Meal kit deliveries are getting more and more popular each year (experts say the market will reach USD 8.94 billion by 2025!). If you’re tempted to try it too, you’re probably wondering which of the available services is really the best.
Today we’re going to compare Green Chef vs Blue Apron – two reputable brands with modern and sophisticated concepts, two different approaches to home cooking with premeasured ingredients, and easy-to-follow recipes.
So, how do the two services stack up against each other?
While both of these programs are quite similar in how they work and what they offer, each of them will suit a slightly different type of customer. In short, Green Chef is great for those who want to improve their healthier lifestyle, and put ecology and sustainability as top priority, while Blue Apron is oriented mainly on gourmets who want to explore new tastes, experiences, and ingredients with each dish.
In this comparison, we’ll discuss all the details and features that make these two services different. We’ll talk about their variety, price, customer care, and their cancellation policies. We hope that this article will help you make the right decision.
Main differences between Green Chef and Blue Apron
The main differences between Green Chef and Blue Apron are:
- Green Chef focuses on a healthy lifestyle and sustainability, whereas Blue Apron centers more around the culinary experience itself.
- Green Chef is more expensive and charges for shipping, whereas Blue Apron waives shipping fees on some occasions and costs less on average too.
- Green Chef offers more special diets such as keto, paleo, or vegan, whereas Blue Apron has fewer special-needs options on offer.
- Green Chef offers organic ingredients only, whereas Blue Apron has a slightly more relaxed approach to this.
What is Green Chef
Green Chef was founded in 2014, the company is based in New York. Its mission from the start is to deliver tasteful, healthy, sustainable, and organic home cooking kits to anyone, who wants to prepare first-class food at home conveniently and conscientiously. The ingredients you’re going to receive from this company are all certified as organic and sustainably sourced, most of them are also sourced locally.
The company also focuses on fully recyclable and ecological packaging. Green Chef is partnered with Plastic Bank and constantly tries to come up with new ideas, how to offset the carbon footprint of the meal kits you order. After all, meal kits delivery service can be perceived as an ecological alternative to regular shopping in general, as some recent studies suggest.
But besides being “green”, Green Chef is also a “chef” – and a great one! The variety of meals you can choose from is pretty impressive, including omnivore, vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, ketogenic, paleo, Mediterranean, and several other dietary options.
What is Blue Apron
Blue Apron is a meal delivery service designed for the health-conscious consumers, who really enjoy cooking and want to prepare restaurant-quality dishes as conveniently and easily as possible. Blue Apron founders, Matt Salzberg, Ilia Papas, and Matt Wadiak, sent first ingredient boxes to their customers in August 2012 from their kitchen in Long Island City. As of 2016, the company had shipped more than 8 million meal servings already, quickly spreading all over the country. Today Blue Apron is considered to be the market leader in the U.S.
There are many reasons why Blue Apron could and should appeal to you. Their service spares you from gathering all the ingredients at different shops and markets, brings everything right to your door, and makes sure you will not produce excessive waste by measuring each of the ingredients for the recipes you’ve chosen.
Besides providing detailed instructions printed on the recipe cards, Blue Apron helps you master your skills with educational videos, which can be accessed through the Blue Apron app. The meals are impressive and colorful because the menus include popular recipes from all over the world. You can also choose some vegetarian, gluten-free, and hormones/GMO-free meals. The cost of Blue Apron service is competitive, and you can choose from several different plans.
Green Chef: Main Features
Green Chef is probably the best-known home cooking kit delivery focused on sustainability and a healthy lifestyle. Here are some of its most important features and qualities:
Meals variety and quality
Green Chef provides a great variety of meals for every taste, preferences, and health conditions. The offer is organized into five different menus, each of them has 6-8 meals per week to choose from. Four of them come in bundles of two servings per order, whereas the Family plan provides you with four servings.
Quality of Green Chef’s ingredients is probably unparalleled on the market, especially if you require your meals to be as fresh, healthy, and sustainable as possible. With this service you’re receiving only certified organic ingredients, which also makes Green Chef a bit more expensive than most of the competition.
Convenience
Green Chef subscription has a very simple set of rules. First you create an account and pick your personal dietary and delivery preferences. All your deliveries will be managed on a weekly basis, so you will always have fresh ingredients at hand. These ingredients are clearly marked and color-coded, all you have to do is assort them by the meals and recipes.
Some of the ingredients are in a raw state, while others can be premade (such as signature marinades, sauces etc.), so you don’t have to make all your meals from scratch. On average, your Green Chef meal preparation shouldn’t take more than 30-40 minutes to finalize.
Support
Green Chef’s webpage has a remarkably thorough FAQ section, which is full of important information on all kinds of topics. If you can’t find the answer to your question there, you can always contact their live support via email or telephone.
Cancellation
There is no minimum commitment with Green Chef. You can skip any of your orders or cancel the service altogether, given that you do so before the weekly deadline, which is 7 days prior to delivery at 11:59 pm ET. You can also ask for a refund in case you are not happy with the quality of your meals.
To do any of the above, you have to contact Green Chef’s support via email or telephone. More information on this can be found in our Green Chef cancellation guide.
Reviews
Reviewers really like the comprehensive ecological concept of Green Chef service including their fresh ingredients and recyclable packages. They also appreciate how simple yet effective most of the recipes are, especially in comparison with some other similar services.
Green Chef has a large variety of healthy meals on offer, that reportedly caters to all the different tastes. The service is particularly popular with vegetarians, who often find veggie options of some other companies inadequate.
Some of the users, however, think that the Green Chef servings are too small, and they would also appreciate more plan options to choose from. Numerous customers also report problems with incorrect deliveries or orders dispatched even after they requested to cancel their subscription.
Blue Apron: Main Features
Blue Apron is extremely popular with those, who crave to learn some new tricks in the kitchen and recreate their favorite gourmet dishes on their own. Here are some of the most important features of this service:
Meals variety and quality
Blue Apron is great for customers who like their food colorful and often surprising. If you explore their menus in detail, you will find all sorts of delicious meals coming from all over the world, combining basic and exotic ingredients into a perfect blend.
There are three Blue Apron programs to choose from. The Signature menu offers a constantly changing mix of meat, fish, diabetes-friendly, and even Weight Watchers approved meals to choose from. The Vegetarian program, obviously, offers a variety of meat-free options, and Signature for Four brings all Signature meals in 4 servings.
Convenience
Blue Apron deliveries are designed to make cooking your gourmet meals as easy and convenient as possible. They deliver all around the continental U.S. on a weekly basis. You can choose the exact day of the delivery according to your needs (based on the availability in your area).
You always receive your Blue Apron goods packed in insulated and recyclable packages. However, you might be a bit confused that they are not always clearly marked, so you’ll probably spend some time assorting them by the recipes.
Support
If you hate to make long phone calls and exchange emails with customer services, you’ll be pleased to know that most of your issues can be easily resolved via Blue Apron’s website. There’s a useful Help Center with all the important information, and you can also manage some changes through your Blue Apron account settings. Of course, regular telephonic and email supports are available too.
Cancellation
Blue Apron allows you to change, update, or cancel your orders quite freely, but you have to make it in time before your next order is prepared and dispatched. Thanks to the smart online schedules, tracking this timeframe is quite easy. Just watch out for the ‘Changeable before’ date on your Account Settings.
In case you are not happy with the meals you’ve received, you can ask for a partial or full refund too. Check out all the important details in our Blue Apron cancellation guide.
Reviews
Blue Apron is admired for its great quality of ingredients, which are mostly locally sourced, sometimes organic, and always totally fresh and delicious. Reviewers are satisfied with the quality, large variety, and easy-to-follow recipes, which turn into truly impressive and tasteful dishes. Reasonable pricing and variability of plan options are some of the other benefits happy customers often mention in their reviews.
Some users claim they experienced various issues with blue Apron’s delivery. Missing items or delayed deliveries are among the most frequently mentioned problems. Several reviewers also complain about not-so-responsive customer support of this company.
Green Chef vs Blue Apron – Pros and Cons
Green Chef Pros
- Fresh and organic ingredients in ecological packages
- Healthy meals ready in 30-40 minutes
- Large variety of dietary foods
- Easy to make changes or cancel your orders
Green Chef Cons
- More expensive than some of the competition
- Less plan options to choose from
Blue Apron Pros
- Delicious gourmet meals made easy for everyone
- High-quality ingredients
- Cheaper than some of the competition
- Large variety of meals and plans to choose from
Blue Apron Cons
- Less focused on ecology and sustainability than the competition
- Takes some time to assort delivered ingredients
Green Chef vs Blue Apron – Pricing
Green Chef
Green Chef is considered to be one of the more expensive home cooking kit deliveries. On the other hand, it provides you with first-class, fully organic ingredients, and gives you peace of mind by reducing its carbon footprint to a minimum. The prices are stated per serving, and there’s a small reduction for family plans:
- Two-Person Plan: $11.99/serving (includes 3 “plant-powered”/”balanced living” meals per one week for two people) OR $12.99/serving (includes 3 “keto”/”paleo” meals per one week for two people)
- Family Plan: $10.99/serving (includes 2 meals of choice per one week for four people)
Check out Green Chef’s official website for up-to-date information on pricing and active promotions.
Blue Apron
Blue Apron is a slightly more budget-friendly choice. Their prices are also stated per full week (one complete order), which is a bit more transparent. You can also opt for the “two meals a week” plan for additional savings. However, you’re eligible for free shipment with “3 meals per week” plans only.
- Two-Person Plan (Signature/Vegetarian): $47.95/week (includes two meals per one week for two people) OR $47.95/week (includes three meals per one week for two people)
- Four-Person “Family” Plan: $71.92/week (includes two meals per one week for four people) OR $95.88/week (includes three meals per one week for four people) OR $119.84/week (includes four meals per one week for four people)
With the Family plan, the price per serving decreases depending on how many meals per week you order (maximum is four). Additionally, your Family plan shipment is always free. For more information on Blue Apron’s prices and occasional promotions click here.
Are There Any Alternatives?
Looking for some alternative home cooking kit delivery services? Here are our suggestions:
Home Chef
Home Chef offers more than 38 meal kits per week to choose from. They include delicious grill packs, convenient one-pan dinners, and even some super-easy oven-ready meals, which come in their own cooking trays, so you don’t even have to clean up your kitchen when you’re done. Aside from saving your time and energy, this service is also great for serious meat lovers: You can customize your protein portions for each of the meals without having to double the whole order. Home Chef subscription starts at $7.99 per serving.
Everyplate
Everyplate is probably your best budget option among the home cooking kit delivery services. Hearty, generously sized portions start at just $4.99, and your options include 8 easy recipes every week. This basic service doesn’t come with any alternatives for special dietary needs, and vegetarians probably won’t find it very appealing too. But if you want to enjoy the ability to skip or cancel your subscription anytime and can’t afford some of the more expensive programs, this is your best choice. Everyplate is also great for a total beginner – each of their recipes has just 6 simple steps!
Frequently Asked Questions About Green Chef and Blue Apron
What will I get in a box from Green Chef or some similar delivery service?
Boxes from home cooking kit deliveries usually contain pre-measured ingredients and simple recipes for well-balanced dishes of your choice. To make things even easier, Green chef provides color-coded recipe cards and kit bags, so you can always easily find what you need.
Are meal kits delivered more expensive than shopping groceries on my own?
Home cooking kits are designed for those who truly enjoy cooking and don’t have the time to shop their fresh ingredients daily. If you compare the price, buying your own groceries would surely cut the costs of your meals. However, it would cost you more time and energy, plus you will also create more food waste and increase your carbon footprint.
Do I have to place more orders, if I want to cook a meal for the whole family?
Meal kits delivery services usually offer several quantity options to choose from. You can buy a regular kit with two servings or a family kit with enough ingredients for four servings.
Our Verdict: Green Chef vs Blue Apron
From my experience, both Blue Apron and Green Chef can do exactly what they promise – help you cook restaurant-quality meals with ease and little-to-no leftovers. Their variety is great, their ingredients are really fresh and delicious, and their recipes work perfectly. Whichever service you choose, you surely won’t be disappointed.
But if I really had to pick out just one of them, I would choose Green Chef. I really like how this company firmly holds to its mission of sustainability, ecology, local sources, and 100% organic ingredients. Even though the price for their service is slightly higher, I believe it’s a concept that deserves some extra support.
I also thoroughly enjoyed each and every meal I’ve cooked based on the Green Chef’s simple and clear instructions. I even tried some dishes I’ve never heard about before (such as the delicious tuna poke bowl) and ended up finding my new favorites. When I eventually decided to cancel my subscription due to some ad hoc travel plans, the process was very simple and hassle-free, and I believe that’s very important too.
Conclusion
Meal kit delivery services are great for anyone who wants to master their cooking skills, amaze their friends with wonderful and often exotic dishes, and do it all as conveniently and easily as possible. Although your meals will be slightly more expensive than if you’d shop your groceries on your own, it’s still cheaper than eating out. Recent studies also suggest that meal kit deliveries are more ecological because you get your ingredients all at once, and they often come from sustainable and organic sources.
If want to try some of the services we’ve discussed today but need to get rid of your current subscription first, here are some of our guides for meal kit deliveries cancellation:
