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Blue Apron Meal Delivery Service

Last updated: October 13, 2023

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Contents

Our Take
Features
Specifications
From The Manufacturer
Expert Reviews
Rankings
Overview
Buying Advice

Check Price

We looked at the top Meal Delivery Kits and dug through the reviews from some of the most popular review sites. Through this analysis, we've determined the best Meal Delivery Kit you should buy.

Overall Take

Instructions for each of the meals are easy to follow, helping you create tasty dinners in minutes. Serving sizes are plentiful and the options make it easy to find something even finicky kids will like. All ingredients are fresh and responsibly sourced, and the packaging is designed with recyclability in mind.

In our analysis of 185 expert reviews, the Blue Apron Meal Delivery Service placed 10th when we looked at the top 25 products in the category. For the full ranking, see below.

From The Manufacturer

https://www.blueapron.com/

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Expert Reviews

What experts liked

The rest of the Blue Apron offerings look to be just as filling and have full-sized ingredients. It’s ideal for feeding a hungry family, or for the culinarily-inclined who like to know exactly what ingredients they are using and from where they came.

- New York Post

Inexperienced cooks will find Blue Apron particularly easy to use and reliable. Its straightforward recipes will appeal to a wide range of tastes (including kids) and it’s one of the more affordable services.

- The New York Times

The dishes were creative, included more international spices and did a good job of pairing items that I might not have considered. As with HelloFresh, you can choose from different types of plans, but you do have to create an account and enter your credit card information to see the various plans and menu options.

- CNET

The directions are so easy to follow our editor had her six-year-olds help her out. The company has a mission to improve our country’s food system at large by focusing on sustainable farming, direct shipping, and less food waste. Its chefs work directly with farmers to create the meal plans and provide the stories behind the ingredients so you know where your food actually came from.

- Self

The menu is second to none, with new recipes and incredible meals inspired by the Mediterranean diet. Bonus: You can add a wine pairing to your order.

- Glamour

The cook times were either spot-on, or we were able to finish in even less time than indicated. In fact, the three Blue Apron meals we cooked were all super fast and very easy. The recipe cards were well designed and easy to follow with helpful step-by-step photos. Two of the recipes took 25 minutes to make.

- The Spruce Eats

I found Blue Apron to be simple yet creative. Za'atar chicken was precisely what you might expect from a chicken dish, with a well-cooked protein, roasted vegetables, and a fluffy couscous base. But what saved it from boredom was the truly delightful Za'atar spice. I often complain about foods being under-spiced, this certainly wasn't the case.

- Business Insider

It's the top pick because it works well for most people. The service is flexible with lots of dietary lifestyles, it isn't too expensive, the weekly menus have plenty of choices, and the recipes aren't super difficult.

- Wired

We love Blue Apron for its variety of flavors, helpful instructions, convenience, and competitive pricing. We also love that it sells wine, too, plus cooking equipment, spices, olive oils, and a few other pantry items.

- PC Magazine

What experts didn't like

Isn’t great for vegetarians, partly because it offers only three vegetarian options each week. This means you get what you get, and unfortunately what you get is a lot of variations on pizza, pasta, and sandwiches. For the most part the options are high in starch, low in protein, and not interesting enough to justify the $10 per serving price.

- The New York Times

Ingredients for a single meal weren't necessarily grouped together. There were three bags of "Knick Knacks" (sauces, spices) with the corresponding dish's name on them as well. Everything fit in the fridge, but I could see myself potentially forgetting about some of the food, since it's not in the individual meal bags like HelloFresh.

- CNET

We were surprised to find out that we only had the option of six to eight meals to choose from each week in the Signature plan. Other services we tried offered options in the double digits. And the company’s other plans had even fewer options. The Signature for Four plan includes a vegetarian option only occasionally, and not even the same meals that are offered in the Signature plan for two.

- The Spruce Eats

Some recipes may not justify the price point, given that ingredients are quite straightforward and easy to find in your local supermarket.

- Business Insider

Blue Apron, are experiencing high demand, shipping delays, or reduced menu options due to the global coronavirus pandemic.

- Wired

Where it comes up a short, however, is catering to specific diets. There is a vegetarian line, but there isn't much for vegans or people who follow a keto or paleo diet.

- PC Magazine

Meal Delivery Kit Rankings

1. GreenChef Meal Delivery Service

2. HelloFresh Meal Delivery Kit

3. Sakara Meal Kits

4. Freshly Meal Service

5. Snap Kitchen Meal Kit Delivery Service

6. Diet-to-Go Meal Kits

7. Home Chef Fresh And Easy Plan

8. Home Chef Meal Service

9. Everytable Meal Service

10. Blue Apron Meal Delivery Service

11. Top Chef Meals

12. Veestro Meal Delivery Kits

13. Hungryroot Meal Kits

14. FreshNLean Meal Delivery Service

15. Factor_ Factor75

16. Sunbasket Meal Service

17. Daily Harvest Meal Kit

18. Splendid Spoon Meal Delivery Service

19. Dinnerly Meal Service

20. EveryPlate Meal Kits

21. Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon Meal Kit

22. Purple Carrot Meal Service Kits

23. Amazon Meal Kits

24. Gobble Meal Delivery Kit

25. Yumble Kids’ Meal Delivery Kits

Overview

Takeout can be expensive, but cooking every meal at home quickly gets old. In recent years, a fun alternative to both options has popped up. Meal delivery kits are more expensive than buying the ingredients yourself but less expensive than takeout from your favorite restaurants. Some newer meal delivery kits are even as cheap as fast food.

But there’s no shortage of meal delivery kit services. There are so many, in fact, that it can be tough to choose just one. It’s important to know the different types of meal kit services so that you can narrow it down to those that interest you most.

Meal kits can be very convenient. Some services specialize in easy prep time. Kits with microwavable meals can be perfect for busy families. There are some that arrive with ingredients already chopped, saving you prep time. If you prefer the oven to the microwave, you can even find kits with meals that just have you piling everything into a provided pan and sticking it in the oven.

If you’re on a special diet, there are plenty of meal kits with plans for vegan, keto and calorie-conscious people. Some also offer help with food sensitivities, while others are perfect for the meat lover, even giving you the option of ordering double portions.

Buying Advice

One thing to look at while you’re pricing plans is the cost of shipping. Some services offer free shipping, while others charge you as much as $9 or $10 per box. You’ll probably find some meal kits that base shipping charges on your location.
Meal delivery services typically have limited delivery days. That means you may only be able to choose between a Tuesday or Wednesday, for instance, or maybe a Friday or Saturday. If you opt for a kit with fresh ingredients, keep in mind that you may need to serve those within three days of arrival, which may not fit well with your family schedule.
Packaging can be extreme with meal delivery services. Food has to be shipped with ice and plenty of padding, so you’ll have quite a bit to jam into the recycle bin. If you’re environmentally-conscious, some meal delivery kits use both eco-friendly and recyclable packaging.
Although meal delivery services typically require a monthly subscription, you can skip multiple weeks at any time. You can even pause your service and pick it up again a few months later.
Grocers are getting in on the meal delivery kit trend. You may see a display at your local grocery store. If you use Amazon Fresh, they also have meal kits available for delivery.