Home Chef Review

Like other meal kit delivery services, Home Chef offers an array of delicious options each week and delivers them to your home in carefully packaged and chilled storage containers. However, they stand out from others in three very distinct ways. First, they don’t cap their family size at 4, offering boxes that include six meals per week for up to 6 people. Second, their allergen-free and diet-friendly options are unmatched by many of their competitors. Third, they offer protein swapping and an option to order double helpings of proteins with select recipes.

Source: Home Chef, https://www.homechef.com/

How does Home Chef subscription work?

Start at HomeChef.com, where you’ll be prompted to take a quiz.

The easy-to-answer questions help HomeChef select menu options that best fit your cooking style. Next, you’ll enter your zip code, and HomeChef will let you know if delivery is available in your area.

While their website states that they deliver to 98% of the US, their delivery area is limited to the lower 48 states, much like other meal delivery services.

Next, you’ll be prompted to enter your preferences. You can choose dietary options such as vegetarian or Keto-friendly and select foods to avoid from a list that includes shellfish and nuts.

How can I always get HelloFresh discount?

Moving on to the next screen, you’ll find a discount code already applied for you. The default promo code applies 50% off of your first four orders with a maximum discount of $45.18 per box, but only if you order at least ten servings weekly.

You must use the deal within ten weeks and cannot combine it with any other discount. If you are a military service member, first responder, healthcare professional, teacher, student, alumni, or government official, you’ll have the option to substitute specific promotions at this time by verifying your identity through ID.me.

Review Home Fresh Meal Size and Options

Once you’ve selected your preferences and applied your discount code, you’ll decide how many meals you’d like to have delivered each week.

Family size options are 2, 4, or 6 people, with no options for single persons, families of 3 or 5, or families larger than 6. You can then choose from 2-6 meals per person per week in your box.

Home Chef vs Hello Fresh

Compared to HelloFresh and Blue Apron, Home Chef offers one of the largest options with the six meals for six people box.

• Read the Hello Fresh review next, to compare Home Chef to HelloFresh.
• Read the BlueApron review for a comparison of all three food delivery services.

Next, you’ll enter your billing information and choose the meals for your first box.

In the future, you’ll navigate to your Home Chef log in, and choose meals weekly.

Can you cancel home chef at any time?

You must pause or cancel your membership before the shipping date if you don’t wish to receive a box that week.

Your subscription can be paused or canceled anytime, but you will be charged for any boxes already shipped.

Home Chef Cost

Home Chef’s cost per serving is somewhat higher than others, even when purchasing more meals. In fact, Hello Fresh and Blue Apron both offer servings for $1-$2 less. However, the variety of dietary and allergy-free options makes the cost worth it for some.

Like other services, Home Chef does offer add-ons and the occasional premium meal. Add-ons such as desserts, smoothies, and sides are available for a fee. Premium meals are offered only occasionally, unlike other meal kit services that offer them weekly.

If you’re so inclined, swapping proteins or ordering a double helping of protein is available. Home Chef isn’t transparent about the cost, however. Upgrades and additional option costs aren’t released until you make your selections within your account.

Figures are approximate; see HomeChef.com for more detailed information.

How cost effective is Home Chef?

Deciding if Home Chef’s $58.95-$370.63 weekly cost will save you money and time may be a challenge.

Food choices, serving sizes, and the age of family members can play significant roles in deciding the amount of income spent on groceries.

INDUSTRY STUDY: Meal Delivery Kits Vs. Grocery Shopping Cost

A study done by the USDA found that U.S. households spend anywhere from $406.25 to $1,164.41 on groceries each month, eating up a significant chunk of their monthly income for meals eaten in the home.

A further study indicated that only 44% of meals were eaten in the home, leaving the budget to more than double when meals eaten out were considered.

If you eat at least half of your dinners outside of the home and want to change to eating at home more often, HomeChef’s meal plan might save you hundreds.

HOME CHEF DISCOUNTS

Home Chef starts new customers off with 18 free meals, much like competitor Blue Apron. The discount can be used only when ordering a minimum of 10 servings per week and must be used within ten weeks of signing up. When applied, the Home Chef coupon code will lower the box price by a maximum of $45.18 and cannot be combined with other discounts.

The Home Chef Student Discount allows college students to try the service at 50% off of their first four boxes, a total of 18 free meals. Registration for the discount is free through Student Beans.

The Home Chef Heroes Discount is offered to military service members, doctors, nurses, first responders, hospital employees, and teachers. Each user will receive 50% off of their first box and 10% off of each subsequent box once verified by ID.me.

Home Chef Affiliate Program Reviews

Home Chef welcomes affiliates to work with their company and earn commissions. It’s free to sign up, and you can start earning immediately.

Simply add links to Home Chef on your website, and each time a consumer clicks your link and purchases a box, you’ll receive $10. While $10 may not sound like much, it can add up over time.

Home Chef also offers one of the most extended cookie durations, at 30 days, giving a user who clicks on your link 30 days to complete their purchase. In comparison, HelloFresh pays $10-$15 commission per sale but only offers a 14-day cookie commission.

Home Chef Recipe Reviews

Home Chef’s recipe search tool has one of our favorite displays! Each recipe includes beautiful photos and a complete nutritional card with calorie, carbohydrate, fat, protein, and sodium levels.

It also lists the time needed to make the meals, spice level, and any possible allergens, such as milk and wheat.

Unfortunately, searching for specific meal types like Keto or Kid-Friendly can be challenging.

Review Home Chef Recipes and Options

Some of our favorite recipes include:

• Pork Medallions and Sweet Onion Demi with Garlic Butter Green Beans, and Mushrooms
• Spicy Piri Piri Turkey Stuffed Peppers with Creamy Cucumber Sauce
• Sunday Beef Pot Roast with Rockefeller Mashed Potatoes

Source: Home Chef Website

Home Chef Breakfast Reviews

Home Chef’s breakfast options offer far more than mere eggs to get you started for the day with:

• Buttery Chicken and Waffles with Scrambled Eggs and Hot Sauce
• Sweet Potato, Bacon, and Goat Cheese Skillet with Jalapeno, Bell Pepper and Grape Tomatoes
• Strawberry Malt French Toast Casserole with Texas Toast and Sour Cream Icing

Source: Home Chef Website

For families with children, there are delicious kid-friendly options such as:

• Crunchy Impossible Taco Supreme with Impossible Beef made from plants
• Elotes-Style Pizza with Lime Crema

Source: Home Chef Elotes Style Pizza

A recipe collection you won’t find through HelloFresh or Blue Apron is Home Chef’s delicious smoothies!

• Mango Tango Smoothie with Pineapple, Orange, Yogurt, and Honey
• Caffe Mocha Smoothie with Chia Seeds and Greek Yogurt
• Citrus Green Supercharger Smoothies with Avocado, Granny Smith Apple, and Kale

Source: Home Chef’s Review on Citrus Green Supercharger Smoothies.

Is Home Chef Healthy?

According to customer reviews, Home Chef does offer excellent healthy options for those on a diet. Regarding dietary needs, the Home Chef menus are at the top of the list for specialty meals.

Let’s review Home Chef’s healthy meals and options! 

Wheat Free

While wheat-free does not always mean gluten-free, the recipes found in this category appear to be so. You’ll find delicious options such as Maple-Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Brussels Sprouts and Chili-Lime Salmon with Roasted Chayote Squash and Mojo De Ajo.

Nut Free

Customers with a nut allergy will love the plethora of nut-free options on the Home Chef menu. Farmhouse Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes, Green Onion Gravy, and Corn and Hot Honey Salmon with Zucchini and Tomatoes are just some of the most decadent.

Vegetarian

Home Chef has amassed a serious collection of meat-free meals for vegetarian customers. Avocado and Tofu Sushi Bowl with Carrots, Cucumber, and Spicy Mayo, and One-Skillet Lemon Orzo Risotto with Asparagus and Sweet Drop Peppers are just some of the must-try recipes.

Soy Free

Customers avoiding soy products will love Home Chef’s recipes without soy! The Crispy Onion Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Sauce and Green Beans and the Fontina and Caramelized Onion Flatbread with Arugula and Grape Tomatoes are not to be missed!

Milk Free

Avoiding milk products can be a serious challenge, so Home Chef has done the work for you. They’ve collected an entire series of recipes that contain no milk.

From mouth-watering Teriyaki Ginger-Glazed Salmon with Stir-Fried Bok Choy and Carrots to Korean Pork Tacos, there’s something for every taste!

Calorie-Conscious

Those who carefully watch their caloric intake will love the Calorie-Conscious meals, each with 625 calories or less per serving.

Review Our Favorite Home Chef Low Calorie Meals

Some of our favorite recipes are the Lemon Thyme Chicken Orzo with Kale and Grape Tomatoes and Thai Fish Cakes with Cilantro-Lime Slaw and Sriracha.

Review Home Chef’s Best Low-Carb Meals

Home Chef’s Carb-Conscious meals with 35g or less of Carbohydrates per serving are packed with delicious proteins and veggies.

The Chicken Salsa Verde Bowl with Butternut Squash and Queso Fresco and the Sous-Vide Baby Back Ribs with Tangy Raisin Slaw and BBQ Sauce are just some of the mouth-watering options in this category!

Does Home Chef have Kosher meals?

Currently, there are no Kosher options in the Home Chef menu collection.

Does Home Chef have Whole30 meals?

While there are no specific meals for Whole 30 in Home Chef’s catalog, many of their meals could easily qualify, even if one or two ingredients would need to be left off during preparation.

Does Home Chef do Paleo meals?

Home Chef does not explicitly offer Paleo meals but offers many meals that include protein and vegetables without the added carbs.

Does Home Chef have diabetic meals?

Home Chef’s Carb-Conscious meals would fit into most diabetic’s dietary plans.

Does Home Chef do Fodmap?

While Low Fodmap options are unavailable through Home Chef, many of their meals could likely fit the diet plan, even if some ingredients would need to be left out during preparation.

Does Home Chef have vegan meals?

Many of the Home Chef recipes featured in the Vegetarian category could qualify as Vegan or be made Vegan with a minor substitute. While it’s not a perfect option, it could work.

Does Home Chef have Keto meals?

Yes! Home Chef now offers Keto-friendly meals such as Salmon with Lemon Piccata Butter and Ratatouille Zucchini Ribbons and Pork Chop with Cauliflower Grits and Toasted-Garlic Tomatoes.

ETHICAL PRACTICES

Home Chef indicates on its website that it sources “meat and poultry that has been inspected by the USDA FSIS among other high requirements.” Unfortunately, they do not offer any further information concerning their ethical practices. When reading reviews for the company, some consumers stated that the packaging was not entirely recyclable, like some other meal delivery kits.

Home Chef Customer Reviews for 2023

After giving Home Chef a try, how do consumers feel about the quality and service?

Let’s take a look!

The Good Home Chef Reviews:

• Taste Quality: Customers have consistently praised the deliciousness of the meals provided by Home Chef.
• Customer Service: Several consumers have reported positive experiences with Home Chef’s customer service, particularly in cases where ingredients were not up to par. They received timely credits to address the issue.
• Portion Size: Home cooks have generally found the portion sizes to be appropriate, neither too large nor too small.
• Allergen-Free Recipes: Customers with allergies have appreciated the variety of allergen-free recipes offered by Home Chef.

The Not-So-Good Reviews:

• BBB Customer Reviews: Home Chef’s 1/5-star rating with the Better Business Bureau raises concerns about overall customer satisfaction and service quality.
• Prices: Some customers have expressed dissatisfaction with the pricing of Home Chef’s “plus” options, perceiving them as overpriced.
• Freshness of Food: Numerous consumers have reported instances of receiving rotten food items or missing key ingredients in their delivery, indicating potential issues with food quality control or packaging.
• Difficulty Cancelling Subscription: Certain customers have faced challenges when attempting to cancel their Home Chef subscriptions online and have needed to resort to calling customer service, which can be an inconvenience.

It’s important to note that customer experiences can vary widely, and these reviews provide a snapshot of the overall sentiment expressed by Home Chef customers. When considering these reviews, it’s advisable to weigh both positive and negative aspects to make an informed decision about whether Home Chef is the right choice for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Review Home Chef Rating

All images sourced from: www.HomeChef.com

About the Author: Tammy McKinney, RN & Healthcare Writer

An avid cook and Registered Nurse who loves helping others live a healthier lifestyle, Tammy McKinney specializes in thorough and unbiased reviews of everything health and wellness. To learn more about Tammy, please visit her profile at: https://trustedcompanyreviews.com/author/tammy-mckinney/

Source

All images sourced from: www.HomeChef.com

About Author

Tammy McKinney–Registered Nurse and Product Researcher