Are you struggling to handle meal planning, grocery shopping, and making dinner on top of your busy schedule? Meal delivery services can help by providing new recipes made from pre-portioned, fresh ingredients that arrive straight to your door each week.
HelloFresh and Home Chef are two of the most well-known options for these ready-to-make meals. While they are similar, there are some key differences to be aware of.
Our HelloFresh vs. Home Chef guide discusses what to consider when comparing the two services.
Table of Contents
How Does HelloFresh Compare to Home Chef?
HelloFresh and Home Chef are two middle-of-the-road meal delivery services. Home Chef is owned by grocery leader Kroger, and HelloFresh is one of the biggest players in the space.
We thoroughly tested both companies and compared them on the following criteria:
- Price: Between HelloFresh and Home Chef, which meal delivery subscription service offers the lowest price per serving?
- Specialty diets: Is either meal kit delivery service a better fit for people with specific dietary restrictions or dietary needs, like people with food allergies, vegetarians, or pescatarians? What about people who eat whole grains or are on keto, paleo or vegan diets?
- Add-ons: Which meal kit company offers a wider variety of add-ons, such as premium meals, side dishes, breakfasts, lunch kits, and desserts?
- Packaging: Does one offer more convenient or eco-friendly packaging?
- Preparation ease: Which meal delivery service has simpler dishes, with easy-to-follow instructions and minimal prep time?
- Supporting materials: Which meal kit service provides more detailed, helpful recipe cards for novice chefs?
- Taste: Which of these meal kits has the best-tasting meal choices, with a variety of recipes on their weekly menu, including kid-friendly meals, homestyle meals, comfort food, healthy meals, and more?
- Customer service: Does one of these meal delivery kits have better customer service? Which makes it easier to edit or cancel your order?
Here’s how HelloFresh and Home Chef compare.
HelloFresh vs. Home Chef: Cost
HelloFresh and Home Chef are similar in price. Compared to more expensive meal kits, both provide a good value.
Meals from HelloFresh start at $7.49 per serving for their larger boxes but cost $12.49 per serving for their smallest box. Shipping is a flat $8.99 per order. Occasionally, they may offer promos for new customers.
| Servings Per Week | Total Cost with Shipping |
|---|---|
| 2 people, 2 recipes per week | $58.95 |
| 2 people, 3 recipes per week | $62.93 |
| 2 people, 4 recipes per week | $80.91 |
| 2 people, 5 recipes per week | $98.89 |
| 2 people, 6 recipes per week | $116.87 |
| 4 people, 2 recipes per week | $80.91 |
| 4 people, 3 recipes per week | $98.87 |
| 4 people, 4 recipes per week | $128.83 |
| 4 people, 5 recipes per week | $158.79 |
| 4 people, 6 recipes per week | $188.75 |
Home Chef meals range from $8.99 per serving for their largest box to $11.99 per serving for their smallest box. Shipping is $7.99. Right now, new users can get $10 off of their second order.
| Servings Per Week | Total Cost with Shipping |
|---|---|
| 4 servings (2 people, 2 recipes) | $49.95 |
| 6 servings (2 people, 3 recipes) | $61.93 |
| 8 servings (2 people, 4 recipes or 4 people, 2 recipes) | $79.91 |
| 10 servings (2 people, 5 recipes) | $97.89 |
| 12 servings (2 ppl, 6 recipes or 4 ppl, 3 recipes or 6 ppl, 2 recipes) | $115.87 |
| 16 servings (4 people, 4 recipes) | $151.83 |
| 18 servings (6 people, 3 recipes) | $169.81 |
| 20 servings (4 people, 5 recipes) | $187.79 |
| 24 servings (4 people, 6 recipes or 6 people, 4 recipes) | $223.75 |
| 30 servings (6 people, 5 recipes) | $277.69 |
| 36 servings (6 people, 6 recipes) | $331.63 |
Based on their pricing, HelloFresh provides the most value for larger orders, while Home Chef is more cost-effective for smaller orders.
Winner: Tie
*Related: Are you looking for more affordable meal delivery kits? Try our free quiz to identify the best choice for your needs.
Home Chef vs. HelloFresh: Specialty Diets
HelloFresh and Home Chef are both made for families without specific dietary needs, but they do offer limited options for certain diets.
For example, HelloFresh offers fit & wholesome, veggie and pescatarian options. It has also started offering some meals with organic ingredients.
Home Chef has calorie-conscious and carb-conscious options, along with one or two vegetarian selections each week.
They both offer healthy recipes with some whole-grain options. However, HelloFresh is a better fit for specific dietary needs.
People with food allergies or diets like keto or paleo may want to consider Green Chef. If you are vegan and want a fully plant-based menu, consider Purple Carrot.
Winner: HelloFresh
HelloFresh vs. Home Chef: Add-Ons
HelloFresh and Home Chef both offer premium meals. These meals contain better ingredients, like steak, shrimp, or unique vegetables. Keep in mind that these do cost extra.
Both also have customizable plans that allow you to swap out certain proteins or sides to make meals that are a better fit for your family.
However, Home Chef offers several other add-ons, including side dishes, meal bundles, dessert options, and snacks. This makes the service one of the best at-home meal kits for add-ons.
Winner: Home Chef
Home Chef vs. HelloFresh: Packaging
I was pleased with both HelloFresh and Home Chef when it came to packaging.
Both utilized lots of recyclable or reusable materials and organized ingredients by recipe for easier meal prep.
However, HelloFresh’s packaging uses less plastic. Additionally, my Home Chef box came with an excessive number of ice packs, which would become overwhelming week after week.
Winner: HelloFresh
HelloFresh vs. Home Chef: Preparation Ease
HelloFresh and Home Chef’s standard offerings take about 30 minutes to prepare. They both also offer quick meals that come together in 15 minutes or less thanks to pre-prepped ingredients.
However, Home Chef offers a larger selection of these kinds of recipes and makes it easier to find them. They have Oven-Ready meals that come in oven-safe containers and are ready to cook.
They also have Express meals that come together in 15 minutes, as well as Fast & Fresh meals that can be microwaved or heated in the oven.
Winner: Home Chef
Home Chef vs. HelloFresh: Supporting Materials
Home Chef and HelloFresh both send high-quality, full-color recipe cards with step-by-step photos.
These recipe cards make it easy for novice chefs to follow along and learn. They even offer supporting materials (like serving tips and nutrition facts) on the cards.
Winner: Tie
HelloFresh vs. Home Chef: Taste
I loved the HelloFresh and Home Chef meals I tried. In fact, I think my true favorite would probably vary from week to week depending on what was on the menu.
However, the Home Chef meals I tried won out over HelloFresh. My whole family loved the flavors. The Crunchy Wonton Chicken and Spicy Gochujang Aioli was one of the best meal kit meals we’ve ever had.
We enjoyed our HelloFresh meals as well. The Chimichurri Pork Tenderloin was excellent, and the homemade chimichurri sauce was easy to make yet packed with flavor.
Both offered generous portion sizes and let you customize your meals by swapping out proteins or side dishes.
However, HelloFresh offers a much larger selection of recipes per week.
Some recent menu options from HelloFresh include:
- Shrimp & Spinach Ricotta Ravioli
- Turkey, Apricot & Chickpea Tagine
- Homestyle Turkey & Biscuit Pot Pie
A few recent weekly meal options from the Home Chef menu include:
- Queso Fundido Beef Meatballs
- Apple Cider Chicken
- Baked French Onion Penne
Read our HelloFresh review to learn more.
Read our Home Chef review to learn more.
Winner: Home Chef
Home Chef vs. HelloFresh: Customer Service
I didn’t have to contact customer service when trying Home Chef or HelloFresh. Both companies made it easy to edit or cancel my order online.
They also have apps where you can easily make changes to your subscription or access recipes in case you lose your cards.
Overall, I was pleased with both services in this regard.
Winner: Tie
What’s the Difference Between Home Chef and HelloFresh?
Choosing a meal kit company can be challenging. But, in our testing of Home Chef vs. HelloFresh, Home Chef was the victor.
Here’s how we ranked Home Chef and HelloFresh:
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best price | Tie |
| Best for specialty diets | HelloFresh |
| Best add-ons | Home Chef |
| Best packaging | HelloFresh |
| Best prep | Home Chef |
| Best supporting materials | Tie |
| Best taste | Home Chef |
| Best customer service | Tie |
As an alternative to HelloFresh, Home Chef offers more convenient meal options and a larger selection of add-on items.
However, it’s worth mentioning that HelloFresh has better packaging and could be a better fit for some dietary needs.
Nevertheless, both services are moderately priced and offer a variety of delicious meals for families and couples. It could be worth trying both options to see which one is a better fit for you.
Bottom Line
Meal delivery subscription services can be a great way to save time while still getting a healthy and tasty meal on the table for dinner.
Home Chef and HelloFresh are two excellent options, especially if your family doesn’t have specific dietary needs.
They both provide a good value compared to more expensive meal kit services and feature menus with a variety of kid-friendly, convenient recipes.
Depending on your household’s needs, one may be a better fit than the other. Regardless, they are helpful meal delivery services for families to include in their meal planning.
What do you look for when selecting a meal delivery service?
SaVanna is a registered dietitian, freelance writer, and recipe developer. She’s a regular contributor for Healthline Nutrition and Greatist, and she blogs about low carb meal planning at SaVannaShoemaker.com. When she’s not writing about food and nutrition, she’s brainstorming ways to make meals that are inexpensive, kid friendly, tasty, and healthy.
Leave a Reply