I have previously come across Chefgood’s rave reviews online, so I was interested in trying their readymade meals. I reviewed the meals based on three key aspects – taste, value for money and nutritional quality. How does Chefgood stack up? Keep reading to find out.
What is Chefgood?
Chefgood is Australia’s top-rated meal delivery service, offering restaurant-style meals to your doorstep, with plans to help individuals lose weight, or simply just eat better.
Their meals are hand crafted by chefs in Melbourne and made with locally sourced, natural ingredients, with no hidden sugars.
| Reasons to buy: | Tasty Meals Affordable Good amount of veggies |
| Reasons to avoid: | Lots of ingredients Contains preservatives No Fish options |
How does Chefgood work?
Chefgood allows you to choose your preferred meal plan according to your dietary preference – they offer a range of different options including vegan, vegetarian, low carb, high protein, and weight loss, however, the low carb menu was not available when I was selecting my meals. There are also no FODMAP, Keto or Paleo meal plans, or the ability to filter the menu by allergens such as nuts or soy, which limits Chefgood’s suitability. We Feed You, MACROS and Dineamic have more options for those following a Low FODMAP or Paleo diet, and those who have allergen concerns.
You can choose from 5, 7, 10, 14 or 20 meals. Once you select your number of meals, you can review the preselected menu items and with their ‘swap’ and ‘add’ functions, you can easily adjust your meal selection. Their menu is separated into ‘lunch’, ‘dinner’, ‘breakfast’, ‘snacks’, ‘sides’, ‘dessert’ and ‘drinks’ – this is a great feature as it allows you to easily pick out your entire week of meals and extras.
Once you finalise your readymade meal selection, the chefs get to work preparing your meals using local, seasonal produce and then deliver to your door. Chefgood offer flexible, no lock-in contracts, so you can pause or cancel anytime which is great!
How much does Chefgood cost?
The plans range from $12.00/meal (5 meals) to $10.80/meal (20 meals). Clearly, there is better value when purchasing more meals and so I would recommend this option for those who are looking to save money. If you are worried about storing the extra meals, don’t worry, all the meals can be frozen to extend their shelf-life.
If buying in bulk, Chefgood is on par with readymade meal services such as MACROS and My Muscle Chef, who come in around the $10.00 price point for a single readymade meal, providing good value for money.
My Chefgood experience
I selected the 14-meal plan from the vegetarian menu which you can see here. I swapped a few of the meals for some of the vegan options so I could sample these as well. Some of the meals I chose included:
- Vegan Chilli Bowl
- Gnocchi Creamy Parmesan and Mushrooms
- Smoked Cheese Quesadilla
- Vegetable Shepherd’s Pie
- Vegan Singapore Noodles
I also added two breakfast options – Raspberry, Apple and Almond Milk Bircher and Chocolate and Cherry Chia Pudding, along with two protein snack balls.
It is worth noting there was no pescatarian dietary preference, and when searching their other menus for fish options, I did not come across any meals that contained fish which was disappointing. Fish is a good quality source of protein that also provides valuable nutrients. It would be great to see Chefgood expand its menu to offer fish in the future.
The ordering process was simple, and on the following Sunday, I received my delivery. The readymade meals came well packed in their box and were kept cool using gel ice packs. The box, meal containers and meal sleeves can all be recycled, whilst the vacuum seal film and empty gel bags and foil liners can be recycled with soft plastics.
The meals were all clearly labelled, with the total calories listed on the front of the sleeve. Only two of the meals had either total protein or carbohydrates listed on the front of the sleeve. For consistency, I would have liked the macros printed clearly on the front of all meals – this is particularly beneficial for those who are looking to hit macronutrient targets for weight loss or weight gain. Youfoodz does a great job of this on their packaging – you can read our Nutritionist review of Youfooddz here.
The back of the sleeve contained the nutritional information panel, a list of ingredients, recycling, storage, and heating instructions. This information was clear to read, and the allergens were identifiable. The use-by dates were printed on the seal film and whilst most of the meals needed to be eaten within one week, reflecting their freshness, the meals can be frozen to extend their shelf-life. All meals were to be heated in the microwave – only the Smoked Cheese Quesadilla had an additional option to be heated in a sandwich press. Some other services such as Be Fit Food, provide more heating options (oven, air fryer), which I like as it allows for greater flexibility.
The meals were really tasty! My favourite was the Ricotta, Spinach and Mushroom Lasagne – it was creamy and full of flavour. Not far behind was the Braised Eggplant and Tomato – the meal tasted like it was home cooked and I could tell the ingredients were fresh. I also really enjoyed the Chocolate and Cherry Chia Pudding – it was sweet and creamy.
Chefgood nutritionist review
Whilst Chefgood aims to use natural, wholefood ingredients, and no hidden sugars, they do contain preservatives. Preservatives such as 202, 220 and 222 were noted in some of the meals – these are sorbates and sulphites. Sulphites can cause allergy-like symptoms in some individuals. Many of the meals I chose were also very high in sodium, for example, the Vegan Singapore Noodles contained 1330mg and the Gnocchi with Short Genovese Style Pesto had 1,687mg of sodium – which is well over half of our recommended daily intake of sodium! (2,000mg/day). Overall, there are a lot of ingredients in their meals, and I would argue that many of these ingredients are not whole foods. I always encourage people to choose readymade meals with fewer ingredients, predominately wholefoods, with limited or no preservatives and additives. Some of my recommendations include Garden of Vegan and Dietlicious.
The overall protein content of the meals ranged from 7g – 26g, with most meals averaging around 17g. The Roast Pumpkin Curry, Coconut Rice (Guest Chef Series) contained the lowest amount of protein. For a top-rated readymade meal service, I was disappointed to see these lower amounts of protein – we should be aiming for at least 20g with each meal to ensure they are nutritionally balanced and complete. Other readymade meal services that do a better job of providing more protein include Be Fit Food and MACROS. The sources of protein used were primarily dairy based with limited amounts of beans or tofu. It would be great to see some more high-quality proteins used in Chefgood’s vegetarian and vegan meals to increase the total protein and nutrient content of their readymade meals.
The was a mix of complex (unprocessed) and simple (processed) carbohydrates used in meals, however the majority of carbohydrates were refined sources, specifically, the meals which contained pasta. If you are aiming to lose weight, or simply eat better, choosing meals with complex sources of carbohydrates is a good choice as these contain more nutrients, including fibre, and keep us feeling fuller for longer.
All the meals contained vegetables and I was always pleased to visibly identify a variety of vegetables in my meals including potatoes, spinach, broccoli, and tomato. The Singapore Noodles appeared to contain the most vegetables – they appeared vibrant and fresh too. I estimate each meal provided the equivalent of one serve of vegetables, and so if you were consuming a Chefgood readymade meal for lunch as well, along with some healthy vegetable-based snacks throughout the day, Chefgood’s meals can contribute to your five serves of vegetables a day.
The breakfast options (whilst delicious) did contain a high amount of sugar due to the use of sweetened almond milk and coconut milk along with fruit. As this is the first meal of the day, I always recommend aiming for a low-sugar option with a good source of protein and fibre to sustain energy levels and stop the “crash” before lunch. There other breakfast options were limited, with only three savoury options.
Is Chefgood healthy?
Chefgood offers a range of options to suit dietary preferences including High Protein and Weight Loss. The meals are made using locally sourced, predominately wholefood ingredients. However, the meals are not preservative-free, some are high in sodium (1000mg+/meal), and they do contain a lot of ingredients compared to other healthy readymade meal services such as Dietlicious.
Final thoughts
Chefgood’s readymade meals are a tasty, convenient option and cater to a reasonable range of dietary preferences. The price point of their meals is similar to MACROS when buying in bulk, however, they are not the cheapest readymade meal service on the market. The meals contain lots of ingredients, some preservatives, and less protein than other similar brands on the market.
Chefgood ready meals
Chefgood FAQs
Chefgood is good value for money when buying in bulk and is at a similar price point to what is offered by MACROS and My Muscle Chef. However, if buying meals on their 5-meal plan, the meals are more expensive.
Chefgood is not a premium service however are closely priced to premium meal delivery services.
Yes, MACROS, My Muscle Chef, We Feed You and Dineamic all offer healthy, readymade meals, that cater to a variety of dietary preferences.
