Blue Apron Review 2025: Best Meal Delivery?

Overview

Blue Apron has long been a familiar name in the meal delivery world, but its recent revamp has made some big changes to the service. With more than 100 weekly options across meal kits, easy baked dishes, soups, salads, and add-ons, the menu is much larger than before, and meals are now individually priced with servings starting around $6.99.

Despite its large size, the menu is easy to navigate. Filters for protein type, active vs. total cooking time, calories, and protein make it quick to tailor the selection. The brand’s expanded Customize It feature also significantly expands your choices, allowing for protein swaps and upgrades across many dishes. While mainstream eaters – including flexitarian, vegetarian, and pescatarian households – will find lots to enjoy, the service isn’t built for niche diets.

When I tried Blue Apron at home, I found the dishes flavorful and rewarding, although cook times ran a bit longer than estimated. The new, no-subscription model lets you order à la carte. But for those who want recurring deliveries or extra savings, Blue Apron offers two programs: Autoship & Save (5% off recurring orders) and Blue Apron+ (a membership that unlocks free shipping and perks). These optional layers offer flexibility, though they make it all a bit more complex than the standard subscription model used by most other services.

Overall, Blue Apron is a strong all-rounder in the meal kit market. You’ll get decent value, thoughtful recipes, and a menu that suits both adventurous cooks and busy households.

Blue Apron’s Menu: Excellent Variety 

The Blue Apron menu is super easy to navigate. While there’s a great range of items to choose from each week, the menu isn’t overwhelming. It’s 100+ meals are split into clear sections, which makes it easy to skip through to the relevant dishes.

Some dishes change weekly, often featuring seasonal ingredients, while others are staples or customer faves, so you’ll see them returning week on week. In my opinion, there’s a good balance of new dishes and repeats, especially when you factor in all the swaps available too.

When you scroll through the menu, you’ll see the following categories:

• Seasonal (this top label will vary depending on what’s on, e.g., Thanksgiving, Holiday, Easter etc.)
• Meal Kits
• Assemble & Bake
• Soups & Salads
• Breakfast
• Desserts
• Extra Proteins

There are also Dish meals, which are Blue Apron’s line of prepared meals. Ready in 5 mins or less, they’re made with at least 20 grams of protein and don’t contain any artificial flavors or colors. The last time I updated this Blue Apron review, there was an issue with these, and they weren’t showing on the menu for some reason. So keep an eye out for this category when it’s back.

I also love that you can see the menu up to 4 weeks in advance. You can do this by clicking on the “This week”, “Next week”, and dates tabs at the top of the page.

Meal Options: Handy Filters + Upfront Pricing Make Choosing Easy

As well as the main categories on the menu, there’s also a useful filter section which allows you to sort based on:

• Main protein
• Total cook time
• Active cook time
• Calories
• Grams of protein

Lots of the big services have filters on their main menus, but there were a couple of things that really impressed me about Blue Apron’s. First, the distinction between active and total cooking time. This can really help you figure out how labor-intensive a meal will be. For example, a meal kit that takes a full hour of cooking to put together is a lot more exhausting than one that requires 10 minutes of prep and then 50 minutes of baking in the oven.

I also liked the sliding scale for calories and protein. Many services will have tags or filters for “high protein” or “low calorie” options, but Blue Apron lets you manually set the parameters, which gives you way more flexibility.

Author note: The filters also take into account Customize It swaps. For example, when I filtered the menu for fish and seafood options, I still spotted a few chicken recipes. At first, I thought the filter was broken, but then I realized that they appeared in the results because there’s the option to swap the chicken for shrimp. So the filters are pretty clever that way.

It also looked like there were tags for Reduced Sodium and Carb Conscious meals in the key, but I didn’t spot those on the main menu. Maybe it just depends on the week, though. If a recipe is sold out, it’ll still appear on the menu but grayed out with a “Sold Out” roundel.

A Great Range of Cuisines, but Not a Lot of Options for Other Special Diets 

Blue Apron offers a great mix of international flavors (like Bang Bang Chicken and Mexican-Style Pulled Pork Rice Bowls) and family favorites (like Pesto Gnocchi Bake and Roasted Red Pepper Pasta), so there’s something for both adventurous eaters and families with picky kids. 

In my opinion, Blue Apron caters well to mainstream diets like flexitarian, vegetarian, and pescatarian. It isn’t the best for specialized diets, though, like gluten-free, keto, paleo, or vegan. Those diets are much better catered to with a premium service like Green Chef.

Customization: Blue Apron Lets You Make Changes to Your Recipes

Blue Apron offers swaps and customizations on lots of recipes each week. You just need to look out for the Customize It text above the recipe name. When you open the recipe, you can see the swaps available and any upcharge associated with them. For example, with the Roasted Red Pepper Pasta with Broccoli & Ricotta Cheese, you could add Hot Italian Pork Sausage or Ground Beef.

These customizations allow you to swap ingredients to suit dietary preferences. These are mainly protein swaps, so you can switch or upgrade. Most veggie dishes have the option to add meat, although there aren’t many where you can remove the meat to make it veggie, which was previously something Blue Apron offered regularly.

The Customize It option really expands the menu and can help keep it interesting, as it allows you to mix up some of the dishes that always feature on the menu. I was impressed with how much was customizable. Previously, Blue Apron was more limited, but now it’s up there with Home Chef’s customizable menu.

When it comes to allergies and intolerances, Blue Apron has a clear Nutrition Facts section, which is available by opening the recipe and clicking on the Nutrition section (this data is only available 1.5 weeks before delivery, so you won’t be able to click through for future menus). 

For allergies, it’s also important to note that:

• Blue Apron’s Meal Kit and Assemble & Bake ingredients are packaged individually, so you can make at-home swaps. But ingredients may need to be replaced on short notice, so check the ingredient labels again when your box arrives to ensure you have the most up-to-date allergen information.

• All Blue Apron ingredients are packaged in a facility that also processes milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, wheat, and soy. So it’s not suitable for severe allergies.

Blue Apron’s Menu at a Glance 

Diet	Is Blue Apron Good For This Diet?
Paleo	No, there are no options
Keto	No, there are no options
Gluten-Free	No, but there’s a wheat-free label
Low-Carb	Yes, there are some options available
Veggie	Yes, you’ll find a range of options
Vegan	No, there aren’t many vegan options
Allergy-Friendly	No, cross-contamination is possible

My Unboxing Experience With Blue Apron: Pretty Good Overall!

When you open your Blue Apron box, you’ll find your recipe cards and a layer of cardboard with additional guidance. Under this you’ll find the shiny insulated foil bag that contains all the ingredients you need.

 

Everything was clear and well organized. None of the packaging was leaking and even the eggs arrived intact as they were very well protected. All the produce items looked fresh, and most were packed in plastic. In my experience, leafy greens are most likely to go bad, but the spinach and bok choy arrived in excellent shape.

 

All of the smaller items for each recipe were placed in separate “Knick Knacks” bags. While this seemed like a useful idea, I still had to sort through all of the other ingredients to find the fresh produce and proteins I needed for each dish as they weren’t separated by recipe. This made me feel that more plastic was used in the packaging than absolutely necessary.

 

Blue Apron claims that more than 85% of its packaging is recyclable and has detailed information about how to dispose of these items on its website. However – and this is an important point here – although its packaging is technically recyclable, not all of it is curbside recyclable. It makes me wonder how likely it is that all Blue Apron customers will take a trek to their local recycling center.

 

Other services we’ve reviewed, like HelloFresh, use paper instead of plastic to package most ingredients and eco-friendly, biodegradable insulation. However, I was very impressed with Blue Apron’s ice packs. I loved that I could safely drain away the contents down my sink making them much more convenient to recycle.

Cooking (And Eating) With Blue Apron: Tasty Dishes for All Skill Levels 

Blue Apron has meals to suit every skill level. Keep in mind that the difficulty of the recipes isn’t stated. You’ll have to use your own judgment to decide if they match or exceed your cooking skills. The best way is to take a look at the active minutes of each recipe. Generally, the Assemble and Bake options are easiest as they require the shortest active prep.

Most of Blue Apron’s meal kits take around 15 to 40 minutes to make, which is pretty standard, but some can take longer – especially for beginners. Some of the recipes I cooked took up to 60 minutes, and I’d consider myself an experienced home cook.

One of the dishes I cooked – the Mushroom Ramen – took me a little by surprise when 1 of the eggs exploded. Apparently, if you are boiling eggs, they should be at room temperature before you drop them into boiling water to prevent this from happening. It would’ve been nice to see a tip included on the recipe card to warn unsuspecting chefs.

Shortlist of My Favorite Meals

Let’s take a look at the 3 top tastiest meals I chose for this Blue Apron review. 

Mushroom Farrotto

 

Definitely my favorite recipe of the week by far. It is basically a healthier version of a risotto using the ancient grain farro instead of rice. It’s high in protein and fiber and has an almost chewy texture. If you’re a fan of farro, you will definitely love this dish.

In terms of taste, it was packed with umami-rich flavors from the mushrooms and the parmesan cheese. The recipe included verjus blanc, which I haven’t used before in cooking. It was nice to discover a unique ingredient that offered similar properties to white wine.

 

Although it did take longer than the estimated 45 minutes, it was definitely worth it. Making risotto (or farrotto in this case) is an involved process. You need to stir the pot regularly to keep the farro from burning as you cook off all the added liquid. 

Make sure you have all the ingredients and equipment needed to hand. I recommend reading through all the steps before you start the cooking process – especially if you haven’t had much experience with making risotto-based dishes before. Overall, this was a delicious dish and something I’d be happy to make again.

Pork Chorizo, Potato & Fig Bake 

 

The Pork Chorizo, Potato & Fig Bake was a really unique dish. It introduced me to a whole new world of flavors using ingredients I wouldn’t have naturally put together myself. It was pretty straightforward to prepare, too, so it’s an impressive dish that’s suitable for beginner chefs.

Again, I’d suggest reading through all the steps before you start. I noticed that although the steps are ordered, you can start work on the next part when waiting for something else to cook. For example, when the potatoes are happily roasting in the oven, you can start work on chopping your pepper and figs.

 

Although this was a unique dish, I couldn’t imagine serving it as a main meal. In fact, I served it as an appetizer for friends at a dinner party. It went down well, and the flavors were great. I loved how the soft sweetness of the figs contrasted with the crunch of the almonds. Plus, the saffron-infused mayo really took it to the next level.

Seared Scallops & Garlic-Herb Risotto

 

Another risotto-based dish I tried was the Seared Scallops & Garlic-Herb Risotto. In terms of cooking, I’d say this dish isn’t a beginner-friendly recipe. Although Blue Apron lists just 5 steps, the fact is that each step contains lots of instructions. For example, the first step involves not only washing the 7 different fresh produce items, but chopping, peeling, dicing it too.

 

If you haven’t prepared scallops before, the recipe does explain how to remove the tougher parts before cooking. But I’d prefer it if Blue Apron’s recipes were a bit more detailed to help newer cooks understand each of the techniques. However, you’ll learn new skills one way or another. While cooking this dish, I learned that the browned parts of the cooked scallop are called “fond.”

Recipes Summary

Prices: Overall Good Value, With Options to Save Further

Blue Apron’s pricing structure is on par with major competitors, and I think this service offers a lot of bang for your buck. Since it rebranded, it has a completely changed in terms of pricing as well as how to order, so I’ll go through that below.

Blue Apron is now a no-subscription service, which means you can shop a la carte and add items to your cart. Each dish is individually priced, and you can see the starting serving price upfront on the main menu. These prices range from around $6.99 per serving (these are usually for lighter dishes like salads) to $13.29 and work out the same regardless of a 2-person or 4-person serving size.

As well as the shipping fee, there are a few things that might bump up your total cost. Firstly, many recipe customizations aren’t free. This will depend on what you’re swapping or adding, but as an example, for one recipe, swapping pork roast for salmon added $1.50 per serving, and adding ground pork to a veggie meal was an extra $2.00 per serving. If you want to save some money, try waiting for Blue Apron’s Black Friday options.

Save 5% Extra With Repeat Deliveries

This basically works like the standard rolling subscription Blue Apron used to offer. So if you prefer having things automated, you might want to try the Autoship & Save offering. 

I’ll walk you through the details below in the sign-up section, but this basically allows you to set a delivery frequency (weekly or every 2, 3, or 4 weeks) and save 5% on every order.

Blue Apron+: Save on Shipping With Its New Membership Option 

Signing up for Blue Apron+ gives you free delivery on every order, as well as perks like a subscription to Tastemade+ and other member promos. It costs $9.99 per month, but shipping costs $9.99 per order, so if you order Blue Apron more than once a month, you’ll make your money back.

The Blue Apron blog has this handy breakdown on how much you’ll save with a monthly membership:

• If you order 1x per month, you save $9.99 in shipping fees 

• If you order 2x per month, you save $19.98 in shipping fees.

• If you order 3x per month, you save $29.97 in shipping fees.

• If you order 4x per month, you save $39.96 in shipping fees.

Blue Apron+ starts with a 30-day free trial. If you decide to keep the membership after the trial, you can decide whether you want to pay monthly ($9.99 per month) or annually ($99 per year/$8.25 per month). You can also upgrade to an annual plan any time.

Shipping & Delivery: Streamlined & Straightforward (As Expected)

Blue Apron delivers to all 48 contiguous states throughout the US (sorry, Alaska and Hawaii!). Depending on your location, you’ll have different delivery date options. You’ll need to enter your zip code in the Menu section to find out what your options are, as well as the earliest possible arrival date. When I signed up, I could choose any day but Sunday (I’m in a larger metropolitan area).

 

Tracking your Blue Apron box is straightforward. By visiting the Orders page and locating the current week, you’ll see the status of your shipment. If your order has already been sent out, a Track button will appear, providing the most up-to-date details directly from the carrier. You’ll also receive delivery updates through text messages or push notifications, which you can manage at any time through your Account > Settings page.

If you aren’t home when your order arrives, carriers typically leave the box at your doorstep. Although Blue Apron advises you to refrigerate any perishables ASAP. You can add special delivery instructions – like leaving the box with a neighbor or at a back door – when creating your account or updating your profile settings.

How Blue Apron Works: Step by Step Guide

Ordering from Blue Apron is really straightforward, especially as you don’t even need a subscription to make an order anymore. 

How to Order (Just 3 Simple Steps)

1. Navigate to the menu: Hover over a recipe image to see the Add to cart button. Click on the recipe and you’ll see a pop-up where you can select your serving size and make any customizations. You can mix and match between serving sizes in the same order.

   

2. Review your order: Once you’ve finished adding items, click on the blue Order button in the top right corner. This will bring up the Review your order column, where you can see a summary of your order as well as the total with shipping. When ready, hit the blue Continue to checkout button at the bottom.

   

3. Complete your order: If you don’t have an account, you’ll need a phone number that you can verify. Then simply fill out your contact, delivery, and payment details, and you’re done!

   

Managing Your Subscription

If you’re making a one-off order from Blue Apron, then that’s it, you’re done! There are two optional subscription options available, though. These are Autoship & Save and the Blue Apron+ membership. You can sign up for both. The key difference is that Autoship automatically sends you boxes, Blue Apron+ does not.

Autoship & Save  

Autoship & Save works much like Blue Apron’s old subscription with flexible, recurring deliveries that you can set to your own schedule. You can choose to keep weekly shipments or adjust your frequency to every 2, 3, or 4 weeks. All of your Autoship settings can be easily viewed and updated by visiting Account > Autoship & Save.

Managing individual Autoship deliveries is simple. If you need to skip an upcoming order, you can do so from the Orders page on either the app or desktop. Just select the order you want to skip, navigate to Manage Order, and tap or click Skip, then follow the prompts to confirm. If instead you want to reschedule, go to the Menu page, open the order summary, and choose Manage Order to update your delivery day, address, or payment method before the deadline.

While Blue Apron no longer offers a dedicated Pause feature for Autoship, you still have full control over your schedule. You can skip as many Autoship deliveries as you need with no limits, or cancel your Autoship altogether and re-enroll whenever you’re ready. There’s no cancellation fee, and if you return, your previous settings will still be saved.

Blue Apron+ Membership

To sign up, go to the Blue Apron+ page and click Start your 30-day free trial. If you’ve used Blue Apron+ in the past, you can restart your membership in the account settings. 

After signing up for it, you don’t need to do anything to manage your Blue Apron+ subscription. Membership automatically includes free shipping, unlimited access to Tastemade+, and exclusive members-only perks.

If you want to cancel, just head to your account and select Blue Apron+ from the menu. Then, click Cancel Membership at the bottom of the screen and follow the prompts. Note that your benefits will stay active until the end of your billing cycle (whether that’s monthly or annual).

Customer Service: Lots of Channels to Choose From

There are several ways you can get in touch with Blue Apron. You can email them on [email protected]. Or you can call (646) 891-4349 or text (929) 799-8354. These channels are available Monday to Friday 9 am to 9 pm ET and Saturday 11 am to 6 pm. 

If you have issues with an ingredient, you’ll need to contact the team by email so you can attach a photo of the affected ingredient or meal. You should do this within 7 days of the delivery. While Blue Apron doesn’t send out replacements, it will credit your account.

There’s a chatbot in the bottom left of the page, which I wasn’t that impressed by. It didn’t seem to be able to answer many questions and instead directed me to existing FAQ pages. There was a “talk to a human” option, although when I clicked this, it was out of hours and I was prompted to fill out a form instead. 

The new Help Center and FAQ section is pretty thorough, though, and has obviously been recently updated to reflect all of the changes to Blue Apron’s offering. Everything is organized well, and there’s also a search bar, which makes it easy to find what you’re looking for quickly. I was particularly impressed with the details about how to recycle each element of the packaging.

How Blue Apron Compares to Other Meal Delivery Services

For a closer look at how other services stack up against Blue Apron, check out our list of the best alternatives.

• Blue Apron vs. HelloFresh: Much like Blue Apron, HelloFresh offers a large menu of crowd-pleasing meal kits that are great for couples and families. HelloFresh is a subscription-only service, while Blue Apron allows you to shop without subscribing. HelloFresh also allows you to order larger servings (up to 6). The price point and ingredient quality of these 2 services are very similar, so which one is right for you may ultimately come down to the meal choices and your personal taste.
• Blue Apron vs. Factor: Unlike Blue Apron which offers meal kits and prepared meals, Factor’s menu only includes prepared meals. These are focused on specific diets such as keto, low-calorie, and more. You’ll also find low-carb and low-calorie options on the menu. The meals are made with high-quality ingredients – some of which are organic – and are free of preservatives and artificial sweeteners. Factor could be a great option if you find Blue Apron’s dietary options too limited.
• Blue Apron vs. Home Chef: Home Chef has a similar but slightly smaller offering (around 40+ weekly options) along with a selection of extras like salads, soups, sides, and protein bundles, and the menu perhaps isn’t as internationally inspired as Blue Apron’s. Customization is where Home Chef really shines, with the option to swap, double-up, or upgrade the protein in almost every dish.
• Blue Apron vs. Green Chef: Green Chef is renowned for its commitment to providing organic, eco-friendly meal kits tailored to specific dietary preferences, including keto, plant-based, and gluten-free. In comparison to Blue Apron, which offers a wide array of meals suitable for a general audience, Green Chef zones in on health-conscious consumers. Both services ensure high-quality ingredients, but Green Chef places more emphasis on sourcing certified organic components.
• Blue Apron vs. Purple Carrot: Purple Carrot stands out in the meal delivery world as a fully vegan service. The menu is relatively similar to Blue Apron with meal kits and prepared meals, but Blue Apron does fall short in its number of vegan options, so if you follow a vegan diet, Purple Carrot would be the better service. 

The Bottom Line: Is Blue Apron Worth It?

I’m personally a big fan of Blue Apron: the prices are good value for the quality of the ingredients you receive each week, and the menu offers excellent variety. I’d say it’s one of my favorite meal kits on the market right now. Plus, you can get yourself an even better deal with our offer: $20 off your first 2 orders

In some ways, the new structure is really straightforward; you can shop without a subscription, and the full menu and pricing are completely transparent from the get-go, which isn’t always the case with other subscription services. While the autoship and membership options add more flexibility and potential for savings, they add an extra layer of confusion, as you can sign up for either, or both, making it less straightforward than other business models where everyone has the same subscription. 

I had a great experience when I tried Blue Apron at home. I enjoyed the variety of global cuisines, which introduced new flavors while helping me cultivate culinary skills and get out of my cooking comfort zone. Beginners may find that some of the recipes take longer than advertised, but if you don’t mind that, it’s a great way to pick up new kitchen skills.

However, if Blue Apron doesn't align with your needs, there's a world of other meal delivery services to explore. Check out our list of the best meal delivery services in 2025 to see who we’ve ranked higher than Blue Apron.

FAQ

Are Blue Apron recipes good?

Blue Apron’s recipes are designed to suit a range of dietary needs. They cover a range of cuisines and give home chefs a chance to learn new skills in the kitchen as well as try out new and interesting dishes. Check out my shortlist of favorite meals for more details.

How much does Blue Apron actually cost?

Without discounts, Blue Apron’s prices start at $6.99 per serving, and shipping is an extra $9.99 per week. However, note that some things – like customizations – can bump up the price since they cost extra. You can also bring the price down by 5% by signing up for autoshipping.

How do Blue Apron meals work?

Blue Apron is better known for its meal kits, where ingredients and recipes are delivered to your door each week. You can also order extras like prepared meals, desserts, and sides. The company recently changed how it works, so you can now order your meals without a subscription. Simply visit the menu, add meals to your cart, and check out. If you use the service regularly, there are also autoship and membership options if you’d like to order recurring deliveries or save on shipping. 

How do you cancel a Blue Apron subscription?

To cancel a single autoship order, you’ll need to use the skip function. Go to Orders > Manage order > then Skip. To cancel autoshipping completely, go to Account > Autoship & Save, then scroll to the bottom and click Cancel Plan.

To cancel a Blue Apron+ membership, go to Account > Blue Apron+. At the bottom, click Cancel Membership and follow the prompts. Bear in mind that your membership will stay active until the end of the billing cycle.  

To cancel an a la carte order, go to your Order page and choose the order you want to cancel. Below the delivery address, you’ll see a Cancel order option. Just make sure to do this before the cutoff deadline.