Our first delivery of Blue Apron was free (my sister had a coupon code and offered it to me). I have continued to purchase Blue Apron meals at full price. When I wrote this review, I was in no way affiliated with or had a business relationship with Blue Apron. Since then I have reached out to Blue Apron to become an affiliate. My affiliate link appears in this post.

AT HOME MEAL DELIVERY SERVICE REVIEW:

BLUE APRON

When my sister called me and told me she could “gift me” a free box from Blue Apron (which bills itself as “an American ingredient-and-recipe meal kit service” that operates in the United States), I actually thought she was just paying for it for her destitute sister. She knew money had been tight for the last few months so I thought she was just being nice. It turns out that Blue Apron was just being nice. My sister had gotten her free box from a friend, and when she ordered her first box, Blue Apron allowed her to gift 3 boxes. I was the lucky recipient of that box. The following is my Meal Delivery Service Review: Blue Apron Edition.

THE GOOD – Meal Delivery Service Review: Blue Apron

• The sign-up process and managing your account is easy
• The recipes are fairly quick (20-40 mins) to make
• Clear Instructions – I have my son help me sometimes and give him parts of the recipe to make. My husband, who can make hot dogs, hamburgers, a fantastic pancake, and a few other offerings, has no trouble making these recipes following the instructions on the recipe card.

• DELICIOUS – We have loved almost all the offerings we have selected. The ones we haven’t loved, we have liked.
• EVERYTHING INCLUDED: All spices, seasonings, foods, condiments are packaged into the weekly box. The only thing not included is salt, pepper, and olive oil to sauté. If a recipe calls for another type of oil like sesame, that will be included.
• FRESH: The ingredients are super fresh. The fruits, vegetables and meat are fresher than I can get at my local grocery store.
• Meal selections are for 2 or 4 people. We do get the 2 person option (and there are 8 options to choose from). As a family of 5 we just add additional meat and another side and have plenty of food. The 4 person option has “family friendly” meals, but you only have 4 options each week (see below).

• We do like the portion sizes which should give you leftovers or feed more than 2 people.
• I love the fact that I can try a recipe without purchasing an entire bottle of an ingredient that I end up throwing out at a later date.
• Vegetarian options are available
• Online Access to all recipes – even the weeks you skip.
• Our cost is $59.94 a week which includes shipping. Overall this ends up saving me money because I don’t have to run to the grocery store as often. I am not purchasing bottles of rarely used spices, condiments, etc. that end up adding to the grocery bill. AND I am not impulse buying which quickly adds up.
• The company does have a recycling program. Simply save 2 or more boxes and packaging and print off a return label. Instructions are on the website for what to include and how to proceed with that option.
• Skipping weeks is easy. You simply log into your account, select UPCOMING, and then select the Manage Button (see screenshot)

The screenshot for Skipping deliveries is below. It does usually take one cycle to change the day of the week for delivery.

THE BAD – Meal Delivery Service Review: Blue Apron

•  The recipes must be cooked by hand by the customer and all food needs to be chopped, diced, etc. If you are expecting pre-cooked meals that you just reheat, you will be disappointed.
• When you sign up for your free box, Blue Apron does require a credit card.
• They will automatically send you boxes each week with meals they preselect if you forget to skip or select meals.
• You have to remember to skip delivery. There are no email reminders to select your meals or skip the weeks selection.
• You cannot cancel the service online. After looking on the website and not finding the information, I did manage to find the following:“If you decide to cancel your account, contact our Customer Experience team at [email protected], and we’ll send you an email with instructions on how to complete the cancellation process.”
• Allergy friendly and gluten-free options are not available. My daughter and I are both gluten-free, but I have easily modified the recipes to fit our needs.
• If you do not read over each meal carefully, it is easy to select a vegetarian option without realizing it.
• The cost is $59.94 for a box with three meals (that serve 2 people each). This includes shipping. Some people think this is excessive, but for our family, I find it reasonable.

THE UGLY – Meal Delivery Service Review: Blue Apron

• EVERY.SINGLE.SHIPMENT has been missing an ingredient. The first box was missing a major ingredient. I called Blue Apron and they gave me a credit towards my next box. I decided to try again, and my next box was missing another ingredient. After calling them again, they gave me my third box at half-off. Most the time I have not even called to let them know I am missing an ingredient. And it is usually a minor item that I already have in my house – garlic cloves, an apple, etc. But this is super annoying. There clearly are problems in the warehouse. Ironically, the people I know that have tried Blue Apron based on my recommendation have not had this problem.

MY OVERALL RECOMMENDATION – Meal Delivery Service Review: Blue Apron

I have received a total of 6 weekly boxes over the last 3 months. I love not visiting the grocery store as often which saves me money in the long run. Additionally, I love not purchasing a specialty cheese or spice and throwing out what goes unused.

Even in spite of the missing ingredients, I would whole-heartedly recommend Blue Apron as a meal delivery service. TO SIGN UP FOR BLUE APRON (OR FOR MORE INFORMATION), VISIT BLUE APRON.

Have you tried a similar meal delivery service? Drop me a line and let me know your thoughts! Read my review of Hello Fresh HERE!

I will be trying additional meal services in the future.