Home Chef vs Blue Apron 2023

    If you are looking for a reliable meal kit delivery service, get ready to find an abundance of possible solutions. To make your job easier, we decided to compare two of the best options on the market: Home Chef vs Blue Apron. There are many similarities between these two services. They both deliver nationwide, offer flexible subscriptions, different plans, and recyclable packaging. However, there are also different features that make each one unique. For example, Blue Apron stands out through its well-balanced sophisticated recipes and guest chefs. Home Chef offers the possibility to customize your protein source and also provides ready-to-serve meals. But how can you decide which one is better for you? This honest comparison will help you choose a meal delivery service that’s right for your lifestyle, budget, and dietary needs.

    Home Chef

    A few words about Home Chef from our experts

    Home Chef is a well-reputed subscription-based meal kit delivery service. Why? Because they provide pre-portioned meals with easy-to-understand recipe cards for the simplified cooking experience. Their weekly rotating menus contain more than 20 recipes for the customers. Home Chef provides several meal options that require minimal preparation or are oven-ready. You can expect affordable prices, too, starting from $6.99 per serving.

    Blue Apron

    A few words about Blue Apron from our experts

    Blue Apron is a US-based prepared meal delivery service that provides healthy meals sourced from local farmers. This popular subscription serves 2-5 people with their solo/couple and family plans. Their meal options include vegetarian, meat, and weight-watchers-approved recipes. Enjoy fresh, sustainable restaurant-like meals that are GMO-free. You can expect affordable prices, which can go as low as $7.49 per serving.

    Offered Meals Plans & Pricing

    Plan name

    2 Servings

    Cost Per Serving

    $10 /meal $10 Shipping

    Plan name

    Standard 2 Servings

    Cost Per Serving

    $9.99 /meal $7.99 Shipping

    Plan name

    2 Servings

    Cost Per Serving

    $6.99 /meal $10 Shipping

    Plan name

    2 people and 3 servings 2 Servings

    Cost Per Serving

    $9.99 /meal Free Shipping

    Plan name

    2 Servings

    Cost Per Serving

    $6.99 /meal $10 Shipping

    Plan name

    - Vegetarian 2 Servings

    Cost Per Serving

    $9.99 /meal Free Shipping

    Plan name

    2 Servings

    Cost Per Serving

    $6.99 /meal $10 Shipping

    Plan name

    - Vegetarian 2 Servings

    Cost Per Serving

    $9.99 /meal $7.99 Shipping

    Plan name

    2 Servings

    Cost Per Serving

    $6.99 /meal $10 Shipping

    Plan name

    4 people and 2 servings 4 Servings

    Cost Per Serving

    $8.99 /meal Free Shipping

    Plan name

    2 Servings

    Cost Per Serving

    $6.99 /meal $10 Shipping

    Plan name

    4 people and 3 servings 4 Servings

    Cost Per Serving

    $7.99 /meal Free Shipping

    Plan name

    2 Servings

    Cost Per Serving

    $6.99 /meal $10 Shipping

    Plan name

    4 people and 3 servings 4 Servings

    Cost Per Serving

    $7.49 /meal Free Shipping

    Plan name

    2 Servings

    Cost Per Serving

    $6.99 /meal $10 Shipping

    Plan name

    2 Servings

    Cost Per Serving

    $6.99 /meal $10 Shipping

    Plan name

    2 Servings

    Cost Per Serving

    $6.99 /meal $10 Shipping

    When it comes to food quantity, Home Chef is the clear winner this time. The price is also better if you choose this company. You can order as much as you want and have enough leftovers to eat during the rest of the week. Home Chef is also a viable option for those planning to feed their families healthy meals. It’s not a secret that people want meal options that are good for them but they also want food that tastes great. In this regard, you are the only only one who can decide which one of the two options is the best. People’s tastes are different and this can make or break a deal, regardless of the tips we give you.

    Meal Types & Cook Time

    Meal Variety

    Meal Variety

    2 to 10 Recipes /per week
    2 to 4 Recipes /per week

    Prep & Cook Time

    Prep & Cook Time

    10-40 min.
    20-60 min.

    Dietary Preferences

    Dietary Preferences

    • Soy free Soy free
    • Vegetarian Vegetarian
    • Low Carb Low Carb
    • Low Calorie Low Calorie
    • Healthy Eating Healthy Eating
    • Wellness Wellness
    • Weight Watchers Weight Watchers
    • Vegetarian Vegetarian
    • Balance Balance
    • Almond Free Almond Free

    Quality of ingredients

    Quality of ingredients

    Excellent
    Excellent

    Home Chef offers over 21 different meal options to choose from each week and many of them only take about five minutes to prep without any cooking. For example, their salads. This company allows you to customize every meal so you can enjoy some variety, in case you are getting bored of eating the same meals. Blue Apron offers only 11 meal options per menu but they are fully customizable too. Unfortunately, those customizations are only available for the protein portion of the selected meals. Blue Apron focuses on using non-GMO ingredients. Both companies offer various meals from different kinds of cuisines, including Italian, Mexican, and Asian. Blue Apron has GMO-free options too if that’s important for you. Home Chef wins this one again because of how easy it is to customize every meal you order and because of their larger number of available meal options.

    Packaging & Ordering Process

    Packaging

    Packaging

    • Plastic
    • Foil / Cotton Liners
    • Ice Packs
    • 100% Recyclable Package
    • Sustainable Forestry Initiative
    • Plastic
    • Foil / Cotton Liners
    • Ice Packs
    • 100% Recyclable Package
    • Sustainable Forestry Initiative

    Ordering Process

    Ordering Process

    • Fast Delivery
    • In-App ordering
    • Fast Delivery
    • In-App ordering

    Even though the food is the main focus here, the delivery box in which you get it is also important. Being healthy is one thing, but you also want to make sure that your order has as little impact on the environment as possible. Because of this, Blue Apron is the winner.

    As for the ordering process, Home Chef lets you set your meal preferences and the number of meals you want to receive each week. You can also tell them how many people you are feeding with each meal. Then you can select which meals you would like to receive, each of them at a different price. Blue Apron also gives you the option of setting the number of meals and dinners each week. However, instead of paying different prices for different meals, you only pay for the standard price plan. Blue Apron is the winner here.

    Customer Support & Shipping

    Customer Support

    Customer Support

    • Email
    • Telephone
    • Live chat
    • In-App
    • Email
    • Telephone
    • Live chat
    • In-App

    Shipping

    Shipping

    • 98% of the US - not Alaska or Hawaii. Also has blackout areas in parts of Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, Oklahoma, California, Oregon, and Washington
    • $10 or free shipping when you spend $40 or more
    • 48 US states - not available in Alaska or Hawaii
    • $7.99 or free with some subscriptions

    Whenever you have an issue, you want it to be taken care of immediately. That’s where the customer service options of these companies come in. Both Home Chef and Blue Apron provide client support through phone or by email, making it easy for you to get help. However, the Home Chef customer service also allows you to submit requests online so you can save time and do something else while waiting for a solution to your problem. Both websites provide a FAQ section that you can look through to see if your questions have already been answered. As for shipping, both services are available in all 48 states. If you want to enjoy the Blue Apron wine delivery, you should know that only certain states qualify for it. In this case, both companies win because they provide similar shipping and customer support services.

    Sample Meals

    Most Ordered Meal

    Most Ordered Meal

    Basil Pesto Salmon with grape tomatoes and goat cheese orzo

    • Prep & Cook Time: 25-35 min
    • Difficulty Level: Moderate
    $ 7.99 / Meal when ordering 3 or more meals per week

    Crispy Skin Trout Fillets with Creamy Chowder-Style Potatoes & Pancetta

    • Prep & Cook Time: 35-40 min
    • Difficulty Level: Easy
    $ 7.49 / Meal

    More Meals

    More Meals

    Huli Huli Chicken Rice Bowl with charred pineapple

    Read more about the dish

    Shawarma-Spiced Vegetable and Couscous Bowls with Arugula & Roasted Lemon Yogurt

    Read more about the dish

    Tex-Mex-Style Pork-Stuffed Peppers with enchilada sauce and Oaxacan cheese

    Read more about the dish

    Teriyaki Tilapia with Vegetables and Garlic-Ginger Rice

    Read more about the dish

    When it comes to watching what you eat, especially for a restrictive diet, you will do a lot better going with Home Chef. They have more diversity when it comes to picking out meals to suit your health needs. However, despite the quality of Blue Apron’s ingredients, Home Chef makes it much easier to put your meals together and still have them taste great and therefore takes the cake once more on this one. Home Chef uses only organic products from reputable food sources. They focus on “farm to table” and “sea to table” to ensure that the freshest ingredients possible are brought to your table. Blue Apron is also “farm to table” and uses organic ingredients. They pride themselves on using non-GMO ingredients and antibiotics- and hormones-free meat. There’s no dispute here, as Blue Apron offers more when it comes to fresh and healthy ingredients. That is probably why their meals come with a heavier price tag and it’s important to know these details before deciding solely based on price.

    Overall Winner: Home Chef !

    Home Chef is the overall winner as the most subscribed meal kit delivery company. This well-reputed company ensures simplified meal options to customers at reasonable prices while ensuring high-quality meal ingredients and easy recipes. With 2-10 recipes every week, their weekly rotating menu comes with a full customizability option. They offer affordable meal prices with an average price of around $6.99 per serving. Home Chef caters to allergen-free meal plans for customers with food allergies. Get fresh ingredients! Choose your protein source! Enjoy healthy eating!

    Home Chef
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