Ordering personalized recipes from meal delivery service Home Chef is really simple. Head to the website or download the free mobile app and you’ll be greeted with an option to pick your meals, after first highlighting any food and dietary preferences to help personalize your menu.
There are traditional Home Chef recipes, which come with fresh, pre-portioned ingredients ready to cook, alongside the Fresh and Easy selection, which offers low- or no-prep meals. You can also opt for low-calorie or low-carb options, and pick certain foods that you want to avoid.
After choosing how many servings and meals you want to receive each week, you can select your first delivery date. Your box will then be delivered with simple recipe cards that you can follow at your own leisure–it’s that easy.
You can either begin manually picking your Home Chef meals straight away, or take the fun quiz on the homepage. This asks questions like whether you enjoy cooking, what your typical weeknight dinner looks like, and your favorite dinner, and tells you what kind of chef you are. The results don’t seem to have any impact on the meals shown to you afterward though.
However, there are plenty of ways to customize your selection, with over 30 weekly choices on the menu divided into the following categories:
You can further filter meals with categories like calorie-conscious, carb-conscious, or those that can be made in under 30 minutes.
And, if you’re looking for ultimate personalization, you’ll love the Customize It tool. Almost every Home Chef meal comes with customization options that let you upgrade, swap, or double the main protein ingredient. This is great if you want to switch to a low-fat or boneless option, or if you’re a vegan/vegetarian wanting plant-based protein included. For example, the Creamy Tomato and Asparagus Rigatoni can be customized with the vegan Impossible Burger, boneless skinless chicken breasts, or Italian pork sausage links.
Home Chef also offers optional extras available for purchase, from beverages like cold brew lattes or mango smoothies, all the way to the Classic Protein Pack (6 sirloin steaks and 50 oz ground beef). You can also choose Bundle and Save options, which combine 2 or more elements to make easy ready meals with little to no cooking. These include salad, pizza, soup, dessert, and breakfast bundles.
Home Chef offers around 30 meals each week, although there are more than 100 possible weekly combinations thanks to the Customize It tool. Here are some of our personal favorites from this week’s menu.
Vegetarians will love options like the Creamy Tomato and Asparagus Rigatoni, but also the ability to customize some of the meatier dishes. For instance, take the delicious-sounding Blue Cheese and Caramelized Onion Burger, replace the beef burger with the Impossible Burger, and you’ve got a hearty vegetarian dish that’s ready in under an hour. Though this does require more expert-level cooking skills, it certainly sounds worth the effort!
For your weekly fix of Mexican cuisine, feast your eyes upon the tantalizing Queso Fondue Steak Quesadillas with pico de gallo. This intermediate-level spicy dish can be made in 45 minutes, and the steak strips can be replaced with the Impossible Burger, chicken breasts, or ground beef.
For something a bit speedier, opt for the Mini Pesto Pork Pizzas from the 15-minute meal kit. This is easy to cook, isn’t spicy, and can be customized with a protein option of sliced pork, Italian sausage, steak strips, or the Impossible Burger. All you need is olive oil, salt, pepper, a baking sheet, and one large non-stick pan–Home Chef provides the rest.
For the health conscious, why not try the Stuffed Chicken Parmesan with sauteéd zucchini and peppers? This expert-level dish can be cooked in under 35 minutes and has just 570 calories and 20g of carbohydrates per serving.
Home Chef is a weekly subscription service, so the total price depends on what you’re ordering, the number of servings, and how many customizations you choose. Prices start from $8.99 and are stated on each meal. You can also currently enjoy 16 free meals across your first 3 boxes–to redeem this offer, choose a weekly meal plan of at least 10 servings, with a minimum value of $49.95. You’ll then get the equivalent of 60% off your first 3 boxes, worth $90.
Meals are sold in 2, 4, 6, or 8 servings and you can choose anywhere from 2 to 6 weekly meals. Home Chef requires a minimum order of 4 plates, which could be 2 meals with 2 servings each or one meal with 4 servings. The price quoted at the end of your signup process will be the weekly charge for your meal deliveries, but you can pause, cancel, or change this at any time.
When it comes to meal delivery services, shipping can be a major part of the cost. However, Home Chef has a fixed $9.99 weekly cost for orders with 3 or more meals. If you’re ordering a box under $50, though, you’ll have to pay a $13.99 shipping fee.
To find out whether Home Chef can deliver to your area, and the available delivery days you can choose from, just punch your zip code into the website or app during the signup process. Home Chef’s primary shippers are FedEx and OnTrac, depending on your zip code.
You don’t need to worry about being home when your Home Chef delivery arrives. If you’re out, the driver will leave your box on your doorstep before the end of your scheduled delivery day. Your meals will be delivered in a biodegradable, insulated box with water-soluble, cool gel packs to keep the food cold, and most of the packaging is recyclable or reusable.
If you have any questions about using the service, Home Chef’s website has a searchable FAQ page with lots of information, or you can email the company at support@homechef.com.
If you can’t find an answer to your question, the company also runs a toll-free helpline from 9am-6pm CT, Monday through Friday, and 10am-2pm CT on Saturdays. You can also submit a request for help on the company website, or use the in-page chatbot feature to get immediate responses to simple questions.
If you’re looking to make delicious meals in the comfort of your own kitchen and in minimal time, Home Chef is a really good meal delivery service to consider. The company provides a huge range of customizable meals to choose from each week, and managing your account and designing your own custom meal plan couldn’t be easier. Get started in minutes with great savings by heading to the Home Chef page through our site.