Green Chef impressed me with its extensive menu options, quality ingredients, and flexibility for different dietary needs. It caters to a range of specialized diets, with plans tailored for keto, plant-based, Mediterranean, gluten-free (properly certified), and more. You can mix and match between plans, there’s a great range of add-ons available each week, and there are always a few ready-made meals on the menu.
The globally inspired menu suits adventurous tastes, and with 40+ main options each week, there’s ample choice (though if you’re exclusively vegan, there’s less variety). There’s no customization for individual recipes either, which may pose a challenge for those with multiple food sensitivities beyond gluten, although you can always make swaps at home.
Each time I’ve tested this service, I’ve been impressed by the freshness and quality of the ingredients. Organic produce costs more, but I could taste the difference compared to similar, non-organic competitors. Green Chef’s recipe cards and detailed instructions make meal prep straightforward, though I found prep times occasionally exceeded the estimates. Some of the packaging is eco-conscious, though for a company with green in its name, I’d like to see less plastic overall, particularly around non-perishable items.
Overall, Green Chef is a premium service that justifies its price with high-quality ingredients, convenience, and some of the tastiest meals I’ve ever made from a meal kit service. While it costs more than budget options like HelloFresh, I found the investment worthwhile, especially for home cooks prioritizing top-quality ingredients.
Green Chef’s plans cover 8 categories catering to different dietary needs.
These include:
Green Chef now includes a few prepared meals on its menu each week that are ready in just 3 minutes. While most of its meal kits still take 30-40 minutes to cook and prepare, the Quick & Easy options can be on the table in 25 minutes or less. For an even faster fix, there are also a few 10-minute lunch recipes available.
Green Chef’s minimum order is 3 meals for 2 people, but you can order up to 4 meals serving 6 people per week. While this is great for large families, Green Chef meals may be a tough sell for picky eaters. However, my picky daughter was brave enough to taste (and enjoy) the Creamy Mushroom Truffle Linguine dish.
The recipes cover a lot of culinary ground, with dishes inspired by global cuisines. There’s everything from Asian stir-fries to Middle Eastern rice bowls and even classic American meatloaves.
Green Chef also offers add-on items like breakfast entrees, juices, protein shakes, and bulk protein packs. There’s even the option to add Factor Form supplements (Green Chef and Factor both have the same parent company). The selection of add-ons is currently very good, with around 50 options every week.
You can choose from all 40+ recipes on the menu, but your options are narrower if you need to stick rigidly to a specific plan. For example, the week I checked, there were 11 Calorie Smart recipes, but only 6 vegan and 6 vegetarian (Veggie) recipes. However, you can increase the number of vegan/vegetarian recipes with a few simple swaps.
For example, you can make Green Chef’s Pork with Cherry BBQ Sauce vegetarian by swapping the pork filet with tofu for no extra charge.