An Honest Blue Apron Review

Thinking about trying Blue Apron? This is my honest Blue Apron review after trying a box. I share the pros and cons and if I would do it again.

Note: This review is originally from 2018. I have used it a few times since then and the review is still true to my feelings on the service.

I’ve been cooking since I was a kid. It’s something I enjoy and I think I’m pretty good at it, though baking is my passion. I don’t even mind going to the grocery store.

I only grocery shop once a month and my mom and I shop together, eat a nice lunch and make a day of it. This makes it more enjoyable plus means I don’t have to do it all of the time.101

I’m even pretty good at this point about not wasting ingredients and staying pretty organized. Thanks to my Instant Pot I don’t have to worry as much about being sure to thaw meat in time and that was my one big struggle.

I was still curious about Blue Apron and I found a coupon code so I decided to try it. I get asked a lot what I think of services like these so it seemed like a good thing to try.

I’ve now I’ve tried two Blue Apron meals and want to share my thoughts on the service. This post is not sponsored, I do have affiliate links but this is my very honest blue apron review.

My Blue Apron Review

How It Works

1. Sign up for your first box. There are a few options. You can choose chef favorites, wellness, family-friendly, fast & easy, or veggies for your recipe selections. You also pick how many servings and how many meals a week.
2. Fill out your account information. This is where you fill out your delivery information and credit card information. Don’t worry you get to select meals after this step.
3. Pick a delivery day. You can also pick which day of the week works best for your deliveries.
4. Pick your meals. You can choose from 8 different meals. You can also skip deliveries.
5. Get your delivery and unpack your box. Your box will be delivered packed well with ice packs. You want to go ahead and unpack it when you get it and put the perishable items in your fridge. Also, check the items so you can contact Blue Apron right away if there are any issues.
6. Enjoy. Now you just have to cook the meals and enjoy them.

Get $150 off your first 6 orders plus free shipping!

Pros of Blue Apron

• Less meal planning. I know a lot of people don’t enjoy meal planning. I don’t mind it but if you do this can be a big benefit. There are times even in my life when it would be nice to not have to plan meals!
• Less grocery shopping. Finding time for grocery shopping can be a struggle. You will still need to do some but this can help reduce the number of visits. I know many people in my life that struggle with grocery shopping and hate it, this would be a big help to them.
• Better for you than eating out. Eating healthy meals at home can make a big difference in our health. It also means less waste and generally more family time.
• Better ingredients. Blue Apron partners with farmers to bring you sustainable seafood, no antibiotic or hormone meat, and is no-GMO. I shop like this anyway but if you haven’t been this can be a big plus. The steak that came with one of our meals was grass-fed, pasture-raised beef. I was very impressed with the quality.
• Encourages you to try new things. This year is my year to try new things and that includes food. I was a very picky kid and still, can be a bit picky. When meal planning myself I’m more likely to stick with things we know we like. The recipe selection also seemed good.
• Less food waste. Since you get just the amount of the ingredients you need there is less of a chance for waste and less prep time. I’m pretty good at planning meals so this doesn’t happen but I know this is a real struggle for many. I will say I did have some leftover kale because I really don’t like kale, I’m going to use this in smoothies. We also had leftover pizza sauce because it made a LOT. I’m just going to freeze it and use it later. In general, there were fewer leftover ingredients with Blue Apron than when I cook.
• The instructions are very clear. The instructions include photos and are very clear. This would be very helpful for new cooks.
• The food is fresh and delicious. All of the ingredients were very fresh and we enjoyed both meals. I especially liked the pizza and my husband enjoyed the steak meal. It was nice to have meals we both liked.
• Easy to skip weeks or cancel. You can easily skip weeks if you don’t want deliveries. I also went ahead and canceled my account and it was very simple. I had no issues closing it. I didn’t have to communicate with customer service but I’ve heard they are pretty good to work with.

Cons of Blue Apron

• It costs more per meal than when I shop. I’ve done a lot over the years to learn how to grocery shop on a budget, even for organic food, and have it down to a science. This wouldn’t be true if you eat out a lot or waste a lot of food. If you aren’t sure if it’s a good deal for you, add up what you spend on the number of meals you are considering. It also may be worth a bit more for the time and stress savings. (You can get cashback on your first order by using the app Honey when you sign up.)
• Not all ingredients are clearly listed on the recipe card. The recipe cards aren’t written like normal recipes. On the front of the cards, it shows the ingredients from your box that are for the meal but it doesn’t show other ingredients you need, like olive oil. You will find them in the instructions but if you want to prep your ingredients you’ll need to read the card first.
• It’s not food-allergy friendly. If you have food allergies you may want to skip. They provide allergen information and ingredients online approximately 3 weeks before the shipment but they occasionally replace items. They also said that all of their ingredients are produced in a facility that also processes milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soy. And they say they don’t recommend ordering Blue Apron if you have a food allergy.
• There is a lot of waste. They give you information on how to recycle all of the packaging but recycling isn’t the best and there is a lot of plastic. Personally, I live in an area with limited recycling so I’m unable to recycle most of it. I’m not sure why all of the produce needs to be in plastic. It was a lot more packaging than when I grocery shop myself for the same amount of food.

Overall it was a lot of fun to try and we enjoyed the food. I think this would be great for someone who isn’t a very good cook or is just getting started cooking. They give a lot of great detailed information on the recipe making it easier for people that are new to cooking. It also helps teach you about timing and prepping your ingredients. It also makes trying new recipes less scary.

I doubt I will do a regular box anytime soon since I don’t mind shopping, meal planning, or cooking. I do see myself using it from time to time when life gets extra busy.

It’s also a nice thing to give as a gift to someone who is sick, very busy, or a newly married couple. I would have enjoyed having this when we first got married and I was getting into the habit of cooking every night for two people.

I am considering trying other meal-planning services to see how they compare. It was a fun experience that I recommend trying at least once.

Have you tried other meal delivery services? Let me know which ones you have used and what you think of them. I’d love to know how they all compare. 

If after reading my Blue Apron review you want to try Blue Apron for yourself, click here to sign up. Let me know what you think if you try it out.