Blue Apron Got an Upgrade, So We Tested It

Welcome to Skimm Tested, a series where we put viral products to the test and give you our honest, unfiltered reviews.

What We Tested…

• Meal Kits by Blue Apron, $8+ per serving

• Assemble and Bake by Blue Apron, $12+ per serving

• Dish by Blue Apron, $10+ per serving

Use code SKIMM25 for $25 off your first two orders and free shipping.

Why We Tested…

How We Tested…

We each tried different options within Blue Apron: the meal kits, the assemble and bake options, and the premade microwavable dishes. Each option was shipped to our respective homes so we could prep, cook, microwave, and eventually taste test the food.

Ali’s Results…

• Meal Kits by Blue Apron. As someone who really enjoys cooking, I liked this option the most. I tried three meal kits: the Flank Steaks & Cheesy Homemade Biscuits, the Mexican-Style Beef & Rice Bowls, and the Roasted Garlic & Lemon Pesto Chicken. All three ended up being very tasty, and took about 45-60 minutes to prep and cook. When alone (my boyfriend was on a work trip), I got three to four servings out of them. But when he was home, I got the standard two. Everything comes measured, packaged, and labeled, so it’s really not hard to combine ingredients and cook. I will say since there are multiple steps, it is a more involved process, so if you’re looking for something quick and easy, I would do the Assemble and Bake option. The Meal Kits are the most in-depth, but great for those who are also trying to broaden their kitchen skills. What’s nice is that you can leave out certain ingredients if you don’t love them. You don’t have to follow each direction to get a good outcome, so there’s flexibility here. 

• Dish by Blue Apron. These meals are so fast and convenient, and on the weeks when I’m struggling to accomplish the basics, having meals ready to go in the fridge is such a relief. I did find the pasta option to be the least tasty because I didn’t get the best reheating outcome. In my opinion, the safest way to go with these is the protein and veggie way. They tend to hold up the best and reheat the tastiest. I would say eat these meals within a week or a week and a half, but no longer than that. I didn’t look deep into the nutritional info because I used these on a very busy week, which I am now somewhat regretting because to Abby’s point lower down, I assume these have a higher sodium level. So just be aware of what you’re ordering and how often you rely on them. 

Sarai’s Results…

• Assemble and Bake. This was my first time testing any kind of meal delivery, and I was pleasantly surprised — especially during the work week when time feels like it’s flying by at rapid speed. The instructions of the Bake and Assemble meals were easy to follow, and within 30 minutes, I had a meal I was actually excited to eat. Everything came out so good, and because each recipe serves two, I could either share food with a friend or have leftovers for the next day. Let me tell you, the Soy-Glazed Salmon and Rice Bake was my favorite of all the dishes I tried. It was savory, flavorful, and straight-up comfort food in a pan. I made it for myself and a friend during Thursday Night Football, and the dish, plus a glass of red wine, turned game night into something a little more elevated.

Abby’s Results…

• Variety of options. I love the expanded options and the fact that you no longer have to maintain a subscription. I’ve used subscription meal prep services before, but never needed them for every week and would accidentally forget to pause. There is also a lot more variety amongst the different meals than previously, though the vegetarian options are limited. 

• Dish by Blue Apron. I tried a chicken and rice dish, enchiladas, and a pasta option. All three were very good, and despite the zero prep work, tasted better than your standard microwavable meal. Neither the pasta or rice were too soggy or overcooked, which is a common problem. I did notice that the Dish meals are generally higher in sodium than the other meals. For example, my enchiladas had 930 mg of sodium, which is almost half the daily recommended limit. Because of this, I think these are great for busy weeks, but would not recommend basing your meal prep on just Dish meals. 

• Assemble and Bake. I loved these. It made me feel like I cooked a full meal, despite doing five minutes of work. You will have to touch and mix raw ingredients, but you don’t have to chop or measure anything. I did the Cheesy Chicken Bake and the Harissa Beef Pitas — both took five minutes of prep and then 20-30 minutes of bake time, and both came out very juicy. I should note that on the nutrition label, it says two servings were about 2,000 mg of sodium, if prepared as instructed. Since I had more say in the prep of these meals than with the Dish microwavable meals, I did not add any extra salt to try to make it less sodium-heavy. 

Sidenotes…

• Sarai noted that she was confused by the pan situation she received with the Bake and Assemble option. She felt like she didn’t get enough pans, and wasn’t sure if each was meant to be reusable or if it was a packaging mistake. She did a quick grocery store run to grab extra pans.

• We tried to have a vegan team member test Blue Apron, but she wasn’t able to find meals that worked for her. Ali was surprised by that because many meal delivery services offer options for vegetarians, vegans, keto, etc. This felt limiting. 

The Fine Details…

• Meal Kits by Blue Apron, $8+ per serving

• Assemble and Bake by Blue Apron, $12+ per serving

• Dish by Blue Apron, $10+ per serving

• Use code SKIMM25 for $25 off your first two orders and free shipping.

• Meals can be delivered to the contiguous United States.

• There’s a $25 minimum for each order, but there isn’t a required commitment (subscription) to order from Blue Apron. 

• All Blue Apron ingredients are packaged in a facility that also processes milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, wheat, and soy. Because of this, you shouldn’t order Blue Apron branded items if you have a severe food allergy.

• Nutritional information for meals is available online. 

Terms: Expires 10/31/2026, 11:59PM. Order subtotal minimum of $50 (before tip, taxes and fees) is required for discount to apply. Maximum discount of $25 per order. Valid for first time customers only. Applies to each of intended customer’s first 2 orders placed on Blueapron.com or the Blue Apron App. Limit one promotion per customer. Subject to availability, change and cancellation. Valid for intended recipient only. May not be applied to donations, gift cards, memberships, taxes or fees. Promotion may not be combined with any other promotions, promotional codes or offers. Subject to terms and conditions at https://www.blueapron.com/pages/terms.