My family tried Green Chef, and even the toddler liked it

• The service offers tasty meals with generous portions, but some recipes may require cooking skills and more time than suggested.
• While convenient, Green Chef is more expensive than traditional grocery shopping, with a price of $13.99 per serving.

If you’re searching for an honest Green Chef review to decide whether this popular meal delivery service is worth it, you’re in the right place.

My family of four put Green Chef to the test for a full week, trying a variety of meals to see if it could keep up with busy schedules and picky eaters (including our very opinionated two-year-old). We wanted to know if Green Chef could deliver healthy, home-cooked meals without the hassle of grocery shopping.

From bold flavors to generous portions and a surprising amount of veggies, we came away impressed, but not without a few caveats.

Here’s what stood out most from our experience, and what you can expect with yours.

Our experience with Green Chef

My family of four tried Green Chef for a week, and overall, we loved it. Here are my main takeaways:

• Green Chef meals are tasty, with flavors even our picky toddler loved.
• Some recipes require cooking skill, or at least the willingness to learn.
• Green Chef is certainly "green," we were impressed with the number of vegetables.

The meal portions were generous, something that other meal kits are often dinged for. We were genuinely impressed with the flavors and variety; our plates were licked clean after each meal (with the dog's help, of course).

We have a two-year-old who can be picky about her food, but even she enjoyed the meals, especially the truffle pasta, and the sage carrots we had with our steak and cauliflower rice.

Now, I will say that my husband and I love to cook. Trying new recipes is a common date-night occurrence in our house, so following a new recipe with multiple side dishes to juggle is not new to us. Even so, we found ourselves adding about 10 minutes of cook time to each meal. So if you are new to cooking, we recommend you budget at least 20% more time than the listed cook time.

Would I recommend Green Chef to family and friends? I would and already have. But be prepared to pay more for the convenience of having your pre-packaged groceries delivered than for doing your own grocery shopping. And if you have a house full of hungry teenagers, athletes or active adults, you'll likely need to supplement each meal with a bit more food (or add appetizers to your meal kit).

Green Chef pros and cons

Pros

• Tasty meals with many options to choose from each week
• Certified "clean" meal kits made with organic ingredients
• Good portion sizes for the average adult
• Lots of vegetables included in the meals

Cons

• Can be more expensive than grocery shopping
• Some recipes require cooking skills or a willingness to learn
• The recommended cook and prep times can be misleading
• Meals may need to be supplemented if you're feeding hungry teens or active adults

What is Green Chef?

Green Chef is a meal delivery service that lets you choose your meals from a list of weekly offers. You pick the number of meals you want, with the option to add extras, like breakfast, appetizers and healthy snacks.

On your delivery day, a week's worth of meals shows up at your front door. It's great for the busy family or working couple who want to eat healthy, home-cooked meals but don't have time to plan or shop (or, if they're like us, lack the creativity to try new meals every week).

Green Chef is the only certified "clean" meal kit, as it partners with the Clean Label Project. Each meal is made up of organic ingredients.

In each box, you'll find pre-measured ingredients, pre-made sauces, marinades and spice blends that make cooking with flavor easier and more cost-effective. Think of all the times you've had to buy one fancy spice or unique ingredient for a single dinner, and how often most of that product goes to waste. That's the real benefit you get with a meal kit like Green Chef: your food waste drops.

How Green Chef works

When you sign up for Green Chef, here's what you can expect:

• Sign up with your address, name and payment.
• Choose your meals for the given week (you can often choose your meals up to a month in advance).
• Your meal kit shows up at your doorstep on your delivery day.
• When you're ready to cook, take out your meal kit and the directions.
• Relax, follow the instructions and enjoy!

Note: If you don't choose your meals ahead of time, Green Chef will select your options.

How easy is it to make Green Chef meals?

How easy you find Green Chef's meals depends on your level of cooking experience. The recipes are not hard to follow, but are more difficult than putting a frozen pizza in the oven.

If you grew up cooking, make home-cooked meals most nights or find it fun to try new recipes, you'll have no problem following Green Chef's instructions.

On the other hand, if you want to try a meal kit because you want to learn to cook or try out new foods, you may need to read the instructions more carefully. Your result will still be a yummy meal, but it may take you an hour versus the recommended 35 minutes.

Green Chef menu and meal options

Menu options from Green Chef range from vegetarian pastas to soups, tacos and sirloin steaks. You can keep your meals basic with meals like balsamic chicken and potatoes, or learn new skills by cooking culturally inspired meals, like Taiwanese pork and rice. Every week, the recipes and menu options change, meaning variety in your meal plan.

Along with your set number of meals each week, you can add on breakfast, appetizers, drinks, smoothies and more. These cost extra, but can be a fun addition to your meal.

Green Chef has meal plans for virtually every diet, including:

• Mediterranean
• Plant Based
• Gluten Free
• High Protein
• Calorie Smart
• Carb Smart
• Functional Nutrition
• Quick & Easy

Green Chef pricing

Green Chef's price per serving is $13.99. This price is the same for any of the meal options, so you don't pay more for gluten-free meals, for example (a benefit that many gluten-free eaters know can be an issue). This price excludes discounts and promotions, so you can expect to pay about half of that for your first box.

Depending on the size of your family and the number of servings, you can expect to pay anywhere from $28 to $84 per meal.

Expert tip: Green Chef has meal plans for two, four and six people. If you have an odd number of people in your home, size up. Your shared portions will be a bit bigger, which can be a bonus.

Is Green Chef worth it?

The convenience of Green Chef is what makes it worth it for our family. I am a huge fan of grocery drive-up and delivery, but even then, I find myself forgetting ingredients. With Green Chef, everything comes packaged in a paper bag, and all ingredients are accounted for (not to mention prepared for you). When I was ready to cook, I just grabbed the package and got to work. So for our family, Green Chef would be worth it.

The main factor you'll have to consider is the price tag. Households sticking to a strict food budget might not find the cost worth it. But if you eat out multiple times per week or have a higher budget for dinners, then the cost factor won't be as much of an issue for you.

Who should try Green Chef?

Green Chef might be right for you if you fit any of these groups:

• Households that prefer organic, clean ingredients
• Young or older couples who like to cook
• Families with younger kids
• Households looking for a healthy meal kit

Green Chef vs competitors

Not sure if Green Chef is right for you? You might try:

• HelloFresh: More family-friendly meals
• Factor: Pre-made meals for busy adults and calorie-conscious eaters
• EveryPlate: Cheapest meal kit option

Frequently asked questions

Is Green Chef healthier than HelloFresh?

It depends on the meals you choose. Both Green Chef and HelloFresh have healthy meal options, but Green Chef focuses more on these types of meals. Green Chef uses certified organic ingredients and is the only meal kit that markets itself as "clean."

How much is a Green Chef per month?

It depends on the number of meals and people in your household. Each serving is $13.99, so if you have just two people and get two Green Chef meals per week, you can expect to pay about $224 per month. Families of six who get four meals each week will spend significantly more, at $1,344 for the meals alone. This does not factor in the cost of shipping and tax.

Why is Green Chef so expensive?

With a meal kit like Green Chef, you're paying for more than just the groceries. The total cost is a bit more because you're paying for convenience. Your meal planning is done for you, the meals are packaged with all their ingredients, and the groceries show up at your door each week.