Home Chef Review 2024: Pros, Cons, and Comparisons

Share on Pinterest

In this article, we describe how Home Chef works and the menu options available. We also discuss the possible health benefits of using the Home Chef delivery service.

Medical News Today has tested some of the products below. Reviewers may have received some products from the manufacturers for free, which does not influence their review. All opinions are the reviewers’ own.

Home Chef is a meal kit subscription service that provides ingredients and recipes for people to cook at home.

People select recipes from a weekly menu to suit their preferences and dietary requirements. They can customize the recipes to swap ingredients or make other changes, such as not including meat.

The company delivers the ingredients in measured portions along with the recipe. The customer then cooks the recipe at home.

Home Chef offers meal kits that are ready in 15 or 30 minutes and oven-ready or no-cook meals that a person does not need to prepare.

Customers can choose the number of meals they want each week and select from different serving sizes. They can also buy Home Chef meals at some Kroger-owned grocery stores.

To order, people must log in or create an account on the Home Chef website. Once they have logged in or created an account, they can choose how many meals they want and how many people they are ordering for.

Then, individuals must enter their delivery address and choose their meals from the Home Chef menu.

Home Chef currently delivers to most of the United States.

Signing up

When signing up, a person chooses their plan, which will be either Home Chef or Fresh and Easy.

Home Chef offers a variety of recipes and ingredients, and Fresh and Easy offers low or no prep meals.

People can then choose optional dietary preferences, such as low carb or low calorie meals. People can also choose which foods they would like to avoid in their meals, such as:

• pork
• beef
• poultry
• fish
• shellfish
• mushrooms
• tree nuts
• peanuts
• sesame

Once a person enters their email address and zip code, they can start building their box, choosing the recipes they would like and how many meals they would like each week.

Shipping

Home Chef delivers from Monday through Friday. A person’s delivery day depends on where they live.

The company does not require a signature when delivering food. Home Chef packages the food with insulated liners and ice packs, and people can reuse or recycle most of the packaging.

Canceling or skipping an order

To skip an order, a person must log in to their account. There, they can edit their meals and skip a week.

An individual can also pause their subscription by navigating to their account settings. If someone pauses their Home Chef subscription, they can log in and reactivate it anytime.

People must edit their order, including canceling or skipping, by noon Central Time (CT) on the Friday before their next delivery.

“The ingredients arrive packaged by recipe in plastic bags, which is really convenient when you’re getting ready to cook dinner.” — SaVanna Shoemaker, MS, RDN, LD.

Home Chef ships its products in a biodegradable, insulated box with water-soluble cool-gel packages that keep the food cool and fresh. The cool-gel packets are nontoxic, and people can rinse and reuse them.

The company states the box and divider contain partially recycled materials and are suitable for curbside recycling. All meal bags, apart from plastic bags, are also recyclable.

Home Chef uses recyclable PET liners inside the boxes. However, people must throw the recycled denim liners away or reuse the material.

“I received 2 meals from Home Chef, along with 2 bagged Caesar salad kits and some mozzarella and prosciutto snacks. The ingredients arrived in good condition, and the kits were easy to prepare and tasted good. I was impressed with how many vegetables were included in the meals and the generous serving sizes.” — SaVanna Shoemaker, MS, RDN, LD

Options are available for people following a low calorie or carb-conscious diet. Vegan options are currently not available every week.

Although Home Chef does not provide meals for specific diets, such as the keto or paleo diet, some meals may be suitable for those plans.

While customers can tailor meals to suit their dietary requirements, Home Chef facilities are not certified allergen-free, and meals can come into contact with allergens during shipping.

A weekly menu offers some of the following options:

Quick and simple:

• Apple and Chicken Salad
• Creamy Tomato and Italian Sausage Penne Bake
• Crispy Caesar Chicken

Low calorie:

• Roasted Salmon with Ginger Scallion Sauce
• Greek Spinach and Feta Chicken
• Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Pears

Carb-conscious:

• Sweet Chili Pork Lettuce Wrap
• Chicken Taco Stuffed Peppers
• Pretzel-Crusted Pork Chop

Vegetarian:

• Crispy Teriyaki Tofu Tacos
• Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Spaghetti with Garlic Bread
• Fig and Goat Cheese Flatbread

No cooking required:

• Chicken, Walnut, and Goat Cheese Grain Bowl
• Tuscan Chicken Salad
• Blueberry, Balsamic Salad with Goat Cheese and Almond

Extras

People also have the option of choosing extras, such as snacks, sandwiches, and sources of protein. Some choices include:

• boneless, skinless chicken breast
• strawberry cheesecake
• garlic bread

“[…] They have a lot of quick meals that only require a few minutes of prep time.” — SaVanna Shoemaker, MS, RDN, LD

Home Chef meals can take anywhere from 5 to 60 minutes to cook, depending on the meal a person chooses.

The company states that its Fresh and Easy meals take as little as 5 minutes to cook in a microwave or oven. However, more involved recipes can take up to 1 hour to prepare and cook from scratch.

Each meal comes with instructions and an estimated cooking time.

“The meals were both really tasty and came together very easily, with helpful and straightforward recipe cards. I liked that the meals were simple, with sauces that added lots of flavor. They also offer a lot of add-on salads and sides to stretch the meals further.” — SaVanna Shoemaker, MS, RDN, LD

Home Chef states that most of its meals take 30 minutes or less to cook. Each meal comes with a recipe card.

Trustpilot reviews of the taste of these meals are mixed. Some people reported that the food is tasty and filling and that the ingredients are fresh.

However, other customers stated that the food contained too much sodium and that the meals were still frozen after they followed the recipe instructions. Some people say they experienced delivery delays and that the company delivered rotten or spoiled food.

“[…] I thought this was a really great meal kit. There were plenty of family-friendly options, they all contained a lot of veggies, and the recipes were really easy and tasty. It’s also moderately priced compared to other meal kits.” — SaVanna Shoemaker, MS, RDN, LD

Home Chef states that seasoned chefs create meals weekly, and in some recipes, like antibiotic-free chicken, people can swap out ingredients.

The company states that some of its meals may contain substances such as colorants, sulfites, and artificial sweeteners.

Some of the meals contain high sodium, and while the company offers organic ingredients, this is not available for all meals.

Home Chef has accreditation with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), with the review platform giving the company an A+ grade. Customers, however, gave the company an average of 1.22 out of 5 stars.

On Trustpilot, customers give Home Chef an average of 3.2 out of 5 stars.

Positive reviews state that the service is convenient, and the meals are tasty. Others say the customer service was helpful and prompt when people had questions or concerns.

Negative reviews report that the food was tasteless and dry, with incorrect ingredients in several boxes. Others state that they did not receive adequate substitutions for missing items, with people experiencing digestive concerns after eating.

Home Chef’s cost depends on how many meals and which options a person chooses.

The company states that meals start at $9.99 per serving. However, this depends on which meals are available.

Home Chef requires a minimum weekly order of $50.95 for Home Chef and $82.91 for Family Plan, with shipping costing between $9.99 and $11.99.

Sales tax

The following states require a sales tax on Home Chef:

• Alabama
• Arkansas
• Colorado
• Georgia
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Kansas
• Louisiana
• Missouri
• Mississippi
• North Carolina
• Oklahoma
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Utah
• Virginia

Home Chef will display the tax amount on a separate line on a person’s order summary.

Home Chef may best suit those who:

• have limited time to prepare meals
• want customizable meals
• want the flexibility to skip or cancel orders at any time

Home Chef is also suitable for people who live alone and those who have multiple people in a household. People can choose to purchase up to six recipes per week for up to six individuals. They can also customize the meals further if they have dietary requirements or preferences.

Learn more with Home Chef.

“I thought Home Chef needed a few more kid-friendly options.” — SaVanna Shoemaker, MS, RDN, LD

While Home Chef may suit people with limited time and require flexibility while ordering meals, it may not suit everyone.

Home Chef does not offer as many meals per week as some other companies. People who require more than six meals may prefer another service.

Additionally, Home Chef does not cater to as many dietary requirements as some companies do. It does not have specific options for vegans, those with gluten intolerances or allergies, or those who require specific diets such as Mediterranean or keto diets.

Home Chef meals include plenty of nutritious, balanced options that could benefit anyone looking to change their eating patterns.

The authors of a 2021 review concluded that low carbohydrate diets could induce rapid weight loss for some people, and a person can choose low carbohydrate meals from Home Chef. This may help with supporting weight management and heart health.

People with diabetes must typically plan their meals carefully. They may find that keeping track of the carbohydrates in their diet helps them balance their activity levels and medication. Therefore, Home Chef’s low carb meals may also help people to manage diabetes.

Home Chef also offers calorie-conscious meals. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), reducing calorie intake by 500 to 1,000 calories daily can help someone lose 1 to 2 pounds per week.

People can choose from several meal delivery services online. Some services cater to specific diets.

For example, if someone is looking for a meal kit that caters exclusively to a plant-based diet, they could consider choosing Purple Carrot or Daily Harvest.

Alternatively, people can prepare ingredients in advance or batch cook to save time. Storing prepared vegetables in the refrigerator and freezing meals in portions can enable someone to have a healthy meal ready in minutes.

To help them plan healthy meals, a person can use MyPlate. This resource offers people dietary guidelines, recipes, and tips for eating on a budget. It also provides information on all the food groups a person needs to include in their diet for optimal health.

Learn more about a balanced diet.

The following table compares Home Chef to some other companies offering similar meals.