Let’s face it, some days it’s hard to find time to think about what’s for dinner, let alone plan meals for the whole week. Recently people have been relying on frozen meals more and more.
If you want to start making more home-cooked dinners but feel like you don’t have the time, or you just don’t know where to start, meal kits are the ideal option.
Meal kits have everything you need to make delicious dinners at home without the hassle of shopping or meal planning. The fresh ingredients and recipe cards are delivered right to your door, it’s a great option for anyone who’s busy or new to cooking.
Our editors have done the research to find two of the top contenders in the meal kit market: Australia’s leading meal kit, HelloFresh, and the newest meal kit on the market, EveryPlate. On the surface, they looked kind of similar: they both offer flexible subscriptions, both use fresh ingredients and both feature delicious-looking recipes that are easy-to-follow.
We discovered that HelloFresh is recommended by “Choice” as the number one meal kit provider. However, even while EveryPlate is new to the market, it has some solid ratings and reviews by Aussies on social media. We thought we’d give them both a try to get an idea of which is the best
Cooking Ease
Winner: EveryPlate
They both guarantee fast and easy meals, but EveryPlate beat out HelloFresh for speed and simplicity. For each EveryPlate meal, the recipe has only four simple steps to follow, whereas HelloFresh recipes have six steps and can slightly vary in the time taken to cook and plate up the meal.
People also said that the recipe cards from EveryPlate were easier to follow, with ingredients and cooking processes that were familiar to them already. This is great because it means it’s easy to get the whole household involved in cooking, making an already speedy prep time, even quicker.
Taste
Winner: HelloFresh (but it was close!)
Both HelloFresh and EveryPlate use fresh, high-quality ingredients in their recipes, meaning the taste element was a close call. However, HelloFresh recipes have that little something extra, whether it’s a creamy pesto mayo sauce or a garnish like crispy shallots or sliced almonds – it’s these finishing touches that can elevate a tasty dinner to a delicious dinner. Again, this depends on what flavours your household enjoys the most.
Variety
Winner: HelloFresh
If you choose either kit, you’ll find rotating recipes from cuisines all over the world, like Italian pasta, Korean bibimbap and Mexican fish tacos. They also have more classic recipes, like chicken schnitzels or a cheesy beef burger. With HelloFresh, there’s over 25 recipes to choose from per week, compared to EveryPlate’s 8.
Each recipe is created by their professional in-house recipe developers, which means they’re just as tasty as take-out, but less expensive. HelloFresh also has balanced, dinner to lunch, and more gourmet options to choose from.
Overall, both kits have a good selection of delicious meals, but HelloFresh offers more.
Value for money
Winner: EveryPlate
If your #1 necessity when it comes to choosing a meal kit is price, EveryPlate should be your go-to. EveryPlate skips the fuss and frills (think fancy garnishes or sauces that end up at the back of the cupboard), without compromising on the quality of ingredients, which is how they keep the price lower. For reference, EveryPlate dinners start from $2.39 per plate, whereas HelloFresh starts from $5.00 per serving.
The Overall Winner: It depends on you!
As we mentioned at this start, the winning meal kit between HelloFresh and EveryPlate really depends on what matters most in your household. If it’s a speedy cook time and value for money, give EveryPlate a go. But, if you’re keen to explore a variety of cuisines and don’t mind spending a little extra time in the kitchen to create a standout dish, HelloFresh could be the perfect choice for you.
