Meal subscription services have become increasingly popular in recent years, as they offer a convenient and time-saving solution for meal planning and preparation. One such company is Blue Apron, a meal kit delivery service that provides fresh ingredients and recipes to make meals within the United States. Through this Blue Apron review, you can gain valuable insights about this company to decide whether it’s right for you.
History of Blue Apron
Blue Apron was founded in August 2012 by Matt Salzberg, Ilia Papas, and Matt Wadiak. The trio began sending customers boxes containing the ingredients to cook recipes from a commercial kitchen in Long Island City.
The goal was to provide a convenient and time-saving solution for meal planning and preparation for people that don’t have a lot of cooking skills. The vision still holds true today, as a Blue Apron meal kit offers easy-to-follow recipes and pre-measured ingredients, eliminating the need for planning, grocery shopping, and measuring.
In recent years, the company has faced challenges, including increased competition in the meal kit industry and declining revenue. But despite the challenges, Blue Apron has achieved notable milestones throughout its history. In 2018, the company launched a recycling program to reduce waste and improve sustainability. One such measure was to move from traditional ice packs to dry ice, which can be emptied and recycled. In 2021, the company adopted a three-pronged approach to focus on people, products, and progress in its sustainability journey.
How Much Does It Cost?
The company offers several pricing plans and menu options to choose from, with the price per serving starting at $10.99. They also have a Family Plan that costs $55 for two people. Compared to other meal subscription sites, Blue Apron’s pricing is competitive. But how does it compare to traditional shopping? A comparison by Subscriboxer indicates that meal subscription services like Blue Apron are actually up to 70% cheaper than shopping at the grocery store. And you can bet it’s cheaper than takeout.
What They Offer
The meal kit delivery service offers a variety of meal plans and options to suit different tastes and dietary requirements. Here are some of the highlights of their service:
- Meal Selection and Customization: Blue Apron offers a rotating menu, with new recipes added each week. Customers can choose from a variety of meal plans. They also offer customized options that allow customers to swap, add, or upgrade ingredients for selected recipes. Simply select your preferences from their list to get curated cuisines. Preferences include Wellness, Family-Friendly, Fast & Easy, and Veggies.
- High-Quality Ingredients: The company sources 80% of its ingredients directly from food producers, ensuring that every Blue Apron box arrives at your doorstep fresh. They also source ingredients from family-run farms to ensure quality and freshness.
- Special Dietary Options: While Blue Apron does not offer specific dietary plans, you do have the option to choose each recipe to suit your dietary requirements. For example, you won’t find a paleo or gluten-free menu, but you will likely find recipes that comply with those restrictions. However, it’s important to note that all meals are prepared in a facility that also manufactures wheat.
- Recipe Variety and Creativity: Blue Apron offers a rotating menu of over 50 different meals, with new recipes added each week. The recipes are curated by a team of professional chefs, ensuring variety and creativity in the meal options.
- Delivery and Packaging: Blue Apron offers reliable delivery with a focus on sustainability. The company uses minimal packaging in weekly meal kits, and its commitment to packaging sustainability aims to achieve 100% recyclable meal kit packaging.
Cooking Your Meals
Once you get your fresh ingredients, you’ll be ready to cook them at home. Blue Apron provides step-by-step recipe instructions that are easy to follow, even for inexperienced cooks. Most recipes take 35-50 minutes to cook and contain around nine ingredients or more. Instructions are designed to help you prepare meals efficiently and are suitable for even beginner home cooks.
Additionally, the company provides some basic kitchen tools, such as measuring spoons, a chef’s knife, a cutting board, tongs, a wooden spoon, a ladle, a whisk, a spatula, and a nonstick pan.
You can also dabble in their wine bundles to find the perfect pairings for each meal.
Quality of Meals
Blue Apron delivers high-quality, fresh ingredients in every box with their Freshness Guarantee. You can also utilize an online market to purchase additional ingredients, such as spices, wine, cookware, and kitchen tools to enhance your meals. Most of the recipes are designed to introduce customers to new ingredients and flavor combinations, and their variety of menu plans ensures that customers can find a quality meal that’s right for them.
Customers have also found Blue Apron to be more consistent in serving sizes than other meal delivery services, with each entree containing two servings worth. Others have reported that the portion sizes are not always sufficient. However, one can track their intake using Blue Apron’s recipe cards, which provide serving sizes and nutritional information.
Offerings such as the vegetarian menu and wellness menu offer health-conscious options that contain less than 600 calories.
Blue Apron’s Customer Service and Support
Blue Apron offers accessible and responsive customer service through its comprehensive Help Center, which provides answers to frequently asked questions. If you can’t find the answer to your question, you can contact them by phone at (646) 891-4349 or through their website.
Blue Apron’s return and refund policy is available for products that are unsatisfactory or damaged, excluding food, wine, and gift cards. The products just have to be sent back within 30 days of receipt and in their original packaging and condition. If any of your ingredients don’t arrive ready to enjoy, you can let them know within seven days of receiving your delivery, and they will send a replacement.
Pros and Cons of Blue Apron
Don’t have time to read everything? Here’s a quick look at some of the biggest pros and cons of this meal kit delivery service.
Pros:
Here are some of the pros of using Blue Apron:
- Convenient and time-saving meal preparation
- Variety of meal options, including their freestyle, vegetarian, and signature plans
- High-quality and organic ingredients
- Offers add-on ingredients and cookware
- Offers the chance to learn more about wine pairings
Cons:
Despite the benefits, there are some downsides to Blue Apron as well. Here are some of the drawbacks:
- Many Blue Apron menu plans are pre-set
- Some ingredients aren’t available everywhere
- For a family, costs can get expensive
- No allergy-friendly menus
Is Blue Apron The Best Meal Kit?
Blue Apron’s meal delivery service provides fresh ingredients and recipes to customers. With easy-to-follow instructions, their service can take the stress of meal prep and lengthy cleanup out of the week. However, many alternatives have these same benefits, and if you have dietary restrictions, you may find better success with other options.
But if you don’t mind shared equipment and want to try a variety of different meals, you will enjoy Blue Apron’s customizable weekly menu and their range of rotating recipes.
You might also be interested in: Home Chef vs. Hello Fresh: A Comprehensive Meal Kit Comparison