Budget meal planning
Vegetarian meal plan on a budget
A full vegetarian week for two — breakfast, lunch and dinner — costed at $69.63, which is $15.64 less than the same week with meat.
By Joao Dunlap · · 4 min read
The short version
- A full vegetarian week for two: $69.63, or $4.97 per person per day.
- That is $15.64 less than the equivalent week with meat.
- Eggs, pulses and dairy do the protein work. Meat substitutes are where a veggie budget breaks.
- Vegetarian is cheaper by default — unless you replace meat with packaged fake meat.
Going vegetarian saves money automatically, because the most expensive line on a grocery bill simply disappears. The only way to lose that saving is to replace meat with something engineered to taste like it.
Here is a full vegetarian week for two people, all three meals, at $69.63 — $15.64 below the same week built around chicken and beef.
$69.63
Vegetarian week, two people
$85.27
The same week with meat
$15.64
Difference, per week
Where a vegetarian budget goes wrong
What carries the protein instead
- Dried lentils — 20 minutes, no soaking, and they turn into soup, bolognese or curry.
- Dried and tinned beans — the cheapest protein per gram in the shop, and the base of a dinner on their own.
- Eggs — fast, complete protein, and the reason a vegetarian dinner can happen in twelve minutes.
- Chickpeas — no cooking needed from a tin, and they work hot or cold.
- Peanut butter — cheap protein and fat, and the base of a sauce as easily as a sandwich.
- Yogurt and milk — protein at breakfast, which is where most vegetarian days fall short.
The week, priced
| Item | Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow onions | 3 lb bag | $3.49 |
| Garlic | 1 head | $0.79 |
| Carrots | 2 lb bag | $2.29 |
| Russet potatoes | 5 lb bag | $4.49 |
| Sweet potatoes | 2 lb | $2.98 |
| Green cabbage | 1 head | $2.49 |
| Bell peppers | 2 | $2.58 |
| Roma tomatoes | 4 | $2.36 |
| Baby spinach | 10 oz | $2.99 |
| Bananas | 6 | $1.86 |
| Item | Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Eggs | 18 count | $4.98 |
| Dried lentils | 1 lb | $1.89 |
| Dried black beans | 1 lb | $1.99 |
| Canned chickpeas | 2 cans | $2.18 |
| Peanut butter | 16 oz | $2.98 |
| Item | Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Frozen peas | 16 oz | $1.39 |
| Item | Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Long-grain white rice | 5 lb bag | $5.49 |
| Rolled oats | 42 oz | $4.29 |
| Pasta | 2 lb | $2.58 |
| Canned diced tomatoes | 2 cans | $2.38 |
| Corn tortillas | 30 count | $2.49 |
| Item | Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 gallon | $3.89 |
| Plain yogurt | 32 oz | $3.99 |
| Cheddar | 8 oz block | $2.79 |
| Vegetarian week · 2 people | $4.97 per person per day | $69.63 |
Seven vegetarian dinners · $69.63
Monday
- Break
- Porridge with banana
- Lunch
- Chickpea salad
- Dinner
- Lentil bolognese over pasta
Tuesday
- Break
- Eggs on toast
- Lunch
- Leftover bologneseLeftovers
- Dinner
- Black bean and rice skillet
Wednesday
- Break
- Porridge
- Lunch
- Leftover bean skilletLeftovers
- Dinner
- Sweet potato and chickpea curry
Thursday
- Break
- Yogurt and oats
- Lunch
- Leftover curryLeftovers
- Dinner
- Spinach and cheese frittata
Friday
- Break
- Eggs
- Lunch
- Leftover frittataLeftovers
- Dinner
- Egg fried rice with peas
Saturday
- Break
- Porridge with banana
- Lunch
- Peanut butter on toast
- Dinner
- Cabbage and lentil stir-fry
Sunday
- Break
- Eggs
- Lunch
- Leftovers
- Dinner
- Black bean tacos with slaw
Cheap vegetarian meals from the library
All vegetarian, all built on pulses and eggs rather than substitutes. From the NeatEat library, where a vegetarian setting is a hard filter rather than a preference.
20 minLentil Pasta with Spinach and Cherry Tomatoes
32g protein from a pasta dish.
20 minChickpea and Spinach Frittata
Cooks once, eats cold. 32g protein a serving.
20 minVegetarian Lentil Fried Rice
Uses yesterday's rice and a handful of lentils.
20 minTomato and Chickpea Pasta
Two tins and a bag of pasta.
20 minChickpea and Cabbage Stir-Fry
The two longest-keeping things in your kitchen.
20 minCabbage and Lentil Stir-Fry with Rice
Cabbage keeps all week, so this is a Friday dish.
Frequently asked questions
Is a vegetarian diet cheaper?
Usually, and by a meaningful margin. The vegetarian week on this page costs $69.63 for two people against $85.27 for the equivalent week with meat - a difference of $15.64. Meat is typically the largest line on a grocery bill, so removing it saves automatically. The exception is replacing it with packaged meat substitutes, which usually cost more than the meat did.
What is the cheapest vegetarian protein?
Dried lentils and dried beans, by a wide margin, followed by eggs and tinned chickpeas. All of them are shelf-stable, all of them can carry a dinner on their own, and none of them are sold at a premium for being vegetarian.
How do I get enough protein on a vegetarian budget?
Put a pulse or eggs in every main meal rather than relying on cheese and nuts, and do not skip breakfast protein - yogurt or eggs rather than toast alone. Lentils, beans, chickpeas and eggs across three meals reaches a normal daily target comfortably without any specialist products.
Are meat substitutes worth buying on a budget?
Rarely. Per serving they are usually more expensive than the meat they imitate and far more expensive than pulses. They are useful for transition or convenience, but a vegetarian budget built on them loses the saving that going vegetarian was supposed to deliver.