Freshly vs Sun Basket

Dinner time can be as convenient as you like when you try meal prep delivery services. With fresh ingredients delivered to your door, you can map out the week’s meals and take the strain out of mealtime.

Our Freshly vs Sun Basket comparison is going to take a look at two of the most popular brands to see if they are worth considering. They offer something completely different so this is a bit of a pre-cooked vs organic food recipes review. With two great options, let’s find out which is your best. 

Freshly 

Who is it for?

Ever walked through the door after a long day at work and looked at the fridge in despair? Yeah, it happens all too often. Maybe you are a true foodie, but just don’t have the time well this is where Freshly enters the chat…

Freshly meals are delivered fresh, ready to be eaten in 3 minutes when heated in the microwave. If you’d rather use the oven, that’s fine too, it just takes a little longer. Either way, convenience is the name of the game here, as their health-first approach still makes dinner simple.

They send 4, 6, 10, or 12 meals a week and their menus are signature collection, crafted classics, Freshly fit, and takeout twists. 

They have an emphasis on nutrition and want to reduce sugar intake whilst getting rid of processed ingredients that everyone wants to remove from their diet. 

So Freshly is for everyone, including families with a busy schedule, the health-savvy, and anyone who wants to control what they put into their bodies. They make meals for various dietary requirements including gluten-free options, but as we say, there is an emphasis on quality.

This is why customers can expect to find lots of protein, complex carbs, and perfect portions to appease different routines and health goals. There are Freshly Fit options, tailored towards anyone living an active lifestyle, and low carb options – ideal for supporting a weight loss plan. 

Their meals are made by a chef, and with a decent selection, Freshly is one of the most reputable brands in the heat and eat world for a reason. 

Click here to see latest pricing.

Types of diets served

If you’ve ever hosted a dinner party, then you’ll know how difficult it is to please different palettes. Even fussy eaters in the same household can make mealtime tricky.

Thankfully, Freshly has a wide range of meals available every week so you can please pretty much everyone. 

Freshly meals are gluten-free, and there are many dairy-free and soy-free options. If you don’t have any specific requirements, then you get to take your pick of their delicious meals. 

Pros/cons of Freshly

Pros

  • Plenty of dietary options including gluten-free, and Dairy-free
  • Meals are ready to eat in 3 minutes
  • All meals are fresh
  • Lots of variety – 30+ weekly meal options 
  • Lots of different meal plans
  • Supports different health goals

Cons

  • Not certified organic 
  • Not certified non-GMO

Sun Basket

Who is it for

We’re still looking for convenience, and Sun Basket allows you to make dinner as easy as possible with their heat and eat options. However, if you want to save some money and enjoy the process of making a meal, then they also have meal kits for getting hands-on. Also, these are available for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

With USDA-certified organic ingredients and responsibly sourced protein, their meals are ideal for the environmentally conscious. You only have to take a quick look at their site to see that they make sustainable meals packed with nutrients. This is what sets them apart and although the price can be higher than some of the competition, so is the quality.

Variety is the spice of life, so it is great to see a rotating menu. They are great for mixing things up. Anyone bored of the same meals week in week out will find the multitude of cuisines and dishes from around the world to be a welcome addition to their table. 

Their meals are tailored towards meat-eaters, but they also cater to a variety of diets…

Click here to see latest pricing.

Types of diets served

Trying to please everyone can be a challenge. Specific dietary requirements can significantly reduce the number of options for anyone, making dinner time complicated.

With 30 weekly recipes, Sun Basket certainly takes the strain out of choosing what to serve the family. 

All meals are labeled clearly with the most common dietary needs tailored for. They clearly show which are dairy-free, soy-free, and gluten-free. There are even diabetic-friendly dishes so they cater to most diets under the same roof. 

Even Paleo, vegetarians, and pescetarian diets are available. Perhaps you are looking for meals low in calories? There are enough options to please most diets with Sun Basket. 

Pros/cons of SunBasket

Pros

  • Over 30 recipes every week 
  • Organic food
  • Menus for every meal of the day
  • Caters for a variety of dietary requirements
  • Family menu available
  • Meal kits and heat and eat menu

Cons

  • Price can be higher than some meal kit
  • Shipping prices vary

Price Comparison

One thing will always be important when it comes to mealtime – price. Thankfully, there isn’t a lot between these two options, but one is more affordable than the other. 

The price fluctuates depending on how many meals you order, which means Freshly plans can differ a fair bit. For four meals you are going to pay around $11.70 a meal, but six meals cost $9.99. The proper outline is as follows:

  • 4 meals a week is $47.16 + $6.99 shipping = $54.15
  • 6 meals a week is $59.94 + $6.99 shipping = $66.93
  • 8 meals a week is $75.92 + $8.99 shipping = $84.91
  • 10 meals a week is $92.90 + $10.99 shipping = $103.89
  • 12 meals a week is $107.88 + $11.99 shipping = $119.87

This makes the meals pretty reasonable, especially compared to a lot of the heat and eat competition. There is shipping to pay for which is a downside, but the meals are still affordable for many.

Sun Basket doesn’t charge restaurant prices either.

Their recipe meals start at around $10.99 per serving but the various plans do make this change a fair bit. Ordering meals from Sun Basket is generally priced well within the market but can be difficult to find before you order.

Pre-made meals are $8.99 which makes them very competitive.

One thing you can’t help but notice is the shipping. It is free on the first order, but $7.99 after so both brands are similar in this respect. 

Winner: Sun Basket

Sun Basket offers meal kits and pre-made heat and eat options, providing more flexibility for a range of customers. Freshly are still competitive, and allow you to keep costs down.

Meal choices and variety

Freshly offer over 30 different recipes every week, so it is easy to find something tempting for your dinner.

With four sections to choose from, you’ll be able to cater to how you feel every week so you can choose from Signature Collection, Crafted Classics, Freshly Fit, and Takeout Twists.  

These dishes are full of traditional favorites and familiar cuisines, but they have some world-food inspired recipes available as well.

Takeout Twists are the most tempting, especially when you see the likes of K-Town Pork & Purple Sticky Rice on the menu. You’ll be putting the take-out menus away!

Freshly also makes a range of low-carb meals to help customers reach their fitness goals. Anything from high-protein, low carb, paleo, and vegetarian options are available. All meals arrive fresh and ready to eat in 3 minutes. 

Sun Baskets range is more varied, with some excellent flavor combos to try. With the experience of their award-winning chef Justine Kelly and a team of nutritionists to hand, you’d expect nothing less. 

Their meals contain under 800 calories but are still filling and packed full of flavor. 

There are around 17 meal kit recipes to choose from every week, and they take around 40 minutes to make, with many of them taking less than 30. They generally make 18 heat and eat meals every week.

We like that many of their meals are customizable so if you want to switch proteins and try different flavors, you can. Another nice touch is in the recipe booklet. It provides more inspiration beyond the meals you choose and saves you from having to find a place to store recipe cards.

Winner: Sun Basket

Being able to customize dinners and choose from a wider variety is always going to be better. 

However, the meals on Freshly are tempting, so you can’t go wrong with either. 

Creativity of dishes

Everyone has different tastes, but when it comes to meal delivery service, everyone wants to try something different. Otherwise, we’d all stick to whatever protein with fries, right?

Taste is always going to be the fun part so let’s get stuck in…

It’s no secret that Freshly makes delicious meals. They are known for generous portions and flavor. The freshness is evident and they take great care over their menu. 

Customers get to take our pick of a variety of cuisines and flavors, including their Red pepper chicken bowl to Turkey meatballs and zoodles and although they don’t rotate all their meals every week, customers are always raving about the taste. 

If you prefer not to divert from your favorites, then this can be a good plan, but there is enough creativity to keep you switching things up. 

With approximately 30 options every week, there are multiple ways to get creative with Sun Basket. They have meals for picky eaters and specific preferences so you can enjoy the likes of Mediterranean turkey meatballs with red pepper–cashew crema, pork Mee Goreng with fresh ramen, shredded cabbage, and eggs, as well as shakshuka with greens, seeded lavash, and lemony yogurt stealing the show. That alone is enough to make you lick your lips.

Getting creative is usually easier with more options. It’s why Sun Basket is a good option for adventurous eaters, although not everyone would agree. 

The pictures never do these meals justice, but one had the edge when it came to creativity…

Winner: Sun Basket

Their menu is a little more diverse with more options like word cuisine than Freshly. Still, the menus change week by week, and Freshly has plenty of meals to please any foodie.

Overall quality of food

This is high with both; Without quality ingredients, you don’t get quality meals and both focus on nutrition making them excellent options for all. 

Freshly use natural products and plenty of fresh ingredients to make their heat and eat dishes. This is what makes them a reputable brand. Combine this with the lack of preservatives and artificial ingredients and you are getting a good standard of food in every meal. 

There is a lack of information about suppliers and the origin of their ingredients but you can taste the freshness in every meal.

Although Freshly has set a high standard, Sun Basket goes a step further. Their 99% organic ingredients are certified as 100% GMO-free. Transparency is something the food industry can do better, but Sun Basket is one of the better brands in this area.

Their hormone-free meat and sustainable fish are a good start, but their transparent supply chain is what sets them apart. 

Winner: Sun Basket

Freshly food is delicious and fresh, but anyone would find it hard to compete with sustainable meat and a transparent supply chain. Oh, and organic produce as well!

Recipe clarity and difficulty

Both brands go through a lot of trouble to make fresh meals that have their customers coming back for seconds. But there is much in terms of difficulty for either.

Freshly provide plenty of information as you can pick the meals you want before cooking. Choosing meals based on nutrition and flavor is easy when navigating their website. The freshly prepared meals are ideal for anyone in a rush, or who wants to make mealtime easier. The heat and eat-only option here is always going to keep things simple.  

Sun Basket is starting to feel too good to be true as they try to encourage the family to cook together. When ordering from their family meal plans they include kid sections to get them involved in the cooking process. This makes mealtime enjoyable for all.

They also present the weekly plan in a book and include more than the meals on your order. The recipes are easy to follow and anyone who has cooked a meal from scratch before will be able to take on their meals with great success.

Winner: Sun Basket

This was a close one and although both meal delivery services make life easier, Sun Basket went the extra mile.

Our verdict

The overall winner has to be Sun Basket

This isn’t to say that Freshly is an excellent choice for the busy family, it is. Their food is fresh, reasonably priced, and is still worth considering.

Sun Basket just makes quality food with organic and non-GMO ingredients that are hard to beat. Their range of meals is impressive, and the price is still competitive even though their meat is responsibly sourced which will usually hike the price.

Both are worthy options, but Sun Basket just has the edge for us. 

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