JANUARY is the reset we actually stick to when it’s made simple.
If you want to eat healthier but the calendar is already full, Green Chef promises chef‑designed, nutritionist‑approved recipes that land on your doorstep with minimal faff.
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Founded in 2014 and now part of HelloFresh, the brand says it serves millions of customers, and its plans cater to keto, lower‑calorie, and high‑protein goals without the weekly shop.
I put Green Chef to the test to see if the flavour, portions, and convenience live up to the hype, and whether it’s the meal kit to keep your healthy habits going long after the first week of January.
Pros:
- The recipes are both healthy and tasty — I enjoyed every meal and felt good after
- The array of recipes and cuisines makes it hard to get bored
- Great for vegetarians, with around 15 plant-based recipes per week
- Eight specialised meal plans, including Keto, calorie-conscious, and high-protein
- Generous portion sizes
Cons:
- Recipes require slightly more prep and washing up than, say, Hello Fresh
- More expensive than many competitors
- Some of the recipe instructions were a bit questionable
- Only does boxes for two or four people
Rating: 8/10
How I tested Green Chef
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These days, I’m something of a connoisseur when it comes to meal delivery services.
I’m a keen home chef and spend almost all of my free time either cooking, researching, or thinking about food, so I’m well-positioned to test whether recipe boxes walk the walk.
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I’ve tested a few now — most recently, I updated our review of Hello Fresh, Green Chef’s sister brand — and decided it’s still one of the best around.
I tested Green Chef like we test all meal delivery services at Sun Shopping — I tested three different meals, rating each on how easy they were to prepare and how tasty they were.
The recipes I tested were:
- Hoisin Duck-Less Wraps
- Duck Breast with Garlic-Herb Butter Sauce with a Cheesy Chorizo and Cauliflower Bake
- Yellow Thai-Inspired Tofoo Curry
More generally, I focused on the array of recipes available and whether they offer value for money.
Green Chef review: Quickfire Q&A
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What is Green Chef? It’s a recipe box, but its unique selling point is that it’s “nutritionist-approved” — all of its chefs are registered nutritionists, and it provides specific meal plans for people following Keto, low-calorie or high-protein diets.
How much is Green Chef? It’s a little more expensive than some meal delivery services — boxes start at £31.96 (two meals for two people) and go up to £95.84 (four meals for four people). However, it runs an introductory deal that gets you 40% off your first box and 25% off the following month.
Who’s it best for? People looking for a recipe box that can fit around a restrictive diet, whether that’s Keto or just old-fashioned vegetarian. More generally, it’s good for people who want a meal delivery service that puts nutrition front and centre.
What we loved: I’m an enthusiastic carnivore, but I was really won over by Green Chef’s selection of veggie options. The portion sizes were also nice and generous, which isn’t a given with many recipe boxes.
What we didn’t: This didn’t bother me personally, but the recipes are slightly more labour-intensive than those you get from Hello Fresh or Gousto, and they’re a bit pricey.
Green Chef review: The Nitty Gritty
First impressions
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The first thing you have to do with Green Chef — obviously — is order your meals.
Firstly, you’ll be given the option to choose your “preferences”, which enables Green Chef to prioritise the recipes most relevant to your needs.
There are currently eight options:
- High Protein
- Calorie Conscious
- Keto
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Lower Carb
- Pescatarian
- Flexitarian (i.e. none of the above)
You then need to choose how many people you’re feeding and how many meals you want per week.
The choice of meals is excellent: at the time of writing, there are 37 meals available. Over a third of those are vegetarian, and another five are pescatarian.
There’s an excellent choice of meaty options, too, including two duck recipes, as well as pork, steak, turkey, and lamb; it’s a welcome change from the chicken-dominated options you get on some menus.
The delivery and unboxing process is pretty similar to most other meal delivery services: the ingredients for each recipe are placed in separate paper bags to keep things more organised, with another bag for fresh food that needs refrigeration.
Does it deliver?
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As previously mentioned, I tested three meals from Green Chef: Hoisin Duck-Less Wraps, Duck Breast with Garlic-Herb Butter Sauce and a Cheesy Chorizo and Cauliflower Bake, and Yellow Thai-Inspired Tofoo Curry.
I cooked the meals on consecutive nights, and was really impressed by all of them: the only one that could have used a little more punch was the Tofu Curry, which was slightly bland.
The real standout was the Hoisin Duck-Less Wraps. I’d been a bit put off by the name (why not just call them Hoisin Mushroom Wraps?), but they were easy to prepare — the only real prep involved chopping cucumber and spring onion — and really delicious.
I know it’s an overused sentiment, but thanks to the inclusion of Fable Mushrooms — a product I’ve not encountered before, but will certainly get again — I genuinely could have been eating shredded meat.
The impression I get from Green Chef is that it’s good at making vegetarian meals creative and exciting.
And having been a vegetarian for a couple of years (don’t judge me, I was at uni), I can testify that it’s no mean feat.
The meat-based meals were creative too. The one I went for — Duck Breast with Garlic-Herb Butter Sauce and a Cheesy Chorizo and Cauliflower Bake — was one of the most interesting meals I’ve made in a while.
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The duck breasts were from Gressingham, meaning they were good quality and a good size, and the cauliflower and chorizo bake on the side was really tasty (although it might not be the healthiest thing on the menu).
If I were nitpicking, I’d say that some of the cooking instructions are a bit off-base.
For example, the recipe card for my duck with garlic and herb butter told me to cook the duck breasts for a total of almost 30 minutes, and that it would be cooked when it was “no longer pink in the middle.”
I think almost any chef would agree that duck that is no longer pink in the middle is, well, overcooked.
And it’s a shame to ruin a nice meal, made with good ingredients, because of bad cooking instructions.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that Green Chef will make some assumptions about ingredients that you already have stocked in your kitchen.
This isn’t unusual — most recipe boxes assume you have staples like salt, pepper, and olive oil — but my duck with garlic and herb butter dish required butter.
It might just be me, but if you’re supplying the ingredients for a dish called “duck with garlic and herb butter,” you should probably include duck, garlic, herbs, and butter.
How does Green Chef work?
- Pick a plan: Choose your box size and dietary preference, set your weekly delivery, and personalise recipes with protein swaps or extra veg when you need it.
- Cook your meals: Your kit arrives with pre-portioned organic produce and clear recipe cards, making prep simple and helping to cut food waste.
- Target goals: Select menus that support your goals each week, with options for high-protein, keto, low-carb, calorie-smart, Mediterranean, vegan, and vegetarian.
How much is Green Chef?
For a meal delivery service, it’s at the moderately expensive end of the spectrum.
If you’re paying full price, at its most expensive (a box of two meals for two people), it’s £7.99 per serving, and at its cheapest (four meals for four), it’s £5.99 per serving.
Like any recipe box, there are premium meals and extras that can take that price up slightly, and like any recipe box, there are also introductory deals that save money on your first few deliveries — in Green Chef’s case, it’s 40% of your first box, then 25% off four further boxes.
Is Green Chef keto?
Yes. In the UK, Green Chef is billed as the first keto-friendly recipe box, and it still serves a dedicated keto and lower-carb menu alongside other plans.
You get a broad choice of low-carb, high-protein recipes each week, making it easier to stay on track without second-guessing dinner.
The keto selection leans into carb-smart cooking, with many dishes that are grain-free and gluten-free to fit stricter approaches.
You are not locked in either. If your goals change, you can switch your plan from keto to low-carb, high-protein, vegetarian, or vegan on a weekly basis.
How many Green Chef recipes are there?
Green Chef’s weekly menu features 80+ options to choose from, and you can even mix and match to suit your household’s tastes and dietary preferences.
That breadth matters when healthy intentions meet real-life schedules — you’ll find lighter, higher‑protein and plant‑led choices without feeling boxed in.
Each recipe arrives with step‑by‑step cards and pre‑measured ingredients, so you’re cooking, not faffing around with plans and portions.
How to cancel Green Chef
Cancelling Green Chef is quick and can be done entirely online.
Log in, head to Account, select Deactivate your Plan, choose a reason, then confirm by hitting Deactivate now.
The subscription is flexible, but timing matters. You need to cancel before your weekly cut-off to stop the next box from being prepared and billed.
In some regions, the cut-off is set seven days ahead of delivery, so act early if you’re mid-menu.
If you’re not ready to quit, you can also skip a week or pause your plan before that cut-off, which is handy when family life gets hectic, and dinners need to be more DIY for a spell.
Green Chef alternatives
If you’re looking for a recipe box that puts nutrition and health at its centre, I’d say the closest competitor is Mindful Chef.
I’ve tried it, and frankly, it’s the best meal delivery service I’ve encountered: generous portions, great ingredients and a focus on the quality of its recipes rather than an extensive menu.
Frankly, I think it’s slightly better than Green Chef for the average person; however, its introductory offers aren’t as good, and it doesn’t allow you to filter recipes by diet plan.
Green Chef discount codes
January is prime time for wallet-friendly healthy eating, and Green Chef usually makes it easier with promo codes and welcome offers.
The best deals tend to land for new customers, with multi-week savings that bring the price per serving down.
Existing subscribers are not shut out either. Watch for seasonal promotions, referral credits and occasional free recipe upgrades.
Right now, you can get 40% off your first box and 25% your next four boxes, which can amount to around £77.
Green Chef review: The Verdict
For a specific sort of person, Green Chef could be a lifesaver.
It’s a godsend for people who want creative and tasty recipes while sticking to a restrictive diet plan. And its vegetarian options are top-notch.
Is it the best option for the average person just looking to make their lifestyle a bit easier and healthier? I’m not sure.
But with its dizzying array of tasty recipes and tempting intro offers, Green Chef is worth a punt.
- Get 40% off your first Green Chef box – here
