Pros:
- Caters to all lifestyles
- Sustainable ingredients
- Easy-to-follow recipes
- Certified organic and gluten-free
- Eco-friendly practices
Cons:
- No free shipping
- No option for singles
- On the pricier side
The numerous overwhelmingly positive Green Chef reviews sparked our interest in trying out this meal delivery service. It’s perfect for people who care about the environment but don’t have the time to plan out meals and shop for groceries. Green Chef provides all the necessary ingredients while looking after our planet and not sacrificing the food quality.
With CCOF-approved and USDA-certified organic and gluten-free ingredients, Green Chef provides plans for every lifestyle and diet. So if you follow a keto, paleo, vegan, or vegetarian diet, or you need a balanced meal plan, check out our Green Chef review!
How It Works
Signing up is pretty simple.
- Before you start the sign-up process, enter any coupon code you may have so that you can redeem your discount at checkout.
- Then, you should choose a plan that suits your needs best. Green Chef offers three options:
- The Balanced Living plan provides customizable and diverse recipes rich in meat and seafood. But don’t worry, there are also vegetarian recipes.
- The Plant-Powered plan offers vegetarian and vegan plant-based main and side dishes.
- The Keto + Paleo plan provides certified gluten and grain-free meals. More than one Green Chef gluten-free review claims that all the meals in this plan are safe for people who have celiac disease.
No matter which plan you chose, you can easily switch to another. The only downside is that you can’t mix and match meals from different plans. You can only choose meals from the plan you’ve selected.
However, you always have the option to see the details of every meal before you make a decision. Alternatively, you could go through a few Green Chef meal delivery reviews by customers to see what other people think of a particular recipe.
- Next up, select the number of people. You can choose a two- or four-person plan. The two-person plan offers 3–4 meals, while the four-person plan offers 2–4 recipes. The price per meal will depend on the number of people and the meals you select.
- Enter your address and billing info, and your account is set up!
- All you have to do now is choose your meals, set the delivery date, and wait for the package to arrive! You can opt for a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly delivery.
Making Changes
Going through Green Chef reviews from 2021, we noticed that users had no issues changing the plan or serving size. You can also change the delivery date, pause or skip a delivery, or unsubscribe from the service.
The subscription auto-renews each week, every two weeks, or each month, depending on the model you choose. If you want to pause or cancel your subscription, make sure to do so seven days before your next delivery so that the changes can take effect. The same goes for making other changes, too.
The Green Chef Menu
Depending on the plan you choose, each week you’ll get a selection of eight or nine meals. It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s just the right amount. Too many choices can overcomplicate the selection process. This way, you can quickly decide on the meals that look the most delicious to you.
Depending on your plan, you’ll get two, three, or four portions of each meal. Now, there’s no option for singles, but Green Chef reviews recommend subscribing to the two-person plan if you don’t mind eating the same meal twice. That way, you can take the leftovers to work or freeze them for later. Similarly, the four-person plan is suitable for a family. The portions are generous, and even big eaters will feel full after the meal.
Green Chef keto reviews, for example, say that the meals are pretty high in calories. However, they’re also big enough for two people to split, or you can divide them in half and save the leftovers.
As we mentioned, Green Chef creates dishes for all lifestyles and diets, which is excellent news for people with food allergies and intolerances. The service caters to several diets:
- Keto
- Paleo
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Pescatarian
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
- Omnivore
- Carnivore
- Plant-based
You can see the weekly menus on the website up to two weeks in advance. During this window, you can always look up a few Green Chef delivery reviews to see what other people think of a particular meal if you’re undecided.
Moreover, when you click on a meal, you’ll get all the details: cooking time, nutrition information, ingredients, and allergen info. That way, you can plan and track your caloric intake and avoid potential allergens.
Organic Ingredients
You should note that Green Chef doesn’t provide basic ingredients like oil, salt, or pepper. Unfortunately, the service also doesn’t note which additional ingredients you might need in the online meal details.
All Green Chef food delivery reviews express appreciation for the fact that each ingredient is certified organic. The company supports local farms, family businesses, artisanal suppliers, and sustainable practices. This increases the overall price of the meals, but it guarantees the highest quality of the ingredients.
Users are generally happy with the ingredients. One of the main concerns when it comes to a plant-based diet is the lack of protein. According to the Green Chef vegan reviews, you have nothing to worry about. You’ll get lots of protein from ingredients such as beans, tofu, edamame, and nuts.
Furthermore, people practicing a paleo diet sometimes struggle to find a macronutrient balance. We went through many Green Chef paleo reviews, and users are satisfied with the nutrient balance the meals provide.
Similarly, other users are satisfied with the quality of ingredients, nutritional balance, and portion sizes. We have to agree—Green Chef offers top-notch meals and the healthiest ingredients, which together justify a higher price point.
Skill Level
The recipes are easy to follow and simple to make. You’ll get cards with detailed explanations and pictures for each meal. This comes in handy for a cooking novice, as well as for an experienced cook.
Green Chef reviews are happy that the recipes don’t require complicated kitchen tools and utensils like hand mixers or slow cookers. Some recipes require a few pots and pans, though, for baking, grilling, and boiling the ingredients separately.
Each recipe takes 30 minutes, give or take. The longest ones take up to 40 minutes, but they don’t require active cooking, rather baking something in the oven.
Green Chef reviews of vegan, keto, paleo, and other diets commend the service for measuring and portioning the ingredients before sending them out for delivery. The majority of items even come pre-sliced and diced, saving you tons of prep time, not to mention clean-up.
Quite simply, you’ll get precisely the amount of ingredients you need—a great way to prevent food waste. Naturally, you can set aside any ingredients you don’t like.
Flavor
When it comes to food, the flavor is crucial, which depends mostly on the quality of the ingredients. The ingredients we received were fresh and crisp.
However, some reviews of Green Chef complained of droopy scallions and discolored broccoli tips. This is sometimes the case with organic, non-GMO veggies, and it doesn’t affect the taste or the quality of the meals. However, there are no negative reviews on the actual freshness of the ingredients.
All Green Chef recipes are tasty, filling, rich in flavor, and restaurant-quality. You’ll be able to try out everything, from classic recipes that remind you of your mom’s cooking to exotic meals that take you on a world tour.
Packaging
All the ingredients are individually packed and wrapped in plastic foil or bags. This is a lot of plastic, but our review of Green Chef has to commend its efforts to save the planet—all the packaging is eco-friendly.
Each meal is packed in a paper bag and sealed. The meat comes with ice packs to stay fresh, and everything is sandwiched between two cold bags and packed in a big cardboard box. Luckily, you can re-use or recycle the packaging. Green Chef even recommends how to recycle each part:
- The cardboard box is made of at least 40% recycled material and is curbside recyclable.
- The insulation is made from plant-based ClimaCell material, which is also curbside recyclable.
- Our Green Chef review particularly praises the company’s transparency about the type of plastic it uses. All sauce bags, plastic bags, and ice packs are made from LDPE plastic, which you can drop off for recycling at grocery and retail stores.
- All paper bags and boxes are made from 100% recycled paperboard and are fully recyclable.
- The egg cartons are made from formed wood pulp that’s curbside recyclable.
- The plastic jars and herb clamshells are made from PP and PET plastic that are curbside recyclable.
Finally, the company offsets 100% of its carbon emissions from its operations and shipment.
Pricing
Nearly all reviews of the meal delivery Green Chef offers note that the price can be a barrier. Compared to other meal delivery services, Green Chef has a higher price point. Nevertheless, we understand that this is due to its high-quality organic ingredients.
Generally, the price depends on the plan, the number of meals, and delivery frequency. The prices range from $10.99 per meal for the Plant-Powered plan to $11.49 for Balanced Living to $12.49 for the Keto + Paleo plan.
Another downside is that the shipping isn’t free and comes with a flat rate of $8.99 per box.
Luckily, discounts and free shipping are available for first-time orders and can save you up to $80.
Conclusion
Based on the Green Chef reviews of the Keto + Paleo, Plant-Powered, and Balanced Living plans, as well as our own experience, we can confidently say that this meal delivery service deserves a chance.
Yes, the prices are higher, and you have to pay for the shipping. But consider the quality of the ingredients and subscription flexibility. Think of all the lifestyles and diets it caters to. Finally, consider the variety of the recipes and how easy they are to make.
Time is valuable—don’t waste it chopping carrots and peeling onions. Let Green Chef do everything for you so that you can spend time with your loved ones.
FAQ
Is Green Chef good?
Green Chef is excellent! It offers a good variety of meals and caters to almost all lifestyles. No matter if you practice a low-carb, keto, vegan, or pescatarian diet, you’ll find the recipes delicious. Moreover, the service caters to common food allergies such as dairy, gluten, and grain.
Finally, the company provides only high-quality organic ingredients.
Is Green Chef owned by Hello Fresh?
Yes, HelloFresh acquired Green Chef in 2018 and expanded its meal selection. Before the acquisition, the German company HelloFresh offered only classic and veggie menus. After the acquisition, it expanded to keto, vegan, paleo, and other diets and lifestyles.
Why is Green Chef so expensive?
Green Chef is expensive mainly because of the quality of the ingredients it offers. All of the ingredients are organic and sustainably sourced, and this raises the prices a lot.
However, it’s much cheaper and more convenient than shopping for organic ingredients.
Which is better, Green Chef or Hello Fresh?
Both services are excellent. However, the answer depends on your needs and preferences.
If we do a quick Green Chef vs. Hello Fresh comparison, we’ll see that Green Chef is more expensive. However, it caters to specific diets and provides organic veggies and sustainably sourced meat and fish.
On the other hand, Hello Fresh is cheaper and offers additional discounts. But it doesn’t have organic ingredients, and the selection is more limited. The service offers classic, vegetarian, pescatarian, low-calorie, family-friendly, and quick meal plans.
Both services offer two- and four-person plans.
Can you cancel Green Chef at any time?
Yes, you can cancel or reschedule Green Chef anytime you want. Just make sure you cancel a week before your next delivery so that the changes can take effect.
Is Green Chef really organic?
As mentioned at the beginning of our review, these ingredients are organic. The company understands that you may not trust random Green Chef reviews. That’s why its official website provides the USDA and CCOF certificates that prove the ingredients are pure and healthy.
