Green Chef meal delivery review

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This article looks at what Green Chef offers and how its meal delivery service works. It also discusses the meal options on different plans and their potential health benefits.

Please note that the writer has not tried this service. All information is research-based, and all quotes are provided by an independent reviewer, Jamey Powell, who received a free kit from Green Chef.

What is Green Chef?

Green Chef provides a meal kit delivery service, delivering ingredients and recipes to people so that they can make meals at home. The company offers meal plans for individuals with different lifestyles and diets.

According to the company website, the United States Department of Agriculture has certified Green Chef as an organic company.

Additionally, the company emphasizes its commitment to sustainability and green practices. Green Chef notes that its meals produce less food waste than traditional grocery store meals. It also states that it is the only meal kit company that offsets 100% of its direct carbon emissions and plastic packaging.

The company website also mentions that Green Chef works with farmers to source sustainable, delicious ingredients and maintain high animal welfare standards.

How does Green Chef work?

Customers create an account and choose their dietary and delivery preferences. They can select a box catering for two, four, or six people, with prices starting at $9.99 per serving. A person can opt to receive three or four meals each week (or two if they sign up for the four-servings plan). After subscribing, people can skip weeks or cancel at any time.

Green Chef delivers premeasured ingredients, including some that it has already prepared, such as chopped vegetables, sauces, and marinades. The company also color-codes the chef-crafted recipe cards and the ingredients so that people can easily match them up when making the meals at home.

Packaging

“Packaging is mostly recyclable, but Green Chef uses a lot of small plastics for chopped foods that require some legwork to recycle.”

– Jamey Powell

Green Chef uses eco-friendly packaging. The company states that people can recycle most of the packaging.

• Corrugated cardboard boxes: These boxes contain a minimum of 40% recycled content. People can recycle their cardboard boxes as they usually do.
• Insulation: The insulation is made of Green Chef’s proprietary plant-based material. People can recycle the insulation with their paper and cardboard.
• Ice packs: The ice packs contain soluble, nontoxic gel. The outer material of the ice pack is low-density polyethylene (LDPE). People can store the ice pack in their freezer for later use or drain the ice pack and recycle the outer material in a recycling center that accepts number 4 plastic.
• Paper bags: These bags are 100% post-consumer recycled paper. People can recycle clean bags in the usual way. If the bags are soiled, Green Chef recommends composting at home or in a composting facility.
• Plastic bags: People can recycle these LDPE plastic bags in a recycling center that accepts number 4 plastic.
• Plastic sauce packets: People can recycle these LDPE plastic sauce packets in a recycling center that accepts number 4 plastic.
• Small paperboard boxes: These boxes are 100% recycled paperboard. People can recycle clean paperboard as usual, and they can compost soiled boxes at home or in a composting facility.
• Plastic jars: These plastic jars are polypropylene and are not microwave safe. People can reuse the jars or recycle them at whichever facility accepts number 5 plastic.
• Egg cartons: People can recycle egg cartons as they usually do.
• Plastic herb clamshells: These herb clamshells are polyethylene terephthalate, a number 1 plastic. People can recycle them at facilities that accept number 1 plastic.

Order deadlines and deliveries

A person can modify their meals, skip a week, or cancel their order at any time before the cut-off date. They will need to complete all modifications to their order 7 days prior to their delivery at 11:59 p.m. EST.

To skip a week, a person needs to navigate to “My Menu” and select “Skip Week” in the menu options.

Green Chef currently delivers to most of the continental U.S., excluding Alaska, Hawaii, and parts of Louisiana.

The company delivers Monday through Saturday. Individuals can choose their preferred delivery day depending on their location. The box will arrive between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. If a person requests delivery to a commercial building, Green Chef will try to deliver before 5 p.m.

Who might use Green Chef?

Green Chef may suit someone who wants to prepare meals at home easily using healthy, nutritious ingredients. People who wish to eat organic food and support local, sustainable suppliers might also like Green Chef.

The website says that the chef’s tips explain and guide one’s cooking experience so that people who are new to cooking can still use the service.

According to Green Chef, most recipes take about 30 minutes to prepare, which could benefit busy families or individuals who do not have much time to spend cooking.

Green Chef points out on its website that due to processing facilities, cross-contamination may occur. Therefore, someone who has a severe allergy should use their discretion when choosing a meal plan service.

Green Chef menu options

A person can choose a varied plan that includes meat and fish or opt for one that caters to a vegan, paleo, or keto diet. The plans also include gluten-free options.

People cannot filter Green Chef menus by ingredients or labels. Instead, they have the option of filtering by meal plan.

However, all meals have labels such as “keto” and “vegan” on the product description. Additionally, each meal has an estimated preparation and cooking time.

The following are menu examples from each plan.

Balanced living

• Salmon with creamy dill sauce: This gluten-free meal takes 30 minutes to prepare. It contains salmon, green kale, cabbage, tomatoes, dates, olives, and Greek-style sour cream.
• Black bean and corn quesadillas: This vegetarian meal takes 35 minutes to prepare. It contains black beans, corn, red peppers, melted Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese, tortillas, and Greek yogurt cilantro-lime crema.
• Beef and feta burgers with carrot fries: This meal takes 30 minutes to prepare. It contains cumin and feta cheese beef patties, brioche buns, harissa aïoli, and harissa-spiced carrot fries.

Plant-powered

• Italian white bean and veggie soup: This vegan meal takes 30 minutes to prepare. It contains white beans, sweet potato, kale, mushroom broth, coconut milk, and ciabatta bread.
• Boom boom cauliflower bowls: This vegan, gluten-free meal takes 30 minutes to prepare. It contains Green Chef Boom Boom sauce, roasted cauliflower, a savory stir-fry with vegetables, jasmine rice and cashews, and toasted sesame oil.
• Veggie and bean stuffed peppers: This vegan, gluten-free meal takes 35 minutes to prepare. It contains cashew “Parmesan,” roasted bell peppers, kale, black beans, corn, garlic-cilantro rice, and chimichurri.

Keto and paleo

• Chicken with creamy lemon sauce: This keto and gluten-free meal takes 30 minutes to prepare. It contains lemon crema, sautéed shallots, roasted chicken, yellow squash, and Brussels sprouts.
• Beefy fajita soup: This paleo and gluten-free meal takes 30 minutes to prepare. It contains onions, peppers, seasoned ground beef, and coconut enchilada-spiced broth.
• Chili-ginger pork salad: This paleo, keto, and gluten-free meal takes 25 minutes to prepare. It contains vegetables such as kale and red pepper, chili-ginger pork, and a ginger-lime aïoli dressing.

How does Green Chef taste?

“The meal itself — it was blackened chicken over rice and veggies — was easy to cook and delicious. Nothing fancy, just a well-balanced, flavorful dish.”

– Jamey Powell

Reviews about the taste of Green Chef meals on its Trustpilot page are mixed.

Some customers state that the meals are healthy and tasty. One customer says that the meals were similar in taste to ones they had eaten at restaurants.

Other customers claim that the taste of the meals is average. Some reviewers state that the taste is very similar to other meal kit delivery services they have tried.

However, some customers say that Green Chef meals are bland. Reviewers who left more negative reviews mention spoiled food and watery vegetables.

How much does Green Chef cost?

“Pricing-wise, it’s pretty standard. Meals average around $11, which can be pricey. But if the convenience is worth it to you, it might be a fit for your lifestyle.”

– Jamey Powell

Green Chef offers three meal plans. People can choose between two and four meals per week for up to six people. The following table describes the cost of each plan:

Shipping costs $8.99–17.98 if a person chooses a meal plan that feeds two or four individuals. Shipping costs $26.97 if a person chooses a six-person meal plan.

Green Chef allows people to cancel, skip, or change their orders up to 7 days before delivery. A person can change their subscription through their profile on the Green Chef website.

Green Chef does not mention a refund policy on its website. People must contact the company’s customer service team to discuss any concerns.

Potential health benefits

The types of diets that Green Chef caters to could have potential health benefits.

For example, the authors of a 2019 systematic review conclude that a plant-based diet could have many health benefits, including a positive effect on weight, blood glucose, and inflammatory markers.

Learn more about vegan diets here.

Green Chef also offers keto meal plans. Some people use a keto diet to lose weight and improve their lean muscle mass. However, according to a 2019 viewpoint article, the risks and adverse effects of a keto diet may make it unsuitable for someone to use in the long term.

Learn more about keto diets here.

Paleo meals are also an option with Green Chef. A small 2015 study indicates that even short-term consumption of a paleo diet could improve glucose control and lipid profiles in people with type 2 diabetes.

Learn more about paleo diets here.

Two separate studies from 2017 found that people who plan meals and eat home-cooked foods are more likely to have a healthy diet and a lower risk of obesity. A 2019 study also suggests that meal kit delivery services can provide nutritious meals.

Alternatives

People can choose from a wide range of meal kit delivery services, including:

• Blue Apron: This company offers meals for two–four people and includes meals that are carb-conscious and approved by Weight Watchers. Learn more about Blue Apron here.
• Daily Harvest: This company offers organic vegetarian and vegan smoothies, harvest bowls, snacks, and more. Learn more about Daily Harvest here.
• HelloFresh: The company offers various meal plans, such as family friendly, quick and easy, and calorie smart meals. Learn more about HelloFresh here.
• Purple Carrot: This company offers a variety of plant-based meals, including gluten-free and high protein options. Learn more about Purple Carrot here.
• Splendid Spoon: This company also offers plant-based meals, such as smoothies, noodles, and soups. Learn more about Splendid Spoon here.

Those who do not want to use a delivery service could reduce the time they spend shopping, preparing meals, and cooking by:

• making a weekly meal plan and using an online shopping service
• sourcing quick, healthy recipes on the internet
• preparing fresh salads and chopped vegetables and storing them in portions in the refrigerator
• batch cooking and freezing meals
• using leftovers for the following day’s lunch
• adding chopped frozen vegetables and fruit to meals or smoothies

Green Chef vs. alternatives

All meal kit delivery companies offer similar services. The table below highlights the differences between Green Chef and alternative meal kit deliveries:

Summary

The Green Chef service caters to different diets and preferences and allows individuals to cook healthy meals easily and quickly.

Those who are new to cooking may find the chef’s tips and recipe guidance helpful. People can choose the number of meals and servings that they require so the service can suit both smaller households and larger families.

Some diets, such as a plant-based one, could have potential health benefits. People should use their discretion when choosing a diet to suit their health and lifestyle. They could also consider discussing any dietary concerns with a dietitian or another healthcare professional.