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I Tried Green Chef. See How I Liked These Healthy, Organic Meal Kits
Pricing Starts at $12/serving
Type Meal kits
Recipes per week 30
Good for Organic, healthy, low-calorie, pescatarian, vegetarian, keto, gluten-free, Whole30, gourmet
Score BreakdownTaste/results 7/10Value 7/10Ease of recipes 8/10Recipe variety 7/10Healthiness 9/10
ProsMy initial experience with Green Chef was marred by overly complicated recipes, some of which felt random and even difficult to execute. Considering Green Chef's position at the higher end of the meal kit price spectrum, these cons really didn't seem to justify the cost, and I left feeling completely unsatisfied.
However, Green Chef has made significant changes to its menu and meal plan cost since then, and so I dove back in eager to see whether these have had a significant effect on the meal kit.
Green Chef's healthy meal kits earned a spot on our list of best meal kits in 2024. David Watsky/CNETOnce I finished my second test of this high-quality meal kit, I found the service much easier and with a much better value than my first go. The change was so great that I've deemed Green Chef the best healthy meal kit pick in 2024, especially for those looking to eat wholesome, organic meals and cut out some of the cumbersome steps that often come with cooking from scratch. Better yet, if your diet is a little more restrictive, Green Chef has your back, no matter whether you're eating gluten-free, paleo, keto, or vegetarian-only diets.
Here's how the subscription service works, and my full review of the Green Chef meal kits, updated with new testing in late 2023.
How Green Chef works Choose between six overarching meal plans to help you hone in on your eating goals. Green Chef/Screenshot by CNETGreen Chef is a meal kit subscription, meaning it sends ingredients to you along with recipes for healthy, mostly organic meals. When signing up, the service offers six main nutrition plans such as Plant-Powered and Calorie Conscious to guide your selections, but you'll still have access to Green Chef's full menu of over 50 meals per week. (See below for this week's menus.)
After choosing a meal plan type, you'll then choose how many meal kits per week you want to receive -- three or four -- and also how many servings per meal -- two, four or six.
Green Chef is one of the healthier meal delivery services with mostly organic ingredients and lots of vegetables and lean meats. David Watsky/CNETAfter plugging in your payment info, you'll select meals from your plan and delivery date for the following week. Each week you'll select your meal and a box arrives on the doorstep on the day of your choosing in insulated packaging. Green Chef ships to nearly every US zip code except for Alaska, Hawaii and some parts of Louisiana. Though it wasn't an issue for me, a critique I found in other Green Chef reviews was shipping delays -- albeit usually no more than a day or two.
How much does Green Chef cost? Recipes per weekMeals for 2Meals for 4Meals for 62 N/A$13N/A3 $13.49$12.49$124 $13$12$12*Prices per serving What are Green Chef meals like?Green Chef meals are healthy with plenty of options for special diets including keto, paleo, vegan and gluten-free. Expect lots of organic vegetables and lean meats with lighter sauces and seasonings. There is the scattered "cheat meal," such as truffle linguine with chicken and mushrooms or Salisbury steak and potatoes, but most of the dishes have high nutritional value with very few heavy cream-based sauces, cheese toppings or excess empty carbs.
Green Chef recipes are bright and colorful, filled with superfoods and healthy greens. Green Chef/Screenshot by CNETThere's a fair variety of fish and seafood options plans including salmon, tilapia and shrimp recipes. Some seafood recipes are included with a standard meal plan, while others are considered premium and cost as much as $9 more per serving.
I appreciated the eco-friendly paper bags that hold the components of each recipe, but found a good deal of single-use plastic once I opened them. David Watsky/CNETGreen Chef flavors will be familiar to most American eaters, and I'd say the company plays it safer than rivals such as Sunbasket or Blue Apron. I noticed a good deal of heat and punchy elements such as chimichurri, lime, peppers and Mexican spice. In a previous round of testing, I found some recipes to be odd, random and unappealing, but not so much in this latest round.
Green Chef support materials A few of my recipe cards. David Watsky/CNETGreen Chef's recipe cards can be sent in printed form or found online. I found them to be clear and concise, with some helpful footnotes for beginners, such as a brief explanation of what a roux is. There's also an app that allows you to order or change meals and find recipes, too.
Add-ons Green Chef has a dozen or so add-ons, including Good Chop meat packs and breakfast bites. Green Chef/Screenshot by CNETAdd-ons have become a popular feature for meal kit services to pad your weekly order. They're convenient and can knock a few items from your weekly shopping list. Green Chef has partnered with meat purveyor Good Chop to offer meat add-ons, including chicken parts, beef packs and selections of seafood. You can also tack on some sous vide egg bits or oatmeal for an easy breakfast. Prices vary but tend to skew a little higher than you'd find at a grocery store.
How easy are Green Chef meal kits? Vegan enchilada ingredients ready to go. David Watsky/CNETGreen Chef meal kits require some skill and are ideal for intermediate home cooks. Most are simple to prepare, often taking less than 30 minutes from start to finish.
As with many other meal kit services, Green Chef has a few more involved meal kits that may take 45 minutes or more, but you won't find many overly complicated recipes as you might with a service such as Martha & Marley Spoon or Sunbasket, and you don't need extensive cooking experience. That said, the average Green Chef recipe is slightly more complex than those from a beginner service like HelloFresh, Home Chef or Dinnerly.
I did notice that the project time to cook each recipe was a little off. The pan-roasted chicken with basil pesto took about five to seven minutes longer than the card indicated, for instance. Another, the simple pork and apple meatloaves, took about 10 minutes less than Green Chef predicted.
What I cooked and how it wentGreen Chef is one of the best meal kit options for those looking to eat organic food and want simple, healthy meals. It's also a solid choice for vegetarians since the plant-based menu includes nine hearty vegetarian meal kit selections per week, like orange miso tofu or artichoke "crab" cakes. Green Chef recipes feature interesting ingredient combinations, making it a good choice for adventurous eaters. It's also good for eating gluten-free, keto or paleo.
Who shouldn't try Green Chef?Because it starts at $12 a serving, Green Chef probably isn't a great pick for someone on a tight budget. (See our list of the best cheap meal delivery services for that.) I also found portion sizes small, so big eaters may not find the recipes to be enough.
Green Chef pricingPricing for Green Chef meals lands between $12 and $13.49 a serving depending on the number of servings ordered. Green Chef now offers variable pricing, whereas it used to be one per-serving price no matter which plan you chose. You can order as few as six servings per week (the most expensive cost per serving) or as many as 24 (the cheapest per serving). There's also a $10 flat-rate shipping fee for each box.
All of this still adds up to Green Chef being on the more expensive end of the meal kit category -- not entirely surprising, considering these meal kits feature mostly organic produce and meats. That said, with the improved quality of recipes, the higher-than-average prices didn't bother me as much as the last time I tested it.
Packaging and environmental friendliness I noticed a fair amount of single-use plastic in Green Chef meal kits. David Watsky/CNETGreen Chef claims to be the No. 1 most sustainable meal kit company, but those are fuzzy stats, and I found there to be a good deal of plastic waste. That said, the box, coolers and ice packs are all recyclable and the recipes all come in paper bags, unlike the plastic large plastic bags used by Home Chef.
What's the Green Chef menu this week? June 3, 2024Protein Packed weekly menuWhen I first tested Green Chef meal kits in 2021, I wasn't entirely impressed, but the service has since made a few small changes that add up to a major overall improvement. With simpler recipes that feature high-quality and mostly organic ingredients, in my late 2023 test I found Green Chef to be well worth the price. It's still pricier than most services, but a good pick for those looking to eat healthy, interesting food made at home.
In the recipes I tackled, the meats and produce were fresh and arrived in good shape. I enjoyed some bold flavors such as apple and pork meatloaves and bright sauces, many of which had a homemade quality. Green Chef also deftly caters to niche eating plans such as gluten-free, keto and Mediterranean diet, which is perfect for a gluten-intolerant person such as myself.
With cheaper per-serving prices and options for steak and seafood on the standard meal plan, Blue Apron is still my pick for the best meal kit service in 2024. But if you're interested in cooking mostly organic meals that don't skimp on taste, Green Chef is your best option.
More meal delivery picksSunbasket Review, A Tasty Alternative To Meal Planning
Pros
Extras like side dishes and snacksCons
Some meals high in sodium Some meat sourcing is questionable What is Sunbasket?If you want to save time and prioritize fresh, healthy meals, Sunbakset may fit the bill. Sunbasket is a weekly meal delivery service. Its mission is to "empower people to live their healthiest lives, starting with what's on their forks."
They accomplish this by offering many organic foods from sustainable sources, being mindful of their impact on the environment. The company reports that it offers 98% organic food certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program, which has a program to ensure farmers follow national standards. ( 2 ) Much of their packaging is also recyclable or compostable.
Sunbasket is one of the more customizable meal delivery options on the market, enabling subscribers to select high-fiber, high-protein, or leaving out certain ingredients like meats for people who favor a vegetarian diet. It has been found that cooking meals at home results in more nutritious consumption, such as more veggies, than when eating out. ( 3 )
Sunbasket also donates food to food banks around the country to help people facing hunger.
Specs Starting price $9.99 for pre-made meals; $11.49 for meal kits Shipping cost Free for first box; $9.99 Shipping area Continental U.S. Except Montana, North Dakota, and parts of New Mexico Meal type Meal kits, prepared meals, and snacks Number of meals per week Up to five meal kits and up to eight prepared meals Meal options Carb-conscious, diabetes-friendly, gluten-free, paleo, Mediterranean, pescatarian, keto-friendly, vegetarian, and a few vegan options. Cancellation method Online How does Sunbasket work?Sunbasket allows you to explore the menu before signing up for a subscription. You can select meal kits that come with easy-to-follow instructions on recipe cards to make meals that take between 15 to 40 minutes to prep and cook. You also have the option of buying single-serving pre-made meals. This gives you plenty of options based on what your lifestyle allows for when it comes to time in the kitchen.
These meal kits cost $11.49 per serving for a homey dish like meatloaf with garlic potatoes and greens up to $24.49 for an elevated dish like wild sea scallops with couscous and citrus beurre blanc. The single-serve, pre-made meals start at $9.99. Your first box ships for free and costs $9.99 in the following orders.
As you sign up for a subscription, the next step is choosing how many meals you want per week. Sunbasket meal kits are designed for two or four people. You can order two, three, four, or five meal kits or eight prepared meals each week.
If you want to take a week off you can pause your subscription at any time. If you want to change your order, make your updates before Wednesday at 12 p.M. PT (3 p.M. ET).
Customer serviceIf you have questions when ordering your weekly meals or after they are delivered, you can reach out to Sunbasket customer service via the website's chat feature, text 208-960-6505, call 866-SUN-BSKT (866-786-2758), or contact them using a website form.
Sunbasket meal plansSunbasket lets you choose between dozens of meal kits and pre-made meals made from cuisines around the world. This meal service supports a variety of diets including carb-conscious, diabetes-friendly, gluten-free, paleo, Mediterranean, pescatarian, keto-friendly, and vegetarian, but only offers a few vegan options. All meals are prepared in the same facility, so you may want to choose a different service if you have a severe food allergy or celiac disease.
You can also select nutrition requirements like high-protein, high-fiber, low-calorie, low-added sugar, and low sodium. For added customization, you can select specific ingredients to exclude, such as beef, lamb, pork, fish, shellfish, poultry, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, egg, and soy. You can also decide how long you want to spend in the kitchen by selecting specific cook times.
Although you can select low sodium, as low as 240 mg per meal, we noticed some of the other meals were high in sodium, some as high as 1,630 mg per serving. This is almost more than half daily consumption recommendation. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends eating no more than 2,300 mg of salt per day, or a teaspoon full. ( 4 ) We like being able to select for that when picking meals.
In addition, Sunbasket offers breakfast foods, lunch foods like salads and pizza, beverages like peach green tea, side dishes including black truffle macaroni and cheese, snacks, and extra proteins.
Sunbasket meals reviewOur tester tried salmon with spring vegetables and green tahini sauce, ginger-scallion beef skewers with apple and cabbage slaw with ground beef, and spaghetti carbonara with pancetta and sweet peas.
The dishes were easy to prepare and didn't take more than 30 minutes to make. The salmon was one of her favorites, and the recipe didn't require much more than chopping and spooning lemon butter over the fish, which was easy to do. She needed to have basic seasonings like salt, pepper, and olive oil on hand, which she did, but everything else came with the meal kits. "This is important to note to make sure you have the extras to prepare the dish," notes Victoria Burgess, PhD, CSCS, CISSN.
The spaghetti dish was also very good, according to our tester. She said the pancetta added a smoky, bacon-like flavor to the meal. The portion sizes were appropriate, as she felt satisfied but not stuffed after eating a whole serving.
Our tester noted that everything in her meal kits was organic unless marked otherwise. She was impressed with the freshness of the food and the company's dedication to maintaining fair environmental practices.
Sunbasket's seafood is either wild-caught or sustainably sourced. Meat and poultry are raised without antibiotics and are hormone-free. That said, their meat is sourced from Rastelli's, a New Jersey butcher shop. In doing our research, we were unable to find a positive review of this business on Trustpilot or the Better Business Bureau, and we'd like to see Sunbasket source from elsewhere. For more information on meat delivery, read about the best 6 meat delivery services .
Sunbasket packagingSunbasket meals come in recyclable boxes with ice packs nestled in paper insulation made from 100% shredded recycled paper. Our testers received four meal kits (four servings each) with eight brown bags total. Two portions of ingredients come in each bag. Everything was sealed well and easy to open. Foods in the box had clear expiration dates.
Who is Sunbasket best for?Sunbasket is good for people who prioritize eating organic food from sustainable sources. The company values eating food as close to nature as possible, and for people who want to eat healthier, this might be a good meal delivery option for you.
If you want to try dishes from around the world, Sunbasket offers Indian, Moroccan, Italian, Mediterranean, Thai, and more cuisines to choose from, and with options for vegan and meat eaters alike. The Mediterranean diet, full of fresh vegetables, fish, beans, and lean proteins has gained attention for its health properties, as it's shown to lower the risk of cardiovascular conditions, diabetes, and has the potential to forestall cognitive diseases in the aging population. ( 5 )
Sunbasket is also very customizable. You can select options like high protein, high fiber, low calories, low added sugar, low sodium, no dairy, no soy, as well as specific meats and fish.
Sunbasket may not be the best meal delivery service for vegans, as there may not be enough options each week. Meal kits and prepared meals are generally packaged in places where allergens may cross-contaminate your selections, so this also might not be the ideal service for someone with food allergies or sensitivities.
I Tried 10 Of The Most Popular Meals Kits — These Are My 3 Favorites
Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman; Food Styling: Anna Stockwell Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman; Food Styling: Anna Stockwell
Table of ContentsHow I Tested the Meal Kits
The Best Meal Kits
Green Chef
EveryPlate
Marley Spoon
Meal kits have been assisting would-be cooks (if not for all that meal planning and grocery shopping) with prix-fixe dinners for more than a decade. The concept is simple: One box comes packed with almost everything you need to make a variety of quick and easy meals. Subscribe to any of these services and you can choose from a menu of options for the week, with most coming together in 20 to 30 minutes (more on that below!). Plus, with the planning and shopping already done, you can get right into the actual cooking (and eventually, the eating).
There are a lot of meal kit companies out there, and choosing between them can feel nearly as taxing as planning what to cook. That is, until now. I tried 10 popular meal kit delivery services — all packed into a short two-week span. Here's how it went, plus my top three favorites.
Credit: Kurt Suchman Credit: Kurt Suchman
How I Tested the Meal KitsI cleared out my fridge to make room for my 14-day kit-off. There were a lot of similarities between the 10 different boxes that arrived at my door: Other than a few different flourishes of colorful, stylish labels, the packaging was mostly the same; sturdy cardboard boxes layered with reusable ice packs to keep everything fresh. All but one service required me to have salt, pepper, water, and cooking oil on hand (more about that below).
All of the companies offered plenty of new-to-me and exciting recipes, and the price per serving was reasonable for a household of two (although some seemed a little pricey compared to the average grocery bill). The ingredients were well-organized within their respective boxes — everything I needed was properly packed and easy to find. With all this considered, I judged each kit on four criteria: ingredient quality, total actual recipe time, difficulty level of recipes, and taste.
After eating nothing but meal kits for two weeks straight, these are the three I'd sign up for again.
The Best Meal Kits 1. Green ChefGreen Chef's meal kit was a favorite based on the quality of the produce alone. Much like the name implies, this subsidiary of HelloFresh works directly with farmers to source many of their ingredients. It's also the first meal kit company to be certified by California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF).
Above all, I appreciated the flexibility of the recipes that Green Chef offered. You can choose between three or four meals for two, four, or six people, with a weekly menu of more than 30 different meals, including breakfast options. The company also offers customizable meals to fit many diets and lifestyles, including vegetarian, gluten-free, keto, and more.
Green Chef Meal Delivery Service, 6 Servings
Green Chef Meal Delivery Service, 6 ServingsGreen Chef
$80.94
Buy Now
For this test, I selected two meals: Gyro Spiced Pork Tenderloin Kale Salad and Steak and Shrimp with Spicy Peperonata. Both felt like exciting twists on familiar flavors and were relatively low lift to create in my kitchen — I could have easily made one for lunch in the middle of a work-from-home day or a last-minute weeknight dinner. Best, of all, they did not disappoint when it came to flavor.
The pork was a hearty spin on a traditional Greek salad crossed with a juicy gyro. The dish — from seasoning, to chopping, to mixing, to cooking, and even cooling — took just under 30 minutes. It was so good, it rivaled my usual order from the Mediterranean spot nearby.
Even with the batched cooking (first steak, then shrimp) and zucchini ribbon-ing, the Peperonata came together just as easily. I don't usually care for zoodles (just give me the pasta!), but the tomatoey and slightly spicy zucchini was an appropriately zesty side for the Italian-style surf-and-turf. It actually changed my mind about zucchini noodles!
Depending on the number of meals you order, as well as any deals or promos you score, each individual meal is anywhere from about $11.99 to $13.49 a piece (plus shipping), making it the priciest of the kits on this list. But! The noticeably high-quality ingredients, combined with the ease of preparation, and out-of-the-box (veggie-focused) recipes did not disappoint. There are also steep discounts for first-time subscribers. You can read more about Green Chef in my review here.
Sign up: Green Chef
Credit: Kurt Suchman Credit: Kurt Suchman
2. EveryPlateOf the three on this list, EveryPlate is the most straightforward and the most affordable — meals can start at $5.99 per serving and go up to $7.49 (plus shipping). You can choose between three to five meals for two to six people for the week. Although EveryPlate's menu is a bit smaller than the other kits I tried, it still includes several dozen choices each week. As someone living in a two-person household, I didn't feel like I missed out on any of the conveniences (or enticement) other services offered.
Every Plate Meal Delivery Service, 6 Servings
Every Plate Meal Delivery Service, 6 ServingsEveryplate
$35.94
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There was plenty of variety, plus vegetarian and gluten-free options, and a family favorites meal plan catered to households with kids. (You can swap out different meats and vegetables based on your family's preferences). It's the best option for families looking for an affordable and fast way to keep everyone well-fed.
The recipes are crafted with ease in mind, often requiring six steps or fewer and take less than 30 minutes — they were some of the easiest recipes I tested. Many are simple sheet pan dinners, like the Balsamic Glazed Meatballs with Green Beans and French Onion Chicken with Roasted Carrots and Potatoes I received. Everything cooks together, so you save even more time on preparation and cleanup. The third meal — Blackened Shrimp Salad — required some stovetop cooking (homemade croutons, shrimp), but was still ready to eat in 30 minutes. You can read more about EveryPlate in my review here.
Sign up: EveryPlate
Credit: Kurt Suchman Credit: Kurt Suchman
3. Marley SpoonMarley Spoon (previously called Martha & Marley Spoon) offers more than 100 meals weekly from Martha Stewart's personal recipe archives, including desserts. Of all the kits tested, I had the hardest time narrowing down my meal choices. They all looked and sounded so good!
The two I tried — Beef Ravioli in Mushroom Brodo and Apple-Cheddar Chicken Meatloaf — were as delicious and luxurious as if Martha herself had made them for me. (For an added flair, all the ingredients are packaged in cardboard crates that feel like they came straight from a farm-share.) The dishes were relatively simple to put together on a busy weeknight, although they took closer to 45 minutes to from start to finish. However, they were also two of the tastiest recipes I sampled in my two-week-long tasting menu. You can read more about Marley Spoon in my review here.
Marley Spoon Meal Kit Delivery Service, 6 Servings
Marley Spoon Meal Kit Delivery Service, 6 ServingsMartha & Marley Spoon
$27.96 (was $63.95)
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The pre-packaged ravioli (filled with beef and red wine ragu) required little more than boiling some water, and the mushrooms just needed to be sliced and sautéd in garlic and olive oil. (Hold your applause, please.) For the minimal effort, it still felt like a dish I ordered at a nice restaurant.
The real knockout though was the meatloaf with roasted carrots and string beans. Despite it being one of the more labor-intensive recipes, my partner and I both gushed over the results: 10/10 would recommend.
Some recipes require you to have extra items on hand that other services do not. To the Marley Spoon's credit, they're staples, like eggs or ketchup, that many people might already have in their refrigerator. I did find myself in a pinch when I was out of ketchup needed for the meatloaf. (Thankfully, I had a collection of unused ketchup packets from old takeout orders to see me through.)
If you love food and are looking for amped-up comfort food recipes, then Marley Spoon is the kit for you. The meals can range from $10.99 to $12.99 per portion before any deals and promos. Shipping and specialty ingredients, like seafood, are also extra.
Sign up: Marley Spoon
Do you have a favorite meal kit delivery service? Tell us about it in the comments below.
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