Home Chef and HelloFresh are two of the most popular meal delivery services on the market.
They both offer a variety of menu options and allow you to customize your meals to some extent.
But how do they compare when it comes to price, convenience, and quality?
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at Home Chef and HelloFresh to see how they stack up against each other.
Pros and Cons Of Home Chef and HelloFresh
Pros and Cons Of Home Chef
Pros
- Creative meals
- Rotating weekly menus with 20+ recipe options
- Convenient packaging
- Simple and easy-to-follow recipe cards
- Satisfying and delicious meals
Cons
- Unsuitable for those with food allergies
- Excessive plastic packaging
- Expensive
Pros and Cons Of HelloFresh
Pros
- A variety of easy-to-prepare, delicious meals
- Pescatarian, vegetarian, and reduced-calorie meal plans available
- High-quality ingredients
- Pre-measured ingredients help save time
- Recyclable packaging
Cons
- Long cooking time
- Not suitable for keto or vegan diets
- High shipping costs
Pricing Comparison
| Number of People | Home Chef Price Per Serving | HelloFresh Price Per Serving |
| 2 | $7.49 (+$9.99 shipping) | $11.99 (+$9.99 shipping) |
| 4 | $9.49 (+$9.99 shipping) | $9.49 (+$9.99 shipping) |
Home Chef and HelloFresh both provide sliding scale meal plans, but Home Chef takes it a step further by allowing you to purchase meals to serve up to six people per week.
Home Chef charges per meal, which does not change if you purchase extra serves per package.
HelloFresh has a set-price plan, with portion costs varying depending on the number of people and the number of meals consumed each week.
So, although Home Chef’s meals start at $6.99 per serving, these meals are mostly salads in essence.
Otherwise, you’re looking at a serving price of roughly $9.99. Home Chef also has some delectable-looking gourmet options, but they are slightly pricey.
In comparison, HelloFresh’s prices begin at $7.99 per serving, based on a weekly order of four or more meals for four people.
However, you will be charged a $9.99 fixed shipping fee, increasing your total to $137.83 per week.
For the same amount of food, you’ll pay roughly $108 per week at Home Chef, plus the same $9.99 delivery.
While HelloFresh allows you to choose from six different menu choices when you sign up, Home Chef allows you to exclude certain ingredients or take their quiz.
Both methods of picking meal plans are great, but we prefer Home Chef’s varied approach and extra options.
Home Chef offers discounts to health care professionals, teachers, and students, whereas HelloFresh offers discounts to veterans, military, and students.
There are also first-time discounts available, where users can receive a particular amount off spread out over a specified number of boxes.
Home Chef wins this round.
Although HelloFresh is more affordable for families with four members, Home Chef is less expensive for households with fewer members and offers a weekly plan for an extra six members.
Also Know How Much Do Meal Delivery Services Cost?
Meal Choices
Both Home Chef and HelloFresh give you the option of going with their recommended selection, which is tailored to the preferences set during the sign-up process.
You can also edit the weekly menu to pick the recipes that catch your eye. Both Home Chef and HelloFresh do an excellent job at “guessing” what meals you’ll enjoy.
Meal Choices of Home Chef
Home Chef provides a quiz for new customers to help the company determine the type of service you would like.
After you complete your quiz, you can customize your meal kit by selecting the Home Chef box, which includes a pre-portioned item recipe with recipe cards, or even the Fresh and Easy option, which includes a no-prep meal alternative.
There are over 20 meals on the Home Chef menu each week, including vegetarian, carb-friendly, and calorie-conscious options.
You can purchase two to six meals every week, each of which comprises two, four, or six servings.
You can also design your own personalized meal plan by selecting recipes from the whole menu.
Meal Choices of HelloFresh
When you sign up for HelloFresh, the service will ask you for a food preference, such as veggie, meat and veggies, family-friendly, quick and easy, pescetarian, or calorie smart.
HelloFresh will create recipes based on your preferences, which you may then edit in the same way that Home Chef allows you to.
A typical weekly menu offers around 35 options across all categories, including those with seafood alternatives, animal proteins, and vegetarian meals.
If you’d like to add some extras to your meal plan, you may choose from six proteins, a breakfast item, and two desserts, grains, pasta, and seasonal goodies like pecan pie bits and pumpkin cinnamon buns.
Quality
In terms of quality, both Home Chef and HelloFresh use fresh, pre-portioned ingredients to make it easy for even the novice cook to follow along.
Home Chef’s menu consists largely of traditional American cuisine, with some somewhat more adventurous options such as Teriyaki-Lime Ahi Tuna and Cajun Shrimp Tacos.
HelloFresh, on the other hand, serves largely American dishes with a few global-inspired entrées like Garlic Couscous and Chimichurri Barramundi with Lemony Carrots.
Flavor, Freshness & Quality of Home Chef
Most of Home Chef’s menu items, such as chicken Kyiv and steak in a bordelaise sauce with potato gratin, would be quite appealing to those looking for nostalgic Americana food and basic comforts.
A few menu items, like the Mediterranean-style steak strip wraps with tzatziki, have some foreign influences, but even those have recognizable flavors that are evocative of a fajita with a spin.
The chicken Kyiv is a hit with both adults and children.
The steak and bordelaise sauce are delicious, but the dish is very traditional “meat and potatoes,” so for a more rounded family meal, consider adding an extra non-starchy vegetable.
The oven-ready steak strip wraps couldn’t be simpler, and they’re also a great meal for the whole family to enjoy.
Flavor, Freshness & Quality of HelloFresh
Despite all of the effort and time, the majority of HelloFresh’s meals are delicious.
The chicken dish is tasty and juicy, and we liked how the lemon added a vibrant note to the meal.
The sesame soy beef bowls were one of our favorite meals. The sweet beef, sticky rice, and carrots were delicious, and the sriracha mayo topping was just spicy enough.
You may come across a few meals that could use a little extra flavor. For example, the garlic bread is bland and dry, and it could have used more garlic and oil.
The pecan-crusted trout (steelhead trout) is flavorful and appetizing, although it has a somewhat fishy odor.
Takeaway Experience
When dealing with a meal delivery service, the actual delivery is important to consider.
If the packaging is not insulated or the ice packs are not frozen, the food will not stay fresh.
Additionally, some meal delivery services are known to deliver late, which can ruin your plans for the night.
Home Chef’s Takeaway Experience
When it comes to Home Chef, each item is packaged in a cardboard box made partly from recycled cardboard and lined with recycled cotton and denim.
The insulated liner is completely recyclable, although it may need to be disassembled in order to separate the film from the liner filling. In addition, you can recycle the box at the curb.
The package includes ice packs that can be reused or split open, emptied, and reused with other plastic.
The proteins for the meal package are vacuum sealed and packaged in a plastic bag together.
All premeasured meal ingredients are packed separately in plastic bags and then put together per meal in a resealable plastic bag, making it very simple to see what is inside.
Read Detailed Home Chef Review
HelloFresh’s Takeaway Experience
When compared to other companies, HelloFresh does an excellent job with packaging.
Ingredients are delivered in insulated boxes containing ice packs to keep them safe and cool for many hours.
As a result, there’s no need to be worried if your package comes while you’re at work or out doing errands.
The ingredients for each meal, except for meats, are neatly wrapped in paper bags within the insulated cooler.
The meats lie below the bags, separated from the rest of the meal by cardboard and ice packs.
The recipe cards are kept outside the insulated liner to avoid wetness.
Though meal kits generally include some single-serve plastic, we found HelloFresh to be one of the most environmentally friendly companies, including recyclable ice packs and cooler bags.
Read Detailed HelloFresh Review
Customer Service
Customer service is important to consider when choosing a meal delivery service.
If there are any issues with the food, delivery, or account, it is important to know that the company will be responsive and helpful.
Customer Service of Home Chef
In terms of customer service, Home Chef has a comprehensive FAQ section, phone support, and an online submission form.
Most customers receive a Zendesk message receipt in their emails immediately after submitting a form.
Actual responses take 24 hours but are certainly worth the wait.
Customer Service of HelloFresh
Customer service options at HelloFresh include a comprehensive FAQ section, live chat, and phone support.
Customers who used the phone option said they were instantly connected with friendly representatives.
HelloFresh also has a helpful, clear, and user-friendly app. It allows you to place or modify your weekly orders, check nutritional information, and find any recipe.
Final Verdict
Both Home Chef and HelloFresh are great meal delivery services that offer delicious food and easy-to-follow recipes.
Home Chef is a good choice for those who prefer classic American comfort food, while HelloFresh is a better option for those who want to try something new.
Overall, we think Home Chef is the better meal delivery service because of its wide variety of menu options, easy-to-follow recipes, and eco-friendly packaging.
Amit has always been interested in food and nutrition. After completing his high school certification, he spent half a decade trying multiple meal delivery services. He was impressed with the quality of the food but was disappointed by the lack of information available to help people make the best choices for their health.
Before starting MealDeliveryService.org, Amit worked for multiple Meal Delivery Companies. He knows first-hand what people are looking for in a meal delivery service and is passionate about helping others make healthy choices for their families.