Blue Apron is a popular meal delivery service that continues to expand its offerings. For those with busy schedules or limited cooking skills, Blue Apron’s easy meal kits and prepared meals can be a game-changer. It recently expanded its menu and added fresh, prepared meals to its offering. I think these changes have made Blue Apron one of the best services out there.
I recently tried this service for myself so I could take a closer look at ingredient quality and see if Blue Apron meals are as easy to make as they say. I’ve also looked at how well it stacks up to its competitors (I’ve tried most of them as well), so you can understand if Blue Apron might be the best choice for you.
Overall, Blue Apron is great value if you’re looking for an exciting and varied menu to choose from each week. It doesn’t cater to many diets beyond veggie and low-calorie/carb, but you’ll have access to tons of add-ons, including sides, snacks, desserts, and more. For most omnivores, Blue Apron is a great choice.
Pros | Cons |
Great range of global recipes | Prices can be high for smaller orders |
Wellness plan for healthier options | Doesn’t cater to niche diets |
Convenient prepared meals available | No option to exclude allergens |
Blue Apron offers 16+ Meal Kits each week and around 26 Prepared & Ready meals. Alongside its popular meal kits, there’s a great range of extras too. You’ll find tasty brunches, desserts, and salads, plus a selection of a la carte proteins like chicken breast pieces, tail-on shrimp, and smoked bacon. There are even some Prepared & Ready meals in the Add-ons meaning you can give these a try alongside a Meal Kit order.
There’s a great range of items to choose from each week – but the menu isn’t overwhelming. The website is easy to navigate, and you can view the menu 3 weeks in advance. I like that you can select 1 of the categories at the top of the menu to quickly view the most suitable choices. These include:
Meal Kits (2 servings) – meals portioned for 2 people to enjoy
Meal Kits (4 servings) – dishes that are suitable for families
Prepared & Ready – single serving fresh prepared meals
Add-Ons – appetizers, sides, desserts, and more
Another cool feature is Blue Apron’s Market. Here you can purchase seasonal celebratory boxes, Meal Kit boxes (with 2 or 3 recipes for 2 or 4 people), and Prepared & Ready bundles.
The great thing about the Market is that you can purchase items without setting up a subscription. This can be a great way to try out some of Blue Apron’s meals before signing up for regular deliveries with a subscription.
When you browse Blue Apron’s plans under the Pricing section, you’re presented with some different categories than the ones on the primary menu. On the Meal Kit plan these are:
Chef Favorites – the test kitchen’s ‘top picks’ and popular dishes
Wellness – nutritionist-approved meals
Family Friendly – suitable for children and picky eaters
Fast & Easy – convenient options and prepared meals
Veggies – meat-free dishes
On the Prepared & Ready plan these are:
Keto Friendly – high in dietary fats and limited carbs
600 Calories or Less – low-calorie options
30 g of Protein – high-protein meals
Carb Conscious – meals with less than 30 g of net carbs
Each week, you’ll be able to choose from 5 to 7 different cuisines, including ingredients you might not have tried before. With such variety, Blue Apron’s meal kits are a great way to get dinner inspiration and introduce new cooking techniques. One of the dishes I tried was the Japanese-inspired Mushroom Ramen which was packed with umami-rich flavors.
Tags on the menu will also help you find what you’re looking for. Ready to Cook recipes are those that come with prepared ingredients and a recyclable pan to assemble everything in, while Premium meals feature gourmet ingredients like rib-eye steak, shrimp, and scallops, and more complex recipes.
If you are trying to stick to a specialized diet such as keto or paleo, however, there are no options – with limited choice for vegans, too. Those diets are much better catered to with a premium service like Green Chef.
Diet | Is Blue Apron Good For This Diet? |
Paleo | No, there are no options |
Keto | There are some Keto Friendly prepared meals |
Gluten-Free | No, there are no options |
Low-Carb | Yes, there are some options available |
Veggie | Yes, you’ll find 4-5 options each week |
Vegan | No, there are few-to-no options |
Allergy-Friendly | No, all meals are made in the same facility |
Blue Apron offers swaps and customizations on several recipes each week. With Blue Apron Customized, you can replace, add, or upgrade the ingredients in your box on both the 2 serving and 4 serving Meal Kit plans. For example, I could opt to add pancetta, prosciutto, or keep my Mushroom Farroto vegetarian.
These customizations allow you to swap ingredients to suit dietary preferences, bulk up a recipe with more protein, remove the meat to make the dish vegetarian, or even “upgrade” the protein you receive. Prices for upgrades range from $1.99 up to $9.99 for NY strip steak for example. This expands the options somewhat, but you don’t get as many swaps as you would with Home Chef’s customizable menu.
Other than these customizations, however, Blue Apron isn’t allergy-friendly. You’ll find that most of the meals contain gluten, dairy, and other common allergens, and all the meals are prepared in the same facility, so cross-contamination is always a possibility. However, you can easily check the full ingredients list and nutritional information on every recipe online.
When you open your Blue Apron box, you’ll find your recipe cards and a layer of cardboard with additional guidance. Under this you’ll find the shiny insulated foil bag that contains all the ingredients you need.
Blue Apron claims that more than 85% of its packaging is recyclable and has detailed information about how to dispose of these items on its website. However – and this is an important point here – although its packaging is technically recyclable, not all of it is curbside recyclable. It makes me wonder how likely it is that all Blue Apron customers will take a trek to their local recycling center.
Most of Blue Apron’s meal kits take around 25 to 35 minutes to make, which is pretty standard, but I’ve found that most meals can take longer – especially for beginners. Some of the recipes I cooked took up to 60 minutes, and I’d consider myself an experienced home cook. Beginner chefs should factor in extra time to cook each meal kit and they may prefer Blue Apron’s prepared meals for busy nights.
One of the dishes I cooked – the Mushroom Ramen – took me a little by surprise when 1 of the eggs exploded. Apparently, if you are boiling eggs, they should be at room temperature before you drop them into boiling water to prevent this from happening. It would’ve been nice to see a tip included on the recipe card to warn unsuspecting chefs.
I didn’t try any of the Prepared & Ready meals as they are on a separate plan. Still, as these arrive fresh, they would only need a couple of minutes in the microwave.
The Ready to Cook recipes feature ingredients that have been chopped, washed, and portioned for you. These recipes even include a recyclable oven-proof dish, so all you have to do is assemble and bake. The Cheesy Tomato Gnocchi I ordered had clear and easy steps to follow and it turned out really well.
Let’s take a look at the 3 top tastiest meals I chose for this Blue Apron review.
In terms of taste, it was packed with umami-rich flavors from the mushrooms and the parmesan cheese. The recipe included verjus blanc which I haven’t used before in cooking. It was nice to discover a unique ingredient that offered similar properties to white wine.
Make sure you have all the ingredients and equipment needed to hand. I recommend reading through all the steps before you start the cooking process – especially if you haven’t had much experience with making risotto-based dishes before. Overall, this was a delicious dish and something I’d be happy to make again.
Again, I’d suggest reading through all the steps before you start. I noticed that although the steps are ordered, you can start work on the next part when waiting for something else to cook. For example, when the potatoes are happily roasting in the oven, you can start work on chopping your pepper and figs.
In terms of cooking, I’d say this dish isn’t a beginner-friendly recipe. Although Blue Apron lists just 5 steps, the fact is that each step contains lots of instructions. For example, the first step involves not only washing the 7 different fresh produce items, but chopping, peeling, dicing it too.
Difficulty Level | Estimated Cook Time | Actual Cook Time | Calories Per Serving | Best For | |
Mushroom Farrotto | Medium | 45 minutes | 60 minutes | 620 calories | Vegetarians, wellness |
Pork Chorizo, Potato & Fig Bake | Easy | 30-40 minutes | 45 minutes | 750 calories | Easier prep, Something different |
Seared Scallops | Medium/hard | 40-50 minutes | 60 minutes | 720 calories | Special occasions |
Starting From | Order Size and Price (Before Shipping) | Shipping Fee |
$7.99 per portion | 5 Meal Kits for 4 people per week: $159.80 | $10.99 |
$8.99 per portion | 4 Meal Kits for 4 people per week: $143.84 | $10.99 |
$9.49 per portion | 3 Meal Kits for 4 people per week: $113.88 | $10.99 |
$9.99 per portion | 2 Meal Kits for 4 people per week: $79.92 | $10.99 |
$9.49 per portion | 5 Meal Kits for 2 people per week: $94.90 | $10.99 |
$9.99 per portion | 4 Meal Kits for 2 people per week: $79.92 | $10.99 |
$10.99 per portion | 3 Meal Kits for 2 people per week: $65.94 | $10.99 |
$12.49 per portion | 2 Meal Kits for 2 people per week: $49.96 | $10.99 |
$10.99 per portion | 4 Prepared & Ready meals per week: $43.96 | $10.99 |
$10.99 per portion | 6 Prepared & Ready meals per week: $65.94 | $10.99 |
$9.99 per portion | 8 Prepared & Ready meals per week: $79.92 | $10.99 |
$9.99 per portion | 10 Prepared & Ready meals per week: $99.90 | $10.99 |
Blue Apron’s pricing structure keeps it on par with major competitors, and I think this service offers a lot of bang for your buck. Its diverse menu and quality ingredients are comparable to much more expensive services.
Blue Apron’s starting price of $3.74 per serving is based on the largest order of meal kits and any current discounts. But the price-per-serving on smaller 2-person plans still comes in at a pretty reasonable $9.49 to $12.49. You can adjust the size of your order each week and the price will update to reflect any changes.
As well as the shipping fee, there are a few things that might bump up your total cost. Firstly, the recipe customizations aren’t free. These swaps cost anywhere from $0.95 to $5.95 per serving. The Premium and Craft recipes also come with a higher price tag – from $13.99 to $19.99 per serving.
Prepared meals start from $9.99 per portion. This is pretty standard in my experience, as you’re paying for the convenience. Meal Kits and prepared meals can be ordered within the same week. You can set up 2 full orders, or you can order Meal Kits and then use the Add-ons menu to add some Prepared & Ready meals to your box. There’s also no limit to how many meals you can add each week, which is rare for meal delivery services.
Blue Apron delivers to all 48 contiguous states throughout the US (sorry, Alaska and Hawaii!), which comes as no surprise considering it’s 1 of the largest meal delivery services available.
You can change which day you want to get your shipment from week to week. You’ll receive an email with tracking information when your Blue Apron box ships, and you can also track your shipment through the app. You can also opt to get a push notification in the app when your delivery arrives.
Blue Apron’s subscription model is straightforward and easy to use. It’s particularly easy to start the process, too – you’ll see links to Sign Up peppered all over the website.
Click Plans via the menu or Sign Up in the top right-hand corner of the homepage. You’ll then see all your dietary and plan options.
Choose your meal type, preferences, and order size: The price you pay will vary depending on your choices – the base prices and shipping fee will appear below.
Select your desired signup method: You can choose whether to sign up using your email, Apple ID, or Facebook account. Make your selection, choose a password, and move on to the next steps.
Enter your personal information: Once you enter all the usual stuff like your address and payment info, you can choose your first delivery date.
Choose your meals: Now you can choose your meals for your first order.
The menu screen after you’ve signed up will now be ordered according to your preferences. This means you’ll see the most suitable meals at the top of the page.
Blue Apron makes it easy to skip a week or make changes to your deliveries. Not only can you skip deliveries up to 5 weeks in advance, but you can also pause your deliveries for up to 10 weeks. You can make all these changes from your device on the Blue Apron app too.
There are several ways you can get in touch with Blue Apron. You can reach the company by phone at (646) 891-4349 or on the live chat, from Monday through Friday, 10am to 9pm ET, as well as on weekends from 11am to 6pm ET. I was really happy when I tried the live chat feature to find out about customizations. The person I chatted with gave me a more detailed answer than I thought they would.
Blue Apron also boasts an excellent FAQ section if you need immediate answers. The page is very comprehensive, providing solutions to almost any query you might have about the service. I’m also impressed by the detailed page it has about recycling which demonstrates its commitment to sustainability.
I’m personally a big fan of Blue Apron, and here’s why: its service is streamlined like a well-oiled machine, the prices are good value for the quality of the ingredients you receive each week, and the menu offers excellent variety. I’d say it’s among the best meal kits on the market right now. Plus, you can get yourself an even better deal with our offer: Enjoy meals starting as low as $5.59!.
I had a great experience when I tried Blue Apron at home. I enjoyed the variety of global cuisines, which introduce new flavors while helping you cultivate culinary skills and get out of your cooking comfort zone. Beginners may find that some of the recipes take longer than advertised, but if you don’t mind that, it’s a great way to pick up new kitchen skills.
If you don’t fancy cooking one evening, you can heat one of the prepared meals instead. With its range of meal types and plans, Blue Apron suits a lot of households. It’s a great choice if you value quality, variety, and the joy of cooking.
However, if Blue Apron doesn't align with your needs, there's a world of other meal delivery services to explore. Check out our list of the best meal delivery services in 2024 to see what we’ve ranked higher than Blue Apron.
Blue Apron’s recipes are designed to suit a range of dietary needs. They cover a range of cuisines and give home chefs a chance to learn new skills in the kitchen as well as try out new and interesting dishes. Check out my shortlist of favorite meals for more details.
Blue Apron’s prices start at $3.74 per serving, and shipping is an extra $10.99 per week. However, note that some things – like customizations and certain meal categories – can bump up the price since they cost extra.
Blue Apron is better known for its meal kits, where ingredients and recipes are delivered to your door each week. You can also order extras like prepared meals, desserts, and sides. Once you sign up, it’s easy to pick and choose what you’d like to receive.
To cancel your account, you’ll need to visit the Plan Settings in your account. You can either skip weeks, pause your account, or cancel your account. Our additional guide on how to cancel Blue Apron walks you through the process in 3 quick steps.