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.

As a registered dietitian, I'm committed to helping people make informed decisions on what they eat. Below, you'll find my full Green Chef review, with details on the meal selection process, how the meals arrive, every meal we tried, who should try it, and who should skip it. 

Green Chef is a certified-organic meal kit delivery service. The brand was acquired by HelloFresh in 2018 and is committed to minimizing its environmental impact while encouraging people to make more meals at home. 

Green Chef ships recipes and the ingredients to prepare them directly to your front door. The ingredients are typically pre-measured and prepped, so most dishes can be on your table in 30 minutes or less. While it's a subscription service, you can pause or cancel your membership at any time.

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. Just note, 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 skip weeks at any time.

Here's a more detailed breakdown of the Green Chef's plan costs:

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. 

There's no cost to creating an account and browsing the meal plan options—you'll only pay once you choose your subscription. Because you can skip or cancel at any time, Green Chef is a great option for people who want to test a few meal delivery services before fully committing.

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's meal categories:

Green Chef is a certified organic company, meaning all produce and eggs provided are certified organic. Meat and other animal proteins are sourced from farmers that meet the brand's high animal welfare standards. 

Green Chef ships its 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.   

You'll also find printed recipe cards in the box, outlining step-by-step instructions for how to prepare each meal, quick nutritional and allergen information, and a breakdown of any equipment and pantry ingredients you'll need for prep. 

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, and complex carbs. 

For my week of Green Chef meals, I tried three dinner recipes and one breakfast recipe. Below, find a description of every meal I tried:

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed all three dinner options. Each meal was very veggie-forward and easy to prepare. While I had to use multiple pans for each, cleanup was still fairly quick. 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 having 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 creme 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. 

I was very impressed with the overall quality of the ingredients I received. The produce was fresh and undamaged, and the eggs survived the journey in individual cartons.

A Green Chef subscription may be worth it for some people, but not others. If you're thinking about trying it for yourself, consider the below factors.

Green Chef may be worth it if you: 

Green Chef may also be worth it if you're trying to stick with a specific dietary lifestyle, such as Mediterranean, Keto & Paleo, Gluten Free, and Vegan.  

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. Consider trying one of the best keto meal delivery services, Whole30 meal delivery options, or paleo meal delivery services.

For people who don't mind grocery shopping, the price per serving of a Green Chef meal may be more than they want to spend. 

Green Chef differentiates itself from other meal delivery services by focusing on the quality ingredients while maintaining creative menu offerings. While not every meal was a home run, I thoroughly enjoyed Green Chef and was surprised by the way the brand elevates seemingly simple recipes. This service is likely best suited for households of two to four who want some extra support with meal planning, whether that be weekly or monthly.