HelloFresh and Green Chef are two of the top 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, who they’re for, how much they cost per a serving and check out what they’re offering if you sign up today.
Overview
HelloFresh and Green Chef are both great meal delivery services that are 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, “America’s Most Popular Meal Kit,” might be the better overall fit for families and those looking for simple meals at an affordable price tag. GreenChef, on the other hand, is the better option for those willing to pay a bit more organic food and/or a specific diet.
Both brands share the same parent company (Hello Fresh acquired Green Chef in 2018). So while you’ll see similarities in packaging and customer service, the recipes and ingredients are different.
| Features | HelloFresh | Green Chef |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price per serving | $9.99 | $11.99 |
| Shipping | Around $10 | $9.99 |
| Servings per meal | 2 or 4 | 2, 4, or 6 |
| Meals per week | 2-6 | 2-4 |
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 to be healthy and balanced while providing a global flair that allows you to explore unique fare from around the world — while still keeping specific diets in mind.
Green Chef stands out as one of the best healthy meal delivery services using certified organic ingredients. It’s ideal for people who want nutritious dinners made with organic food and those looking for a variety of flavors and ingredients to fit their specific diet.
- Meals for paleo, a vegetarian, or gluten free
- Certified organic ingredients
- Eco-friendly sourcing and recyclable packaging
- Higher cost per a serving
Green Chef shines with its unique flavors and a focus on sustainability that includes working with farmers to provide delicious high-quality ingredients. Whether you’re looking for keto, paleo, or other plant-based diets, Green Chef provides plenty of recipes. The vegetarian and vegan meals, for instance, feature organic produce and plant-based proteins.
» MORE: Select a Green Chef plan or check out our full Green Chef Review
About HelloFresh
HelloFresh has been delivering meal kits since 2012. Since its inception, the company has almost perfected the meal delivery service and surged in popularity to basically become a synonymous name with meal delivery, like Uber with getting a ride. Each week you’ll be able to pick from 45+ weekly recipes and 100+ seasonal and convenience items, many of which can be customized.
HelloFresh offers 45+ weekly recipes and 100+ seasonal and convenience items to choose from that can please a variety of different diets and preferences.
The recipes are easy to prepare with simple step-by-step instructions that anyone can follow, and the pre-portioned ingredients provided are always fresh.
- Easy meal prep with simple instructions
- Range of options to please everyone
- Eco-friendly and convenient packaging
- More expensive than some competitors
- Delivery window can be inconvenient
With HelloFresh, you can search by dietary preferences and see how much prep and cleanup is required for a recipe. Your box gets delivered with all the pre-portioned ingredients you need aside from pantry staples with easy-to-follow recipe cards, cutting down on food waste.
HelloFresh stands out with affordable meal options that can be quick and easy, saving you time prepping meals or at the grocery store, while not being intimidating to beginners in the kitchen.
» MORE: Select a HelloFresh plan or read our full HelloFresh Review
Green Chef pros and cons
Here are the features that stand out about Green Chef with a view of both the positive and negative.
Pros
Keto, gluten-free & paleo options: Green Chef delivers quality meals that probably fit into your diet.
Organic ingredients: First meal kit to receive USDA organic certification with a continuing emphasis on following organic practices and letting you know if something isn’t delivered as such.
Sustainability: The company puts a focus on sustainable options such as eco-friendly packaging and sustainable ingredients.
Global focus: We found the meal variety to feature exotic flavors help provide variety and balance.
Cons
Higher cost: Green Chef is more expensive than HelloFresh.
Fewer meals per week: Green Chef only gives you the option of two to four meals per week. In contrast, HelloFresh lets you order up to five.
HelloFresh pros and cons
Here are the advantages and disadvantages plated up of HelloFresh for you to consider.
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. It’s not as cheap as EveryPlate or some other competitors, but it’s certainly cheaper than Green Chef.
Sustainability: HelloFresh prides itself on providing smarter, eco-friendly packaging and responsibly sourced ingredients.
Kid-friendly: Family-friendly options can help accommodate picky eaters. Fittingly, it ranks among the best meal delivery services for families.
Cons
Longer prep times: Although many meals come together quickly, some can take longer to prepare.
Not super allergen-friendly: HelloFresh can’t help you easily avoid gluten, dairy, or other allergens like nuts. If, however, a meal is allergen free HelloFresh labels it as such.
Pricing
Here’s how the costs of these two meal delivery services compare.
Green Chef cost
A typical Green Chef kit meal ranges between $11.99 to $13.49 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 and meals per a week, but shipping is flat at $9.99. There’s also the option to upgrade to premium meals with premium proteins and ingredients (compare this to a dinner out), increasing the price by at least $6.99/serving.
HelloFresh cost
A HelloFresh kit meal starts at $9.99 per serving. If you’re only ordering 2 servings/2 meals this can scale up to $11.49/serving. Although this might be more than you’re used to spending when you cook for yourself, HelloFresh can still b affordable as a perfect fit for what you’ll likely need for your family across the work week. HelloFresh notes it’s up to 60% cheaper than dining at a restaurant* and 25% cheaper than takeout, with less waste because ingredients are pre-portioned.
Premium meals (under Gourmet Meal Kit Delivery) will cost more per serving. These have more expensive ingredients like fish as the star.
Sign-up offers and discounts
If you are considering either service, you’ll find discounts for new customers are readily available. There are also additional discounts for nurses, military, medical providers, teachers, and more through ID.me for both these meal delivery services.
Green Chef sign-up offer
» Get $250 OFF throughout your first 5 boxes when you sign up using our Green Chef link!
HelloFresh sign-up offer
» Get 16 FREE meals, free shipping on your first order, and free breakfast for life!*
*Free breakfast: One free breakfast item per box as long as subscription is active. Free meals: Applied as discount across 9 boxes, new subscriptions only, and varies by plan.
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 meal types to suit your preferences with usually 50+ rotating options weekly.
- Mediterranean – nutritious recipes with good-for-you fats and ample veggies that’s backed by science.
- Calorie Smart – meals under 650 calories that are still delicious.
- Quick & Easy – meals that are ready to devour in 25 minutes or less.
- Plant Based – vegetarian and vegan meals with organic produce and plant-based proteins.
- Protein Packed – 40+ grams of protein on average per a serving.
- Keto – less than 20 grams of net carbs with no gluten, additives or added sugar.
- Delicious Discoveries – globally inspired flavors that rotate so you can try something new every week.
- Gluten Free – perfectly free of gluten (no wheat, barley, rye, or triticale) and full of flavor.
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.
HelloFresh meal options available
HelloFresh offers six different meal preferences:
- Meat & Veggies – exactly what it sounds like, meals featuring meat and veggie-based sides.
- Veggie – meat-free meals that center around fresh produce for the vegetarians out there.
- Family Friendly – picky-eater-approved meals that require less prep and clean up.
- Fit & Wholesome – includes “calorie smart” meals that are around 600 calories each.
- Quick & Easy – dishes that take 15 minutes or less to prepare.
- Pescatarian – seafood and veggie dinners.
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 rotating menu of over 45+ options (with 100+ seasonal and convenience items each week). If your goal is wellness, then range of delicious, health-forward options, including Carb Smart and Protein Smart.
Meal preparation
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 and cook time
On average, you’ll find that the Green Chef meals take around 30-35 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 and cook time
HelloFresh recipes will take typically anywhere from around 15 to 50 minutes to prepare, and the time estimates on the recipe cards are pretty accurate. I would put the average at around 35 minutes. If you want to keep your cooking time to an absolute minimum, you can filter for Quick & Easy meals when browsing the menu. These are ready in 15 min or less.
Dietary preferences
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 gluten free plan is for people who don’t want gluten as the name suggests
In terms of food allergens, you can’t customize your box for allergies, but you can check out the ingredients and labels 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 does, however, include a handful of vegetarian meals on the menu each week. You can also find wholesome meals that are high in protein, low in calories, or that are Carb Smart.
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.
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 3.8 stars out of 5.0 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 3.8 stars out of 5.0 on Trustpilot, matching Green Chef exactly (although these can tend to move as reviews are added/removed). There is a range of reviews from terrible to outstanding, but it seems the majority of customers feel comfortable using this service. That makes sense since this is the most popular meal delivery 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.
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.
Green Chef delivers almost everywhere in the continental United States, so that excludes Alaska and Hawaii.
HelloFresh availability
With this meal kit company, you can order between two and five 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.
HelloFresh delivers to all states across the continental United States and select zip codes for Honolulu, Hawaii and Anchorage, Alaska.
Why choose Green Chef over HelloFresh?
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 the first Certified Organic company.
Health and dietary needs
It can be hard to stick to a diet. But Green Chef has options like keto that will help you avoid the temptation of swerving off your diet. It’s also one of the healthiest meal delivery services overall.
» Get started with a Green Chef plan today!
Why choose HelloFresh over Green Chef?
Popularity
HelloFresh is America’s #1 most ordered meal delivery service. You might want to just give HelloFresh at least a try to make sure you’re not missing out on what others seem to be enjoying.
Lower costs
If you are looking for more affordable options, HelloFresh comparatively speaking 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 & Easy 30-minute recipes that. Clear instructions can help any beginner learn their way around a kitchen. Though to be fair, Green Chef also offers quick meals that are beginner-friendly.
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. Green Chef also has vegetarian meals but you may prefer HelloFresh due to the price difference.
» Select a HelloFresh plan that’s right for you today!
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.