Finding time to make fresh, healthy meals when you’re being pulled in multiple directions can be an uphill battle. This is where the best meal delivery services come in, often promising a hassle-free meal preparation experience that will help you eat healthfully even when unable to visit the grocery store.
You’ve probably come across Sunbasket when looking at different meal kit delivery services. Their meals look great, but does reality match what you see online? Keep reading for our detailed Sunbasket review, conducted by our expert product tester, a certified nutrition coach who personally tried this service out.
Medical disclaimer: This article is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for medical advice. For health advice, contact a licensed healthcare provider.
Over 40 Meal Delivery Services Tested By Us
Choosing the wrong meal delivery service can be an expensive mistake, so we know you need reviews that are honest and factual.
You also need to know whether the meals offered will help you meet your health and fitness goals. That’s why our team of product testers at Garage Gym Reviews has reviewed over 40 different meal delivery services and aims to create the most in-depth reviews that we possibly can.
Our product testers include certified personal trainers, Olympians, nutrition coaches, and endurance athletes who use their professional expertise to review how well any meal delivery service fits the needs of active individuals.
Amanda Capritto, CPT, CES, CNC, CF-L1, senior staff writer for Garage Gym Reviews, tried out Sunbasket and provided us with her honest feedback. She rated the meal delivery service across several categories, according to our testing methodology, including:
- Meal preparation
- Ease of ordering
- Meal plans and customization
- Meal variety
- Sustainability efforts
- Price per meal
Sunbasket is an organic meal delivery service that offers meal kits and prepared meals. There are many allergen-friendly meal options available, and options to add extra protein and cooked breakfasts a la carte. You can’t mix and match meal types, but you can switch off each week if you want.
A Quick Look at Sunbasket
Sunbasket is a meal delivery service founded in 2014 and headquartered in San Francisco, California. Their mission is to “empower people to live their healthiest lives” by striving to ship fresh, healthy meals made with organic produce and clean ingredients straight to your door. As of this writing, 98% of the produce used in Sunbasket’s meal is organic (they’ll notify you if an ingredient isn’t, though).
All Sunbasket meal kits are ready in 30 minutes or less and are suitable for a variety of lifestyles and dietary preferences. They design their meals for busy people so you can prioritize a healthy diet even when you have limited time. They even have prepared meals that can be heated up in a few minutes.
Before You Buy
- You must order at least 3 meals per week, and are capped at 5 meals, although these meals are designed to serve 2 or 4 people.
- Ordering is a la carte, meaning you can choose which meals you want.
- Customizing individual meals isn’t an option.
RELATED: Best Organic Meal Delivery Services
Is Sunbasket Worth It?
Overall, Sunbasket is a good option for healthy meals that don’t take long to cook or heat, especially if you don’t have time (or don’t want) to do your own grocery shopping. It’s a helpful way to reduce your mental load throughout the week, although it may not meet the needs of everyone.
Great for:
- People who value organic produce
- Those who want fresh (not frozen) meals that you can either microwave or cook yourself
- A large variety of different meal options
Not recommended for:
- Athletes and very active individuals
- People on a very tight budget
- Anyone with Celiac disease, due to the risk of cross-contamination
RELATED: 12 Best Gluten-Free Meal Delivery Services
Sunbasket Specs
| Price per meal | $9.99 to about $14 |
| Meals per week | 3-5 meals, which serve 2-4 people |
| Meal kit or prepared | Both options available |
| Diet options | Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Mediterranean, Gluten-friendly, Paleo, Diabetes-Friendly, Carb-Conscious, Keto-Friendly |
| Fresh or frozen | Fresh |
| Delivery area | Most of the United States, excluding AK, HI, MT, ND, and parts of New Mexico |
Experience Using Sunbasket
In general, our product tester Amanda Capritto’s experience with ordering and customizing meals was outstanding. Sunbasket offers nutrient-dense, a la carte meal options available either as meal kits that you cook yourself or microwaveable prepared meals that are delivered fresh.
They have a great variety of meals, but Amanda found a lot of them lacking in flavor. There were also disappointing issues with ingredient quality, and the portion sizes were too small to justify the higher price of some meals.
Price Per Meal
Sunbasket meals start at $9.99 per serving for the microwaveable pre-made meals. The meal kit options cost a little more and start at $11.49 per serving, although the cost will vary based on the number of meals per week that you order. You’ll also likely get an additional discount on your first box, like many meal deliveries offer.
Unfortunately, you’ll have to enter your email address and zip code before you can view specific pricing, but in Amanda’s experience, most meals range from $10 to $14. This is a standard price for meal delivery services, so Amanda rates the cost at 3 out of 5.
Sunbasket Meal Preparation
There are two different meal preparation options offered: pre-made meals that just need to be heated, and Sunbasket meal kits that you prepare and cook yourself.
Amanda was impressed with how the prepared meals “just need to be popped in the microwave and are great for a quick lunch.” These fresh and ready meals are delivered fresh, not frozen, and take less than 5 minutes to heat.
The meal kits are meant to be cooked yourself in 30 minutes or less. Ingredients come pre-portioned but do require some chopping and slicing.
Because of this, Amanda rates the ease of prep a 3.5 out of 5, noting, “You’ll have as much cleanup as you would normally. Cutting boards, various knives, cooking utensils, bowls, pans, and pots have all been used in my experience with Sunbasket.”
That said, Sunbasket does offer pre-prepped meal kits which come with ingredients already prepared and ready to be cooked. These have a cook time of about 15 to 20 minutes.
Taste, Ingredient Quality, and Portion Size
Unfortunately, we were underwhelmed when it came to how the meals actually tasted. Amanda felt that Sunbasket recipes were mediocre in terms of taste. “Not terrible, but definitely not fantastic,” she adds, giving the taste a 3.75-out-of-5 score. “I can cook better on my own, honestly.” She ended up adding her own seasonings, aromatic vegetables, hot sauce, and sweeteners to boost the flavor of most meals.
Also disappointing was the hit-or-miss ingredient quality. In Amanda’s experience, she says, “The ingredient quality has been very mixed. For example, the package of sirloin tips that I got for one of the meal kits was questionable—the vacuum seal was busted and the meat smelled icky upon opening.”
Other meals were great, but didn’t make up for the spoiled meat. We gave Sunbasket a 2.75 out of 5 for ingredient quality because of these issues.
Sunbasket also fell short when it came to portion sizes, which Amanda rates at 3 out of 5. “Most of the two-serving meal kits I’ve gotten would feed one and a half people, maybe—or two people who don’t eat a lot,” said Amanda. For people who are very active, these meals may not provide enough food.
Meal Plans and Customization
We were extremely impressed with the variety of meals available to choose from, earning the brand a 4.5 out of 5 for variety. Meals are chosen from a set meal plan, of which there are many. Sunbasket offers vegetarian, paleo, gluten-friendly, Mediterranean, and keto-friendly meal plans, among others.
RELATED: Best Plant-Based Meal Delivery
You can’t customize individual meals, but they offer so many different ones that you’re likely to find many options that’ll match your preferences. Amanda adds, “You could easily use this subscription for several months without getting bored.”
A neat feature is their grocery staple add-ons such as fresh pasta, proteins, and sauces that you can add to an order to make your weekly meal prep even easier.
Full nutrition information for each meal is easily accessible on the Sunbasket website.
Ordering, Packaging, and Shipping
Ordering from Sunbasket was about as simple as it gets, earning a 5-out-of-5 rating here. Just create an account, choose how many servings of food you want in each box, and select your meals. You can choose how often you’d like to receive deliveries at checkout. Free delivery with your first box is a nice bonus.
Upon receiving her delivery, Amanda said, “Everything was packaged fine, although some ingredients were a little smashed.” Orders come in two separate boxes, meaning there’s a lot of packaging to dispose of. Amanda rates the packaging and delivery at 3 out of 5.
To their credit, Sunbasket does provide a guide on their website with helpful ideas for reusing or recycling their packaging and ice packs, some of which is compostable.
Comparison to Similar Products
Home Chef is a meal delivery service that gives you options between meal kits, heat-and-eat meals, and grill-ready selections. It does require a subscription, but you can cancel any time or skip a week if you don’t want a shipment. Our testers appreciate the high-quality ingredients, easy ordering process, and variety of options.
Home Chef is another popular meal delivery service that caters to busy people whose schedules keep them from cooking meals at home as often as they’d like. Our product tester Emily Childester tried them out and was blown away: “My husband and I love these meals, frequently getting more than the three we typically order because they are so easy to make and are delicious.”
Based on our experience, the flavor and quality of Home Chef meals were consistently great and the portions were satisfying. We felt these criteria were lacking with Sunbasket, but we appreciated how both services offer meal kits and premade meals.
Sunbasket may be a better fit for you if you have certain dietary restrictions or preferences. They offer greater flexibility by allowing you to choose from a variety of meal plans and order meals a la carte. Home Chef doesn’t offer specific meal plans, although you can choose from a few dietary preferences and filter out “dislikes” such as shellfish, soy, and treenuts.
Both start around $9.99 per meal. Home Chef only offers up to 6 meals per week, so Sunbasket would work better if you want more meals than this.
Read our Home Chef review for more details.
Customer Experience
It was very easy to contact Sunbasket to report problems, deactivate a subscription, swap meals, and change delivery frequency. It isn’t clear from their website whether they offer refunds or returns, although some customer reviews have mentioned receiving refunds. Their customer service earns a 4 out of 5 from Amanda.
They do appear to take animal welfare and the impact of animal agriculture on sustainability seriously, as they source animal products from family farms that aim to provide better living conditions for their animals.
That said, the sheer amount of packaging and lack of any other specific strategies to promote sustainability led us to give them a 3 out of 5 in this area.
Customer Reviews
There aren’t any customer reviews posted on the Sunbasket website, but mixed reviews are available elsewhere online ranging between 3 and 5 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot, averaging out to 3.9 stars from the nearly 3,500 ratings.
One review on Trustpilot.com reads: “Sunbasket has delicious recipes, high quality ingredients, and super customer service. I use them weekly and on the minimal occasions I’ve encountered issues, they have been VERY courteous and have taken care of me.”
Ingredient quality may be negatively impacted by hot weather, as one customer received some rotten ingredients in the summer. And as Amanda experienced, portion sizes can be a bit small.
Final Verdict of Our Sunbasket Review
The bottom line? Because of their hit-or-miss ingredient quality, dull flavors, and small portions, Sunbasket may not be the best fit for everyone, especially very active individuals. However, they could be a good choice for some small families who want to prioritize organic ingredients. Here’s a few thoughts to consider:
- Sunbasket’s strength is in the variety of meals offered, with many accommodating certain dietary restrictions and preferences.
- Although Sunbasket prioritizes organic produce and responsibly-raised ingredients, the ingredient quality was a bit hit-and-miss in our experience.
- While this isn’t the most expensive meal delivery, it’s certainly not the cheapest, either, with most meals costing over $10.
Sunbasket Rating
Sunbasket Rating
Sunbasket is a popular meal delivery service, but is it worth it? Our team of product testers share an in-depth Sunbasket review after trying it for themselves!
Product Currency: USD
Product In-Stock: InStock
3.76
Sunbasket Reviews: FAQs
Is Sunbasket actually healthy?
Most Sunbasket meals include a good balance of protein, fat, and carbohydrates, with plenty of fresh produce. This makes them pretty nutrient-dense, although the healthfulness of a meal will depend on your individual needs and lifestyle.
Do Sunbasket meals come frozen?
Sunbasket meals are not frozen. They offer meal kits containing fresh ingredients that you cook yourself, or microwaveable meals that come fresh.
Is Sunbasket ethical?
Sunbasket tries to source their meat and poultry from farms that prioritize good living conditions and offers “sustainable” seafood. It’s always up for debate how ethical animal agriculture is, but we appreciate their efforts to support animal welfare.
Is Sunbasket cheap?
Sunbasket is not one of the cheapest meal delivery services considering their meal kits start around $12. We rated it a 3 out of 5 for price.
