Between Trump TARIFFor Lack of eggs associated with bird flu And continuous inflation from the interruption of the coronavirus, the prices of the food items are significantly high and are expected to be discarded up to 3.3% in 2025. A CNET study shows that food items remain the only cause of adhesive shock among US buyers.
In an effort to hold subscribers and attract new ones, Blue Apron recently announced a 6-month pricing, which makes us ask if the meal boxes are actually cheaper than buying the same groceries needed to dinner.
You may have considered Vertebrate, Platform OR Hellofresh As a way to save time, but you probably didn’t think a meal kit can save you money. To detect, I suppressed math numbers to see how much meal kit really costs against buying groceries in an average supermarket.
After marking some ingredients lists for different recipes, they found that some meal sets are the same price or, in some cases, even cheaper than grocer Depending on the service you register and the meals you choose.
VS meal boxes purchase food items
| Cost for service (average plan) | Cost of the same ingredients in the grocery store | |
|---|---|---|
| Vertebrate | $ 6 | $ 5.40 |
| Platform | $ 10 | $ 9.75 |
| Hellofresh | 9 dollars | $ 6.55 |
Here is a breakdown and how I got these figures.
How did I do math
I put my math hat to see if the complete meal is actually a good deal in 2025.
To see how much they cost a blue platform, hellofresh and every meal to do, I appreciated the ingredients for two true recipes that are included in a standard reconciliation.
When I chose groceries, I used the cheapest version of the same ingredient or similar I could find in Shop-rite, a budget-friendly grocery store in my area. Because meal kit recipes include only the amount of ingredients needed, I preceded the cost from how much you will actually use for a recipe, not the full price of bottles, jar, box or bag.
I chose basic, inorganic items, unless otherwise specified on the meal recipe card or website.
How did I chose the recipes
I chose steak and seafood recipes to be compared as they represent the best value in most meal kitten menu.
If you are looking to vacate sets as a The value proposalYou will need to be smart for which recipes you choose. Steak, chicken and fish tend to be more expensive to cook at home than plant -based foods, so I especially chose the recipes that contain those proteins. (I also recommend you to take advantage of them if you are being registered for a service).
Not all services include steak recipes without addition, but hellofresh and blue apron do. Blue Aproni usually offers at least a fairly high beef cut as sirloin steak free of charge.
Hellofresh offers one or two beef recipes per week but is usually a cheaper cutting Like Chuck Steak. Sea food options are limited to a basic hellophreal but found a barramundi recipe In this week’s menu, except Steak farm with caesari salad.
Budget -friendly services, including each chart, usually do not offer steak or seafood, which is how they keep their prices low. For my all -round analysis, I chose a beef AND pour recipe.
Blue Apron represents the best value
Blue Apron Seafood recipes, including steak, salmon and trout, prove to be a great value in 2025.
Platform There are the highest recipes of three I have chosen to analyze. I chose a recipe that included the sirloin steak and another with fresh steel trout fillets.
When I appreciated groceries to make these foods, they raised at $ 11.26 and $ 8.23, respectively, at an average price of $ 9.75 per service. Both meals proved more expensive to buy in supermarket than the $ 8 cost for service for the largest (cheaper) platform plan.
No matter how good it may sound, the biggest Blue Apron Plan is a five -day meal whip with four servings each, and is likely practical for most people. If you choose a more reasonable plan – let’s say three meal recipes with four servings each – the price for the service drops to $ 9.50. This is even cheaper than the cost of purchasing food items, but only by little.
Add the cost of weekly shipping of $ 11 and delays of the blue platform over the cost of purchasing food items, but only a little. When you consider the comfort of a meal kit, it is difficult to argue that the blue platform is not a good value in 2024.
APRON Blue vs Purchase food items
| Sliced trout, couscous and vegetables | |
|---|---|
| Ingredients: | Cost: |
| Steel trout files, 10 oz | $ 11.50 |
| Pearl Couscus, 1/2 cup | $ 2 |
| 4 oz. grapes | $ 1.25 |
| 1 red onion | $ 1.29 |
| Crushed pepper flakes | 0.10 dollars |
| Sliced cheese, 1/2 oz | $ 2 |
| Spice Blend, 1 tbs | 0.25 dollars |
| Green beans, 6 oz | $ 3 |
| Roasted sunflower seeds, 2 tbs | 0.50 dollars |
| Nichoise grop olives, 1 oz | 0.64 dollars |
| Total: | $ 22.53 |
| For service: | $ 11.26 |
| Mexican steak with green beans and sweet potatoes | |
| Ingredients: | Cost: |
| 2 sirloin steak, 11 oz | $ 7 |
| Guajillo Chile Pepper sauce, 1/3 cup | $ 1 |
| Lime, 1 | 0.50 dollars |
| Raw Pepitas, 2 TBS | $ 0.59 |
| Cote Cotija, 2 tbs | 0.60 dollars |
| Sweet potatoes, 1 lb | $ 3 |
| Green beans, 6 oz | $ 3 |
| Smoky Spice, 1 TBS | 0.25 dollars |
| Garlic, 2 cloves | 0.20 dollars |
| WORCESTERSHIRE sauce, 2 tbs | 0.46 dollars |
| Total cost: | $ 16.55 |
| For service: | $ 8.23 |
Hellofresh was the worst value but not too much
Hellofresh meal boxes cost $ 10 for service, but only about $ 6.50 for service if you are going to buy groceries yourself.
Hellofresh It can be the most popular meal bag service, but it was also the worst value of the three. I chose a Barramundi recipe and the chuck -bite meal bag to compare with local food prices.
According to my calculations, hellofresh meal boxes would only cost $ 6.55 for service to buy groceries and make food yourself. This is about $ 2.50 cheaper than the average hellofresh meal plan of $ 9 for service, and that is all before factoring your weekly cost of $ 11. If you were to spread that transport fee in two or three meal sets, the current cost for service is more like $ 11 to $ 12.
Hellofresh may have one of the most weekly menu of meal sets and user -friendly ordering interface, but as it turns out, the popular service does not offer as much value as other meal kit companies.
Hellofresh vs Purchase food items
| Barramund with Lemon & Kuskus carrots | |
|---|---|
| Component: | Cost: |
| Barramundi, 10 oz | $ 7.56 |
| Carrots, 12 oz | $ 1.50 |
| Lemon, 1 | $ 0.57 |
| Qimnon, 1 tablespoon | 0.23 dollars |
| Kuskus Israeli, 2.5 oz | 0.75 dollars |
| Cilantro, ¼ oz | $ 1 |
| Garlic, 2 cloves | 0.20 dollars |
| Chili flakes, 1 tablespoon | 0.23 dollars |
| Vegetarian’s concentrate, 1 package | $ 1 |
| Total: | $ 13.04 |
| For service: | $ 6.52 |
| Glass glazed tagliata | |
| Component: | Cost: |
| Potatoes, 12 oz | $ 1.50 |
| Lemon, 1 | $ 0.57 |
| Italian spices, 1 tbs | 0.50 dollars |
| Garlic powder, 1 tps | 0.23 dollars |
| Ranch Steak, 10 oz | $ 6 |
| Mixed greens, 2 oz | 0.70 dollars |
| Caesar’s dress, 1.5 oz | 0.45 dollars |
| Croutons, 2 oz | $ 1.00 |
| Parmesan cheese, 3 tbs | $ 1.50 |
| Balsamic glaze, 5 tablespoons | 0.80 dollars |
| Total: | $ 13.17 |
| For service: | $ 6.59 |
Everyplate is a good deal, for the same with the purchase of food items
Kits every meal allocated to $ 5.40 for service when the ingredients were purchased at the store. This is just a cheaper hair than service, making it a great value if you are trying to save time and energy.
Everyplate’s Two meal sets cost $ 4.98 and $ 5.82 when they bought a LA Carte in the grocery store, which on average $ 5.40. This is only 60 cents less than the price for service of the EVEREPlate meal sets, which cost $ 6 for service no matter which plan you choose.
Add the $ 10 box shipping cost and the cost of a slightly crawling meal, but it is still about the same price as the purchase of all food items itself.
The menus of the everyplate meal do not present much in the way of steak or seafood, in order to expect more budget -friendly protein, such as chickens, beef and pork pieces. Comprehensive foods are also easy to make and enjoyable, making it choose our best free meal service in 2024.
EVEREPLATE VS Purchase of food items
| Be cherry with zucchini and potatoes with garlic puree | |
|---|---|
| Ingredients: | Cost: |
| Potatoes, 12 oz | $ 1.50 |
| White bread, 2 slices | 0.50 dollars |
| Zucchini, 1 | $ 2 |
| Land beef, 8 oz | $ 3.50 |
| Cherry jam, 1 oz | 0.85 dollars |
| Garlic powder | 0.10 dollars |
| Sour cream, 4 oz | $ 1 |
| Soy sauce, 1 oz | 0.50 dollars |
| Full | $ 9.95 |
| For service | 4.98 dollars |
| Pork stained with potatoes and carrots | |
| ingredient: | Cost: |
| Carrots, 12 oz | $ 1.50 |
| Potatoes, 12 oz | $ 1.50 |
| Yellow onion, 1 | $ 1 |
| Scallions, 2 | 0.50 dollars |
| Pork pieces without bona, 10 oz | 4.93 dollars |
| Chicken stock concentrate | $ 1 |
| pepper | 0.25 dollars |
| Sour cream, 4 oz | $ 1 |
| Full | $ 11.63 |
| For service | $ 5.82 |
To get the most out of your meal distribution, see my guide to hacking a meal submission subscription in 2025.