You can absolutely meal prep on a budget whether you’re trying to cut down expenses or money is just really tight right now.
Saving money is the main reason I started meal prepping way back in 2014, just after graduating from college and moving to New York City. I didn’t live with my parents after college, as many do these days, so I was in for a rude awakening when I realized how dangerously expensive my eating habits were (lots of takeout meals!).
Enter meal prep. Since then, I’ve used meal prepping to save money and keep food expenses in check, with the goal of always spending below my means.
Meal prep on a budget was helpful for me while trying to build an emergency fund, but it can be helpful in so many other situations. Whether you’re between jobs, dealing with an emergency situation, or cooking when you’ve just moved into a new place when your pantry is empty, this guide will come in handy.
How This $25 Meal Prep Meal Plan Works
In this post, we’re sharing two $25 meal plans. One plan is omnivore and the other is plant-based (vegan). The plans and recipes are written for one person.
If you’re cooking for two, you’ll have to double each recipe to 2 servings.
This meal plan is not customizable or editable! If that’s something you want to do, you can in the WWL Meal Prep Program where we provide weekly meal plans, grocery lists and new recipes like the ones below as well as access to a customizable meal planning tool where you can create your own plans.
Just note that the recipes and grocery list include some extras that might bring you over $25, but these are items you may already have (such as spices and other dry goods) and they’re not necessary to make the recipes work.
But if you don’t have any spices, that’s ok. You can get by with salt, pepper, and oil. Will the recipes be as tasty? No, but they’ll work!
Cooking tip: I recommend prepping two main meals and one breakfast on Sunday, then do the remaining meals in the middle of the week.
But if you only have time to cook on one day, that works, too. Since these meals are budget-friendly and don’t have tons of ingredients, they’re quick to make
And if you’re looking for an even more comprehensive budget outline, click here to receive our ultimate budget guide. There are 50+ budget-friendly recipes to choose from as well as 30 practical ways to save money on food.
Budget-Friendly Meal Prep Equipment
First off, you’ll need a few key pieces of equipment to make this budget meal prep happen! But the catch-22 of buying equipment on a budget is that it will need to be replaced sooner than later. If you’re just starting out in your cooking journey, these budget-friendly pieces of equipment will be perfect to learn with, along with this list of minimalist kitchen equipment.
- A big non-stick pan- $13
- Muffin tin- $8
- A big pot- $34
- Cooking utensil set- $34
- Mixing bowl set- $11
- Meal prep container set- $15
For containers, you may be better off buying the cheap ones at your grocery store to get started before you commit to the process. To make this prep happen, you’ll need nine containers if you prep three recipes (each makes three servings).
Tips For Meal Prepping On A Budget
Plan meals, then add your grocery list into Instacart or another online grocery shopping platform that’s local to you.
This will help you better predict the prices of what you’ll need. Even though it’s never exact, it will give you a good idea of whether or not you’ll be over or under budget. You don’t actually have to buy your groceries online (which is generally more expensive), just add your ingredients to the cart to see what the total will be.
Shop generic brands
As I said before, being on a strict budget means that you have to be more open-minded about which brands make it into your cart. There’s nothing wrong with generic brands! These are the brands that the grocery store chains own, like the 365 brand at Whole Foods or Costco’s Kirkland brand.
Be ready to think on your feet at the grocery store
Sometimes you’ll get to the store and realize that certain items are more expensive, while others are on sale. So, this requires some quick thinking to shop within your budget—unless you want to spend hours in the grocery store agonizing over your meal planning changes. When in doubt, always be ready to make substitutions for, say, ground chicken for ground turkey or beef, or chickpeas for white beans (or vice versa). If you are not sure, Google substitutes and swaps if your store is out of something on your list or it’s more expensive than anticipated.
Multipurpose ingredients
Some ingredients like rice, pasta and oats only come in large packages. This is your chance to use your ingredients across meals! The same is true for frozen mixed veggies, which keep in the freezer very easily.
10 Recipes For Meal Prepping On A Budget
These recipes are less than $3/serving!
1. Egg & Spinach Cups (vegetarian)
Eggs are so fantastic for meal preps. You just use muffin cups for this quick and easy egg breakfast. Switch up with different veggies and cheeses as desired.
2. Tofu Spinach Scramble (vegan)
Don’t eat eggs but miss them, and the taste? Or just want to try something different? This tofu scramble fits the bill.
3. Overnight oats (vegan/vegetarian)
Overnight oats are a secret we can’t stop sharing about breakfast meal preps. Endlessly customizable, this prep involves fresh berries.
4. Banana Oat Pancakes (vegetarian)
The oats and banana in these pancakes are filling and just sweet enough. Make a batch for the week and reheat in the toaster or in a low oven; skip the microwave, it makes pancakes gummy.
5. Lentil Minestrone (vegan)
We love a good minestrone, which is easy to make with freezer-friendly ingredients and some leftover veggies in the fridge. Lentils add some extra protein and texture.
6. Lentil Curry & Rice (vegan)
Lentils save the day again with this budget-friendly meal with rice and warming curry flavors.
7. Chicken Noodle Soup (omnivore, dairy-free)
It’s a classic for a reason! Chicken noodle soup is the ultimate comfort food and it happens to be friendly to the wallet.
8. Chicken Fried Rice (omnivore, dairy-free)
Fried rice is an awesome way to use up leftover rice, and adding leftover chicken (or chicken you make on purpose) makes the meal more flavorful and go further.
9. Edamame Fried Rice (vegetarian)
Want more in your fried rice but eating a vegetarian diet? Try this one! Eggs and edamame work great together; if you’re vegan, skip the egg and lean on the edamame.
10. Sweet Potato Black Bean Skillet (vegetarian/vegan)
Have you ever had black beans and sweet potatoes together? This is a glorious combo! Serve it as is, or over rice or quinoa, for a little more.
Three $25 Meal Prep Meal Plans
These plans include 5 days of breakfast, lunch, and dinner for one, a grocery list, all the recipes you need, and tips and tricks to make meal prep go by fast (if you meal prep these dishes).
Omnivore Budget Meal Plan
Vegetarian Budget Meal Plan
Vegan Budget Meal Plan
A couple of things to note about using these plans:
- Recipes are in imperial measurements only (for now).
- Since this is meal prep, the meals repeat! Each recipe makes 2-4 servings and appears as one serving on the grid. to double them, click the recipe and toggle the serving amount to two. I don’t recommend tripling these recipes as they were not written to that scale.
- These meal plans aren’t editable or customizable since they’re PDFs. If you’d like this feature, join the WWL Program to be able to customize your meal plans and make your own!
I hope you found these tips and meal plans helpful if you’re getting into meal prep on a budget!
Here are 9 more free Budget-Friendly Recipes we love (that aren’t on this meal plan).
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