An increasing number of professionals and families are realizing the benefits of having ready-to-cook groceries delivered straight to their doorstep. When you’re short on time or want to make sure you’re providing healthy, delicious meals for your loved ones, meal kits delivery services are a godsend.
Blue Apron may have been the original meal kit service, but now these companies are popping up faster than dandelions in spring. With so many to choose from, it’s hard to know which one is best for your lifestyles and needs.
This article reviews the top seven alternatives to Blue Apron. We’ll give you the scoop on details that make each kit unique and who they’re best for, so you don’t have to keep wondering which one to choose.
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7 Companies like Blue Apron
| Company | Ideal For | Price Per Plate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| HelloFresh | Kitchen newbies Amateur home chefs | $9.25 | Visit Site |
| Martha and Marley Spoon | Families with picky eaters Families looking to save time and energy on meal planning | $10.99 | Visit Site |
| Misfits Market | Budget-conscious individuals | $6 | Visit Site |
| EveryPlate | Budgeters Families looking to save time and energy on meal planning | $4.99 | Visit Site |
| Purple Carrot | Vegans and plant based eaters Health-conscious individuals | $11.00-$13.25 | Visit Site |
| SunBasket | Health-conscious individuals People with dietary restrictions | $9.99 | Visit Site |
| Home Chef | People who want a versatile meal kit Kitchen newbies | $8.99 | Visit Site |
HelloFresh
Blue Apron is big in the US, but HelloFresh is a global brand. Because of their well-recognized names, people often find themselves trying to choose between these two meal kit companies.
The plans, variety, and cost are fairly on a par. Most importantly, both options offer wine. So, if you’re an oenophile, you really can’t go wrong choosing either. But for those with more complex requirements in a meal kit, HelloFresh has some notably unique features as well:
Most meal kits have a ton of packaging; it’s one of the biggest downsides for most users. While HelloFresh indeed has lots of plastics and paper in their deliveries, but unlike Blue Apron, most items they send are 100% biodegradable and recyclable.
HelloFresh is also one of the few meal kit companies that are very transparent about their impact on the environment. They have several teams tasked with identifying new ways to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Their current plan is aimed at addressing:
- Food waste
- Recycling and packaging waste
- Shortening Their supply chain through responsible sourcing
HelloFresh caters to the cooking newbie, with simple recipes like Saucy Beef Ragu with Olive Tapenade. They make cooking easy by offering 20-minute recipes, including cooking time, and rating each recipe by cooking difficulty.
When you’re trying new things, you get to learn what you like and don’t like. HelloFresh helps you remember which meals were a homerun and which you’d rather pass on with their save meals feature.
One hurdle to my love for HelloFresh is that they charge shipping. Although their prices before shipping costs are lower than Blue Apron, this annoying little detail may be enough to make up your mind on which meal kit service to choose.
What I love about HelloFresh is its recipe consistency and seasonal boxes. HelloFresh has been around for 11+ years and a big reason why they have managed to stay relevant for so many years is that their food is amazing! I’e made it many times for my family and just when I think that it can’t get any better, it always does!
Another recent addition that I love is seasonal boxes, like their one for Thanksgiving.
Both these meal kit companies are the largest and likely the most reliable choices available. If you’re outside of the US, then the choice is simple. HelloFresh delivers in Canada, Australia, and Europe, in addition to the US. Find out more about how HelloFresh compares to Blue Apron to help choose between these two titans.
HelloFresh
$11.49Per Serving
|
Martha and Marley Spoon
Another international meal kit service, Marley Spoon, departs from Blue Apron’s MO of simply making dinner easy. This German company is growing increasingly popular in the US and Australia, with the promise of meal kits for people who like cooking. Marley Spoon aims to connect the growers to the cooks by offering in-season meals. The growing popularity and tasty flavours make this option worth looking at.
Marley Spoon is unique in that it promises the finest, unique, seasonal ingredients. In their kit you’ll find items like grass-fed beef, Berkshire pork, artisanal cheeses, American-caught shrimp, and more.
While Blue Apron boasts a partnership with Weight Watchers, Marley Spoon has backing from the iconic Martha Stewart. The legend herself helps to craft each week’s artisanal, down-home recipes. Choose from meals like One-Pan Breaded Chicken Thighs with Lemon-Scallion Dressing and Tomato Basil Skillet Ravioli with Creamy Parmesan Spinach Salad.
This service offers more than 45 recipes to choose from each week with options for different dietary concerns, including vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free choices. All choices are organized into five categories:
- Health and Diet
- Vegetarian and Vegan
- Meat and Fish
- Under 30-minutes
- Family-Friendly
What I love about Martha and Marley Spoon is their recipe diversity and meal descriptors. Each meal option on their website has several attributes attached to it. This makes my job as the household chef so much easier as I can filter for kid-friendly recipes and instantly find meals that I know my daughter will like.
If you want to minimize the time spent in your kitchen, this service isn’t for you. But, if you savour the process of whipping up a new fancy dish, you may have found your match.
Martha and Marley Spoon
$8.49Per Serving
|
Purple Carrot
When you have a restrictive diet, a meal kit may not seem like an option for you. Thankfully there are companies like Purple Carrot. This meal kit delivery service is especially well-known among vegetarian and vegan consumers, as it’s one of the few plant-based meal kits available in the US.
Unlike Blue Apron, Purple Carrot offers both meal kits and prepared meals. Their meal kits are only available for 2-4 servings, 3-4 times per week. Their prepared meals, on the other hand, are only available for 1 serving 6-10 times per week.
Just like Blue Apron, Purple Carrot has different plans to choose from. But these plans aren’t based around your number of servings. Rather, you decide between three interesting goal-based options:
- Quick and easy
- High protein
- Chef’s choice
When you think vegan, you might think bland and gross. But Purple Carrot is putting in work to change that plant-based stigma. The weekly menu has tasty and unique options like Spring Ramen with Sugar Snap Peas & Red Miso Coconut Broth and Herby Farro Risotto with Baby Spinach & Roasted Mushrooms. You can also add on equally scrumptious (and healthy) breakfasts and lunches.
What I love most about Purple Carrot is that it’s completely plant-based! Their ingredient selection makes them a highly sustainable meal delivery service. In fact, when I started reading more about vegan diets I discovered that reducing your consumption of meat can directly cut down on global water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Each time I order from them I feel like I’m helping the environment!
Another reason why I love Purple Carrot is that they’re a great way to get my daughter to eat a couple of extra servings of vegetables each week. Instead of trying to tell her to eat her greens, I just make delicious plant-based meals.
The plant-based nature of the ingredients makes Purple Carrot stand out among other options as a highly sustainable meal kit choice. Avoiding meat in your diet helps to cut down on water use and greenhouse gas emissions.
Do you love the convenience and excitement of Blue Apron, but follow a gluten-free or vegan diet or are interested in a more earth-friendly option? Purple Carrot is a great choice for you. The #veganlife isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but for those who are powered by plants, Purple Carrot meal kits are king.
Sunbasket
Not ready to give up meat, but still want a meal kit with a focus on health and the environment? This meal kit is a leader in both.
All recipes are developed by award-winning chef, Justine Kelly of Slanted Door, and are nutritionist-approved. Menu options like Guatemalan Jocón de Pollo with Tomatillo Sauce Over White Rice make healthy eating pretty appealing.
Sunbasket offers meal kits and ready-to-eat meals with plans that can feed 2 or 4 people 2-5 times per week. All their meals start at $9.99 per serving.
Their meal plan allows you to select different recipes that will fit your lifestyle, such as:
- Gluten-Free
- Vegetarian
- Pescatarian
- Mediterranean
- Diabetes-Friendly
- Carb-Conscious
- Keto-Friendly
- No Dietary Restrictions
In addition to their meal plan options, they provide further customization as you can choose which foods you prefer to eat include:
- High Protein
- High Fiber
- Low Carb
- Low Calorie
- Low Added Sugar
- Low Sodium
Their exhaustive sel