A meal prep chef in your kitchen. A week of meals in your fridge
Hire a meal prep chef through ChefMaison for healthy, stress-free meal planning. They shop, cook, portion and clean up · From €11 per meal
What is meal prep?
Meal prep means preparing meals in advance so you don't cook from scratch every day. It can be batch-cooking several meals yourself at the weekend, ordering ready meals, or hiring a chef to cook a week of food in your own home. It is also called batch cooking. People book it through many long-tail searches — 'meal prep chef near me', 'weekly meal prep service', 'in-home batch cooking', 'personal chef meal prep', 'healthy meal prep delivery' or 'high-protein meal prep' — which all describe the same in-home service.
What is a meal prep chef?
A meal prep chef takes it a step further. Instead of spending your weekend shopping, cooking and portioning, a professional chef comes to your home, plans the menu with you, shops for ingredients, cooks several days of meals in your kitchen, portions and labels them, and cleans up. You just reheat. It is usually booked weekly or every two weeks.
Meal prep chef vs. private chef
A private chef is usually hired to cook and serve a specific meal or dining experience, while a meal prep chef focuses on preparing several meals in advance. With in-home meal prep, the chef cooks multiple dishes or portions in your kitchen, labels and stores them, and leaves you with meals to enjoy throughout the week. Want a chef to cook and serve a dinner at home instead? That is a private chef.
Meal prep chef vs private chef, meal delivery and meal kits
Meal prep and a private chef both bring a chef into your kitchen, but for different reasons: meal prep stocks your week, a private chef usually cooks a single dinner or event. Meal delivery and meal kits are convenience products. Here is how they compare.
| Meal prep chef | Private chef | Meal delivery | Meal kit / Fine dining box | DIY meal prep | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who cooks | A vetted chef, in your kitchen | A vetted chef, in your kitchen | A central kitchen | You | You |
| Several days of meals at once | Yes | Sometimes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Menu to your taste and diet | Yes | Yes | Limited | Limited | Yes |
| Ingredients sourced for you | Usually | Usually | Yes | Yes, shipped | No |
| Cleanup handled | Usually | Usually | No | No | No |
| Cooking time you spend | None | None | Reheat only | You cook | Hours per week |
| Best for | High quality & personalized weekly meal plans | Special occasions | Convenience | Special events and learning | Lowest cost |
| Book on ChefMaison | Get free quotes | Private chef | Catering | Meal boxes | — |
How in-home meal prep works
Tell us about your household and meal prep needs
People, diets, meals per week, preferred day. Two minutes.
Get matched
Verified chefs near you send proposals, or browse them yourself. Compare menus, prices and reviews.
Discuss the meal plan in chat
Dishes, diets, portions, groceries, schedule: agree it all with the chef, and start with a single session if you like.
Confirm and come home to a full fridge
They cook in your kitchen. Repeat on the rhythm you agreed.
What's included
A meal prep booking covers everything from menu to clean-up, so all you do is reheat. Here is what your chef handles.
- A menu planned around your tastes, diets and household
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner or any combination, portioned to your household
- Grocery shopping (agreed with your chef: at cost with receipts, or included)
- Cooking in your own kitchen
- Portioning, labels and simple reheating instructions
- Containers (agreed with your chef)
- A clean kitchen when your chef leaves
What to agree with your chef
Every chef works a little differently, so these are things you settle in chat before you confirm. Nothing is fixed until you accept the chef's quote.
- Groceries: at cost with receipts, or included in the price
- Containers: who supplies them and whether they are reusable
- Rhythm: weekly, every two weeks or a one-off, and which day
- Pause, skip, minimum term and cancellation
- Portions, dishes and diets
- Whether the same chef returns each week
Weekly, every-two-weeks or one-off meal prep
Most households book weekly or every two weeks, and you can also book a single session. You set the rhythm with your chef, and there is no subscription contract. Life changes, so you agree the rhythm, pauses and skips with your chef in chat and adjust whenever plans change.
Weekly
Same day, every week. Your chef learns what your household loves.
Every two weeks
A lighter rhythm, good for couples and freezer-friendly menus.
Single session
Book a one-off session, then decide if you want a regular rhythm.
Who in-home meal prep is for
Busy families
Dinner sorted for the whole week, kids included — healthy, balanced nutrition from a real chef.
Working professionals
Eat well on the days you have no energy left.
Expats and newcomers
Home-cooked food while you settle in.
Athletes and high-protein plans
Macros and variety without the Sunday marathon.
New parents
One thing less to think about.
Helping an older parent
Nourishing meals and a friendly face each week.
High-protein, vegan or gluten-free meal prep
Your chef cooks to your diet: vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, high-protein, low-carb, halal, kosher, kid-friendly, or whatever your household eats. Cooking for macros, allergies or a specific goal? Tell your chef in chat and they plan around it. Share your allergies and preferences before you book.
Meet your chefs
ChefMaison connects you with private chefs in 20+ countries, with 2,000+ culinary partners. Every chef is verified before you see them. Read reviews, see sample menus and chat before you book.
How much does a meal prep chef cost?
A chef typically charges a session fee plus groceries, as agreed with your chef. What you pay depends on your city, the chef, how many people you cook for and how many meals per session. Compare the cost per meal with delivered meals rather than the session price alone.
In Germany, a meal prep session typically costs €105–€195, or about €11–€20 per meal, plus groceries. Your price depends on household size, meals per session, your city and the chef. Use the estimator below for your household.
Estimate your weekly meal prep cost
People in your household
Prepared meals per person, per week
Budget
€105 – €130
/ week
≈ €11 – €13 per meal
Standard
€135 – €155
/ week
≈ €14 – €16 per meal
Premium
€160 – €195
/ week
≈ €16 – €20 per meal
These ranges are the chef's service price. Groceries are separate, bought at cost or included, as agreed with your chef in chat.
Portions and household size are flexible, and you can mix breakfast, lunch and dinner. Personalize the full plan with your chef in chat.
Estimate only, based on chef prices on ChefMaison. Chefs set their own prices. Updated October 2026.
What moves the price
Household size
Meals per session
Session length
Ingredient choices (organic, premium)
Your city
Frequency
Loved by guests worldwide
Meal prep: frequently asked questions
What is a meal prep chef?
A meal prep chef is a professional cook who prepares several days of meals for you in one session, usually in your own kitchen. They plan the menu with you, shop, cook, portion and label the food, and clean up. You just reheat and eat.
How does in-home meal prep work?
You share your household details and diets, get matched with verified chefs on ChefMaison, discuss the meal plan with them in chat and confirm the one you like. The chef shops, cooks in your kitchen and stocks your fridge. You can then repeat weekly or every two weeks.
How much does meal prep cost?
Prices vary by city, chef, household size and meals per session. You typically pay a session fee plus groceries. Use the estimator on this page for a price range, and compare the cost per meal with delivered meals rather than looking at the session price alone.
Are groceries included?
Each chef sets how groceries work, and you agree it in chat before you confirm. Typically chefs shop for fresh ingredients and bill groceries at cost with receipts, or include them in a package price. Premium or organic requests can raise the total, which you agree in advance.
Can I book meal prep weekly or on a recurring basis?
Yes. Chefs on ChefMaison work weekly, every two weeks or one-off. There is no subscription contract: you agree the rhythm with your chef, and the chef sends a new quote for each repeat booking. Pause, skip, minimum term and cancellation are agreed with the chef.
Do I need to be home while the chef cooks?
Not necessarily. Many households agree access and timing with their chef beforehand. Some prefer to be home for the first session to show the chef around the kitchen.
Can the chef cook for allergies and dietary needs?
Yes. Tell the chef about allergies, intolerances and preferences before booking and they will plan around your list. Discuss the details in chat to agree the menu. For medical diets or severe allergies, confirm the plan with your chef and your doctor or dietitian. ChefMaison also has specialist nutritionist chefs for specific goals and medical diets.
How long do the meals last?
Cooked meals typically keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge, and many dishes freeze well. Your chef labels each container with the date and tells you what to eat first and what to freeze.
How is this different from HelloFresh or meal delivery?
Meal kits send ingredients and you still cook. Delivery services ship ready meals cooked days earlier in a central kitchen. With ChefMaison a chef cooks fresh in your kitchen, to your menu and diet, and you spend almost no time. A chef can also cook elsewhere and deliver tailor-made meals to your door.
How many meals, and for how many people?
Your chef sizes the session to your household: how many people you cook for and how many meals you want each week. You set this when you request, and adjust it with your chef in chat.
What if I do not like the first session?
Start with a single session, give feedback in chat, then adjust the menu or choose another chef before committing to a plan. Cancellation and rematch terms are agreed with the chef, and payments you make through ChefMaison are held securely until your cycle is complete.
How do I choose a chef and confirm the plan?
After you send your household details, chefs near you reply with proposals. Compare their menus, prices and reviews, chat to refine the meal plan, then confirm the chef you want. Nothing is booked until you confirm.
Looking for something different?
Ready to hand off dinner?
Tell us about your week and chefs near you reply with proposals. You only pay once you confirm a chef you like.
Find a chef near me