Comparing Home Chef and Dinnerly: Which Meal Kit Fits Your Lifestyle?

Meal delivery services are increasingly popular as more people seek convenient, nutritious, and tasty home-cooked options. While fast food remains a common choice, many are shifting toward healthier, balanced meals.

Two top contenders in the healthy meal kit market are Home Chef and Dinnerly. If you're looking to embrace a healthier diet—beyond just salads—explore these features to find the perfect plan that suits your needs.

Sign-Up Process and How Each Service Works

Getting started with a meal delivery service involves signing up, which is straightforward for both companies. Home Chef offers a broader selection of ingredients during the sign-up process.

To sign up with Home Chef:

Provide your email address.

Share your preferences, including the number of people you cook for, weekly meal frequency, and dietary choices like meat, seafood, or vegetables. You can specify foods to avoid.

Set your delivery addresses and schedule, with the flexibility to modify delivery dates anytime.

Complete your payment and select your preferred meals.

For Dinnerly:

Select a box—either for two people or a family—and choose the number of weekly meals, including vegetarian options.

Enter your location and email address.

Provide delivery details such as preferred days and address.

Pay and pick your recipes!

Menu Options

Both services provide recipes and clear instructions. Home Chef offers an interactive recipe page with checklists and filters like adventurous, quick, low-calorie, carb-conscious, and vegetarian to help you choose.

Dinnerly displays tags like “low calorie,” “fast,” “gluten-free,” and “dairy-free,” along with simple prep steps, making meal selection easy for users.

Pricing Comparison

Meal kits from Home Chef typically start at around $7.99 per serving, excluding shipping costs, billed weekly.

Dinnerly offers cheaper rates at $4.99 per serving, with an $8.99 shipping fee, making it more budget-friendly overall. Both services charge per week based on chosen meals.

Discounts and Loyalty Rewards

Home Chef provides discounts like a 55% off for students on the first box, along with loyalty rewards and referral credits.

Dinnerly occasionally offers promo codes and discount vouchers, but lacks ongoing loyalty programs.

Gift Card Options

While Dinnerly does not currently offer gift cards, Home Chef provides options for $60, $120, or $240 gift cards, which can be delivered via email or physical mail. Group gift cards are also available, often with discounts.

Sustainability Initiatives

Home Chef does not specify eco-friendly practices, but Dinnerly emphasizes sustainability by using boxes made from responsibly sourced paper, recyclable ice packs, pouches, and ingredient packets. Their environmentally conscious approach earns positive recognition.

Blogs and Cooking Resources

Both platforms offer engaging content on recipes, trends, and cooking tips. Home Chef features diverse categories such as in-season, drinks, learn, and how-to guides, making it easier to explore topics. Dinnerly maintains focused sections for recipes and stories, keeping users inspired.

Which Service is Better for You?

Both Home Chef and Dinnerly are popular choices for healthy meal kits, but they serve different preferences. Home Chef appeals to those seeking variety, perks, and loyalty benefits, despite higher prices. Dinnerly attracts budget-conscious consumers who value eco-friendly delivery and straightforward recipes.