Tips for healthy eating on a budget

Yes, prices are up – but you can still make healthy and delicious plant-based meals without overspending.

While inflation has eased from its peak, the cost of living is continuing to rise — and food prices remain stubbornly high. All around the world, food prices have gone up significantly over the last few years,  and food costs have become a significant burden for many families.¹ We can’t change the economic situation, but we can show you how to follow a plant-based diet on a tight budget. With a few smart choices, you can save money, reduce your energy use, and still eat delicious and nutritious food.

Stock your kitchen with smart staples

You don’t need fancy ingredients or pricey meat alternatives to eat well. A solid plant-based pantry is built on versatile, affordable basics:

• Legumes — Lentils, beans, and chickpeas are cheap, filling, and packed with protein and micronutrients. If you buy them uncooked, they’re particularly cheap – a small bag of lentils, for example, goes a long way once the lentils have been cooked or sprouted.
• Whole grains — Brown rice, oats, barley, and wholemeal pasta are all nutritious and long-lasting staples that can be used in countless ways. And they’re some of the cheapest ingredients in the supermarket.
• Tinned tomatoes — Use as a base for an almost infinite variety of stews, soups, and sauces. Tinned tomatoes vary dramatically in price, and are also often on special, so it’s worth shopping around and buying in bulk.
• Seasonal or frozen veg — Buying what’s in season (or frozen) helps to keep costs down. Locally grown seasonal goods are often very cheap during peak harvest, so it’s worth buying in bulk and freezing if you have a big enough refrigerator.
• Freeze overripe produce — Another simple way to save money and avoid food waste is to get into the habit of checking your fruit and veg every day for freshness – the moment something’s overripe, throw it in the freezer to use later in a soup or smoothie. A win-win for your budget and the environment.
• Go nuts — Nuts and seeds, as well as products such as nut butter and tahini, are all excellent sources of healthy fats and flavor, and some nuts are packed with protein. Raw nuts are generally the most affordable option – and are also usually the most healthy. Again, they can vary hugely in price, so do a bit of shopping around and buy in bulk if you can. You’ll also find that they’re usually much cheaper in Asian food stores and some health stores.

Not every item has to be cooked from scratch. ‘Processed’ foods like packet rice, dried spaghetti, or even frozen vegetables are often healthy, practical, and budget-friendly. Even dried tofu chunks can be a cheap, nutritious option to add a protein punch to stews and curries.

What a well-planned plant-based diet looks like

The ‘food plate’ is endorsed by various nutrition societies and national governments and provides a simple guide to making healthy food choices.

What can you actually make with these ingredients?

Once your cupboard is stocked, you’ve got the building blocks for hundreds of meals. Here are some simple ideas that don’t require a full recipe:

• Red lentils + tinned tomatoes + spices = a quick dal or lentil soup
• Chickpeas + tahini + lemon + garlic = a creamy hummus or dressing
• Oats + plant-based milk + frozen fruit = a warming porridge or overnight oats
• Wholemeal pasta + frozen spinach + garlic = a simple pasta bowl
• Brown rice + stir-fried veg + soy sauce = DIY fried rice
• Tinned beans + chopped veg + cumin = a hearty chili or taco filling
• Roasted carrots + lentils + herbs = a warm salad or grain bowl
• Roasted carrots + lentils + herbs = a warm salad or grain bowl

Once you get comfortable combining these staples, you’ll rely less on specific recipes and more on intuition and taste.

Cook at home, save more

Takeaways and ready meals might be convenient and tasty, but they often cost more per serving, and the spend can quickly mount up if you’re buying for a family, or eating out more than once a week. In contrast, cooking at home gives you much greater control over your spending — and your nutrition.

Try:

• Batch cooking — make a big pot of stew or curry and freeze portions for later.
• Advance prepping — chop vegetables or pre-cook grains at the start of the week.
• One-pot meals — enjoy less mess, lower energy use, and simplified cooking.

For additional ideas, take a look at this article about eating plant-based on a budget.

Save energy while you cook

When it comes to the price of food, it’s not just what you cook — but how you cook it. With energy costs still high, switching to efficient appliances can make a real difference.​

• Air fryers use much less energy than conventional ovens and are great for roasting vegetables, crisping tofu, or reheating leftovers. Cooking a meal in an air fryer costs about 50% less in energy costs than using an electric oven.²
• Pressure cookers are excellent for reducing cooking times and energy use. By cooking food under high pressure, they can significantly cut down on cooking time and energy use. This method is especially beneficial for preparing legumes, grains, and tougher, denser vegetables. For more details, see this article about how to save time – and resources – by using a pressure cooker.
• Slow cookers are perfect for slow-cooking stews, dal, or curries on a low energy setting.​
• Microwaves can efficiently reheat leftovers, steam greens, or even bake potatoes – saving time and energy.​

While all these appliances help to shrink your energy bills, remember that it’s all about using the right appliance for the right job. Air fryers and microwaves are great for small portions, but a conventional oven can be more economical when it comes to cooking larger batches or multiple dishes at once.

Eat simple, eat well

You don’t need a big budget to eat well — just a few reliable staples, some creative meal ideas, and a little planning. Plant-based meals can be nourishing, delicious, and super-affordable, even when times are tight.

Simon Middleton

Senior Writer

1. BBC News. (2025, March 15). Why are prices still rising, even as inflation falls? Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12196322
2. GreenMatch. (2025, April 4). How Energy-Efficient Are Air Fryers? A Comprehensive Analysis. Available at: https://www.greenmatch.co.uk/air-fryer-efficiency.