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Green Chef review: Why it's our No. 1 pick for best organic meal delivery service in 2024
Preparing nightly dinners for my family week after week — with all the planning, shopping, cooking and cleaning — can be a bit too time consuming. That's why I love subscribing to a weekly meal kit delivery service, such as Green Chef. Weekly meal delivery services make it easy for me to make wholesome family meals that require little planning and zero trips to the grocery store.
Due to my family's busy weekly schedule, I've been subscribing to weekly meal delivery services for years and have tried all the best meal kit delivery services. In fact, I like to think of myself as a meal kit connoisseur and always jump at the chance to try new services. Here's my review of Green Chef.
Price: $12-$13.50 per serving | Menu/diet choices: 40+ weekly menu selections | Skill level: Intermediate | Taste: 8.5/10
Green Chef offers a wide variety of flavorful organic dishes designed to meet the needs of eight dietary programs (Mediterranean, Calorie Smart, Quick and Easy, Plant-Based, Protein Packed, Keto, Delicious Discoveries and Gluten-Free). In addition to its weekly meal kit options, Green Chef offers add-ons like salads, desserts, heat-and-eat lunches and breakfasts. This meal kit delivery service is a good choice for two or more people living in the same household following a specific dietary plan, such as the Mediterranean diet, Keto or paleo, or those looking for wholesome, easy-to-prepare, well-rounded organic meals.
- Organic
- 40+ weekly meal options
- 8 dietary-based options to choose from
- Cannot specify allergies
- Must pay extra for premium meals
What is Green Chef meal kit delivery service?
Green Chef is a weekly meal delivery service that originated in Boulder, Colorado, in 2014 but was quickly acquired by Hello Fresh in 2018. Green Chef is a U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified organic company, meaning, at a minimum, all produce in your meal kit is organic unless labeled otherwise. The company also holds a California Certified Organic Farmers accreditation.
It offers a vast selection of weekly meal options that meet the needs of various lifestyles and eight dietary programs, such as the Mediterranean and Keto diets, low-calorie meals, quick and easy meals for busy family nights, plant-based diet, or gluten-free meals. The company also offers options for prepared meals, such as breakfasts, heat-and-eat lunches and desserts.
How Green Chef works
As with all weekly meal delivery services, on a pre-specified day each week, Green Chef will deliver a box packed with everything you need to create the meals you've preselected from the more than 40 meal options offered each week.
To get started with Green Chef, you'll first specify your "lifestyle preferences," or the types of meals you are most interested in trying, whether that be according to your Mediterranean diet or on-the-go lifestyle, or both. You can select as many options as you like, but what you cannot specify is any food allergies you may have or ingredients you want to avoid, so you'll still need to check each recipe you choose to address specific concerns. Next, you'll specify how many meals a week you would like (two, three or four) and the number of servings per meal kit (two, four or six).
Once you’ve made your selections, you’ll be presented with 40-plus weekly meal options to choose from. You also have the option with Green Chef to get extras, like pre-made heat-and-eat meals; breakfast, lunch and dessert options; and extra proteins, such as chicken, fish, red meat, shrimp and pork. There are also protein drinks and shakes available. In a sense, Green Chef can deliver every meal you eat in a week right to your door — but beware, because it can get very pricey if you take that route.
Green Chef plans and pricing
Green Chef offers eight meal plans:
Mediterranean: Nutritious recipes with healthy fats and loads of veggies
Calorie Smart: Healthy meals under 650 calories
Quick and Easy: Meals can be prepped and ready in 25 minutes or less
Plant-Based: Vegetarian and vegan options with organic veggies and plant-based protein
Delicious discoveries: Globally inspired recipes
Protein Packed: 40+ grams of protein
Keto: Less than 20 grams of net carbs; no gluten, additives or added sugar
Gluten Free: Free of gluten, wheat, barley, rye and triticale
Green Chef offers seven pricing options:
Three meals a week for two people: $13.49 per serving ($27 per meal)
Four meals a week for two people: $12.99 per serving ($26 per meal)
Two meals a week for four people: $12.99 per serving ($52 per meal)
Three meals per week for four people: $12.49 per serving ($50 per meal)
Four meals per week for four people: $11.99 per serving ($48 per meal)
Three meals per week for six people: $11.99 per serving ($72 per meal)
Four meals per week for six people: $11.99 per serving ( $72 per meal)
Something I really like about Green Chef is the ability to choose from a huge selection of more than 40 new meals each week. Something I didn't like is that the more flavorful dishes, or those with steaks, cost a little more to select — these meals are referred to as "premium selections" and can cost $7 to $10 more per serving.
What can I expect from a Green Chef Delivery?
Green Chef meal kits arrive packaged in individual brown bags with the proteins packaged separately to help prevent cross-contamination between the meats and veggies. When it's time to prepare a meal, you simply grab the brown bag and corresponding meat, poultry, or seafood pairing out of the refrigerator, and you'll have everything you need to make a flavorful dinner.
Each meal is individually packed with ingredients such as:
Protein such as, grains, meat, fish and poultry
Organic vegetables — pre-measured and often already sliced and diced
Seasonings
Sauces
Organic fresh herbs
A baking dish for one-pan recipes
Colorful recipe card with step-by-step instructions with photos
Note: Things like oil, butter, salt and pepper are not included, so you'll need to have those on hand if the recipe calls for it.
The Green Chef meals I made and how I liked them
For my first Green Chef box, I chose three dinners: Coconut shrimp soup, chicken fajita tacos with creamy chimichurri and truffle linguine with chicken. I also ordered cinnamon crumb muffins as a breakfast selection and sesame ginger chicken dumplings and Thai basil spring rolls for easy snacks for my boys. Everything was super-flavorful and gobbled up the second it hit the table. The only complaint from all three meals was from my 11-year-old, who said the chimichurri on his fajita was a little too spicy, but I was able to omit that from his second serving. The add-on muffins were pre-made, which was nice.
Other delivery services I have used offer only add-on breakfast selections that require prep and cooking, so to have something to grab and go was a bonus on busy mornings.
The truffle linguine with chicken was especially tasty!
Who Green Chef meal kits are good for
Green Chef is a good option for two or more people living in the same household who follow a specific dietary plan, such as the Mediterranean, Keto or paleo diets, or those looking for healthy, easy-to-prepare, well-rounded organic meals. The meal kits are also great option for people with limited time to prepare meals or who want to take the guesswork out of planning and shopping for meals each week.
Who Green Chef meal kits are not as good for
Green Chef is not good for families with picky eaters or those with multiple food allergies, since you cannot specify the allergens you want to avoid up front. These meal kits are also very pricey, so if you are on a limited budget, there may be better weekly delivery options.
Green Chef packaging and environmental friendliness
I love that Green Chef’s packaging is made from recycled, reusable and/or compostable materials.
Frequently asked questions
What if I need to skip a week?
Skipping a week or two is easy with Green Chef. All you need to do to skip a week is, instead of selecting meals, select the option to skip the week's delivery. All changes must be made 5 days prior to delivery at 11:59 p.m. PST.
Where can I find Green Chef's nutritional information?
Nutritional information for each meal can be viewed online prior to ordering. To view the information, click on the menu selection and then select the option to view the recipe card.
How do Green Chef ingredients stay fresh during shipping?
Each delivery is packaged in isolated materials with frozen gel packaging that is designed to keep your food fresh until the end of the day it is delivered.
Can I recycle Green Chef packaging?
Yes! All Green Chef packaging can be easily recycled, from the cardboard box to the individual paper bags containing each meal's ingredients to the plastic seasoning packets and sauce bottles needed to prepare the meals.
The final verdict on Green Chef
Green Chef offers loads of exciting, flavorful dishes that conform to multiple diets and needs. I would absolutely recommend the company to friends and family. The meal prep is nearly foolproof, and the meals are family-friendly and fun to cook with kids. The only downfall for me was that one delivery arrived completely destroyed, to the point the ingredients were leaking and the box was ripped open. While this was not Green Chef’s fault, it bears mentioning that if the box arrives smashed, you'll find yourself scrambling for meals for that week since a new box cannot be immediately dispatched. Your money will be refunded, but that’s the best that can be done. In another delivery, the packaging holding the shrimp leaked on the other ingredients. While it was messy, it wasn't a deal breaker for me.
Price: $12-$13.50 per serving | Menu/diet choices: 40+ weekly menu selections | Skill level: Intermediate | Taste: 8.5/10
- Organic
- 40+ weekly meal options
- 8 dietary-based options to choose from
- Cannot specify allergies
- Must pay extra for premium meals
