So, you’ve been looking at meal kit delivery companies and your search has brought you to the point where you’ve narrowed it down to two choices. It’s the battle of Home Chef Vs Hello Fresh, and you want to know all the nitty-gritty details of what sets these two apart.
One reason people like you turn to meal kit delivery service is because they long for simplicity. At Home Chef, simplicity is their mantra. They focus on simple, fresh ingredients that can be transformed into simply delicious meals with a minimal time and effort.
Hello Fresh is one of the more well-known meal kit delivery services. Like Home Chef, they’re all about simplifying your life by making meal time easier, less stressful, and more delicious without time spent meal planning, shopping, and then preparing meals every night.
Both Hello Fresh and Home Chef have pros and cons. Let’s start by taking a closer look at each.
Table of Contents
Home Chef
Pros
- Choose a plan or choose your meals
- Flexibility in choosing meals that fit your budget
- Answer simple questions to help Home Chef guide your choices
- Choose from lifestyle categories - like slow cooker meals or ready in 15 meals
- Home Chef has an easy to use app to enhance your experience
- Products are available in some retail locations
Cons
- Cost of meals is highly dependent on the meal plan chosen
- Home Chef isn’t upfront about shipping costs
- You need supply contact information before really being able to browse their site
- Limited meal options compared to Hello Fresh
Hello Fresh
Pros
- An economical option, with a slight discount when ordering more portions
- Shipping is a flat rate with no hidden charges
- A larger selection of meal options
- Meals include world cuisines and unique flavor profiles
- Easy to skip weeks if you want to take a break or go on vacation
Cons
- Payment is processed before choosing meals
- While offering more selection, their options for special diets are limited and difficult to filter
- Some of their packagings are difficult to dispose of and recycle
- Information about nutrition, ingredients, and prep takes some digging to access
Dietary Options
Home Chef
Diets
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Paleo
- Keto
- Whole30
- Mediterranean
- Gluten-Free
- Dairy-Free
- Diabetic-Friendly
- Weight Loss
Hello Fresh
Both Home Chef and Hello Fresh offer classic style meals, created to appeal to a wide range of taste preferences. Neither meal kit delivery company claims to cater exclusively to any specific dietary lifestyle. If you’re following a specific dietary protocol, you’d be better served by looking at companies that cater specifically to your needs.
Home Chef provides filters that let you choose meals that are calorie-conscious, carb-conscious, and vegetarian. There are about six meals in the carb and calorie-conscious categories, with most of those meals overlapping. At the time of this comparison, Home Chef had only two vegetarian options listed.
An advantage that Home Chef has in this category is they make it easy to see all ingredients, nutritional information, and prep instructions by clicking on a meal. From there, you can better assess if a meal can be customized in your kitchen to meet special dietary needs.
Hello Fresh offers low-calorie meal options, designed for weight loss, and a couple of vegan/vegetarian options, although none of these are very plentiful.
If you’re following a strict dietary protocol, you might find perusing their menu frustrating because it’s hard to find information about nutritional content or ingredients at first glance. You need to access their recipes, located at the bottom of the page, for more detailed information.
Dietary Options Winner
Meal Prep & Variety
Home Chef
- 13
- 3 meals for 2 people
Diets
- Choose Your Own Meals
- Number of Meals Available
- Minimum Order
Hello Fresh
- 20
- 2 meals for 2 people
For many people, this is a category that weighs heaviest on their final decision. If you’re not crazy about the end product, then the rest of the details don’t matter. There are a few minor differences between Home Chef and Hello Chef to be aware of.
First, Home Chef’s selection is a little limited compared to Hello Fresh. Home Chef offers a rotating menu of 12-15 entrees, with every meal feeling “safe”. Think along the lines of Sirloin Steak with Loaded Potatoes or Italian Sausage Penne. That said, they do step outside the box with dishes like Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Risotto.
Home Chef might be a good option if you have a picky eater at your table who likes traditional, comfort food style dishes (really, who doesn’t?). Prep/cook time for the majority of Home Chef’s meals fall in the 30-45 minute range, although they do have quick and easy options that can be prepped and cooked in about half that time.
Hello Fresh offers a bit more variety with about 20 meal options each week. They do a good job of offering both classics and dishes that provide customers with an opportunity to try new flavors. For example, their Zucchini and Chickpea Tagine is so popular it’s in their Hall of Fame recipe collection.
You’ll find a few meals from Hello Fresh that can be on the table in 20 minutes or less, but most are double that at 35-40 minutes from start to finish.
As an FYI, both companies send recipe cards with their meal kits but you can also find their recipes online.
Meal Variety Winner
Ingredients
Home Chef
Diets
- Non-GMO
- Organic
- Grass Fed
- Wild-Caught
Hello Fresh
Quality ingredients are key to a quality meal but it isn’t always easy to know what you’re getting with a meal kit delivery service. You’re not in the store, picking out the ingredients yourself, so how do you know you’re getting the highest quality?
Both Home Chef and Hello Fresh offer some information about their ingredients on their websites, although you do have to dig a little for it.
Home Chef claims they use some organic ingredients but can’t guarantee the use of organic whenever possible at this time. They offer little information about their proteins on their website. Still, looking over customer reviews for Home Chef leads you to believe that the majority of customers are happy with their ingredient quality.
Hello Fresh is a bit more transparent about their ingredients. Their produce is sourced straight from the farm, and they’re committed to quality, ethics, and sustainability when sourcing proteins. Hello Fresh also receives overwhelmingly positive reviews for quality.
Ingredients Winner
Taste & Sample Meals
Home Chef
- Chimichurri Steak Flatbread
- Cuban Avocado Black Bean Quinoa Bowl
- Sweet Chili Pork Lettuce Wrap with Crispy Rice Noodles
Hello Fresh
- Zucchini Pomodoro Penne Bake
- Bulgogi Chicken Tacos
- Harissa Sweet Potato Pockets
If there’s a category in the Hello Fresh Vs Home Chef battle where the competitors run neck and neck, it’s this one. Overall, customer reviews have great things to say about both meal delivery companies.
If there’s a spot where one company has an advantage, it would be that Home Chef asks for a few dietary/taste preferences as part of the signup process. Expect questions along the lines of if you lean heavily carnivore, vegetarian, or somewhere between, and if there are any foods you want to avoid.
These questions make it more likely you’ll be directed towards meals with ingredients and flavors you’ll enjoy.
That said, Hello Fresh does offer more options and some unique flavor profiles. A few of their customers have left reviews stating they’ve tried (and loved) new foods because of the options this company offers.
Hello Fresh also includes many different types of world cuisines on their menus – 18 different categories at last count. Their meals include flavorful bonuses like Turkish spice blends and bulgogi sauce.
Taste Winner
Pricing
Home Chef
RECIPES | 2 PEOPLE (Price Per Serving) | 4 PEOPLE (Price Per Serving) | 6 PEOPLE (Price Per Serving) |
2 | $11.99 | $9.99 | $9.99 |
3 | $9.99 | $9.99 | $9.99 |
4 | $9.99 | $9.99 | $9.99 |
5 | $9.99 | $9.99 | $9.99 |
6 | $9.99 | $9.99 | $9.99 |
Hello Fresh
RECIPES PER WEEK | 2 PEOPLE | 4 PEOPLE (Price Per Serving) |
2 | $12.49 | $9.49 |
3 | $9.99 | $9.49 |
4 | $9.79 | $9.29 |
5 | $9.79 | $9.29 |
6 | $9.79 | $8.99 |
For most people, price is a major factor in choosing a meal delivery service. You want the best quality and service for the most reasonable price. Both Hello Fresh and Home Chef are middle of the road from a price standpoint. They’re neither the most costly or economical options out there.
Hello Fresh’s meals range from $7.49-$8.99 per meal. The price variance is completely dependent on the number of portions you’re ordering and not the meals themselves. It’s important to note that Hello Fresh charges a flat rate shipping charge of $7.99 to each delivery.
Home Chef has a much larger range on their pricing, with the most expensive meals costing about twice as much as the most economical options. The claim is that prices are based on the plan chosen, with the average cost being somewhere in the middle of the spectrum.
The cost of shipping isn’t transparent when looking at Home Chef’s website. They say the cost of shipping will be determined and shown after you place your order. These factors combined can make it difficult to know ahead of time what you’re spending when choosing Home Chef.
Pricing Winner
One, Two, Three or Four Weeks of Meal Kit Deliveries from Home Chef (Up to 60% Off)
25 Free Meals Across 5 boxes + First Box Ships Free + 3 Surprise Gifts
Packaging & Recycling
Home Chef
Hello Fresh
Both companies do a decent job of utilizing recyclable materials as much as possible. The difference is in how much packaging each company feels it’s necessary to use to preserve and safely delivery meal kits to your door.
Home Chef uses almost exclusively recyclable materials. The main complaint is that there’s simply too much of it. For example, the plastic pouches are recyclable but there are too many of them used in each delivery. They pack items with reusable ice packs, and the only non-recyclable items are the liners.
Hello Fresh is equally committed to using recyclable materials, and they tend to use less than Home Chef. The only non-recyclable components are their BPA-free winter liners made from plastic and mylar.
One concern with Hello Fresh is their gel pack. The outside of the pack is recyclable and the inside gel is water-soluble. The issue is that the gel is not pipe friendly, so you have to be extra careful when dissolving and disposing of the gel.
Packaging Winner
Customer Service
Home Chef
Diets
- Skip a Week
- Pause
- Cancel
Hello Fresh
Both companies are similar on many customer service points, including their policies regarding switching plans, cancellations, customization, and refunds.
One inconvenient detail of Home Chef is that you have to provide both an email and a zip code before being able to go further into their website. This is less than convenient, if not irritating when you’re “just looking”.
Customer Service Winner
Winner
Hello Fresh
Who wins the battle of Hello Fresh Vs Home Chef? These two companies are similar on enough levels that it’s difficult to choose a standout winner. That said, considering the categories covered here, Hello Fresh rises to the top and wins the trophy.
Both meal delivery companies have great things to offer, and the winner here might not be the best option for you. Still not sure which to choose?
Choose Hello Fresh if you:
- Like having more variety to choose from
- Enjoy world cuisines and trying new flavors
- Enjoy the freedom of browsing and putting together an order with an immediate commitment
- Locally sourced produce and ethically and/or sustainably sourced proteins are important
- Price is important and you don’t want any surprise charges
Choose Home Chef if you:
- Like classic flavors and traditional style meals
- Appreciate being able to easily access nutritional information before you order
- Don’t want to be overburdened with meal choices that don’t fit your taste preferences
- Aren’t confined to a strict budget for meal delivery
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I have used several different meal kits over the past year. I boiled my final two choices, based on price and meal offerings to Home Chef and Hello Fresh. Then did several weeks of each. I have decided that Hello Fresh is the one I favor based on variety and quality of ingredients, though it is a close call. This article actually confirmed all of my independent conclusions.
Thanks Virginia! We love hearing from everyone’s comparisons. Thanks for sharing your experiences with all of us 🙂
Something disturbing IMO that I just found out in my own Home Chef meals is they are sometimes using plastic #3 and #7 in their containers. I have the containers, they have come in my own orders. I am so disappointed with my choice to spend over thousands in food the last year with them and had no idea until a few days ago, when by chance, I looked at the bottom of the container. I should not have assumed they were using better plastics.
With more than 300 meals through Home Chef I can tell you they are great – Haven’t tried Hello Fresh but of the 300 meals from Home Chef we’ve only had 2 times when a mix up in the order occurred and an immediate credit was given. When Home Chef had problems with delivery being on time they immediately changed companies for our local – Houston – and the new service is even better, arriving hours earlier than before on the delivery date. Plus big factor is we can get Home Chef meals at our local grocery (Kroger) when we don’t want to eat out and just want an easy meal or single serving meal on the weekend. Grocery store offers many selections even at a discount not found on the Home Chef order site. BEST OF ALL – No Leftovers.