Dinnerly vs. Home Chef Comparison

Dinnerly and Home Chef: A Side-by-Side Overview

Home Chef vs. Dinnerly: Pricing and Plans

Two main differentiators between meal kit delivery services is the way the plans are structured, and the price per serving. 

Plans are typically built based on the number of servings per meal that you need, and the total number of meals per week that you want to receive. This is what determines your price per serving, with the best savings happening when you opt to get more meals per week.

With Dinnerly, you can choose two or four servings per meal, and between two and six meals per week. Home Chef offers a little more flexibility, with up to six servings per meal and six meals per week.

Home Chef Cost

Home Chef’s pricing is on par with most other meal kit services, with the average cost being $9.99 per serving, and recipes ranging up to $11.99 per serving. Good to know: Home Chef has a four-serving minimum on their shipments.

Dinnerly Cost

Dinnerly is focused on affordability, with recipes starting at $4.99 per serving, and ranging up to $8.49 per serving for premium meals or plans with fewer weekly servings.

Shipping Fees

When considering price, you’ll also want to factor in shipping fees. Dinnerly and Home Chef have similar delivery fees, and both offer promotions that include free shipping with your first box.

Dinnerly Shipping Cost

Dinnerly’s shipping fee may vary based on your location and timing of your order, but will not exceed $11.99 per shipment.

Home Chef Shipping Cost

Home Chef’s shipping fees may also vary, but are typically around $10.99.

Discounts and Promotions

Dinnerly and Home Chef both offer discounts and promotions from time to time that can help you save on their meal kits. For instance, when we were researching this article, both brands were offering a multi-box discount, with tiered discounts on a specific number of shipments for new customers. We’ve also seen promotions for free shipping and bonus meals with purchase, so be sure to check for the current deals before placing your order.

Home Chef Coupon

Home Chef runs promotions and coupon codes that allow customers to save on their meal kits and shipping fees. The best place to find these is on the Home Chef website or by signing up for their email list to be notified of upcoming special offers.

Dinnerly Promo Code

Dinnerly also offers frequent promotions and sales, with tiered discounts on multiple boxes, free shipping and other deals. The Dinnerly website is the best place to find promo codes, and you can also sign up for their email list to be notified of upcoming sales and special offers. 

Home Chef Meals vs. Dinnerly Meals: Which is Better?

But let’s be real: What you really came here for is the food. You need to know that there is enough variety to satisfy your family, and flavors and ingredients that will work with your dietary preferences and delight your taste buds. So let’s dive into the menu details for Home Chef and Dinnerly.

Home Chef Menu

Home Chef has such a wide variety of meal categories, and by this we mean classic meal kits, Culinary Collection premium meal kits, express 30-minute meal kits, oven-ready meals, fast and fresh microwaveable meals, and extras like breakfasts, desserts and snacks. You can find these options by using the filters on each week’s menu.

They have a delicious variety of recipes each week as well, with pasta, flatbreads, sheet pan meals, soups and comfort meals the whole family will love. Here are some that caught our eye this week:

• Blackened Mahi-Mahi with Garlic-Shallot Sauce and Asparagus
• Popcorn Chicken and Mashed Potatoes with Cheddar Gravy
• One-Pan Mushroom and Kale Tortellini 

And don’t forget, the “Customize It” tools let you pick the protein that you prefer for most recipes they offer, which is great if you’re working with dietary preferences or have picky eaters in the house.

Dinnerly Menu

Dinnerly is focused on simple ingredients and simple recipes with five steps or less. But that doesn’t mean they come up short on options. In fact, there are more than 100 recipes to choose from each week, including pasta dishes, international-inspired recipes, sheet pan meals, comfort foods like casseroles and burgers, and extras like breakfasts, snacks and desserts.

They also offer recipes with different protein options but you have to search these out, as they are listed as separate menu items rather than one customizable option. 

Dinnerly’s recipes range from healthy to downright decadent. Here are some of our favorites from the menu this week:

• Easy Peas-y Tortelloni Alfredo
• Honey-Chipotle Fried Chicken Tacos
• Low-Carb Sheet Pan Tuscan Chicken

Options for Dietary Preferences

Both Dinnerly and Home Chef offer options for customers with specific dietary requirements and preferences. 

Dinnerly has options for meals that are low-calorie, low-carb, keto-friendly, no added gluten, no added dairy, vegetarian and vegan. Each recipe is tagged appropriately, so it’s easy to find what you’re looking for. You can also adjust your account settings to ensure you only receive meals that are within your preferences. However, Dinnerly’s equipment handles ingredients that contain all of the major allergens, so it may not be suitable for those with severe allergies.

Home Chef also caters to a wide range of dietary needs and preferences, with options for meals that are calorie-conscious, carb-conscious, fresh start (calorie- and carb-conscious plus high protein), keto-friendly, paleo-friendly, gluten-smart, pescatarian and vegetarian. Like Dinnerly, Home Chef’s facilities handle all ingredients and cross-contamination cannot be guaranteed, so these meals will not be suitable for anyone with severe allergies.

Home Chef vs. Dinnerly: Customer Service and Support

Both Dinnerly and Home Chef have a great library of answers to frequently asked questions and helpful articles, though we found Dinnerly’s help section a little easier to navigate. 

When it comes to customer service options, you can contact Dinnerly by phone six days a week or chat with their automated chat service online. 

Home Chef also has an online automated chat service (appropriately named “Herb”), or you can opt to fill out their contact form or chat with customer service by phone seven days a week.

Dinnerly Phone Number

To contact Dinnerly by phone, call 888-267-2850. Dinnerly customer service is available Monday through Saturday.

Home Chef Phone Number

Home Chef’s customer support team is available seven days a week, with shorter hours on Sundays. You can reach them toll-free at 855-949-3049.

The Bottom Line

The secret is out: Dinnerly and Home Chef both have a lot to offer when it comes to features and versatility. So which meal kit service should you choose? It really comes down to what is most important to you. If you’re on a budget or feeding more people, you might want to go with Dinnerly for their budget-friendly pricing and simple, five-step recipes. But if you fancy yourself as more of a foodie, you may prefer Home Chef—their premium meals are more complex and exciting compared to Dinnerly, and they also have options for foodies in a hurry, like oven-ready meals and 30-minute express recipes. And since Home Chef and Dinnerly are both serving up tasty, convenient meal kits delivered right to your door, with a host of great features and support, you’re sure to be satisfied no matter which option you choose.