Monday, July 14th
2025 Meal Delivery Company Reviews
Home Chef
- Standard meals start at $7.99 per serving
- Family meals start at $6.99 per serving
- Sign up and get $10 off your second order
- 50% off first box, 10% off future orders for military, first responders, health care workers and teachers
- 50% off first four boxes for students, alumni, and government officials
- Meals for 2, 4, or 6 people, 2-6 times per week
- Family plan meals come in 4-serving increments; double up and have leftovers
- Individual and family meal plans
- Meal kits and heat-and-eat options
- Add-on choices
- Eliminate allergens and foods you don't enjoy
- Ships refrigerated, not frozen
With over 320 million meals delivered, Home Chef is well versed in making the meal delivery experience as painless and simple as possible. Catering to individuals and families across the country, the company is a long-time player, having been around since 2013. Easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions not only make things stress-free, but they're so simple that children can pitch in and create great memories of cooking together without the hassle of measuring out ingredients or putting together complicated sauces. The company has both fresh meal kits with ingredients you put together and heat-and-eat meals for when you need something in a hurry.
Home Chef understands lifestyle
We were really impressed with the real-life approach Home Chef takes when helping you plan what menus and dishes are best for you. Even the way they approach finding out this information is very friendly. They ask, "What can we help you with?” with choices like easier meal planning, saving money or time, finding new favorites, or simply "What kinds of meals are you interested in?” with choices like fast and fresh, meal kits, and oven ready. Whether you want to expand your cooking skills and palate, or you just need something already prepped and ready for the oven, or something in between, you can be sure Home Chef has your back. Meal kits are their most popular item and can take anywhere from 20 to 50 minutes, depending on the dish. Home Chef combines several meal delivery services in one - you can feed a crowd of 8, get meals that can be ready in 30 minutes from start to finish, or just throw the meal in the oven. And for times when you have no time, the fast and fresh meals only require a few minutes of reheating.
Variety and truly amazing customization
Home Chef knocks it out of the park when it comes to variety. The selections from just one week included jalapeno popper chicken, sirloin steak and bacon demi with white cheddar potatoes and green beans, creamy basil pesto chicken pasta, one-pan Korean-style BBQ meatballs, salmon and lemon style crema, or Hawaiian-style BBQ tofu flatbread, with something for every schedule and skill level. You can customize most meals by switching out the protein type to your preference. And, Home Chef asks in the beginning for foods you'd like to avoid so you can filter out meals that contain allergens or foods you'd just rather not eat.
Family plan
Unique to Home Chef is the Family Plan that comes in increments of 4. You can double up and have 8 servings if you like. These meals take between 20 minutes to about an hour for assembly and cooking. Some dishes we liked in this category were beef bulgogi burgers, lasagna-style bolognese gemelli, and the one-pot shrimp chowder with potatoes and corn.
Easy options for those with food allergies or special diets
You can easily specify how you eat with options like protein-packed, carb-conscious, keto-friendly, pescatarian, Mediterranean, vegetarian, or gluten-free. It's important to remember that Home Chef meals, despite offering some gluten-free options, are not suitable for people with severe gluten intolerance or celiac disease. Home Chef's food exclusion list includes pork, beef, poultry, fish, shellfish, mushrooms, tree nuts, peanuts, and sesame.
Get "extras” with your box
Home Chef saves you time with the "bundle and save” options available each week. From seasonal choices like iced spiced pumpkin cake and pumpkin spiced latte to all-time favorites like Brew Master pub cheese spread & soft pretzel bites, Caesar chopped salad and chicken, chocolate chip cookie skillets, quiche Lorraine, fudge brownie bites, green smoothies, soups, and additional protein, you won't even have to step foot in the grocery store for snacks and beverages.
Home Chef cares about our hometown heroes and students
Home Chef offers 10% discounts to military, first responders, teachers, health care workers, and other hometown heroes. They also offer a discount to students, alumni, and government workers.
Starting at $7.99/serving and $6.99/serving for the family plan
The more you buy, the more you save. If you're only planning to use the minimum of 2 servings, 2 days per week, you can expect to pay around $11.99 per serving. You might pay a little more or less if you swap proteins. The family plan with 4 or 8 servings is only $6.99 per serving.
No guarantees on organic
Home Chef has such a varied menu and a commitment to order from the best suppliers for each ingredient in season that they can't guarantee a certain type of ingredient. That being said, when they have organic chicken available, they will include that as an option in their "Customize It” section. We recommend always checking the customize option, as you may be pleasantly surprised at what choices are available.
A very interactive, easy-to-use website
With respect to ease of use, Home Chef comes out on top with a stellar, interactive website. From the easy-button interface with dietary exclusions and lifestyle choices to the very intuitive menu ordering process to the recipe cards, which you can click to check off completed steps, Home Chef is one of the best meal delivery websites for user experience.
Hit or miss reviews
With one of the only dedicated family plans on the market, great variety, and lots of easy ways to customize a menu fit for your lifestyle and food preference, Home Chef has a lot going for it. That being said, reviews from customers are a mixed bag, with customers commenting on the amazing meal experience, for example, but also complaining about missing ingredients. Some long-time customers are also concerned that the high quality they've come to expect may be going down.
Home Chef has more to like than not
With so many meal delivery services focusing on dietary preference or lifestyle, but hardly ever both, we appreciate how eager Home Chef is to help customers in every aspect of their lives when it comes to food. We also love the family plan, which allows for families with more than 2 kids to participate in an affordable meal plan that has a variety of skill-level recipes that can even help kids learn to love cooking. We absolutely cannot say enough about the incredibly enjoyable user experience on the website. The "bundle and save” makes it so easy to order snacks and seasonal items with no stress. The FAQ section answers any question a prospective subscriber might have before they need to commit to signing up. They have an extensive FAQ section that we appreciate because it ensures customers know everything about the service before signing up. Home Chef has dinner in the bag whether you want to learn new skills, have a home cooked meal in 30 minutes or less, or need a 2-minute solution to heat and eat. If it weren't for the overall tepid customer reviews, Home Chef would be at the top of our rankings.
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Which Meal Delivery Service is the Best?
Like us, our food choices are distinctive and individual. The booming prepared meal delivery services industry is a reflection of that. Choosing a meal kit from all the choices available depends on a lot of factors - the most important of which is the reason why you are looking for an easier way to nourish yourself in the first place.
Perhaps you are dealing with a chronic illness that can be helped by altering your diet. Maybe you need to take a break from cooking because you are going through significant changes in your life. It is possible that your young family is too busy with extracurricular activities, playdates, and obligations to find time for menu planning and grocery shopping.
Meal Delivery Company FAQ
Continued from above...
Perhaps you are a senior who needs a fully prepared meal solution. Maybe you are just tired of takeout and food waste and only want the food you know you will cook. Or you're a rotten cook who wants to learn how to prepare a meal that isn't too dry or undercooked. Meal delivery services can help you and your family's mental and physical health, regardless of your circumstances or motivations.
A meal delivery service can alleviate the burden of preparing entirely different menus for you and your loved ones in cases where families have multiple dietary restrictions. So if you need a diet to deal with the effects of menopause but your partner is weightlifting and needs a high protein diet, a meal delivery service can cover that. You only receive the food you actually eat with these services because everything is pre-portioned. Some kits even do the prep work of chopping, slicing, and cooking grains for you.
Meal delivery services typically keep things simple while still ensuring that your food is tasty and satisfying. Some are kits that take just five or six steps to prepare. There are others who promise 30-minute meal prep time. If you are interested in learning how to cook but are short on time, a meal kit subscription could be a good option. You can even learn new cooking techniques from the gourmet meals that some services provide (sometimes for an upgraded price, but it is worth it). In no time at all, you will be able to confidently claim the title of "home chef." And, for individuals who are mindful of their budget, there are companies that specialize in delivering affordable home-cooked meals.
If you are concerned about the environment, you can find a number of meal delivery options that adhere strictly to regulations regarding responsible fishing and provide only the healthiest ingredients in their prepared meals. Although not certified organic, many businesses are now buying from local farms that follow rigorous standards for the humane treatment of animals and for healthy, delicious produce.
There are meal delivery services that will teach you new skills but will also require you to do some prep work, and there are other services that will deliver meals that only require 15 minutes to make. Incredibly detailed recipe cards and easy-to-follow instructions are provided by most brands, making meal preparation accessible to even the youngest family members. Some people find the recipes on these cards to be so useful that they opt to keep them for when they want to make the same dish on their own.
Our mouths watered while researching today's most popular meal delivery options. Before you choose your ideal service, there are a few things we think are important:
- Options, options, options. Lots of interesting and varied options are offered by these companies. Take stock of your priorities and make a selection based on those. Always keep your must-haves close at hand so you will not give in to the temptation to try something you are probably not going to like. If variety is important to you and you really have an open mind when it comes to trying exotic ingredients or dishes, don't pick a mostly meat and potatoes service. If you love complex dishes and advanced gourmet cooking, don't choose something that is basic or for beginning cooks. If you don't like the taste of microwaved leftovers, you may not be happy with a flash frozen meal delivery service that requires reheating in the microwave. There are so many options - don't be afraid to make your wish list specific and don't compromise. Trust us, you'll find a company with a meal plan that's right for you. And if it's not exactly right, most companies allow you to mix and match plans.
- Cost. You'll almost always get a better deal by subscribing to a service rather than choosing a one-off delivery. Many meal delivery services offer great introductory offers, too. Often, if you are a subscriber, you can receive free shipping or you will get some savings on repeat orders. Make sure you get the most bang for your buck when you sign up for a subscription with a meal delivery provider. Sometimes this includes free shipping, other times it means you may save 10-15%, and sometimes you even get a surprise gift. (One subscription we know of has sometimes surprised customers with delicious chocolate chip cookie dough. Yum!)
- Flexibility. While there are some people who can keep to an extremely strict diet and never bend, most of us need flexibility. Make sure to check how flexible your meal delivery service is. Can you pause your subscription for weeks when you are on vacation? Can you skip a week if none of the recipes are what you are in the mood for? Can you cancel online, or do you have to call in to cancel? Can you swap proteins, customize, or upgrade meals to your liking? Can you order add-ons like breakfast or snacks if you are having friends over for a holiday? These are important things to consider.
- Ingredient quality. Quality is everything in a meal delivery service. There is nothing worse than coming home from a rough day and seeing your meal delivery box and opening it only to discover wilted, rotten produce or bad chicken. Quality control is vital in a meal delivery service. Some people prioritize eating sustainably and buying fresh food from local farms. Services that offer non-GMO, organic food with sustainable sourcing practices are usually going to provide some of the highest-quality meals.
- Reputation. What do other customers say about their experience with the meals from the company you're considering? Are deliveries fresh and on time? Outsourcing to cheaper shipping companies resulting in bad delivery practices is something to look out for in this industry. What are the refund or credit policies when quality is compromised? What do others say about their experiences with customer service? Since most companies deliver weekly, you don't want to have to worry about headaches trying to get credits or refunds if things go wrong.
To give you the most worry-free experience with choosing a meal delivery service, the experts at Top Consumer Reviews have spent hours looking at every aspect and facet of the most popular companies on the market today. We hope this helps you find a solution to creating healthy, delicious mealtimes - where you can create loving memories around the common, everyday act of providing a hot, home cooked meal with joy.
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