Sunbasket Meal Service
Last updated: October 13, 2023
If you prefer the luxury of ready-made meals, this meal delivery service has a plan that lets you either microwave or pop it in the oven. Meals are made with organic and non-GMO ingredients, as well as catering to paleo, vegan, vegetarian and pescatarian diets. With some meals, you can upgrade to premium ingredients for a slightly higher price.
We looked at the top Meal Delivery Kits and dug through the reviews from some of the most popular review sites. Through this analysis, we've determined the best Meal Delivery Kit you should buy.
Product Details
Key Takeaway: This delivery service has two major preparation options, with one plan focusing on easy prep and the other allowing you to cook for yourself.
In our analysis of 177 expert reviews, the Sunbasket Meal Service placed 18th when we looked at the top 24 products in the category. For the full ranking, see below.Expert Reviews
What reviewers liked
The meal kit service offers two different types of meals: the traditional cook-it-yourself type with the organic ingredients and recipe cards in the box and the ready-made kind, where all you need is an oven or a microwave and you’re good to go.
Sunbasket not only has the best meal kits, by our admittedly subjective calculations, but they're also some of the best for you too. Healthy and fresh are common favorite meal kit descriptors, but Sunbasket goes a step further with lots of organic, non-GMO, sustainably and responsibly raised ingredients.
The folks at Sunbasket prioritize high-quality ingredients above all else, and it shows. The produce is all organic, the meat is antibiotic-free with no added hormones, and the seafood is fresh-caught in the wild. On top of that, this service offers a variety of meal-plan options catering to special diets such as Paleo, vegan, vegetarian, and pescatarian.
- Self
The food delivery service offers organic produce and antibiotic- and hormone-free meats and seafood, and you don’t have to go grocery shopping at 10 different stores to pick all the ingredients up since everything arrives at your door in recyclable, enviro-friendly packaging (ice packs included). The best part? The healthy meals aren’t boring, with recipes like Mediterranean quinoa salad and turkey tacos with roasted red pepper salsa.
- Glamour
Almost all of Sun Basket’s ingredients are organic, and all of its meals are designed for people with various dietary restrictions. It offers easy recipes that took less time on average than meals from any other kit we tried.
Clicking on the photo showed us the full recipe, nutrition information, allergens, ingredients, instructions, estimated cook time (usually 25-40 minutes), plus cooking tips, including how to let kids help. Dishes tended to use global influences and were a bit more exciting than the usual burgers and pasta that populate some other meal kit services.
It's for those of us who want to eat healthily but don't have time to search out recipes and go to the grocery store to buy items. It's also a great option if you are just starting out on your own and don't have experience cooking. The directions are easy enough for anyone to follow.
Offers a plethora of meal plans with an emphasis on fresh and organic ingredients. There's a ton of variety offered in each weekly menu, so there's something for everyone. Some of the other meal subscriptions had wilted produce or subpar flavor—Sun Basket had neither.
- Wired
Sunbasket has other tags letting you know which meals are "speedy" to make, as well as oven-ready, or pre-prepped. Depending on the meals you pick, you can also sometimes upgrade an ingredient for a price, such as choosing organic meat over a conventional product, or swapping chicken thighs for breasts.
What reviewers didn't like
Perhaps also as a result of Sun Basket’s organic commitment, it seems to have more trouble sourcing enough of everything. In almost every box, we found that one or more vegetables had been swapped out for something different—broccoli instead of brussels sprouts, or chard instead of mustard greens. The swaps rarely had a negative effect on the meal, but they can be disappointing if you have your heart set on a certain vegetable.
It’s a little more expensive than other meal kit services, so people on a tight budget might find it too pricey.
Convenience comes with tradeoffs, however, and Sunbasket's meals show it. Oven-ready meals lack contrast in texture and freshness. Furthermore, the service's meal-choosing process isn't particularly intuitive.
View our Meal Delivery Kit buying guide for in-depth advice and recommendations.