The most affordable meal kit in the world Dinnerly launches

In the age of hyper-convenience, weekly meal subscription boxes have never been more popular.

But with so many to choose from, it can be easy to get lost among the marketing hype.

The latest meal delivery kit – Dinnerly – markets itself as ‘the most affordable in the world’, at just $5.75 per person.

Here, FEMAIL takes a look at the box, what’s included and how it stacks up against other popular options.

FEMAIL takes a look at the Dinnerly box (pictured), what’s included and how it stacks up against other popular option

‘Dinnerly was developed to make quality, home-cooking convenience accessible to millions more,’ co-founder, Rob Weber, explained about the kit (pictured: some of the nightly recipes)

What is Dinnerly?

At $5.75 per person per meal, Dinnerly markets itself as the most affordable meal kit around.

‘Dinnerly was developed to make quality, home-cooking convenience accessible to millions more,’ co-founder, Rob Weber, explained.

‘We are excited and proud to deliver a home cooking solution that doesn’t force customers to choose between convenience, quality, and cost. 

‘Recipes use fewer ingredients, packing is streamlined and recipes are online meaning Dinnerly fits within a typical family budget.’

‘Recipes use fewer ingredients, packing is streamlined and recipes are online meaning Dinnerly fits within a typical family budget’ (pictured: two of the recipes)

Rob added that ‘the average family household cannot afford current meal kit offerings at $10 per portion’ – but said that ‘Dinnerly is almost half this’.

The boxes feature vegetables, grains and condiments – alongside quick and easy 20-minute recipes, pre-portioned ingredients and digital recipe cards combine to help customers cook simple, satisfying dinners.

Dinnerly launches on Tuesday 6 March, with three appetite-whetting recipes per week. It will expand to six per week from April.

At present, meals include curried chicken drumsticks, bacon and white bean stew and creamy linguine with greens.

However, more veggie options will soon roll out nationwide. 

How does it compare to what else is on the markets?

According to the founders, Dinnerly is the first Australian subscription meal kit service to offer meals for under $6 a serving.

Hello Fresh currently offers vegetarian boxes for $10.83 per serving, while the classic plan costs $11.66 and the family plan rings in at $9.16. 

Another popular choice, Marley Spoon, costs $11.65 per serving for a two person box and $9.50 per serving for a four person box. 

Elsewhere if you’re looking to get in on the meal delivery kit action, YouFoodz meal delivery kits will set you back from at least $139 per week (or around $6.61 per person per meal).

Thr1ve costs from $217 per week (or around $10.33 per person per meal). 

While many might think it would be cheaper to whip up a spaghetti bolognese from home, the meal delivery kits pride themselves on being convenient, quick and easy.

They are aimed at time-poor workers and families with a disposable income and a desire to eat healthily, but no time in which to cook. 

To try the Thr1ve meal delivery kits, it will cost you around $217 per week (pictured: their kits)

The meals are popular with dieters and those trying to follow a healthy approach, because many of the meals are protein rich

Elsewhere, YouFoodz (left) and Hello Fresh (right) are popular meal delivery kits – however, both are more expensive than Dinnerly

How do some of the popular options measure up?

Recently, FEMAIL road tested five delivery and ready-to-eat meal services to help you find the best one for you. 

Those compared were Thr1ve, YouFoodz, Hello Fresh, Lean Cuisine and Marley Spoon.

FEMAIL reporter, Claudia Poposki, found that Hello Fresh’s boxes were simple and delicious, while Marley Spoon’s options were somewhat more complicated.

Claudia found that YouFoodz and Thr1ve were incredibly healthy and protein-filled, and so perhaps suited more to those who were trying to lose weight.

Meanwhile, Lean Cuisine were the cheapest option tested before the arrival of Dinnerly, coming in at around $7.40 each. 

Dinnerly explained the reason they are able to be so cheap is because they use quality ingredients, but take a simple approach without marketing (pictured: dinner options)

So why is Dinnerly so cheap?

If you’re worried about why Dinnerly is less expensive than the other kits out there, the founders want you to rest assured.

‘We use the same quality ingredients as the other kits but take a simpler approach: digital recipe cards instead of paper, fewer ingredients per dish (which means less chopping and cleaning), simple packaging, and no fancy marketing campaigns,’ they explained.

‘Dinnerly was created for people who like homemade cooking, but don’t like overpaying for the good things in life.’

Dinnerly is already available in the US, where it enjoyed huge success last year. 

It is available in NSW, VIC, QLD and ACT from Monday 5 March.

For more information about Dinnerly, visit the website here.