Facebook PixelBlue Apron vs Plated vs Hello Fresh vs Home Chef – Apr 2016 | MSA
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Blue Apron vs Hello Fresh vs Plated vs Home Chef – Apr 2016

Lindsey Morse
ByLindsey MorseJul 25, 2016 | 7 comments

top 4 meal review

Blue Apron
4.5 overall rating
27 Ratings | 18 Reviews

This month, I reviewed boxes from the top four meal subscription companies: PlatedHello FreshHome Chef, and Blue Apron. To get a sense of how the boxes compare, I’ve outlined all of the meals I received below. I’ve assigned each dish a score out of 5, and I’ve averaged the scores from each box together to get a total box score. Read on to see which box came out on top for me this month!

Check out all of our reviews of Meal Delivery Services to see every meal kit subscription box option!

Plated-April-2016-Box

Plated – Recipes begin at $12 per plate. 2 recipes (4 plates)= $48 per week (+ $6 shipping). 3 recipes (6 plates)= $72 per week (with free shipping). 4 recipes (8 total plates)= $96 per week (with free shipping).

COUPON: Free dinner for two with purchase of 3-dinners plan ($24 value), no coupon required, just use this link.

Check out the full Plated review hereKeep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

Plated-April-2016-SaladPlated

Recipe #1- Pattypan Squash and Watermelon Radish with Rosemary Bread

Calories Per Serving: 510

Cook Time: 35-45 minutes

Score: 4/5 The rosemary bread was phenomenal! The salad was good, too, but points off for being a little small.

Plated-April-2016-NettlePlated

Meal #2- Turkey Ragu with Nettle Pasta

Calories per Serving: 760

Cook Time: 25-35

Score: 5/5 While simple, this dish was SO good. The ragu was packed with flavor, and the nettle pasta helped elevate this straightforward dish into something really special.

Plated-April-2016-MeatballPlated

Meal #3- Chicken Meatballs with Curry Tomato Sauce and Greens

Calories: 540

Cook Time: 25-35

Score: 3.5/5 This dish was tasty, but I felt it was missing something. Maybe spice? Or some chunky onions in the sauce? It also seemed a little odd that Plated didn’t send rice to accompany the meal. (I decided to add it myself.) Maybe it’s just me, but it seemed like the dish was begging for it.

Overall dish score: 4.17/5

Cost per plate: Meals start at $12 per serving. Dessert is $4 per serving.

Number of meals available to choose from each week: 9 meals + 2 desserts (7 standard dishes, plus 2 “Chef’s Table” offerings.)

HomeChef-April-2016-Box

Home Chef – Meals start at $9.95 per serving, and delivery is free for orders over $40.

COUPON: Save $30 off your first box! with coupon code 3PLATESOFF

Check out the full Home Chef review hereKeep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

HomeChef-April-2016-SteakPlated

Meal #1- Beef-and-Sherry “Steak Diane”

Calories: 891 per serving

Prep Time: 40-50 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Score: 4.5/5 This dish was tasty! It was a little rich, maybe, but I’m not sure that’s necessarily bad thing!

HomeChef-April-2016-ChickenPlated

Meal #2- Crispy Dijon Chicken with Parmesan Cauliflower Mash

Calories: 612 per serving

Prep Time: 45-55 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Score: 4.5/5 This was my first time making cauliflower mash, and it was really yummy. The crispy chicken with creamy Dijon sauce was great, too.

HomeChef-April-2016-JerkPlated

Meal #3- Jerk Chicken and Brown Sugar Plantains

Calories: 996 per serving

Prep Time: 40-50 minutes

Difficulty: Expert

Score: 3.5/5 This dish was good, but it didn’t really wow me. The coconut rice was tasty, and I liked Home Chef’s jerk sauce, but there was no discernible heat to it. (I prefer my jerk sauce to have a bit of a kick.)

Overall Score: 4.17/5

Cost per Plate:  Meals start at $12 per serving.

Number of meals available to choose from each week: 10 meals + 1 breakfast + 1 dessert + 1 smoothie

HelloFresh-April-2016-Box

Hello Fresh – The Classic Food Box (for omnivores) starts at $9.90 per person per meal. The Veggie Box (for herbivores) starts at $9.08 per person per meal. The Family Box (for families) costs $8.75 per person per meal.

COUPON: Save $40 off your first box with code CFAHSK

Check out the full Hello Fresh review hereKeep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

HelloFresh-April-2016-PanzanellaPlated

Meal #1- Citrusy Shrimp Panzanella

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Calories per Serving: 599

Score: 5/5 This salad knocked my socks off! It was fresh (yet filling) and the combination of ingredients was simple and delicious.

HelloFresh-April-2016-PorkPlated

Meal #2- Spicy Pork & Kale Soup

Cooking Time: 35 minutes

Calories per Serving: 824

Score: 4.5/5 This dish was fantastic! The savory and spicy flavors were delicious, and I loved the hearty addition of kale.

HelloFresh-April-2016-RisottoPlated

Meal #3- Jamie’s Asparagus & Mushroom Risotto

Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Calories per Serving: 441

Score: 4.5/5 Both the consistency and flavor of this dish were excellent. The lemon added a lovely touch of brightness- perfect for a spring dish!

Overall Score: 4.67/5

Cost per Plate: Hello Fresh starts at $9.90 per serving (for The Classic Box).

Number of meals available to choose from each week: 5 meals

BlueApron-April-2016-Box

Blue Apron – $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.

COUPON: 2 Meals Free on Your First Order, no coupon required, just use this link.

Check out the full Blue Apron review hereKeep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

BlueApron-April-2016-ChickenPlated

Meal #1- Za’atar Chicken & Pearl Couscous with Asparagus and Pink Lemon Compote

Calories: 700 per serving

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20-30 minutes

Score: 4.5/5 This dish was tasty, and I loved the pink lemon compote!

BlueApron-April-2016-BaoPlated

Meal #2- Korean Bao Sliders with Gochujang Mayo & Sweet Potato Tempura

Calories: 700 per serving

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20-30 minutes

Score: 3.5/5 This dish was good, but it didn’t blow me away. I thought the buns could have used a bit of acid (to cut through the meat and mayo).

BlueApron-April-2016-PastaPlated

Meal #3- Creamy Lemon Pasta with English Peas, Mint, and Garlic Breadcrumbs

Calories: 700 per serving

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15-25 minutes

Score: 3/5 This dish was okay. I love the combination of peas, mint, and lemon, so I really enjoyed this flavors, but, despite the name, I didn’t find the dish to be all that creamy. It was a little dry.

Overall Score: 3.67/5

Cost per Plate: Blue Apron costs $9.99 per serving.

Number of meals available to choose from each week: 6 meals (Note: meal choice is limited by the fact that not all combinations of meals are available.)

The Verdict: It’s so much fun looking back at the meals I received this month from Plated, Home Chef, Blue Apron, and Hello Fresh, and it’s very interesting to stack them up against each other to see how they compare! Overall, I enjoyed all four of the meal boxes I received, and there was definitely at least one standout dish from each one. This month’s winner for me, though, has to be Hello Fresh. All of the dishes they sent me this month were outstanding!

Favorite box: Hello Fresh

Yummiest dish: A tie between Hello Fresh’s Citrusy Shrimp Panzanella and Plated’s Turkey Ragu with Nettle Pasta.

Most fun dish to make: Plated’s Pattypan Squash and Watermelon Radish with Rosemary Bread. (I loved making the rosemary rolls!)

Do you subscribe to PlatedHome ChefHello Fresh, or Blue Apron? What were your favorite April dishes?

Starting at $60.95
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Blue Apron (starting at $47.95 per week) is one of the most well-known meal kit delivery service subscription boxes. Blue Apron creates bistro-inspired recipes (for 2 or 4 people) and sends members the pre-portioned ingredients and easy-to-follow instructions they need to complete up to 4 of them... read more.

Lindsey Morse
Lindsey Morse

Lindsey is a professional baker, cold brew coffee addict, and rosé aficionado who loves writing about food and wine. When she’s not sharing her love of subscription boxes with the world, you’ll find her in the podcasting studio, perfecting her cake decorating techniques, or cursing her way through the New York Times daily crossword puzzle. 


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7 comments

chris

Thanks, Lindsey! This is great!

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Kelly

I’m trying Hello Fresh this week after a year of Blue Apron. I enjoyed the Zatar chicken and Korean burgers from BA. Great review, thank you.

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Sharon Tolson

I love Plated! I like that I can choose my own recipes and they are so good. I keep watching the recipes on the others but wasn’t sure if wanted to try any others so this helpful. This is helpful. Has anyone tried Sun Basket?

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jody

fyi, i tried to use the coupon code for Hello Fresh and it would not work. now there is one for less credit. even tho this review is only one day old, maybe it is because it is a new month? i signed up anyway, but unfortunately i guess that means you did not get the referral ):

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jody

and Home Chef doesn’t deliver to me (Northern Colorado)

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Liz Cadman

Sorry about that – just updated with a working coupon code.

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Jen

Yay, I love these comparison reviews!

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