Blue Apron Review: A Dietitian’s Look at This Popular Meal Kit Service

Blue Apron has been around since the early days of meal kits, when the idea of getting pre-portioned ingredients delivered directly to your door was still pretty novel. Long before meal kits became a crowded space with endless options, Blue Apron was already leading the charge.

With so many other services now in the mix, I was curious to go back and see how one of the OG meal kits actually holds up today. Has it kept up with the competition in terms of flavor, convenience, and variety, or has it been outpaced by the newer brands that have popped up?

I decided to try it for myself and put it to the test. In this Blue Apron review, I dive into everything from ingredient quality to menu variety, nutrition, and my overall experience to see how Blue Apron compares in today’s very crowded meal kit landscape.

Read on for my thoughts after trying it for a week and whether or not I’d recommend giving it a try!

What is Blue Apron?

Blue Apron is a meal delivery service that offers a combination of meal kits and ready-made meals tailored to a wide range of preferences.

Meals are organized into several different categories, which include:

• seasonal specials and limited edition recipes
• 15-minute meals
• meal kits
• assemble & bake
• family-style
• fully prepared meals (“Dish by Blue Apron”)
• breakfast & quick bites
• extra proteins

While Blue Apron doesn’t offer meals for specific diet plans, most meals include customizable protein options. A full breakdown of nutrients and ingredients is also available for each recipe.

Examples of a few protein options include:

• chicken breast
• salmon
• hot Italian pork sausage
• chorizo
• pork roast
• ground beef
• shrimp
• vegetarian

How it works

Blue Apron is one of the few meal delivery services that doesn’t require a subscription, meaning you can place a one-time order to give it a try with no commitment needed.

You can browse their menu to find your favorite meals and then simply add them to the cart, choose your preferred delivery date, and place your order.

All meals are delivered chilled in insulated packaging designed to keep ingredients fresh during transit.

Meal kits include pre-portioned ingredients and recipe cards (or digital instructions), making it easy to prepare meals at home with minimal prep work.

If you do decide to sign up for a subscription, you can set your schedule and customize your order prior to each delivery.

Subscriptions include a 5% discount and can be paused, skipped, or canceled at any time.

The company also offers a membership program called Blue Apron+, which includes free shipping on every order, unlimited access to Tastemade+ (a food and lifestyle streaming service), and other members-only perks.

Menu options

Blue Apron offers an extensive rotating menu with over 50 meals to choose from each week, including both meal kits and ready-made meals. They also offer an assortment of optional add-ons as well, including proteins and snacks.

Most meal kits provide either two or four servings each, with multiple protein options available.

All fully prepared meals are single-serve, while add-ons such as breakfasts and extra proteins are available in varying portions.

Blue Apron also offers family-style bundles with two, four, or six servings, allowing you to choose a set number of mains and sides.

Some example meals on their menu include:

• Steak & Arugula Salad with Roasted Vegetables & Lemon Garlic Dressing
• Italian Chicken & Pesto Rice with Sautéed Zucchini & Parmesan
• Pork Chops & Summer Peach Pan Sauce with Potato Wedges & Buttery Green Beans
• Corn & Red Pepper Whole Grain Pasta with Pistachios & Parmesan Cheese
• Cheesy Mushroom Quesadillas with Sweet Potato Wedges & Garlic Mayo

Blue Apron also regularly offers limited-time recipes, including holiday or seasonal specials and collaborations with acclaimed chefs.

Nutritional value

As a dietitian, one of the things I appreciated most about Blue Apron is that the meals felt balanced and thoughtfully put together, without requiring you to do any nutrition math on your own.

Calories generally land in the moderate range, usually somewhere around 500-800 per serving, depending on the recipe. This makes it pretty easy to fit meals into a typical day without feeling overly heavy or too restrictive.

The protein content is also pretty solid across most of the meals, especially those featuring chicken, beef, fish, or plant-based proteins like beans or tofu. For instance, all four meals that I tried provided between 25-30 grams of protein, though some other meal kits on the menu contained even more (sometimes upwards of 40 grams per serving!).

You’ll also see a good mix of fiber-rich ingredients in most recipes, like vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, which round out the meals and add extra staying power.

That said, like most meal kits, sodium can be on the higher side in certain recipes depending on the sauces and seasonings, so it’s something to be aware of if that’s a concern for you.

Cost

Blue Apron’s prices vary depending on the specific meals that you order, along with the protein options you select.

Here is a quick breakdown of the typical prices for most meals on their menu:

• Meal kits: $7.49-$15.49 per serving
• Prepared meals: $7.49-$13.99 per serving
• Family-style bundles: $9.75-$13.50 per serving

Shipping also costs $11.49 per order, though this may vary depending on your location.

Opting for a recurring subscription gives you a 5% discount on your order.

Blue Apron+ also includes free shipping on every order and costs $8.33 per month, with a free 30-day trial included.

For new customers, Blue Apron offers $25 off your first two orders, along with free shipping. They also have a referral program that gives $30 off your first two orders when you sign up using my link!

My honest review

Blue Apron is one of the original meal kit companies and has changed quite a bit over the years.

They’re also one of the few subscription-free services available, so I was excited to give them a try.

After browsing the menu a bit, I was impressed by the variety of options available, which made it easy to find meals that matched my needs and preferences.

I eventually landed on four different meal kits, including:

• Wagyu Cheeseburger & Special Sauce (with Black Bean Patties)
• Buffalo Cauliflower Skillet
• Loaded Veggie Enchiladas
• Pesto Tortellini in Red Pepper Sauce

My order was delivered right on time and each recipe was individually packaged for easy organization.

Unfortunately, the spice mix for the veggie enchiladas wasn’t properly sealed and had spilled throughout the sealed bag, which was a little disappointing (and messy).

Two of the other recipes also included ingredient substitutions due to availability, which was no problem at all.

For the first recipe, they sent me an email communicating the change before my order was even shipped.

However, for the second, I didn’t find out about the substitution until after I had already made the recipe. Because of that, I initially thought an ingredient had been accidentally left out and spent some time trying to figure out whether there was a mistake in the recipe.

Not a big deal, but worth keeping in mind if you’re considering trying it out yourself.

Preparation

All four meals I tried were very beginner-friendly and easy to prepare.

Everything was also pre-portioned, which made the entire cooking process a breeze. I even managed to park my toddler in his high chair with a coloring book and get dinner on the table before he lost interest (a rare parenting win!).

Plus, they built several time-saving shortcuts into the recipes to speed things up even more.

For example, the tortellini cooked right in the sauce, and the veggie burger patties were already prepared, so I only needed to toast the buns, mix up a few sauces, and cook the patties on the stovetop.

Like I mentioned before, I did run into a few issues with missing ingredients, which I later learned were ingredient substitutions. Aside from that, though, everything else was smooth and straightforward.

Taste

For the most part, I enjoyed all four of the meals I tried, though there are some I would probably skip if I reordered.

The burgers, for instance, were amazing and tasted like takeout. I ended up cutting the sweet potato fries a little too thin and they got a bit too brown in the oven (oops), but I would still give the meal two thumbs up.

On the flip side, the enchiladas were okay, but not exactly wow-worthy. They had a lot of rice with less of the good stuff and the enchilada sauce was a little too bland for my liking.

The Buffalo Cauliflower Skillet and Pesto Tortellini were also pretty good, but I would probably make a few tweaks to both recipes to bump up the flavor if I tried it again.

Texture

While flavor is obviously important, texture can make or break a meal, and Blue Apron did a great job in that department.

The vegetables stayed crisp-tender instead of turning mushy, the tortellini cooked up perfectly, and the veggie burgers had a nice texture that held together well.

Every meal had a good mix of textures, which made them feel much more enjoyable to eat.

Would I recommend it?

I definitely would recommend Blue Apron, and I’m actually considering giving it another go next time I have a busy week and need some quick meals in the fridge that are easy to prep.

I love that it doesn’t lock you into a subscription, so you can browse the menu and order whatever sounds good (or skip weeks where nothing really catches your eye).

I also loved that everything was pre-portioned. Some meal kits I’ve tried only use a fraction of the ingredients they send, leaving you with a bunch of random leftovers — like a giant bag of arugula you’ll never finish (looking at you, Sunbasket!).

Even though they don’t provide meal kits tailored to specific diet patterns, they have a massive menu with endless options for customization. That means there’s no shortage of recipes to choose from, even for the pickiest eaters.

Compared to some other meal kits, it’s also relatively affordable, and they offer several ways to save money if you’re ordering on a regular basis.

That said, there are a few drawbacks, and some recipes definitely stood out more than others.

I’d also have to try it out a few more weeks to see if the communication and packaging issues were a one-off thing or a recurring problem.

Even so, I’d still recommend browsing the menu and taking advantage of their introductory offers to give it a try.

Who should try Blue Apron?

Blue Apron can be a great option if you enjoy cooking but want to spend less time meal planning, grocery shopping, and figuring out what’s for dinner every night.

One thing I especially liked is that Blue Apron doesn’t require a long-term commitment. While you can sign up for recurring deliveries, you’re free to skip weeks, pause your account, or order only when it makes sense for your schedule.

The menu is also large enough that most people should be able to find something they enjoy. While it doesn’t offer meal plans tailored to specific dietary patterns, there are plenty of options to customize meals each week.

I think Blue Apron would be a great fit for:

• busy people who want home-cooked meals without the hassle of meal planning
• anyone looking to cut down on grocery shopping and food waste
• home cooks who enjoy trying new recipes and flavor combinations
• families or couples who want more variety in their weekly dinner rotation
• picky eaters who appreciate having lots of menu options
• individuals who aren’t ready to commit to a traditional meal kit subscription

That said, Blue Apron may not be the best fit if you’re looking for meals tailored to a specific diet, such as vegan, keto, or gluten-free. While there are options that can work for many dietary preferences, you’ll likely need to do a bit of menu browsing each week to find the best fit.

And if you’re hoping for completely hands-off dinners, a meal kit probably isn’t the right choice. There are a handful of prepared meals available, but the majority still require some chopping, cooking, and cleanup.

Comparison with competitors

Blue Apron is one of the most popular meal kit services on the market, but how does it compare to competitors like HelloFresh, Green Chef, and Home Chef? Here’s a quick comparison of pricing, meal variety, dietary accommodations, and more.

	Blue Apron	Sunbasket	Green Chef	Home Chef	HelloFresh
Diet	no specific diet plans	paleo, keto, Mediterranean, diabetes-friendly, vegetarian, gluten-free	keto, Mediterranean, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, high-protein	Mediterranean, vegetarian, keto, high-fiber, high-protein, carb-conscious	vegetarian, high-protein, family-friendly, calorie-smart
Types of meals	meal kits and prepared meals	meal kits and prepared meals	meal kits	meal kits and prepared meals	meal kits and prepared meals
Number of menu items	100+ per week	25+ per week	40+ per week	35+ per week	100+ per week
Types of items	meal kits, prepared meals, and add-ons like breakfast and proteins	meal kits, prepared meals, snacks, breakfasts	meal kits and optional add-ons	meal kits, prepared meals, breakfasts, snacks, beverages	meal kits, prepared meals, breakfasts, lunches, snacks, desserts, and add-ons
Price	$8-$13+ per serving	$10-$14+ per serving	$13 per serving	$10 per serving	$10-$13+ per serving
Flexibility	no subscription required	subscription-based	subscription-based	subscription-based	subscription-based
Best for	affordable meal kits	healthy eating with meal flexibility	organic, diet-friendly meal kits	beginner-friendly family meals	variety and family-friendly meals

FAQ

More helpful articles

Conclusion

Overall, Blue Apron is a solid option if you’re looking for a convenient way to get fresh, home-cooked meals on the table without the mental load of planning, shopping, or deciding what to cook every week.

The ingredients felt fresh, the recipes were easy to follow, and the menu offered plenty of variety, especially if you like trying new flavor combinations and don’t mind doing a bit of cooking.

That said, it’s not perfect for everyone, and if you’re looking for highly specialized dietary plans or fully hands-off meals, this probably isn’t the best fit.

But if you enjoy cooking and want a flexible, no-commitment meal kit that keeps dinner fun and interesting, it’s definitely worth checking out to see if it might work for you.