POV: You’re a foodie with gourmet tastes and a shrinking budget due to inflation. In order to save some cheddar, you want to start cooking some tasty meals at home but don’t have a ton of time for menu planning and grocery shopping. The obvious solution? Signing up for a meal kit delivery subscription service like EveryPlate or Blue Apron. But which one should you choose?
If you want to save the most money: EveryPlate
With meals that run from $4.99-5.89 per serving (depending on whether you order for 2 or 4 people), you simply can’t beat EveryPlate’s prices in the meal kit arena. For reference, Blue Apron’s prices range from $7.99-11.99 per serving — that’s nearly double the price! Both kits also have a standard shipping fee of $9.99 per box.
Both EveryPlate and Blue Apron offer student discounts, with Blue Apron extending the discount to teachers, seniors (55+), first responders, military & veterans. Both also offer discounts for new subscribers. With EveryPlate, this reduces the total cost to $1.79 per serving (!!!) for the first few boxes; for Blue Apron, they take $110 off and waive the shipping on the first box only.
While you can technically save the MOST money by meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking at home (most of the meals on my blog are under $3/serving), EveryPlate offers a heck of a lot of conveniences without adding much of an upcharge. If you’re time-poor, EveryPlate definitely offers the most bang for your buck.
If you crave variety: Blue Apron
With 17 weekly meal options, EveryPlate has a LOT to choose from. Blue Apron only offers 16 meal options per week but there are additional heat-and-eat options, as well as more vegetarian and "wellness" options that are WW approved. So, Blue Apron wins in this category, but just barely!
If flavor is king: EveryPlate
I don’t know about you, but when it comes to dinnertime, I want my tastebuds to be impressed. Each of the 3 meals I had from EveryPlate was delicious enough to want to replicate. My personal favorite was the Pork & Poblano Taco recipe — it was salty and spicy and loaded with plenty of veggies, leaving me with enough leftovers for lunch the next day. I will 100% be making it again!
I was also a fan of the Saucy Chicken & Pepper Stir-Fry Over Ginger Rice. I ended up adding some extra peppers that were languishing in my crisper drawer and omitted the 2 extra teaspoons of sugar called for, and the recipe easily accommodated my needs. It was as good as any takeout we’d order! The Garlic Rosemary Chicken with Roasted Root Veggies was also delightful, but felt *just* out of season; here in Nashville it’s already hitting the mid-80s most days and I didn’t really want to turn on the oven. That said, I’ll definitely be making it again come fall.
When I tested Blue Apron, I was sadly nonplussed. The meals were good enough but felt rather uninspired. I didn’t feel the need to keep any of the recipe cards around for round 2. We tried the Honey Lime Tilapia with Bok Choy and White Rice, Tahini Dressed Chicken and Kale with Pickled Peppers and Roasted Sweet Potato, Fontina Pork Burgers with Charred Onion and Balsamic Mayo, and our favorite parts were the potato side for the burgers and the bok choy rice preparation. It’s a bummer when the sides outshine the mains, no?
If you’re super short on time: Blue Apron
While EveryPlate offers 5 weekly options that are ready in 30 minutes or less (that’s pretty speedy in my book!), Blue Apron has three heat-and-eat options per week. If you really don’t have the time to spend in the kitchen, Blue Apron can get you fed in 5 minutes flat.
If you’re building a recipe book for the future: EveryPlate
Both EveryPlate and Blue Apron have recipes with clear instructions that are relatively replicable, but EveryPlate wins in this category for two reasons: first, EveryPlate’s meals were just better! Second, Blue Apron had some obscure ingredients (like pickled Peruvian peppers) that would make it hard to recreate on your own.
TL;DR? Winner, Winner, EveryPlate’s $5 Dinner!
The next time I’m in need of a little help in the kitchen, I’ll definitely be returning to EveryPlate.
While I tend to reserve meal kits for special occasions (read: moving week, returning from vacation, or otherwise hectic times), they’re an excellent way to add variety to your cooking routine and ensure you’re set up for dinnertime success.
EveryPlate offered up a delicious array of meals to choose from, were easy to execute, and friends? You just can’t beat this price! If you’re in a cooking rut or just aren’t sure where to begin your cooking from home journey, I enthusiastically recommend EveryPlate’s service.
