27 cheap vegan meals that are sure to please your taste buds and your wallet! These delicious recipes will fill your belly but they won’t break the bank!
One thing that really bugs me is the misconception that it’s more expensive to eat a vegan diet than it is to eat an animal-based diet.
Yeah, that’s a big fat lie.
I don’t spend any more money on our grocery budget now as a vegan family than I did when we ate animal products. If anything, I spend less money. I’m saving money by eating vegan!
Meat is expensive, people! Beans, vegetables, tofu, and grains are not! Making cheap vegan meals is easy and you can do it too! Use the following techniques to get the most bang for your buck without having to sacrifice the quality of food that you’re eating.
If you’re looking for cheap vegan recipes for college students then you’re in the right place!
Where To Shop To Save Money
I definitely don’t just buy whatever I feel like whenever I feel like it– I shop the sales and I shop at different stores to get the best price on products. I’ve found that that is the best way to save money on groceries.
I buy fresh organic produce twice a week at my local farmer’s market or at Whole Foods (their Amazon Prime discount is awesome!), I buy most of my bulk grains, nuts, seeds, and frozen fruit at Costco, and I make a trip to Trader Joe’s once a month for random items that I have found that they have the best price on (like my favorite vegan organic wine and coconut aminos!).
Here’s my personal vegan shopping list for Trader Joe’s and Costco, I hope it helps you!
Are There Any Coupons For Vegan Products?
It takes a little effort to save money but I was doing that way before we transitioned to a vegan lifestyle. A few years back, I was majorly into couponing. BIG TIME couponing. Like, I would go to the register with a stack of 30-50 coupons and get money back from the store for shopping there. I made money grocery shopping!
I don’t do the big couponing trips anymore because I don’t buy many processed products. There are coupons for healthy products but you have to search for them a little bit! This is my favorite healthy product coupon website to print coupons from.
Occasionally, I’ll splurge and buy Field Roast sausages (get a $1/1 Field Roast coupon here!) to make this delicious Italian vegan sausage and rice skillet, Beyond Burgers for a grilling holiday, or fakin’ bacon for our favorite Whole Foods copycat TTLA sandwiches. But on a regular basis, I plan our meals around produce sales and inexpensive healthy vegan staples.
Cheap Vegan Meals Staple Pantry Ingredients
The following shelf-stable items are inexpensive ingredients that I always have in my pantry and I recommend that you do the same! Many of these items (beans, rice, lentils) are my staples for when I do my weekly vegan meal prep. I always make a big batch (2 dry cups) of beans or lentils + rice or quinoa on Sunday so I have an easy base to build on for quick lunches during the week. It really helps to have something already made when I’m in a rush.
- Black beans
- Chickpeas
- Red, green & french lentils
- Brown rice (Buy the big bag at Costco and keep it in the freezer)
- Quinoa
- Pasta (I keep noodles in the freezer)
- Oats
- Oat flour
- Nutritional yeast
- Chia seeds
- Shredded coconut
- Sunflower seeds
- Pumpkin seeds
I tend to build meals around one of these staples and add whatever produce I found on sale that week. Lentil soup, roasted red pepper pasta with roasted tofu, and Instant Pot black beans with magic yellow rice happen a lot at our house, they’re some of our favorite frugal vegan recipes! You can find all of these recipes for the meals below on my Instagram page @stacey_homemaker.
I buy most of these items from the bulk section at the local market or in bulk from Costco. Make sure you always check the price per ounce so you can figure out where to get the best deal.
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11 Ways to Cut Your Grocery Budget
- Check the sales flyer before you shop.
- Buy produce that’s in season.
- See if your store has a clearance table for products or produce that’s a little past it’s prime.
- Buy frozen fruit from a bulk store.
- Check product websites for coupons (I’ve also had success emailing a company and asking them to send me coupons).
- Buy the store brand. Usually, it’s just as good but a little cheaper.
- Plan meals around the food you already have.
- Only buy enough groceries for 2-3 days to reduce food waste.
- Shop around at different stores to find the best deals.
- If you find a great deal on produce, stock up on it, portion it out and freeze it for the future.
- Don’t waste leftovers!
If you incorporate all of these tips then I’d be really surprised if you didn’t start saving money on your monthly grocery budget.
Frugal Vegan Recipes You Can Make on a Budget
Want to see what delicious cheap vegetarian meals you can make on a budget? The following list has 27 tasty options for you to choose from! Let me know at the end which recipe you want to try first!
1 – 30-Minute Veggie Barely Soup
3 – Kidney Bean Burgers by Vegannie
4 – Oven Baked Garlic Mushrooms Rice by A Virtual Vegan
5- Crispy Hawaiian Garlic Tofu by Rabbit and Wolves
6 – Curried Red Lentil & Vegetable Soup by Yay! For Food
7 – Santa Fe Quinoa Stuffed Peppers by Vegan Huggs
8 –Vegan Jambalaya by The Stingy Vegan
9 – Vegan White Bean Soup by Little Sunny Kitchen
10 – Vegan Shepherd’s Pie by Fit Foodie Nutter
11 – Ranch Cauliflower Tacos by Vegan in the Freezer
12 – Lemon One Pot Pasta by V Nutrition
13 – Italian Inspired Tomato & Chickpea Stew by Sprinkles & Sprouts
14 – Instant Pot Vegan Baked Beans by Nora Cooks
15 –Easy Minestrone Soup by Veggie Inspired
16 – Red Lentil Daal by I Knead to Eat
17 – Instant Pot Detox Vegetable Soup by Real Food Real Deals
18 – Spanish Beans with Tomatoes by Veggie Desserts
19 – Easy Quinoa Tabbouleh by EAStewart
20 – Whole Wheat Orzo Kale Cauliflower Soup by Cookin Canuck
21 – Instant Pot Sweet Potato Chickpea Lentil Soup by Supergolden Bakes
22 – Bubble & Squeak by A Virtual Vegan
23 – 5 Minute Vegan Lentil Salad by Delicious Everyday
24 – The Best Black Bean Burger by We’re Parents
25 – Instant Pot Pasta e Fagioli by Ministry of Curry
26 – Quinoa Fried Rice by Happy Kitchen Rocks
27 – Vegetable Tofu Ricotta Lasagna by Healthy World Cuisine
I hope that you’re able to find a couple of cheap vegan meals on this list that you want to try!
If you tried any of these cheap vegan meals, please remember to let me know what you thought of it in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious vegan recipes + our monthly trips to Disney World!
What are your favorite cheap vegan meals that you make at home? Let me know in a comment!
