Meal delivery boxes are super popular – and for good reason. There are only so many hours in the day, and when you’ve just gotten home after a tiring, long afternoon—or when you’re relaxing and just don’t want to pull away from that movie—cooking might be the last thing you want to do. Plus, they make whipping up breakfast, lunch, and dinner so much more convenient—especially if you’re trying to meal prep or watching your portion sizes.
Meal kits can also get you in the habit of planning ahead and cooking your own food, and there are even simple, healthy versions that simply require a reheat. Delivered straight to your door, there’s a huge array on offer. Some services offer frozen prepared, ready-to-eat containers, while others have pre-portioned ingredients and step-by-step instructions. Some cater to plant-based eaters, some for coeliacs, and others for those watching their macros. There truly is something for everyone. On top of that, many Australian meal delivery brands are acutely aware of the environmental load of meat, vegetable and food production, taking steps to ensure that sustainability remains at the forefront of their business.
So whether you’re looking for the best meal delivery service for singles or have a family to feed, we’ve found some of our favourites, complete with prices-because we all know every buck counts.
What should I consider when choosing a meal delivery box?
There are a few things to consider when comparing all the options, but the most important include:
Meals per week: How often do you want to receive your meals? While some services allow you to opt for daily meals or a set number of weekly options, others allow you to choose whether you want to receive breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Diet: Does it matches your dietary needs? Meal delivery services can include diet options such as keto, paleo, vegetarian/vegan, and gluten-free. If you are using these plans to lose weight, you’ll want to find calorie restricted meal plans. If blood sugar balance is key, you may look for lower carb options.
Cost: Prices can vary depending on the quality of ingredients, portion sizes, and customisation options. When compared to grocery-shopping you may have to pay more to get prepared meals delivered to your home, but when you take into account the convenience and time you save, it may be worth the added cost.
Additional considerations: Ingredient quality, portion sizes, variety of meals offered, ease of customisation, and the overall convenience of the service. You should also check whether the service actually delivers to the area.
Are meal delivery services healthy?
They definitely can be: most services allow you to customise your meals online, so if you want your doorstep deliveries to align with your health goals, go right ahead and start tailoring your plan. Look out for gluten-free, vegan, hormone-safe, and diabetic-friendly options. And if customising isn’t an option, there are certainly businesses out there that keep health and balance in mind.
Do you really save money on meal delivery services?
The short answer? It depends. Long answer: If you typically eat out a lot, you’ll save a ton of money on a meal delivery service. But if you already cook at home, you may end up spending about the same amount of money (or more). That said, a meal delivery service has the added value of convenience, portion control, weight loss, and possibly eating more organic produce so it depends on the value you place on that.
Best For Variety: Marley Spoon
Marley Spoon have over 70 recipes (YES, 70) to choose from weekly, so this is a great option if you tend to get bored of the same ol’ choices. The delivery service offers meat, fish, vegetarian, and low-calorie healthy meals suited to most dietary requirements. A two-person box with five meals will set you back roughly $66.89, and comes in reusable packaging.
Best Family Option: The Dinner Ladies
Founded in 2007 by two Aussie mums who simply wanted to help their time-poor friends, The Dinner Ladies offers up meals that you can stack in your freezer and heat when you need. Recipes are typically split across three categories: ‘some prep,’ ‘no prep,’ and ‘microwaveable,’ and there are as many breakfast dishes as there are lunch and dinner options.
Best For Customisation: HelloFresh
An OG in the meal delivery space, Hello Fresh has been operating in Australia for over a decade. Their weekly subscription (approx $70 for three recipes per week) includes 25 fresh recipes with a rotating selection of delicious desserts, snacks, and sides, too. You can customise your meal box from week to week, allowing you to swap, add or upgrade to double servings, and skip a week or cancel at any time. Flexibility is key, here.
Best For Ease: My Muscle Chef
If you’re looking for something easy and healthy that hits your macro goals and doesn’t taste like cardboard, then Muscle Chef is for you. My Muscle Chef’s healthy meal delivery service offers a customised five-day plan starting at around $235 per week. It also offers over 70 products across pre-made meals, snacks and shakes, as well as different kinds of bundles including keto, vegetarian, and couple packs. Plus, if you’re unsure you can give them a test-run as you can find single servings in most supermarket freezer aisles.
Best Gluten-Free Option: Nourish’d
Nourish’d is one of the only healthy meal delivery services in Australia that’s fully gluten-free which is awesome for coeliacs. On top of that the meals are free of preservatives, featuring meats that are RSPCA-approved. Their rotating menu has over 60 items, and a commitment to sustainability also means Nourished doesn’t air freight their pre-made meal deliveries and provides 100 percent recyclable boxes.
Best For Athlete-Level Nutrition: Dineamic
Founded by former AFL premiership player Jason Johnson and accredited dietitian Karen Inge, Dineamic’s philosophy revolves around bringing athlete-level nutrition to the everyday Australian. The pre-made meals start at $11.50, and are made to order entirely from scratch. They also operate from a 100 percent carbon-neutral kitchen and use recyclable packaging.
Best For Plant-Based Diets: Soulara
Plant-based? Look no further. Crafted with a commitment to sustainability and approved by dieticians, Soulara’s menu is not only diverse and full of flavours (offering dishes from African, Mediterranean, European, and Mexican cuisines) but offer snacks and drinks, too. The weekly deliveries start from about $86 for a medium bundle.
Best For Vegetarians: Thr1ve
While it’s on the pricier end (around $80 for two people ordering three meals a week), Thr1ve is up there with one of the best. Each week you can choose from 44 meal choices, or you can opt for their build-a-box option for something more simple. The focus here is on healthy meals so, unlike Hello Fresh and Marley Spoon, you won’t really come across more indulgent treat-yourself options.
Best Do-Good Option: The Good Farm Shop
If you not only care about what you put in your mouth, but also how those ingredients are farmed and positively impact the planet, then The Good Farm Shop is your one-stop-shop. Developed by Rachel Ward and Bryan Brown’s daughter Matilda, and her husband and chef Scott Gooding, this is a ready-meal company with a difference. Real ingredients grown and harvested using sustainable farming – we’re talking 100% pasture-raised goodness and even packaging that’s biodegradable, oven-proof, freezer-proof, microwave safe.
Best For Value: Dinnerly
From $5.49 per portion, Dinnerly is not only one of the more affordable options on the market – but it’s one of the simplest ‘make your own’ types. The meal kits provides pre-portioned ingredients to cook at home, with each portion made up of six ingredients as part of a recipe that can be made in 30 minutes or less.
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