HelloFresh vs Chefs Plate: Which meal kit service offers the best value? 

If you are shopping around for a meal kit subscription, chances are that you have heard about HelloFresh and Chefs Plate. Both companies allow customers to choose recipes that they are interested in, then send them boxes filled with the exact amount of ingredients needed to get cooking. 

Chefs Plate is owned by HelloFresh, but the two companies operate completely separately. As a result, each company has its own recipes and pricing strategy. Chefs Plate positions itself as more budget-friendly, whereas HelloFresh emphasizes the fact that they have high quality ingredients. Notably, Chefs Plate subscriptions may occasionally show up on your credit card statement as HelloFresh purchases. Similarly, if credit card providers consider HelloFresh to be a grocery retailer for cash back purposes, they will generally put Chefs Plate in the same category.

Since Chefs Plate and HelloFresh take different approaches to providing value for customers, it can be difficult to figure out which is the better choice. To help clear things up, I ordered one box from each company and will be comparing what I received below. Before we begin, I want to emphasize that neither subscription box was gifted, nor is this sponsored (although Bacon Financial may receive an affiliate bonus if you make a purchase through our site). Similarly, all opinions are 100% my own.

HelloFresh Overview

HelloFresh is a German-based meal kit subscription service, but they have been in Canada since 2016. The company allows users to order 3-5 recipes each week (and either 2 or 4 servings per recipe). They tend to pride themselves on the fact that they send “fresh, high-quality ingredients”.

Chefs Plate Overview

Chefs Plate was founded in Quebec in 2014, but was later acquired by HelloFresh in 2018. The subscription service allows its customers to order 2-5 recipes each week (much like HelloFresh, they can either order 2 or 4 portions per recipe). Although the company is no longer Canadian-owned, they claim to source their ingredients from local farmers as often as possible. 

HelloFresh vs Chefs Plate: Ingredient Cost Comparison

One of the most important ways that a meal kit can offer value is by sending out ingredients that are worth a significant portion of the subscription price. To that end, I have made tables of every ingredient that came with each box (sorted by recipe), as well as how much it would cost to buy that ingredient at a supermarket. Since you cannot purchase most ingredients in any given quantity, I have also noted the value of the amount of each ingredient needed to create the recipe. In other words, the second column of each table represents your grocery bill if you had to buy every single item from scratch; the third column represents how much of each ingredient the recipe will require (with the assumption that leftovers will be put towards other recipes).

All of the prices noted below were taken from Canadian grocery stores. However, please keep in mind that prices vary from store to store (and over time), so these numbers just should be taken as a guide.

HelloFresh Ingredient Cost Comparison

With my introductory offer, I spent $32.99 on a HelloFresh box that included 3 recipes and enough ingredients for 2 servings per recipe. The box would have cost $82.99 without the offer.

If I wanted to buy enough ingredients to make the recipes that I received from HelloFresh, I would have to spend around $105.62 at the grocery store (or, 127% of the full price box’s cost and 320% of the trial price). I would also have a lot of leftover ingredients—just $33.26 worth of the groceries would be used when making the recipes. That works out to 40.8% of the full price box’s cost and 100.8% of the trial box’s cost. 

For an in-depth look at how much each of the recipes that I received would cost at the supermarket, you can check out the tables below. Keep in mind that you would generally have to pay the ‘entire grocery package’ price for any ingredients that you do not have on hand, while you could get away with the ‘portion needed for recipe’ price for your household’s pantry staples.

Chive Chicken and Wild Rice with Buttery Carrots

Ingredient	Price for Entire Grocery Package	Price for Portion Needed for Recipe
Chicken breasts	$14.00	$7.00
White rice medley	$3.47	$1.39
Carrot	$2.97	$0.99
Chives	$0.77	$0.77
Cream cheese	$4.58	$0.87
Chicken broth concentrate	$2.27	$0.63
Honey	$7.47	$0.30
Total	$35.53	$11.95

Beef and Roasted Red Pepper Ragu with Spaghetti

Ingredient	Price for Entire Grocery Package	Price for Portion Needed for Recipe
Lean ground beef	$6.97	$3.87
Sweet bell pepper	$1.82	$1.21
Italian seasoning	$2.27	$0.68
Crushed tomatoes	$1.30	$1.30
Spaghetti	$1.97	$0.45
Parmesan cheese	$5.48	$0.49
Chili flakes	$2.27	$0.11
Beef broth concentrate	$2.77	$0.55
Tomato sauce base	$1.97	$1.97
Garlic salt	$2.27	$0.04
Total	$29.09	$10.67

Breaded Baked Chicken with Buttery Rice and Lemony Mayo

Ingredient	Price for Entire Grocery Package	Price for Portion Needed for Recipe
Chicken breasts	$14.00	$7.00
Parboiled rice	$5.47	$0.40
Zucchini	$0.97	$0.88
Green peas	$2.47	$0.18
Lemon	$4.87	$0.70
Panko breadcrumbs	$4.70	$0.93
Mayonnaise	$6.27	$0.42
Garlic salt	$2.27	$0.15
Total	$41.02	$10.66

Chefs Plate Ingredient Cost Comparison

My Chefs Plate box cost $19.96 for two recipes and two servings per dish. Without the introductory offer, it would have cost $55.95. Note that although my HelloFresh box was significantly more expensive than my Chefs Plate order, it also included an extra recipe.

Unfortunately, my Chefs Plate box came with one item—an Italian seasoning blend—that I could not find a suitable substitute for. As such, it has not been included in the ingredient calculations. 

To purchase every other item included in my Chefs Plate order at a grocery store, I would have to spend $86.31, or 154% of the cost of a regular price box and 432% of the cost of the introductory box. I would use $18.42 worth of those groceries (or, 32% of the cost of the regular price box and 92% of the introductory box) to make the recipes that Chefs Plate sent over.

Spicy Sausage Arrabiata with Penne Pasta

Ingredient	Price for Entire Grocery Package	Price for Portion Needed for Recipe
Ground pork	$4.97	$2.74
Penne	$1.97	$0.45
Grated parmesan cheese	$5.48	$0.49
Crushed tomato	$2.27	$0.57
Tomato sauce base	$1.97	$1.97
Yellow onion	$1.69	$0.44
Sweet bell pepper	$1.82	$1.21
Red wine vinegar	$3.97	$0.12
Italian sausage spice blend (not included)	–	–
Total	$24.14	$7.99

Thai-Inspired Beef Bowls with Quick-Pickled Carrots

Ingredient	Price for Entire Grocery Package	Price for Portion Needed for Recipe
Ground beef	$5.97	$3.01
Jasmine rice	$4.47	$0.75
Shanghai bok choy	$2.78	$1.85
Carrot	$2.59	$2.59
Garlic	$1.81	$0.36
Sriracha	$6.99	$0.10
Soy sauce	$2.27	$0.07
Mayonnaise	$6.27	$0.42
Seasoned rice vinegar	$2.27	$0.04
Thai spice blend (calculated based on ingredients sticker)	$25.78	$0.86
Green onion	$0.97	$0.38
Total	$62.17	$10.43

The Winner: Chefs Plate

Ultimately, Chefs Plate ends up being a better deal if you would otherwise purchase all of the ingredients included in your box in a supermarket. HelloFresh is a better choice if you prefer to select recipes with ingredients that you already have on hand. Still, since meal kit services become a good deal once you use them to experiment with different ingredients, I feel obligated to tip this category in favour of Chefs Plate. 

The fact that Chefs Plate has a lower minimum recipe requirement than HelloFresh also helps to increase the value of its ingredients. Those who have a pantry full of non-perishable ingredients that they love may find it difficult to find a wide variety of recipes with new ingredients. When you only have to choose two new recipes per week, you cut down on the likelihood that you will select meals that heavily rely on ingredients you already own (thereby making it more likely that your order will be a good deal).

HelloFresh vs Chefs Plate: Ingredient Quality

Not all groceries are created equally. While the occasional bump or bruise on produce will not ruin your recipe, the quality of a meal kit’s ingredients can make a big difference in how good of a deal the subscription is. Fortunately, I did not have any issues with ingredients that I received from HelloFresh or Chefs Plate. However, both subscription kits had very different strengths.

HelloFresh Ingredient Quality

The produce that I received from HelloFresh was flavourful and in good condition. However, I was especially happy with the meat. HelloFresh sent me two packs of boneless skinless chicken breasts and one pack of ground beef, which all looked to be fresh and extremely high-quality. 

Chefs Plate Ingredient Quality

I was very impressed by the quality of the produce that Chefs Plate sent me. Even once the produce had been cooked, every bite into a vegetable was full of flavour. Frankly, the taste reminded me more of home-grown vegetables than supermarket produce. The meat was high quality, too.

The Winner: Chefs Plate

Both HelloFresh and Chefs Plate sent out high quality ingredients. However, in the end, I was just too impressed with Chefs Plate’s produce to not award them the point.

HelloFresh vs Chefs Plate: The Verdict

Ultimately, Chefs Plate offers its customers better value than HelloFresh does. As long as you are willing to try new flavours, the company provides users with a better deal on ingredients. Chef’s Plate’s produce is incredibly flavourful too, making it a relatively affordable way to try tasty new recipes.