Blue Apron is a subscription meal delivery service. Every week, they send seasonal recipes created by their culinary team and all of the pre-measured ingredients you need to make them at home.
Check out all of our reviews of Meal Delivery Services to see every meal kit subscription box option!
In addition to their 2-Person Subscription Plan, which features seasonally-inspired meals for two, Blue Apron also offers a Family Plan that features kid-friendly recipes and family-style meals for four. (Note that this is a review of the 2-Person Subscription Plan.)
Blue Apron also offers a monthly add-on wine subscription. You can find a review of that subscription here.
It’s easy to skip deliveries and cancel your subscription through the Blue Apron website.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
The Subscription Box: Blue Apron
The Cost: $59.94 for 3 recipes on the 2-Person Plan, $69.92 for 2 recipes on the Family Plan, $139.84 for 4 recipes on the Family Plan.
The Products: Fresh ingredients and recipes to make healthy meals at home.
Ships to: US
Check out all of our Blue Apron Reviews and find other meal boxes in the Meal Subscription Box Directory!
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When I placed my order with Blue Apron, I was automatically assigned 3 recipes; however, it was easy to go back into my account to pick new ones. Certain combinations of dishes are not allowed, though, so depending on which recipes I selected first, certain other recipes became unavailable.
(Check out the weekly Blue Apron Menu to see what's coming up!)
This box contained a fold-out newspaper with information about what’s in season now.
Unlike many meal boxes, Blue Apron doesn’t group their ingredients by recipe. I like that this limits packaging, but it does slow down the meal preparation process slightly. (I also try to quarantine the Blue Apron ingredients in my fridge, so I don’t use a recipe ingredient for something else by mistake.) The “knick knacks” for each recipe are bagged together, though, which helps.
Inside each baggie of knick knacks, I received a list of the nutritional information for each recipe. This is a new addition, and I think it’s a nice touch!
This box also included a complimentary sample of Kind bars.
Recipe #1- Seared Salmon with Glazed Carrots & Saffron-Yogurt Sauce
Calories: 500 per serving
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20-30 minutes
When I was picking my meals for this week, I noticed that this recipe is part of Blue Apron’s “Guest Chef Series.” I think this is the first time I’ve received a guest recipe, so I think this is a new venture. This recipe was created by Zachary Engel of New Orleans’ Shaya.
Blue Apron always provides clear, step-by-step instructions for every recipe with color photos that illustrate each step.
Before I got started cooking, I prepped my ingredients.
I boiled the potatoes and cooked carrots and garlic in a sauté pan. When the carrots softened, I added honey, cumin, and orange juice to create a sticky glaze. I then stirred the carrots into the drained, cooked potatoes and followed with some lemon juice, cilantro, and aleppo pepper.
Next, I seared salmon in a hot skillet and I made a saffron-yogurt sauce by combining saffron, lemon juice, yogurt, lemon zest, aleppo pepper, salt, and pepper.
When the salmon was ready, I plated it on top of a bed of veggies with some sauce on top and a pinch of cilantro.
This dish was really pretty, but I don’t think the flavors quite work. Conceptually, I like the idea of all the different components together, but the completed dish didn’t live up to my expectations. I think maybe the carrots were just too sweet for my liking, which threw off the balance of this dish for me.
Recipe #2- South Indian Squash Curry with Jasmine Rice
Calories: 570 per serving
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25-35 minutes
My husband and I LOVE Indian food. It’s our favorite cuisine for takeout, and we make it at home pretty regularly. I’m always looking for new recipes, so I jumped at the opportunity to try this squash curry!
I began by cooking the rice for this dish and cleaning and chopping the veggies.
I sautéed cubed squash in a Dutch oven until soft, and then I added in garlic, ginger, and a provided packet of South Indian curry spices. I stirred everything together for about a minute and then added in minced celery and sliced shallots.
After a few minutes, I added in coconut milk and stirred the curry over low heat until it thickened.
When it reached a nice, curry-like consistency, I plated it over rice with some cilantro.
This curry was really tasty! I don’t think I’ve ever put squash in curry before, but I really like how it added sweetness to this dish. I’d like to make this again soon, with a little bit more heat. This was just a bit mild for my palate, and I think some spice will be delicious with the creamy, coconut sauce.
Recipe #3- Crispy Chicken with Mashed Potato & Spicy Collard Greens
Calories: 580 per serving
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25-35 minutes
My last pick for this week was crispy chicken. I very rarely fry at home, but I love fried chicken! Collards are a favorite of mine, too, so I couldn’t pass this dish up!
Prep for this dish was really easy. I removed the stems from the collards, washed them, and chopped up the leaves. I also chopped the included potato and minced some garlic.
I began by making the mashed potatoes (I boiled them and then whipped them with some butter) and sautéing the collard greeds with garlic and a little apple cider vinegar.
For the chicken, I seasoned thighs, tossed them in flour, and then fried them in a shallow pan filled about a centimeter full with vegetable oil.
I served the chicken with some barbecue and ranch sauce for dipping, and both my husband and I thought this dish was really comforting. It wasn’t the best fried chicken I’ve ever had, but it still seemed like a treat.
Verdict: I enjoyed this box from Blue Apron and the fried chicken and the squash curry were both really tasty. (I’m looking forward to making the curry again soon!) Value wise, Blue Apron is competitively priced (about the same cost per meal as Hello Fresh and cheaper than Plated), and I do feel that the ingredients they send are high quality. The biggest issue for me is with their meal variety. I really wish they would offer more choices each week and allow for every possible combination of dishes.
Do you subscribe to Blue Apron? Which meals did you pick this week?
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