conversion-comms

Kiwi eating habits are shifting and changing. Less pasta, more Indian foods, and vegetarian meals. NZ eating habits 2021 revealed by HelloFresh!  

 New Zealand Food Trends 🥑 | HelloFresh

en-NZ|HF|SEO|rule-set

Get up to $175 off + Free Extras for 8 weeks

HelloFresh is tucking into 2025's top food trends for New Zealand

New Zealand Food Trends 2025

#343434

Veggie Options Become Less Popular, but NZ Remains Health Conscious

In 2024, HelloFresh shipped notably fewer veggie dishes across the nation. However, residents may look to strike a balance when it comes to their meat intake as we approach 2026, as searches for 'pescetarian diet' grew by 150% in the past month according to Google Trends.
 
Healthy Plates Remain A Priority. NZ residents are still pursuing healthier options though, with balanced meals recognised as the nation's preferred way of eating. Tortillas and pasta-based meals also make the top 10, perhaps inspired by the viral TikTok variants of each dish type.
 
Starters Triumph Over Desserts. Starters were preferred over desserts, furthering suggesting that households are looking for balanced options and reducing treats!

Nationwide, Vegetarian Orders Dropped

1 ) Balanced Recipes - 601,461 
2 ) Bowl - 392,303 
3 ) Tortilla - 247,460 
4 ) Pasta -181,866 
5 ) Burger - 103,638 
6 ) Curry - 103,594 
7 ) Salad - 103,144 
8 ) Stir Fry - 93,936 
9 ) Pie - 74,674 
10) Meatballs - 34,632

NZ’s Favourite Meal Type in 2025

NZ expresses its vibrant preferences clearly. Regionally, Wellington is the home to the biggest advocates of Italian, and in Otago, Middle Eastern cuisine was the top taste. Cities across the nation also expressed their different taste buds, with Nelson residents having a clear preference for Indian cuisine, while Japanese food came out on top in Auckland.

New Zealand's Food Preferences Are Wide & Varied

1 ) Chicken: 2,171,034 
2 ) Beef: 1,548,422 
3 ) Pork: 1,113,631 
4 ) Vegetarian: 590,354 
5 ) Lamb: 144,756 
6 ) Venison: 54,134 
7 ) Salmon: 37,439 
8 ) Duck: 2,774

NZ’s Favourite Protein in 2025

Future of Food Trends

HelloFresh has researched 505 respondents across New Zealand to understand their approach to cooking, eating and selecting food to reveal how home-cooking is changing. 
1 ) Over the past decade, just over half of Kiwis have cooked more at home with a greater variety of ingredients. 
2 ) Starting next year, more Kiwis have said they are more motivated to choose more balanced meals (24%), and are also wanting to spend more time enjoying meals with their family and friends (26%). 
3 ) Looking at the next decade, sustainability is at the front of the mind for Kiwis: 22% want to minimise food waste, and 18% want to introduce more vegetables into their diet.

What are recipe developers saying?

I'm really excited about a few different recipes that we have coming up. Some examples are our Custom recipes that allow customers to swap ingredients to suit their tastes and dietary preferences. 
 
One is our Indian Coconut Beef &amp; Garlic Rice Bowl with Cucumber Raita &amp; Tomato Salsa, which has the option to swap basmati rice for cauliflower rice. Our BBQ Cherry Glazed Steak with All-American Fries &amp; Apple Salad offers a similar swap, from potato to courgette, beetroot &amp; parsnip fries. This is part of our increased Carb Smart offering, with additional options to swap certain sides for lower carb options. 
 
These Custom recipes represent the lastest way that HelloFresh is innovating to change the way that people cook for the better. By providing more flexibility, the option for customisation opens up a new aspect of the HelloFresh menu, enabling us to better tailor it to our customers' exact needs. 
 
-Hannah Gilbert, Director Culinary Innovation &amp; Operations

What recipes are you most excited about over the coming months?

Home-cooking in 2025 and beyond will definitely be impacted by the unpredictable last two years for Kiwis. I think that home cooking has become the new normal, especially with the help of HelloFresh. 
What people will be looking for is convenience, like short-cuts to make meals faster and easier. 
Making an occasion out of meals has become and will continue to be more important, with many prioritising coming together with family to eat. 
There will also be a growing focus on healthy, sustainable eaiting and incorporating a flexitarian lifestyle as we look towards eating more veggies and plant-based meals. 
 
Hannah Gilbert, Director Culinary Innovation &amp; Operations

What predictions do you have to share about home cooking in 2022 and beyond?

The 2025 food trends uses internal data based on the recipe choices made by HelloFresh NZ customers. It compares a nine month period, 1st January to 30th September 2023 and 1st January to 30th September 2024. Supplementary data was included to provide a wider context to NZ’s food trends. Search volumes are based on the average number of searches per month for a query using data from SEMrush. Search increases were found using data from Google Trends over the nine month period between 1st January to 30th September 2024.

Methodology

Not sure what to make for dinner? Our meal kits come with super easy recipes that turn out amazing every time.

Make home cooking easy with HelloFresh

You might also be interested in

Select meals with ease anytime, anywhere.

There's more to love in the app

Manage your deliveries from anywhere, anytime.

Download our app

You also might be interested in

Classic Plan

Family Plan

Premium recipe charge

Choose your recipes, skip a week and manage your account on the go.

Download the HelloFresh app

Success! You created an account without a password.

Do I have to receive my box immediately after I redeem my gift?

Your gift card recipient will receive an email on the specific day that you indicate. This email will contain step-by-step instructions on how to redeem the gift card. If you chose to print the gift card at home, it’s up to you to hand them their gift!

When will the person I am sending a gift card to receive it?

Nope! We only ask you to log in or create an account so we can send you an order confirmation but this will not result in a subscription.

Do I have to have a HelloFresh subscription to purchase or redeem a gift card?

We don’t yet support buying multiple cards on the same order but you can go through the purchasing process several times without having to create a new account.

Can I purchase more than one gift card?

Yes, you will receive an email confirmation after purchasing a gift card. If you picked the ‘Print at Home’ option, this email will also include a printable card for you to download and give to the recipient. If the recipient(s) do not receive the email confirmation, we suggest they check their spam folders.

Will I receive an email confirmation for my gift card purchase(s)?

Unfortunately, we do not support this yet.

Can I buy a gift for someone who lives in a different country?

All of them! As long as the value is covered by your gift card you will not be charged. If you select recipes that exceed the value of your gift, you will be charged the difference. The value of each recipe is indicated on the Meal Selection page.

Which recipes can I choose from if I have a gift card?

If you have credit left on your account, it will automatically apply to your next delivery(ies) when you start a weekly plan. Don’t worry, you can stop the plan at any time! Go to Our Plans, select plan preferences and complete checkout. The credit left from your gift will automatically be applied.

I redeemed a gift card and have credit left on my account, now what?

Take a look at our frequently asked questions to learn more.

Still have questions?

Do gift card purchases automatically result in the creation of a subscription?

What is my credit card information needed for if I’m just redeeming a gift?

Recipients can use your gift towards any meal plan 

How much would you like to gift?

When would you like us to send the email?

Add a personal message

Who should we send it to?

Buy a gift card

We've made gifting easy, so you can focus on spoiling your family and friends.

Looking for corporate sales or partnerships?

Give the gift of stress-free dinners with pre-portioned ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes delivered to their door.

Meals made easy

Your recipient can choose from new & improved recipes every week and decide when and where to receive the meal kit.

Their box, their way

We deliver the right amount of fresh, seasonal ingredients and wholesome recipes to their door.

Fresh flavours

Redeem it now to get fresh ingredients and delicious recipes sent your way!

Take the stress out of dinner with easy-to-follow recipes and fresh ingredients

Dinner made easy 

Choose from a range of delicious new & improved recipes 


Fresh flavours 

Set your schedule

Click the link we sent to {{email}} to sign in.

We sent a link to {{email}} that you can use to log in to your account.a

Get a link sent to your email to log in instantly.

Something went wrong. Please try again later.

Pause or cancel anytime

No commitments

Our widest variety of recipes featuring a range of quality proteins and seasonal produce.

Wholesome recipes designed specifically for families with young kids.

These delicious meals are a healthier option, with under 650 calories per serving and low carb options.

Whip up a meal with little time or effort and get the same delicious flavour.

A delicious variety of creative and wholesome vegetarian recipes.

Feel great from the inside out with our wholesome, delicious recipes all under 650 calories per serving. 

Wholesome and delicious meals that go easy on the carbs

We'll show you your preferred recipes first, but you’ll have access to the full menu every week.

Select from the categories below. You can always change them later!

Personalise Your Plan

You’ll see your preferred recipes first, but you can still choose from the full weekly menu.

Preference(s) saved!

Create account

Forgot password?

Would you like to set a password?

We'll use this as your default plan size, but you can customise it from week to week.

Choose your plan size

What kind of recipes do you like?

Terms & Conditions

https://contentful-sync-service.live-k8s.hellofresh.io

Offer exclusive for first time subscribers

Meal Kits and Plans	Meal Kits for Special Occasions	Food Delivery, Discounts and Food Insights	Service and Subscription
Menu and Plans	Valentine's Day	Grocery Delivery	Delivery Areas
Meal Planning	Mother's Day New Zealand	Food Box Delivery	HelloFresh App
Meal Kits	Christmas Feast	Discount Codes	How it Works
Meal Prep	Easter Recipes	Student Discount	Sustainability
Flexitarian Meal Plan	Black Friday	Food Waste Tips	How to Cancel HelloFresh
Vegetarian Meal Plan	International Happiness Day	Food Trends
Meals for One Person	Date Night at Home	Kiwis' Dinner Habits
Family Meal Plan		Kiwis' Snack Habits
Carb and Calorie Smart Meal Plans		Unusual Foods of the World
Dinner Ideas		Changing Diets
		Cheese Tasting Music Game