When you’re juggling fitness goals with a busy schedule, finding time to prep healthy meals can feel impossible. That’s where My Muscle Chef claims to bridge the gap – promising gym-worthy meals that are ready in just 2 minutes. But do they actually deliver on taste and nutrition, or is it just clever marketing?
After testing dozens of My Muscle Chef meals over several months, I can tell you exactly how their prepared meals stack up. From their extensive 70+ meal menu to their specialized fitness-focused ranges, I’ve experienced firsthand what works (and what doesn’t) with this rapidly growing Australian meal service.
In this comprehensive review, I’ll share my honest experience with My Muscle Chef’s taste, portion sizes, nutritional balance, and value for money. You’ll learn whether their meals can genuinely support your fitness journey, whether you’re looking to build muscle, lose weight, or simply eat healthier without the hassle of cooking.
My Muscle Chef Prepared Meals Review
My Muscle Chef Review Summary
My Muscle Chef delivers genuinely tasty prepared meals that work brilliantly for fitness-focused people who want convenient, protein-rich options without sacrificing flavor. While not perfect for everyone (especially those wanting variety or low-sodium meals), the quality and taste consistently exceed expectations for microwave meals, making them a solid choice for busy people serious about their nutrition.
Overall
-
Ordering - Website - 9/10
9/10
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Food - Quality - 9/10
9/10
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Ordering - Meal Choice - 9/10
9/10
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Food - Taste - 10/10
10/10
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Ordering - Delivery - 9/10
9/10
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Value For Money - 8/10
8/10
Pros
- High-quality, tasty meals that exceed expectations.
- Simple reheating process that saves time and effort.
- Incredibly user-friendly, easy to use website.
- Flexible subscriptions that are easy to change/cancel.
Cons
- Limited delivery options in some areas, with additional fees.
- Not the widest range of meals compared to other services, especially for breakfast.
- High minimum order requirement.
- Meals often become watery if they’re frozen before reheating.
Get Up To $120 Off Your First 6 My Muscle Chef OrdersClick this link and use code SAVE120
New to prepared meals? I’ve covered common questions in my complete guide to prepared meals services. And if you’re worried about microwave meals tasting bland (a concern I hear often), you’ll definitely want to read my detailed taste-test findings below.
Page Contents
Getting started with My Muscle Chef
My Muscle Chef split their offering based on your health or fitness goals. This means you need to know whether you’re looking for:
- Muscle Gain
- Weight Loss
- Calorie Control
Once you’ve chosen your goal, it’s time to let them know your gender, average workouts per week and how many meals you want to purchase. You can go through the process as many times as you want, in case you change your mind or fitness goals.
The result is a customisable meal plan suited to your fitness goals. It’ll look something a little like this:
Planning becomes really easy when you can clearly see your calorie, protein, carbohydrate and fat intake in one single glance. You can even swap out meals however you like.
If you don’t want to commit to a sizable meal plan, it’s possible to purchase directly from their menu and customise your delivery, although there is a minimum order size of $49 (around 5 meals).
The other way to choose your meals is through My Muscle Chef Meal Bundles – a selection of 10 meals that meet a specific goal, including:
- PRO Performance Pack
- High Protein Best Sellers Pack
- Ultimate High Protein Faves Pack
Alternatively, you’ll be able to find My Muscle Chef meals stocked in local supermarkets around the country, such as IGA and Harris Farms. My local Woolies Metro also has quite an impressive range of meals stocked at all times.
Note that My Muscle Chef have updated all their packaging to a bright red colour in 2023, so it’s definitely hard to miss on the supermarket shelves.
My Muscle Chef meal variety and options
My Muscle Chef’s menu features over 70 different meals across three main ranges:
- The Standard range forms the core menu offering
- The PRO range provides higher protein and complex carbohydrates with lower fat content
- The PLUS+ range offers larger portions with increased calories and protein content
A key consideration is that each meal comes in a fixed portion size. While the PLUS+ range offers some larger portions, you can’t customize individual meal sizes to match your specific calorie needs. This can be particularly limiting if you’re looking for very low or high-calorie options – at the time of writing, only 14 meals contained under 400 calories and just 6 meals exceeded 700 calories.
For those with specific calorie targets, you might need to supplement meals with additional sides or snacks from their PLUS+ range.
Examples of some of the meals available are:
- Peri Peri Chicken with Tomato Rice & Green Beans
- Chicken Nasi Goreng with Vegetables & Ancient Grains
- Salmon Risotto with Brown Rice & Spring Vegetables
- Naked Beef Fajitas
- Beef Massaman Curry with Brown Rice
Protein Sources and Variety
To maintain competitive pricing while ensuring quality, My Muscle Chef focuses primarily on chicken and beef-based meals. Here’s how their current menu breaks down by protein source:
| Protein Source | Number of Meals | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 39 | 53% |
| Beef | 19 | 26% |
| Plant-Based | 8 | 11% |
| Lamb | 3 | 4% |
| Pork | 2 | 3% |
| Turkey | 1 | 1.5% |
| Kangaroo | 1 | 1.5% |
With nearly 80% of meals featuring either chicken or beef, the menu clearly prioritizes cost-effectiveness over variety. While this might seem limiting, it’s a common approach that helps keep prepared meals affordable.
And yes, that is a kangaroo meal! It’s Moroccan Kangaroo Mince.
Menu Rotation and Additional Options
Menu rotation is relatively slow, which has both advantages and drawbacks. You can rely on finding your favorite dishes consistently available, but the limited rotation might become repetitive for long-term subscribers.
I’d recommend mixing My Muscle Chef with home cooking or alternating with other services if you’re planning to use prepared meals long-term.
In addition to main meals, My Muscle Chef also offers quite an interesting range of sides with their PLUS+ range. These are dishes designed to accompany the main dish to build your calorie intake, such as Black Beans & Rice or Sweet Potato Mash. I review how these tasted a little later on in this article.
Finally, there’s also a breakfast offering that means you can get all your daily food intake from My Muscle Chef. At the moment, there are only two breakfast dishes available, which is a little disappointing. They have also recently released protein yoghurts for breakfast, with Mango Passionfruit, Strawberry and Vanilla flavours along with a range of protein porridge tubs.
Special diets and food intolerance
My Muscle Chef caters to plant-based diets with 8 vegetarian meals, including 5 vegan options. While this provides some choice, the limited selection might not satisfy those wanting to use the service as their primary meal source. For better variety, consider combining My Muscle Chef with our recommended food boxes for vegans.
My Muscle Chef operates from a commercial kitchen where multiple ingredients are processed, making it impossible for them to guarantee allergen-free meals. Their official allergen statement reads:
As we prep all our meals in bulk within a commercial kitchen, unfortunately we cannot guarantee meals are Gluten Free/Dairy/Wheat/Crustacean Free.
If you have a serious allergy it is advisable you do not purchase meals from My Muscle Chef Pty Ltd as we cannot guarantee the complete absence of these ingredients from our products.
Product Disclaimer
On a more positive note, My Muscle Chef does a good job of providing all the ingredient details on their website ahead of purchase. This includes calling out any allergens as well as detailed nutritional information. With this information, it’s easily possible to use your own judgement as to whether each meal would be suitable for you.
Delivery options
My Muscle Chef delivers to over 4,200 postcodes across Australia, covering all major towns and cities. You can check your delivery eligibility here.
Orders need to meet a minimum spend of $49, excluding delivery costs. Standard delivery fees range from $15 to $20 depending on your location, with an additional $5 charge for extra boxes in the same delivery. Keep in mind that promotional discounts are only available on orders over $99.
Setting up a subscription is a great way to save on delivery costs. Subscribers get free delivery and can choose between weekly, fortnightly, or monthly deliveries. There’s no lock-in contract, so you’re free to modify orders or skip deliveries whenever needed.
Orders need to be placed before the weekly cut-off dates on Saturday and Tuesday, with specific delivery days varying by location. Check the delivery map above to find out when you can receive your meals.
How much does My Muscle Chef cost?
Meals are priced very reasonably between $10.95 – $13.95 depending on the meal size and cost of ingredients. This competes well with other cheap prepared meals services such as YouFoodz.
With the minimum order value of $99, you do need to order at least 10 meals to be delivered within each box. This makes the entry cost of My Muscle Chef quite high, although definitely good value for money.
There are some additional products that My Muscle Chef offers at some different price points:
- Breakfast at $10.95
- Snacks from $3.50 – $4.95
- Protein Shakes at $5.95
My Muscle Chef offers a tiered discount system that rewards larger orders. By ordering 25+ meals, you can save up to 15%, bringing the cost of meals down to as low as $9.31 per serving – exceptional value for prepared meals.
Featured Service
Should I order online or buy from the supermarket?
With My Muscle Chef available both online and in supermarkets, you might wonder which option offers better value. I compared prices across different retailers to help you make an informed choice:
| Meal | My Muscle Chef | IGA | Harris Farms |
| Asian Chicken Stir Fry | $10.40 | $9.95 | Not Available |
| Mexican Beef Burrito Bowl | $10.40 | Not Available | Not Available |
| Mexican Superfood Bowl | $9.55 | $9.95 | $10.49 |
| Red Curry Salmon | $11.95 | Not Available | Not Available |
| Sri Lankan Chicken Curry | $9.55 | $9.95 | Not Available |
My research taught me that the real value of ordering from My Muscle Chef directly is access to the whole range of meals. You probably aren’t going to save a lot of money online, especially with the added delivery fee. However, the convenience of delivery and wider variety makes this a very reasonable trade-off.
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For trying your first meal or making a small one-off purchase, your local supermarket is the way to go. However, for regular meal prep or larger orders, ordering directly from My Muscle Chef offers better value and convenience.
My “My Muscle Chef” box
My first review box arrived during the day as I selected an 8am – 6pm slot. It was left outside my door ready for me to bring inside. It had been raining during the day, so the box had got a bit wet and muddy. Fortunately, it had successfully protected the contents and everything inside was undamaged.
The meals came neatly stacked inside an insulating bag with freezer gel packs, maintaining freshness. My Muscle Chef guarantees meal quality for up to 8 hours post-delivery when left in a shaded area.
In 2023, My Muscle Chef rebranded to have bright red trays instead of black. It’s quite an intense colour when you stack all of the meals together.
After multiple deliveries, I can confirm My Muscle Chef’s reliability – every delivery has arrived on time with all meals intact and properly chilled. Their insulating packaging is consistently effective, maintaining food at a cold temperature for several hours after drop-off.
Recycling the contents
Everything in the box is 100% recyclable, although there are some things you need to be aware of:
- Cardboard Box – Recycle in normal recycling collection.
- Thermal Liner – Recycle in a soft plastics recycling bin found at most supermarkets.
- Freezer Gel Packs – You need to empty out the contents (recommended to mix with salt before pouring down sink) and recycle the plastic in soft plastics.
- Red Meal Trays – Recycle in normal recycling collection.
- Vacuum Seal Film – Recycle in soft plastics.
- Cardboard Sleeve – Recycle in normal recycling collection.
The sustainability credentials of My Muscle Chef meals are fairly standard within the prepared meals industry. Check out my blog on on the environmental impact of food boxes for more information and inspiration on re-using materials.
Are My Muscle Chef Meals Good?
All I can say is WOW. Most of the meals I’ve eaten have completely redefined my expectations of a microwave meal.
Whatever magic My Muscle Chef applies in their cooking process is really working. They managed to consistently provide really strong, delicious flavours whilst maintaining the texture/mouthfeel you’d expect.
One meal that surprised me the most was the Salmon Risotto. I expect microwaved food to be mushy/soggy, which is how most risottos are (badly) cooked. Not with My Muscle Chef! This risotto was cooked to perfection with a great bite to the rice, whilst also packing a punch on flavour from the salmon and seasoning. Delicious.
Portion sizes consistently hit the mark – each meal leaves you feeling satisfyingly full while providing clear calorie information to help track your nutrition goals.
The overall experience with My Muscle Chef meals is positive, with some star meals.
However, there are some common disappointing factors. Firstly, some meals can be quite watery, which I attribute to the water content of vegetables when they’re reheated. Secondly, a few meals are quite acidic (I’m assuming vinegar) in flavour which really isn’t to my taste.
I have summarised my opinion on plenty of the current My Muscle Chef meals, reviewing each one and rating them out of 10. Check out my favourite My Muscle Chef meals.
Protein Porridge & Yoghurts
Recent innovations at My Muscle Chef have focused on expanding their range of protein porridge and yoghurts. The yoghurts come in 3 interesting flavours and are very delicious (it’s hard to go too far wrong!). Yoghurt is naturally high in protein and healthy fats, so it’s a great addition to the My Muscle Chef lineup.
Each tub of yoghurt comes with a lid filled with nuts/flakes/seeds to mix in with the yoghurt. Simply pull off the lid, take off the foil and pour in your extras.
The protein porridge is equally delicious, with deceptively large portion sizes. Similar to the yoghurt, each porridge pot comes with a lid filled with various seeds/nuts/flakes that really level up boring porridge.
You may want to experiment with how long your microwave needs as I needed to cook mine for around 15 seconds longer than the recommended time. Be careful though, cook for slightly too long and they will boil over (trust me).
Snacks & Protein Shakes
Along with the interesting porridge & yoghurt range, My Muscle Chef has also been working on a strong range of on-the-go protein snacks. The snack range consists of:
- Protein Bites
- Protein Cookies
- Protein Muffins
- Low Carb Bars
I must admit that I’m rarely a fan of food that has been stuffed with quite fake-tasting whey protein powder. My Muscle Chef does a good job of hiding the flavour in most of the Bites and Bars, delivering a reasonable amount of protein per serving.
The Protein Cookies are, in contrast, quite disappointing. They’re quite dry and crumbly, with a very artificial taste. In particular, the Choc Chip cookie was quite bland and I think I found about 4 choc chips in the whole cookie. Then again, I’ve never found a good protein cookie before so I appreciate how hard it must be!
I found the Protein Shakes to be quite delicious, albeit still with an artificial flavouring. Getting 30g of protein into an easy-to-drink format is quite impressive and is reasonably priced at $4.95. These are designed to be drunk on the go, so aren’t a direct alternative to buying your own tubs of protein powder.
Cooking the prepared main meals
Cooking a My Muscle Chef meal is just about as simple as you get. The instructions for every meal are exactly the same.
90 seconds in the microwave.
I found that this can vary depending on what microwave you use. At home, I gave it 2 minutes to make sure everything was steaming hot. In the office, it was definitely very hot after just 90 seconds (and slightly burnt after 2 minutes).
A unique innovation for My Muscle Chef is the vacuum-sealed pack that expands during cooking. This primarily removes all the oxygen from the food and helps prevent it from spoiling, with a secondary benefit of making cooking very simple.
It’s fun to watch the vacuum seal expand as your meal cooks, trapping all the steam and helping your food heat up.
Anything Else You Should Know?
My Muscle Chef support Zip Pay so if you’re a little short on cash when your subscription is due, you can always pay with an interest-free Zip Pay account. Find out how that works.
There are some great articles about fitness and nutrition on the My Muscle Chef blog that is worth checking out. Including a post on healthy tips for working from home, featuring an ironic photoshoot from Observatory Park in Sydney. Not somewhere I could afford to live!
My Final Thoughts on My Muscle Chef
After trying dozens of My Muscle Chef meals, here’s my verdict:
What Impressed Me:
- Remarkably delicious meals that I genuinely looked forward to eating
- Consistent flavors across different cuisines and styles
- Great value, particularly with bulk ordering discounts
- Reliable delivery and straightforward ordering process
What Could Be Better:
- More variety beyond chicken and beef dishes
- Additional plant-based options
- Improve calorie tracking & fitness goal features
The standout feature of My Muscle Chef is simply how good their meals taste. From their perfectly seasoned Salmon Risotto to their flavorful Beef Rendang, these meals consistently surprised me with their restaurant-quality flavors – something rarely achieved in prepared meals.
While they could expand their menu variety and enhance their subscription features, the exceptional taste of their meals makes My Muscle Chef a compelling choice for anyone wanting convenient, delicious prepared meals delivered to their door.
My Muscle Chef Discount
Use the link below to score your exclusive My Muscle Chef discount on your first order.
Get Up To $120 Off Your First 6 My Muscle Chef OrdersClick this link and use code SAVE120
I hope you enjoyed this My Muscle Chef review. If you have any questions about, or experiences with My Muscle Chef then let me know through the comments below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Woolworths stock My Muscle Chef?
Yes, you can currently find My Muscle Chef meals at more than 3000+ supermarkets across Australia, including Woolworths. If I ever run out of meals from my latest delivery, there’s a good range at my local Woolies Metro.
Who owns My Muscle Chef?
My Muscle Chef was founded by Tushar Menon with his brother Nishant. It’s a family business, with their mother and father playing their part in helping run My Muscle Chef. From starting in 2012, they’re now selling over $100 million dollars of meals each year. An incredible success for an Aussie-based business.
Are My Muscle Chef meals frozen?
No, My Muscle Chef meals are never frozen before being delivered to you. They are freshly cooked and vacuum-sealed quickly so they last at least 7-10 days once delivered. You can freeze My Muscle Chef meals to extend their shelf life for a few months. Just make sure to fully defrost the meals before cooking them.
How long does My Muscle Chef last in the fridge?
Each meal will last 7 – 10 days after being delivered. I’ve never had any problems with meals having short ‘Best Before’ dates and you can always freeze them if you don’t think you’ll be able to eat every meal in time.
Is My Muscle Chef high in salt?
According to our research, the average My Muscle Chef meal has 943mg of salt. That’s about 45% of your daily recommended allowance which is definitely fairly high. I would not recommend My Muscle Chef for anyone who needs to be on a low-salt diet. Consider a service like PWRMeals instead.
