Whilst we all know the huge environmental, physical and societal benefits of adopting a vegan diet, it can still be a difficult task for the more than 500,000 Australians trying to follow a Vegan diet. This struggle is particularly apparent in the Food Box space, with a majority of services struggling to provide a genuine Vegan option. However, I have been able to unearth a few absolute gems for you to explore. I research and test a wide range of Meal Kits, Prepared Meals Services and Snack Boxes so you can make an informed decision. This article will share the details of my favourite subscription services that really help people to live a vegan lifestyle.
- The Vegan Box – Monthly discovery box of vegan brands from across Australia.
- Chefgood – Delicious meal delivery service with home-cooked, fresh ingredients.
- Good Pair Days – Wine delivered to your door at a bargain price, need I say any more?
- Marley Spoon – Meal Kit service with 3 vegan options each week.
- GoodnessMe Box – Monthly discover box than can be customised for the vegan diet.
- Soulara – Fully prepared vegan meals delivered to your door.
Skip down to our first recommended service
Benefits of Food Boxes for Vegans
Particularly for people new to following a vegan diet, it can be difficult to find the right nutritious foods that enable a healthy diet. Whilst we all crave our comfort foods, these often aren’t Vegan or there are really limited alternatives in local supermarkets. This is where I believe Food Boxes can be incredibly beneficial for Vegans, or people looking to explore a Vegan diet.
- Discover New Foods – Almost like a superpower, Food Boxes give you the ability to try new meals, ingredients and recipes that you may have never tried before. This can even include working out how to cook ingredients you never previously liked, in new and exciting ways. I recently discovered a love of roasted Beetroot thanks to a Meal Kits!
- Find New Brands – A lot of a Vegan companies are smaller, niche producers that don’t have a multi-million dollar marketing budget. This means there are definitely hundreds of products you haven’t tried before, that may quickly become some of your favourite foods.
- Try Vegan – Exploring Vegan food can be an expensive experiment, stocking up on a lot of whole foods and nutrients. Food Boxes bring that cost right down by providing a simple and easy way to try out substituting your diet for a Vegan diet just for a week.
About our Food Box Recommendations
Here at Food Box Mate, I endeavour to try all our recommended Food Boxes for at least a couple of subscription cycles. This makes sure I get a sense of their consistency, variety and overall experience. Based on my experimentation, I rate each Food Box with an individual review score. However, each Food Box is great for different people so even if it wasn’t right for me, it might be perfect for you. I recommend Food Boxes based on the following 3 categories:
GOLD STANDARD: For those services that I think are perfect for Families. These are tried and tested Food Boxes that deliver a fantastic experience. I’ll never give out a Gold Standard recommendation if I haven’t thoroughly tested the service myself.
RECOMMENDED: Depending on what you’re looking for, these services may be perfect for you. Here, I recommend any services that I’ve tested and think you’ll enjoy – even if they don’t quite make the Gold Standard grade.
SUGGESTED: Due to time, money and location restrictions, it isn’t always possible for me to try every single service. In this scenario, I don’t want you to miss out on a potentially exciting Food Box experience so I share them as ‘suggested’. I always check to make sure these are well regarded and have a proven history of happy customers.
What I’m looking for in Vegan Food Boxes
There are some important factors that I consider when reviewing a Food Box. These include the ordering process, delivery, quality of product and overall experience. When assessing these services for suitability to Vegans, I also look at the following factors:
- Cruelty-Free Practises – A service providing vegan food should adopt a fully cruelty-free approach across their business. This includes attempting to use ethical products where practical across their entire supply chain.
- Working with local, ethical suppliers – To minimise the environmental impact of shipping and delivery, products should always be sources locally. This also supports the local Australian economy.
- Organic, Healthy, Non-GMO – The best vegan food boxes will utilise suppliers and products that provide genuine natural products. This includes primarily using ingredients that are sustainable and environmentally friendly.
Best Snack Discovery Box: The Vegan Box
Type: Discovery Box
At just $25/month, The Vegan Box provides a really great experience for discovering Vegan products. Each month brings 5 – 8 cruelty-free products available in Australia, mostly from local brands. I was impressed with the product sizes and value, making this a really fantastic gift. Alternatively, it’s great for treating yourself and discovering new vegan products. If you’re Gluten Free, they’re also able to customise the box to your needs. If you like the look of The Vegan Box, you may also enjoy their bi-monthly beauty box as well!
I believe that ‘The Vegan Box’ Is the best Food Box for vegans because they focus purely on the exploration and support of innovative local food brands. I have no doubt that everyone would find it really exciting to receive a box on their doorstep.
The Vegan Box ships all across Australia at a cost of $6.50 for a standard box. Shipping is free if you take out a 3 or 6 month subscription.
READ MY FULL REVIEW OF THE VEGAN BOX
Best Meal Delivery Service: Chefgood
Type: Meal Delivery Service
Chefgood deliver impressively on the promise of delicious home-cooked meals. Each week, they over 10+ different Vegan meals to select from, all cooked with high quality and flavourful ingredients. These meals come pre-packed in individual containers which can be quickly heated in just 2 – 3 minutes, although it’s important to be conscious of the environmental impact. If you’re going to use Chefgood, make sure you’re recycling all the containers in an appropriate way.
Chefgood is currently only available in major metro areas around Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra and Melbourne. If you want to try them out, you’ll find each meal is priced at around $11 each, plus a standard $12 delivery fee for each box.
Best Wine Delivery Service: Good Pair Days
One of the best things about wine, is that it is totally 100% vegan! That means you get to enjoy a large glass (or two) with your Chefgood, Soulara or Marley Spoon dinners. Good Pair Days undoubtedly offers the best service in Australia right now, delivering incredible value along with a fantastic subscription experience.
You can start by taking their wine palate quiz, perfect if you don’t consider yourself an expert wine connoisseur, which recommends which types of wine to try. Normally these quizzes are quite fake, but I’ve discovered some new wine varieties that I absolutely love through their recommendations. Their website is incredibly easy to use, with the subscription easily managed (delayed, cancelled, adding wine) in just a few clicks.
Wines come in 3 pricing levels, $17 – $25 – $40 although you’ll find yourself enjoying a 10% membership discount on those prices. You’ll also get free delivery on any box of 4 wines or more. This is an absolute bargain for the wine you receive, saving around 15% on retail prices.
Good Pair Days deliver to anywhere in Australia.
READ MY FULL GOOD PAIR DAYS REVIEW
Try Good Pair Days TodayGet a FREE $38 bottle with your first order - click here!
RECOMMENDED: Marley Spoon
Type: Meal Kit / Recipe Kit
Finding a Meal Kit that caters for a Vegan diet is really difficult, with only one of the major companies providing any guaranteed Vegan options. I have reviewed Marley Spoon a few times and always found their produce to be fresh and deliveries to be on time – two of the most important things for any Meal Kit service. In late 2019, Marley Spoon launched their Vegan offering, providing 3 Vegan Meals a week. This doesn’t provide you a huge amount of choice/variety each week, but it definitely means you’ll explore new recipes and ingredients. All Marley Spoon recipes are balanced and nutritionally sound, so you know you’ll be eating dinner right.
I think Marley Spoon offers good value, with a 2-Person box containing 3 Meals being $76.45 including Shipping.
Marley Spoon currently deliver to, including the surrounding areas of, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Hobart, Launceston, Adelaide, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Wollongong, Newcastle, Darwin and NSW’s Central Coast
READ MY FULL MARLEY SPOON REVIEW
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RECOMMENDED: GoodnessMe Box
Type: Discovery Box
Another way of discovering new products, GoodnessMe are Australia’s biggest health food sampling service. All of their products fall into 2 or more of these categories: organic, sustainable, raw, gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free or vegan. Fortunately, you can opt to have a purely vegan box as well as boxes with no dairy or gluten. I love GoodnessMe because they go all out to give you an exciting subscription experience, including recipes and ideas for how best to use their products. They regularly provide fantastic updates and inspiration on their Instagram page @goodnessmebox. If you find any products you particularly love, they’re normally available for purchase on the GoodnessMe online store.
The box itself costs only $25 which is incredible value considering what you get inside the box. They’ve received our highest rating out of all reviews we’ve completed. That means you know they’re good! They also deliver anywhere in Australia with free delivery on any orders over $100.
READ MY FULL GOODNESS ME REVIEW
Check out the GoodnessMe box from just $25Discover new health foods every month
RECOMMENDED: Soulara Prepared Meals
Type: Prepared Meals
Soulara are the powerhouse of vegan prepared meals. They provide superfood-packed, fresh (never frozen) meals created by nutritionists. Each meal requires just a few minutes in the microwave to get it ready to eat. Their menu rotates every fortnight, so you’re unlikely to get bored on their meal plan. Each menu has over 40 different meals on it as well. Soulara also offer a range of Breakfasts and Juices so you can go through an entire day on their meal plan. I love their ethos and the accessibility they provide to a Vegan diet.
It’s possible to get Soulara down to $8.50 per portion. However, the most common subscription has 12 meals and costs $119.40 per week at $9.95 per meal. I’ve found this to be quite comparable to other meal delivery services out there.
Soulara appears to deliver all across Australia, however it’s worth checking your exact postcode on their site. Delivery fees vary, although the standard fee is $10.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to be at home for deliveries?
No, all the Food Boxes we recommend are able to deliver your food to a designated safe place. For Discovery Boxes this is really easy as they tend to be relatively small boxes. However, please be aware that Prepared Meals and Meal Kits come in large, cooled boxes. Therefore, it’s worth thinking about where these could easily be placed by delivery drivers. It is normal for Food Boxes not to give a specific time window for delivery.
Do Vegan Food Boxes support Australian Businesses?
Not all vegan food boxes focus solely on Australian products. I take this into account In my review and won’t recommend a box unless it uses primarily Australian products. This is because I believe in supporting local businesses and the regional economies.
What should I get for my Vegan friend as a gift?
Food Boxes, in particular the Discovery Subscription Boxes make the perfect gift for anyone interested in the Vegan lifestyle. I recommend a 3-month subscription to The Vegan Box for $75 or a 3-month subscription to GoodnessMe for $75. They’re both fantastic boxes and they extend the excitement into 3 separate presents over the course of a few months.
I hope you found this page useful, it’s really exciting for me to spread the word about businesses I love. If you’ve had any experience using any of these companies, do let me know on Facebook. Alternatively, if you think I’ve missed an incredible service out of these recommendations, send a message from my Contact Us page.