Plated vs. Blue Apron 2025: The Choice is Incredibly Easy

Are you starting to compare your options for healthy meal delivery services? The choice between Plated vs. Blue Apron should be incredibly simple. Blue Apron is still growing and thriving as a meal delivery service and Plated is no longer offering meal delivery.

A few years ago, Plated shifted its business plan to make its products available in selected grocery stores instead of delivering. It appeared to be unsuccessful, because the cooking kits are no longer available.

Disappointed because you wanted to try Plated? Check out Blue Apron. We’ll cover some of its great features and all the basics you need to know.

At a Glance: Plated vs. Blue Apron

Dietary Preferences

Since Plated doesn’t have any offerings, let’s look at Blue Apron. While there are no keto-, paleo- or vegan-specific recipes, it does have a few options to help narrow things down.

Blue Apron allows you to choose between its Signature menu (for two or four people) and the Vegetarian menu. Once you choose between those, you will see your meal options for the week, with various other labels. The Wellness meals are created with the help of a nutritionist with holistic health in mind. The WW meals are low-calorie and designed for everyone, not just people participating in the WW program (formerly Weight Watchers).

If you have any allergies or want to avoid certain ingredients, you can find the full list of ingredients and nutrition facts when you click on the recipe, before you make final selections for the week. It isn’t clearly labeled on the Menu page, but it’s all available if you need it.

Winner: Blue Apron

Menu Variety

Since one of these choices has zero offerings, it’s pretty simple to choose a winner in the Plated vs. Blue Apron discussion. But having a good assortment of meals to choose from is important.

With around 12 different dishes each week at Blue Apron, there is some variety. I was also impressed by the wide selection of protein choices. You can find different kinds of fish, like Ahi tuna and Tilapia, as well as chicken, steak, tofu, pork, and shrimp all in the same week.

About half of the menu is standard American dishes like the Caramelized Onion Grilled Cheese or Pan-Seared Chicken & Mashed Potatoes. The other half may include a mix of Mexican fare, a few Asian-inspired dishes, and at least one decadent pasta dish, like the Calabrian Beef & Gnocchi with Zucchini & Romano Cheese.

There’s at least one Easy Prep & Cleanup choice available each week, too, but most meals average around 30 minutes to prep and cook. Blue Apron includes detailed, easy-to-follow recipe cards in its boxes, as well as videos on the website if you need additional instruction.

Winner: Blue Apron

Starting Prices

Blue Apron’s meals range from $7.49 to $9.99 per serving. It all depends on how many servings and recipes you order each week. The more you order, the cheaper each serving is. There’s a delivery charge of $7.99, unless you order three or more meals a week on either of its plans.

To summarize, two people eating three meals a week from Blue Apron will pay around $60, and four people eating three meals will pay around $96 per week.

Winner: Blue Apron

Delivery and Packaging

Plated moved from delivering its cooking kits to selling them at grocery stores. If you’re looking for something you can pick up any time, any day – grocery store meal kits are a convenient option. Blue Apron delivers the ingredients and recipes directly to your door every week, which many people prefer.

Blue Apron offers delivery six days a week – every day except Sunday. The box will arrive with insulation to help everything inside stay cool for hours in case you’re not home to receive it. Each ingredient is clearly labeled and individually wrapped.

One downside is the amount of plastic used in the packaging. The company is working to create better food systems and less food waste, but there is still work to do on its environmental impact with the packaging. You’ll find some recyclable materials, plus a full breakdown on the website, but there’s room for improvement.

Winner: Blue Apron

Meal Prep

Meal kits invite participation – you can’t just throw them in a microwave to heat and eat.

For anyone who’s cooked before, Blue Apron’s recipes are a breeze to follow. But if you’ve been known to burn water, you may need a little assistance. In addition to the recipe cards in the box, you can access video instructions on the website – just click on Cook Along.

All the ingredients arrive in the box, but you may need to do some chopping, mincing, or dicing. The tools needed are common items most of us will have in the kitchen (pots, pans, knives, etc.), but it might be worth checking the recipes before finalizing your selection to see what’s needed.

Winner: Blue Apron

The Bottom Line

It’s obvious that the winner is Blue Apron because Plated is no more, but it’s still important to know what you’re getting.

Blue Apron is a good choice if you like to get in the kitchen and cook. With twelve recipes to pick from each week, you can have a mix without having to search the internet for new ideas.

You can read our full expert review of Blue Apron if you still need convincing. And if Blue Apron doesn’t seem like a match for you or you want to compare it to another option, check out our complete list of the best healthy meal delivery services.