Cooking can be fun! And when you create something so delicious, the feeling of accomplishment is great. But cooking can also be annoying when you have to make a meal plan week-after-week, go grocery shopping, prep produce, and spend hours in the kitchen. For some this may be therapeutic, but for me…STRESSFUL. I have little kids running around begging for attention, and don’t have a lot of time or energy to give to meals. Are you feeling the same? That’s what makes meal delivery subscriptions like Blue Apron and Home Chef so great, because they take a lot of the tedious work out of cooking, and leave you with the enjoyable tasks of creation and eating your delicious meal. Let’s compare these two subscriptions, and see which one is our favorite!
The main difference between Blue Apron and Home Chef is the cost. Blue Apron is a bit easier on the wallet, but they also don’t offer as many options as far as meal types and serving sizes as Home Chef does. Home Chef overall seems to give you more options in every way, but let’s keep comparing these two subscription services to see how they work…
How Do They Work
Let’s get the lay of how each of these meal delivery subscription services work.
Blue Apron
Blue Apron is a meal delivery service that helps the chef-in-you make delicious meals at home without the hassle of prep and forethought. No need to cut up all those veggies, or even grocery shop, Blue Apron does it all for you. That sounds pretty nice, right?
To get started with a Blue Apron subscription, you’ll head to their website and follow the prompts to sign up. You’ll inform Blue Apron of your meal preferences and how many meals/serving sizes you’ll need per week. You’ll be able to see your estimated order total. The more meals you get per week, the lower the cost-per-serving is. Then you’ll check out, choose your meals and delivery date, and eagerly await your Blue Apron subscription! Blue Chef sources the ingredients for your meals from high-quality vendors, and they support farmers that use sustainable and clean farming practices. All of the ingredients they source are non-GMO.
If you decide you’d like to skip a week, or cancel your subscription, you can do so easily in your online account. You can even order an extra box if you’d like more food one week!
Let’s take a look at Blue Aprons plan options…
|
Plans |
Serving Size |
How Many Meals per Week |
Estimated Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
|
2-Serving Signature |
Feeds a family of 2. |
2, 3, or 4 meals per week |
$48 – $76 |
|
4-Serving Signature |
Feeds a family of 4. |
2, 3, or 4 meals per week |
$76 – $128 |
*** Blue Apron also offers a Vegetarian Plan for 2. With this plan you’ll receive 3 vegetarian recipes each week perfect for a family of 2.
Pricing for a Blue Apron subscription depends on a few things… which plan you choose and the number of recipes you’d like to receive every week. You can choose various types of meals, from easy prep to no prep, that can affect the price of your box as well. You’ll also pay for shipping and sales tax. Blue Apron delivers to the contiguous US.
Lastly, Blue Apron also offers access to the “Butchers Bundle,” which is an add-on to your box of chef-curated bundles of meat/seafood. These bundles will give you high-quality meat and fish options that you can use in any of your Blue Apron meals throughout the week, or any other way you’d like to use them. There are four different bundle options to choose from currently, and they range in price from $69.99 to $119.99. Check it out!
Home Chef
Home Chef is also a meal subscription service that delivers everything you need to make a quick and easy meal. No need to worry about grocery shopping or meal planning every week! Some other perks of this subscription is that you have access to a very large selection of meals to choose from every week, and Home Chef also has a flexible subscription plan. Let’s see how Home Chef works…
If you’d like to get started with a Home Chef subscription, you’ll head to their website to sign up. You’ll be asked a few questions right upfront, such as: the type of subscription plan you want, your dietary preferences, and foods you may want to avoid. Home Chef delivers to 98% of the states in the contiguous US, but you’ll have to check and make sure your area is one of them. Once everything is squared away, you’ll start your subscription, pick your first meals and customize the delivery date. Home Chef then sources the best ingredients for your meals, and then ships your stuff out to you. It’ll arrive in a box that is insulated to make sure all of your ingredients are fresh upon arrival. You don’t need to be home for delivery, but it’s best to get things in the fridge as quickly as you can.
If you decide you’d like to skip a week or cancel your subscription, you can do so easily in your online account until Fridays at noon.
Home Chef has two different types of meal options: “Home Chef Menus” are recipes that take about 30 minutes to make, and then there’s “Fresh and Easy” which is low to no meal prep for quicker meals. These are both ideal for the person who has very little time, but doesnt want to eat out every night. The meals for both of these options look absolutely delicious, and you really do have so many options to try! Vegetarian, family-friendly recipes, express meals, etc.
The pricing for a Home Chef meal subscription varies depending on how many serving sizes and the type of meals that you request every week. Standard meals start at $9.99 per serving, but as I said, that can fluctuate and we’ll talk more about it in the “pricing” section of this post.
Pros/Cons
Here’s a list of Pros/Cons for both Blue Apron and Home Chef.
Blue Apron
|
PROS |
CONS |
|---|---|
|
Cheaper than other meal subscription services. |
More limited subscription and serving size options. |
|
Supports farmers using clean practices. |
Shipping isn’t free. |
|
Non-GMO foods only. | |
|
Services the contiguous US | |
|
Environmentally friendly. |
Home Chef
|
PROS |
CONS |
|---|---|
|
Home Chef sources high-quality ingredients. |
Can be pricey depending on the meals you choose, and the amount of serving sizes. |
|
There are a lot of meal options to choose from each week for easy variety. |
Shipping isn’t free. It’s $10.99 per box. |
|
Home Chef has great meal options for people who want to spend minimal time grocery shopping or cooking. |
Home Chef does not have as many dietary preference options. |
|
Also great for people who want to try different recipes and skill levels. | |
|
Services 98% of the United States. |
How Much Do They Cost
Here’s a general breakdown of the costs associated with each of these subscription boxes. These are just estimates. Your exact cost will be known when you choose your menu and serving sizes.
Blue Apron
The cost of your Blue Apron subscription can vary significantly based on the number of meals and servings you decide you’d like to receive each week. Here’s a general estimate of the cost, but once again, that will vary based on the types of meals you choose.
|
Estimated cost plan/meals per week |
Signature for 2 |
Signature for 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
2 meals per week |
$47.96 |
$75.92 | |
|
3 meals per week |
$54.94 |
$101.88 | |
|
4 meals per week |
$75.92 |
$127.84 |
You’ll also be responsible for shipping ($9.99 per box) and taxes. Blue Apron currently has a promotion that gives you your first box free.
Home Chef
The cost of your Home Chef subscription will vary each week based on a few factors. In general, each serving is about $9.99 for their standard meal selection. Home Chef initially estimates how much your box will cost based on the amount of servings and meals you’d like to receive each week. As an example: for 4 meals a week, with 4 servings per meal, you’ll get an estimate that your box will cost $150 that week. But if the next week you choose a different meal that costs more or less, same servings and same meal amount, then the price you pay could fluctuate up.
To receive your weekly order, you do have to spend a minimum of $49.95, and you’ll also be responsible for covering shipping for each box. This is about $10.99 plus tax.
What Will I Get in my Box?
Each box will come with all the ingredients you’ll need to complete your delicious meals.
Blue Apron
Your Blue Apron box will show up on your doorstep in an eco-friendly insulated box. It’ll have all the ingredients, including spices, that you need for your recipe. They’ll also include a recipe card that has easy-to-follow instructions. Blue Apron strives to source the best products for you to eat, and pays special attention to good farming practices, and non-GMO items.
Home Chef
Each week, you’ll have your Home Chef meals delivered straight to your doorstep in their insulated packaging to keep everything fresh and safe. When you open your box, you’ll notice that each meal has pre-portioned ingredients for easy cooking. You’ll also receive instructions on how to make your meals for the upcoming week. If you ordered oven ready or fresh and easy meals, then you’ll receive those meals all put together and ready to be refrigerated until you cook them.
Home Chef works hard to source their food from high-quality reputable suppliers, and try to offer meals that are in season. They don’t focus on organic products, but you may receive some of those in the mail as well.
Final Thoughts
Cooking can be fun, but it can be even MORE fun when you cut out the meal planning, grocery shopping and prep work. The two meal delivery subscription boxes we compared do just that for us. Overall, it seems that Blue Apron is the more budget friendly of the two options, but Home Fresh gives you a larger meal selection week after week. Blue Apron is also more limited in serving size options when signing up for a subscription, but they take pride in being very environmentally friendly.
We personally like Home Chef better, because there are, quite frankly, more options for you to choose from. If budget is of concern, you could stick to the standard meals with Home Chef vs trying some of the pricier meal options. But that’s just it. YOU have the option to do what’s right for your budget and your family.
Have you tried either Blue Apron or Home Chef before? What was your experience?
