Using a meal kit service can make your life much more comfortable and will allow you to make great chef-designed home-cooked meals without spending any extra time on grocery shopping!
When it comes to meal kit services, the options you have are endless, so deciding which one to subscribe to can be confusing and overwhelming. This is where the Meal Kit Review can come in handy!
Now you need to prepare yourself for another mega meal kit battle! Two of the meal kit industry’s leading services are about to go into the arena, and we are going to break down the fight just for you!
Blue Apron vs. Home Chef – The full comparison:
Variety of plans:
Home Chef offers slightly more flexibility with plans for two, four, or six servings per meal. They have a minimum selection requirement of two dishes per week with no maximum requirements.
Blue Apron offers its customers four different plan options:
- Two-person plan with three recipes per week
- Family plan for four people
- Vegetarian plan for two-people
- Freestyle weight-watchers plan for two-people – designed to make it easier than ever to cook low-calorie healthy meals.
Variety of weekly meals
When it comes to meal variety, Home Chef has a clear advantage! The company has over 20 dishes per week, including 5-minute no-cooking-required salad options, oven-ready, and grill-ready dinner meals. Their meals are designed to cater to many lifestyles, like vegetarian, low-calorie, low-carb. The company even offers a Fresh & Easy meal plan for super fast and easy to cook meals.
Also, Home Chef includes a new handy “Customize It” feature for most of their meals. This feature gives you the ability to change, double, or upgrade your selected meals’ protein type.
Blue Apron offers its customers 11 dishes per week in the classic two-person plan and seven dishes in the family plan. Some of these dishes may appear on both menus. Among their dishes, you will find some vegetarian options, some of which include Beyond Meat proteins and Weight Watchers options.
In terms of diversity, both Home Chef and Blue Apron meal delivery services offer meals with a great deal of variety in their ingredients. The culinary style of meals is broad – from Mexican or Asian style meals to American classics, Italian, etc.
Blue Apron and Home Chef – style and complexity of dishes
Both meal kit companies offer dishes that taste great. Everything we tried from their menus was delicious! In our opinion, Home Chef is trying to focus on family home dinners, so the recipes tend to be quite classic, always with a nice added twist. The Home Chef recipes are never too sophisticated to cook, and all recipes arrive with an easy-to-follow recipe card.
On the other hand, Blue Apron offers many meal options that are a little more upscaled, but usually with easy-to-follow recipes.
A few examples of the dishes we tried from Home Chef: Corn and Black Bean Burrito, Salmon Tacos with Queso Fresco and Crispy Jalapeños, or a more classic dish like Steak au Poivre
We tried a few dishes from Blue Apron: Curry Chicken & Vegetables, Roasted Fall Vegetable & Farro Salad, or a more classic dish like Parisian Steak Frites.
Some popular meals
Home Chef meals:
- Crispy onion chicken with creamy mushroom sauce and green beans
- Sirloin steak with blue cheese compound butter with green beans and roasted fingerling potatoes
- Black bean enchiladas with poblano pepper
- Wood-fired BBQ chicken pizza with caramelized onions and ranch drizzle
Blue Apron meals:
- Crispy pan-fried ramen with soft-boiled eggs
- Cavatelli & hot Italian pork sausage with kale & parmesan
- Parmesan & panko-crusted cod with roasted squash & garlic kale
- Pork meatball Italian wedding soup with Ditali pasta & rosemary
Blue Apron and Home Chef – Quality of ingredients
After receiving meal kit boxes from both Blue Apron and Home Chef, we can safely say that both companies focus on delivering high-quality ingredients to their customers.
Home Chef has partnered with a selection of well-known quality producers to provide their ingredients. Some of these include Paysan Breton Butter, ‘World Wide farms’ for fresh herbs and vegetables, and ‘Sea to Table’ for sustainably sourced seafood.
When looking at Blue Apron, they guarantee only to use meats without added hormones. All their vegetables are farm fresh and organic where possible, and all seafood in their meals is sustainably sourced.
Special features
Home Chef meal delivery company offers many special features on their menu:
- A diverse selection of meals to cater to many dietary and lifestyle requirements. These range from fresh fast and easy meals, low-calorie, and low-carb meals. They also have the optional add-on of protein packs.
- The Home Chef menu indicates any allergens in each recipe (nuts, milk, shellfish, wheat, etc.). It is important to note that even though their ingredients are individually packaged, the facilities are not certified as being allergen-free. Since they cannot guarantee that there might not be minor cross-contamination, we recommend that if you have a severe food allergy or intolerance, it is best NOT to use the service.
- The Home Chef menu has a “customize it” feature” that takes flexibility to the next level. This feature allows you to select the type and portion of protein in most of their meal selections.
Blue Apron offers three plans as part of their selection. One to cater to vegetarian dietary needs, one to cater 2-persons and one to cater 4-person. As part of their menu selection, the company offers WW approved meals, low-calorie meals, diabetic-friendly meals, and more.
The company also offers a large selection of wines as a monthly subscription plan, and even provides recommendations for the right wines to accompany each dish! They also have a retail store with cookware and other necessary kitchen supplies.
Home Chef and Hello Fresh nutritional values
With both Home Chef and Blue Apron, it was very noticeable that the meals are packed with nutritious ingredients such as fresh vegetables and fruits, nuts, high-quality meats, seafood, and more.
Not only that, but most meals also seemed to be balanced in terms of carbs, vegetables, and proteins. The portions are generous enough to satisfy your hunger without over-eating and overloading calories.
Both companies offer a range of meals with low-calorie counts. You will find meals with around 450-500 calories per serving, and more calorie-rich meals with 800 calories or higher. Home Chef also offers some excellent entree salad options that are very low on the calorie count and can drop to as low as 250 calories per serving!
Both companies display full details regarding each dish’s calorie count and other nutritional facts in their online menu.
The Blue Apron and Home Chef box
Both Blue Apron and Home Chef use specifically designed and labeled carton boxes. Inside both boxes, the cooled proteins are placed on the bottom with sufficient ice, so you can be confident that your delivery can stay outside for a few hours.
Home Chef ensures that each dish is individually organized. Each dish arrives in its labeled bag. All contents are well organized, and you can see the ingredients in each pack.
On the other hand, Blue Apron does not provide labels on most of their ingredients and are loosely packed together in the box. You will need to sort the elements of each dish.
How eco-friendly are they?
Home Chef seems to be committed to reducing packaging waste as much as possible while ensuring that the ingredients reach customers in high-quality conditions.
- All of Home Chef’s boxes and dividers are made from partially recycled cardboard and are curbside recyclable.
- Meal bags (#5) and ingredient bags (#4) can be recycled at all locations that accept plastic bags.
- The insulated liner used by the company is made of recycled cotton and denim. To dispose of the liner, simply cut open the film, throw the denim contents in the trash, and recycle the film with other plastic recycling.
- The Ice Packs used in Home Chef’s delivery are non-toxic and made of 99% water and 1% sodium salt (polyacrylate). To dispose of these, you need to throw the contents in the trash and recycle the film where you recycle your plastic bags.
When it comes to Blue Apron, we know that in the past, the company offered a dedicated recycling program, where you could return your packaging, and the company took care of the recycling. The program is no longer operational, but the customers can recycle most of the packaging used by Blue Apron.
Inside the Blue Apron delivery box, you will find ice or gel packs, few food items separately wrapped in plastic, and your dressings, cheeses, nuts, etc. in mini plastic containers.
The box itself is totally recyclable. Most of the insulating materials are recyclable too. The ice packs can either be drained, and the plastic recycled or the ice packs can be reused. All plastic packaging can be recycled, based on the recycling number.
Website and ordering process
Both companies offer a friendly and well-organized website, making it effortless to navigate and understand how to subscribe and order. Via the website, you can register online, choose and change your plan, specify your eating preferences, select your meals for upcoming weeks, change your payment method and even skip weeks in a stress-free way. You can find information regarding the forthcoming menus and other general useful information.
Both Blue Apron and Home Chef offer an easy-to-use app to do all the things listed above.
Home Chef and Blue Apron – Customer support
Both companies offer a detailed FAQ section with answers to most questions that can come to mind. If you have any issues regarding your subscription, both have a customer service support team, as follows:
Home Chef:
- Online form to the customer support center
- Home Chef customer support: phone (872)-225-2433 during the standard support hours of Monday-Friday from 9 am to 6 pm CST and Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm CST
Blue Apron:
- You will find a “Get Help” icon in the bottom right of the screen when you enter the Blue Apron help center page
- You can reach the Blue Apron customer support via phone on (646) 891-4349 or email contact@blueapron.com
Flexibility of subscription
Home Chef wins the flexibility category. They have a larger number of weekly meals and a diverse menu to cater to many dietary and lifestyle needs. With their “Customize It” feature, you can swap or upgrade the proteins in most meals.
Both services provide a subscription service with the flexibility to skip weeks if needed. They also offer the flexibility to pick your delivery day and edit your meal selection for a few weeks ahead.
With Home Chef, you can cancel your account via the website. When canceling your account with Blue Apron, you need to contact customer support via email, with a same-day response.
Both Blue Apron and Home Chef offers changing promotions for beginners, and there is the option to purchase a subscription as a gift card. We highly recommend it as a Thanksgiving or Christmas gift to your loved ones.
Home Chef and Blue Apron delivery area
Home Chef currently delivers to 98% of the United States. To see if the company delivers to your area, you can enter your zip code during the sign-up process.
Blue Apron meal kits currently deliver to the contiguous United States.
Bottom Line – Who is our winner?
Both Home Chef and Blue Apron are fantastic meal kit service options. However, we found that Home Chef was better in almost every aspect.
We loved the taste of their recipes and the variety of dishes per week. Moreover, we loved their dishes’ portion sizes and the flexibility that the “Customize It” feature gives their customers! Finally, we appreciated that they cater to many different dietary needs.
We also feel that the salad and snack choices and the protein pack add-on give great additional options for making your meals more manageable and healthier throughout the week.
HOME CHEF IS OUR WINNER
What are the benefits of using Home Chef and Blue Apron?
Our world has become fast-paced with many expectations placed on people to have successful careers, thriving families and busy social lives. Often we are so busy that the first thing we overlook is eating well. Meal kit delivery companies such as Home Chef and Blue Apron have been designed to combat the sense of overwhelm and have you eating better than ever before! They do this by providing meal kits that are filled with tasty and healthy ingredients combined with easy-to-follow recipes. Using a meal kit service like Home Chef or Blue Apron will mean that your dining horizons will expand and you will be able to enjoy new flavors, spices, and culinary styles. Meal kit delivery services are all about convenience and not only will you be eating well with meals that have are nutritionally well-balanced, but you will also be saving a significant amount of time. Because meal kit service companies do the meal planning, recipe writing, grocery shopping and portion control for you, your life will become significantly easier!
There are countless extra benefits to using meal kit delivery companies, especially in these frantically busy times. All you need to do is pick the meals that appeal, receive your delivery, unpack and store your ingredients and then start cooking! Then you can relax and enjoy your meal knowing that you have eaten well without all the effort.
What to look for when choosing a meal kit service like Home Chef and Blue Apron?
When deciding on which meal kit delivery service is best for you, there are many things to consider. If the cost is a priority, then firstly look at the bottom line. You might prioritize a service that is flexible allowing you to change plans, swap meals and skip weeks whenever required. If you love cooking and don’t mind spending time in the kitchen it is good to assess the styles of meals that are on offer. Some people would rather do anything else than be in the kitchen, so a meal kit company that offers easy-to-follow recipes would be more suited to you. We recommend you do your homework and firstly work out what your priorities are.
Why use our Home Chef vs Blue Apron comparison?
The meal-kit industry is one that has countless companies all offering difference specialties and services so it can be hard knowing where to start. That is why we recommend using our comparisons and company reviews.
At the Meal Kit Review, we have done all the hard work for you and you will be able to find all the information you need in one place. Our website has company profiles, meal kit comparisons, and lists of companies that are better suited for different requirements. Our team at the Meal Kit Review undertakes a thorough review process for every company that we profile. This includes subscribing, managing our account, assessing the menu, receiving deliveries, cooking and eating a range of meals. Our team spent a significant amount of time looking at both Home Chef and Blue Apron so we recommend our review as this is where you will find up-to-date, relevant information gathered from the first-hand experience.
