Blue Apron Review- Are there feasible gluten free options?This Meal Box was provided by Blue Apron free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

Update!

I know, I know, my first experience (see below) with Blue Apron was so so, but I was offered a chance to check them out again, so of course I did.

My experience this time was much better than my past experiences:

Pros:

• More naturally gluten free recipes, or ingredients that were easily changeable with items I keep on hand.
• Better packaging, still a lot of plastic, but the produce stayed fresh, even when it took me an extra day to get to cooking.
• Quality fish and meats.
• You can view menus several weeks in advance.
• Ingredients and instructions are listed for each meal.

Cons:

• Allergens aren’t listed on each meal, you can see the ingredients, but until you get the package you can’t know for sure.
• There are a lot of sandwiches, which are of course, not gluten free
• Some ancient grains, like Freekah, and they are not gluten free. I found Quinoa to be a good replacement.

Final Updated Thoughts:

This time around I found the prep to be much easier and the over recipes to be better tasting. I didn’t have to make any expensive swaps, so I still felt like I was getting a decent deal. Because they use so many whole food ingredients, many are naturally gluten free, and there was a detailed nutrition paper included with each meal. It isn’t something I would use consistently because there aren’t always enough gluten free options, but if you love trying new things, you may want to give it a shot.

Trying it one time isn’t too expensive if you follow these steps:

1. Sign up for Ebates HERE. You will get $7.50 back on your first Blue Apron order,, plus if it’s your first time signing up for Ebates (which I love!- getting cash back on things I’m already buying is a win!), they will also give you a $10.00 gift card. Make sure to download the widget to your toolbar, anytime your on a site that gives cash back; it will alert you.
2. Use this link to get $30 Off Your First Blue Apron Order.

Original Review:

Blue Apron Review

As part of my journey through boxed meal services, I could not leave out Blue Apron. Blue Apron is a well-known meal service that allows you to pick the meals you would like to try and they deliver the ingredients and recipes to your door.

Blue Apron offer several naturally gluten free options each week and several that can easily be converted.

Overall, I enjoyed the food and recipes, as did my husband.

Have you tried Blue Apron? What was your favorite thing? Share on X

The Blue Apron Experience

Packaging:

I was not thrilled with the Blue Apron packaging. Every item comes wrapped in plastic, even the squash. It seemed a bit unnecessary. However, I did like that the meat was double packaged. With the exception of the “knick knacks” everything was just in one box, so I had to sort out all the ingredients. While it is nice that everything is included, things like mayo were in little plastic bottles, and it was practically impossible to get out.

Recipes:

The recipes were clear and concise. No fancy tools required.  The recipe had to be read carefully ahead of time and make sure that everything was prepped. It felt like there was a lot of prepping. While the recipes were easy and didn’t take long actually to cook, it did feel very involved, which is a bit difficult when you have a toddler running around.

Clean Up:

The cleanup wasn’t bad. Minimal pans, the cleanup was the easiest part, which is always a good thing for me.

Is it Enough Food?

Yes. It is enough food for two adults to have decent sized portions, as well my toddler. The dishes were not kid friendly, but I was able to make it work. Blue Apron does offer family meals that I think I would look into next time.

Allergies:

Everything is individually sealed, and allergens are clearly labeled. There was little concern for cross contamination.

Cost:

It is about 20.00 a night for enough to make two adult meals and feed a toddler. This seems to be about average. The meals were very tasty, and we did try some things that I would make again, such as the Catfish with Ponzu Sauce. However, for me, with boxed meal services I am looking for ease more than complex flavors.

Final Thoughts

Blue Apron is a little bit hard for me to justify purchasing. The food is delicious. If you would like to expand your cooking skills and taste buds, this is for you. For my family, it was just to involved, and I had to adjust to much to make it gluten free (though I now know how to make buttermilk biscuits using gluten free Bisquick, so that’s a win!). I hope this Blue Apron Review helps you determine if it is something that will work for your family.

Try it yourself:

If you want to try it out, I got a code for you. I have several friends that swear by Blue Apron, so give it a try for yourself and let me know what you think! Click the banner and get three meals free (basically half off one week, so it’s not a bad deal if you want to try it out!)