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Sunbasket Review

Tuesday, March 19th

2024 Prepared Meal Reviews

Sunbasket Review 4.5 Star Rating

Sunbasket

4.5 Star Rating
  • Prepared meal service that also has meal kit options
  • Prices start at $9.99/serving, but as low as $4.27 with promo pricing
  • Recipe options include Paleo, Vegetarian, Lean & Clean, Gluten-Free, Carb-Conscious, Mediterranean, Diabetes-Friendly, Pescatarian, Fresh & Ready
  • Add items from the Market to round out your shopping: breakfasts, lunches, snacks, sauces and more
  • $9.99 shipping
  • "A-" rated by the BBB

Sunbasket's mission "to empower people to live their healthiest lives, starting with what's on their forks" is evident in the way they work with fishermen, ranchers and farmers directly - to promote taking good care of our planet's resources. You'll find 100% organic produce in almost every prepared meal here, and your packages will come in recyclable or compostable packaging as often as possible.

Prepared meals - with recipe kits if you want them too

Most of the prepared meal companies we evaluated specialize just in that type of service. With Sunbasket, you'll typically have about 13 ready-made meal options to choose from in each week's menu. But, should you feel like taking a break from heat-and-eat and venturing (back) into the kitchen, you can add meal kits to your order anytime. Because those kits are more prevalent in Sunbasket's selection, you'll want to make sure you select "Fresh & Ready" when shopping here, so that you can see the prepared meals first in the list of options. You can also click on the "<20 minutes" filter to get the same result.

Fresh-not-frozen, ready in a few minutes

All of the prepared meals offered by Sunbasket come in a compostable tray that's safe to heat in either the microwave or the oven, ready in just a few minutes when you choose the first heating option.

Flavorful menu choices

Try not to drool as you look through the menu possibilities for Sunbasket's prepared meals. How about Turkey Chili Mac with Cheddar, Chicken Cacciatore with Olives and Mushrooms, or Swedish Meatballs with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Lingonberry Sauce? We'll point out that vegetarian options aren't as plentiful here, when you limit yourself to just the prepared meals and don't include the meal kits as well. By the way, don't forget to use the arrows at the top to switch between menus, to see what's coming up in the future.

Prepared meals serve one person

Another difference to be aware of is that Sunbasket's meal kits always serve at least two people, while Fresh & Ready selections are just for one. Fortunately, that's reflected in the pricing, with prepared meals coming in under $10.

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Look for discounts

You might be able to snag some savings, depending on what promotions are available at the time of your visit. We recently got an offer at the top of the site to save a total of $90, spread out across four deliveries, as well as free shipping and a free gift. All we had to do was click to activate it, and the savings were applied directly to our cart.

Be sure to swap your meals - if you want

Sunbasket doesn't automatically select your meals for you, but they don't swap them for new ones either. When you enter the prepared meals you want, you're subscribed to those specific recipes (and some might not be available the following week). Make sure you go in and choose new ones for each week, or double-check that the ones you want to get on the regular are still offered.

Check out the extras

You may not always feel like eating a ready-made meal, right? Sunbasket has quite a few a la carte extras you can tack on to your order. You'll find them under the Menu heading. Maybe you'd like some yogurt, a loaf of bread for some toast, or a handy smoothie you can throw in your bag in the morning? This feature is like having your favorite organic grocery store just a click away.

Excellent reputation for quality and service

The Better Business Bureau has good things to say about Sunbasket, awarding an "A-" rating for only having 14 complaints over the most recent three-year period. Outside of the BBB's listing, we found so many compliments from this company's customers, many of whom have been loyal subscribers for years and say that no other service has prepared meals (or meal kits) that can hold a candle to Sunbasket's. People praise the flavor and quality of the food, the company's commitment to the environment, and the friendly service received from support reps when needed.

Top pick for prepared meals

Although the selection of prepared meals offered by Sunbasket is smaller than some of their rivals, their reputation earns them our recommendation. We really like the flexibility of being able to choose among ready-made meals and recipe kits whenever we want, and we're impressed with the way we've seen Sunbasket's customer service team treat their clients. Who knew prepared meals could be so healthy and delicious? Sunbasket comes up shy of our first-place ranking only because their selection is on the small side.

Which Prepared Meal Company is the Best?

We've all got so many tools at our disposal these days when it comes to mealtime: the traditional drive-thru run on our way home, getting our groceries delivered by Instacart, or even having our favorite take-out brought right to our house by DoorDash or UberEats. But, let's face it: many of those options are unhealthy, expensive, or both. And even with getting our shopping done online and our supermarket hauls delivered, we still have to do the cooking. Ugh!

Fortunately, prepared meal companies can help you eat healthy at the end of a hectic day (or even on the job). These aren't your average grocery store TV dinners, either. Sure, you can opt for frozen meals if you prefer, particularly for longer-term storage, but you've also got the option of having freshly-made, refrigerated meals that only need to be heated for a few minutes in the microwave.

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Prepared Meal FAQ

Prepared meal subscriptions are popular for the same reason your favorite fast food joint has a long line at the drive-through at dinnertime: they're convenient! Imagine never having to go grocery shopping again! However, most people who subscribe to a prepared meals plan use it to supplement their regular cooking rather than replacing every single meal (e.g. just for a few dinners a week, for all weekend meals, etc.).
That depends on the service you select. Some specialize in reheat-and-eat meals similar to a traditional TV dinner, while others deliver all of the ingredients you need to prepare the recipes they provide. There are also options for holiday meals, special occasion dinners, plus sides and desserts if you want to impress the crowd at your next office potluck - without having to do the work yourself!
Two words: convenience and taste. Would you rather come home to another dinner of ramen or PB&J, or to a box of fresh ingredients that you can pull together into a restaurant-quality meal in just a few minutes? Subscribing to a prepared meals service can help you get out of your fast food rut, spare you the agony of yet another week of meal planning and grocery shopping, or just add some welcome variety to your eating habits.
You might be surprised. Most prepared meal services let you see customer comments on each dish - while some might not have been a huge favorite, most have hundreds (if not thousands) of rave reviews. And, if you're not known for being terribly creative or skilled in the kitchen, prepared meals can help you get out of your comfort zone and expand your taste horizons.
It will definitely cost more than if you bought all of the ingredients and prepared them yourself. But, the per-meal cost is typically less than what you'd spend in a restaurant. Expect a cost-per-serving somewhere between $8 and $12, depending on the plan you select.
Most services offering prepared meals have several options to choose from, either as an overall plan (like vegan or gluten-free) or on a meal-by-meal basis where you choose from a menu of meals for the month and can avoid any ingredients that you prefer not to have.
Unfortunately, most prepared meal plans aren't going to be affordable if you're feeding a crowd every night. There are a few that cater to larger families (or that have more portions per delivery so that you can have leftovers, feed houseguests, etc.). These services even have some menus that are designed to be more kid-friendly.
That depends on the service. If your meals arrive in bad condition - rotten ingredients, thawed meals that were supposed to be frozen at the time of delivery, and so forth - you'll usually get a refund or a replacement. A few providers of prepared meals offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee with a refund or store credit, regardless of the reason.
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Continued from above...

Prepared meals are especially useful if you're trying to follow a special diet. Getting used to "going keto" , managing diabetes-friendly foods, or knowing what to eat on a renal diet can be frustrating and time-consuming. When you choose a prepared meal company, it relieves some of that burden from your shoulders - until you feel confident doing it on your own, or for as long as you like.

Some customers order prepared meals to help out in a time of need. For families of seniors who are struggling to get adequate nutrition - because they can't get to the store, their mobility or cognition is impaired, or they've got other challenges - these services offer them the peace of mind that their loved ones are consistently getting meals that are well-balanced and easy to prepare.

How does it work? Many companies require you to sign up for a recurring subscription: you choose the number of meals per week and the servings per meal, and they'll be delivered regularly unless you pause the plan, skip a particular delivery, or cancel the service. Others allow you to place orders as needed, but you'll often pay a higher per-serving cost for a la carte prepared meals.

Not sure which provider to pick? Don't worry. Here are a several criteria you can use to narrow down the options for prepared meals:

  • Fresh or Frozen. Do you have a preference? Keep in mind that most meals that are delivered fresh can still be put in the freezer for at least a few weeks.
  • Preferred Menu. Are you trying to follow a particular eating plan, like a weight loss diet or a strictly vegan lifestyle? Choose the prepared meal company that has recipes you'll actually want to eat.
  • Flexibility. Will you need to commit to a delivery schedule? If so, how easy is it to change days or skip a shipment? Can the meals be modified to be more to your liking, such as changing fish for chicken or adding more protein? Are there any extras you can add to your box, to save you a trip to the store?
  • Value. How much will you pay per meal, and how does that compare with what you'd normally spend at the store? Is it worth the cost for the convenience you'll get? Are there any discounts or other ways to save money?
  • Customer feedback. What do people say about the prepared meals and the company providing them? Does everything arrive well-chilled or still-frozen, or are there problems with thawed ice packs and other delivery issues? How's the taste? Does the company's customer service team handle problems poorly or professionally?

TopConsumerReviews.com has made it easier for you to find the right prepared meal company for your needs, by evaluating and ranking today's most popular services. We hope that this information will help you spot the perfect menu and take advantage of this fantastic time-saver. Let's eat!

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