Budget Vegan Meals
Eating well on a plant-based diet is genuinely cheaper than most people expect. The most expensive ingredients in any meal are meat and fish — remove those and the budget immediately improves. These recipes lean on the cheapest, most nutritious ingredients in the plant-based world: lentils, chickpeas, oats, seasonal vegetables and whole grains.
Recipes
Tips
- Dried lentils and split peas are among the cheapest protein sources per gram available — and they cook in 20 minutes.
- Buy vegetables in season. A seasonal British vegetable in peak season costs a fraction of an imported one.
- Batch cooking reduces cost further — one pot of dal or soup costs less and feeds four to six people.
Learn to Cook Plant-Based Food Properly
Our Cook Like a Pro course is 19 modules of professional plant-based cookery from Michelin-trained chefs. Step-by-step video lessons, 76 recipes, and a certificate on completion.
See Cook Like a Pro →Frequently Asked Questions
Is vegan food cheaper than meat-based food? +
Generally yes. The most expensive components of any meal are animal proteins. Plant-based staples — lentils, beans, oats, vegetables — are consistently the cheapest items per nutritional value in any supermarket.
What are the cheapest vegan protein sources? +
Dried red lentils, split peas, tinned chickpeas, tinned kidney beans and rolled oats are the cheapest per gram of protein. All are available in any UK supermarket.
Can you eat vegan on £20 a week? +
Yes. A plant-based diet focused on grains, legumes and seasonal vegetables is one of the most affordable ways to eat a complete, nutritious diet in the UK.
What vegan staples should I always have in the cupboard? +
Red lentils, tinned chickpeas and black beans, rolled oats, brown rice or quinoa, tinned tomatoes, coconut milk, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, ground cumin, and smoked paprika. These form the base of hundreds of cheap, satisfying meals.
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