The meal kit industry is an industry that is now well-established in the United States and it offers a varied range of services to meet your meal kit and prepared meal needs.
There are a multitude of companies that cater for different dietary requirements and have extensive menu selections that will broaden your at-home dining experiences. There is so much choice however, that it can be a difficult process to try to work out which company is best suited to your needs. That is where we come in!
At the Meal Kit Review we offer company comparisons with our unbiased and honest opinions that come from our first-hand experience of trying every single company that we review. Today we are going to be looking at two different companies that provide options for those who desire to follow a plant-centric diet. These two companies are Sunbasket and Hungryroot.
Sunbasket is a long-established meal kit delivery company that has created a diverse menu that uses only the best organic ingredients and caters for many dietary requirements. Hungry Root is a relative new kid on the block and is a plant-centric meal kit service that includes options for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.
Sunbasket Vs Hungryroot- Variety of plan
With Sunbasket you have the option of two different plans. Within these plans you can select dishes that cater for many dietary requirements which include gluten-free, paleo, vegan, vegetarian and many more! Their plans are as follows:
- The Classic Menu is for two or four people and is made up of two or three recipes per week.
- The Family Menu is for four people and is made up of three or four recipes per week.
We must admit that we found it a little difficult to get clear information on the Hungry Root website about the plans available and how their service works. It was only when we registered and had established an account that we were able to discover what their different plan options were. Their plans are as follows:
- The Starter Set is for individuals or couples and is made up of three to four meals per week, plus grab-and-go breakfasts, snacks or desserts.
- The Good Life is for couples of families and is made up of five to six meals per week, plus grab-and-go breakfasts, snacks or desserts.
- The Family Plan is for families and is made up of seven to eight meals per week, plus grab-and-go breakfasts, snacks or desserts.
Sunbasket Vs Hungryroot- Variety of dishes
One of the big appeals of using Sun Basket is their diverse weekly menu. This menu is made up of 18 different dishes that cater for many dietary requirements that includes pescatarian, gluten-free, diabetes and vegetarian. For those of you looking to incorporate plant-centric choices, you will also find at least three vegan options per week. Sun Basket allows its customers to mix and match meals from the different available plans, which gives you a great deal of flexibility with your meal choices.
Sun Basket is passionate about the quality of the ingredients they use, and all ingredients are guaranteed to be organic.
When using Hungry Root, you will find a pleasing range of menu choices available on a weekly basis. Your choices will include options for breakfast, lunch, dinner and some snacks. The way Hungry Root works is that their menu options have been designed to be matched with each other to create a range of easy to prepare meals that are ready in less than 10 minutes.
Style and complexity of dishes
We have had extensive experience trialling the Sun Basket menu options and the ingredients they use are always organic and of an exception quality. Their menu is varied and caters for many different requirements, but it does not mean that their dishes are complicated as all their meals take no longer than 30 minutes to prepare!
The Hungry Root menu has a wide menu. Their menu items are designed to be paired together so that you can create a range of very simple meals, none of which take longer than 10 minutes to prepare. Unfortunately, We felt that the Hungry Root meals were a real mish-mash of things, and not at all at the same level of the Sun Basket, that offer real chef-designed meals to cook at home.
Sunbasket Vs Hungryroot- Quality of Ingredients
Sun Basket is always a reliable choice when it comes to ingredients that are organic and of the highest quality. Sun Basket makes the standout promise that all their ingredients are sustainably sourced and organic. They only use a trusted network of suppliers that includes food producers who all adhere to farming practices that are sustainable, responsible and eco-friendly.
Hungry Root in comparison provides little information about what sort of suppliers they work with and where their ingredients come from. This is quite surprising for a company that is focussed on providing a healthy and plant-centric menu. Their meals tend to be rich in healthy fats, complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. They also state that no artificial preservatives or refined sugars are used.
The Box
The Sun Basket delivery is a joy to receive! The actual box has been specifically designed for food delivery and includes in-built insulation. The actual contents are packed with ice or gel packs to keep them cool and are well organized. Meal kit ingredients are wrapped, labelled and well-arranged so no sorting is required when unpacking your delivery.
The Hungry Root box is also specifically designed with in-built insulation and includes a non-toxic gel ice pack to keep everything at the appropriate temperature. While the ingredients are labeled, they have not been grouped and packed for each meal, so some sorting is required.
The App and Website
Although Hungry Root offers little information about its service on its website before you register, once you have created an account you will be able to access the plan information that you need. Both Sun Basket and Hungry Root provide websites where you can manage your account and plan online. This includes registration, selecting your plan and menu options, organizing payment and skip weeks if needed.
Plan terms
Both Sun Basket and Hungry Root are subscription services that do require you to sign up for their services. However, these services both come with flexibility, allowing you to skip weeks whenever necessary. With Hungry Root you can cancel your account online, while Sun Basket requires you to contact their customer support team via the link on their website.
Bottom line- Sunbasket vs HungryRoot- who’s our winner?
For us, the winner in this comparison, for many reasons, was easily Sun Basket. Sun Basket provides a diverse menu that caters for many dietary requirements including the vegan and vegetarian diet, and the plans are flexible so you can mix meals from different diet menus.
Sun Basket use ingredients that are second to none, sourced from trusted suppliers and guaranteed to be organic. lastly, without a doubt, we found the taste and style of the Sun Basket meals to be superior and generally of a higher standard.
