expectations as far as quality ingredients and flavourful recipes were concerned, leaving me seriously questioning why it had taken me so long to give it an honest go. Heading into the new year, I would absolutely recommend signing up. I know I am!
How much does Gousto cost?
👉 Get 50% off your first box, plus 20% off other boxes for two months
1️⃣ One person box, five recipes
Suitable for: 1 adult
£33.99 per order, £6.80 per portion
2️⃣ Two person box, five recipes
Suitable for: 2 adults (or 1+ leftovers) or 1 adult and 1-2 children
£43.99 per order, £4.40 per portion
4️⃣ Four person box, five recipes
Suitable for: 4 Adults (or 2-3 + leftovers) or 2 adults and 2-3 children
£59.80 per order, £2.99 per portion
✋ Reasons to avoid
My only bugbear after trialling a week's worth of Gousto recipes, was the plastic bag element, used to package certain ingredients (namely herbs and vegetables) which had the dreaded "don't recycle at home" messaging. I understand this is to help keep the freshness of the ingredients, but I would argue there's other, more eco-friendly ways to package them.
You do also have to sift through the ingredients and determine which recipes they're for as they're not clearly labelled. This wasn't much of an issue for me, though, as I liked rummaging through and getting a good look at what I would be cooking with for the next seven days.
