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.
Blue Apron Promo Code:
The cost of a weekly Blue Apron meal kit box starts at $7.49 per serving and depends on the number of meal kit recipes and servings selected.
Blue Apron delivers to the Continental United States. Get $110 OFF + Free Shipping >>
For meal kits, prepared meals, and add-on shipping is $9.99 per delivery.
For Market items, shipping is FREE on orders $50+ or $5.99 for Market orders under $50. Get $110 OFF + Free Shipping >>
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, the Vegetarian menu for 2 people, or the Meal Prep menu which is unique to Blue Apron (more on that below!). They even have side dishes, dessert, and meat & seafood add-ons.
Something else unique to Blue Apron is their 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! Get $110 OFF + Free Shipping >>
For our two Blue Apron meals reviews, we’ve received 2 recipes each for 4 people. So far, the recipes have included Grilled Pork Bahn Mi (“Grill Kit”), Salsa Verde Salmon, Tuscan Pork & Gnocchi, and Cheesy Turkey Enchiladas Rojas. Get $110 OFF + Free Shipping >>
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. Our recipe cards are always between the box and the inside bag!
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. Get $110 OFF + Free Shipping >>
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.
The first recipe that we tried was the 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. Get $110 OFF + Free Shipping >>
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. Get $110 OFF + Free Shipping >>
Next up we made the 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. Get $110 OFF + Free Shipping >>
For our second set of meal kit reviews, we started with the Cheesy Turkey 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. Get $110 OFF + Free Shipping >>
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. Get $110 OFF + Free Shipping >>
Next up, the 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. Get $110 OFF + Free Shipping >>
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 perfect for the home chef looking to learn and improve their cooking skills without having to worry about planning or shopping. Get $110 OFF + Free Shipping >>
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.
To see the Blue Apron Heat & Eat prepared meals, like the addons, you must be logged in to an active account.
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. Get $110 OFF + Free Shipping >>
The cost of the Blue Apron Heat & Eat prepared meals is the same amount per serving as your Meal Kit plan.
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. Get $110 OFF + Free Shipping >>
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. Get $110 OFF + Free Shipping >>
Blue Apron is the only meal kit delivery service to currently offer a Meal Prep menu. “Meal Prepping” is when you prep and cook your meals for the week all in one day and store them in the fridge or freezer to quickly heat up during the week.
With the Blue Apron Meal Prep menu, you receive all of the fresh ingredients you need along with one set of cooking instructions to prepare 8 servings in around 95 min to 2 hours.
Meal Prep recipes change every two weeks and you can access them in your active Blue Apron account from the Meal Prep tab.
Boxes are delivered on Friday so that you can cook on Saturday or Sunday for the upcoming week. Get $110 OFF + Free Shipping >>
NOTE: You can not view the Meal Prep menu unless you are logged in to an active Blue Apron account.
Blue Apron delivers fresh ingredients and interesting recipes to help home chefs cook delicious meals.
Blue Apron is unique in 4 ways:
1. Customizable meals
2. Meal Prep menu
3. WW-friendly recipes
4. 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.
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, anyone on Weight Watchers that enjoys cooking at home, and those looking for a Meal Prep meal kit. Get $110 OFF + Free Shipping >>
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 | 57.5% OFF 1st Box+ 20% OFF on Next 2 Boxes | Try for $1.79/meal | $90 OFF | $120 OFF | $80 OFF |
| DIETARY OPTIONS | Classic, Vegetarian, No Added Gluten, Dairy Free, Low Cal, Low Carb | Classic, Vegetarian | Classic, Vegetarian, Calorie-Conscious, Carb-Conscious | Classic, Vegetarian, Weight Watchers | Classic, Low-Cal, Low-Carb, Vegetarian, No Added Gluten, Dairy Free |
| MENU | Meal Kits, Holiday Meal Kits, Dessert, Breakfast | Meal Kits, Meat & Seafood | Meal Kits, Fresh & Easy Low or No Prep Meals, Holiday Meal Kits, Breakfast, Bread, Dessert, Meat & Seafood | Meal Kits, Meal Prep, Prepared Meals, Holiday Meal Kits, Meat & Seafood, Sides, Dessert, Wine | Meal Kits, Holiday Meal Kits, Ready To Heat, Breakfast, Dessert, Meat & Seafood |
| SERVINGS | 2 or 4 | 2 or 4 | 2, 4, or 6 | 2 or 4 | 1 Serving Ready to Heat meals, 2 or 4 serving Meal Kits |
| PRICE RANGE PER SERVING | $4.99 - $5.99 | $4.99 | $6.99 - $8.99 | $7.49 - $9.99 | $6.99 - $10.99 |
| SHIPPING | $9.99 | $9.99 | $8.99 | $9.99 | $8.99 |
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| Read Review | Read Review | Read Review | Read Review | Read Review | |
| COUPON | 65% OFF First Box+ Free Shipping | $90 OFF + Free Gifts | 6 Meals for $36 on First 2 Orders | $135 OFF + Free Shipping | $30 OFF |
| DIETARY OPTIONS | Classic, Vegetarian, Calorie Smart, Pescatarian | Classic, Vegetarian, Paleo, Gluten Free, Carb Conscious, Diabetes Friendly, Pescatarian, Mediterranean , Low-Calorie | Classic, Lean & Clean, Vegetarian | Balanced Living, Keto, Paleo, Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-Free | Vegan, Vegetarian, Plant-Based, Gluten-Free, High Protein |
| MENU | Meal Kits, Prepared Meals, Holiday Meal Kits, Breakfast, Lunch, Sides, Snacks, Dessert, Meat & Seafood | Meal Kits, Prepared Meals, Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks, Dessert, Meat & Seafood, Pantry Items | Meal Kits, Breakfast, Salads, Soup, Sides, Dessert, Meat & Seafood | Meal Kits | Meal Kits, Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks, Prepared Meals |
| SERVINGS | 1 Serving Prepared Meals; 2 or 4 Serving Meal Kits | 1 Serving Prepared Meals; 2, 3, or 4 Serving Meal Kits | 2 or 4 | 2, 4, or 6 | 1 Serving Prepared Meals. 2 or 4 serving Meal Kits |
| PRICE RANGE PER SERVING | $7.49 - $11.99 | $9.99 - $13.99 | $11.99 | $11.99 - $13.49 | $9.99 - $12.99 |
| SHIPPING | $8.99 | $9.99 | $8.99 | $9.99 | Free |
| 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. |
