Here's what no meal delivery marketing material will tell you upfront: there is no true one-person meal kit plan in Australia. Every major meal kit service — HelloFresh, EveryPlate, Dinnerly, Marley Spoon — has a minimum of 2 people per plan. You will always order and pay for double portions.
That's not necessarily a dealbreaker, but it changes the calculation. This guide explains exactly how meal delivery works for singles, what the real weekly cost looks like, and whether a meal kit or prepared meal service is the smarter fit for your situation.
The minimum order problem — what it means in practice
In practice this works fine for many singles — cooking once and eating the same meal twice the next day is efficient, not wasteful. The key question is whether you're comfortable with that routine, and whether the per-serving price still makes sense when you're effectively buying double.
Best budget meal kit for singles — EveryPlate
- Lowest cost per meal of any delivery service in Australia
- Simple recipes — easy to scale down mentally, quick to cook
- Leftovers are predictable — same meal twice, not a patchwork of odds
- Easy to skip weeks when travelling or eating out
- 2-person minimum — always buying 6 servings not 3
- Menu is simpler — less variety than HelloFresh
- Doesn't deliver to SA or TAS
- Still requires 30 min cooking each time
At $4.44/serving, EveryPlate is the most cost-effective meal delivery option for budget-conscious singles. The 2-person minimum means you're spending ~$27/week for 6 servings — which gives you dinner for 6 evenings (eating each meal twice) or 3 evenings with generous portions and leftovers for lunch the next day.
The simple recipe format is actually an advantage for solo cooks — less mise en place, shorter ingredient lists, and quicker cleanup. If variety isn't your top priority and keeping the weekly food bill down is, EveryPlate is the answer.
Best flexible meal kit for singles — HelloFresh
- Best menu variety — 20+ recipes/week to choose from
- Easiest skip/pause system — flexible around solo lifestyle
- Delivers to all states including SA and TAS
- Dietary filters help singles with specific needs
- More expensive than EveryPlate per serving
- Still 2-person minimum — 4 or 6 servings/week minimum
- 40-minute recipes are longer than EveryPlate's
HelloFresh is the right meal kit choice for singles who want variety and flexibility above all else. With 20+ recipes per week and strong dietary filters (vegetarian, low-carb, quick cook), you're unlikely to get bored. The skip-week system is the most user-friendly in the category — useful for singles whose schedules are unpredictable.
The 2-person minimum applies here too, but you can choose the 2-meal plan (4 servings/week, ~$37/week) rather than the 3-meal plan if you want less commitment. That's a realistic amount for one person eating two delivery meals per week and cooking the rest from scratch.
Start with the 2-person, 2-meal plan (~$35–$45/week). That's 4 servings — two evenings of cooking, each with a portion to eat the next day for lunch. It's a light commitment that fits most solo schedules without overwhelming your fridge.
Best prepared meals for singles — My Muscle Chef
- No person-count minimum — order 5 meals one week, 10 the next
- Best overall score (4.2/5) — consistent quality and reliability
- Zero cooking — ideal for busy solo schedules
- Covers breakfast, snacks and desserts too
- Good portion sizes — not skimpy single-serve portions
- More expensive per meal than meal kits ($12 vs $4–$9)
- Major cities only — not regional or TAS/SA
- Weekly minimum order value applies
For singles who don't want to cook at all, My Muscle Chef is the strongest option on the market right now. The 4.2/5 score reflects genuinely consistent service — solo diners are particularly unforgiving of missing deliveries or poor-quality meals because there's no one else to split the disappointment with.
The ability to order exactly how many meals you want — without being locked into a person-count minimum — is the key differentiator from meal kits. Order 6 meals one week and 10 the next based on your schedule. No commitment, no leftovers you didn't plan for.
Full comparison for singles
| Service | Type | Min. solo spend/week | Cost/meal | Cooking needed | Solo flexibility | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EveryPlate | Meal kit | ~$27 | $4.44/srv | 30 min | 2-person min, easy skip | 4.1 / 5 |
| Dinnerly | Meal kit | ~$36 | $5.99/srv | 25 min | 2-person min, easy skip | 4.0 / 5 |
| HelloFresh | Meal kit | ~$37 | $8.75/srv | 30–40 min | Best skip/pause system | 4.1 / 5 |
| My Muscle Chef | Prepared | ~$72–$84 | ~$12/meal | None (3 min heat) | Order exactly what you need | 4.2 / 5 |
| Macros | Prepared | ~$58–$77 | ~$9.65/meal | None (3 min heat) | Order exactly what you need | 4.0 / 5 |
| Dineamic | Prepared | ~$72–$96 | ~$12/meal | None (3 min heat) | Order exactly what you need | 4.1 / 5 |
Our verdict
On a budget and happy to cook → EveryPlate. $27/week for 6 servings is genuinely hard to beat. Accept that you'll eat each meal twice and you've got the cheapest dinner solution in Australia outside of cooking everything from scratch.
Want variety and maximum flexibility → HelloFresh. The 2-person, 2-meal plan at ~$37/week is the lightest commitment a meal kit offers. Strong recipe rotation keeps solo dinners interesting week after week.
No cooking, order exactly what you need → My Muscle Chef. The convenience premium ($12/meal vs $4–$9) is real but justified if your time is limited. No person-count constraint, no cooking, and the strongest score of any service in this comparison.
Track macros, solo fitness focus → Macros. Cheaper than My Muscle Chef at ~$9.65/meal with the best nutritional labelling in the prepared meal category. The right pick if you're eating alone and tracking your intake carefully.
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