GreenChef Meal Delivery Review

About Green Chef

Green Chef is a USDA-certified organic meal delivery service that provides convenient and healthy choices. Like most other meal kit options, they offer a changing weekly menu of easy-to-execute, chef-crafted recipes. But what sets them apart from other meal delivery companies is their commitment to eating and living green. 

Green Chef meals are sourced from the farm and delivered to your doorstep in eco-friendly packaging. Their ingredients are comprised of entirely certified organic foods including fresh produce, eggs and proteins raised with high animal welfare standards. They work with local family farms and craft economies to source sustainable, top-quality, organic ingredients that are free of GMOs, pesticides and antibiotics. 

They also cater to dietary preferences that not all meal delivery services can, like keto, vegan, vegetarian, Mediterranean, and gluten-free meal plans that can help you stay focused on your dietary needs and health goals. 

You’ll also get the benefit of largely prepped, pre-measured components including homemade marinades and sauces. Most Green Chef recipes can be prepared in roughly half an hour so you can enjoy creative meals, with organic ingredients and less prep. 

Finally, Green Chef may also help reduce your carbon footprint. They reduce waste and minimize the environmental impact of their service by offsetting 100 percent of their carbon emissions from operations and shipping and using completely recyclable, reusable or compostable packaging. 

Green Chef Meals: Serving Sizes and Nutritional Information

Green Chef portion sizes are tailored to meet the daily recommended values for each individual based on their dietary preferences. They give detailed nutritional information for each recipe so you can easily track your daily intake of calories, fat, protein, carbohydrates and more. They are also transparent about important information regarding allergens in each recipe and additional potential allergen exposure in the production facility. 

As you would expect from a meal delivery service, Green Chef makes it easy to eat healthy meals without sacrificing taste or convenience. With pre-measured ingredients and detailed nutritional information for each recipe, you can be sure that you’re getting the right amount of nutrients every time you cook Green Chef meals.

Shipping and Delivery 

Green Chef ships to most of the United States, excluding Hawaii and Alaska. You have some freedom to choose which weekday you want your boxes delivered, depending on where you live. But all boxes are delivered Monday through Saturday between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., unless you choose shipping to a commercial address, in which case your box will arrive before 5 p.m. You won’t need to sign for your box, so if you’re not home to receive it, that’s ok. The insulated packaging will ensure it stays fresh until you arrive at the end of the day. 

Green initiatives that minimize the environmental impact of their service are an important part of the Green Chef mission and the eco-friendly packaging used in their deliveries is one of their unique selling points. All of their packaging is made from recycled, recyclable, reusable and/or compostable materials. From recycled and recyclable cardboard and paper to recyclable low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plastics and plant-based ClimaCell insulation. 

It’s important to note that shipping is not free as part of the standard subscription. They charge a flat shipping and handling fee of $8.99 per box, which is added to the total cost of each box.

Green Chef also provides excellent customer support and delivery tracking so you can keep up with your order every step of the way. You can contact their customer service team via email, chat or phone if you have any questions about your order or need assistance with anything else related to their service.

Green Chef Price, Discounts and Deals

Green Chef offers several plans at varying prices to fit your lifestyle and budget. The “most popular” two-person plan for four meals per week costs $12.99 per serving. The “best value” four-person plan provides four meals per week at $11.99 per serving. The highest price per serving is $13.49 if you choose the minimum plan with three meals per week for two people. The lowest possible price is $11.99 per serving.

There are offers, promotions and discounts that are available throughout the year that provide incentives to give them a try. Those may include free introductory shipping or a percentage off your first shipment or even your first few boxes. Right now, we have access to an exclusive Green Chef promo for $250 off throughout your first five boxes.

When you sign up for Green Chef, your subscription automatically renews every week, however, there is an option to schedule orders every two or four weeks instead. You can easily manage your subscription online or through their app to skip weeks, change your plan, or cancel at any time before your weekly deadline.

About Green Chef

The Green Chef meal delivery service was founded in 2014, and is based in Colorado. They have differentiated themselves in the meal delivery space with their specialty diet options and their focus on organic foods. According to their website and various interviews, Green Chef is the first organic certified meal delivery service. As a certified organic company they buy certified ingredients from suppliers that maintain a strict list of approved ingredients, undergo annual compliance inspections, require documentation of organic practices, and provide guidelines for protecting the soil ecology and water quality. 

Their commitment to green living isn’t just limited to the food they source and deliver, in addition to eco-friendly packaging that is entirely recyclable, reusable and/or compostable, they also work to offset 100 percent of their carbon emissions from operations, including the shipment of every single box.

Green Chef Customer Service

Green Chef strives to provide excellent customer service and support. Their team is available seven days a week via phone or email to answer any questions you may have about their products or services. They also offer an online FAQ section for quick answers on common topics such as ordering, delivery, payment, and more.

Calls can be made to (888) 236-7295, Monday-Friday, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. EST, and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST on weekends. Online chat can be used seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST or email anytime at [email protected].

How Does Green Chef Compare to Other Top Meal Delivery Services?

So how does Green Chef compare to other top meal delivery services like Sunbasket and Hello Fresh? We’ll take a closer look. 

Green Chef vs Sunbasket

Sunbasket and Green Chef have a great deal in common. Like other meal kit services, they both deliver easy-to-cook, chef-crafted recipes and fresh ingredients directly to your door. 

But what sets them both apart from others is their emphasis on healthy eating through farm-sourced organic ingredients and eco-friendly business practices. Both meal delivery companies are solid choices if greener living is important to you.

There are some subtle differences between them, though. Sunbasket, at this point, has only achieved the status of providing mostly organic ingredients while Green Chef bills itself as entirely organic with the only caveat, noted in their recipes, as “you will be notified in the occasion that we need to substitute a non-organic ingredient.”

Sunbasket is also working toward making its packaging completely recyclable or compostable, while Green Chef has achieved 100 percent recyclability, reusability and compostability for their shipping materials.

As far as their food choices, Green Chef offers a few additional weekly meal kit choices with 30 recipes on their menu. Sunbasket only lists around 20 meal kit recipes for the week. However, Sunbasket also offers 10 to 15 additional “Fresh & Ready” meals that are fully prepared and can be microwaved or baked in minutes. Green Chef does not offer prepared meals. 

In terms of meal plans, there is a lot of overlap, but Sunbasket has a few choices that Green Chef does not, specifically Paleo, Diabetes-Friendly, Carb-Conscious and Pescatarian. With Sunbasket, you can also mix and match recipes from their full menu at any time to customize your delivery. 

Finally, when it comes to pricing, Sunbasket has the edge over Green Chef as their average cost per serving is lower than Green Chef’s. But if you want to ensure you only receive organic ingredients, as opposed to mostly organic, Green Chef is the better choice.

Green Chef vs Hello Fresh

This is a particularly interesting comparison because Hello Chef acquired Green Chef in 2018 to expand their range of offerings. With Green Chef as a subsidiary, Hello Fresh can offer certified organic ingredients, and specialty plans for keto and gluten-free diets. 

Founded in Berlin, Germany, in 2011, Hello Fresh has since expanded to become a worldwide company operating in 10 countries with offices in New York, Berlin, London, Amsterdam, Zurich, Sydney and Toronto.

With over a decade in the market, HelloFresh has grown to be the world’s leading meal kit company, with perhaps the largest market share of all the most popular meal kit services. 

Both offer a wide variety of meals with different dietary options and flavors, but there are some key differences between the two. Hello Fresh offers more mainstream recipes that appeal to a wider range of eaters with significantly more recipes to choose from each week than Green Chef. 

Green Chef is known for its organic ingredients, which come from sustainable sources and are free from pesticides and other chemicals. They also cater to more specialty diets on their menus, with options for vegan, gluten-free and keto diets. The downside is that Green Chef tends to be more expensive than Hello Fresh.

Green Chef sends largely pre-prepped sauces, dressings and spice blends, but there may be some preparation required. Hello Fresh may also have some prepared ingredients and prepared meals, but the standard meal kits for both services may involve some basic peeling, chopping and dicing. 

The biggest differences between the two lie in the nature of the ingredients, the meal plan options and the cost. Green Chef has a focus on organic ingredients that Hello Fresh does not. While Hello Fresh offers recipes that are Mediterranean, Carb-smart, Calorie, Smart and Protein Smart with plans that are pescatarian and vegetarian, they do not have dedicated plans for vegan, gluten-free or keto diets. Finally, the “most popular” Hello Fresh plan (three meals a week, for two people) starts at $9.99/per serving. The same plan at Green Chef (three meals a week, for two people) is $13.48/per serving. But if certified organic ingredients and a specialized diet are priorities for you, the extra cost may be worth it. It really just depends on what you’re looking for when it comes to nutrition and pricing.

Bottom Line: Why We Love It

Green Chef offers everything you’ve come to expect from a meal delivery service, including fresh ingredients, easy-to-follow, chef-crafted recipes, convenient deliveries and the flexibility to change your plan as it suits your lifestyle. 

What makes Green Chef extra special is their commitment to green living and making it more accessible to everyone. That mission makes them one of the strongest options available if you want to use a meal delivery service while eating organic, sustainable, farm-sourced ingredients and minimizing your impact on the planet. 

Additionally, their variety of meal plans with a focus on specific dietary preferences makes them a great choice to help you stick to your health goals while experimenting with new recipes and flavors.