Sunbasket Meal Delivery Review

What is the Sunbasket Meal Delivery Service?

If you want to eat healthy and you care about where your food comes from—but you don’t have hours to spend in the supermarket reading labels or in the kitchen perfecting portions, Sunbasket was made for you.

Sunbasket is a meal delivery plan that ships delicious, easy-to-prepare recipes and premium, responsibly sourced ingredients to consumers’ doors every week. The recipes are designed by an award-winning chef and approved by a nutritionist, and each takes about 30 minutes or less to prepare. The ingredients list is impressive, and includes organic produce, responsibly raised meats that are free from antibiotics and added hormones, and sustainably sourced seafood.

And for those who prefer to skip the cooking altogether, they’ve got something for you, too: In 2020, Sunbasket introduced Fresh & Ready, a line of restaurant-quality, “ready-to-heat” meals, which require no preparation and can be ready to enjoy in as little as six minutes. Just like the Sunbasket recipes, Fresh & Ready meals are created by top chefs, and feature in-season, responsibly sourced ingredients. Sunbasket also hosts a large marketplace full of hand-selected grocery items like healthy snacks and sides that you can add to any shipment.

Sunbasket’s emphasis on superior flavor, nutrition and quality isn’t the only thing that sets it apart from the competition: Sunbasket offers more meal plan options than most of the meal delivery plans on the market. With Paleo, Lean & Clean, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Mediterranean, Diabetes-Friendly, Carb-Conscious and more, Sunbasket has a meal plan for every taste and lifestyle.

For the risk adverse, Sunbasket is a great choice. They don’t require any contracts or long-term commitments—the brand offers flexible meal plans that can be cancelled or skipped any time, and a 100 percent money back guarantee if a customer is dissatisfied with the service (though we can’t imagine many people are).

How It Works

From the ordering to the cooking, Sunbasket makes it easy. Here’s a look at what you can expect when you sign up for Sunbasket:

Ordering Sunbasket

There are a few choices you’ll make during the Sunbasket ordering process. You’ll start by indicating how many meals you want for the week. You’ll be required to choose at least four. From there, you’ll select:

1. Meal Type
You can stick with Meal Kit recipes only, or you can opt for the pre-made Fresh & Ready meals. Or, you can do what a lot of customers do, and mix and match—choosing a few recipes and a few Fresh & Ready meals. (By the way, this freedom to merge menus is a differentiator for Sunbasket, and one customers rave about).

2. Servings
The Meal Kits are available in two or four servings each, and the Fresh & Ready meals come in single servings.

3. Meal Plan
Following a special diet? No problem. They’ve got lots of options, including Vegetarian, Paleo, Diabetes-Friendly, Gluten-Free and more. Or you can choose your meals from the full, unfiltered menu.

4. Add-Ons
You’ll have the option to add breakfasts, lunches, healthy snacks, sides, sauces and/or specialty meats from Sunbasket’s robust marketplace to your order. This is a convenient way to add a few extra grocery items to your shipment.

Sunbasket Food Delivery

One of the aspects customers like most about Sunbasket—aside from the delicious food and healthy ingredients, of course, is that they are able to choose their delivery day. Most customers can choose to have their food delivered any day between Sunday and Thursday. Note: Sunbasket ships to most zip codes in the U.S., excluding Alaska, Hawaii and parts of North Dakota, Montana and New Mexico, and not all delivery days are available in all areas.

Your food will be delivered once a week to your home in sturdy packaging designed to sustain freshness through transit. You’ll want to keep the box out of direct sunlight, and get your ingredients in the fridge as soon as you take them out of the box to preserve their quality and freshness. Some Fresh & Ready meals can be frozen for cooking later—the cooking instructions will tell you which ones are freezable.

Each of the Meal Kit recipe ingredients are conveniently packaged together in one bag. You can place the whole bag in your fridge, but first you’ll want to take a quick scan to determine if there’s any produce that could benefit from ripening on the counter. And, if your meal contains any meats or seafood, you’ll want to place them in the refrigerator on a plate or in a plastic bag to capture any of the liquid that naturally accrues as they thaw. Leafy greens and whole vegetables will generally keep best in your fridge crisper drawer, but onions, shallots and certain fruits will be fine on the counter.

Sunbasket is a subscription service, which means unless you cancel or pause your order, you will automatically be billed and your food will automatically be shipped each week. You can cancel your order or skip a week, and can even forward your box to a different destination if you’re traveling. Just be sure to make all changes by the Wednesday before your next delivery.

Meal Preparation

If you opted strictly for Fresh & Ready meals, all you’ll need is something to heat them up with, like an oven or microwave. If your order included any Meal Kits, there are a few things you’ll need to have on hand, like olive, grapeseed or sunflower oil, salt and pepper, and occasionally, wine or butter. You’ll also need some basic kitchen staples like pots and pans, knives, a vegetable peeler, grater, zester, cooking utensils and measuring cups.

While you can eat any meal you’d like, any time you’d like, Sunbasket recommends eating them in this order for maximum freshness: Meal Kits that contain fresh seafood first—they recommend cooking seafood within three days of receipt, and all other meats within five days of receipt, then any Fresh & Ready meals. They also recommend eating Pre-Prepped Meal Kits, which contain chopped and ready-to-use ingredients, before Classic Meal Kits, which include whole produce.

To prepare and cook your meals, you’ll simply follow the instructions provided on the convenient recipe card. Most are ready in 30 minutes or less. The recipes are also available on the Sunbasket website, and even come with suggestions for involving the kids in the cooking process. One thing to keep in mind: Many of Sunbasket’s fresh vegetables are sourced directly from farms, which means they haven’t been washed. You’ll want to give all raw produce a rinse before cooking.

Can I Lose Weight With Sunbasket?

While Sunbasket is not a conventional diet delivery plan—their emphasis is on providing delicious balanced meals to fuel healthy lifestyles, they do provide options for those who wish to take a DIY approach to dieting. For example, they offer a Lean & Clean meal plan with meals that are about 550 calories or less per serving, are high in protein and fiber, and contain no gluten or dairy. For those counting carbs, they offer a Carb Conscious plan that includes meals with 35 grams of net carbs or fewer per serving.

Cost of Sunbasket

While it’s true that Sunbasket tends to be a bit pricier than some of the other meal delivery services on the market, you get what you pay for. Very few competitors offer a meal selection as varied as Sunbasket, and many overlook the importance of ingredient quality on both nutrition and flavor. A Sunbasket purchase comes with the confidence that you’re getting premium ingredients free of nasty chemicals, pesticides, hormones and antibiotics, and chef crafted meals that rival the flavor of your favorite restaurant meal. 

If you are interested in Sunbasket, but the cost is a deterrent for you, keep an eye out for one of their frequent promotions, which tend to bring the price down significantly.

Sunbasket offers two primary product lines—Meal Kits, which come with recipes and corresponding ingredients, and Fresh & Ready meals, which are prepared meals you simply heat and eat. The cost depends on which meal type and how many servings you select. Here is a breakdown of the pricing:

Meal Kits

Available in two and four servings, the Meal Kits are great for couples and families. The more you order, the lower the price per serving.

Fresh & Ready

These pre-made meals come in single servings, and the more meals you purchase, the lower the price per serving. If you need meals for more than one person, you can simply double up your order, or add more meals to your shipment.

Regardless of the meal types you select, you’ll also pay a flat shipping fee of $9.99 per shipment, although this is often waived for your first order. 

Recipes & Ingredients

Sunbasket Meal Kits come with everything you need to cook your own meals. The Fresh & Ready meals are pre-made meals that you simply heat and eat. No matter which meal type you select, you can feel good knowing that the meals feature fresh organic produce, responsibly raised meats free of antibiotics and hormones, and seafood that’s wild-caught or sustainably raised, following the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch® program guidelines. The ingredients were hand-selected from the country’s top farmers, ranchers and seafood providers.

The Food

When it comes to flavor, Sunbasket spares no expense. Each mouthwatering recipe has been developed by a team of award-winning chefs led by the renowned Justine Kelly, who was the executive chef The Slanted Door, an esteemed James Beard Award-winning restaurant.

Here’s a look at just a few of the delicious meals on the Meal Kit menu:

• Mojo pork tacos with pickled onions and salsa verde
• Shrimp cioppino with fire-roasted tomatoes and baby spinach
• Spicy Thai chicken with warm jicama salad and cashew-lime sauce
• Orzo bowls with broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, and pistou
• Black Angus steaks and sweet potato wedges with scallion-ginger relish
  

And here’s a glimpse of the Fresh & Ready meals Sunbasket is dishing out:

• Sausage and peppers with tangy spiced sweet potatoes and green romesco
• Turkey Bolognese over spaghetti
• Cheesy chicken Tetrazzini with braised kale
• Shrimp paella
• Vegetarian couscous with artichokes, olives, and creamy feta dressing

Nutrition

All of the Sunbasket meals have been approved by a dietitian. They feature nutrient-dense produce, whole grains, high-quality protein and healthy fats, and keep added sugar and processed ingredients to a minimum.

Here’s a look at the nutrition in the Sunbasket meals:

• About 400 to 800 calories per serving
• High in fiber, with at least five grams per serving
• High in protein, with at least 10 grams per serving
• Limited sodium, typically less than 800 milligrams per serving
  

Meal Types

Sunbasket accommodates a variety of taste and cooking preferences, offering four distinct meal types:

Classic Meal Kits: Featuring easy-to-follow recipes and fresh, premium ingredients, these restaurant-quality meals are ready in 30 minutes or less and make two or four servings.

Pre-Prepped Meal Kits: Like the Classic Meal Kits, these feature chef-designed recipes and fresh, seasonal ingredients. The difference is that with these kits, all of the ingredients are already conveniently chopped and measured when they arrive at the door, saving you even more time. These serve two or four, and are ready in 15-20 minutes.

Chef’s Table Meal Kits: Craving the fine dining experience but don’t want to leave your home? These kits are perfect for a special date night, celebration, holiday or when you simply want to treat yourself and your loved ones. They include premium proteins, unique ingredients and wow-worthy flavor combinations. These kits are available in two or four servings.

Fresh & Ready Meals: Perfect for the “culinary challenged” or the time deprived, these are delicious, pre-made meals that arrive in a microwave- and oven-ready tray—you just heat and eat. They come in single servings and are ready in as little as six minutes.

One of the things customers like most about Sunbasket is that they aren’t locked into one meal type—they can mix and match with each order. Some customers say they like to order Fresh & Ready meals for the busy weeknights, and one or more of the Meal Kits for the weekends when they have a little more time to cook.

Sunbasket Weekly Menu

Sunbasket knows that variety is the name of the meal delivery game; they offer meal plans to accommodate every palate and diet. In addition to their Chef’s Choice plan, which features recipes hand-picked by the brand’s award-winning chefs, here’s what Sunbasket is serving up:

• Paleo
• Gluten-free
• Lean & Clean
• Vegetarian
• Pescatarian
• Mediterranean
• Diabetes-Friendly 
• Carb-Conscious

When building your menu, you can filter by one or more of these categories, or you can choose from the full menu, mixing and matching any of the 20+ weekly recipes.

How Does It Compare

With so many meal delivery services to choose from, it’s hard to decide which is best for you. Here’s a look at how Sunbasket stacks up against the competition:

Why We Love It: The Bottom Line

Offering delicious, chef-crafted recipes and premium, clean ingredients, plus a line of pre-made, healthy meals, Sunbasket takes the stress—and the mess—out of mealtime. Here are some of the reasons we love this meal delivery service:

High Quality, Organic & Responsibly Sourced Ingredients

You care what goes in your body and so does Sunbasket. We love their commitment to using organic produce, responsibly sourced meats free from antibiotics and added hormones, and sustainably sourced seafood. 

Crafted By Chefs & Approved By Dietitians

Behind every Sunbasket recipe and meal is a team of esteemed chefs who’ve perfected the art of serving healthy food that tastes like you ordered it from your favorite restaurant. Their delicious meals are sure to satisfy even the pickiest palate.

Variety of Meal Configurations & Menus

With several different meal types and even more meal plans, Sunbasket has something for every person, couple and family. 

No Contracts or Commitments

With Sunbasket, you can take the leap risk-free with their no-commitment meal plans. You can skip meals or cancel your plan at any time. Sunbasket is so confident in their product, they offer a 100% Money Back Guarantee.

They Give Back

Every week, the company donates an average of 1,000 pounds of food to Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, the New Jersey Agricultural Society Farmers Against Hunger, and Hope Food Pantry of Monroe County. Additionally, their Feed It Forward program sends healthy meals to frontline workers, cancer patients, and those facing food insecurity. 

The Sunbasket Recycle Promise

Sunbasket cares about their environmental impact: Most of their packaging is already recyclable or compostable, and they’re working toward getting to 100 percent in the near future.

About Sunbasket

Founded in San Francisco in 2014 by Webby-winner Adam Zbar and Chef Justine Kelly, former Head Chef at the Slanted Door, a James Beard Award-winning restaurant, Sunbasket is a leading meal delivery service that provides delicious and easy-to-make recipes and pre-measured, clean ingredients weekly to customers’ doors. The company recently introduced Fresh & Ready, a line of pre-made meals, to bring customers even more convenience and choice. Sunbasket endeavors to save busy people the time of meal planning and food shopping—so they can eat healthily and feel nourished from the inside out.