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In New York City grocery shopping is an endurance sport. It requires navigating crowds, long lines, and narrow aisles, then lugging heavy bags many blocks home. Many blocks. Call me crazy, but I've never loved the experience. So discovering meal kits about five years ago has been a real game-changer for me.
Blue Apron has been my meal kit of choice for the past few years, but when given the opportunity, I jumped at the chance to take Green Chef for a spin. I'm a wellness-minded lady, so I was excited by the brand's commitment to providing certified-organic produce and its claims to accommodate many different dietary preferences. Over the course of a week my sous-chef (my husband) and I whipped up three very different, very protein-heavy meals—here's how it went.
What's the Green Chef ordering experience?
In recent years the meal kits I've tried have stepped up their game when it comes to selecting weekly meals—both in terms of the options available and the in-app ordering experience. For Green Chef, you start by picking the kinds of meals you like from a series of health-focused categories: There are options like keto, Mediterranean, protein-packed, and recipes that purportedly support gut and brain health. (While all recipes are dietitian-approved, claims like these are difficult to prove.) You can also select “quick and easy” if your top priority is saving time in the kitchen.
I wanted to experience the widest array of offerings, so I clicked “protein-packed” and “Mediterranean” as my “lifestyle preferences.” From there, you’re prompted to select dietary preferences, which include options that help you optimize your protein or fiber, or reduce the amount of sodium, added sugar, or carbs.
The rest of the introductory quiz has you choose your goals (save money, reduce waste, eat healthy, etc.), and the amount of people in your household. I was happy to see that they offered an introductory rate of $6.99 per meal down from the normal $11.99, and that a complimentary nutrition coaching session comes with the first order. (For this review, Green Chef provided a week of meals free of charge.) While I chose not to meet with a pro, I'm impressed that I had the option; nutrition is personal, and this individual attention can help make sure your diet can support your lifestyle.
In addition to the choices of meals themselves, Green Chef offers add-ons like ready-to-blend smoothies and individual breakfast dishes like Southwest avocado toasts. One add-on option that I hadn’t seen from competitors was the breakfast-lunch boxes, which include enough staples like bagels and eggs to get you through the week. You can also add things like extra servings of veggies or plain chicken breasts.
What I loved about Green Chef
I’ll admit that I was a little concerned that Green Chef's focus on health would result in bland or boring meals, but the recipe creators really managed to amp up even the most basic dishes.
The chicken with lemon crema recipe looked a little basic from the photos, but it ended up being one of my favorites. The recipe yielded an ample amount of its signature sauce (a nice surprise, considering other meal kits I've tried have been stingy with condiments), and the side of jasmine rice was chock full of raisins, almonds, fresh scallions, and lemon zest for plenty of texture and punchy flavor.
In addition to my chicken dinner, I also made a mushroom burger and a steak and onions dish—both of which were meat-heavy and delicious. The burgers had a savory, earthy umami flavor thanks to a premade steak seasoning and juicy marinated mushrooms.
Lots of packing materials—ahem, trash—seem to be an inevitable, unfortunate side effect of meal kits. But Green Chef had less refuse, particularly plastic waste, than other brands I've tried. The main box was filled with brown bags that contained the materials needed for each individual meal. This also allowed them to forgo individual wrapping for items like vegetables and potatoes.
What I didn't love about Green Chef
The veggie side dishes were Green Chef's weak spot. Often they were seasoned with just a dash of olive oil and some salt and pepper. This preparation is simple, classic, and healthy, yes, but hardly exciting. I wish the recipes featured something a little more elevated than what I could reach for from my pantry.
I also would have liked to see a bit more variation in the recipe offerings. Most of them consisted of a baked chicken breast or salmon fillet, one veggie, and then either a carb or a starch. Again, it's a tried-and-true combo, but I was missing a sense of discovery and innovation with the recipes.
Green Chef FAQs
What kind of meal kit delivery service is Green Chef?
Green Chef provides kits so you can cook your own meals. It is the first California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF)-certified organic meal kit company and has committed to including 100% organic produce and eggs. While it does not have heat-and-eat dinner options, you can add ready-to-eat add-ons like smoothies and egg bites to your order.
Does Green Chef have quality ingredients?
According to Green Chef, all fruits, vegetables, and eggs are certified-organic, and that was true for the boxes I received. I found the proteins to be very high quality—particularly the steak—and while I wasn’t blown away by the crispness of the vegetables, they were definitely as fresh as what I'd find in the grocery store.
Should you order Green Chef?
Green Chef is great for a wide variety of eaters, including people who follow specific diets like gluten-free or dairy-free. I think Green Chef would also be great for families with picky eaters: Because so many of the recipes are a variation of a protein and two sides, it would be easy to find options that kiddos would think are tasty.
I also stand by the price point and the ease of receiving all of the ingredients in one box, especially if you live in a city or if you just don’t want to meal plan.
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