Blue Apron Review: A Meal Kit That Can Teach You About Cooking

Speaking of that 3-year-old, one of the nicest surprises of using Blue Apron for several weeks was the way it eased my kids out of their comfort zones and towards more robust flavors. Four of the recipes, for example, used slightly spicy poblano peppers where I’d usually expect to see milder bell peppers. To my great surprise, neither of my children screamed and vigorously rubbed their tongues after taking a bite. I had similar results with items like Blue Apron’s curry powder and ancho chile sauce. The flavors might not have been quite as robust as I’d want for myself, but for someone trying to expand what they eat, they hit the right notes.

I ordered four servings per box and the portion sizes did not disappoint. It might have been because two of my testers had comparatively tiny stomachs, but I had enough leftovers for two lunch portions with every meal. I think a family of four with young kids could get by on an order of two servings.

Blue Apron’s focus seems to be on its meal kit recipes, but it does offer prepared meals that just need to be heated, either in the oven or the microwave. The noodles and curries made for nice lunch options and, surprisingly, had better texture heated in the microwave than in the oven.

What I’d leave:

Every Blue Apron box includes a striking amount of packaging. In the deliveries I received, even many of the individual servings of produce came sealed in their own plastic bags. I could understand that choice if the potatoes came pre-diced, but, while I have never run a large multi-state logistics project, it seemed to me that whole potatoes or carrots could safely be left loose.

Blue Apron meals also require some actual cooking skills. The amount of prep time involved isn’t necessarily a strike against the service, but it’s noteworthy because so many meal kits promise a speedy and simple process. Here, you get more or less the same items you would if went to the grocery store. Garlic comes as a whole head that you need to separate, peel, and mince; ginger arrives unpeeled; citrus requires zesting and squeezing. The pimento cheese burgers were a good example of the kind of work involved: I had to portion the meat, form the patties, chop the pimentos, grate the cheese, and mix all of it together. The only thing I didn't need to do was emulsify my own mayonnaise. With all the slicing, dicing, chopping, mixing, and grating involved, the cooking time for almost all the recipes was 10-15 minutes longer than the recipe cards claimed. I prefer whole ingredients to pre-cut ones—they travel better and tend to be fresher—but home cooks should be ready to roll up their sleeves and do some work.

Blue Apron FAQ

What kind of meal kit delivery service is Blue Apron?

There’s a growing niche-ification of meal kit companies, with operations like Factor focusing on high protein meals, Purple Carrot peddling exclusively vegan options, and Sakara leaning hard into wellness and cleanse trends. But Blue Apron takes a more generalist approach, offering a variety of meals across a wide range of cuisines. While there are vegetarian, high-protein, and low-calorie Blue Apron meals, they’re mixed up with comfort foods and simple, family-friendly options.

Does Blue Apron have quality ingredients?

All my veggies were fresh, none were bruised, and all the proteins had good texture after I cooked them up; but for the most part, the quality reminded me of what I might get at a chain grocery store rather than a farmer’s market. The exceptions were the few meals that included eggs, which were a high-end organic brand I’ve seen sell for $10 a dozen.

Are there any logistical issues with Blue Apron?

This was the first meal service I’ve tried that didn’t mess up any of my food orders. In the past, even when trying out a meal kit for just a couple weeks, I’ve inevitably received a recipe I didn’t ask for or found that someone forgot to include the chicken for the chicken parm. But my boxes all arrived correctly packed.

The only snafu I experienced was an incorrect recipe card. Blue Apron has step-by-step instructions for every recipe in its app though, so it was an easy problem to solve.

Should you order Blue Apron?

Blue Apron will relieve some of the stress of meal prep and grocery shopping for seven dinners a week, especially if you have kids. And at $8 a serving, it can save some money compared to takeout. But I’d also recommend it for kitchen novices who want to become more comfortable cooking.

Looking for reviews of meal delivery services like HelloFresh, Green Chef or Home Chef? Check out our complete meal kit review here.