We Tried HelloFresh And Blue Apron And Here's Everything You Should Know
Meal kit delivery boxes are an amazing way to introduce home cooks of all skill levels to new cuisines and techniques. These services deliver all the ingredients required to create accessible, reusable, and delicious recipes right to your doorstep. But which one is right for you?
By now you've undoubtedly heard of Blue Apron. Founded in 2012 out of a small kitchen in Queens, New York, Blue Apron has grown to become the Kleenex of meal subscription boxes, at one point providing weekly meals to over one million customers.
The other big name in the game, and Blue Apron’s biggest competitor, is HelloFresh. After starting in Germany, HelloFresh has blown up in recent years and is now touting themselves as "America's Most Popular Meal Kit."
To determine which subscription is better, I cooked from both. And, of course, I tried everything (and took excruciatingly detailed notes). Each boxed was judged based on the following:
Price
Specialized Diet
Fun Factor
Packaging
Degree of Difficulty
Taste
To be honest, it was really hard to determine an overall winner. Each box had their merits which you can see outlined in detail below.
With all of these subscription services, the more you order the more you save. Blue Apron and HelloFresh’s cheapest options are the same at $7.50/serving when ordering for a family of four and HelloFresh ($8.99/serving) slightly beats out Blue Apron ($9.99/serving) when cooking for two people. However, many of Blue Apron's options offer free shipping, but with Hello Fresh, it's a $7.99 flat rate. Another thing to consider: You can usually find special promos to save a couple bucks on both boxes.
Winner: Tie
Each of these services allow you to pick from a variety of dishes for your weekly menu, but if you have other dietary restrictions or preferences you’re in luck! Blue Apron offers both a Signature and Vegetarian option for their meal kits. HelloFresh, however, excels here offering a plethora of options including Meat and Veg, Vegetarian, Family Friendly and Low-Calorie. They also offer individual menu items each week that are specifically labeled as pescatarian, paleo or gluten-free. I believe HelloFresh has really set itself apart in this category, going above and beyond to ensure that many different diets are accounted for in their weekly menu options.
Winner: HelloFresh
Though meal kits are typically thought of as being for novice cooks, I was so excited that recipes from both boxes were new and inspiring to me, a test kitchen professional whose job it is to cook all day. HelloFresh's recipes are extremely approachable, and the preparation was a bit more straightforward. With Blue Apron, I consistently found new techniques on the recipe cards that excited me. It's clear that Blue Apron intends for their customers to open up their culinary horizons to embrace different techniques and international flavors. I was obsessed with new ideas like topping a Beyond Burger with sautéed poblanos and pickled jalapeño or adding preserved lemon to yogurt to make a bright and citrusy sauce for chicken. For those looking to expand their cooking repertoire we recommend Blue Apron.
Winner: Blue Apron
Though they sometimes get a bad rap for the amount of packaging that comes with these boxes, research has found that meal kit delivery services often have a much lower carbon footprint than the supermarket equivalent. Both Blue Apron and HelloFresh go a long way to ensure they minimize their packaging as much as possible. They each provided instructions on how to properly recycle their cooling packs for keeping the food cold in transit to your house. However, if you want to go the extra mile in minimizing waste, then HelloFresh is the choice for you. Each recipe is placed in its own recyclable brown bag and they ensure that any produce that can be packed safely without its own container, are placed in it. Additionally we found there was far less plastic and total trash produced (less than half the amount!) by the HelloFresh meal kits.
Winner: HelloFresh
The best thing about these boxes are their ability to help educate and excite customers, regardless of how new they are to cooking. Both boxes provide thorough and easy to follow recipe cards that they encourage you to save, reuse and revise to your heart's content.
Blue Apron recipes but often require a little more prep to accomplish. I found that HelloFresh’s recipes provided a bit more detail and were slightly easier to follow. I loved the Vegetable Bibimbap recipe that walked me through how to cook each vegetable to perfection, all while preparing delicious ginger rice without being overwhelmed. They provide full nutritional facts for each dish, as well as a detailed list of all additional equipment of ingredients that a given recipe might require. This sort of information can be vital to beginner home cooks.
Winner: HelloFresh
These boxes could be the most convenient, unique and sustainable weeknight dinner options, but if the food doesn't taste good, no one is going to bother preheating their ovens. And I happily found that Blue Apron and HelloFresh were quite good. But if I had to choose a favorite, the recipes from Blue Apron felt a little more well balanced and composed. For example, Blue Apron's Salmon with Shallot-Date Sauce matched a well-seasoned and slightly smokey salmon fillet with a kale salad filled with savory roast vegetables, all topped with sweet and salty sauce and some crunchy pistachios. That recipe featured almost everything I look for in a recipe: a balance of flavors, a variety of textures and that it factor that keeps us from putting our forks down.
Winner: Blue Apron
Both of these boxes are outstanding. What box you like best will ultimately come down to the type of cook you are. If you're new to cooking, or someone with dietary restrictions, then I recommend HelloFresh. However, if you're a novice home chef looking to expand your horizons and learn some new and unique recipes, BlueApron checks all the boxes.
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