Blue Apron
check_circleverifiedBlue Apron sends you farm fresh ingredients and original recipes to cook 2-4 meals in your home each week. Here's how it works: You select the meals you want to eat for the week. Blue Apron then sends you perfectly portioned ingredients to make those meals. They also include step-by-step recipes that utilize foods that are in season. Customers can choose when the meals are delivered each week. Blue Apron was founded in 2012 in New York by Matt Salzberg, a former computer engineer. Salzberg believes that the best food is made at home, and that his company empowers people to make their own delicious meals. Today, they have grown to 501-1000 employees. Their goal is to help eliminate food waste by sending you exact ingredient amounts. At the same time, they also want to save consumers time by eliminating trips to the grocery store and meal planning.
The Good
- No hidden fees
- Low-calorie meals
- Variety
There are no hidden prices with Blue Apron. The price you see for meals includes everything - even shipping. Most companies that offer weight loss meal plans will charge consumers for their food and shipping (and they may throw in a few extra fees for a membership and consultant). But Blue Apron is different. Even though there is no guarantee of weight loss, Blue Apron's healthy meals are sure to help anyone struggling to eat healthy (and in turn, perhaps lose a few pounds). On their blog, Blue Apron shares the story of one person trying to learn to cook with healthy ingredients in order to lose weight and then keep on top of her goal weight. She used Blue Apron to do this, stating that their clean food made her food good again. Each meal from Blue Apron is around 500-700 calories. When you go to select your meals for the upcoming week, you'll be able to choose from six options (options change each week, so you aren't stuck eating the same foods). The options you get to choose from show the meal's calories, ingredients, cooking instructions, and cooking time. We like the the transparency all this information provides. You always know what you are getting yourself into. While TBC cannot provide unique commentary on the taste of Blue Apron's food, there are many positive reviews about the taste. They use traditional and unique recipes each week. Most people report the meals tasting healthy and light, but still filling. Another thing to note about Blue Apron is their variety of meals. While you may only have 6 to choose from each week (and most people buy 2-4 meals per week), the meals are always seasonal and always changing. Here is a sample menu for a week in July:
- Vadouvan-Spiced Lamb Burgers
- Chicken Milanese
- Cod & Miso Soba Noodles
- Summer Bean & Mushroom Pasta
- Summer Corn & Vegetable Chowder
- Crispy Eggplant Pitas
The Bad
- Pricing
- Weight loss
- Experience
It is difficult to compare the price of meal services, like Blue Apron, that only provide customers with one meal a day, with full on diet food meals. Most of the meal plans that we have reviewed on TBC are for meal plans designed to help people lose weight. Because of this design, weight loss companies provide food for every meal of the day (some may only provide for 2 meals a day, while others include multiple snacks). Because Blue Apron's focus is on providing healthy, seasonal meals, weight loss is a possible secondary benefit. The company does not say anything about weight loss on their site, nor to they make any guarantees. For those interested in losing weight with a meal plan product, Blue Apron may not have the idea meals for them, In general, Blue Apron seems more expensive than direct competitors. If you look at the price of one meal (a little under $10), it's a much more expensive meal than other meal plans. However, it just depends on what you are looking for in a meal plan. Blue Apron has only been around for 3 years (since 2012), and was founded by a computer engineer. Many of the other companies in the meal planning industry were founded by chefs, dieticians, and people in business. This might be the only one that was founded by someone with experience in a completely different industry. We wonder what credentials Blue Apron's founder has and what experience he had in meal planning, if any, before starting his business. Even though the 2-person plan has 6 options to choose 3 from, the family plan only gives you 4 options to choose from each week. If you select the 2-meals per week plan, this may leave you with some variety. However, if you select the 4-meals per week plan, there is no room to leave out meals you don't like. We wish the family meal plan came with more options.
The Bottom Line
Overall, there are a lot of things to love about Blue Apron:
- Fresh, seasonal ingredients
- Local ingredients (you can even see some of the farms your foods come from)
- Perfectly portioned ingredients (no waste from buying pre-packaged food at the grocery store)
- Easy meal planning
If you are a busy person, who doesn't have time to meal plan and shop at the grocery store, but you are still someone who loves to cook, Blue Apron is a good meal service for you. They may be a little more expensive than their competitors, but their interesting recipes could be worth it. We recommend looking at them and a few of their competitors (HelloFresh and Plated) to see which meal options look more enticing to you. Either way, you can't go wrong with fresh ingredients and a home cooked meal.
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User Reviews
Star Rating
54 Reviews
Review Breakdown
Sentiment Criteria
When I was a nanny, the family I worked for ordered Blue Apron and it was such a wonderful service that helped me make dinner each night for this wonderful family. The instructions of making the meal are clear and concise. The food is delicious and healthy. Plus I felt all the items were very fresh each time the box arrived.
Blue Apron is a life saver. We love everything about it. The meals are amazing they are easy to prepare, the 20-30 minute meals are our favorite. We can prepare them as a family and then eat together. Having all the needed ingredients is definitely my favorite part. We order 3-4 meals per week and save so much money over regular meal planning or eating out. The website is user friendly and has so many helpful tips as well.
Really like Blue Apron. They have great promotions if it is your first time trying out their service. So that helps with the price. After those though it is a little expensive for a family . The meals are also a little different than what my kids normally will actually end up eating. So for my family they worked ok. The adults did really enjoy the meals.
Blue Apron seems like a great idea- not having to plan meals all the ingredients there for you. But, it's not that great. The meals are sub-par, they use weird ingredients, overpriced, and they don't give you that much food.
I have tried a different food delivery service. This on was my favorite. The meals are so good and easy recipes. I am not a good cook and Blue Apron makes me feel like a gourmet chef.
My favorite thing about Blue Apron is even though I don’t pay for the service any longer, I still have access to their app and all the wonderful recipes! It always gets me to try new delicious food instead of my usual boring go to’s
we have used this company, but only once. we had a great experience and it sure was nice have food options delivered right to me! it was helpful to have a great coupon to use as well. the food seemed fresh and the meal options were great. the coupon made it more affordable to use the service.
Blue Apron is awesome. It always delivers fresh and delicious food. Defiantly five stars.
I have always received amazing quality products from blue apron. I have been able to cook meals I would never imagine making because of blue apron. They ship fast and easy and have easy instructions so you always make the perfect dish.
The selection with Blue Apron isn't the best. I think other companies have better options. I'm not a huge fan.
I got 3 months as a gift for christmas, and I was skeptical at first, but this has taught me so much about food and cooking and I've tried things and combinations I would have never tried before and it has all been amazing.
recvd my blue apron package and it was delightful it had everything i needed and the helpful cooking tips were great saved me a trip to the store and it was nice trying something new
They make delicious meals that are extremely easy to make. They help with dietary restrictions and differences, and are extremely healthy.
Tried out Blue Apron the other month and really liked it. I liked that it included all of the ingredients (other than salt and pepper) and you can make a meal in a shortish amount of time. Sometimes I felt like the recipes were a little intricate for a simple meal for 2 people, but I ended up trying random things I never wouldve normally. I ended up not subscribing due to my schedule- I am not home often enough or at the same time as my fiance to cook a meal.
Too expensive and not good food. The pictures look good but the food not so good, like McDonalds, but McDonalds is better and cheaper.
I had a blue apron promo code and got a discounted first week. I loved it, though it’s just too expensive for me to do long term.
Blue apron is real good for providing the perfect amount of food for the recipe provided. Most of the food tastes really good except the only problem I have is that a lot of their meals taste pretty similar
I received a voucher from my work for this awesome site and I’ve got to say, the recipes provided did not disappointment. I love the healthy choices and the convenience of this site. It has definitely opened my tastebuds to a variety of flavors they were not exposed to before and now love.
After 2 weeks in a row of late deliveries (rotten food showing up at our door), we decided to cancel service. My wife forgot to cancel in time for this weeks delivery, so for the 3rd week in a row, we got rotten food delivered to our door. Canceled and will not be back.
I love the blue apron!! It's so easy to understand the instructions they have! And they are always on time with their delivery! Very reliable company!
This is a great way to get gourmet meals that you don't have to go to a gourmet restaurant to get. You can make them in the comfort of your own home with everything that you need and it is actually fun and inspiring.
I mostly loved the food from Glue Apron and I also thought it was quite simple. My husband loved the meals. The downsides are all the garage you get when you order. There is so much material that comes in every package. I also don't like how they don't have a larger family option. To feed my whole family I would need to order 2 family sized orders and that's just too crazy expensive.
We tried blue apron through a Groupon and loved the food. It is a little expensive but I feel I eat more healthy with blue apron than quickly trying to find a fast food to feed my family. It is very convenient to have it mailed to you.
One of the best meal planners ever!Their recipes are simple and easy to make and tastes so good!
My husband and I love the food from Blue Apron! And I love that I don't have to take the time to go to the grocery store/plan meals!
Blue Apron is for those that want the cooking experience without shopping for ingredients. It will not save you time or money compared to eating out. It definitely doesn't save time compared to cooking other meals at home but the time savings of not going to the grocery store may be worth it for some people. Best for date nights or being introduced to new types of food.
The recipes are amazing. The directions are clear and if you want a way to have restaurant type food at home, it is perfect. It is a tad on the pricey side. But if variety is what you want and you don't want to have to plan too much and research ingredients, it is perfect.
I loved how everything was measured out and came fresh. Easy to make and gave new ideas for meals. I didn't like that I paid a lot of money for it and still had to do all the work. I mind as well have been out to dinner and saved the mess. It was healthier than going out. Cancellation was easy after I tried for a few weeks.
Provides great meals and recipes from top name chefs.
I received Blue Apron meals as a gift. I absolutely loved them! It was wonderful getting every. single. ingredient. needed. We also tried new recipes, which was fun. It is something I will look into when there are just two of us and would consider sending as a gift. But a little too expensive for an entire family.
Blue Apron is great. I think it is a little expensive but the food is always great. The ingredients are also very high-quality.
I got Blue Apron on a promotional deal awhile back. The meals were really good and the instructions were clear. It was really convenient to have everything shipped to my door. Once the promotion ended I had to quit though because the price was a little too much for me.
Blue Apron has some good and creative meals for a decent price. I didn’t think they were amazing by any means, but it was good. The price isn’t terrible, but the portions were fairly small and each recipe took upward of 30-45 minutes to make. Overall I felt that it wasn’t worth the money.
We love Blue Apron! Cooking our meals together has been a blast and we still have the recipe to one of our favorite meals on hand. It's so awesome to have the exact portions given to you. The recipes are DELICIOUS. I'd always recommend it, if you're willing to pay for it.
Blue Apron has a very user-friendly website and appealing interface. I think it's a great option with yummy food if you're a busy working family.
It's a great gift and I have enjoyed being able to select different meal plans along with our gift cards and random sales.
I tried BlueApron first, out of all of the meal delivery services, and was not disappointed. each time there were new meals that I never would have put together on my own, but that my husband and I genuinely enjoyed. They are now part of our regular rotation! I struggled with the need to update my account each week, or I was sent items that really did not interest us - this, and the cost, were ultimately why I decided to cancel. I will say that the customer service is phenomenal. I failed to cancel in time, and rather than tell me I was out of luck, the amount was credited, my account cancelled, and still I received that week's meals. Overall a great product for those who do not enjoy meal planning, and like to try new meals!
We received a $40 off coupon so we gave it a try. I would never pay full price for this service or subscribe. It is too expensive. I like the convenience of not having to meal plan though. I wish you could choose what meals they send you. Two of the three meals they sent us were really good. If it was cheaper, I would consider subscribing.
I absolutely love the Blue Apron concept and honestly the ingredients are always perfect and fresh. It has conpletely changed for the better the way my boyfriend and I eat . That said, the delivery is amost never on time but their customer service department is always on top of everything to make it the best experience. I am considering similar services to try but for now I'm sticking to Blue Apron
I got a free week from a friend for BlueApron and I am hooked!! The food is fresh and comes so neatly packaged and easy to store once it arrives. The recipes are amazing and I consider healthy compared to a lot of other services! You can skip as many times as you want or if you are out of town. The BlueApron app is awesome too! Thanks BA❤️
We tried the family plan with Blue Apron for 3 weeks. It was ok. Two out of the three weeks one or more ingredients were damaged beyond repair during delivery, there isn't any margin for error, so the recipe had to be made without. The recipes themselves were decent, although options were lacking and they didn't seem particularly suited to children.
5 of 7 deliveries from Blue Apron were less than desirable, either thru packing, freshness or even box destruction...
Used a promo code from YouTube influencers whom said in their ad read: "Use promo code ----- at check out and gets your first three meals free." I find out that I got charged 30 for the first meals.. which was fine for a single unit home. However, I got charged 60 bucks this week..which to me, economically thinking, didn't make sense. Here in Seattle I can get a meal and two craft beers for that money. So, why would I pay for a meal that can feed two (when there's only one person) and paying the same rate that I could go out and have someone make it for me?
My husband and I truly love Blue Apron. The produce and protein are always fresh. It's a different experience in every box, with a taste that is out of this world! It's a way to save on spending money in the supermarket or ordering take-out. Finally, it gives my husband and I a chance to spend some quality time together.
I love blue apron, I'll be a customer for a long time. Each week we get excited for our box delivery, we are practically tracking it until it's at the front door. I love that everything is packaged in little bags and the recipe cards make it easy to prepare the meals. I'm also impressed by the quality of meats. I love that everything is locally sourced. We have enjoyed every meal, some better than others, but none that have disappointed. I have even used the recipe cards to get the supplies to remake a recipe we loved!
We started Blue Apron because my fiancé wants to learn how to cook. As a chef myself, I could only teach him so much. On our first order had originally called for Purple Daikon Radish, when I opened the box I saw Red Radishes. My first thought was "Wow, either they ran out or no one cared enough to double check the recipe" but then I saw a little card with a note instead which apologized for not having that ingredient because they wanted only the freshest ingredient possible. My standards for customer service is extremely high and i thought that little note was extremely classy! Blue Apron is now our new "date night" and the best part is even I get to play with some really unique items such as Eureka Lemona and Lebneh. Finally, something else fun to do except sitting and watching Netflix. Keep it up Blue Apron ! As for Robin, I know he will be the next great chef ! Thank you! William and Robin.
Fast delivery and the food tastes delicious! Not sure why I have heard all the negative feedback about nutrisystem. I just got my boyfriend interested as well!
I had cancelled service but there was a mix up..Amanda straightened it out ☺I Hope to resume in the fall...meals are awesome !
I received a family kit free from my aunt. I was very skeptical at first because I bake but don't cook, lol. This was so easy and I was able to follow the directions and video well. It was a hit in my household. I had the Crispy Cod sandwich & Salsa Verde with Roasted potatoes and Piquillo Pepper Aioli!
Part of our first order were missing and Blue Apron gave us a $20 credit for the next order. Very pleased!