Complete Head-To-Head Comparison Between two Leading Meal Kit Delivery Service Companies In the Country. Which Is The Best For You?
The meal kit delivery industry is growing rapidly. There have been many changes over the past decade and many new arrivals to the market. Each company offers something different, and many have their specialties with various audiences. So it can be challenging to determine which meal kit delivery service is the right one for you!
We are excited to compare two of the best (and our favorite) meal kit delivery services. First, we will look at Martha & Marley Spoon, the brainchild of the mother of all American home cooking – Martha Stewart. Next, we will be comparing Martha & Marley Spoon with Sunbasket. Sun Basket is an organic Californian-based meal kit company.
Both companies offer excellent meal kit subscription services, yet each appeals to quite a different audience and serves very different needs. So let’s dive into the detail.
Sunbasket Vs. Martha and Marley Spoon
Sunbasket Vs. Martha and Marley Spoon
Meal Plan Variety
Sun Basket offers two plan options:
- The Classic Menu – provides two or three meals per week for two or four people.
- The Family Menu offers two, three, or four meals per week for four people.
The meal plans can be adjusted to fit your lifestyle and eating preferences.
Martha & Marley Spoon offers two types of plans, both of which come with some great flexibility:
- Two-person plan – with two to six meals per week
- Three to four-person Family Plan – with two to six meals per week
For both, you can opt-in to 100% vegetarian recipes in your box.
Variety Of Weekly Menu Choices
Regarding variety, Martha & Marley has the upper hand, with a selection of 45 dishes every week on their Menu. These weekly dishes all come from more than 18,000 of Martha’s favorite recipes, and most meals tend to be classics.
You can find vegetarian, dairy-free, low-calorie, low-carb, and child-friendly dishes among the weekly recipes. The menu also features several fast meals each week.
Sun Basket also offers an extensive menu with meal kits, oven-ready meals, and ready-to-eat meals. Within these dishes, you will find meals that cater to special dietary requirements, such as gluten-free-friendly, dairy-free, diabetes-friendly, low-carb, and Mediterranean diets. In addition, you can mix and match the dishes as you desire or opt for one specific diet
Style & Complexity Of Meal Options
Every meal we tasted from Sunbasket and Martha & Marley Spoon was delicious!
However, it is important to note that Sun Basket is more focused on organic, healthy meals with new-age flavors. The recipes include ingredients such as quinoa pasta, alfalfa sprouts, tofu, and so on.
In comparison, Martha & Marley Spoon focuses on the best quality classic home-cooked dinner recipes. The service also ensures ample vegetables and fresh greens in almost every meal.
With both companies, the dishes take about half an hour to prepare, using easy-to-follow recipes with some even faster options.
Our Experience With Sun Basket And Martha & Marley Spoon
With both meal kit services, our overall experience was excellent.
The signing-up process was pretty simple and straightforward, and each box we got was with ingredients sorted and packed per recipe, so it’s easy to find what you need when it’s time to cook.
The fresh vegetables we got from Martha Stewart & Marley Spoon were outstanding! Fresh green cabbage, kale, zucchini, and red meat. It felt like farmers’ market quality. All the ingredients from Sunbasket arrived in good shape, and it’s all organic.
One dish we tried that stood out from the Martha and Marley spoon box was the shrimp Tikka Masala with peas and rice. It was so easy to cook (it took only 25 min) and outstandingly good! Classic and delicious. We loved that it wasn’t as oily as many other Indian-style meals.
Shrimp Tikka Masala with peas and rice:
Other Meals We Tried And Recommend
Sunbasket
- Gluten-free turkey hash with kale, eggs, and spicy green harissa
- Low-calorie ginger steak stir-fry with steamed cabbage, zucchini, and carrot
- Sesame tempeh and Chinese tiger salad with pear and cucumber
- Salmon and quinoa bowls with wilted greens and citrus dressing
- Spicy chicken tinga tacos with black beans and pico de gallo
Martha & Marley Spoon
- Sirloin steak au poivre with caramelized carrots & spinach salad
- Chicken al Limone over linguine with sautéed spinach
- Vegetarian Black Bean & Veggie Nachos with Pico de Gallo & Crema
- Healthy chutney-glazed pork tenderloin with Curried Cauliflower
- Fast-cooking creamy pesto & meatball fettuccine with zucchini, ricotta & mint
Quality Of Ingredients
Both Sun Basket and Martha & Marley Spoon offer meal kits that use high-quality ingredients. Sun Basket makes the fantastic promise that all its ingredients are organic and sustainably sourced. This is a promise that we appreciate!
From our experience, the quality of ingredients provided by Martha & Marley Spoon is beyond amazing! Martha & Marley Spoon works directly with the finest purveyors to deliver ingredients like grass-fed beef and Berkshire.
The Meal Delivery Box
Both companies deliver their meal kits in specially designed and labeled carton boxes. There is minimal sorting required as the box contents are well organized, with each dish being individually sorted, wrapped, and labeled. The refrigerated items in the Sun Basket box are placed on the bottom with an appropriate amount of ice.
All refrigerated items in the Martha & Marley Spoon box are placed in an isolated cooling pouch made from raw, undyed cotton and filled with ice.
Both companies deliver their meal kits in a way that ensures that the boxes can stay outside for a few hours without requiring refrigeration.
The Sun Basket And Martha & Marley Spoon App and Website
Sun Basket and Martha & Marley Spoon provide a well-organized easy-to-use website and app. Everything you need to do to manage your account can be completed online. You can register, select your plan and desired dishes, define your eating preferences, change your payment method, etc. – all online very easily.
Plan Terms – Can You Skip Weeks And Easly Cancel?
With both companies, the service is available as an ongoing subscription. However, both will allow you to skip weeks if necessary, and you can cancel the account whenever you desire with no penalties. This can all be done quickly through your online account setting.
Both Marley Spoon & Sun Basket offer a certain amount of flexibility in selecting your preferred delivery day.
Add-Ons And Extra Meal Kit Delivery Services
Sun Basket offers a dedicated section of add-ons, including breakfast options, fresh pasta, meat packs, snacks, signature sauces, and more.
Martha & Marley Spoon, on the other hand, offers a selection of breakfast recipes, desserts, and meat packs. From time to time, the service also offers two fiesta boxes – a kit that contains everything you need to make an appetizer, entree, and dessert for a party. The fiesta box is provided for four or eight people.
Meal Kits Pricing
Sun Basket offers the classic Menu at a starting price of $11.49 per serving for two meals at least per week. The Family Menu is available at a bit lower price per serving. There is an extra shipping cost after the first delivery.
Martha & Marley spoon offers the two-person plan with three or more weekly meals for $9.99 per serving. You will pay the same price per serving for the family plan with two meals a week or more for four people. There is an extra shipping cost after the first delivery.
What Makes These Meal Delivery Companies Stand Out?
Sun Basket’s Advantages
- Organic produce
- Extensive menu for many diets
- Oven-ready and ready-to-eat meals are available
Martha & Marley Spoon’s advantages
- Affordable price
- Huge selection of classic dinners from Martha Stewart’s collection
- High-quality ingredients
- Generous portion size
- Fast meal kits that can help you save time on dinner cooking
Bottom Line – Our Winner Is Martha & Marley Spoon!
Sunbasket and Marley & Martha Spoon offer fantastic dinner options, but they appeal to very different audiences.
If you are all about organic, healthy, new-age food or if you are following a specific diet like paleo or vegan, then Sun Basket is your choice.
If you are looking for the best quality classic dinner options that are easy to cook and taste incredible, then Marley & Martha Spoon is the company for you!
Our winner is Martha & Marley spoon meal kit delivery service – First, as we see it, the service offers better value for money.
Moreover, we love their commitment to delivering the best Martha’s classic dinners with farm-fresh ingredients. The variety of weekly dishes is outstanding, and the service offers excellent add-ons like desserts and meat packs!
Our Review Methodology
Our mission at The Meal Kit Review is to aid you and other home cooks make informed decisions about various meal kit companies without purchasing each kit individually. We surveyed each meal kit service on the marketplace to find the best ones for singles, couples, families, and specific diest.
We make sure to give an honest review based on purchasing and testing meal kits from popular meal kit companies – like Home Chef, Blue Apron, Hello Fresh, and more – and provide information on flavor, sustainability, pricing, and more. We also make sure to offer excellent meal kit deals to our readers.
Read more about our review process and why you should trust us here
