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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Contents
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.
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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
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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 selection criteria make them perfect for any allergy or dietary restriction! This makes them my go-to option if I ever have a dinner party and I know the dietary preferences of my guests. So far, it has always been a major hit!
What I love most about Sunbasket is its strong focus on the quality of their ingredients. While only some of Blue Apron’s ingredients are certified organic, all of Sun Basket’s produce is organic and non-GMO.
In addition to being great for your health and your tastebuds, Sunbasket is also good for the planet. In contrast to Blue Apron’s abundance of packaging waste, these boxes, bags, and containers are 100% recyclable and compostable.
There are some things that this meal kit isn’t as good for as Blue Apron, though. For one, shipping is an extra $7.99. And even if you’re willing to pony up for delivery, it’s not available in every state. But if you’re uncompromising about what you put in your body, love variety in your diet, and live within the delivery zones, this is the meal kit for you!
Sun Basket
$11.99Per Serving
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Home Chef
This meal kit delivery service focuses on simple-to-follow, quick recipes for novice chefs.
Home Chef offers 6 different meal kit options that feed 2, 4, or 6 people 2-6 times per week. Their meals each cost $8.99 per serving with options to add additional fruit or smoothies for $4.95.
Their six meal kit options include:
- Meal Kits
- Express Meal Kits
- Oven-Ready
- Grill-Ready
- Culinary Collection
- Fast & Fresh
Their Meal Kits follow a traditional system where you get easy recipes with pre-portioned ingredients that are ready to eat in about 30 minutes.
Their Express Meal Kits are designed to be as quick as possible. They still deliver pre-portioned ingredients but the vegetables are prepped so that your cook time is reduced to about 15 minutes.
Their Oven-Ready Plan is designed to have your recipe already assembled in an oven-safe tin. While it may take longer to cook, there is no prep or mess involved!
Their Grill-Ready Plan is similar to their Oven-Ready one however, it is designed for BBQ lovers. All the ingredients arrive fully prepped and ready so all you have to do is throw them on the grill. This makes them perfect for summer BBQ weather!
Their Culinary Collection takes their traditional meal kit options but elevates them using premium ingredients. They are specially designed for special occasions. This makes them perfect for a dinner club, a family get-together, or if you just want to treat yourself after a long day.
Their Fast & Fresh Plan is designed to save you as much time as possible. They are designed to be popped right in the oven or heated up in the microwave. This makes them perfect for quick lunches and dinners at the office.
What I love about Home Chef is that can purchase their meal kits in grocery stores. This has allowed me to taste test their meals without ordering a week’s worth or copping a shipping charge. Their meals have always been great but having this safety net has always provided me with peace of mind.
Similar to Blue Apron, it also has a simple online marketplace, where you can buy kitchenware.
Home Chef is less expensive per meal than Blue Apron or Plated–another highly flexible meal kit option. But unlike Blue Apron, which always offers free shipping, there’s a $10 shipping charge for orders under $45.
If you have a lot of people to feed, or folks with diet restrictions to consider, but still want variety and convenience, Home Chef is a strong meal kit contender.
Home Chef
$8.97Per Serving
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EveryPlate
Interested in meal kits but worried that they’ll ruin your budget? Look no further than EveryPlate!
This meal kit only costs $4.99 per meal and with 21 new recipes each week, you’ll never feel bored. One thing that I love about this meal kit, in addition to its affordability, is that they’re also very conscious of your time.
Every meal delivered is made to be ready within 30 minutes. Most of the time it takes me only 15 minutes!
EveryPlate offers four subscription plans which include
- Meat & Veggie
- Veggie
- Family Friendly
- Quick & Easy
For each of these plans you have several options that determine the size of your box. You can choose a portion size designed for either 2 or 4 people with a frequency of delivery of 3-6 times per week.
This makes it a great option for busy families that need food on the table immediately or for busy professionals that want to shave off time throughout the day so they can have more time for relaxation.
EveryPlate
$4.99Per Serving
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Misfits Market
Misfits Market is slightly different than a traditional meal kit service. Instead of providing you with specific ingredients and recipe instructions, they deliver organic produce boxes and pantry staples.
What does that look like? Well, they take the high-quality ingredients that grocery stores would normally throw out and deliver them to you for a discounted price. As a result, more meal planning is required but you are helping reduce food waste across the country!
Misfits Market offers two weekly grocery delivery plans which start at $35 per kit:
The Essential kit allows you to choose between 11-14 best-selling items which are equivalent to around $35-40 in groceries. You can choose from a wide variety of categories, including:
- Fruits & Vegetables
- Bakery Items
- Snacks & Beverages
- Pantry Staples
The Best Value kit offers the same selection options as the Essential kit but the added benefit is that you get to choose between 12-15 best-selling items which are equivalent to around $40-45 in groceries.
This makes the Essential kit ideal for 1-2 people while the Best Value kit is better for 3+ people and families.
I love Misfits Market for two reasons:
Personal: I save anywhere from 20-40% every week on healthy foods allowing me to put my money into more fun activities with my daughter.
Environmental: I love that this company pairs up with farmers and grocery stores to address inefficiencies within our food system that cause insane amounts of food waste. With every order, I feel like I am helping the environment!
Misfits Market
$6.00Per Serving
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Conclusion
Blue Apron is the leader of the meal kit trend, but now there are tons of other services to choose from. Each has slightly different options, which makes picking one that much more challenging. We’ve selected seven top options that are like Blue Apron and compared them head-to-head so you have a better idea of which choice is right for you.
What’s your favourite alternative to Blue Apron? Let us know which of these choices you’re going to try, or if there’s another that’s worth checking out in the comments below!
