Meal kit delivery services are a fabulous way of making your weekly dinner planning more manageable and less time-consuming. By using a meal kit service, you will be covered with your meal planning, grocery store trips, and, in some cases, even some of the meal preparation.
The final bonus is that you will also be eating well-balanced, portion-sized, and incredibly delicious meals. Today, we will compare two meal kit companies: Home Chef and Dinnerly.
Home Chef is a well-established meal kit service that delivers delicious, classic, crowd-pleasing meals for people who wish to fast-prep food at home. Dinnerly is a relative newcomer that focuses on affordable, balanced meals, with a $5 meal kit offering.
That is why the Meal Kit Review is so handy. We compare meal kit companies and look at which suits your needs. We go over the quality of ingredients, style of dishes, price, taste, and more. We thoroughly tested both services for two weeks in 2024 to bring you updated information on their services and offerings. These meal kits are suited for different audiences and offer a lovely service, so let’s start with our comparison.
Short on Time? Here’s Why We Think Home Chef is Better:
Home Chef is our winner for 2024! Although both services offer great value, Home Chef stands out for several top reasons:
- Easy Prep Meals: The recipes are fun and easy to prep with very little work.
- Oven-Ready and Fast Microwavable Meals: The convenient oven-ready and pre-made microwaveable meals make meal prep even easier.
- Great Tasting: Every dish we tasted had fantastic flavor and tasted amazing!
- Large Variety of Add-Ons: The large add-on selection simplifies your week with quick lunch and breakfast, desserts, snacks, and more.
What is Home Chef?
Home Chef is a meal kit service that delivers fresh, pre-portioned ingredients for individuals and families to cook at home. The recipes come with simple step-by-step instructions and can be customized to fit many different dietary preferences.
Home Chef was made with busy people in mind and features quick-to-prepare recipes, simple oven-ready meals, and convenient microwavable options. You can easily swap out proteins to suit your tastes and add additional drinks, snacks, and desserts to round out your meals from the large market selection.
What is Dinnerly?
Dinnerly is one of the most affordable meal kit services, with servings starting at $4.99. Their recipes are simple and approachable, with only a few simple steps and a handful of ingredients to keep things easy.
The familiar recipes are perfect for families with picky eaters or those newer to cooking and looking for less complicated cooking techniques. Dinnerly also offers meal plans and options to support different dietary preferences like low-calorie, low-carb, vegetarian, and gluten-friendly.
Pros and Cons
Home Chef Pros:
- Ability to swap out or customize protein selections and portion sizes.
- Offer convenient oven-ready and pre-made microwaveable options.
- The family meal plan comes with larger meals and portion sizes.
- Meal plan options to support different dietary needs like keto, vegetarian, low-carb, and low-calorie.
Home Chef Cons:
- Depending on the meal plan you choose, there is a slightly higher cost per serving than Dinnerly.
- There are not as many recipe options to choose from each week.
Dinnerly Pros:
- Simple recipes are easy to make and come with pre-portioned ingredients.
- Larger variety of weekly menu options with over 100 recipes to choose from.
- Supports various dietary preferences like low-carb, low-calorie, vegetarian, and gluten-free.
- No extra cost to customize side dishes or proteins.
Dinnerly Cons:
- You may need to have more common ingredients on hand, like apple cider vinegar.
- There are additional costs for premium proteins.
Home Chef Meal Plans
With Home Chef, you can customize the types of recommended meals by express, oven-ready, fast and fresh, meal kits, culinary collection, or extras that include breakfasts, desserts, and snacks.
You can then choose from many different dietary preferences, including protein-packed, calorie-conscious, carb-conscious, Mediterranean, pescatarian, keto-friendly, gluten-smart, or vegetarian. No matter what you choose, you will always have access to the full menu.
Home Chef offers three different-sized meal plans:
- Two-person plan – choose from two to six meals for two people.
- Four-person plan – choose from two to six meals for four people.
- Six-person plan – choose from two to six meals for six people.
Dinnerly Meal Plans
Dinnerly offers two different subscription plans to choose from with personalized preferences:
- Two-person plan – choose from two to six weekly meals for two people.
- Family plan – choose from two to six meals per week for four people.
Once you have chosen your plan, you can customize your dietary and protein preferences. Dinnerly offers support for gluten-free, friendly, low-calorie, low-carb, picky eater-approved, vegetarian, and quick and easy recipes ready in less than 30 minutes.
Meal Variety
Both services cater to many different dietary needs, such as vegetarian, low-carb, and gluten-free options. Home Chef takes it a step further by allowing you to view recipes that avoid certain allergens, such as shellfish, peanuts, mushrooms, and sesame.
With Dinnerly, you get access to over 100 weekly recipes and add-on pantry items to satisfy every member of the household. The recipes are crowd-pleasing and familiar with choices from burgers, potato wedges, and steak and potatoes to Mexican-style tacos or Asian-inspired stir-fry and noodle dishes. Plus, all the recipes come together in less than 30 minutes.
The Home Chef meal delivery service offers an excellent rotating selection of over 35 meals per week, plus 18 extras that include drinks, desserts, and snacks. The well-organized recipes on the website make it easy to select meals that fit your preferences.
You can easily customize your recipes to swap proteins or increase portion sizes to fit your needs. The recipes are never too complicated, and they all come with pre-portioned ingredients and easy-to-follow- recipe cards. Choose from classics like chicken breasts, steak sandwiches, and tortilla soup, or expand your culinary horizons with Asian-style teriyaki beef bowls, Mexican-flavored spicy plantain tacos, and Mediterranean-inspired feta gnocchi.
Is It Tasty? Our Experience
Over the past six years, we have gained extensive experience with both Home Chef and Dinnerly. That’s why our team re-tested these services for two weeks in 2024 for a fresh, hands-on perspective on these two meal kits and their offerings.
We thoroughly enjoyed both services, each providing satisfying and delicious recipes. The delivery boxes were well-insulated and easy to sort, the produce was fresh and high quality, and the included recipe cards were easy to follow with simple steps.
We Tried Home Chef’s Spicy Plantain and Black Pepper Tacos with Pickled Shallots and Poblano Pepper
Talk about a unique take on tacos! The combination of spicy poblano peppers, sweet plantains, and smoky black beans was perfect. These were then topped with tart pickled shallots and crispy jalapenos. They were well-spiced, easy to make, and came together in less than thirty minutes. We would definitely make these again!
We Tried Dinnerly’s Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad with Mozzarella and Tomatoes
This dish was simple, elegant, and tasted amazing. It was the perfect side dish for a larger gathering or a lighter lunch. This pasta was ready to be enjoyed in less than four steps and twenty minutes. The pesto was creamy and well-flavored, and the mozzarella was the perfect combination for the juicy tomatoes. The produce was fresh, and the cheese was high-quality. The next day, it was even better for leftovers!
Other Top Meals to Try
Here are some more popular favorites to try from Dinnerly and Home Chef:
Home Chef Meals
- Maple Glazed Sirloin with Parmesan Roasted Potatoes and Zucchini
- One-Pan Acapulco-Style Steak Quesadillas with Cheddar-Jack Cheese and Pico de Gallo
- Creamed Spinach and Shrimp Orzo with Tomatoes and Feta
- Ranchero BBQ Steak Strip Sandwich with Cheddar Sauce and Roasted Potatoes
- Broccoli Cheddar and Chicken Soup with Croutons
- Buffalo-Style Cauliflower with Creamy Mac and Cheese
- Chipotle Butter Shrimp Tostadas with Red Cabbage and Crema
- Double Dark Chocolate Muffin Cup and Egg, Cheese, and Bacon Waffle Sandwich Breakfast Duo
Dinnerly Meals
- Low-Carb Seared Steak and Spinach Salad with Creamy Parmesan Dressing
- One-Pot Cheesy Ravioli with Marinara and Basil Pesto
- Glazed Teriyaki Salmon with Sesame Cucumbers and Jasmine Rice
- Low-Cal Pulled Pork Quesadillas with Salsa and Sour Cream
- Tofu “Chorizo” Bowl with Charred Corn and Guacamole
- Char Siu Pork Buns with Sesame Broccoli
- Chicken Noodle Curry Stir-Fry with Egg and Bok Choy
- Lemon Poppy Ricotta Pancakes with Maple Syrup
Style and Complexity of Dishes
The overall impression of Home Chef is that it provides meals based on popular and well-known classics but with a healthy modern twist and fresh ingredients. A great example is that they try to include more seasonal vegetables and sometimes add different extra flavors. Their recipes are not too sophisticated or intimidating for most people and feel gourmet without being complicated.
As Dinnerly is focused on keeping its prices as affordable as possible, its meal kits tend to be relatively basic yet delicious and very satisfying! Most of its recipes take no longer than 30 minutes to prepare, so the meal kits are quite simple and never tricky to cook. There are usually less than five steps and only a handful of ingredients, making them perfect for picky eaters.
Quality of Ingredients Used in the Meals
After receiving meal kit boxes from Home Chef and Dinnerly, we can confidently say they are both committed to fresh seasonal ingredients and quality proteins.
Home Chef Quality of Ingredients
Home Chef uses farm-fresh seasonal products, which can occasionally include organic options. They have partnered with local producers to ensure a consistent supply of high-quality ingredients. Home Chef is also committed to providing their meat is sourced from humane suppliers and their seafood is sustainably sourced.
When available, you can swap out ingredients for organic options or change protein choices in the recipes. Home Chef recommends following USDA storage and handling guidelines by refrigerating fresh produce, dairy, and proteins and using fish or seafood proteins within a couple of days of receipt.
If you do end up freezing proteins, Home Chef recommends using these within 2-4 months, depending on the protein type.
Dinnerly Quality of Ingredients
While Dinnerly occasionally offers organic ingredients, most of them are conventional. They vary their suppliers to maximize savings on seasonal produce and affordable ingredients.
Dinnerly partners with its suppliers to reduce packaging to increase cost savings and packages each delivery with insulated panels and ice packs to ensure freshness when delivered.
You might think the low cost of this service would mean lower-quality ingredients, but we have found the opposite to be true. The produce and proteins are fresh and delivered with a shelf life until your next delivery.
Dinnerly’s website features a neat feature called the “Ingredient Hub.” This reference provides everything you need to know about the ingredients in your meal kit, including allergens, amounts, and potential cross-contamination information.
The Delivery Box
Both Home Chef and Dinnerly deliver their meal kits in specially designed medium-sized boxes that are aesthetically pleasing and well-labeled. The boxes and most insulation materials are recyclable, and the meal kits come with easy-to-reference recipe cards.
Both companies pack their proteins at the bottom of the box with enough ice packs to keep the food cool during delivery. They are separated from the other ingredients with insulated liners.
The Home Chef delivery is exceptionally well organized, with all ingredients sorted, packed, and labeled with the name of their dish. Unpacking is super easy. All you need to do is place the ingredients in the fridge until you’re ready to cook. There is no sorting required.
With Dinnerly, they keep costs lower (and more eco-friendly) by minimizing packaging. They do this by not separating ingredients per meal. This required some sorting after unpacking, but each ingredient is clearly marked on the recipe cards, so it doesn’t take more than a couple of minutes to sort.
Both boxes, liners, and ice packs are 100% recyclable. Most plastic packaging for ingredients and condiment containers is recyclable and reusable. Both companies take extra steps to reduce waste, reduce the carbon footprint, and make packaging more eco-friendly.
Subscribing & Managing Your Account
Managing your account is super easy with both Home Chef and Dinnerly. Both offer a well-planned website and app. Everything from registering your account, selecting your meals, organizing payment, swapping dishes, seeing future menus, skipping weeks, and even canceling your account can all be quickly completed online.
To subscribe to Home Chef, you will select your likes and dislikes before selecting portion sizes and servings:
To subscribe to Dinnerly, you will pick your meal preferences, number of meals, and serving sizes before selecting your delivery preferences and checking out:
Both companies offer great flexibility in managing your account. You can pause your subscription or skip weeks if necessary. For added convenience, you can swap out plans, preferences, meals, or add-ons up to the week before delivery.
What Do Customers Say About Home Chef and Dinnerly?
Dinnerly Reviews:
Dinnerly customers highly rate the service for its simplicity, great-tasting recipes, and easy-to-cook meals. They provide a great value, and the portion sizes tend to be larger than those of other services.
One user shared on Reddit, “I’m not picky, and the majority of them have been quite good. I don’t enjoy cooking either, so I squally opt for options with the least amount of steps and shortest cook time. They’re the most affordable option; protein portions tend to be a bit small, but the majority of dishes are plenty of food for each of us.”
Another customer stated, “I had some really good meals. The portion sizes are good. The directions are easy. There are many choices and variety.”
Subscribers rank the Dinnerly app 4.7 out of 5 stars with over 6.2k ratings.
Home Chef Reviews:
Home Chef subscribers love the simplicity of oven-ready, fast, and fresh meals, which are convenient recipes when you don’t feel like cooking a full meal. The meals taste great and offer a lot of flexibility.
One subscriber shared on Reddit, “The oven ready are an option every week and You can mix and match. They aren’t completely ready to go in the oven and require a little prep work but they come with a little pan and are super easy. I usually get one or two each week. They also have “Fast and Fresh” which you assemble then heat in the microwave. You can choose meals from any of the categories each week.”
Another Home Chef customer shared, “The Meals were yummy and easy to prepare. The ingredients were fresh. It was the anti-takeout time-saver I needed while working too many hours to do much else.”
The easy-to-use Home Chef app ranks an impressive 4.8 out of 5 stars with over 20k ratings.
Customer Support
Home Chef has a great FAQ section with answers to the most popular questions. Dinnerly has an ingredient hub if you want more information on recipes. If you have any issues regarding your subscription and need to contact the customer service support team, you can do so as follows:
Dinnerly Customer Support
- Help section on the Dinnerly website: https://support.dinnerly.com/hc/en-us
- Contact form: https://support.dinnerly.com/hc/en-us/requests/new
- Phone number: 888-267-2850 Monday to Friday between 9 am-10 pm CST and Saturday between 9 am-9 pm CST
Home Chef Customer Support
- FAQ area on the Home Chef website: https://support.homechef.com/hc/en-us
- Contact form: https://support.homechef.com/hc/en-us/requests/new
- Phone number: 872-225-2433, Monday to Friday between 9 am-6 pm CST and Saturday between 10 am-2 pm CST
Delivery Areas
Both Dinnerly and Home Chef currently deliver to 98% of the United States. You can enter your zip code during the sign-up process to see if the company provides to your area. Both companies also allow some flexibility in delivery days depending on your location.
Bottom Line- Our Winner is Home Chef!
We enjoyed our experiences with both Home Chef and Dinnerly very much. However, we felt that these two companies are geared towards quite different audiences, namely in terms of their bottom line price and the style of meals on offer.
Home Chef offers easy-cooking classic meals with a twist, usually with more ingredients – even though the recipes are effortless to cook (and many that need only oven heating).
Dinnerly offers simple yet delicious meals, suitable for picky eaters, young couples, college students, or anyone on a budget who still wants to gear up their dinners at home.
After assessing all elements, it was a very close call, but we decided that our preferred service was Home Chef. We thought that their menu was more varied than the Dinnerly menu. We also preferred the larger number of ingredients used in their meal kits.
In terms of quality, we felt that the style of their dishes was a little superior, and they offered an enjoyable at-home dining experience. When looking at the overall cost, Home Chef does come in a little bit higher than Dinnerly, but we thought that it represented excellent value for money.
