Why EveryPlate is the best meal delivery kit for your money

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Dinnertime is sacred in our house. As a mom of two, I know it’s important for my family to sit down together, talking about our days while sharing a delicious, filling meal. But as any parent knows, preparing a fresh meal that pleases everyone’s palate, night after night, is no easy task. Especially if your kids, like mine, happen to be two very picky preteens!

My friends had been raving about meal kit delivery services like Blue Apron, and then I discovered another one that looks pretty new–EveryPlate. These services deliver fresh, pre-measured ingredients and recipes directly to your door every week, streamlining dinner prep by eliminating grocery shopping and meal planning.

Some of the services are more expensive than others, and I was curious to find out if there was a significant difference in quality and taste between the plans.

I spent one-week cooking meals from EveryPlate, an affordable option, and the next week cooking Blue Apron, a pricier one. At the end of two weeks, there was a clear family favorite. Here’s how EveryPlate and Blue Apron stack up against each other — and which service I’ll be using to feed my family from now on.

COST

As I mentioned, EveryPlate is less expensive. Way less expensive, in fact. Their family plan offers three meals per week; each one feeds four people and costs $4.99 per serving (plus $8.99 for shipping). Compare that to Blue Apron’s price for the same number of meals and servings: $8.74 per serving (shipping is free).

By the numbers, there’s no question that EveryPlate wins. I can’t go to the grocery store and get all the food that EveryPlate provides for less than $4.99 per serving, even at full price. Plus, my first box was even cheaper because I had a coupon code for $20 off.

At about half the cost of Blue Apron, EveryPlate provides incredible meals at significant savings.  

PACKAGING

The packaging can make or break your experience with any meal delivery service. No one wants to come home to a box of meat that’s already thawed (yuck!) and vegetables that look like they lost a fight.

EveryPlate and Blue Apron package their kits the same way: in one box, with ice packs and an insulated liner. The goal is to keep the ingredients fresh in case you’re not home when the box arrives and it sits outside for a little while. Both my Blue Apron and EveryPlate boxes shipped during the summer, and I wasn’t home to unpack them right away.

With Blue Apron, I had thawing issues. The EveryPlate box was clearly packed with greater care. The fact that it sat outside in the heat didn’t affect the ingredient quality at all. Even hours later, the meat was still cold, and all the products arrived intact — no leaky meat and no bruised vegetables!

Also, there was less waste with the EveryPlate packaging–an additional bonus, as the Blue Apron packaging made me feel like I was single-handedly killing the environment.

When it comes to packaging, EveryPlate has Blue Apron beat.

PREP TIME

Each EveryPlate and Blue Apron box comes with all the ingredients you need to make three meals for a family of four, plus detailed recipe cards with step-by-instructions. Each meal is supposed to take only 30 minutes. Overall, I found EveryPlate’s recipes much less fussy than Blue Apron’s. One Blue Apron recipe actually had me peeling tiny beets, one by one, by rubbing them with a paper towel under running water. It felt like a frustrating, unnecessary step.

EveryPlate offers a quicker way to get a meal on the table efficiently and for a low cost. And as a bonus, I never had to juggle too many pots or pans!

MEAL SELECTION

One of the many benefits of a meal kit is getting to try recipes you might not normally make. With both Blue Apron and EveryPlate, my family enjoyed delicious meals made from quality ingredients. But for the value, you just can’t beat EveryPlate’s selection.

Their process is so easy.: You just sign up, pick your meals for the week, and then, like magic, they arrive at your doorstep. The plans are easily customizable (if you’re feeling generous, you might even ask your kids what they’d like to eat!).

My kids are picky, but they loved everything I cooked from the EveryPlate boxes. The Chicken Fajitas and Creamy Sausage Penne were big hits, but our favorite dish was the Italian Sausage Sandwich with potato wedges. The dish was full of flavor, simple to make and used only the oven.

If your child has allergies, EveryPlate has your back. They review and flags every ingredient for any of the major 8 allergens: wheat, dairy, soy, eggs, nuts, peanuts, fish, and shellfish.

MEAL QUALITY

Fresh, quality meals shouldn’t be a luxury. That’s why I’m sticking with EveryPlate, whose basic meal quality is higher overall. Their protein-packed offerings are consistently delicious, with the perfect balance of familiar and exciting flavors. And I appreciate that the crowd-pleasing meals aren’t super high in sodium and calories.

At the end of the day, my husband and kids now look forward to hearty dishes like Steak and Potatoes with Montreal-Style Spices and Creamed Kale. Their anticipation of what’s on the menu has made our family dinner time more pleasant and peaceful overall.

BOTTOM LINE

At the end of a long day, it’s great to have a no-brainer option for dinner. EveryPlate is tastier, simpler, and WAY cheaper than Blue Apron. Plus, my kids love it. In fact, they’ve started to ask me when the next box will arrive! I’m hoping that one of these days, I might even get them to cook…

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