We’re naming Home Chef the winner of this category purely because you can select from a small list of allergens (pork, poultry, beef, fish, shellfish, mushrooms, tree nuts, and sesame) upon setup. But truthfully, neither company offers much in the way of dietary considerations.
You can make protein upgrades or swaps on almost every dish with Home Chef, such as upgrading to antibiotic-free meats or swapping out fish for filet, or ground beef for ground turkey or Impossible meat. Blue Apron offers a similar level of customization for some meals but not all.
Blue Apron recipes can be filtered by beef-, pork-, and fish-free.
Blue Apron offers 70+ new recipes per week, while Home Chef offers up to 30 weekly choices. But it’s worth noting that neither Blue Apron nor Home Chef is the best meal kit delivery service if you’re following a special diet like gluten-free, keto, or paleo. If that’s you, you should check out our roundups of the best paleo, the best Whole30, and the best gluten-free meal kit delivery services.
The only diet Blue Apron and Home Chef seems to accommodate is vegetarian, which you can set in your preferences at sign-up. While both brands do clearly mark any meals containing the top eight major allergens (wheat, milk, soy, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, fish, and shellfish), each warns that cross-contamination is possible.
Choosing the winner of this category was a tough decision. Home Chef’s larger selection of protein options, serving sizes, prep levels, and add-ons offers more customization for dietary needs than Blue Apron.
