Sometimes doing the grocery shopping and cooking meals from scratch just isn't an option. You might be juggling work and study, at home with a new baby, recovering from an illness or simply time-poor. Maybe you're sick of trying to decide what's for dinner week in and week out. Or perhaps cooking just isn't your thing.
You could settle for eating toast or takeaways, but an increasingly popular alternative is to use a meal delivery service. So which one is best?
On this page:
Which meal delivery service is best?
Our testers ordered and cooked meals from HelloFresh, Marley Spoon, Pepper Leaf, Dinnerly and Everyplate. They also ordered prepared meals from YouFoodz, The Dinner Ladies, Soulara, THR1VE, Nourish'd and Chefgood.
We rated the services for ease of ordering, presentation and temperature on delivery, ingredient freshness, recipe accuracy and more.
Prices are the base prices for meal plans at the time of writing. It's worth keeping an eye out for promotional price reductions and discount vouchers as they can offer significant savings, at least for your first order.
Food box delivery services
Cost (including delivery):
- 2-person box (3 meals per week): $79.99
- 4-person box (3 meals per week): $134.99
We cooked dijon beef burgers and fries from HelloFresh.
Meal choices each week:
Ingredient/nutrition/allergen details:
- Recipe cards detail the ingredients provided, the additional pantry staples you'll need and nutrition per serving. No specific allergen information on the recipe card. Recipe card states to 'always read product labels for the most up to date allergen information. Visit hellofresh.com.au/foodinfo for allergen and ingredient information.
Delivery area:
- NSW, NT, Qld, SA, Vic, WA, ACT
Good to know:
- There's only 2 or 4 person meal options.
- There's food options for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and desserts.
- It has an associated app which you can use to manage your account.
- Ingredients are delivered in colour-coded bags that correlate with the recipes.
Cost (including delivery):
- 2-person box (3 meals per week): $54.99
- 4-person box (3 meals per week): $81.99
Contents of the cooler bag for the Everyplate meals we ordered.
Meal choices each week:
Ingredient/nutrition/allergen details:
- Recipe cards detail the ingredients provided, the additional pantry staples you'll need and nutrition per serving. No specific allergen information on the recipe card. Recipe cards states "For allergens and ingredient information visit EveryPlate.com.au/foodinfo".
Delivery area:
Good to know:
- Simple recipes with few ingredients and minimal food wastage.
- Comparatively low cost meal kit.
- Numerous delivery day and time options, with delivery tracking link.
- Flexible subscription with 24/7 support via online chat.
- Option to cater for 2, 4 or 6 people.
- Check what pantry staples you'll need, they may not be regular food items you have in your cupboard or fridge.
- Ingredients are combined in the box, so you'll need to sort them into meals.
Cost (including delivery)
- 2-person box (3 meals per week): $85.43
- 4-person box (3 meals per week): $142.37
We cooked roast winter vegetables and lentils from Marley Spoon.
Meal choices each week:
Ingredient/nutrition/allergen details:
- Recipe cards detail the ingredients provided and additional pantry staples you'll need. Nutrition per serving is detailed. Common allergens are highlighted but the recipe card also states "May contain traces of other allergens".
Delivery area:
- ACT, NSW, Qld, Vic, Tas, SA, NT, WA
Good to know:
- It has the largest number of weekly food choices of the food box services.
- It has an associated app which you can use to manage your account.
- Ingredients for each recipe are placed in separate paper bags.
- 'Packed in Australia' grading system indicates percentage of Australian ingredients used.
- 'Market by Marley Spoon' offers customers a selection of ingredients, seasonal recipes and ready-made meals to add to your weekly meal plan (currently not available in WA).
- In the box we tested, we found the temperatures of the protein to be in the danger zone (we collected the box immediately on delivery). This can especially be an issue if you're not home to collect the box immediately on arrival.
Cost (including delivery):
- 2-person box (3 meals per week): $61.43
- 4-person box (3 meals per week): $94.37
Contents of the meal box we ordered from Dinnerly.
Meal choices each week:
Ingredient/nutrition/allergen details:
- Recipe cards are only available online (no physical copy provided in the box). Common allergens are highlighted but the recipe card also states "May contain traces of other allergens".
Delivery area:
- ACT, NSW, Qld, Vic, Tas, SA, NT, WA
Good to know:
- There's no recipe card in the box; you'll need to print it out or view online.
- Ingredients are combined in the box, so you'll need to sort them into meals.
- Only 2 or 4 person meal options.
- Check pantry staples you may need for the recipe, they may not be regular food items you have in your cupboard or fridge.
- In the box we tested, we found the temperatures for the proteins (chicken and beef) to be on the higher side/nearing danger zone (the box was collected on delivery). This would especially be an issue if you're not home to accept delivery and box was left outside for an extended period of time.
Cost (delivery is free):
- 2-person box (3 meals per week): $83.90
- 4-person box (3 meals per week): $134.90
We made Pepper Leaf's barley and peanut salad with curry dressing.
Meal choices each week:
Ingredient/nutrition/allergen details:
- Recipe cards detail the ingredients provided and the additional pantry staples you'll need, but don't provide nutrition or allergen details. Website states "If you have an allergy or intolerance to any ingredient, we can't guarantee that our recipes don't contain it. You can swap out those ingredients, but that will be up to you".
Delivery area:
Good to know:
- Australian-owned company.
- It's the only company to offer meal plans for one. Meal plan options are available for 1, 2, 3, 4 or 6 people.
- The service offers a fresh fruit snack option and you get a free bag of fresh seasonal fruit with the first 2 orders.
- In our test we found the meal prep took longer than the claimed time.
- You can't view the recipe online.
- Check pantry staples you may need for the recipe, they may not be regular food items you have in your cupboard or fridge.
Prepared meal delivery services
Cost (excluding delivery):
- For 2 people ordering 3 meals a week: $54
- Per person per meal: $9
Number of meal choices each week:
Ingredient/nutrition/allergen details:
- Common allergens are highlighted online but packaging also states, "May contain traces of other allergens".
Delivery areas:
Good to know:
- The Dinner Ladies provide frozen home cooked meals that are generously sized and look presentable.
- They also offer breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts, sides, snacks and weight loss meal options.
- Options for kids and toddlers.
- A small amount of preparation is required and in some cases some meals might require you to have pantry staples like pasta, rice, vegetables or eggs.
- Service and delivery is very good, offering next day delivery with certain delivery time windows.
- Very good cooking and heating instructions are provided.
- Some meals need to be defrosted before cooking and some meals can take up to 40 minutes to prepare.
Cost (free delivery):
- For 2 people ordering 3 meals a week: $80.70
- Per person per meal: $13.45
Number of meal choices each week:
Ingredient/nutrition/allergen details:
- Common allergens are highlighted online but packaging also states "All ingredients are manufactured on equipment that processes eggs, wheat/gluten, soy, milk, tree nuts, peanuts, fish, shellfish, sesame, lupin and sulphates".
Delivery areas:
Good to know:
- Provide healthy meals with no carbohydrates that are delicious, fresh and presented well.
- There's a good variety to choose from with a quick turnaround on delivery.
- The service and delivery was very good with free delivery provided.
- They offer breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts and snacks as well as keto-friendly and weight loss meal options.
- Packaging is 100% recyclable.
- Individual meals only (no family meal options) and meals can be frozen.
- A weekly or fortnightly subscription is available as well as National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) meal plans.
- Very good heating instructions are provided.
Cost (excluding delivery):
- For 2 people ordering 3 meals a week: $71.40
- Per person per meal: $11.90
Number of meal choices each week:
Ingredient/nutrition/allergen details:
- Common allergens are highlighted online but packaging also states "May contain traces of other allergens",
Delivery areas:
Good to know:
- Good variety of meals to choose from with chef-inspired meal choices.
- The service and delivery was very good.
- They offer breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, as well as vegetarian, vegan, dairy and gluten free meals and weight loss options.
- They offer National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) meal plans.
- Packaging is 100% recyclable.
- Weekly subscription available but no family meal option, only individual meals.
- Heating instructions are limited, meals require standing time and some portions of food may not reach safe temperatures, following the instructions.
Cost (excluding delivery):
- For 2 people ordering 3 meals a week: $80.50
- Per person per meal: $11.50
Number of meal choices each week:
Ingredient/nutrition/allergen details:
- Common allergens are highlighted online but packaging also states "May contain traces of other allergens".
Delivery areas:
- NSW, SA, Vic, ACT, Qld, NT, WA, Tas
Good to know:
- Plant-based meals that are good and tasty, presented nicely and separated into portioned areas of the container to prevent foods from mixing in the container.
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts, snacks and drink options are available and the more meals you order the cheaper the price.
- Heating instructions are limited and require standing time. Meals might not reach safe temperatures when following the instructions.
- They offer National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) meal plans.
- Deliveries are made during business hours and orders require a 5-day turnaround.
- Individual meals only (no family meal options) and meals can be frozen.
- The weekly subscription can be paused or cancelled and a delivery fee of $10–18 is applied to each order.
Cost (free delivery):
- For 2 people ordering 3 meals a week: $59.70
- Per person per meal: $9.95
Number of meal choices each week:
Ingredient/nutrition/allergen details:
- Common allergens are highlighted online but packaging also states "May contain traces of other allergens".
Delivery areas:
- NT, Qld, NSW, Vic, ACT, WA, Tas
Good to know:
- Meals were only OK – the presentation didn't look very appetising with unevenly chopped vegetables and the protein was cut into small pieces and usually covered in a sauce.
- Some foods had mixed together in the container and flavour was acceptable but not fresh tasting.
- Instructions for heating were not suitable for all microwaves and there was no standing time so food was mostly under 60°C.
- The service and delivery was very good. Delivery can be from midnight and food might not be adequately chilled if left out for more than 5 hours.
- Meals are available in some supermarkets and there's a lot of variety to choose from.
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack options are also available.
- Packaging is 100% recyclable.
- Individual meals only (no family meal options) and meals can be frozen.
Cost (including delivery):
- For 2 people ordering 3 meals a week: $94.10
- Per person per meal: $15.68
Number of meal choices each week:
Ingredient/nutrition/allergen details:
- Common allergens are highlighted online but packaging also states "May contain traces of other allergens".
Delivery areas:
- Qld, NSW, ACT, Vic, SA, Tas
Good to know:
- Relatively expensive per meal (however, the more meals you order the cheaper the price).
- Meals were borderline due to lack of protein and excess sauce and vegetables. The meals presented didn't look very appetising as some of the food items had mixed together in the container. Not all meals had the stated amount of weight.
- Meals are mostly tasty and fresh and are available in standard, large and athletic sizes.
- Service and delivery is very good.
- They offer National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) meal plans.
- All meals are gluten and preservative free. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack options as well as keto-friendly meals.
- Packaging is 100% recyclable.
- Individual meals only (no family meal options) and meals can be frozen.
- Heating instructions are limited, the food needs standing time, and meals might not reach safe temperatures following the instructions.
- Delivery is a week turnaround and a delivery fee of $5 up to $15 is applied for each order.
What we found
Fiona Mair, CHOICE home economist and one of our testers, found a lot to recommend in the meal delivery services we tested.
"Meal delivery services are predominantly marketed to time-poor families. But if you have limited cooking skills and want to eat home-cooked food, they can also be a great way to learn how to cook," Fiona says.
CHOICE home economist Fiona Mair testing a recipe.
She found that the recipes are generally simple and relatively easy to follow, the ingredients are already portioned, there's usually a utensil or tool list of what you need in your kitchen, plus a list of the pantry staples you'll need.
"After a month of preparing a few meals from a meal delivery service you'll have a repertoire of recipes under your belt that will give you confidence to shop and cook for yourself. You'll also become familiar with flavours and cuisines that you may not have tried before," she adds.
Food box vs prepared meal delivery services: what's the difference?
There are essentially two types of meal delivery services: food box (meal kit) delivery services and prepared meal delivery services. To help you decide which would suit you best, we've prepared a general user guide, along with some tips and traps, for each type.
This information is based on the feedback from 420 consumers who participated in our 2016 survey about their awareness and use of Australian meal delivery services.
Food box delivery services – a user guide
Benefits
- minimal food waste
- easy to follow recipes
- ingredients local and pre-measured
If you enjoy cooking but meal planning gives you a headache, you're lacking inspiration or you find it hard to make time for the weekly shop, then food box delivery services such as HelloFresh, Marley Spoon, Dinnerly and Pepper Leaf can be a good option. Each week these subscription services deliver recipes and the precise quantity of the predominantly fresh ingredients you'll need to cook them.
I use them so I don't have to think about meal planning. Plus their meals are interesting – not always the same boring staples I'd cook
Jessica, HelloFresh customer
A major drawcard for our survey respondents who use these types of services is the minimal food waste associated with being supplied with the exact quantities of ingredients required for each recipe. This is particularly beneficial with ingredients you're unlikely to use frequently.
One respondent gave the example of "a pinch of paprika – I don't have to buy a whole bottle of spices that I won't use again". If you've ever bought a huge bag of fenugreek for a recipe only to use one teaspoon of it in four years, then you'll be able to relate.
Portioned ingredients for two Marley Spoon recipes.
The majority of users said they found the recipes to be simple and easy to follow, and obviously cooking with pre-measured ingredients means you can turn the meal around in less time than if you were starting from scratch.
The use of locally sourced Australian ingredients, promoted by these services, was an attraction for many. And Pam, also a HelloFresh subscriber, was pleasantly surprised by the knock-on effect it had on her husband. "My male partner has started cooking!" she said.
Tips and traps
- When using these types of services you'll need to have a range of everyday ingredients which frequently feature in the recipes. These include pantry staples such as soy sauce, white vinegar, salt and pepper, honey, oil, butter, milk, eggs, flour and sugar – so it's worth checking you have them before your first delivery so you're not caught short.
Leftover packaging from one HelloFresh meal we cooked.
- You can check out the following week's menu in advance, but there's little scope to make changes to what you'll receive. "There was no way to choose meals based on our likes or dislikes," said one user. This could be an issue, particularly for people with allergies. However, certain allergens are identified on the recipes, and because you're cooking it yourself you'll have the opportunity to remove or substitute ingredients that aren't suitable.
- Some people also commented that the amount of packaging (each pre-measured ingredient comes in its own bag or container) was a deterrent.
Prepared meal delivery services – a user guide
Benefits:
- Minimal prep
- Can keep in freezer for future use
Services such as Youfoodz, The Dinner Ladies, Soulara and Nourish'd sell predominantly fully prepared meals. Ordering is simply a matter of choosing from the range of meals displayed on their websites, and the chilled or frozen meals will arrive at your door in a coolbox on your nominated delivery date.
What users of these services told us they liked most is the minimal preparation required – in most cases, little more than heating then eating. Another benefit is being able to stockpile meals in the freezer to use later.
Tips and traps
- The meals from some of these services focus predominantly on the protein component, with nary a vegetable in sight. They suggest you add a salad or vegetable side dish – and usually offer these to buy – but this will obviously bump up the total cost. This is worth bearing in mind when comparing meal prices.
- Some of these services offer a good selection of freshly prepared, chilled meals, while others sell predominantly frozen meals. If this difference is important to you, make sure you're clear on what they're offering before you order.
How costs compare to supermarket prices
Food boxes
We compared the price of the popular HelloFresh Classic Plan food box ($69.95 for three meals per week for two people) with the cost of buying the ingredients for those three meals (in the same or similar quantities) from Coles and Woolworths.
We found you don't actually pay much less at a supermarket, and sometimes you pay more once you factor in delivery costs.
But in reality when doing your weekly shop you're more likely to take advantage of special offers or buy larger packs which are better value for money – a 1kg tub of Farmers Union Greek Style natural yoghurt (50c per 100g) rather than a 200g individual tub ($1.10 per 100g), for example. And as long as you end up using the leftover ingredients before they reach their use-by or best-before dates and need to be discarded, then it's cheaper doing the shopping yourself.
- 87% of subscription food box users rated food quality, freshness and taste as good, very good or excellent.
Prepared meals
People who used prepared meal services were more likely to consider them good value for money than those using food box services. But how do they compare in price with the equally convenient supermarket ready-meals?
We compared the cost of two different dishes from prepared meal services with similar supermarket ready-meals and found the meal service dishes to be more expensive – and that's before you factor in delivery costs.
A single serve of butter chicken from meal delivery services ranged in price from $9.95 to $23.99, but the Woolworths chilled version was just $6.90. The cheapest single serve lasagne offered by the meal delivery services we looked at cost $8.95 (300g) but the equivalent from Woolworths (fresh, single serve) was just $6.90 (400g).
- 93% of prepared meal service users in our survey rated food quality, freshness and taste as good, very good or excellent. But whether or not the quality of ingredients warrants the higher price is hard to say.
Are meal delivery services suitable for kids?
If you're planning on using a meal delivery service to feed a family that includes young kids you might want to proceed with caution. While overall ratings for meal services were generally positive, their meals aren't guaranteed to win over a fussy toddler.
"I would like to see more small kids' meal options like the pasta with sneaky veg," said one respondent about The Dinner Ladies.
What about delivery services marketed for weight loss?
Weight loss was a key motivation for users of some meal delivery services, including the popular service Lite n' Easy, Eat Fit Food, Muscle Meals Direct and Dietlicious (sister company to Gourmet Dinner Service). While we did collect responses from people who'd used these services, the focus of our survey was on the pros, cons and experiences of using meal delivery services more generally.
Motivations aside, people's experiences of these meal delivery services with an emphasis on weight loss were overall positive.
- 98% of survey respondents who had used weight loss meal delivery services rated their delivery reliability as good, very good or excellent, and 77% of users rated food quality, freshness and taste as good, very good or excellent overall.
Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
