Home Chef vs Green Chef vs HelloFresh (+11 Features of each)
This detailed blogpost will be checking out the main features which are present in Home Chef, Green Chef and HelloFresh, and comparing these side by side. Home Chef and HelloFresh are meal kit delivery services which focus on everyday cooking. Green Chef focuses on delivering only healthy and organic meal kits to customers throughout the United States.
In the end, we will give you our opinions on which of these three may be the better choice based on first-hand experiences.
Home Chef vs Green Chef vs HelloFresh
The following table will depict the various characteristics that you can find in Home Chef, Green Chef and HelloFresh, as meal kit delivery services. Using the information here, you can decide which one of these meal kit delivery services is the right choice for you.
| Feature | Home Chef | Green Chef | HelloFresh |
| Delivery areas | 98% of the United States aside from Alaska & Hawaii | 98% of the United States aside from Alaska & Hawaii & parts of LouisianaUnited Kingdom | 98% of the United States aside from Alaska & HawaiiUKFranceGermanyNetherlandsBelgiumLuxembourgAustriaSwitzerlandAustraliaCanadaNew ZealandDenmarkSweden |
| Price range | $30 to $120 per week for two | $11.99 to $13.49 per serving | $120 to $460 per month |
| Price per plate | $8.99 per plate | $11.99 per plate | $7.49 per plate |
| Difficulty levels | EasyIntermediateExpert | EasyIntermediateExpert | EasyIntermediateExpert |
| Avg. cooking time | 30 minutes per meal | 15 – 40 minutes per meal | 20 – 50 mins per meal |
| Avg. calorie count | 400-600 calories per serving | 600-800 calories per serving | 500-800 calories per serving |
| Supporting material | Meal descriptionNutritional factsRecipe cardsMobile app | Nutritional factsRecipe cardsHelpful footnotesMobile app | Recipe cardsNutritional factsMeal description |
| Recipes supported | VegetarianPoultryWithout nutsWithout soySeafoodWithout wheatPorkCarb-consciousCalorie conscious | Keto + PaleoPlant-poweredBalanced LivingGluten FreeMediterraneanFast & FitVegan | Calorie-smartCarb-smartVegetarianPescatarianBeefChickenBeans and LegumesGrain |
| No. of choices | 13 per week | 24 per week | 30 per week |
| Introductory deal | $20 off in first box with free shipping | $135 off for first 5 boxes | 60% off on first box |
| Avg. shelf life | 3-5 days for meat1-2 days for seafood | 5 days after arrival3 days for seafood | 3-5 days for meat1-2 days for seafood |
Types of Plans: Home Chef vs Green Chef vs HelloFresh
| Home Chef | Green Chef | HelloFresh |
| Two-person box $39.96 for 2 meals per week2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 meals per week | Two-Person box $12.99 per portion + $9.99 shipping3 or 4 meals per week | Meat & Veggies Meal kits containing meat and veggies |
| Four-person box $79.92 for 2 meals per week2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 meals per week | Four-Person box $12.99 per portion + $9.99 shipping2 or 3 or 4 meals per week | Vegetarian Plant-based mealsNot always vegan |
| Six-person box $119.88 for 2 meals per week2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 meals per week | Six-Person box $11.99 per portion + $9.99 shipping3 or 4 meals per week | Family Friendly Kid-approved meals |
| Calorie-Smart meals 650 calories or less in each serving | ||
| Quick and Easy Meals which can be cooked within 30 minutes | ||
| PescatarianMeals containing seafood proteins |
When it comes to the plans offered in the meal kit delivery services, each of these platforms provide a range of choices for customers to choose from. In Home Chef, for instance, the customer can choose from various sized boxes depending on the needs of their families. They can also choose from Fresh and Easy options, which require very less cooking.
Green Chef also offers various plans to its customers. There are various sized boxes in this meal kit delivery service, from the two person box, to the four person box and the six person box. There are also various healthy recipes which the customer can choose from, to add to their meal kit boxes.
HelloFresh provides plenty of options for the customer to choose from. Customers can opt from various types of recipes and even meals which range in their cooking time. HelloFresh also offers a number of kid-friendly options which are superb for picky eaters in the family. There are also calorie-smart options here for those who are trying to trim down their waistline.
Winner: HelloFresh wins the Types of Plans segment.
Types of Ingredients: Home Chef vs Green Chef vs Hello Fresh
| Ingredient type | Home Chef | Green Chef | HelloFresh |
| Produce | Not always organic produceMore of seasonal produce | Fully organic produceNo GMOs or pesticides | Farm-fresh produce |
| Meat, eggs, fish | USDA FSIS approved | USDA certified meatSustainably sourced ingredientsAntibiotic free | Hormone-freeAntibiotic-free |
| Other ingredients | SeasoningsSpicesSauces | Pre-made saucesMarinadesSpice blends | SeasoningsSpice blends |
Home Chef, Green Chef as well as HelloFresh use very top-quality ingredients to create their meal kits for customers. The ingredients in Home Chef come from family-run farms who are partnered with the meal kit delivery service. The meat in the Home Chef meal kits are USDA FSIS approved.
Green Chef meal kits contain only healthy and fully organic ingredients, and therefore many customers may not worry about spending a little extra money on this meal kit delivery service. Green Chef uses only GMO-free products which contain no pesticides. The meat is USDA certified and comes from sustainable sources.
HelloFresh also uses the best quality of ingredients in its meal kits, and it is no wonder that this platform has been able to successfully expand to many other countries. However, one drawback of HelloFresh is that organic produce is not guaranteed to be used in all the meal kits all the time. This can be a limitation that many customers experience on this platform.
Winner: Green Chef wins the Types of Ingredients segment.
Add-Ons: Home Chef vs Green Chef vs HelloFresh
| Home Chef | Green Chef | HelloFresh |
| DessertSaladBreadFruitSmoothie | JuiceGluten-free breadOatmeal cupsBone BrothYogurtPastasSoups | Garlic breadYogurt DipGarden SaladCheesecake Mousse Parfait |
In Home Chef, the customers can add more items to their meal boxes in the form of add-ons. The add-ons in the meal boxes can include healthy sides and even tasty desserts. Everyday staples like bread are also present in Home Chef for the customer to add to their meal box. Fruit plates and breakfast smoothies are also present in Home Chef.
Green Chef also allows the customer to create add-ons for their meal boxes. The add-ons in Green Chef follow the healthy route that the rest of the ingredients and recipes in this platform follow. Add-ons also include gluten-free bread and oatmeal cups which can start anyone’s day on the right note.
Add-ons are also available in HelloFresh. However, the number of add-ons in this meal kit delivery service is pretty limited. Customers can add sides like garlic bread and yogurt dip to their meal boxes as add-ons. Garden salads are also available here. For those who feel like dessert, HelloFresh offers a delicious cheesecake mousse parfait in the form of an add-on.
Winner: Green Chef wins the Add-ons segment.
Packaging of Meal kit: Home Chef vs Green Chef vs HelloFresh
| Home Chef | Green Chef | HelloFresh |
| Meal boxDividerProduce bagsInsulated linersIce packsPlastic containersRecipe cards | Meal boxCold PacksBPA free plastic bagsRecipe cards | Cardboard boxKit bagSeparatorInsulatorIce packs |
| Fully recyclable | Fully recyclable | Fully recyclable |
When it comes to the packaging, all these three meal kit delivery services offer fully recyclable packaging. The elements in the meal kit boxes of Home Chef, Green Chef and also HelloFresh are easily recyclable. Furthermore, these platforms give detailed instructions to their customers about reusing and recycling processes, which contribute to the environment.
Winner: Home Chef, Green Chef and HelloFresh win the Packaging of Meal kit segment.
Customer Support: Home Chef vs Green Chef vs HelloFresh
| Feature | Home Chef | Green Chef | HelloFresh |
| Chat support | – | + | + |
| Email support | + | – | – |
| Phone support | + | + | + |
| Availability | Monday-Saturday | All days of the week | All days of the week |
Home Chef allows its customers to reach out with their problems, as well as their compliments, through the email support and the phone support. The email support in this meal kit delivery service can be reached at any time of the day. On the other hand, phone support is available at any time, but only from Monday to Saturday.
Green Chef as well as HelloFresh allows their customers to reach out with their problems through a number of ways. In these platforms, the customer can reach out through live chat as well as phone support. The customer support is present on all days of the week, and therefore the customer should not have any issue in reaching out for assistance.
Winner: Green Chef and HelloFresh win the Customer Support segment.
Sample Meals: Home Chef vs Green Chef vs HelloFresh
| Sample | Home Chef | Green Chef | HelloFresh |
| Sample 1 | Name: Japanese BBQ BurgerPreparation time: 35-45 minsSpice level: MildDifficulty: Easy | Name: Spicy Chili-Ginger Chicken Kale SaladPreparation time: 20 minsSpice level: MediumDifficulty: Easy | Name: Hearty Steak and PotatoesPreparation time: 40 minsSpice level: MildDifficulty: Easy |
| Sample 2 | Name: Korean Fried ChickenPreparation time: 30-40 minsSpice level: MediumDifficulty: Intermediate | Name: Lemon-Basil Caper PorkPreparation time: 35 minsSpice level: MediumDifficulty: Intermediate | Name: Winner Winner Chicken Orzo DinnerPreparation time: 30 minsSpice level: MildDifficulty: Easy |
| Sample 3 | Name: Garlic-Parmesan Crusted Filet MignonPreparation time: 35-45 minsSpice level: Not spicyDifficulty: Expert | Name: Beef Tenderloin with Savory Mushroom SaucePreparation time: 30 minsSpice level: MildDifficulty: Intermediate | Name: Ginger Beef Stir-FryPreparation time: 30 minsSpice level: MediumDifficulty: Easy |
Home Chef offers a number of recipes for customers to choose from. The recipes in this meal kit delivery service cover not only everyday cooking, but even extravagant cooking for special occasions. The recipes in the culinary collection of Home Chef require a little more effort and time in the kitchen, while the others can be cooked in a very short span of time.
Green Chef offers only healthy and organic recipes for customers to choose from. Most of the recipes in Green Chef can be cooked within 30 minutes and come with various difficulty levels, like easy, intermediate and expert level. The spice levels in these recipes also differ from meal to meal, and only use top-rated ingredients.
HelloFresh is also great for households which want to save time and effort in cooking on a day to day basis. HelloFresh also presents various difficulty levels for customers to pick, based on the experience of cooking that they have. In this meal kit delivery service, the customer can be assured of very little time in the kitchen since most of the recipes are prepared within 30 minutes.
Winner: Green Chef wins the Sample Meals segment.
App rating: Home Chef vs Green Chef vs HelloFresh
| Platform | Home Chef | Green Chef | HelloFresh |
| Google Play Store | 2.1 | 4.6 | 3.4 |
| Apple App Store | 3.2 | 4.8 | 4.4 |
| TWP Rating | 3.5/5 | 4.5/5 | 3.5/5 |
Final Verdict: The winner of this showdown is Green Chef with its high app-rating and variety of choices.
Home Chef is definitely pretty popular among the masses due to its easy recipes and variety of meals for customers to cook. There are not only easy to follow recipes here, but even recipes requiring a little more effort in the kitchen for those who are eager to learn new cooking techniques.
Green Chef is completely oriented towards healthy and clean eating and therefore, charges the customer a little more for the meal kits. Furthermore, the ingredients in the meal kits are completely organic and safe to eat for long-term consumption. The recipes are not bland like many other health-oriented meal delivery services, and come with flavor as well as nutrition.
HelloFresh is one of the first meal kit delivery services in the world today, and is certainly the most popular one. HelloFresh offers recipes in various difficulty levels which can tickle any person’s cooking bone. Furthermore, there are also several fully-prepared meals in HelloFresh for those who want a break from the kitchen.
Among these three meal kit delivery services, Green Chef is the winner. While this service may be a little more expensive, one cannot simply ignore the healthy aim of this meal kit platform. The meals are packed with nutrition and flavor, and also have several options which are limited in calories, but are filled with goodness.
Methodology
To bring you the best reviews of each and every meal delivery service, we spoke to testers and real life users, reviewed the information provided by each service on their respective websites, carried out primary research on social media platforms and checked out the user reviews of these platforms on various social media sites. We have also used the reviews presented by current users of these services on their respective Google and Apple apps.
We are currently conducting our own internal review and we will update this page with videos and pictures of our experiences. If they differ extensively from what our external reviewers said then we will update this post so you get both points of views and can decide which service provider is more suited to your needs based on the information above.
The main types of criteria which we have used in order to assess and evaluate these meal delivery services is the simplicity of the recipes, the variety of meals in the service, the inclusiveness of diets and cuisines and even the supporting material.
In addition to these, we have also taken into regard the sustainability and recyclability of the packaging of these services. Lastly, we have also considered the delivery services and customer services of these platforms.
Frequently asked questions: “Home Chef vs Green Chef vs HelloFresh”
Is Home Chef cheaper than grocery stores?
No, Home Chef is not cheaper than the grocery store. While the meal kit delivery service states so, this is not true since in a grocery store the customer can choose among various priced options and pick the one that suits their wallet better.
Can you lose weight eating Green Chef?
No, you cannot lose weight eating Green Chef meal kits. While the meal kits in Green Chef are definitely touted as healthy and nutritious, weight loss depends on several factors, such as physical exercise and genetics. However, there are certain meals in Green Chef which may aid in weight loss as they contain very few calories.
Does HelloFresh meat come frozen?
No, HelloFresh meat does not come frozen. Instead, the meat comes vacuum sealed in plastic bags and covered with ice packs. The entire meal kit is packed into an insulated box so that the freshness of the meal is preserved.
If you like this blogpost, please leave your comments and questions below
Other FAQs about Home Chef that you may be interested in.
Home Chef vs Blue Apron vs Hello Fresh
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Citations
https://www.homechef.com/meal-delivery-service
https://thewholeportion.com/recommends/HellofreshUSeat/meal-kits-for-singles
