Green Chef vs. Blue Apron 2025: We Tested Out Both

Green Chef and Blue Apron are both top-tier, excellent meal delivery services for 2025. Each company offers great gourmet meals, but they deliver these in unique ways. For example, Green Chef only offers organic meal kits, while Blue Apron has meal kits and prepared meals. 

We tested both companies at home to decide which was the winner. I spoke with my colleagues who recently tried these services, as well as doing my own expert research. This article compares meal variety, dietary preferences, taste, pricing, packaging, customer service, and more. 

Overall, if I were buying for myself, I’d be going with Green Chef. I find that Green Chef offers better ingredients and a wider selection of meal options and serving sizes. But Blue Apron might be better suited to your needs – read on to learn more! 

At a Glance: Who Won Each Category?

Menu Variety: Green Chef Has More Extensive Add-Ons

Green Chef is the winner, but it was a close race. Blue Apron offers more meal options overall and has an entire menu dedicated to prepared meals, but Green Chef has a better selection of high-quality proteins, a more extensive add-ons section, and caters to a wider range of dietary needs.

Both companies offer a good range of recipes to choose from each week. Green Chef features 45+ recipes in the core menu and 40+ items in the Add-ons menu. Blue Apron offers 80+ recipes (meal kits and prepared meals) and 15+ add-on options.

Blue Apron really stands out with its prepared and oven-ready meals. It offers around 35 fresh prepared meals per week on its Prepared & Ready plan. And if you want lower-prep meal kits, it also offers oven-ready meals requiring minimal prep time.

When it comes to cuisines, there’s also no clear winner as both offer very interesting, flavorful dishes. For instance, with Green Chef, you can find items such as the Apple and Farro Bowls with kale, red beets, Brussels sprouts, dried cherries, and walnuts.

Blue Apron, on the other hand, provides you with delicious twists on traditional meals, replacing well-loved, family favorites with healthier, gourmet ingredients – like Smoked Gouda Burgers with Caramelized Onion and Roasted Carrots.

Overall, both services cater to a range of tastes, with a good balance of interesting international flavors and well-loved American classics. 

Blue Apron Add-Ons & Market

Blue Apron offers a limited selection of Add-ons and has a Market section from where you can purchase more meal kits and ready-to-cook recipes (you can also shop these without a subscription).

The Add-ons section includes soups, breakfasts, desserts, salads, and extra proteins. You can use this section to spice up your regular order with goodies like Prosciutto & Mozzarella Wraps, Roasted Brussels Sprout Salad, or Breakfast Apple Crisp. You can also get ground meat like pork chorizo or Skin-On Salmon Fillets.

Green Chef Add-Ons & Extras

There are 2 specific areas in which Green Chef outshines Blue Apron when it comes to add-ons and extras. For one, you can get a more diverse array of protein and meat add-ons. You get the option of various types of steak, and ground meats including beef, turkey, or pork, pork chops, chicken breast, shrimp, fish filets, and tons more.

The second area is its offerings of breakfast and lunch items. There seem to be more options here than Blue Apron. For instance, you can get everything from lots of flavors of oatmeal, various egg bites, pancakes, salads, muffins, keto-friendly cookies, and tons more.

Green Chef offers what it calls Breakfast & Lunch Bundles. These include Egg Whites Bites or Smoky Bacon Bites, Prosciutto Wraps, and Black Bean Mexican Salad. This is an interesting way to look after every meal-time of the day without the headache of choosing.

Sample Meals: Both Services Offer Tasty Meals!

Green Chef Meals

Green Chef has an abundance of meal options including breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Most recipes can be made in 30 minutes or less with very few options taking longer than that. This makes Green Chef a great choice for busy weeknights. 

• Roasted Garlic and Fennel Flatbreads: This recipe is all about the bold, nutty flavor of roasted garlic mixed into a creamy coconut sauce. The juicy tomatoes and crunchy fennel add layers of texture, making every bite interesting. That said, the flatbreads can feel a bit heavy, so it’s definitely a meal for when you’re in the mood for something hearty.
• Mushroom and Swiss Burgers: These mushroom and Swiss burgers are packed with flavor thanks to the zesty steak seasoning and creamy lemon aïoli. The roasted sweet potato fries, tossed with scallions, added a sweet-savory crunch to the meal. Burgers are quite rich in general, so these are best enjoyed as an occasional treat rather than an everyday dinner.
• Honey Mustard Chicken Salad: I love this meal because it’s a perfect mix of tangy, sweet, and savory flavors. The crunchy candied pecans and crisp apple slices bring great texture and balance to the hearty chicken and fresh veggies. However, while the salad is nutritionally dense, the honey mustard dressing and candied pecans add a fair amount of extra sugar.

Blue Apron Meals

Blue Apron offers a wide variety of meal kits, from quick weeknight dinners to more elaborate recipes for when you have extra time. The menu includes vegetarian, high-protein, low-calorie, and low-carb options, which means there’s something for everyone.

• Mushroom Ramen: This Mushroom Ramen with Bok Choy and Soft-Boiled Eggs is a lighter take on ramen, with a savory sauce instead of broth. Though I like the richness of the boiled egg, it's not exactly a “ramen” since there’s no broth. A more accurate way to describe it would be “Japanese-style chow mein”.
• Heat and Eat Cheesy Truffle Cavatappi: The Cheesy Truffle Cavatappi with Mushrooms and Kale is a quick, flavorful option when you're short on time. The creamy alfredo sauce and earthy truffle add depth – but the dish could use a lot less sodium, considering it contains just over 750 mg.
• Seared Scallops and Garlic Herb Risotto: This recipe is really unusual, but the flavors work well. Traditionally, scallops are seared in butter, spritzed with lemon juice, dusted with freshly cracked rock salt, and served alongside a crisp, cold salad. However, thanks to the capers, I was surprised by how tasty the recipe actually turned out. If you’re up for a challenge, don’t be afraid to give it a shot!

Meal Customization: Green Chef Caters to More Dietary Requirements

Neither company allows you to filter your meal preferences to avoid specific allergens. However, both services offer a full list of ingredients and allergens for each recipe. If you’re allergy-free and trying to stick to a particular diet, Green Chef’s the obvious choice as it caters to a wider range of diets.

Green Chef: Great For Different Dietary Preferences

Green Chef caters to a wide variety of dietary preferences and requirements such as keto, high protein, plant-based, and gluten-free. Plus, the eco-conscious company also uses completely organic, high-quality ingredients with no GMOs, toxic pesticides, antibiotics, or steroids.

Blue Apron: Good For Those Focused on Health & Wellness

Blue Apron’s a bit different since its menus are geared toward different people. It’s primarily aimed at those who focus on wellness, vegetarians, people on a high-protein diet, and people who want to lose weight. 

Each of the 2 meal plans (Meal Kits and Prepared & Ready) has its own categories, but you are free to choose whichever suits your needs the best. In fact, the options may be a bit limited if you were to choose only one category.

I like the look of the Wellness plan. Here you can find nutritionist-approved recipes with carb-conscious and calorie-conscious options. However, the same can be said about Green Chef, where there are more options for people on a fitness-related diet.

Overall, customization options for both meal delivery services are limited. For Green Chef, the only way to tweak your food is while cooking it by adding or subtracting ingredients, spices, or sauces. Blue Apron offers a few basic customization options, but it’s mostly for meals that can be turned vegetarian by leaving out meat. You can similarly make at-home swaps for Blue Apron's kits, but you can't customize the prepared meals at all. 

Ordering, Delivery, Unboxing: Green Chef Has More Eco-Friendly Packaging

This was another close round, but Green Chef’s more eco-friendly packaging and 6-serving meal option gave it a narrow edge. 

Both Companies Make Ordering a Breeze

Both Green Chef and Blue Apron make it easy to place an order and manage your subscription (edit, skip, or cancel) from your account. It’s also easy to create an account (while placing your first order).

The only notable difference is in the number of meals required per order. The minimum order for Green Chef is 3 meals (6 servings), while Blue Apron only requires you to order 2 meal kits (4 servings). However, Green Chef offers a 6-serving option, while Blue Apron only offers 2-serving or 4-serving meal kits. Additionally, Blue Apron offers 4 to 10 single-serving ready-made meals each week.

Blue Apron delivers your meals to all areas of the contiguous US. Delivery is available 6 days a week, but the exact days will depend on your zip code, so you’ll find out when you sign up.

Both services deliver their goods in insulated boxes to keep your ingredients fresh even if you’re not home to accept your delivery. If this happens, the insulation will keep the food inside the box cold until the end of the day it’s delivered.

Neither service delivers ingredients frozen or dehydrated. It’s highly recommended that you place all perishable items in the refrigerator as soon as you’re able to after it’s been delivered.

The Unboxing Experience & Recyclability Are Top Priorities

While 85% of Blue Apron packaging is recyclable by weight, it uses a lot of plastic. However, its site does clearly lay out all the recycling instructions you’d possibly need.

When you first open the box, you'll find all the ingredients neatly packed in a shiny insulating bag. The guide on top will help you check for smaller items, and the QR codes direct you to download the app and find local recycling options.

Green Chef is far more committed to eco-friendly packaging. It uses the most innovative materials on the market, making sure all of its packaging is made from recyclable, reusable, and/or compostable materials – except when it's not possible for food safety reasons.

Our Green Chef delivery box arrived intact with no signs of damage. Everything came clean and neatly organized, and each recipe came packaged in individual bags for easy recognition.

Meal Prep: The Kits Are Similar, But Blue Apron Has Prepared Meals

Blue Apron and Green Chef meal kits take roughly the same amount of time to prepare (30 to 40 minutes). Blue Apron has some easier oven-ready options, while Green Chef has some prepped ingredients and ready-made sauces. If you're only ordering meal kits, Green Chef might be a better choice, but Blue Apron's range of prepared meals that can be ready in minutes can't be beaten.

Both companies also clearly display the prep time on each recipe card. Also, like all meal kit services, both Green Chef and Blue Apron deliver pre-portioned ingredients to save you some prep time.

Green Chef includes some ready-to-use, chef-curated sauces, dressings, and spice blends, along with super clear and detailed step-by-step instructions – easy to follow for even the most inexperienced chefs. The Mojito-Style Shrimp, for example, takes just 25 minutes to make and comes with the prepared marinade.

A lot of its ingredients come pre-chopped, but you’ll probably still need to do some dicing and grating. Everything’s explained clearly, with chef tips to guide your cooking experience. However, some ingredients look similar, so you have to pay particular attention to what ingredients go with what recipe.

While Blue Apron’s meals appear simpler, the recipes are a bit harder to follow. With vague instructions, some kitchen newbies may get confused. The instructions for the Chimichurri Shrimp, for example, could’ve been clearer to explain that the jalapeno peppers should be cut on a different board and placed to the side so that you can carefully add more in to adjust the spiciness.

Blue Apron also offers several Ready to Cook meal kits (oven-ready) each week that only require assembly. However, if you’re in a hurry, the Prepared & Ready section will be your best option as these meals are ready in minutes. The only downside is that these meals come in single servings, so they're more suited to individuals and couples instead of families. 

Customer Support: Both Have Knowledgeable Agents

Both services offer email, phone, and chat support, along with an extensive FAQ section that answers most of your questions. I tried out both live chat services and had my questions answered, although there were slight issues with each.

My Live Chat Experiences: Neither Were Perfect

Blue Apron has agents available Monday through Friday 10 am to 9 pm ET and Saturday to Sunday 11 am to 6 pm ET.

Green Chef’s agents are available Monday through Friday from 6 am to 11 pm EST, and on weekends from 7 am to 7 pm EST via phone. Its live chat is available Monday through Sunday from 9 am to 7 pm EST.

I tried both live chat services to see how they fare against one another. The Green Chef agent answered my question about dietary accommodations by stating that the company offers 7 meal plans. It was a fair attempt at answering my question, but it didn’t give me a list of the actual diets. However the agent was still very friendly and courteous, which speaks volumes.

Blue Apron’s chat agents always surprise me with their knowledge. This time was no different. However, it took an unusually long time to connect with an agent on this occasion. Of all the times I’ve chatted with Blue Apron, this was the only time it took longer than 5 minutes to connect with someone. Perhaps they were low on staff that day or experiencing an unusually high volume of queries.

Nonetheless, once I did connect with someone, my experience was stellar. The agent answered my question professionally, courteously, and with a high degree of knowledge.

Pricing: Blue Apron Is a Very Affordable Choice

When comparing like for like, Blue Apron works out to be generally cheaper than Green Chef – so it wins this round. 

Blue Apron’s Prepared & Ready meals are a bit more expensive. Prices start at $12.49 per meal for 10 single-serving meals per week and go up to $13.49 for 6 single-serving meals per week. This is pretty standard as prepared meals usually cost more than kits. Blue Apron also has special offers for first-time customers like this one here: Enjoy $180 off the 1st five weeks of a new subscription - plus the 1st week ships free!. 

Meals start at $6.00 per serving at Green Chef (with a discount). However, most of Green Chef’s meals actually come out far pricier. The best value is 4 meals for 4 people. As you can see below, the per-serving price is still cheaper with Blue Apron. 

If you want fewer meals for fewer people, you could end up paying over $13 per plate (price for 3 meals per week, for 2 people before applying any discounts). However, Green Chef does sweeten the deal with special offers for first-time customers and seasonal discounts like this one here: Free Double Veggies for Two Months + 50% Off Your First Box!.

Green Chef’s higher prices can be explained by its high-quality, fully organic ingredients, eco-friendly packaging, variety of menu choices, and dietary preferences. But if these factors aren’t important to you, it might not be worth paying the extra.

Green Chef vs. Blue Apron — Quick Overview

Green Chef vs. Blue Apron – Pros & Cons

Green Chef

Pros

• Wide range of specialty diets

• Organic, high-quality ingredients

• Great variety of meal options and add-ons

Cons

• More expensive than Blue Apron

• Limited customization options for meals

• Minimum order of 3 meals per week

Blue Apron

Pros

• Affordable starting price

• Variety of meal types, including prepared meals

• Excellent customer support with knowledgeable agents

Cons

• Limited options for specialized diets

• Uses more plastic packaging

• Prepared meals are expensive

And the Winner Is: Green Chef

Green Chef emerges as the superior choice. While Blue Apron brings a lot to the table, Green Chef's commitment to organic produce and wide selection of certified gluten-free meals places it a step ahead in health and variety. Its emphasis on sustainability, global flavors, and dietary needs truly sets it apart.

Both services offer tasty, health-focused meals. However, they cater to different niches. Blue Apron delivers crowd-pleasing, family-friendly meal kits and prepared ready meals, whereas Green Chef targets those seeking meal kits for specialized diets. 

I prefer Green Chef for its higher-quality, slightly tastier meal kits. That said, Blue Apron remains a commendable option in its own right. It really depends on your dietary needs, taste preferences, household size, and budget as to which service will be right for you. 

Both feature prominently on our tested and ranked top meal delivery services list. You can see how they compare to other popular services there and discover which service is best for you.

How to Choose Between Green Chef and Blue Apron

• Choose your meal type: Both services offer meal kits, but Blue Apron also has an extensive menu of prepared meals. You can have meal kits and prepared meals in the same order if you choose from the selection in the add-ons section. If you’re low on time, Blue Apron’s prepared meals would make a good choice.

• Consider dietary needs: Green Chef and Blue Apron both offer a range of meal plans but let you choose from the full menu every week. The range of dietary preferences is quite similar, but if you’re looking for gluten-free, keto, or vegan meals, Green Chef may be a better choice.

• Evaluate your budget: Blue Apron is a little less expensive than Green Chef, but at Green Chef, you are paying for the organic ingredients, so you may feel it’s worth it. Both services charge shipping separately and offer great discounts for new customers that can be accessed using our links.

FAQ

How much is Green Chef each week?

Green Chef’s price changes depending on how much you order at a time. If you order the maximum amount (24 meals per week), you’ll pay $6.00 per serving, plus the shipping fee. On the other hand, if you choose the minimum order (6 servings), you’ll pay a bit more.

What kind of meals do you get with Blue Apron?

Blue Apron offers meal kits and prepared meals, along with some add-ons, such as desserts, breakfasts, salads, and extra proteins. The menu includes meat, poultry, fish, seafood, and plant-based options, but there are some low-carb and low-calorie recipes as well.

Is Green Chef worth the money?

If you want to follow a specific diet and care about organic ingredients, then yes. Though a bit pricey, if you order the maximum number of meals per week, you can save some money. And if you use our special discount code Free Double Veggies for Two Months + 50% Off Your First Box!, even more savings are to be had.