As someone who’s skeptical about microwaveable meals, I was curious whether MACROS could deliver on their promise of convenient, healthy meals that actually taste good.
After testing dozens of their fitness-focused prepared meals over multiple orders, I’ve found they offer an interesting balance of nutrition and convenience – though with some important trade-offs to consider.
MACROS delivers fresh, portion-controlled lunches and dinners across Australia, each designed to support specific fitness goals like muscle gain, weight loss, or maintaining a balanced diet.
While the appeal of having a healthy meal ready in just five minutes is obvious, the real question is whether these meals can satisfy both your taste buds and nutritional needs.
MACROS Prepared Meals Review
MACROS Review Summary
MACROS delivers convenient, portion-controlled meals that actually taste decent when microwaved, making them perfect for busy individuals who want to track their nutrition and don’t mind some meal repetition. While not quite matching home-cooked quality, they’re a solid choice for solo eaters wanting healthy, ready-in-minutes meals without the hassle of cooking.
Overall
-
Ordering - Website - 9/10
9/10
-
Food - Quality - 7/10
7/10
-
Ordering - Meal Choice - 8/10
8/10
-
Food - Taste - 7/10
7/10
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Ordering - Delivery - 7/10
7/10
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Value For Money - 6.5/10
6.5/10
Pros
- Detailed nutritional info with MyFitnessPal-compatible barcodes
- Flexible ordering with mix-and-match from different meal categories
- Bulk discounts available (5-10% off larger orders)
- Most meals genuinely taste good after microwaving
Cons
- Meal quality can be variable, so you need to find your favourites.
- Even the larger meal sizes may be insufficient for people trying to gain muscle.
If you want to learn more about how prepared meals work, I have a detailed prepared meals guide to help you out. Looking for other services, check out all my prepared meals reviews.
See a history of updates to this review
2022 Update
Since this review was written, MACROS expanded their offering to include Family, Weight Loss, Plant-Based and Sculpt plans. This allows you much more flexibility on the types of meal that arrive and is an exciting innovation. The fitness meal plans have also had their portion sizes increased.
They’ve also massively expanded the meal options available so it’s easier to find meals you’ll love.
2023 Update
MACROS increased the pricing of their “Gain” plan, although the pricing of all other plans has remained the same. Prices have been raised by 5-10%.
2024 Update
MACROS are now allowing ordering of meals off an ‘Ã la carte’ menu where you can pick/choose any meals you want. They’ve also removed the option to order family-sized meals which they had launched in 2022.
2025 Update
MACROS has simplified their offering by removing their pre-set bundle options, now focusing entirely on their à la carte menu. They’ve also introduced a new premium range of meals featuring luxury ingredients, priced at $12.95 (Regular) and $13.95 (Large). The minimum order value remains at $50, and they now offer bulk discounts of 5% for orders over 12 meals and 10% for orders over 20 meals.
Page Contents
Getting Started with my MACROS Review
MACROS offers a flexible menu where you can order individual meals categorized to match different dietary goals and preferences. Their meals are organized into different categories:
- Balanced – Standard 350g portions suitable for everyday eating
- Weight Loss – Smaller 300g portions under 350 calories
- Keto – Low-carb meals designed for ketogenic diets
- Plant-Based – Vegetarian and vegan options
- Sculpt – Lean portions designed for definition
- Perform – Protein-focused meals for active lifestyles
- Gain – Larger 450g portions with higher calories and protein
Each meal clearly displays its nutritional information, making it easy to align with your personal health and fitness goals. You can mix and match meals from any category to create your perfect menu.
What impressed me was how thoughtfully each meal is designed for its intended purpose. For example, their “gain” category meals aren’t just larger portions—they’re specifically formulated with different macro ratios to support muscle growth and recovery. The nutrition profiles change significantly between categories, showing real consideration for different dietary needs.
I was impressed with the simplicity of their website and had no trouble getting to the menus. They also have a detailed FAQ section that answers most questions you might have.
Menu and Meal Selection
MACROS offers nearly 50 different meals across their menu, with each option available in various portion sizes to match your chosen plan.
During my testing, I found their menu included diverse options like Buffalo Chicken & Macaroni, Korean Chilli Chicken, Penang Beef Curry, and a few vegetarian choices such as Protein-Packed Pesto and Mushroom Fettuccine.
What I particularly appreciated was how each meal listing includes a clear photo and comprehensive nutritional information – calories, protein, carbs, and fat are prominently displayed, with full ingredient lists and detailed nutritional values just a click away. This transparency made it easy to align my choices with my dietary goals.
The menu refreshes quarterly, which I found strikes an excellent balance. It’s frequent enough to prevent meal fatigue but gives you time to discover your favorites and order them multiple times.
You’re in complete control of your selections – unlike some services that pre-select meals, MACROS lets you customize your entire order. Just remember that your selections will auto-repeat each week unless you make changes.
Delivery Options
When setting up your subscription, you can choose between weekly or fortnightly deliveries to suit your schedule and storage capacity. This flexibility is particularly useful if you’re planning to freeze meals or if you alternate between meal delivery services. You can adjust your delivery frequency through your customer dashboard at any time before the weekly cut-off date.
Whilst MACROS don’t explicitly state their delivery areas, they do cover most metropolitan areas including Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane. They have a handy delivery checker on their site for you to see if they deliver in your area.
Delivery Schedule and Flexibility
You need to have confirmed your order at least 4 days before their delivery dates (usually twice a week) which is fairly standard practice for food boxes – usually a good sign that the food is made to order. They send you an email on the cut-off date so it’s hard to miss the opportunity to adjust your order.
Deliveries are made between 8am – 6pm, and while specific delivery times cannot be requested, MACROS provides real-time tracking to keep you informed. The night before your delivery, you’ll receive an SMS with a tracking link that lets you monitor your order’s progress and see its estimated arrival time throughout the day.
The boxes can be left safely in your specified delivery location, as each box is chilled and designed to keep meals at the correct temperature all day.
MACROS charges a flat delivery fee of $15 per delivery. However, they offer free shipping on all orders over $150, which can make bulk ordering even more economical. The delivery fee is clearly shown at checkout, making it easy to calculate your total costs.
How much does MACROS cost?
MACROS operates with a flexible menu-based pricing system where you can order any combination of meals across their different categories including weight loss, keto, gain, sculpt, perform, balanced, and plant-based options. Since I first reviewed them, they’ve moved away from fixed bundles to offer more personalization in meal selection.
The minimum order value is $50, which typically equates to around 5 meals. While MACROS operates on a subscription model, they offer complete flexibility with no lock-in contracts. You can easily skip weeks, adjust your meal quantities, or cancel your subscription at any time before the cut-off date.
Standard Menu Pricing
Standard meals are priced according to their size:
Meal Size | Price |
Small | $10.50 |
Medium | $10.95 |
Large | $11.95 |
There’s also a bulk ‘discount’ on any orders, with 5% off any order above 12 meals and 10% above 20 meals. The discount only applies to main meals, so it won’t apply to any snacks or drinks you also buy.
Premium Range
MACROS now offers a premium range of meals featuring more luxurious ingredients and complex recipes:
- Premium Regular: $12.95
- Premium Large: $13.95
These premium options include dishes like Tender Beef Brisket with Peppercorn Sauce and Japanese Miso Salmon, offering some exciting dishes for a couple of dollars extra.
It’s worth considering ordering meals in bulk to maximize these discounts. MACROS meals can be frozen easily without losing flavor, making it practical to stock up during promotional periods. For example, ordering 20 standard-sized meals could bring the per-meal cost down from $10.50 to just $9.45 after the bulk discount is applied.
My MACROS Review box
I’ve tried MACROS a few times since launching Food Box Mate in 2020 and have received a very consistent experience. Here, I’ll share examples from one of my boxes.
This box was delivered for me on a Sunday afternoon and was left on the front porch for me to collect. My first ever box from MACROS came in a plain cardboard box, which they’ve since upgraded with these smartly branded delivery boxes.
The box was lined with insulating material and had 2 massive gel ice blocks inside. I’m quite confident this fulfills the promise of keeping your meals cool all day, even when left outside for a couple of hours.
Inside the box were the 10 meals I had ordered, packaged separately and ready to be eaten. There were no issues with the packaging as the meals promptly got stacked in the fridge and the box went out for recycling.
When it comes to storage, MACROS meals will stay fresh in your refrigerator for up to 7-10 days from production, with each meal clearly labeled with its expiration date. While you can freeze the meals to extend their life (as mentioned earlier for bulk ordering), they’re designed to maintain their best quality when refrigerated and consumed within their recommended timeframe. I found this generous shelf life particularly convenient for weekly meal planning.
I was disappointed not to receive any further information or details about the meals I had ordered. However, this is probably positive from an environmental standpoint.
Taste and Food Quality
Like many people, I’ve always been skeptical of microwave meals, expecting them to be loaded with preservatives and artificial ingredients. MACROS has genuinely surprised me, delivering meals that taste fresh and natural while only needing two minutes in the microwave.
The seafood dishes particularly impressed me, with options like the Spanish Style Barramundi and Salmon Steak Bowl retaining impressive flavour and texture. The Mexican Chicken Bowl and Turkey Larb Bowl also stood out for their balanced seasoning and satisfying portion sizes.
That said, not every meal was a winner. I found the Sri Lankan Curry lacking in flavour, and dishes with tougher cuts of meat like sirloin didn’t fare well in the reheating process. It’s worth noting that microwaved meals will never quite match freshly cooked food – sauces can become slightly watery, and some meats might toughen up during reheating.
After trying MACROS multiple times, I’ve learned it’s best to stick with what works. Once you identify your favourite dishes (the Chipotle Chicken was another standout), you can order multiples of these to ensure you’re always satisfied with your meals. This approach has helped me maintain a consistent healthy eating routine without sacrificing too much on taste.
Anything Else?
One feature I particularly loved was the MyFitnessPal-compatible barcode on each meal. As someone who tracks their nutrition, I found this incredibly convenient – just scan and go, with all nutritional information automatically logged in your app.
I wanted to dig deeper into how well MACROS actually supports different fitness goals, so I analyzed their meals against typical nutritional needs. For context, I based these calculations on an 80kg male and 70kg female who exercise 3-4 times weekly:
Gender | Type | Calories Needed (kcal) | Protein Needed (g) |
Male | Muscle Gain | 3298 | 176 |
Male | Weight Loss | 2298 | 80 |
Female | Muscle Gain | 2885 | 154 |
Female | Weight Loss | 1885 | 70 |
Note that the above are very generic numbers and aren’t necessarily representative of your dietary needs.
My analysis of two MACROS meals per day showed interesting results:
For ‘Gain’ meals, two each day provide about 1200 calories and 120g protein. While the protein content is decent, this only covers 36-42% of required daily calories for most people.
The weight loss meals proved more practical, with two meals totaling around 600 calories and 70g protein. This leaves plenty of flexibility for additional meals while maintaining a calorie deficit.
Final Thoughts
After multiple orders and dozens of meals, I’ve developed a clear picture of where MACROS fits into a busy lifestyle. The convenience of having nutritious meals ready in two minutes has genuinely improved my weekly routine, especially on hectic workdays.
The service works particularly well for individual portions, making it ideal for solo households or anyone who eats at different times from their family. The precise nutritional tracking and portion control have helped me stay accountable to my health goals, though it took some experimenting to find meals that matched both my nutritional needs and taste preferences.
There are compromises to consider. Some dishes don’t quite match the quality of freshly cooked meals, particularly in texture, and you’ll likely find yourself gravitating toward a smaller selection of proven favorites rather than experimenting widely.
For me, the time saved and the consistency of having healthy portions readily available outweigh these limitations. MACROS works best when you:
- Need quick, portion-controlled meals
- Value detailed nutritional information
- Are comfortable with some meal repetition
- Primarily cook for yourself
Ultimately, I value my time enough to accept those trade-offs and find myself being a MACROS convert! Do you think it’s worth switching to prepared meals? Let me know in the comments below.
I have had the worst experience with Macros,
So many times they did not delivery
Their customer service is as bad as it gets to make customers so angry