Green Chef Vs. HelloFresh: Find Out Which Meal Delivery Service Is Right For You

HelloFresh and Green Chef are two meal delivery services that bring the comfort of cooking to your door without the need to plan your meals or run to the grocery store. But which is right for you?

Take a closer look at the pros and cons of each of these popular meal kits 

HelloFresh vs. Green Chef summary

HelloFresh and Green Chef are both great meal delivery services, but they’re different in a few important ways. Meal and ingredient options, recipe difficulty, and cost are a few features that set HelloFresh and Green Chef apart.

HelloFresh might be a better fit for families and those looking for simple meals at an affordable price tag and GreenChef is the better option for those who value organic food and/or are following a specific diet.

Green Chef pros and cons

Here are the features that stand out about Green Chef.

Pros

• Keto and paleo options – Green Chef delivers quality meals that fit into your diet. 
• Organic ingredients- A focus on organic food provides high-quality ingredients for your meals. 
• Sustainability – The company puts a focus on sustainable options such as eco-friendly packaging and sustainable ingredients. 
• Global focus – Exotic flavors help provide variety and balance. 

Cons

• Higher cost – Green Chef is significantly more expensive than HelloFresh. 
• Fewer meals per week – Green Chef only gives you the option of two, three, or four meals per week. In contrast, HelloFresh lets you order five or six too.

HelloFresh pros and cons

Let’s dig into the advantages and disadvantages of HelloFresh.

Pros

• Meals are based on difficulty – As you pick out your meals, you can choose recipes that suit your skill level. Many are plenty easy for beginners.
• Affordable – For a meal delivery service, HelloFresh is a fairly affordable option. 
• Sustainability – HelloFresh prides itself on providing smarter, eco-friendly packaging and responsibly sourced ingredients.
• Kid-friendly – Family-friendly options can help accommodate picky eaters. 

Cons

• Longer prep times – Although many meals come together quickly, some take almost an hour.
• Not diet-friendly – HelloFresh can’t help you easily avoid gluten, dairy, or other allergens.

About Green Chef

After launching in 2014, Green Chef made a splash with high-quality organic ingredients. You’ll find the meals offered by Green Chef provide a global flair that allows you to explore unique fare from around the world. 

Green Chef shines with its unique flavors and a focus on sustainability. Whether you’re looking for Keto, Paleo, or other plant-based diets, you’ll find plenty of recipes with Green Chef. 

Read our full review.

About HelloFresh

HelloFresh has been around since 2012. Since its inception, the company has almost perfected the meal delivery service. Each week you’ll be able to pick from over 30 different meal options, many of which can be customized. You can search by dietary preferences, see how much prep and cleanup is required for a recipe, and even check the Climate Score or environmental impact for each meal.

Your box will arrive with all of the ingredients you’ll need (except for basic pantry staples) along with easy-to-follow recipe cards. Each meal is in a separate paper bag for convenience and most packaging is recyclable.

HelloFresh stands out with affordable meal options that can help you save time and money. 

Read our full review. 

Green Chef and HelloFresh Pricing

Here’s how the costs of these two meal delivery services compare. 

Green Chef cost

A Green Chef meal starts at $11.99 per serving. With organic food and sustainable packaging, the added value comes at a higher price. 

The costs of a Green Chef meal will vary based on your meal plan type. Take a look at the cost breakdown more closely based on three recipes for two people each week:

HelloFresh cost

A HelloFresh meal starts at $7.99 per serving. Although this might be more than you’re used to spending when you cook for yourself, HelloFresh is one of the most affordable meal delivery services and offers its best prices for meals of four servings or more.

Take a look at the cost breakdown more closely below:

Time needed to prepare meals

Although you won’t have to deal with the time-consuming process of meal planning or a trip to the grocery store, you’ll still need to set aside time to prepare your meal. Luckily, both of these services offer recipes with relatively little kitchen time required. 

Green Chef prep time

On average, you’ll find that the Green Chef meals take around 30 minutes to complete. Before you start the recipe, you’ll see a ‘cook time’ estimate on the recipe card. This can help you plan out your day. 

Personally, it took me a little longer than 30 minutes to complete these recipes. But I built my novice cooking skills with each recipe, and now I expect them to take the required time.

HelloFresh prep time

HelloFresh recipes will take anywhere from 25 to 50 minutes to prepare, and the time estimates on the recipe cards are pretty accurate. If you want to keep your cooking time to an absolute minimum, you can filter for Easy Prep and Quick meals when browsing the menu. 

Meal options

The major difference between these two services is the type of meals that you can have delivered. Here’s what you need to know. 

Green Chef meal options available

Green Chef offers a streamlined selection of six meal types to suit your preferences: 

• Keto + Paleo – Low carb, high protein recipes
• Vegetarian – Veggie-forward recipes without meat
• Mediterranean – Meals focused around lean meats, plants, and healthy fats
• Fast & Fit – Low-calorie, easy recipes that come together in 25 minutes or less
• Vegan – 100% plant-based meals
• Gluten Free – Meals without gluten or soy products

Each week, you’ll be able to pick from a handful of recipes that fit within your plan or plans. Or, you can browse options outside of your plan if you want something different. The weekly menu features a wide range of meals with many recipes that fit into multiple categories such as Keto and Gluten Free or Vegan and Mediterranean.

Tangy Apple-Glazed Pork Chops and Cuban-Spiced Strip Steaks are just two meals you might see on the menu.

HelloFresh meal options available

HelloFresh offers six different meal preferences:

• Meat and veggies – A sampling of meat, fish, and produce
• Family-friendly – Easy-to-cook meals that even kids will love
• Quick and Easy – Great meals with minimal cooking time, usually come together in 30 minutes or less
• Veggie – Vegetarian meals inspired by seasonal produce
• Calorie smart – Meals around 600 calories
• Pescatarian – Seafood and veggie options

You’ll select a meal plan one time when setting up your account. Then, you’ll pick your meals every week.

The meal plan you choose doesn’t show you a different menu than everyone else but is used to choose which meals are recommended to you each week. You’ll still have your pick from the whole menu of over 30 options. Some fan favorites include One-Pot Black Bean & Pepper Soup and Chicken, Zucchini & Tomato Flatbreads.

Dietary restrictions

If you have specific dietary requirements, you’ll want to find out which service can help you manage that need. 

Green Chef dietary preferences

Green Chef offers certain plans that can help you stay on track with particular diets. For example, the Keto + Paleo plan can help you stick to your dieting plans and avoid gluten and dairy.

In terms of food allergens, the plans offered will not help you avoid a particular ingredient. But you can check out the ingredients of each meal before selecting your menu for the week. With that, you’ll have the ability to steer clear of recipes with ingredients that you can’t eat.

HelloFresh dietary preferences

HelloFresh can’t accommodate dietary restrictions and does not include gluten-free, keto, or plant-based meal plans.

If you have a serious food allergy, checking out each meal’s details before delivery can help prevent mishaps. But you may not be able to entirely avoid certain food allergens due to cross-contamination.

HelloFresh includes a handful of vegetarian meals on the menu each week. 

Taste

One of the biggest factors in determining the right meal delivery plan is your taste preferences. 

Green Chef taste

Green Chef prides itself on offering menus with global tastes. If you like trying new flavors and ingredients, Green Chef is a great fit. This meal kit service offers some bolder, more unusual recipes than many. In addition to keeping things interesting, this can help you expand your cooking skills and get more comfortable with new spices. 

HelloFresh taste

HelloFresh offers meals that range from familiar flavors to slightly adventurous choices. If you prefer familiar flavors, then the Family-Friendly menu is a great option. It is designed to include flavors that any kid – or adult will love. But if you want to mix things up, there are plenty of unique takes on classic dishes and flavorful meals inspired by other countries.

Overall quality of service

Customer service is important when you are relying on dinner to be delivered to your door. 

Green Chef quality of service

Green Chef has earned 2.7 stars out of 5 on Trustpilot. Many customers only have good things to say about Green Chef, but many others have had problems with deliveries and canceling.

When I was using Green Chef, I never ran into any issues. My meals always arrived on time and tasted great.

HelloFresh quality of service

HelloFresh has earned 3.9 stars out of 5 on Trustpilot. Although there is a range of reviews from terrible to outstanding, the majority of customers feel comfortable using this service. 

Personally, I’ve had good customer service experiences with HelloFresh. When I encountered a billing issue, the customer service rep was helpful and solved my problem within a few minutes.  

Delivery availability

Both companies offer flexibility in their deliveries. 

Green Chef availability

You can order up to four meals each week from Green Chef for either two, four, or six people. If you want to skip or cancel your delivery, you have to make the change at least seven days before your next scheduled delivery.

HelloFresh availability

With this meal kit company, you can order between two and six meals per week with HelloFresh for either two or four people. You can skip a week or cancel at any time. 

If you need to skip a box or pause your subscription, be sure to do it five days before your order is processed. 

Promotional discounts available

If you are considering either service, you’ll find discounts for new customers are readily available. 

Green Chef promotion

Green Chef Promotion: $5.99 per meal on your First Box + First Box ships free!.

HelloFresh promotion

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Why choose Green Chef?

Global flavors

The global flair included in Green Chef meals is not for everyone. But if you love trying new flavors from everywhere, this is a good option. You can try new spices and ingredients without committing to buying full sizes.

Organic options

If you want to keep your diet organic, then Green Chef is the way to go. You can’t go wrong with this Certified Organic company. 

Keto and paleo

It can be hard to stick to a diet. But Green Chef has keto and paleo options that will help you avoid the temptation of swerving off your diet.

Why choose HelloFresh?

Lower costs

If you are looking for more affordable options, HelloFresh is the clear winner. You can keep your costs considerably lower by working with HelloFresh instead of Green Chef. 

New chefs short on time

Do you want to learn how to cook but don’t have a lot of time? You can build your cooking skills with quick 30-minute recipes. Clear instructions can help any beginner learn their way around a kitchen. 

Vegetarians

You’ll usually find at least seven vegetarian recipes on every HelloFresh menu, and some non-vegetarian meals can be customized to be meat-free. 

Summary

As you consider HelloFresh and Green Chef, you’ll find that both offer quality ingredients, delicious recipes, and convenience.

But if you’re looking for organic meals and global cuisine, Green Chef is the way to go. If you’re looking for affordable meals and more familiar flavors, HelloFresh is the best option.

Read more:

• Meal kit delivery comparison: The best meal kits
• 23 ways to save money on groceries