Honest and Unbiased Blue Apron Reviews for 2023
Here’s what’s inside this Blue Apron meal delivery service review–
- We Review Blue Apron’s Meals, Heat and Eat, and Wine Options!
- Get a Summary of Blue Apron Customer Reviews, Complaints and Ratings.
- HelloFresh vs. Blue Apron: Which is better? We’ll help you decide.
- Detailed review of Blue Apron prices and options.
Is Blue Apron Worth it? Meal delivery kits are not all created equally. From cost and serving sizes to meal options and ethical sourcing, our Blue Apron review provides everything you need to make an informed choice!
Blue Apron is top of the list if you’re looking for a delivery kit with no commitment, delicious recipes, and beautiful step-by-step instructions.
Do you love wine with dinner? They’ve got it! Need some heat-and-eat meals? They have them! Their website even boasts clear and easy-to-understand tips and techniques that’ll have you cooking like a professional chef in no time!
Pros
Blue Apron Market offers kitchen tools and pantry essentials
No Contract or Commitment
Pairing Wines Available in 2 Sizes
Discounts for Military, Teachers, Seniors and Healthcare Workers
Cons
No Allergy-Free Options
No Single Portion Options
Difficult Cancellation Procedures
Not a Good fit for families over four people
Blue Apron |
|
Cost |
$60.95-$134.82 Minimum |
Commitment |
No Commitment |
Delivery Area |
Contiguous United States |
Customer Service Contact |
1 (888) 278-4349 |
How does Blue Apron Work?
Sign-up options are available online at BlueApron.com or on their easy-to-use app.
- You’ll start by choosing your family size and number of meals per week. Family size options range from 2 to 4, with no option for singles or large families.
- Once you’ve chosen your family size, you can select 2, 3, 4, or 5 meals per week.
- Next, Blue Apron offers several preferences for meal types. You may choose one or several depending on your family’s eating habits. Blue Apron will offer you customized recommendations based on your choices. However, you will still have the option to browse the Blue Apron menu outside of those recommendations if you wish.
Review Blue Apron Menu and Recipes
- Chef Favorites (Top picks from the Blue Apron test kitchen)
- Wellness (Recipes approved by a nutritionist)
- Family Friendly (Meals loved by children and adults alike)
- Fast & Easy (Quick prep and Heat & Eat options)
- Veggies (Plant-based meals)
Your next step is to input your email, create a password, and provide your shipping information. Here, you’ll have the option of viewing your probable cost, promotional discounts, and total. You’ll also be provided with your first delivery date. Once you’re ready, you can proceed to enter your billing information.
Once you enter your billing information, your subscription begins. While you are not locked into a commitment, you must carefully monitor your subscription from week to week. If you choose to pause or end your subscription, you’ll need to do so a week before the shipping date. This can be done through your account’s “Plan Settings” page on the website.
Is Blue Apron Cost Effective?
Blue Apron offers a weekly Premium recipe option for an additional cost, of up to $11.99/serving. This option includes the same delicious ingredients and easy-to-follow recipe as the other options but offers an upgraded experience with more elaborate cooking techniques. In our pricing example below, we will upgrade to the Premium meal on weeks with four or more meals.
Blue Apron Pricing |
|||||
Number of People in your Household |
Meals Per Week for Each Person |
Price Per Serving |
Average Shipping (varies) |
Premium Cost |
Total Cost |
2 |
2 |
$12.49 |
$10.99 |
N/A |
$60.95 |
2 |
3 |
$10.99 |
$10.99 |
N/A |
$76.93 |
2 |
4 |
$9.99 |
$10.99 |
$11.99/serving |
$102.90 |
2 |
5 |
$9.49 |
$10.99 |
$11.99/serving |
$117.88 |
4 |
2 |
$9.99 |
$10.99 |
N/A |
$90.91 |
4 |
3 |
$9.49 |
$10.99 |
N/A |
$124.87 |
4 |
4 |
$8.99 |
$10.99 |
$11.99/serving |
$166.82 |
4 |
5 |
$7.99 |
$10.99 |
$11.99/serving |
$182.78 |
Figures are approximate; see BlueApron.com for more detailed information.
As you consider the cost of Blue Apron’s meal kits, remember that your box will cover a maximum of 5 dinners per week, leaving you to shop for and prepare for two dinners and all breakfasts and lunches. Depending on your budget, this may or may not be financially beneficial.
Something to note: The maximum number of meals that can be ordered per person is 5. This is lower than other services, such as Hello Fresh, which offers up to 6 weekly meals.
Reviews of Blue Apron Add-ons
In addition to choosing a Premium meal each week, you’ll also have the option of including up to 2 add-ons in each box. These heat & eat meals, appetizers, and desserts will cost an additional $6.99-$10.99 per serving and include recipes such as Tomato & Basil Pesto Crostini with Garlic & Capers, Sichuan-Style Beef, or Carrot Cornmeal Cake with Mascarpone Maple Frosting.
Blue Apron Wine Review
If you’re a wine lover, Blue Apron has you covered. Their wine delivery plan can be purchased on its own or in addition to the meal delivery. Each wine is chosen by Blue Apron specialists and is paired specifically with your chosen meals.
You can also choose 500mL bottles for a perfect dinner pairing for two or full-sized bottles. Each bottle starts at $11.00, with the subscription delivering six bottles monthly for $75.99, including shipping.
Blue Apron Market Reviews
If there’s still room in your budget, Blue Apron Market offers a variety of wines, pantry staples, kitchen tools, and additional meal kit options.
Let’s take a look at what you’ll find in the market.
- Wine Bundles
- Seasonal wine bundles of 3-500mL bottles
- Seasonal wine bundles of 6-500mL bottles
- Seasonal wine bundles of 6-750ml bottles
- Celebration packs, Sparkling Brut 3 or 6 packs
Pantry
- Specialty Spice Blends such as Caribbean or Togarashi
- Kosher Sea Salt
- Finishing Flake Salt
Kitchen Tools
- Chef Knives
- Pans
- Graters and Presses
- Spatulas
- Mixing bowls
- Recipe Binder & Organizer
- Cookbooks
Meal Kits
- Heat & Eat meals
- Seasonal meals for large gatherings
- Meal kit bundles (e.g., Wellness Meal Kit, 3 Blue Apron recipes)
Can I see Blue Apron meals without signing up?
Blue Apron menus and recipes are published on its website and app for free. Even without a subscription, you can browse the beautifully illustrated recipes and follow the step-by-step instructions to try them at home.
Does Blue Apron deliver food to your house?
You’ll need to do your own shopping, but if you want to try the chef-inspired recipes without all the pop-ups and ads on standard recipe-sharing sites, try Blue Apron!
Then, if you decide to skip the shopping step, sign up for a subscription and have the ingredients delivered right to your door.
Review Blue Apron Discount Options
Blue Apron coupon codes offer up to 18 meals free. Keep in mind that this will be applied over several orders. You’ll receive an average of $23.00 off of your first six boxes, with the first box receiving an additional discount of $12.00 plus free shipping.
The Blue Apron military discount, Blue Apron student discount, Blue Apron healthcare discount, Blue Apron teacher discount, and Blue Apron 55+ discounts are all $110 off and free shipping on the first order. While this is a fantastic deal, the 18 meals free coupon saves you about $40 more.
Discounts do not apply to tax or shipping. They also do not apply to add-ons or premium meals.
Referral Program
If you are over 18 and have a subscription to Blue Apron, you may be invited to participate in their referral program. Invitations are sent through the Free Meal section of your account page. The invitation will give you the terms for earning free meals by referring friends and family to the service.
Blue Apron Recipe Collection Reviews
Blue Apron’s massive recipe collection is available on their website. You can browse the beautiful photos and recipe cards as you narrow your search by protein, cuisine style, or keyword.
Favorite Recipe
- Chipotle Chicken Chili
- Summer Squash & Monterey Jack Empanadas
- Fairy Tale Eggplant & Mozzarella Pizza
- Steaks & Black Bean-Butter Sauce
- Za’atar chicken Skewers & Mint Yogurt Sauce
If you love breakfast for dinner or want to use your delivery to cover your morning meal, Blue Apron has you covered with decadent options such as:
- Spicy Guacamole Breakfast Sandwiches
- Cheesy Potato Breakfast Bowls
- Corn & Pepper Breakfast Burritos
For families with children, kid-friendly options abound with savory options such as:
- Crunchy Chicken Tacos
- Three Cheese Pizza
Blue Apron has even created recipe collections for:
- Low Calorie
- Low Carb
- Vegetarian
Review Blue Apron Healthy Options
Does Blue Apron have Kosher meals?
Blue Apron does not offer Kosher meals at this time. However, their variety of meal options allows you to create a Kosher menu.
Does Blue Apron have Whole30 meals?
Blue Apron offers no specific Whole30 meal options. However, their Wellness menu offers meals that easily fit into the health plan.
Does Blue Apron do Paleo meals?
Blue Apron does not offer Paleo options, but their wide variety of meal options means that you can choose meals that fit best within the health plan.
Does Blue Apron have diabetic meals?
Blue Apron offers Carb Conscious meals under the Wellness category that are perfect for diabetic patients.
Does Blue Apron do Fodmap?
Fodmap options are not available through Blue Apron at this time.
Does Blue Apron have vegan meals?
Blue Apron does not offer “vegan” as a category, but some vegan meals are available under their vegetarian category. You may need to omit or replace some ingredients, such as cheese.
ETHICAL PRACTICES
Blue Apron is committed to ethically sourcing its ingredients. They purchase all meats from sources that use no added hormones or sub-therapeutic antibiotics and use only Certified Humane Raised and Handled® pasture-raised eggs.
Their commitment to providing the right ingredients for each meal guarantees the least amount of food waste, helping to cut down on the more than 119 billion pounds wasted in America each year. In fact, a study published by the Journal of Cleaner Production found that meal delivery kits, such as Blue Apron, cut down on total food waste by 38%.
Blue Apron Customer Reviews
There’s no denying that Blue Apron meal kits are popular and offer some delicious options, but how do customers feel after giving the service a try? It’s a mixed bag.
Positive Blue Apron Customer Reviews:
- Customers who use Weight Watchers loved the plethora of meal options
- Many home cooks found the food to be tasty and delicious
- Some were impressed by the wine pairings
- Home cooks loved Blue Apron’s sustainable practices
Negative Blue Apron Customer Reviews and Complaints:
- Blue Apron has a 1/5 star and D- rating with the Better Business Bureau
- Consumers wishing to cancel found the process extremely difficult
- Some home cooks found rotten food in their boxes or were missing key ingredients
- Some customers found that they needed to add rice or vegetables to bulk up the portion sizes
Blue Apron BBB Reviews, Complaints and Rating
Frequently Asked Questions
How to cancel Blue Apron?
How much is Blue Apron?
What is Blue Apron?
Is Blue Apron worth it?
How does Blue Apron work?
Who owns Blue Apron?
Does Blue Apron take EBT?
Does Blue Apron deliver to Hawaii?
Which is better, HelloFresh or Blue Apron?
Conclusion
Blue Apron Ratings
Criteria |
Blue Apron |
|
Cost (per serving) |
$3.00-$5.00: 20 Points |
18 |
Commitment |
Yes: 0 Points |
10 |
Number of Weekly Options |
1-20: 2 Points |
8 |
Single Portion Options |
Yes: 5 Points |
0 |
Household Size |
2-4: 8 Points |
8 |
Kid Friendly Options |
Yes: 3 Points |
3 |
Allergen Free Options |
Yes: 3 Points |
0 |
Low-Calorie Options |
Yes: 3 Points |
3 |
Kosher Options |
Yes: 3 Points |
0 |
Quick & Easy Options |
Yes: 3 Points |
3 |
Breakfast/Lunch Options |
Yes: 3 Points |
3 |
Add Ons/Gourmet Options |
Yes: 3 Points |
3 |
Coupon Codes Offered |
Yes: 4 Points |
4 |
Ethical Practices |
Yes: 10 Points |
10 |
Expert Opinion Score |
Up to 10 Points |
7 |
Score |
80 |
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tammy McKinney, RN & Healthcare Writer
A seasoned Registered Nurse and Healthcare Writer passionate about health and wellness, Tammy McKinney works diligently to share her expertise with the public. To learn more about Tammy, please visit her profile at TrustedCompanyReviews.com.
Tammy McKinney
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