A Nutritionist’s Review of Just Add Vegan

Launching in 2021, Just Add Vegan is Australia’s first health-focused, 100% family owned, plant-powered meal kit service. Just Add Vegan started out of the desire to make healthy and delicious plant-based food accessible to as many people as possible, whilst also making a conscious effort to reduce their environmental impact. Designed to be convenient and easy to prepare, I put Just Add Vegan’s meal kits to the test.

The Good:	The Not So Good:
Great value for money	Additives & preservatives
Excellent protein options	Unable to filter menu by allergens
Tasty meals

How does Just Add Vegan work?

Just Add Vegan offers subscription-based plans of three, four or five meals per week, for 2 or 4 people. Their menu changes weekly and features 10-12 dishes to choose from which makes them the only meal kit provider in Australia that provides the most vegan options. Their menu includes family-friendly, no-added-gluten, high-protein, and weight-loss options as well as a variety of batch-cooking meal kits. Whilst the meals I received were preselected, I looked at their full menu and was impressed with their selection – everything looked delicious! Their meals are inspired by Italian, Thai, Mexican, Indian, Chinese, Korean, Greek, Japanese, American and Middle Eastern cuisines, which is clearly reflected in their menu with meals such as ‘Tofu tonkatsu’ and ‘Tandoori chickpea pizza’ – YUM!

Just Add Vegan’s food philosophy is inspired by a whole-food plant-based diet, which is well-researched and provides numerous health benefits including weight management.¹ They also work with a dietician to ensure their menu is nutritionally balanced. Just Add Vegan source local, fresh produce and prioritise quality ingredients. All their spice mixes, marinades and sauces are made in-house which is a great feature, and they use Suzy Spoon’s handmade sausages, seitan products and Nhu Quynh’s all-natural, handmade tofu. 

The meal kits on the two-person plan cost $10.99 per serve ($65.94 for three meals/week) whilst meals for four people are $8.99 per serve ($107.88 for three meals/week). Just Add Vegan’s plans are more expensive than budget-friendly meal kit EveryPlate, whose plans cost as little as $48.00, however, they are cheaper than popular meal kit providers Hello Fresh and Marley Spoon. Furthermore, EveryPlate does not offer vegan, no-added gluten, high-protein or weight-loss options, making Just Add Vegan the more appealing choice for the health-conscious individual. 

You currently cannot filter their menu by allergens such as nuts or soy, however this a feature Just Add Vegan are looking to introduce in the future. They also offer a range of carefully selected vegan products that you can add to your box, including vegan cheeses and meat alternatives, readymade meals, pantry items and sweet treats which is a great offering! 

My Just Add Vegan Experience

I received four meals to try:  

• Tofu bulgogi and mixed vegetables 
• Turkish baked cauliflower
• Roasted broccolini salad
• Rich baked tofu and garden salad

My Just Add Vegan box arrived on Saturday morning and was filled with my four pre-packaged meals ready to create, plus the corresponding recipe cards. I was very excited to start cooking! Each meal kit was packaged in a brown paper bag and matched by a sticker to its recipe card. This was a simple and easy way to identify which meal was which. Just Add Vegan’s delivery boxes are 100% recyclable, made with recycled material and they use Biogone biodegradable and recyclable tape to seal the box, which when disposed of in landfill, breaks down over 90% faster than conventional tape.

The meal bags are made from FSC and PEFC certified paper which is recyclable, biodegradable and compostable. Unlike EveryPlate and Hello Fresh, Just Add Vegan uses paper instead of plastic bags for their dry goods, such as rice, and is sealed using Sellotape Enviro Tape, which is biodegradable and compostable. For ingredients such as nuts and seeds, they use 100% recyclable, biodegradable and compostable glassine paper bags. Some of the vegetables came unpackaged which was great, however, some other vegetables were packaged in LDPE4 plastic bags. Until recently, you were able to recycle these via the REDcycle program. The sauces, dressings and marinades come in curb-side recyclable containers. Just Add Vegan’s sustainable packaging and the fact that they are 100% plant-based, makes them one of the best meal kits for sustainability on the market.

Each meal bag contained all the core ingredients I needed apart from a few pantry staples items such as olive oil, salt and pepper. Compared to EveryPlate however, Just Add Vegan provides more of the pantry items which made preparation very convenient. When unpacking the ingredients, everything was clearly labelled, perfectly pre-measured and the vegetables looked fresh and vibrant. 

The recipes were clearly printed and fairly easy to follow, with five steps in total. This is one more step than EveryPlate’s recipes however it is worth noting that some of the steps had multiple steps within them, making some recipes slightly more time-consuming. The ‘Turkish baked cauliflower’ took the longest time to prepare at 45 minutes, and whilst it was delicious, I felt this was a recipe that was more suited to cooking on a weekend, not a weeknight, due to the length of time. The ‘Tofu bulgogi and mixed vegetables’ on the other hand, was super speedy to prepare and cook, taking just under 25 minutes. This was also my favourite meal – it was tangy, spicy, and delicious!

The recipe cards also had information on the macronutrient content (protein, fat, carbohydrates), allergens, and a nutritional fact about the core ingredient in each recipe. This was an engaging point of interest and is beneficial in understanding the health benefits of the meals. 

Nutritionist Review of Just Add Vegan 

I was extremely impressed by the nutritional profile of the meals, particularly the protein content. The ‘Turkish baked cauliflower’ had 21.2g protein, the ‘Roasted broccolini salad’ had 27g protein and the ‘Tofu bulgogi and mixed vegetables’ had 28.1g protein. Aiming for around 25g of protein with each meal is ideal when it comes to promoting a healthy weight – it is clear that Just Add Vegan’s dietician carefully plans these meals to ensure they are balanced. The sources of protein were also excellent whole food sources such as chickpeas, white beans, and tofu. 

Whilst the fibre content was not listed on the recipe cards, these meals provided an excellent source of fibre thanks to the emphasis on vegetables and legumes. The sources of fats in the meals were high quality, including nuts, seeds, and olive oil, and the ratio of fats was balanced. Nuts, seeds, and olive oil are referred to as monounsaturated fats and are beneficial for our heart health. The carbohydrate content in the meals was also balanced and included mostly whole food sources such as sweet potato. Instead of white rice in the ‘Tofu bulgogi and mixed vegetables’ dish, it would have been great to see brown rice used as this provides more fibre and micronutrients. 

Overall, each meal had a strong emphasis on vegetables and would make an excellent contribution to your five serves a day. All three recipes contained at least three different types of vegetables – the ‘Roasted broccolini salad’ had the most variety including broccolini, onion, capsicum, and sweet potato, with the addition of herbs. 

The flavours of the meals were great! They tasted authentic, vibrant, and fresh. Each portion size was generous, with some recipes providing leftovers, making the meals excellent value for money. 

Final Thoughts

Just Add Vegan is a high-quality, plant-based meal kit, at a more affordable price compared to Hello Fresh and Marley Spoon. The produce is fresh, and the meals are nutritionally balanced and delicious. If you are looking to eat more plant-based meals, enjoy cooking, but crave convenience, this is the perfect meal kit. 

References

Wright, N., Wilson, L., Smith, Smith, M., Duncan, B., & McHugh, P. (2017). The BROAD study: A randomised controlled trial using a whole food plant-based diet in the community for obesity, ischaemic heart disease or diabetes. Nutr & Diabetes 7, e256. https://doi.org/10.1038/nutd.2017.3