Blue Apron Vs. Green Chef: Which Meal Kit Delivery Service Outshines The Other?

If you’ve been seeking a more convenient way to reap the benefits of eating healthy at home, chances are you might have tried a few meal kit services. These companies take the guesswork out of meal planning and prepping by bringing healthy recipes right to your door. We've tested what seems like every meal delivery service under the sun, and let's just say it takes a bit of comparing and contrasting to find out which is the best your individual health goals. Consider this your Venn Diagram for two of the most popular meal kit subscriptions, Blue Apron vs. Green Chef.

Singing up for Blue Apron is simple. You’ll first select a category preference for recipes, which will determine your recommended meals. Unfortunately there is not an option to filter recipes by gluten-free, Whole30, or keto; the only specialized diet the menu preferences do cater to is plant-based. It’s worth noting that you won't outwardly see Mediterranean diet on the plans to choose from, but Blue Apron's Wellness plan follows similar basics to the Mediterranean diet (whole ingredients and healthy fats).

Blue Apron menu categories:

Chef Favorites: the kitchen’s top picks

Wellness: nutritionist-approved recipes

Family Friendly: kid-approved meals for the whole family

Fast & Easy: time-saving recipes

Veggies: entirely plant-based recipes

Next, you’ll decide how many meals per week you’d like to receive (two to five) and how many servings you’d like per meal (two or four). Once you enter your contact information, the next step is to select your meals. The best way to find out if Blue Apron will appeal to you is to browse the menu items for yourself, which you can do for free without creating an account (not every meal delivery service offers this!).

Green Chef’s signup is similar to other meal kit delivery services, but leaps and bounds simpler to filter by dietary needs. You'll always have access to all 30 weekly recipes, but you can set your preferences to gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, keto, Mediterranean, plant-based, and more so you'll see the most relevant recipes first. If your preferences change, you can access and update them at any time in your account settings.

Green Chef menu categories:

Keto & paleo: high-protein and lower-carb recipes that exclude gluten, grains, soy, and legumes

Vegetarian: meatless, plant-based recipes (may include some animal products like dairy and eggs)

Fast & fit: calorie-conscious recipes that can be prepared in 25 minutes or less

Vegan: recipes exclude all animal products, featuring vegetables and plant-based proteins

Mediterranean: Mediterranean-inspired recipes featuring lots of vegetables and healthy fats

Gluten free: recipes that feature gluten-free and soy-free ingredients

Once your profile is set up, meals will be recommended for you and you can easily swap them out for other recipes by exploring the weekly menu options. You’ll be able to filter recipes by dietary needs, minimal prep time, adventurous recipes, calories, and so on.

Blue Apron won for ‘best budget pick’ on our roundup of best organic meal kits—and it is definitely more affordable than Green Chef. Of course, that’s because Green Chef uses certified organic produce, which tends to cost more than conventionally grown produce.

Meal delivery kits, by nature, aren’t the most environmentally friendly concept. More often than not, these companies use single-use plastics and materials in every box.

Green Chef claims to be the most sustainable meal kit because it offsets 100% of its carbon emissions and plastic packing in every box. The brand says this results in a 25% lower carbon footprint than other meal kit services. Our testers did notice that Green Chef's packaging doesn’t contain as much plastic as other meal kits. The packaging is mostly recyclable, including the box, insulation, ice packs, and paper bags. Green Chef is also the first USDA-certified meal kit company with organic produce and eggs and proteins sourced from farms with high quality animal welfare standards.

In comparison, Blue Apron is a bit more plastic heavy. Many ingredients will arrive in hard plastic containers that you can toss into your recycling bin, but some plastic bags and films must be dropped off at a recycling center. Blue Apron did hit its goal for carbon neutrality in March 2022, making it a somewhat-sustainable choice. The brand states that its mission is to make all packaging either compostable, reusable, or recyclable by the end of 2025.