EveryPlate vs. Blue Apron 2023: Budget or Incredible Flavors

If you’re in the market for meal delivery services, you’re probably familiar with these two popular options. I’m going to do a full comparison of EveryPlate vs. Blue Apron to help you decide between the two.

The major difference comes in the price and the type of food you’re going to get. If budget is all you’re concerned about, EveryPlate is one of the most budget-friendly options available. But with the low price tag, you won’t get the variety and same quality ingredients that Blue Apron offers. At the end of the day, Blue Apron is the better meal delivery service because of the incredible variety you receive and the ability to pick between prepared meals and traditional meal kits.

I’ve reviewed all the major meal delivery kits, so I know what information is important when making this decision and I’ll break it all down here.

At a Glance: Who Won Each Category?

Menu Variety

Winner: Blue Apron

This was a close call because Blue Apron only provides two more options than EveryPlate on the weekly menu. But there are a few other reasons Blue Apron pulls ahead in variety. Let’s dive in.

Blue Apron offers 19 different menu options each week, including three prepared meals. This means you can mix and match to best meet your schedule. You’ll see different tags on the meals including Family Friendly, Chef Favorites, and Fast & Easy to help you sort through the different meals and choose the best for your household.

Blue Apron is also known for its unique flavor combinations and recipes inspired by different global cuisines. Each week, you’ll likely get at least one meal from Italian, Mexican, Mediterranean, Asian, and more. Enjoy options like the Poblano Pepper Stuffed with Couscous and served with tahini dressing, raisins, and spinach shown above. Even beginners in the kitchen can master the recipes by following along with the recipe card.

In addition to the weekly selection of meals, there’s a small selection of weekly add-ons featuring snacks, protein packs, breakfasts, and sides. You can also shop the market section for kitchen tools and ingredients. 

Blue Apron offers the unique option to add wine to your orders. Customers that choose this will receive a few bottles of wine that are perfect to share with another person along with tasting notes to help you learn more about what you’re sampling.

EveryPlate has a selection of 17 different meal options each week. The meals are generally pretty standard American recipes with some other options sprinkled in. The ingredients are usually pretty recognizable, so you won’t be too far out of your comfort zone. EveryPlate doesn’t offer any add-ons in addition to the weekly meal kits.

Premium recipes include ingredients that are a level up from the standard meals and Premium+ takes it even further. The other identifying tags you’ll see from EveryPlate include 30 minutes or less, customer fave, and veggie. The Gooey Stuffed Pork Burgers with BBQ onion and crispy potato wedges shown above is one of the customer favorites.

EveryPlates recipes and instructions are simple and easy to follow, so everyone will be able to help prep and cook these meals.

EveryPlate’s meals are a little more kid-friendly compared to Blue Apron, especially with the dedicated FamilyPlate meal plan and easily recognizable family favorites such as Diner Style Chicken and Gravy or BBQ Pork Sloppy Joes. However, both services offer several family-friendly meals and large enough portion sizes to satisfy the whole family.

Meal Customization

Winner: Blue Apron

Both meal delivery services offer veggie plans, but Blue Apron also has a WW-approved plan with low-calorie, well-balanced meals. Neither service allows any customization on individual meals. For anyone with allergies, you can get a full breakdown of the ingredients by clicking on the individual recipe, but there isn’t an easy way to filter on the menu with either service.

On the Blue Apron website, you can find meals under different plans using the small tags underneath the name of the dish. Hovering over the tags doesn’t tell you what the tags mean but thankfully they’re self-explanatory (two W’s for Weight Watchers approved meals, a green leaf for vegetarian meals, and the Wellness tag helpfully just says “Wellness.”)

If you’re looking for a simple well-balanced plan, you can take advantage of the Signature plan for either two servings or four servings. Once you select your meals, you can’t customize the specific ingredients, but everything does come individually wrapped if you want to omit a certain item from a dish.

With EveryPlate, the menu is broken down into a few different categories. The ClassicPlate is the standard offering with a little bit of everything included. Vegetarians can select the VeggiePlate which leaves off any meat dishes from the menu. If you’re feeding picky eaters, try the FamilyPlate which is a collection of kid-friendly meals. And finally, there’s a plan called EasyPlate with no-fuss meals that take 30 minutes or less to prepare.

Throughout each plan, you’ll see premium options that utilize a high-quality protein option for the nights you want something a little more elevated. Unfortunately, this is the only way to sort the meals, so you’ll have to click into each meal to see if there are any ingredients you’re trying to avoid.

Ordering, Delivery, Unboxing

Winner: It’s a Tie!

Both services have delivery options based on your zip code and will arrive in a nicely packaged box that can stay cool if you aren’t home when it arrives. The minimum orders are a little different, but so is the packaging so it balances out to be a tie.

Blue Apron makes ordering and selecting meals easy on the website. You can update your amounts and dates each week using the account features. Plus, Blue Apron offers a lower minimum order of two meals with two servings each week.

Packaging is recyclable in most municipalities, but there does seem to be quite a bit of plastic used in the Blue Apron boxes. Both services wrap the ingredients individually. It’s hard to avoid completely, but EveryPlate uses paper in some spots where it can. Both services offer extensive recycling information on their websites about how to recycle the different packaging materials.

EveryPlate offers delivery seven days a week, but you aren’t able to choose exactly which date your food will come. It depends on your zip code and availability. You can update your personal options on your account on the website.

The minimum order for EveryPlate is three meals each with two servings per week (which is a little higher than Blue Apron.) Once your box arrives, everything is packaged in recyclable materials and labeled to make it easy to find and organize when it’s time to prep and make dinner.

Ingredients should be moved to the fridge until you’re ready to cook. Ingredients will stay fresh for a few days, so it’s best to use everything within a week.

Meal Prep

Winner: Blue Apron

Blue Apron recently started offering Heat & Eat meals that take just a few minutes to heat up. This means that there’s a large range of prep options to fit any schedule. That gives it the win in this category.

In addition to the wide range of prep time, Blue Apron also provides some great resources for the meal kits to help those who might not have much experience in the kitchen. You can find videos on the website to walk you through each step if you’re struggling to figure out the right technique for something. When the ingredients arrive they should be refrigerated and used within seven days of delivery.

EveryPlate operates in a similar fashion to the meal kits from Blue Apron. You’ll receive a box of the ingredients along with a recipe card that includes a step-by-step instruction guide to make each of the meals. All ingredients should be refrigerated and used within a week of delivery.

There’s some prep work required to chop vegetables, but you’ll receive all the necessary information. The options and instructions are a bit more simplistic than Blue Apron and the recipes are simple and perfect for beginners.

Customer Support

Winner: EveryPlate

Both services offer great options for customer service, but EveryPlate wins this round thanks to the live chat feature. It makes it a little more accessible any time of day if you have a question. When I reached out to both companies, I got someone on the phone quickly, so you won’t need to wait too long to get answers to any of your questions.

EveryPlate’s website breaks down all the customer service options. The Live Chat is available seven days a week and can help you find most of the answers you’re looking for. If you have a more specific question, you can contact them on the phone five days a week from 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM Eastern Standard Time.

Blue Apron has two main options if you have questions for the customer service team. The online help center offers information about different ingredients, how things work, and general information. For specific questions, you can use the online contact form to email them or call the phone number that’s available seven days a week. Monday through Friday, you can reach them from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM Eastern Time and on weekends from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM Eastern Time.

Pricing

Winner: EveryPlate

EveryPlate is definitely the winner here because the company is known for being one of the most affordable meal delivery services. The meals start at $1.49 per serving.

Shipping is always $9.99 per week with EveryPlate, but the starting prices do vary a little depending on the number of servings you order. The lowest price is available for any four-serving box, but it goes up a little for the smaller two-serving boxes. EveryPlate offers a great discount for new customers – $1.49/meal on your 1st box + 20% off next 2 boxes!.

Blue Apron is priced a little higher at $5.74 per serving. The starting price is for the maximum amount of servings, four servings of four meals in the box. The per-serving price goes up a bit when you order fewer meals or if you make an order for just two people.

Shipping is the same for Blue Apron at $9.99 per box. There are also add-ons like wine and market items that you can shop for on the website. These will appear as separate pricing and shipping structures that you’ll see before you check out. There’s always a great promotion when you sign up as well that can help save money – Enjoy $180 off across your first 6 orders.

Features Comparison: EveryPlate vs. Blue Apron

And The Winner Is: Blue Apron

Blue Apron offers a great selection of meals including options for tight schedules and those watching their diets. You’ll receive unique combinations of flavors and will be able to learn new kitchen skills and have fun.

If you prefer a simpler selection of classic meals and want something more budget-friendly, EveryPlate is still a great option and might work better for some families, but Blue Apron had the advantage in a few more categories. You can also check out our list of the 10 best meal delivery services if you want to explore more options.

FAQ

What is the best meal delivery service?

In this case, I would say Blue Apron. There are meal delivery services that cater to all kinds of different lifestyles. If you want something with great flavors and variety, try Blue Apron which serves up different meals each week that customers love.

Is EveryPlate the cheapest meal delivery service?

EveryPlate is the most affordable meal delivery service available on the market. Prices start at $1.49 per serving.

Are meal delivery services good for people who never cook?

You can find meal delivery services that send prepared meals that just need to be heated in the microwave, no prep or chopping required. Those options are great for people who don’t want to cook. If you want to learn more about how to do things in the kitchen, Blue Apron offers great video instruction with each recipe to help you.