June 23, 2023
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Our Blue Apron meals review contains affiliate links and if you make a purchase we may be compensated. All opinions are our own.
By Alison Chew | Dietitian Verified by Rebecca Housh, MS, RDN
Blue Apron delivers fresh ingredients and interesting recipes to help home chefs cook delicious meals. In addition, they will teach you how to cook new recipes, introduce you and your family to new ingredients, and reduce food waste.
Meal kits are available as a subscription or as a one-time purchase in the Market.
The cost of a weekly Blue Apron meal kit box starts at $7.99 per serving and depends on the number of meal kit recipes and servings selected.
Blue Apron delivers to the Continental United States.
For meal kits, prepared meals, and add-ons shipping is $9.99 per delivery.
For Market items, shipping is FREE on orders $50+ or $5.99 for Market orders under $50. SHOP NOW >>
Yes! You can now buy Blue Apron meal kits without a subscription on Amazon.
Yes! You can buy Blue Apron meal kits in the Marketplace as a one-time purchase on their website and on Amazon.
No! Starting at just $7.99 per serving, Blue Apron meals are in the middle of the price range for meal kits. They are less expensive than going out to dinner or ordering takeout, but more expensive than going to the grocery store.
We say yes for those who are not vegetarian/vegan and like to cook!
Overall, we found the quality of Blue Apron ingredients to be very high and the recipes to be more complex and interesting than other meal kit delivery services.
Blue Apron is also one of the only meal kit companies that offers a “Meal Prep” option and the only company partnered with WW (Weight Watchers) to show points per recipe.
Compared to other meal kit companies (see charts below) Blue Apron is in the middle of the price range with fewer recipes per week than some others, though. And they have very few options for vegetarians and vegans.
Blue Apron is perfect for the home chef looking to learn and improve their cooking skills without having to worry about planning or shopping.
Blue Apron, like other meal kit delivery services, allows you to select recipes from a rotating weekly menu and sends fresh ingredients along with step-by-step instruction cards to your door each week. Choose from the Blue Apron Signature menu for 2 or 4 people or the Seasonal menu. They even have side dishes, desserts, and meat & seafood add-ons.
Something else unique to Blue Apron is its partnership with Weight Watchers which allows customers to select “WW” recipes that include “SmartPoints” totals and tips.
In addition, Blue Apron allows you to “customize” certain meals by allowing you to swap, add, or upgrade proteins for a given recipe. We love this functionality but note that you can only see these options if you are logged into your account.
New to the Blue Apron Marketplace, you can now order Meal Kits a la carte without a subscription along with wine and kitchen tools! SHOP NOW >>
We’ve tried Blue Apron meals several times for our reviews and have listed our favorites along with some tips below.
When your Blue Apron delivery arrives unpack your box and put items in the refrigerator. With Blue Apron only some of the ingredients are packaged together in what they call a Knick Knack Bag with other ingredients loose. Be sure to look through the box thoroughly before throwing away the packaging.
TIP: Our recipe cards are always between the box and the liner!
Some other meal kit companies do this and we don’t mind as it cuts down on the packaging, but something to be mindful of. You may have to look around the fridge a bit to find all of the ingredients for a given recipe. SHOP NOW >>
Blue Apron is working hard to improve its packaging to be more environmentally friendly and they say that as of now 85% of its packaging is certified recyclable.
We really enjoyed the Grilled Pork Bahn Mi (“Grill Kit”), Salsa Verde Salmon, Tuscan Pork & Gnocchi, Cheesy Turkey Enchiladas Rojas, and the “Ready to Cook” Oven-Baked Hoisin Turkey Meatballs & Udon. More on each is below.
Grilled Pork Bahn Mi: This recipe was made almost entirely on the grill and what I like to call a “Grill Kit”!
We haven’t seen many grilling meal kits, mostly meat bundles for the grill, and we were super excited to give this a try. SHOP NOW >>
With Blue Apron, the recipe cards give you step-by-step instructions and we found them to be more complex than other meal kit delivery services. And while there are only 5 steps listed, there are multiple things to do within each step and a lot of things to keep track of.
I, personally, love this as it’s a nice challenge and I feel like I’m not only paying for the convenience of the recipes, ingredients, and delivery, but I’m also getting a mini cooking lesson as well.
The Grilled Pork Bahn Mi didn’t take long to grill after the ingredient and sauce prep was complete and we loved that we didn’t have to turn on the oven or use any pots or pans for this meal.
We really enjoyed the taste of this dish and it was certainly filling thanks to all of the cabbage salad and yummy ciabatta bread. SHOP NOW >>
Salsa Verde Salmon: This recipe was less complex than the Grilled Pork Bahn Mi, but still had 5 steps with multiple things going on in each step.
We found the farro, which was new to me, to be a nice addition to the meal and a nice change from rice. We loved the pesto sauce on the farro and tomatoes as well as the homemade salsa verde on the salmon.
This meal was filling yet light and perfect for a summer evening. SHOP NOW >>
Cheesy Beef Enchiladas Rojas: With Blue Apron, we were able to swap out the ground turkey for ground beef for an additional $1.95 per serving. We love that they offer this customization for select meals, though it would be nice if they limited the additional fees.
This meal kit involved some chopping and grating as well as cooking the rice, then the filling, and then baking the whole thing in the oven. It took about 45 min from start to finish which is within the time on the recipe card, 40-50 min.
If that seems like a long time, we recommend selecting your recipes carefully. SHOP NOW >>
This meal was one of our favorites. My son especially loved the lime sour cream on top of the cheesy crispy enchiladas. The only drawback to this dish is it lacked a veggie side dish.
There were peppers and beans in the enchiladas, but I would add a vegetable next time.
Tuscan Pork & Gnocchi with spinach and Romesco-tomato sauce.
This dish was a comfort food delight! And it not only tasted delicious but it was also packed with lots of mini bell peppers and a bag of spinach.
This dish was also very quick and easy to make and perfect for a cold fall or winter evening. SHOP NOW >>
Oven-Baked Hoisin Turkey Meatballs & Udon: This “Ready To Cook” meal came together with less than 10 minutes of prep. The only thing we chopped were the ends off of the green beans.
After assembly, we covered the tray (that they supply) with foil and popped it into the oven for 30 min.
This meal was full of different flavors, from the Hoisin sauce to the Togarashi spice mix to the spicy Sambel Oelek, there was a lot going on. We really like the udon noodles as you don’t see them used as much. The green beans stayed firm and the meatballs were moist.
Plus, cleanup was a breeze – just throw the tray in the trash. No pots, no pans, no baking trays!
We would order this easy meal again!
Blue Apron now offers Heat & Eat prepared meals. These single-serving meals are great for busy weeknights and heat up in the microwave in less than 5 minutes.
At the time of this review, there were only 3 prepared meals to choose from including the Soy-Miso Chicken & Udon Noodles, Cheesy Guajillo Chicken & Rice, and Calabrian Chile Meatballs.
For the 2-person plan, you select 1 meal and receive 2 single-serving trays and for the 4-person plan, you select 1 meal and receive 4 single-serving trays. We wish that you could mix and match. SHOP NOW >>
The cost of the Blue Apron Heat & Eat prepared meals varies depending upon the meals that you select.
For our Blue Apron Heat & Eat prepared meals review we ordered the Calabrian Chile Meatballs with mashed potatoes, green beans, and lemon-caper butter. Since we have the 4-person plan, we received 4 single-serving trays. SHOP NOW >>
We found this meal to be very tasty and filling. The meatballs stayed juicy in the slightly sweet and spicy red sauce and the green beans did not turn soggy in the microwave. In addition, the lemon-caper butter added almost a wasabi-type flavor to the mashed potatoes and created a unique tasting dish overall.
At 12 oz this dish was very filling and larger than some other prepared meals that we have tried. And at only 550 calories, the Calabrian Chile Meatballs meal is on the healthy side. The only drawback might be the amount of sodium in the meal, which is 1390 mg. SHOP NOW >>
Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon Review
Blue Apron delivers fresh ingredients and interesting recipes to help home chefs cook delicious meals.
Blue Apron is unique in 3 ways:
1. Customizable meals
2. WW-friendly recipes
3. A la carte Meal Kits in the Marketplace
We love that the Blue Apron recipes are more complex than some other meal kit delivery services and that you can taste the difference in the high-quality ingredients included in your delivery. We also love that they offered a “grilling meal kit” perfect for summer grilling outside as well as other seasonal meal kits like Thanksgiving and Big Game.
And while the meals were very tasty, we don’t like that you can not see the full menu without being logged in to an active account. In addition, the lack of vegetarian options and recipes for other diets means that Blue Apron is not for everyone.
Compared to other meal kit delivery services, Blue Apron is in the middle of the price range (SEE BELOW), but the quality of the ingredients and more complex recipes makes them a great buy in our opinion.
We recommend Blue Apron for the home chef looking to learn and improve their cooking skills, or anyone on Weight Watchers that enjoys cooking at home. SHOP NOW >>
For more meal kits check out our Meal Kit Directory >>
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| Read Review | Read Review | Read Review | Read Review | Read Review | |
| COUPON | 60% OFF 1st Box+ 20% OFF on Next 2 Boxes | Try for $1.49/meal | Up to $150 OFF | 50% OFF 4 Boxes | 16 Free Meals + 3 Gifts + Free Shipping on 1st Order |
| DIETARY OPTIONS | Classic, Vegetarian, No Added Gluten, Dairy Free, Low Cal, Low Carb | Classic, Vegetarian | Classic, Vegetarian, Weight Watchers | Classic, Vegetarian, Calorie-Conscious, Carb-Conscious | Classic, Vegetarian, Calorie Smart, Pescatarian |
| MENU | Meal Kits, Holiday Meal Kits, Dessert, Breakfast, Protein Packs, Market addons | Meal Kits, Sides, Lunch, Dessert, Protein Packs | Meal Kits, Meal Prep, Prepared Meals, Holiday Meal Kits, Protein Packs, Sides, Dessert, Wine | Meal Kits, Fresh & Easy Low or No Prep Meals, Holiday Meal Kits, Breakfast, Bread, Dessert, Lunch, Sides, Protein Packs | Meal Kits, Prepared Meals, Holiday Meal Kits, Breakfast, Lunch, Sides, Snacks, Dessert, Protein Packs |
| SERVINGS | 2 or 4, 1 serving Ready to Heat | 2 or 4 | 2 or 4 serving Meal Kits, 1 serving Ready to Heat | 2, 4, or 6 | 1 Serving Prepared Meals; 2 or 4 Serving Meal Kits |
| STARTING PRICE PER SERVING | Less than $5 | Less than $5 | Less than $10 | Less than $10 | Less than $10 |
| SHIPPING | $11.99 | $10.99 | $9.99 | $8.99+ | $9.99 |
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| Read Review | Read Review | Read Review | Read Review | Read Review | |
| COUPON | 56.4% OFF 1st Order + $20 OFF Next 3 Orders | $90 OFF | $30 OFF with code CARROT30 | $250 OFF + Free Shipping | 6 Meals for $36 on First 2 Boxes |
| DIETARY OPTIONS | Classic, Low-Cal, Low-Carb, Vegetarian, No Added Gluten, Dairy Free | Classic, Vegetarian, Paleo, Gluten Free, Carb Conscious, Diabetes Friendly, Pescatarian, Mediterranean , Low-Calorie | Vegan, Vegetarian, Plant-Based, Gluten-Free, High Protein | Balanced Living, Keto, Paleo, Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-Free | Classic, Lean & Clean, Vegetarian |
| MENU | Meal Kits, Holiday Meal Kits, Breakfast, Dessert, Protein Packs, Market addons | Meal Kits, Prepared Meals, Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks, Dessert, Protein Packs, Pantry Items | Meal Kits, Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks, Prepared Meals | Meal Kits | Meal Kits, Breakfast, Lunch, Sides, Dessert, Protein Packs |
| SERVINGS | 1 Serving Ready to Heat meals, 2 or 4 serving Meal Kits | 1 Serving Prepared Meals; 2, 3, or 4 Serving Meal Kits | 1 Serving Prepared Meals. 2 or 4 serving Meal Kits | 2, 4, or 6 | 2 or 4, 1 serving Prepared Meal |
| STARTING PRICE PER SERVING | Less than $10 | Less than $15 | Less than $15 | Less than $15 | Less than $15 |
| SHIPPING | $11.99 | $9.99 | $8 or Free for orders $85+ | $9.99 | $8.99 |
| This post has been reviewed and approved by our dietitian Rebecca Housh, MS, RDN, LDN for nutritional accuracy. | |
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 | Rebecca Housh is a registered dietitian based in Chicago, IL. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Physiology from Boston University and a Master of Science in Human Nutrition from the University of Illinois in Chicago. Rebecca is passionate about the idea of food as medicine in both preventative and therapeutic care. Her current professional interests lie in food security, food access, and nutrition for chronic disease. |
