Is Green Chef Worth It? A Registered Dietitian Put These Popular Meal Kits To The Test

Meal kit delivery services offer convenient and often creative food choices for homemade meals, without the hassle of searching for the perfect recipe or winding your way through hectic grocery store aisles. There are a ton of options to sift through, but Green Chef stands out for being one of the few certified organic meal delivery services. For this review, I put a week's worth of Green Chef meals to the test to find out whether this meal delivery service is truly worth it.

Green Chef is a certified-organic meal kit delivery service. Acquired by HelloFresh in 2018, it's committed to minimizing its environmental impact while also encouraging people to make more meals at home with minimal food waste.

The price of a Green Chef box depends on your chosen number of meals (two to four) and portions of those meals (two to six). The cost per serving ranges from about $12 to $14, and each box has a flat shipping fee of $9.99.

When you register, you will be automatically enrolled for weekly delivery. Once your account is active, you can edit your delivery to every other week or once a month. From there, you can always skip weeks at any time if needed.

Depending on your typical dining or grocery shopping bill, a subscription may be on par with what you're already spending on food. While it's certainly more convenient than grocery shopping, chopping, and measuring, it may not save you money. Per serving, Green Chef is a more expensive option than some affordable meal delivery services, such as its parent company, HelloFresh. 

While you're setting up your account, you can select up to six dietary preferences. You'll always have access to all 30 weekly recipes, but your preferences will ensure that you see the most relevant recipes first. If things change, you can access and update your preferences at any time in your account settings.  

Green Chef ships ingredients in insulated boxes, with each meal packaged together in individual brown paper bags. The meat is stored on its own, under an ice pack. 

I was not home at the time my box was delivered, and was happy to find that the ice and insulation kept everything chilled, fresh, and safe. To avoid having your box out for too long, you can select the day of the week for your box to be delivered. Just know, options will vary depending on where you live.   

I don't have any allergies, intolerances, or restrictions when it comes to food, and I don't follow a specific diet. My primary goal when it comes to constructing my plate is to have a balanced amount of vegetables, protein (aim for 100+ grams per day!), and complex carbs. 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed all three dinner options. Each meal was easy to prepare, even though I had to use multiple pans for each. The recipe instructions detailed what to do and when, so all meal components were ready to be assembled and served at the same time. 

Not all meal kits have pre-portioned components, but with Green Chef the ingredients were diced, chopped, and measured—saving me significant prep time. I was also impressed by the sauces that came with some of the meals. The lemon crema sauce for the chicken was rich and tart, keeping the chicken breast moist (which isn't always easy). The miso-tahini sauce offered a nuttiness to the cauliflower & couscous bowl and left me wishing I could buy a bottle to have on hand. 

The Sunny Southwest Beef Patties tasted delicious, with flavors I never would have thought to combine. This and the Roasted Chicken meal were relatively low on net carbs, each with the carbohydrate component coming from root vegetables. I've been (albeit somewhat unintentionally) eating lower-carb meals for dinner and was pleased to find that the recipes didn't rely on grains as a base. 

Each dinner recipe was still just as tasty when reheated for lunch the following day, which is good news for anyone who is deterred by the thought of leftovers. 

I'm usually a big pancake lover, but the Keto Cinnamon Ricotta Pancakes just didn't do it for me. The ricotta cheese and crème fraiche made the pancakes quite dense, and the almond flour didn't allow for as smooth a batter as I prefer. Someone following a strict keto diet or who is more accustomed to baking with almond flour may enjoy this recipe more than I did.

On its website, Green Chef proudly displays that it is the No. 1 Sustainable Meal Kit, but what does that mean? Meal delivery kits have a reputation for not being the most environmentally friendly option, but this brand makes a dedicated effort to prioritize sustainability.

Green Chef offsets 100% of its carbon emissions and plastic packing in every box, resulting in a carbon footprint that the brand says is 25% lower than that of typical at-home meals. Most of the packaging is recyclable, including the box, insulation, ice packs, and paper bags (with some caveats).  

Green Chef was also the first USDA-certified organic meal kit company. As mentioned, the produce and eggs are all organic, and the proteins are sourced from farms that meet Green Chef's animal welfare standards. 

Green Chef does not allow you to customize your meal plan for food preferences or allergies, and all ingredients are processed in the same facility. While safe food handling policies are in place, if you have a severe food allergy or sensitivity, you may prefer a meal service that accounts for your unique needs.