Vegan Meals

Are you looking to try to integrate more vegan meals into your weekly meals? Have a look at some of Australia’s best vegan meal delivery options, with key information provided so you can compare choice and find the right match for your needs!

Rose Fenasse
- Updated April 28, 2022
Fact checked Fully qualified and expert nutritionists have reviewed and checked this content to ensure it is as accurate as possible at the time of writing.

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What is vegan?

Vegan diets exclude all animal products, or by products. It favours plant-based foods such as vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, seeds etc.

Vegan diets often receive scrutiny for not having enough protein, however there are plenty of protein options available such as mock-meats and protein alternatives including soy products i.e., tofu, tempeh. Mock-meats have become more common in supermarkets and fast food chains offering plant based burger alternatives to regular meat options. These options aren’t just popular amongst those avoiding meat products, they are gaining popularity among consumers wanting to introduce more variety into their meals and subsequently reduce meat consumption.

It is important before considering a vegan diet that you consult with a trusted health professional to ensure you don’t risk nutritional deficiency and other dietary associated risks.

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Are vegan ready-to-eat meals healthy?

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Not always! Like any meal delivery service it’s important to look into what the meal is offering, including the nutritional panel, its ingredient list and consider your own health status and health-orientated goals before purchasing any meals. 

 

For a long while vegan diets have been associated as a healthier choice, however labeling doesn’t equate to a healthy meal. One person’s idea of health is different to the next, and it’s important to view meals individually as everyone’s needs and goals are entirely different.

 

If you’re considering frozen meals it’s important to look into their nutritional value as frozen meals can be high in sodium, preservatives, additives, and often can be missing a variety of plant-based ingredients such as vegetables. Like all pre-prepared meals, nutrients can be lost throughout the food preparation stages including storage, delivery and during the reheating of meals. Most often this can result in losing water-soluble based vitamins such as vitamin B and C (Miller, Knudson 2014). However, before avoiding frozen meals there are some vegetables that are able to retain antioxidant activity and their nutrient levels can remain after freezing (Dewanto et al 2002).

When looking for a healthy vegan meal delivery service consider your own health requirements, needs and your own health-oriented goals. Check out our pros and cons list below including the key factors to consider when choosing your next meal service!

What is the cheapest vegan meal delivery service?

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Vegan meal delivery services are becoming more popular with a variety of providers expanding offerings to meet consumer demands. We’ve listed our favourite budget-friendly vegan meal services below offering competitive pricing:

The cheapest vegan meal kit available on the market is Dinnerly starting from $4.85 per serve

The cheapest ready to eat vegan meal delivery is Soulara starting from $8.50 per serve

What is the best vegan-only meal delivery service in Australia?

A fan favourite is Soulara! Its entire brand oozes vegan, making it a safe space to explore the menu knowing whatever you throw in your cart is going to be full of plant-based goodness.

Their menu has over 60+ options to choose from, with attention focusing on natural flavours, local produce and high-quality plant-based protein. Soulara meals are dietitian designed and created with a focus surrounding their recyclable packaging and clean messaging to reduce their environmental impact and make consumers aware of their footprint. 

Soulara is a great vegan-only meal delivery service for those wanting to take the stress out of cooking, have some meals in the fridge for busy days or to use them as a base meal that you can add to. Check out their range today to see if they are a fit for you!

Meal Delivery Service

Most popular vegan delivery in NSW

Soulara

This Sydney based vegan meal delivery offers a wholesome dietitian created meal range starting from $8.95 – $11.50 per meal. Soulara delivers high-quality seasonal meals that are  protein-rich and plant-based. Options available for delivery include; Main meals, Breakfasts and Extras.

Check out our Sydney Vegan Meal Delivery page for more services.

soulara in NSW
Check out Soulara!

Most popular vegan delivery in Victoria

Garden of Vegan

Garden of Vegan is a meal provider that creates an array of vegan only meals focusing on organic high quality ingredients, without the use of additives or preservatives. They offer meals, produce boxes, essential pantry items, snacks and desserts. With meals starting from $14.95 and Australia wide (excluding Perth) delivery. 

Check out our Melbourne Vegan Meal Delivery page for more options!

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Most popular vegan delivery in Queensland

My Muscle Chef

My Muscle Chef is a popular meal provider offering a range of meat, vegetarian and vegan options. They offer vegan meal plans which include main meals and snacks, with pack options starting from $99.95. Delivery is available Australia wide, with ranges available in grocery stores and petrol stations too!

my muscle chef vegan
Visit My Muscle Chef

Most popular vegan delivery in other states

Marley Spoon

Marley Spoon offers vegan meal kits! They have an array of regularly updated recipes with vegan low calorie and vegan family-friendly meal options available. They currently deliver to most areas in NSW, VIC, ACT, QLD, SA, NT and WA.

Check out our meal kit page for more options!

Visit Marley Spoon

Most popular vegan delivery in NSW, QLD, ACT, SA and TAS

Chef Good

Chef Good offers a range of meal services including vegan food delivery catering to many states across Australia. Their vegan ready to eat meals are created using fresh local produce and high quality ingredients.

chef good
Visit Chef Good

What are the Pros & Cons of Vegan meal delivery?

vegan pros and cons fresh veggies

Vegan Meal Pros

  • Convenience - Ready made vegan meals are just downright convenient. Having a meal ready to go in the freezer or the fridge for busy days where meal prep is too big of a thought can be a lifesaver. It can also be a supportive way for people with limited nutritional knowledge to eat knowing a meal has been nutritionally balanced.
  • Easy decision-making - Prepared meal services can be a great meal option for those struggling to come up with new meal ideas, or have exhausted the same meals one too many times! Vegan food kits can also be a great option for those still wanting to still cook and keep meal times fresh!
  • Create healthy habits - For those of you needing a helping hand to create healthy nutrient-dense meals or are new to a vegan diet - you can quickly determine flavours and foods you enjoy by exploring menu ranges and recipes. Meal services can be a great introduction to creating healthy habits whilst reducing waste. Companies manufacturing meals have prepared and portioned the exact quantities of ingredients per meal. This can eliminate consumers shopping in excess which can quickly become wasted.

Vegan Meal Cons

  • Does not educate consumers - There is no educational component receivable for consumers when ordering or receiving a prepared meal. The lack of teaching for consumers who are new to vegan diets may create further confusion on how to put a tasty and nutritionally balanced meal together - from preparing ingredients, cooking or even flavouring meals.
  • Storage - If you are planning to rely on prepared meals this requires space! Depending on how much space you have in the fridge or freezer will determine how many meals you can store at all times. Looking for a provider that is retrievable in grocery stores may be a convenient option for those lacking storage space.
  • Doesn’t cater to large families - Most meal sizes are based per person and for weekly requirements. If you have a household or family of four or above this would be a mass order per person rather than a family sized serving. There also are not many children friendly meals available.
  • Portion sizes aren’t suitable to everyone’s requirements - Sizing is determined per company, so this will differ provider to provider. Portion sizes are generalised and don’t take into account everyone's individual needs i.e. a 30 year-old male bodybuilder versus a 60-year-old’s womens portion and needs will be different.

Key factors when comparing vegan meal delivery companies

When choosing which vegan meal delivery service suits you best, it’s worth considering these factors:

Nutritional Balance

Compare providers on their nutritional offerings, check to see which services are developed by nutritionists or qualified health professionals.

Check the meals nutritional panels and ingredients lists – most vegan meals will hero specific nutrients such as protein, calcium, b12 etc. You can compare different brands by looking at the nutrients per 100g panel.

If you’re looking to nutritionally boost meals you can add to meals to increase the nutritional density such as sprinkling nutritional yeast on meals for an extra serve of b12.

Size & Satiety

Check to see the portion of meals, some vegan meals can tend to be lower in energy (kilojoules) which require meals to be higher in volume for food to meet dietary needs and to create satiety.

Sizes may not be conducive with creating satisfying meals – consider your personal appetite levels, you may need to add to meals to create more satiating meals by opting for higher protein and high quality fat sources.

Cost & Conditions

Compare providers on differing costs per meal or per their meal plans i.e. week to week or meal to meal to determine the best value. Different vegan providers will base their costs around different factors such as the quality of the produce i.e Organic produce, locally sourced produce etc. 

Costs are commonly lower with the higher meal commitment i.e. subscribing to a weekly service.

Delivery Times

If you’re after a quick turn around it’s important to compare each provider based on its handling and delivery times.

Each provider’s allowances differ and can be influenced around the locations of their main kitchens. Another factor to consider are delivery costs, some providers offer free delivery when spending a certain amount.

Vegan Meal Delivery FAQs

Yes, a popular provider offering 100% certified organic vegan-only meal delivery options is Garden of Vegan. Their array of vegan offerings also offer a range of dietary friendly caterings such as gluten-free meals.

Yes, Dinnerly and Marley Spoon offer vegan meal kits with regularly updated seasonal menus.

Check out the meal kit page for more information!

Each meal service offers different meal services and incentivised ordering, from a one-off order to multiple days of food in meal packs, or even weekly subscription plans. Generally speaking, the longer the subscription commitment i.e., the more meals ordered, the cheaper the individual meal comes to.

 

The cheapest vegan meal kit on the market is Dinnerly offering a very competitive $4.85 per portion. Otherwise, Soulara offers meals starting from $8.50 per serve.

Unfortunately you may have to do some shopping around, not all providers cater to dietary requirements. The below providers cater to some dietary needs:

  • Herbidoor – They offer options such as: Sesame Free, Soy Free, Gluten Free, Onion Free, Garlic Free, Peanut free, Nut Free and Ginger Free.
  • Delidoor – ​​ They offer options such as Dairy Free and Gluten Free.
  • Garden of Vegan – They offer options such as: Soy Free, Nut Free, Grain Free, Chilli Free, Onion Free, Garlic Free, Citrus Free, Sesame Free.

No, a vegan diet is the strict elimination of all animal products (and byproducts), whereas a plant-based diet doesn’t necessarily eliminate animal products – instead it lowers consumption and emphasises focus on eating predominately plants I.e. fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains etc (Hever, 2016)

With many diets there are pros and cons whether it creating restrictions socially, financially more expensive than previous dietary choices, limited options when eating out, creates nutritional risks and creates a poor relationship with food. 

 

Particular risks associated with vegan diets can be creating nutritionally imbalanced meals, non-satiating meals and nutritional deficiencies with inadequate dietary planning.

No, unfortunately Hellofresh are yet to offer a vegan meal kit. They do offer a veggie plan option which is suitable to those who are vegetarian or wanting to reduce meat consumption across meals.

Vegans try their best to avoid all forms of animal products and byproducts, most include honey in foods they won’t consume when following a vegan diet. 

 

If you’re trying to find a product you can use in replacement of honey try maple syrup!

Planning vegan meals or meals in general can be most helpful when centring meals around the protein source. Many plant foods contain protein however to consume adequate amounts need to be consumed in higher volumes. Some plant food protein sources to include in your diet include:

 

  • Seitan
  • Soy proteins: Tofu, tempeh, and edamame.
  • Lentils, Beans, Chickpeas, green peas
  • Nutritional yeast
  • Spirulina
  • Wholegrains
  • Spelt and Teff
  • Nuts and Seeds

It’s important to consider where you may be getting your calcium and vitamin D from when following a vegan diet. Look for foods that have been fortified such as cereals, plant based milks, soya, etc.

 

  • Vegetables – include plenty of  dark leafy greens, broccoli, okra, edamame beans etc. 
  • Nuts and seeds, including tahini! 
  • Whole grains 
  • Beans, Lentils, Chickpeas and Peas.
  • Calcium-set tofu

Vegan can lean into some non-heme (plant-based) sources of iron such as

  • Beans, lentils and legumes
  • Dark leafy greens, potatoes with skin on, broccoli, spinach, 
  • Nuts and Seeds
  • Whole grains
  • Dried fruit i.e. apricot
  • Blackstrap molasses 

 

Improve iron absorption by eating foods high in vitamin c with foods containing iron, including cooking plant foods to improve the availability of iron. 

 

Speak to a trusted health professional about any symptoms of low iron you may be experiencing, including any changes to diet.

A raw vegan diet typically involves no cooking, foods are prepared and eaten fresh or dehydrated at low heats or fermented! A raw vegan diet is no different in terms of any other vegan diet with encouragement of eating an abundance of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, lentils, beans, legumes etc. Before considering a raw vegan diet it is important to speak to a trusted health professional as it can be extremely restrictive and may cause nutritional deficiencies.

Unlike other B vitamins, B12 isn’t found in many plant foods other than fortified foods. This can often make it hard for vegans and vegetarians to obtain sufficient levels of b12 in their diet. Vegan can look to the following food products for b12: 

 

  • Nutritional yeast
  • Yeast spreads
  • Fortified foods such as milks, cereals etc. 
  • Plant based meat options, tempeh

 

It’s important to speak to a trusted health professional if you think you may not be getting enough b12 in your diet.

(2010) Winston John Craig, ‘Nutrition Concerns and Health Effects of Vegetarian Diets’

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0884533610385707

 
(2016) Julieanna Hever ‘Plant-Based Diets: A Physician’s Guide’

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4991921/

 

(2014) Miller and Knudson ‘Nutrition and Cost Comparisons of Select Canned, Frozen, and Fresh Fruits and Vegetable’

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1559827614522942


(2002) Dewanto et al ‘ Thermal processing enhances the nutritional value of tomatoes by increasing total antioxidant activity’ 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11982434/

Search and compare subscription based wellness products in Australia including meal kits, ready to eat meal delivery, vitamin subscriptions and much more at Wellhub. All content and information on this site is provided by qualified Australian nutritionists to ensure accurate representation of all products reviewed.