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Home Chef Meal Delivery Review 2024

Home Chef has been creating easy-to-make, delicious meals since 2013. With 35+ rotating weekly menu items at a starting price of $6.99 per serving, the meal delivery service is a great option for foodies and budget-conscious customers alike.

Every order comes with pre-portioned ingredients for DIY cooking or oven/microwave-ready packaging for quick meals, (plus grocery add-ons like snacks, drinks, and desserts). The meals are customizable down to dietary preferences, preferred proteins, fitness goals, prep-time, and more.

Visit Home Chef ➜New customers get 18 free meals + free delivery


Pros

  • Meals are filterable by dietary needs and health goals
  • Heat-and-eat meals, cook-it-yourself meals, or a mix of both
  • 35+ rotating menu options
  • Meat cuts and individual seafood portions available
  • Free meals, free delivery, and free dessert for life with your first order

Cons

   Heat-and-eat meals can be high in sodium

   Not suitable for those with severe food allergies


Highlights

  • Flavor packed: chef-inspired, well-liked recipes

  • Easy to prepare: most meals can be prepped in under 30 minutes, ('Fresh and Easy' options are ready in seconds)

  • Customizable: avoid common allergens, restrict animal proteins, reduce calories, and more

  • Highly rated: Over 4 million five-star reviews

  • Well priced: meals start at $6.99 per serving, which is cheaper than many comparable services

  • Add-ons: add snacks, desserts, breakfast items, and additional servings of protein to orders



How Does Home Chef Meal Delivery Work?

Home Chef offers a quick and easy approach to meal delivery with cook-it-yourself recipe cards + ingredients and prepared oven- or microwave-ready dishes. Every Home Chef box arrives with eco-friendly packaging organized by recipe.

Recipes include fresh ingredients sourced from local farms, including healthy carbs, proteins, vegetables, fruits, sauces, and seasonings. Every box also comes with step-by-step cooking instructions for easy meal prep, or pre-cooked meals ready to be frozen, refrigerated, or heated.


Home Chef Meals

Every week, Home Chef customers have the option to choose from 35+ meals. The meal list comes with image previews and tags indicating the type of meal: vegetarian, pescatarian, under 625 calories, under 35g carbs, over 30g protein, gluten-smart, keto-friendly, mediterranean, and the length of time required to cook (typically 20 to 35min range).

Further customize your delivery with the 'Customize It' tool that allows you to swap your protein source with alternatives like salmon fillets, antibiotic free chicken breast, shrimp, and more. Oven-ready and microwaveable meals (great for lunches) come with the same meal options and customization features. Plus, you can choose up to 18 extras each week with snacks like muffins, fritattas, bread loaves, salad kits, smoothies, lattes, cookie skillets, and meat add-ons.

Here are some customer-favorites featured on Home Chef's site:

  • Greek-Style Sirloin Steak Salad
    under 625 cal • under 35g carbs • 30g+ protein • keto-friendly • gluten-smart • mediterranean • 15-20min

  • Salmon Cakes w/ Lemon Dill Crema
    pescatarian • 30g+ protein • 45-55min

  • One-Pot Zesty Chicken Chowder
    under 625 calories • under 35g carbs • 30g+ protein • gluten-smart • 25-35min

  • Truffle Parmesan Risotto
    under 625 calories • vegetarian • gluten-smart • 10-15min

  • Salsa Chicken Enchiladas
    30g+ protein • 15-20min


Home Chef Pricing

Pricing starts as low as $6.99 per portion, but new customers can get their meals for less thanks to ongoing discounts. Exact prices vary by shipment size and location. Click here to view the latest new customer discount and learn how much Home Chef costs in your area.


How to Order Home Chef

When you visit the site, you'll be prompted to filter meals right from the start according to your diet preferences. Losing weight? Choose a calorie-conscious meal. Keto? Try a carb-conscious menu. Next, choose the number of servings you'll need per meal (2-, 4-, and 6-serving portions.)

If you just need meals for one, the 2-serving meals can be a great option for meal prepping your week ahead. From here, you can plan your week's delivery from over 30 rotating menu items. Delivery boxes are insulated and chilled with biodegradable cooling gel, keeping your food cold for 6+ hours so there’s no need to rush home for a delivery.


Home Chef Final Thoughts

With over 200 million meals delivered since 2013, Home Chef knows exactly how to make sure every meal is a customer favorite. Thanks to easy-to-use dietary filtering and an impressive supply of meal add-ons, Home Chef is sure to make anyone’s mealtime simple and savory.

Visit Home Chef ➜New customers get 18 free meals + free delivery

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

There are a lot of great new meal delivery options available in the market, with each meal service putting their unique twist on an otherwise tried and true model. If you are looking to maximize convenience, you should consider prepared meal plans such as Factor or Tempo, with meals ready to eat in just 3 minutes. If you enjoy cooking but are tired of food waste and grocery shopping, you should consider meal kits such as Home Chef or Hello Fresh, where you can cook recipes from carefully packed, fresh ingredients within 30 minutes. Most services are accommodating, but meal delivery services aren't made equal when it comes to dietary restrictions. Green Chef and Purple Carrot stand out with the widest range of keto, vegan, and organic options. Other factors you will want to consider include cost per serving, delivery fees, cancellation policy, and menu size and flexibility.
There is a tremendous amount of customization you can make to the meal plans available in the market, which creates an almost endless number of options to choose from. The first decision you will need to make is whether you prefer a meal kit plan, where you cook with fresh ingredients, or a prepared meal plan, where your meal prep starts with a partially or fully cooked meal. The next factor you will want to consider is the diet type, with common options including meat, seafood, vegetarian, keto, gluten-free, and more. After you have chosen your meal plan and diet, your plan will be customized based on the number of mouths to feed, the number of meals you want per week, shipping dates, and more.
Prepared meals come in pre-packaged, individual servings that can be popped into the oven or microwave for a quick meal. Meal kits come with pre-measured ingredients and recipe instructions that are simple to follow. In both cases, your meals will be shipped in a well packaged box with an ice pack to keep ingredients fresh until they make it into your fridge.
Meal kits will provide you with pre-measured ingredients that you can quickly cook into a fresh meal. Ingredients will come in individually packaged bags or containers and a recipe card with detailed cooking instructions. Most meal kit recipes can be cooked from start to finish in 30 minutes. On the other hand, prepared meal delivery services will have done some, or all, of the prep work for you to make your cooking as efficient as possible. Some prepared meals can be cooked in the microwave and some will require a few minutes in the oven or stove. In any case, prepared meals are generally ready to eat in less than 5 minutes. Whether you choose a meal kit or a prepared meal, you can expect chef-inspired dishes made with fresh ingredients.