Meal kit delivery services like Green Chef and Home Chef offer beginners and experienced home cooks the chance to make restaurant-quality and nutritious recipes at home. Nothing about subscribing to either one of these services feels complicated or risky. The advantages are plenty!
You can cook really delicious recipes at home such as pan-roasted salmon, turkey burgers, tacos, sandwiches, hummus bowls, etc. Plus, these recipes are not at all difficult to take on. Ranging from different cooking times, some of these recipes take as little as 20 minutes to cook.
Between Green Chef and Home Chef, you have to decide between convenience and versatility:
- Green Chef’s meals are very quick and easy to make. Plus, they have excellent vegetarian options with high proteins, less salt, and healthy carbs.
- Home Chef’s meals are more diet-friendly with customizable meal plans. You can add more proteins to your meal plans, swap ingredients, and follow a more diet-focused restricted weekly plan.
What Are Meal Kits and Are They Worth the Money?
Meal kits contain premeasured and some prechopped ingredients for you to simply cook according to recipe instructions. Meal delivery service of this type has a lot of advantages because it simplifies cooking for people who either do not have time to cook or dislike doing so.
The premeasured and prepped ingredients come with recipe cards and information on estimated cooking time, tips, and nutritional details.
You can modify the serving size and meal plans while placing your order. Ideally, meal kits can be adjusted with 2 to 6 servings per recipe. Furthermore, you can select from 2 to 6 recipes per week from a menu of 20 to 30 recipes that vary weekly.
Whether you’re looking for some recipe inspiration or want to skip grocery shopping altogether, meal kit deliveries are a great option. Even when you want to cook 2-3 times per week, subscribing to a great meal kit delivery service can take loads of time off your hands.
It’s a good choice for health-conscious eaters who are tired of eating unhealthy, junk food for their weeknight dinners.
You can find affordable meal kit delivery services that offer full meals for as low as $7 per meal. Otherwise, you can opt for premium recipes that cost a little more but offer a versatile and wholesome blend of healthy ingredients and restaurant-style recipes.
Services like Green Chef offer meals for $12- $13 per recipe. On the other hand, Home Chef offers a host of different prices with various cooking times, ingredients, and meal plans.
Green Chef vs Home Chef – Meal Plans
Green Chef offers only one type of meal plan -a meal kit with premeasured and packaged ingredients. All the ingredients you need to cook the recipes displayed on Green Chef’s weekly menu are a part of each meal kit.
If you select their Southwest-Spiced Turkey Salad, you get the following ingredients in your meal kit based on the number of servings you select for this particular recipe: ground turkey, lettuce, Roma tomatoes, cheddar cheese, bell peppers, scallions, pepitas, sour cream, Cholula sauce, tomato paste, chimichurri sauce, chili, cumin, and paprika spice blend.
Paired with the individually packaged ingredients will be a recipe card containing proper step-by-step cooking instructions. The recipe takes 30 minutes to make from scratch, and you’ll need a sauté pan to prepare the ingredients. An oven or microwave oven is optional if you want to roast your peppers the authentic way.
Simple yet delicious recipes like these are included in Green Chef’s meal plans. It features 24 recipes that change weekly, so you won’t be eating the same dish 2 weeks in a row.
Green Chef also tells you which recipe is part of different dietary categories. These categories vary and are tempting to try out even if you’re a beginner in cooking diet food with wholesome ingredients.
Even so, you get to indulge in recipes that are part of a gluten-free diet, keto diet, Mediterranean diet, paleo diet, and a vegan/veggie diet. If you’re unsure about which diet plan to select from, try the “Balanced Living” diet! Recipes in this category include a bit of everything including low-carb and plant-based meals.
Each diet category has new and exciting recipes with uniquely nutritious ingredients. Have you ever eaten an orzo pasta salad in a lemony butter sauce paired with fish? Green Chef’s Tilapia Meuniere is a French recipe that cooks in less than 20 minutes.
Home Chef’s weekly menu looks slightly different starting with the different types of meal plans. You have the Meal Kits, Easy Prep Meal Kits, and Extra Add-On for proteins, breakfast, snacks, etc.
The Meal Kits are exactly like Green Chef’s meal kits in that they offer pre-portioned ingredients and cooking instructions. These are more time-sensitive, which means you have to cook the ingredients yourself. Most of the time, that takes about an hour with Home Chef. In general, Home Chef’s meals take longer to cook than Green Chef’s.
Home Chef’s Blistered-Tomato Salmon recipe takes 50- 60 minutes to cook, but it offers the same serving as Green Chef’s French fish recipe. Meanwhile, the latter features a cooking time of only 30 minutes.
I also found that Home Chef meal kits are a bit less varied than Green Chef. Green Chef’s menu looks more colorful than Home Chef:
- Home Chef’s Sticky Chicken Tacos contains red bell pepper, peanuts, pineapples, and green onions.
- Green Chef’s Harissa-Spiced Sweet Potato Tacos, on the other hand, hosts a varied blend of tomatoes, sweet potatoes, kale, olives, pistachios, and protein-packed hummus!
The Easy Prep Meal Kits are quickly prepared meals that can be warmed up in a microwave, oven, or stove in less than 15 minutes.This is perfect for people who either don’t like cooking or don’t have the time to cook a meal every day.
Nothing about the prepared meal kits of Home Chef feels paler in quality or quantity. The recipes included in this category are just as delicious and uniquely crafted. Different pasta recipes, tacos, beans, pie, and grilled recipes are a part of the Easy Prep Meal Kits. The average cooking or prepping time for these meals is 10- 15 minutes tops per serving.
The Add-Ons are food items you can add to your weekly cart along with the meal kits. These include small pantry items that you have to pay separately for, such as yogurt cups, juices, coffee cans, smoothies, breakfast items, salad packs, and protein. Protein includes meat and seafood, but there are no plant-based proteins.
Green Chef vs Home Chef – Cost
The per-serving price for every Green Chef meal starts at $13, but it lowers once you add more meals/servings to your weekly cart. You can pay as little as $11 per meal depending on the number of meals you order weekly.
Having said that, the most affordable package you can pay for on Green Chef is $72 + a $10 shipping fee, which is the cost for 3 meals per week and 2 servings per meal. I recommend this if you stay alone and hate leftovers.
Contrastingly, the most extravagant package you can pay for on Green Chef is up to $300. That gives you 4 different meals per week and 6 servings per meal. I recommend this plan for large families.
The different box sizes and prices on Green Chef look like this:
| Number of people (serving size) | Meals per week | Price |
| 2 servings | 3 meals | $13.50 per serving |
| 4 servings | 3 meals | $13 per serving |
| 6 servings | 3 meals | $12 per serving |
| 2 servings | 4 meals | $13 per serving |
| 4 servings | 4 meals | $12.5 per serving |
| 6 servings | 4 meals | $12 per serving |
Home Chef is cheaper than Green Chef as their average meals cost $7-$9 per serving. More premium recipes with seafood, beef, etc. charge $11-$18 per serving. Meanwhile, side dishes including salads cost $7 since they are small portions of meals usually served as entrée salads alongside main course meals.
Green Chef’s shipping charges apply on all orders including large ones. Meanwhile, when you order with Home Chef, shipping is fee on orders above $45. Besides, the minimum order on Home Chef is 3 meals and 4 servings each, which costs around $120. Hence, zero shipping fee is added to your final bill.
The average starting price of Home Chef is more cost-effective and budget-friendly than Green Chef. The lowest price per serving with Green Chef is $12, and with Home Chef, it’s $7.
Green Chef vs Home Chef – Customizations
Between Green Chef and Home Chef, the latter allows quick customizations if you want to swap the proteins in a meal. Not every meal on Home Chef is customizable in this way, but for the ones that are, you will see a “View Customize It Option” on the recipe card. The following options are available:
- Swapping proteins
- Upgrading the meal to a premium protein serving
- Doubling up the protein size per meal to serve more people.
All these customizations are possible with Home Chef, which totally elevates your meal kit delivery experience.
The select meals you can customize have all possible protein upgrades for you to pick from. For example, Home Chef’s Salmon and Hot Honey Butter recipe, which contains two servings of salmon fillets, can be swapped with either pork chops, steaks, skinless chicken breasts, or tuna steaks. The choice is entirely yours.
For some upgrades, you may have to pay an extra charge of $3 per portion. Don’t worry though as you will be notified while placing the order if there are any alterations in price per serving.
Some meals on Home Chef offer two servings in a single meal kit. If you’d like to double the protein of any one of them, you can do so easily without making any major adjustments to your entire subscription plan. You don’t have to feel limited especially if you’re a persnickety eater and want to make upgrades only to some of the meal kits you select.
With Home Chef, you can organize all your meals while also customizing some of them without feeling obligated to customize every meal when you don’t want to!
Regrettably, Green Chef does not allow such intricate customizations. The most you can do while ordering meal kits is increase their serving size. The maximum number of servings per meal is 6 servings, and that is suitable for an entire family.
The maximum number of recipes per week that you can choose is 4 recipes. Though this is fewer than Home Chef, which allows you to order as many as 6 recipes per week with 2, 4, or 6 servings per recipe, Green Chef is a beginner- and family-friendly meal kit delivery service.
Making a commitment to a meal subscription plan, the first thing you want to look for is how personalized their service really is for your needs. Ask yourself: what do you want? Answering this question should make it easier for you to choose between Green Chef and Home Chef.
Home Chef is more supportive of and convenient for meal planners. Green Chef, on the other hand, is a simple and uncomplicated meal service for beginners.
Green Chef vs Home Chef – Cooking Time
Most of the recipes by Green Chef takes 30 minutes to prep and cook. Some complicated meals with meat or premium ingredients can take as long as 45 minutes, despite the 30-minute estimated cooking time. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Vegetables do not take as long as steak to cook, so 15 extra minutes is expected.
With Green Chef, you do not have to factor in planning the meals or prepping them. Most of the ingredients in Green Chef’s meal kits are organized in such a manner that you simply have to start cooking them right away, one after the other. Overall, each recipe is easy to cook even for beginners.
Some basic ingredients such as salt, pepper, and cooking oil may not be included in the meal kits, so you’re going to have to stock up your kitchen before the meal kits arrive. For recipes with fried chicken or extra seasoning, oil and spices are provided.
Home Chef, on the other hand, has varied estimated cooking times, both for extra-quick and some recipes that are more demanding in the kitchen. The recipe cards in each meal kit display not only the estimated cooking time and cooking instructions but also the skill level, so you know exactly which meal plan to pick from beginner, intermediate, to advanced.
Home Chef’s standard meal kits do not take longer than 30 minutes to cook. Their 15-minute meal kits are quicker, taking about 15 minutes to serve.
Premium/Culinary meal kits can easily take between 40 and 60 minutes, but the cooking time varies depending on the ingredients.
Lastly, the quickest meal kits on Home Chef are the Fast & Fresh meals that are already preprepared, so you simply have to heat the meal kit in a microwave or oven in less than 5 minutes.
With Home Chef, you can easily select your meals depending on their cooking time and skill level. There is a lot more flexibility here than with Green Chef. It’s an excellent choice for someone who wants to avoid time-consuming recipes without sacrificing food quality.
Home Chef also offers substitutable ingredients for allergies or food sensitivities, making it easier for people with a specific taste to save money and customize their meals according to personal preferences.
Green Chef vs Home Chef – Delivery
With Green Chef, you can select your preferred delivery day from Monday to Saturday. You can also choose your delivery time since they have a large 12-hour delivery window. Thus, problem solved if you’re not working from home as you can select an available time to receive your deliveries weekly.
According to their FAQs page, Green Chef delivers to 98% of the United States, leaving Alaska and Hawaii out of the mix. If you’re still unsure about Green Chef delivering to your location, you can enter your ZIP code and immediately find out if Green Chef reaches you or not. One of the first things you have to fill out when making an account on Green Chef is your delivery location.
With Home Chef, you have the option to select from Monday to Thursday for your scheduled delivery. In most cases, the delivery day and time depend on where you live.
If you’re worried about not being at home, you can quickly contact Home Chef’s customer service to make a request for a different delivery time or day based on your convenience. Tracking your order for live updates on the day of delivery is also possible under your “Account” tab in “Order History.”
Like Green Chef, Home Chef delivers to all 48 states except Alaska and Hawaii. You can contact their customer care or make an account to provide your ZIP code to reconfirm whether Home Chef delivers to your location.
Making any last-minute changes to your order with regard to delivery is also possible. With Green Chef, do it at least a week before the scheduled delivery date. With Home Chef, on the other hand, do it on the Friday prior to the scheduled delivery date for the week after.
Green Chef vs Home Chef – Packaging
Green Chef makes use of eco-friendly packaging to store all the ingredients including cold proteins. For ingredients that require special insulation, the use of recyclable ice packs to place on top of the chicken, meat, or seafood is convenient. You can easily dispose of such materials first by emptying the inside of the cold packs and then recycling the packet for curbside pickup or by contacting your nearby local recycling center.
For plastics, because each meal kit comes with the majority of plastic packets or liners, there will be a label printed on every plastic bag about their recyclable or reusable properties.
Certain ingredients like tofu and other ingredients prone to leaking are placed in a vacuum-sealed plastic wrapping to avoid liquid from spilling out.
Very few materials used by Green Chef for packaging are compostable, but you can read more about it and the different ways you can get rid of it after cooking on their FAQ page. They offer all the correct information about the cardboard boxes, insulation, ice packs, paper bags, plastic bags, and other materials they make use of.
All the packaging that Green Chef uses comes from recycled materials, including egg cartons, liners, and plastic sauce packets! Some you can reuse yourself for grocery shopping, while others can easily be sent to drop-off centers for recycling again.
Home Chef’s packaging can be handled in a similar manner. With the help of biodegradable and recyclable materials, their meal kits are straightforward and easy to discard after you finish cooking.
Home Chef uses all kinds of packaging to ensure the food stays fresh and leak-proof inside every meal kit starting with insulated boxes with recyclable gel ice packs. Sauces, spices, condiments, and other varieties of herbs are sealed inside small recyclable plastic packets.
You can read more about Home Chef’s use of different packaging materials.
All the plastic packaging is labeled, so you know which ones are easy to recycle. I found that most of the packaging, including the recipe cards and plastic produce bags, are accepted for curbside recycling, which means you don’t have to throw the plastic produce bags, insulated liners, and the main box away after it arrives.
Contact your local recycling center to inquire about their curbside pickup deliveries. You can easily recycle everything Home Chef provides you with minimal eco-toxic wastage.
Green Chef vs Home Chef – Vegetarian Meals
Green Chef is the best selection for plant-based meals. One of the biggest complaints people have had with Home Chef is the lack of vegetarian meals. Though Home Chef caters to a variety of very specific diets, vegetarianism isn’t one of the top ones.
They do feature some vegetarian meals that are made only from whole, plant-based ingredients. On their menu, I counted only a single vegetarian meal kit recipe, Gnocchi and Red Pepper Cream. The rest of the “vegetarian” options were small portions of breakfast, dessert, and snack items.
The closest Home Chef comes to plant-based nutrition is with their veggie salads, such as the Caesar Chopped Salad. You can serve this with Sourdough Demi Loaf and a creamy Caesar dressing on the side by selecting their Salad & Bread Bundle meal option.
Green Chef’s menu, on the other hand, features a variety of interesting vegan and vegetarian options like the following:
- Kidney Bean “Meatballs” with broccoli and red peppers
- Roasted Veggies Couscous Bowls
- Blackened Cauliflower Bowls
- Green Pea Falafel with Tahini
- Sweet Potato Pita Pockets
Some of these vegetarian meals are vegan, Mediterranean, and gluten-free, but everything is 100% organic. Protein-rich vegetables such as green peas, broccoli, chickpeas, beans, sweet potatoes, and leafy greens are the main ingredients added to boost protein in plant-based meals.
If you’re new to the world of plant-based nutrition, you won’t find Green Chef’s menu lacking in variety and quantity! Home Chef is a huge disappointment for following a vegetarian diet.
Green Chef vs Home Chef – Proteins
Green Chef and Home Chef are best for their protein-rich meal plans with solo and family-friendly sizes. Though Home Chef offers meal plan customizations and Green Chef does not, I’ve selected a few recipes from both that I think are very protein-forward and wholesome.
Please note that you can swap the protein portion for select meals with Home Chef. You can see the Customize It option on the recipe card to see all your protein options.
Green Chef does not offer this ease of customization with protein substitutions. You cannot swap chicken with meat, turkey, or salmon, so it may not be the best option for those who have very specific protein needs. Nevertheless, Green Chef is an overall solid pick for health-conscious eaters.
Vegetarian Recipes
Since Home Chef only features a single vegetarian recipe, I’ve set down two of Green Chef’s vegetarian recipes for a better side-by-side comparison of both meal kits’ veggie options.
| Green Chef | Green Chef | Home Chef | |
| Greek Salad Flatbreads | Sweet Potato Pita Pockets | Gnocchi and Red Pepper Cream | |
| Calories | 890 calories | 820 calories | 780 calories |
| Total Fat | 51g | 44g | 33g |
| Carbohydrates | 83g | 86g | 99g |
| Protein | 28g | 21g | 21g |
| Cooking Time | 30 minutes | 30 minutes | 25-35 minutes |
Chicken Recipes
| Green Chef | Home Chef | |
| Mediterranean Chicken with Olive Tapenade | Lemon-Herb Chicken and Pesto Cream | |
| Calories | 560 calories | 550 calories |
| Total Fat | 34g | 29g |
| Carbohydrates | 22g | 33g |
| Protein | 42g | 38g |
| Cooking Time | 30 minutes | 50-60 minutes |
Beef Recipes
| Green Chef | Home Chef | |
| Memphis-Style Beef Tenderloin | One-Pan Weeknight Beef Enchilada Skillet | |
| Calories | 840 calories | 550 calories |
| Total Fat | 54g | 26g |
| Carbohydrate | 48g | 44g |
| Protein | 39g | 32g |
| Cooking Time | 30 minutes | 40-50 minutes |
Turkey Recipes
| Green Chef | Home Chef | |
| Spicy Turkey & Rice Skillet | Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Burger | |
| Calories | 650 calories | 860 calories |
| Total Fat | 33g | 41g |
| Carbohydrate | 58g | 77g |
| Protein | 36g | 47g |
| Cooking Time | 25 minutes | 40-50 minutes |
Pork Recipes
| Green Chef | Home Chef | |
| Pork Chops with Truffle Rosemary Sauce | Marsala Fig Pork Chop | |
| Calories | 780 calories | 570 calories |
| Total Fat | 45g | 27g |
| Carbohydrate | 62g | 30g |
| Protein | 37g | 44g |
| Cooking Time | 30 minutes | 25-35 minutes |
Shrimp Recipes
| Green Chef | Home Chef | |
| Blackened Shrimp & Grits | Shrimp Alfredo Risotto | |
| Calories | 670 calories | 540 calories |
| Total Fat | 56g | 27g |
| Carbohydrate | 15g | 41g |
| Protein | 29g | 27g |
| Cooking Time | 25 minutes | 20-30 minutes |
Salmon Recipes
| Green Chef | Home Chef | |
| Salmon with Caper Sauce | Salmon and Hot Honey Butter | |
| Calories | 890 calories | 760 calories |
| Total Fat | 68g | 48g |
| Carbohydrate | 33g | 33g |
| Protein | 40g | 49g |
| Cooking Time | 35 minutes | 35-45 minutes |
Frequently Asked Questions About Green Chef and Home Chef
1. Can You Make Changes to Orders?
Whether you choose Green Chef or Home Chef, both let you modify your order after placing it. You can view all your orders after logging in. You can change meals and add/remove meals from your weekly plan easily with Green Chef.
The cutoff time for Green Chef to make any such changes is at least 7 days prior to the scheduled delivery date. Information on the deadline and any other important detail about your order will be sent to you via email after you place your order.
Home Chef is more user-friendly and straightforward with its order modifications. On top of swapping protein or adding protein bundles to your order, you can change delivery dates and make substitutions easily. For this, you don’t need to contact customer care. Simply log in to the account and make your changes.
The cutoff time for Home Chef is every Friday before the delivery week at 12pm CT, but if you forget or realize you need to make changes for next week’s delivery after Friday at noon, you can contact customer care to assist you.
2. Can I Freeze and Skip Meals?
You can easily pause or skip meals 5 days before the delivery date. Just go to the “My Menu” option and choose “Edit Delivery.” There, Green Chef lets you skip a week or freeze your order easily without contacting customer service.
For those related to your delivery address, payment, or number of servings, all changes should be made 7 days before. There isn’t any minimum requirement for changing or modifying your orders. You can easily skip meals, freeze meals, swap recipes, or cancel your order 5-7 days prior to the delivery date.
Home Chef has a classy and intuitive interface for canceling or skipping meals without delay. Just go to your Account Settings tab, and from there, you can pause your subscription, cancel orders, or skip meals as you like.
The deadline to do so is on the Friday before the delivery week at 12 pm CT. You cannot skip or freeze meals after Friday, and if it’s an emergency, you can contact customer service, and they will assist you accordingly.
3. Are They Good for People with Severe Food Allergies?
All the meals you select from Green Chef come with an allergen warning so you know exactly what goes into the recipe. Other ingredients, however, are processed and packaged in the same kitchen facility as other allergy-causing foods such as nuts, soy, egg, wheat, etc.
What this means for people with severe food allergies is that if you’re allergic to common ingredients such as wheat, soy, eggs, or pine nuts, there may be the risk of cross-contamination with Green Chef’s meals. This is even if you order a meal that doesn’t include any one of the major allergens. Since the ingredients are processed and packed in the same kitchen, the risk is significant.
The same applies to Home Chef’s meals as they display the common allergens in their recipe cards. The processing and packing of meals are carried out in the same facility with no special food handling facility for people with serious food allergies.
My recommendation would be to read the ingredients label very carefully before placing an order. Both Green Chef and Home Chef pack all the ingredients individually, so there is no risk of leaking or spilling once you open the meal kit.
Pros and Cons
Green Chef Pros
- Lots of vegetarian and vegan options.
- Certified organic and sustainably sourced ingredients.
- Low-carb and high-protein meals are included.
- Keto and paleo recipes are delicious.
- Most of the recipes are gluten-free.
- Quick recipes with less than 30 minutes of cooking time.
- You can freeze, cancel, or modify orders anytime.
Green Chef Cons
- No meal customizations.
- You cannot select add-ons or more proteins.
- The menu variety is limited.
Home Chef Pros
- Calorie-conscious and low-carb meals are included.
- Meal kits and prepared meals are a part of the weekly menu.
- You can double the protein portion easily.
- You can swap proteins in select meals.
- Mix of beginner-friendly and expert-level meals.
- Add-ons such as proteins, snacks, and desserts are included.
- Family-friendly meals with up to 6 servings per recipe.
- 15-minute freshly-prepared meal kits are available.
- Changing meal plans after placing an order is possible.
Home Chef Cons
- Very limited vegetarian/vegan options.
- No information on organic or sustainable sourcing standards.
- Some of the meals are high in salt and carbs.
Final Word
Green Chef is better than Home Chef if you’re looking to save more time and stick to a blend of vegetarian and nonvegetarian meal plans. As for Home Chef, it’s a solid choice for people who want to stick to calorie- and carb-conscious goals by swapping ingredients and adding more protein to their weekly diet.
Green Chef has plenty of protein-rich recipes too, but you cannot swap ingredients or add proteins to your meal kits. Home Chef’s diet plan is not the best choice for vegetarians since they do not offer as many veg options as Green Chef.
I recommend that you figure out which healthy meal kit helps with your dietary needs. Both are incredible options that are easier to subscribe to and jumpstart your healthy eating goals!
