We were given a sample for our Home Chef meals reviews and this post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase we may be compensated. All opinions are our own.
Written By Alison Chew | Dietitian Verified by Rebecca Housh, MS, RDN
Home Chef delivers the recipes and ingredients needed to craft amazing dishes in under an hour with some meals taking less than 15 minutes in the microwave.
With thirty-plus meal options at prices starting at $7.99 a serving, the Home Chef menu gives you all the variety you need without a grocery list.
The cost of a Home Chef meal varies depending on the number of meals, dietary preference, and serving sizes selected. Meals start at $7.99 per person with an additional shipping fee.
Extras like Premium Meals, desserts, sides, and protein add-ons vary in cost. SHOP NOW >>
The average weekly cost of Home Chef for 2 people eating 3 meals per week is $54 and for 4 people eating 3 meals per week is $118.
Home Chef ships to the Continental United States.
Home Chef shipping is $8.99 to $13.99 per delivery.
That depends on the recipes that you select! Home Chef does offer several high-protein and lower-carb recipes each week, but many meals tend to be high in sodium. In addition, they do not cater to specific diets such as keto and have very few plant-based meals.
Yes! You can freeze many Home Chef meals AFTER you have cooked them as well as the prepared lunches before or after heating. In addition, you can freeze most meat, seafood, and sauces, but I do not recommend trying to freeze other ingredients such as vegetables.
No! Home Chef is not certified organic. They do use some organic ingredients, but you can not select 100% organic meals.
Home Chef has a line of meal kits in the “Easy Prep Meal Kits” section of its weekly menu that are fast and/or require little prep.
This line includes Oven-Ready, Fast & Fresh, and Express meal kits.
To make these meals all you have to do is assemble the pre-portioned ingredients, add seasoning, and cook in the microwave or oven.
Best of all you can use the tray that is included to heat in the oven or the microwave which leaves you with NO clean-up! SHOP NOW >>
For our Home Chef meals reviews, we’ve tried several meal kits from the Easy Prep Meal Kits section including Fast & Fresh Beef Fajitas Chili Lime Rice Bowl with Mozzarella and Sour Cream, the Oven-Ready Italian Sausage Penne with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream and Sweet Corn, the Oven-Ready Green Chile Meatloaf with BBQ Sauce and Green Beans, Fast & Fresh Plus Cilantro Lime Brisket Fajitas, Fast & Fresh Crispy Shrimp Tacos, Oven-Ready Spicy Szechuan-Style Meatballs, and Fast & Fresh Plus Golden BBQ Brisket Wraps.
More on our favorite Home Chef “Easy Prep Meals” is below.
Oven-Ready Italian Sausage Penne with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream and Sweet Corn. This oven-ready meal came together with no chopping and minimal prep. Simply add the pasta, cream cheese, corn, and water to the provided tray.
Take the sausage out of the casing and add that to the tray and bake for around 20-22 minutes. Then stir in the pesto sauce and cheese and top with crumbled croutons.
That’s it! This comfort food dinner was easy to make and tasted yummy. SHOP NOW >>
Oven-Ready Green Chile Meatloaf with BBQ Sauce and Green Beans. This meal, like the first, was very easy to make.
Add the greens beans to the included tray with oil and garlic salt and place in the oven for 10 min.
While the beans are in the oven, make the mini meatloaves, then add those and the premade mashed potatoes to the tray.
Cook for another 20 min or so. Remove from the oven, add bbq sauce and crispy onions, and serve.
We loved this dinner! The meatloaf was tasty thanks to the green chilis and garlic salt, the mashed potatoes were buttery and creamy, and the green beans with garlic salt tasted great.
It’s good to mention that clean-up is a breeze! No pots, no pans, just the tray that was included that you can throw in the trash or rinse out and recycle. SHOP NOW >>
Fast & Fresh Beef Fajitas Chili Lime Rice Bowl with Mozzarella and Sour Cream. Making this Fast & Fresh meal was as simple as opening the ingredients and layering them in the included microwavable dish, cooking in the microwave for 5-8 min, then garnished with sour cream and optional hot sauce.
The Beef Fajitas tasted good and are another comfort food favorite in our house.
We would’ve loved some guacamole in addition to the sour cream.
This meal, like the others, had no cleanup and this one had zero chopping! SHOP NOW >>
Fast & Fresh Plus Cilantro Lime Brisket Fajitas were really tasty and super easy to make with NO chopping at all. We opted for the oven over the microwave, but think that either would be just fine.
The tomatoes and seasoning rub give this dish the Mexican flavors you would expect and the premade chipotle crema and crispy jalapenos, which weren’t hot at all, rounded out the dish with different textures and flavors. Yum!
Fast & Fresh Plus Golden BBQ Brisket Wraps were very tasty and another dish with NO chopping involved. You heat the brisket, add the bbq sauce, mix the slaw, and assemble. It’s that easy!
We added a salad to the meal for some added veggies (we purchased the salad and pizza bundle this week). The crispy onions were a big hit and my family enjoyed this meal more than I thought. SHOP NOW >>
Overall, the Fast & Fresh and Oven-Ready meals are perfect for busy nights or nights when you want something quick and don’t want to break the bank on takeout.
The only drawback to comfort food dinners is that they are often not super healthy because they typically contain more sodium, carbs, and calories compared to other meals. Be mindful of this when selecting your recipes if you are on a diet or watching your weight.
Home Chef meal kits come with pre-portioned ingredients and recipe cards with simple instructions to make cooking at home simple. Like other meal kit companies, recipes change weekly with a variety of dietary options available.
Some of the Home Chef meal kits come with the ability to swap and/or double your protein selection, which we love as you can personalize your meals to meet your family’s needs. In addition, it’s good to note that all Home Chef meals come with paper recipe cards.
We’ve tried several Home Chef meal kits including the Peach Glazed Pork Chop with Mashed Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts, Scallop Scampi Campanelle with Creamy Parmesan Sauce, Pretzel-Crusted Tilapia with Honey Mustard, and BBQ-Ranch Steak Flatbread.
More on our favorites below. SHOP NOW >>
Peach Glazed Pork Chop with Mashed Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts: This dish was super flavorful thanks to the spicy apricot glaze on the pork chops. The glaze really elevates the dish and is something that I wouldn’t normally make.
The addition of baked Brussels sprouts, which my family love, and creamy mashed potatoes made for a great-tasting and very filling meal.
Scallop Scampi Campanelle with Creamy Parmesan Sauce: There are a lot of moving parts with this dish, but they’re all timed perfectly when getting everything together. I was most nervous about getting the sauce at the right consistency, but the directions were outlined really well and it ended up being my favorite part of the dish!
The garlic bread was also fun to make. I sprinkled some of my own cheese over the garlic when I put it in the oven. SHOP NOW >>
BBQ-Ranch Steak Flatbread: I made this with a friend and we haven’t stopped talking about it. It was the easiest and the best-tasting dish of the week for me.
The steak and barbecue sauce went well on the naan, especially once the caramelized onions were added to the mix. I only wish they had given more cheese in the original package! SHOP NOW >>
Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon Review
Home Chef delivers easy-to-prepare customizable meal kits in traditional American flavors directly to your door.
Home Chef meal kits are great for beginners and those with less experience in the kitchen. Most recipes can be made in around 30-45 min, with 15-minute meal kits available. A majority of the recipes contain more traditional “American” flavors and we would love to see more globally-inspired recipes in the future.
We love the Easy Prep meals, as they are just that, easy to prep. There is no chopping involved, no pots, no pans, just mix the ingredients together, pop them in the oven, and 30 minutes later dinner is served. Plus, clean-up is a breeze! If you love comfort food classics and are looking for homecooked meals with minimal prep, try out the Easy Prep meals. One note, if you are counting calories be sure to check out the nutrition information on these meals as some have a lot of calories per serving.
Compared to other meal kits Home Chef offers a nice variety of recipes with more traditional meal kits, Express meals kits, and Easy Prep meals available. Starting at $7.99 per serving Home Chef is in the middle of the price range providing a solid value for your money.
In addition, some Home Chef meals are customizable allowing you to select your protein. They also have a lot of “Extras” available, including sides, desserts, and proteins which is nice if you need a little more food, are having company, or want to skip the grocery store.
If you are looking for meal kits and easy-to-prepare meals with traditional American flavors at a decent price Home Chef is a great option. SHOP NOW >>
 |  |  |  |  |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Read Review | Read Review | Read Review | Read Review | Read Review | |
| COUPON | 60% OFF 1st Box+ 20% OFF on Next 2 Boxes | Try for $1.49/meal | Up to $150 OFF | 50% OFF 4 Boxes | 16 Free Meals + 3 Gifts + Free Shipping on 1st Order |
| DIETARY OPTIONS | Classic, Vegetarian, No Added Gluten, Dairy Free, Low Cal, Low Carb | Classic, Vegetarian | Classic, Vegetarian, Weight Watchers | Classic, Vegetarian, Calorie-Conscious, Carb-Conscious | Classic, Vegetarian, Calorie Smart, Pescatarian |
| MENU | Meal Kits, Holiday Meal Kits, Dessert, Breakfast, Protein Packs, Market addons | Meal Kits, Sides, Lunch, Dessert, Protein Packs | Meal Kits, Meal Prep, Prepared Meals, Holiday Meal Kits, Protein Packs, Sides, Dessert, Wine | Meal Kits, Fresh & Easy Low or No Prep Meals, Holiday Meal Kits, Breakfast, Bread, Dessert, Lunch, Sides, Protein Packs | Meal Kits, Prepared Meals, Holiday Meal Kits, Breakfast, Lunch, Sides, Snacks, Dessert, Protein Packs |
| SERVINGS | 2 or 4, 1 serving Ready to Heat | 2 or 4 | 2 or 4 serving Meal Kits, 1 serving Ready to Heat | 2, 4, or 6 | 1 Serving Prepared Meals; 2 or 4 Serving Meal Kits |
| STARTING PRICE PER SERVING | $4.99 | $4.99 | $7.99 | $7.99 | $8.99 |
| SHIPPING | $11.99 | $10.99 | $9.99 | $8.99+ | $9.99 |
 |  |  |  |  |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Read Review | Read Review | Read Review | Read Review | Read Review | |
| COUPON | 56.4% OFF 1st Order + $20 OFF Next 3 Orders | $90 OFF | $30 OFF with code CARROT30 | $250 OFF + Free Shipping | 6 Meals for $36 on First 2 Boxes |
| DIETARY OPTIONS | Classic, Low-Cal, Low-Carb, Vegetarian, No Added Gluten, Dairy Free | Classic, Vegetarian, Paleo, Gluten Free, Carb Conscious, Diabetes Friendly, Pescatarian, Mediterranean , Low-Calorie | Vegan, Vegetarian, Plant-Based, Gluten-Free, High Protein | Balanced Living, Keto, Paleo, Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-Free | Classic, Lean & Clean, Vegetarian |
| MENU | Meal Kits, Holiday Meal Kits, Breakfast, Dessert, Protein Packs, Market addons | Meal Kits, Prepared Meals, Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks, Dessert, Protein Packs, Pantry Items | Meal Kits, Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks, Prepared Meals | Meal Kits | Meal Kits, Breakfast, Lunch, Sides, Dessert, Protein Packs |
| SERVINGS | 1 Serving Ready to Heat meals, 2 or 4 serving Meal Kits | 1 Serving Prepared Meals; 2, 3, or 4 Serving Meal Kits | 1 Serving Prepared Meals. 2 or 4 serving Meal Kits | 2, 4, or 6 | 2 or 4 |
| STARTING PRICE PER SERVING | $8.69 | $9.99 - $11.49+ | $11 - $13 | $11.99 | $11.99 |
| SHIPPING | $11.99 | $9.99 | $8 or Free for orders $85+ | $9.99 | $8.99 |
Looking for more meal kits? Check out our Meal Kit Directory >>
| This post has been reviewed and approved by our dietitian Rebecca Housh, MS, RDN, LDN for nutritional accuracy. | |
|---|---|
 | Rebecca Housh is a registered dietitian based in Chicago, IL. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Physiology from Boston University and a Master of Science in Human Nutrition from the University of Illinois in Chicago. Rebecca is passionate about the idea of food as medicine in both preventative and therapeutic care. Her current professional interests lie in food security, food access, and nutrition for chronic disease. |
