If you like to eat food that feels quite fancy and high class keep an eye on the meal kit delivery services Blue Apron and Sun Basket. Both of them definitely feel like luxury services that’ll deliver high end meals right to your door.
However, that’s where most of the similarities between these kits ends. Blue Apron was one of the first meal kit services, as such, it’s a bit more famous.
However, Sun Basket is gaining more traction and becoming more widely known, likely because they’ve managed to set themselves apart from the traditional meal kit delivery services in a few ways.
Let’s discuss more thoroughly the difference between Blue Apron and Sun Basket so you can figure out which services will suit your needs best.
Blue Apron calls themselves “America’s Most Popular Meal Kit,” but Sun Basket stands on convenience and prides themselves for having healthy meals made from fresh, USDA-certified organic ingredients responsibly sourced from American farms, fisheries, and ranches. Can they measure up to “America’s Most Popular Meal Kit?” I tried them both and here’s how they compare:
Head-to-Head Comparison | Blue Apron | Sun Basket |
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Price per serving |
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Vegetarian plans |
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Kid-friendly meals |
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Delivery cost |
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Availability |
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Both Blue Apron and Sun Basket have their pros and cons, but Blue Apron scored a bit higher on our review. Let’s find out if you agree with our judgment or if you prefer Sun Basket more.
Pricing
Winner: Blue Apron.
Per meal, Blue Apron is significantly less costly. Not only is each meal dollars cheaper per serving, but they don’t charge for shipping. Something that few kits offer. For reference, their meals start at $8.99 per serving.
On the other hand, Sun Basket starts at $10.99 per serving, plus they tack on an additional $7.99 per box, making them one of the most expensive services. Furthermore, if you’re a single person doing two servings per recipe, expect to pay more per serving than if you were on their family plan that does 4 servings per recipe.
Because of this, Blue Apron is without a doubt the winner on pricing.
Plans
Winner: Sun Basket.
This is where Sun Basket shines. They may actually have more variety than any other meal kit out there. They’ve got:
- Chef’s Choice (which are hand picked by chefs highlighting seasonal ingredients)
- Paleo
- Lean & Clean
- Gluten-Free
- Vegetarian
- Pescatarian
- Pescatarian
- Mediterranean
- Quick & Easy
- Diabetes-Friendly
- Carb-Conscious
Conversely, Blue Apron mostly has meals that cater to a regular diet. They do have vegetarian options, but their selection is limited by comparison.
Food variety
Winner: Sun Basket.
This coincides with their meal plans, such a variety of plans has led to a massive variety of food. Moreover, you can personally customize the majority of their meals by swapping out one protein for another.
Once again, Blue Apron primarily caters to those who follow a standard diet. They have certain recipes that they label “carb conscious” or “Mediterranean,” but they don’t have full menus that support these dietary preferences.
Additionally, all Blue Apron meals are cooked from scratch, whereas Sun Basket offers oven ready meals that cut out a lot of work. So, Sun Basket even has more variety for preparation and cooking variety.
Because of this, Sun Basket wins this category.
Accommodate dietary restrictions
Winner: Sun Basket.
Once again, Sun Basket is the winner here. When you have so many plan options, you’ll win for food variety and accommodating dietary restrictions, for sure.
Obviously, if you eat the standard diet, this isn’t of interest to you, but if you need to follow a specific diet, Sun Basket is the obvious choice.
However, even if you follow the standard diet, Sun Basket offers organic ingredients whenever possible. That’s something to consider too.
Ingredient quality
Winner: Blue Apron.
Blue Apron’s ingredient quality wasn’t perfect, but it was far superior to Sun Basket. Blue Apron sent veggies that were a little banged up. However, it wasn’t overly ripe or rotting. It simply wasn’t aesthetically pleasing. But the bigger issue was the fact that our package of steak was leaking.
Conversely, some of the produce received from Sun Basket was bruising and literally rotting. This was what led to the lower score they were given in the initial review. Given the price point, subpar ingredient quality is nearly inexcusable.
Nevertheless, keep in mind we only tried each service once, so we might not have seen a clear picture of the service as a whole. Perhaps this was a bad week.
Ease of use
Winner: Sun Basket.
Blue Apron does offer video tutorials for all their meals. This is great for those who aren’t super comfortable in the kitchen. Plus, most of their recipes are around 5 steps.
On the other hand, Sun Basket offers some “oven-ready” and “pre-prepped” recipes. This cuts actual time and work out of the process.
Because of this, I would deem Sun Basket easier to use.
Ordering experience and packaging
Winner: Sun Basket.
Both meal kit delivery services are similar when it comes to the order experience and packaging. You can set up both services online. They both have an app for subscription management. They both come delivered in insulated boxes with ice packs with each meal packaged separately.
There are a couple of differences though. For one, while the order process is straightforward and fast, the delivery isn’t for Blue Apron. You have to set this service up nearly an entire month in advance. This is straight up inconvenient. In addition, should you need to skip a week, you have to arrange this five weeks ahead of time.
Besides this, the way each company handles their packaging is different.
Blue Apron’s comes insulated with something akin to a bubble wrap lined foil blanket and Sun Basket’s had almost 2 inch thick “old-school” looking insulation. I don’t know what it was made out of but all four ice packs in the Sun Basket box were nearly solidly frozen still after delivery.
Though, Blue Apron’s insulation actually kept the produce from spoiling, so there’s that. In contrast, we did receive a package of steak from Blue Apron that leaked. In this way, they’re about equal for packaging.
As a result, the inconvenient time issues with Blue Apron make Sun Basket the winner in our eyes.
The Bottom Line
Clearly, like any service, Blue Apron and Sun Basket have their pros and cons. If you read the full review on both services (linked below), you’d see that Blue Apron scored better. Yet, when you tally the points in this side by side comparison, Sun Basket comes out on top.
Because of this, you must decide the true winner for yourself. This will come down to considering what you’re actually looking for in a meal kit delivery service.
If you don’t follow a specific diet, either choice works well. Though, Sun Basket does use organic ingredients. But if you’re on a budget, Blue Apron should be your go to because of the cheaper meals and free delivery.
On the other hand, if you have specific dietary preferences/restrictions, Sun Basket is a no brainer. You’ll have very limited options, if not zero options, with Blue Apron depending on your needs.
Conversely, if you have children who will be partaking in the meals, Blue Apron is probably the better choice.
As someone with an 8-year-old child who is an open minded eater, she was thoroughly disgusted by Sun Basket’s Fig Agrodolce and Caraway Cabbage.
As a non-picky adult, I also had a bit of trouble with this meal. It was syrupy and licorice-y. I ate it though, because I’m an adult. Good luck getting the kiddos to do the same!
So, if you’re just meal kit shopping and don’t have any specific needs, try them both. Even with the little hiccups, these companies offered memorable experiences and are worth trying. Plus, there’s no cancellation penalty with either so you really have nothing to lose.
If you’re unsure which service to try first, check out full reviews of both services here:
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