Home Chef vs Hello Fresh — Which One Is Better in 2023?

July 12, 2022

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Home Chef vs HelloFresh is the ultimate competition for meal kit delivery services. Both have a big place in the market, making an equal playing field.

We compared everything from pricing and delivery to meal options and how to sign up to determine which one takes the top spot.

Let’s jump in.

Home Chef vs HelloFresh — Company Overview

Before we check what’s on offer, let’s look at both subscriptions and where they began.

Who Owns Them?

Pat Vihtelic founded Home Chef in 2013 to provide clients with quick and excellent meals. He collaborated with a chef to develop simple and delectable recipes, and the company has now evolved to include numerous chefs and over 700 employees. The service delivered over 10 million meals in 2020, keeping people satisfied while minimizing food waste.

But what about one of the biggest Home Chef competitors?

Thomas Griesel, Dominik Richter, and Jessica Nilsson started HelloFresh in 2011 in Germany. In 2012, the company expanded to Australia, the UK, and the US. The company delivered its one-millionth dinner two years later. HelloFresh has developed rapidly since then, and it’s now among the most popular meal delivery services in the US.

HelloFresh vs Home Chef — What Do They Offer?

HelloFresh sends you pre-measured ingredients for tasty dinners every week with a complete nutritional breakdown. Chefs curate and test the meals 200 times to ensure you get the best recipes.

All you have to do is order what you need, select the number of people you’ll be cooking for, and specify how often you’d like a box. You can also state your dietary preferences.

With Home Chef, one of the top HelloFresh competitors, you can select dietary options like calorie-restricted, vegetarian, or carb-restricted. Then, you can state any foods you don’t want to eat, such as pig, meat, fish, nuts, poultry, or mushrooms.

You can choose from the Home Chef suggestions or create your own menu. Also, you can enhance the meals by doubling the protein.

The menus change weekly, so there’s always something new to try. You can customize your Home Chef meal delivery based on your schedule. Also, you get pre-portioned ingredients with step-by-step recipe cards that explain all you need to know.

How Do They Work?

Now, let’s see whether Home Chef or HelloFresh meals are better.

Ingredients and Nutrition

HomeChef puts together ingredients based on seasonality, meaning some are organic. All the nutritional information you need is included in the meal cards, or you can check it online.

HelloFresh also has super high standards for meat and fish products. Plus, the service works with sustainable suppliers. Also, you can get nutritional information from the online recipes.

Meal Options — Is HelloFresh Better Than Home Chef?

Home Chef comes with a few menu options:

Meal Kits: Include everything you’ll need and cook in around 30 minutes.
15 Minute Meal Kits: If you’re really pressed for time, this is the meal kit for you.
Oven-Ready: The oven-ready meals from Home Chef are pre-prepared in an oven-safe tin, so you just have to heat them.
Grill-Ready: Throw these ingredients on the grill right away.
Fast & Fresh: Simply put them in the oven or microwave to reheat.
Culinary Collection: Premium ingredients and recipes, making it ideal for a special event.

HelloFresh has meal categories to narrow down your weekly menu, including options like:

Easy Prep
Easy Cleanup
Calorie Smart
Veggie

But there’s more on the way, including a Home Chef vs HelloFresh taste comparison. We’ve broken down the menu options further in the next two sections.

Menu Variety

Here are some Home Chef menu options to give you a better idea of what to expect:

Moo Shu Pork Tacos With Mushrooms and Crispy Wontons
Tilapia Milanese With Spring Greens and Tomato Salad
Creamy Florentine Turkey Meatloaf With Crispy Parmesan Zucchini

And here are a few delicious HelloFresh options:

One-Pan Cheesy Black Bean Tacos With Poblano & Smoky Red Pepper Crema
Lemony Spaghetti With Brussels Sprouts Sprinkled With Toasted Panko & Chives
Griddled Onion Cheeseburgers With Special Sauce & Garlic Potato Wedges

Home Chef vs HelloFresh — Meal Prep

Home Chef comes with a large variety of meals. Some take just five minutes to reheat, while others arrive with ingredients you have to cook. So, it’s all down to what you prefer.

HelloFresh doesn’t offer ready-made options, but it has a wide range of meal kits. They can take just 10 minutes or come as homemade meals that need around 50 minutes to prepare.

Meal Customization and Dietary Preferences

Both the services are entirely customizable. You can select the recipes you want to try and receive recommendations based on your dietary preferences.

But is Home Chef better than HelloFresh in terms of available recipes?

Home Chef offers the following categories:

30 Minutes or Less
Carb-Conscious
Calorie-Conscious
Vegetarian

HelloFresh works a bit differently, breaking things down by dietary preferences, including:

Meat and Veggies
Pescatarian
Veggie
Calorie Smart
Quick and Easy
Family Friendly

Both services come with plenty of options for any taste, but HelloFresh offers many vegetarian options compared to Home Chef. In contrast, Home Chef covers more meal types.

What Are the Available Meal Plans and Prices?

If we compare the HelloFresh vs Home Chef price, they’re quite similar. Still, we broke everything down to give you a better idea.

Let’s look at HelloFresh first:

Serves 2	Serves 4
2 meals — $57.95	2 meals — $85.91
3 meals — $69.93	3 meals — $111.87
4 meals — $85.91	4 meals — $137.83
5 meals — $99.89	5 meals — $169.79
6 meals — $111.87	6 meals — $201.75

Here’s how it works with Home Chef:

Serves 2	Serves 4	Serves 6
2 meals — $49.95	2 meals — $81.91	2 meals — $117.87
3 meals — $63.93	3 meals — $117.87	3 meals — $171.81
4 meals — $81.91	4 meals — $153.83	4 meals — $225.75
5 meals — $99.89	5 meals — $189.79	5 meals — $279.69
6 meals — $117.87	6 meals — $225.75	6 meals — $333.63

So, is Home Chef or HelloFresh cheaper?

Home Chef is a little cheaper if you’re looking at the lower number of meals, but the pricing evens out to HelloFresh as the number goes up. It might end up being more expensive.

Note that both include shipping.

How Does Delivery Work?

The subscriptions usually deliver weekly, but you can skip or pause depending on your needs.

Each service sends meals directly to your door and keeps them cool to the touch with insulated packaging that ensures freshness.

HelloFresh vs Home Chef — Is Ordering Easy?

Absolutely! Both services keep things really simple. All you have to do is sign up and create an account. Then, you can select your preferences and meals. Finally, you enter the shipping and payment information. All that’s left is to wait for your box.

Canceling HelloFresh is simple, and you can do it directly from your account. The same goes for Home Chef, so don’t stress about awkward phone conversations.

What Packaging Do They Use?

Is Home Chef or HelloFresh better in terms of eco-conscious packaging? We’d have to call a tie this round.

Both come with fully recyclable packaging, apart from the ice pack gel. If you want to recycle that, you have to cut a hole and chuck the gel into the trash. Then, you can recycle the outside plastic.

HelloFresh and Home Chef are constantly improving their packaging to ensure your food stays fresh in transit while having as little impact on the planet as possible.

How Good Is Their Customer Support?

We looked at many Home Chef vs HelloFresh reviews to see what the support situation is like.

HelloFresh offers two ways to get in touch — live chat or calling the service at (646) 846-FOOD (3663).

HomeFresh is similar. You can call customer service at (872)-225-2433 during office hours (9 AM–6 PM CT Monday–Friday and 10 AM–2 PM CT Saturday). Alternatively, you can message a support agent through the website.

Both also have FAQ sections with extensive information and answers to common questions you might have.

What Are Their Top Competitors?

The best way to know what’s out there is to check and compare other great options for food subscriptions. Let’s explore what’s on the market.

Home Chef vs HelloFresh vs Sunbasket

The most significant difference between these two and Sunbasket is that the latter focuses on organic ingredients, meaning it charges a bit more.

HelloFresh starts at $7.49 per serving, and Home Chef standard meals come to $8.99 per serving. In contrast, Sunbasket will set you back $11.49 per serving.

Home Chef vs HelloFresh vs EveryPlate

EveryPlate differs quite a lot from the others. While it doesn’t cater to dietary preferences, it focuses on bringing incredibly cheap meals straight to your door.

Dinners start at just $4.99 per serving, saving you a lot of money. But the menu items are better for everyday meals rather than experimenting with flavors and ingredients.

Home Chef vs HelloFresh vs Blue Apron

The most notable distinction is that Blue Apron recipes are somewhat more sophisticated and offer various spice combinations. While HelloFresh and Home Chef don’t taste boring, Blue Apron offers a much more adventurous cooking experience.

On a per-serving basis, HelloFresh and Blue Apron are fairly similar. For four individuals, four times a week, a HelloFresh plan costs $7.49 per dish — the same as Blue Apron.

Home Chef Pros and Cons

Pros:

Easy-to-follow recipes
Recyclable packaging
Flexible frequency
15 recipes per week

Cons:

Pricey
Menu not based on diary preferences

HelloFresh Pros and Cons

Pros:

Affordable
A large variety of menu options
Based on dietary preferences

Cons:

Plans only for two and four people
Customer service could improve.

Wrap Up: Is Home Chef or HelloFresh Better?

We researched both services extensively to bring you all the must-know information before signing up.

It’s difficult to pick a winner, but if we have to, Home Chef receives the top prize. The service offers more in meal selection and variety while maintaining an affordable price.

FAQ

Is Home Chef or HelloFresh more expensive?

Home Chef works out cheaper if you need fewer weekly meals, but it evens out with more servings.

Is Home Chef or HelloFresh healthier?

Both subscriptions focus on providing a well-rounded menu of healthy options. So much so that they even have low-calorie meals. Both cater to customers looking for healthier food choices.

Which is better Home Chef or HelloFresh?

Looking at Home Chef vs HelloFresh, the former wins for its meal variety and great pricing.