Meal-kit delivery services are a booming business, and that was before a global quarantine made the idea of receiving fresh food in the mail even more appealing. When you subscribe to these services, you get weekly packages containing all the components necessary to cook fantastic meals without the hassle of going to the grocery store or coming up with your own recipes. These days, a variety of meal kits serve a variety of needs. Just as we have favorite restaurants, Blue Apron and HelloFresh loom large as the meal-kit delivery services most home chefs turn to again and again. If you’re interested in this convenient culinary revolution, which service should you pick?
How Much Do Meal-Kit Delivery Services Cost?
In general, meal kits tend to have reasonable prices per serving. After all, their chefs don’t have to do the hard work of cooking the food—that’s your job. On average, Blue Apron costs $7.49 to $9.99 per serving, while HelloFresh comes in slightly more expensive at $9.99 to $12.99 per serving. Blue Apron asks you to do more cooking work, which might explain the lower price.
The prices may fluctuate depending on the subscription plan, or if you choose to order a meal with premium ingredients. Blue Apron offers free shipping except for its smallest, two-meal plan, which costs $7.99 for shipping. HelloFresh charges $7.99 for shipping no matter the plan. Both services deliver anywhere in the United States, except for Alaska and Hawaii, a common limitation for meal-kit delivery services.
Winner: Blue Apron
What’s on the Menu?
While more meal kits try to differentiate themselves by offering specialty menus (such as healthy vegetarian and vegan services) Blue Apron and HelloFresh aim for the omnivore mainstream. Specific menus change week to week, but expect the same overall styles of food every time.
At the time of this writing, HelloFresh offered Beef & Veggie Bibimbap, Chicken Sausage and White Bean Soup, Triple Mushroom Truffle Gnocchi, and more than a dozen extra items for the week. Over the past months my partner and I have used the service, I’ve rarely seen meals repeat, the selection is just that impressive. If you have any special dietary needs, such as a peanut allergy or a keto plan you’re trying to stick to, you’ll need to factor that into your browsing. Still, chances are you’ll find something to enjoy.
Blue Apron’s meals seem a tad simpler by comparison, but there’s a good reason for that. Blue Apron asks you to do more cooking work yourself, so it can’t overwhelm you with complexity. Besides, the meals are still plenty appetizing. At the time of this writing, some of the menu items included Cajun Chicken and Rice, Pan-Seared Trout & Calabrian Chile Sauce, and Three Cheese Pizza. There’s an entirely vegetarian subscription plan, but no vegan options, and you’ll have to read over recipes yourself to find potential allergens.
Winner: HelloFresh
Open the Box
You’ll become familiar with the boxes that arrive at their door every week. Fortunately, Blue Apron and HelloFresh both make it easy to recycle their cardboard containers, and the companies try to reduce the amount of plastic they use. To keep fresh and raw ingredients safe and cold during transit, boxes contain packs of frozen gel. Blue Apron even lets you dump this coolant down your sink, whereas you must throw out the artificial ice blocks that come with HelloFresh.
In line with Blue Apron’s philosophy of asking a little more effort from you, its food all comes in one big package (aside from some select ingredients), so it’s up to you to properly sort them when it’s time to follow one of the recipes. Contrast that with HelloFresh, which separates each meal into its own paper bag inside the box, with the exception of raw meat that’s arranged as close to the ice as possible. This makes it easy to slot meals into your fridge and get started on just the one you want.
Winner: HelloFresh
In the Kitchen
Most meal-kit services can’t help but teach you a little about cooking, but Blue Apron acts as an educational tool for novice chefs. It wants you to have the real experience of taking a box of fresh food and turning into a high-quality meal with your own two hands. Along with the recipe cards, the mobile app provides all sorts of detailed information on seasoning and knife skills; it’s like a helpful, personal cooking channel. Turning cooking into an activity this accessible will make you appreciate how much skill it takes to make a tasty, attractive meal.
Meanwhile, HelloFresh makes meal prep as simple as possible without sending you the finished product the way some other pre-prepared, meal-kit services do. Its menu even tells you which meals are “lightning prep,” and take virtually no time to finish. Big recipe cards with beautiful images walk you through recipes step by step, and there are rarely an intimidating number of steps. Cut up some vegetables. Bake or saute a protein. Add in the pre-mixed spice or sauce packet. You should be able to wrap your head around this in no time, even if you have no cooking experience.
With either service, you won’t need to worry about supplying your own ingredients aside from basics like salt, pepper, and oil. However, you should do some research on upcoming meals just to make sure you have the proper utensils and appliances.
Winner: Blue Apron
The Taste Test
Few things are as subjective as your literal taste in food, and multiple PCMag writers have had generally good things to say about the food from both Blue Apron and HelloFresh. They’re both Editors’ Choice picks. So when comparing these services, we also need to look at other factors. Blue Apron is cheaper, and highly recommended if you want your meal kit to teach you about cooking throughout the process. However, with its diverse menu and convenient preparation, HelloFresh edges it out as the meal-kit delivery service we recommend to hungry home chefs.
Overall Winner: HelloFresh
