Bored with their usual dinner repertoire, more and more people are turning to meal kit delivery companies. Two of the major players in this market are Blue Apron and Sun Basket. Both offer delicious meal kits delivered straight to your door.
Blue Apron is the original meal kit delivery service in the USA. Bursting onto the scene in 2012, they gained popularity quickly, delivering more than one million meals each month by their second year.
It wasn’t long before more meal kit delivery services started popping up. Fast forward about two years and Sun Basket was born in San Francisco. Their products are USDA certified organic, and they produce a range of food for customers with dietary restrictions, such as paleo and gluten-free.
But which is the best option for you and your family? Let’s compare in this matchup of Blue Apron vs Sun Basket!
Blue Apron
Pros
Meals with easy to follow recipe cards are great for beginning cooks- Committed to sustainably sourced ingredients
- Calorie-conscious meals, with many that are Weight Watchers approved
- Add on wine subscription available
- Economical with a low, no-surprises flat rate shipping fee
Cons
- Limited options for special dietary needs
- Traditional meals can seem a little bland to more adventurous taste buds
- Limited weekly meal offerings compared to Sun Basket
- Tedious process to cancel a subscription
Sun Basket
Pros
- More variety with more than twice as many meal options as Blue Apron
- Caters to a wide variety of special dietary needs and preferences
- Breakfast, lunch, and snack options available
- Some a la carte selections for pasta and additional proteins
- Many of Sun Basket’s meals are family-friendly
Cons
- Costs more per serving than Blue Apron
- Sun Basket has a standing history of negative customer service reviews
- It’s difficult to find accurate pricing information on their website when just browsing
- Shipping is determined at the time of checkout
Dietary Options
Blue Apron
Sun Basket
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Blue Apron and Sun Basket both do well at providing meal options that are easy, nutritious, and taste good. If you have special dietary needs or are following a specific diet plan, easy and nutritious aren’t enough. You need meals that fit with your dietary lifestyle. Here’s what Blue Apron and Sun Basket deliver in terms of dietary options.
If you’re watching your weight or following a calorie-conscious diet, Blue Apron has a good selection of options for you. Many of Blue Apron’s meals come in under 500 calories, and they also offer carb-conscious selections. Vegetarian meals also make regular appearances on the Blue Apron menu.
Sun Basket is a bit more diverse in the dietary options they offer. Sun Basket’s menu offers meals for practically all of today’s popular dietary lifestyles, including Paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, diabetic-friendly, vegetarian, pescatarian, and Mediterranean.
Dietary Options Winner
Sun Basket is the clear winner because they offer meals in so many different dietary categories. Sun Basket also offers simple grab and go options for breakfast, lunch, and snacks, making them perfect for people with busy lifestyles.
Meal Prep & Variety
Blue Apron
- 50+
- 2 Meals for 2 People
Sun Basket
- 20+
- 2 meals for 2 people
When you order from Blue Apron or Sun Basket, you get a box that’s packed with fresh, delicious ingredients delivered right to your door. The fun comes once you open it up and begin preparing your meals. Exactly how much work does this involve, and can you count on enough variety to keep you interested in their meal delivery service?
Blue Apron sticks to about 12 meals on their weekly menu rotations. Blue Apron is a good choice if you like classic or traditional style meals with flavor profiles that have been elevated a few notches. With Blue Apron, you’ll get the chance to try new sauces and spice blends, and maybe learn a few new tricks in the kitchen.
Blue Apron also offers a selection of wines, which might be enjoyable to sip while you’re enjoying your meal, or even while you’re cooking. Blue Apron’s meals are suitable for beginning cooks, so there’s no reason to not have a little fun while you’re cooking them.
Sun Basket offers incredible variety with over 30 meals on their menu. This number will be narrowed down if you have any special dietary needs or preferences. In addition to beginner level meals to prepare, Sun Basket offers some heat and eat selections for breakfast and lunch.
Meal Variety Winner
With more than twice as many menu options, plus easy heat and eat choices for breakfast and dinner, Sun Basket earns the top spot for both meal prep and variety.
Ingredients
Blue Apron
- Non-GMO
grass Organic- Grass Fed
- Wild-Caught
Sun Basket
Both Blue Apron and Sun Basket have been praised for the quality of their meals, which wouldn’t be the case if they supplied anything less than the highest quality ingredients. Both are non-GMO, fresh, and not previously frozen. Both companies also stand out in unique ways for the quality of their ingredients.
Sun Basket is USDA certified organic and has exceptionally high standards when choosing where they source ingredients. When you order from Sun Basket, you know that your meat and eggs are hormone-free and antibiotic-free. Any seafood they use is wild-caught or sustainably raised.
Blue Apron works with sustainable food suppliers that avoid unnecessary treatments. Blue Apron is unique in that they use a network of more than 100 family-owned/ran farms. Blue Apron also has a strong commitment to sustainability and ethical sourcing, which shows through in the quality of the final product they deliver.
Ingredients Winner
Blue Apron and Sun Basket both have strong commitments to providing the freshest, highest quality ingredients to their customers. Blue Apron squeaks out a bit of advantage here with their network of family farms and focuses on ethics and sustainability.
Taste & Sample Meals
Blue Apron
- Seared Steaks & Calabrian Chile Butter with Collard Greens & Cheesy Potatoes
- Mediterranean Farro Bowls
- White Cheddar Cheeseburgers
Sun Basket
- Chicken and hummus flatbread “tacos”
- Mediterranean turkey meatballs with red pepper–cashew crema
- Korean chicken japchae with glass noodles and vegetables
So, what types of meals are you going to find on Blue Apron’s and Sun Basket’s menus, and more importantly, how do they taste? Let’s compare the two.
Blue Apron’s recipes are well-liked classics, some with a bit of twist. Overall, you’re going to find classic meals that can be found in everyday kitchens. If there is one drawback to the taste of Blue Apron’s meals, it’s that their flavors can sometimes be a bit underwhelming. Many of Blue Apron’s meals are simple and suitable for picky eaters, plus you can also add extra spices.
Sun Basket offers considerably more meals, giving them more of an opportunity to explore a diverse range of flavors in their menu options. Some meals feature spices that are a little bolder and more unique. It’s these flavor profiles that set Sun Basket apart in the industry.
Between Blue Apron and Sun Basket, serving sizes also differ. Blue Apron caters to the average appetite, making it unsuitable for those who like more substantial meals. At the same time, Sun Basket’s serving sizes are more generous.
Taste Winner
With a more diverse range of flavors, Sun Basket wins this category. That’s not to say that the taste of Blue Apron’s meals is bad. Both companies create meals that are designed to appeal to different taste preferences.
Pricing
Blue Apron
MEALS PER WEEK | 2 PEOPLE | 4 PEOPLE |
Two | $12.49 | $9.99 |
Three | $10.99 | $9.49 |
Four | $9.99 | $8.99 |
Five | $9.49 | $7.99 |
Sun Basket
MEAL | SERVING | COST/SERVING |
Meal Kits | 2 | $11.49 - $24.49 |
Fresh & Ready | 1 | $9.99 - $14.59 |
For many, the price of a meal delivery service is more than worth it. You don’t need to worry about meal planning, grocery shopping, or making sure you didn’t forget a key ingredient at the store. Generally, you can expect a meal prepared from a kit to run on the lower range of what you might pay for a similar meal in a restaurant.
This holds true for both Blue Apron and Sun Basket. Sun Basket’s meals run in the $11-$13 range but you’re not going to find exact details on pricing by just browsing their website. Sun Basket also charges a small flat rate shipping fee, which also is difficult to find on their website. Some orders do qualify for free shipping.
Blue Apron is marginally more economical in their pricing. The price of a meal from Blue Apron tops out at just under $10, with some meal packages coming in at a few dollars less per portion. Blue Apron also charges a flat-rate shipping fee of $8.99 per order.
Pricing Winner
Blue Apron’s pricing is slightly less than Sun Basket’s without any real noticeable decrease in quality or portion sizes. Blue Apron also wins the blue ribbon for more transparency in their pricing structure than Sun Basket
Packaging & Recycling
Blue Apron
Sun Basket
Whether you’re worried about the safety of the ingredients used in your meals, environmentally conscious, or just don’t like the idea of dealing with tons of cardboard and wrappings, how a meal kit services packages their products is important.
With Both Sun Basket and Blue Apron, your meal kits will be delivered in a box, with the ingredients separated within. Both companies are careful and thoughtful to ensure that all the ingredients are kept at an optimal temperature for freshness and food safety.
From an environmental standpoint, Sun Basket’s packaging materials are 100% recyclable or compostable. Sun Basket also offers a resourceful guide on their website that details how to recycle or reuse every piece of their packaging.
Like Sun Basket, most of Blue Apron’s packaging materials are recyclable, although Blue Apron doesn’t make any mention of their packaging components being compostable. Blue Apron also provides a recycling page on their website.
Packaging Winner
With both companies making a strong effort to package their meal kits in the safest, most environmentally sound way possible, it’s hard to pick a clear winner. If pushed, it’s Sun Basket that comes out on top with their goal of 100% recyclable or compostable materials, and their super-helpful guide.
Customer Service
Blue Apron
- Difficult
play_circle Skip a Weekpause_circle Pausestop_circle Cancel
Sun Basket
- Up to 4 weeks
- Online or Phone
What defines great customer service? This answer won’t be the same for everyone but some things should be expected from a meal kit delivery service. You want a company that’s responsive, flexible, and seems to genuinely care for their customers.
For instance, what happens if you don’t want a meal delivery every week, or you want to cancel altogether?
For both Sun Basket and Blue Apron, skipping a week is pretty simple. Cancelling, though, is a different story. Both the Sun Basket app and website make it easy to cancel. Blue Apron, however, has no advertised way to cancel. First, you need to email them, then wait for a response with a special link.
It’s also important to look at what previous customers have to say about their customer service. Both companies have received a few recent negative reviews for customer service, although this seems to be a trend as meal delivery companies had a surge in business as people sheltered at home.
Of the two, Sun Basket has had more customers step up and vocalize their not so great experiences with the company’s customer service department.
Customer Service Winner
While Sun Basket makes it easier to cancel a subscription, it’s hard to ignore some of the negative customer service reviews we’ve seen. For this reason, the top spot goes to Blue Apron.
Winner
Blue Apron
It’s a tough call but in the battle of Sun Basket Vs Blue Apron, it’s Blue Apron that takes home the trophy. Honestly, it’s close and there are arguments to be made that Sun Basket should have won. However, Blue Apron came out ahead in a couple of areas that really matter in meal delivery – price and customer service.
Still, you should consider more than just the final outcome of one review when making your choice between Sun Basket and Blue Apron. Here are a few details to consider when choosing which meal delivery company is best for you.
Choose Blue Apron if you:
- Are a beginning cook looking to explore in the kitchen
- Like traditional, classic style meals
- Don’t like bold or unusual flavors
- Enjoy the idea of a wine subscription to go along with your meals
- Are looking for an economical meal delivery option
Choose Sun Basket if you:
- Have special dietary needs like diabetes or gluten sensitivity
- Enjoy having a wide variety of meals to choose from every week
- Like to be a little more adventurous with your spices
- Appreciate a company with a strong environmental commitment
- Want breakfast, lunch, and snack options in addition to dinner