We scored Blue Apron high for taste and ingredient quality, but we wish the service used less plastic. Our dietitian’s full review follows.

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Healthline meal delivery score: 4.4 out of 5

Blue Apron is a popular meal kit service that delivers 2–5 recipes per week directly to your door, along with all the ingredients you need to prepare them. It also offers curated wine pairings and other optional meal add-ons.

While Blue Apron is one of the less expensive meal kit delivery services, it’s still more expensive than grocery shopping in most cases and is not necessarily a good fit for people with strict dietary needs.

This article provides a comprehensive review of how Blue Apron works, including the pros and cons of the service and how it compares with its competitors.

MEAL DELIVERY SERVICE REVIEW SCORECARD

One Healthline tester scored Blue Apron across 10 categories and allotted points from 0–5. The scores below reflect the average rating for each category.

• Overall: 4.4
• Sign-up, delivery, and cancelation processes: 5
• Meal variety: 4
• Nutrition: 4.5
• Sustainability: 4.5
• Ingredient quality and freshness: 5
• Ease of preparation: 4
• Taste: 4
• Affordability: 4

Learn more about how we test meal kits.

GET STARTED WITH Blue Apron

Pro

• convenient, as it requires less meal planning and grocery shopping
• caters to omnivores and vegetarians
• offers a variety of meals suitable for various dietary patterns, including carb-conscious and nutritionist-approved options
• uses non-GMO ingredients, hormone-free meats, and sustainably sourced seafood
• moderately priced
• wine suggestions and optional wine delivery service

Con

• more expensive than grocery shopping
• not suitable for those with severe food allergies or intolerances
• doesn’t offer meals to fit gluten-free, vegan, paleo, or keto diets
• not all produce is organic
• fewer customization options than more expensive competitors
• orders include an extra shipping fee
• lots of plastic used for packaging ingredients

Who tried it

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As a registered dietitian, foodie, and busy mom, I’ve taken on the task of trying several meal delivery companies, including Blue Apron, to help you decide which is the right fit for your household.

Blue Apron was the first meal delivery service I ever tried, but that was nearly 10 years ago, and I was curious to see how the service has evolved since then.

Signing up and selecting my meals

Signing up for Blue Apron was quick and easy. First, you’ll need to provide your email. Next, you’ll be instructed to select the number of recipes you want to receive each week and choose from various meal preferences, including:

• Chef Favorites
• Wellness
• Family-Friendly
• Fast & Easy
• Veggies

In the third and final step, you’ll select your delivery day and enter your credit card info. Once your account is set up, you’ll be able to view your upcoming meals and swap out recipes based on your preferences.

The menu offered a good variety of recipes to choose from, and I found it easy to find meals that my family would enjoy.

Once your meals are packaged and shipped out, you’ll receive an email notification containing a link to track your box, as well as a list of ingredients and kitchen items you’ll need to have on hand to prepare your meals that week.

Delivery and packaging

Share on PinterestPhotography by Kelli McGrane, MS, RD

My box arrived on its scheduled delivery day just an hour or two before dinnertime.

Inside the box were two recipe cards, loose produce, two plastic bags containing additional ingredients for each recipe, vacuum-sealed salmon, and chicken breasts.

Share on PinterestPhotography by Kelli McGrane, MS, RD

All the ingredients were in good condition and appeared to be fresh. However, there was a lot more plastic than I was expecting, which I had mixed feelings about.

When it came to the chicken and salmon, I appreciated that the salmon was vacuum-sealed for optimal freshness and that the chicken was packaged in two layers of plastic to prevent any juices from seeping out — an issue I’ve had multiple times with HelloFresh.

However, I think the service could slightly reduce the amount of plastic by using brown paper bags, rather than large plastic ones, to group each recipe’s “knickknack” ingredients.

Are Blue Apron meals easy to prepare? And how do they taste?

Because it was a holiday week, I opted to receive just two meals, both of which I found flavorful and easy to prepare, though they did require a bit of multitasking.

Spanish-Spiced Salmon & Veggie Quinoa with Almond-Date Topping

Share on PinterestPhotography by Kelli McGrane, MS, RD

This was my favorite dish of the two because it had a great balance of flavors and textures. I particularly enjoyed the almond-date topping, something I never would have thought to pair with a salmon dish.

As a bonus, the meal was ready in less than 30 minutes.

Seared Chicken & Creamy Italian Dressing with Mashed Potatoes & Glazed Vegetables

Share on PinterestPhotography by Kelli McGrane, MS, RD

I was really excited about this dish because I love tangy Italian dressings. Luckily, the dressing lived up to my expectations — it was creamy and packed with flavor. The vegetables were also delicious and easily my favorite part of the meal.

However, I found the mashed potatoes to be a bit dry and ended up adding a dollop of Greek yogurt from my fridge to make them creamier.

I also wished I had prepared the potatoes last. By the time the chicken was ready, the potatoes had gotten cold, even though I’d kept them covered as the recipe card recommended.

How does Blue Apron compare with other meal delivery services I’ve tried?

Overall, I enjoyed my two Blue Apron meals and saw plenty of other recipes that I would’ve been excited to try as well.

While it doesn’t cater to many specialty diets, based on the price, ingredient quality, and recipe variety, I’d say it’s tied with Green Chef as my second favorite meal kit delivery service.

Two aspects of the experience could have been better (these are also the reasons it’s not my number-one pick): The service could use less plastic packaging and offer slightly more exciting flavor and ingredient combinations.

For these reasons, and because it has more specialty diet menus, Sunbasket continues to be my top pick among meal kit companies. However, it’s also one of the most expensive, so it may not be feasible for all budgets.

The Blue Apron basics

Blue Apron offers four meal plans:

• Signature: This two-person meal plan offers a mixture of all the Blue Apron options, including meat, fish, and plant-based meals.
• Vegetarian: This two-person plan features meals highlighting seasonal produce that do not contain meat or fish but may contain eggs and dairy products.
• Wellness: This meal plan for two people focuses on healthful, nutritionist-approved choices such as carb-conscious meals and meals featuring whole grains.
• Signature for Four: This meal plan is for larger families, offering four adult-size servings of the service’s Signature selections.

Each meal plan has a rotating weekly menu from which you can choose your meals.

Some meals may fit certain dietary patterns, such as low carb, reduced calorie, or diabetes-friendly. However, Signature (for two or four people), Wellness, and Vegetarian are the only meal plans offered.

After selecting your plan, you’ll be prompted to complete the checkout process and choose your weekly delivery day.

Each week, you’ll have a set cutoff date for choosing your meals. If you don’t select your meals by this date, Blue Apron will choose for you based on the meal preferences input into your account.

Blue Apron also offers you the convenience of skipping weeks or changing plans up to 5 weeks in advance and as late as 5 days before your next order is processed.

You can also contact a customer service representative at any time to get instructions on how to cancel your service indefinitely.

Blue Apron meal selection

When it’s time to choose your meals, you’ll be able to view all the available choices for that week for your meal plan. You’ll get new selections each week.

At the moment, you can’t mix and match between meal plans during the same week. However, you can switch between meal plans at any time.

The Signature plan offers the most variety, with around 16 recipes to choose from. In contrast, the Wellness and Vegetarian plans include only 3–5 selections each week, and the Signature for Four plan offers around 14 options.

All plans also allow you to add “heat and eat” meals to your order for an additional fee, which are fully prepared entrees you can quickly reheat in the microwave.

Here are examples of the types of recipes you’ll find, as well as per-serving nutritional information:

Signature planVegetarian planWellness planSignature for Four planRecipeOne-Pot Shrimp and Udon Noodles with Carrots & PeppersPesto Pasta with Zucchini & Lemon RicottaSheet Pan Cajun-Spiced Salmon
with Roasted Vegetables & Creamy RelishAutumn Pork Roast & Vegetables
with Apple-Sage Pan SauceCalories850820590600Protein34 grams27 grams38 grams43 gramsFat11 grams34 grams26 grams22 gramsCarbs77 grams72 grams59 grams44 gramsFiber6 grams6 grams10 grams6 gramsSodium2,200 mg1,090 mg980 mg1,120 mg

What’s included

Blue Apron meals are delivered to your home in refrigerated boxes packed with ice packs and insulated liners to ensure freshness during delivery. All the cardboard, rigid plastics, metal cans, and glass bottles you receive from Blue Apron are recyclable.

Inside your box, you’ll find most of the ingredients you’ll need to prepare your meals, though some recipes require you to have pantry staples such as salt, pepper, and olive oil.

You’ll also receive large recipe cards for each meal that include easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions. Most recipes take less than 45 minutes to cook and require 1–2 pots and pans for the entire recipe.

Where do Blue Apron ingredients come from?

All animal proteins are sourced from farms and distributors that meet Blue Apron’s animal welfare policy. Additionally, the animals must be fed a diet that’s free of animal byproducts, antibiotics, and hormones.

The company’s seafood is sustainably sourced, according to Seafood Watch, a nonprofit program.

Some of the produce and other ingredients are also organic, depending on ingredient availability and sourcing.

What diets is Blue Apron suitable for?

Unlike many other subscription services, Blue Apron does not offer diet-specific plans such as gluten-free, vegan, or keto.

Instead, within the weekly menu, Blue Apron labels recipes that may be suitable for certain dietary restrictions or preferences with “Wellness Badges,” such as:

• 600 Calories or Less: reduced calorie, with 600 or fewer calories per serving
• Vegetarian: meat-free but may include dairy, eggs, and honey
• Pescatarian: contains seafood but free of meat and poultry
• Carb-Conscious: contains 48 grams of net carbs (total carbs minus fiber) or less per serving
• Wellness Grains: features grains like quinoa, farro, barley, or couscous

Keep in mind that there’s no guarantee there will be enough of these options offered each week to fill your order with one particular type.

As such, Blue Apron may not be the best choice for people with specific dietary needs or preferences.

Additionally, while the service offers a Vegetarian plan, there are generally just four recipes to choose from each week.

Finally, because ingredients are packaged in a facility that processes common allergens, Blue Apron isn’t suitable for those with severe food allergies or intolerances.

How much does Blue Apron cost?

Blue Apron meals vary in cost from $7.99–$12.49 per serving.

Pricing varies depending on how many recipes per week you select and whether you choose two or four servings per meal.

Here’s a closer look at the per-serving price for Blue Apron:

2 servings4 servings2 recipes per week$12.49$9.993 recipes per week$10.99$9.494 recipes per week$9.99$8.995 recipes per week$9.49$7.99

Shipping costs an additional $10.99, regardless of which box size you choose.

GO TO Blue Apron

What are Blue Apron wine pairings?

Blue Apron Wine is a separate subscription service offered by Blue Apron that includes a monthly shipment of six 2-serving (2-cup, or 500-mL) bottles of wine for $75.99 per month, shipping included.

You can choose to receive all reds or whites or mix and match. You can also upgrade to receive standard-size (750-mL) wine bottles for an additional fee.

Each wine includes a tasting card with extra information about the wine, such as helpful tasting notes and tips for pairing it with your Blue Apron meals.

Blue Apron Wine ships separately from Blue Apron meal kit orders, and you don’t have to be a subscriber of one to use the other.

How does the Blue Apron Market work?

The Blue Apron Market is an online store offering preselected bundles of wine, meal kits, and heat-and-eat dishes. As of October 2023, there are fewer options available than previous years, so Blue Apron may be phasing this out.

Market offerings include:

• Meal kit bundles: includes three popular recipes with 2 servings each
• Wine bundles: curated selections of six bottles
• Heat and eat meals: includes pack of four ready-made meals

As a bonus, you don’t need a Blue Apron subscription to order items from the Market.

How does Blue Apron compare?

This table compares Blue Apron with similar meal kit delivery services — not preassembled meal delivery services.

Blue ApronHello FreshGreen ChefSunbasketDinnerlyPrice per serving$7.99–$12.49$8.99–$12.49$11.99–$13.49$9.99–$25.99$4.99–$8.04Shipping$10.99$10.99$9.99$9.99$11.99Meal plans for special dietsvegetarian
• vegetarian
• pescatarian• Mediterranean
• reduced-calorie
• plant-based
• keto
• high protein
• gluten-free• paleo
• low carb
• gluten-free
• reduced-calorie
• diabetes-friendly
• vegetarian
• pescatarian
• MediterraneanvegetarianIngredient quality• hormone-free meats
• sustainable seafood
• some organic ingredients• hormone-free meats
• sustainable seafood
• some organic ingredients• organic produce and eggs
• high animal welfare requirements
• sources ingredients from regional farmers and distributors
• organic produce and eggs
• sustainable seafood
• hormone- and antibiotic-free pork and chicken
• grass-fed beef• some organic ingredients
•some grass-fed beef
• antibiotic-free chicken

Who is Blue Apron best for?

Blue Apron is one of the more moderately priced meal kit delivery options, but it offers extremely limited selections for people with specific dietary needs.

Blue Apron may be worth the price if you’re interested in cooking more balanced meals at home and value the convenience of a meal kit delivery service. Blue Apron offers a healthier and less expensive alternative to dining out regularly for people who are too busy to shop for groceries and plan meals each day of the week.

It also may be especially beneficial for individuals or small families who are busy and find themselves ordering takeout often for convenience.

However, if you have strict dietary needs or severe food allergies, you should consider another meal kit delivery service that caters specifically to your dietary needs.

It’s also not a good fit if sustainable packaging is one of your top priorities.

The bottom line

Overall, if you value the convenience offered by meal kit delivery services and don’t have any specific dietary needs, Blue Apron could be a great option for your household.