Cheap Healthy Meals: 9 Easy Recipes and Budget Staples

Eating healthy doesn’t have to mean expensive salads and superfoods. Some of the cheapest foods in the store – beans, lentils, oats, eggs, frozen vegetables and potatoes – are also some of the healthiest. The trick is turning them into meals you actually want to eat.

The short answer: build cheap healthy meals around beans, lentils, eggs, oats, rice, potatoes, frozen vegetables, canned tuna and chicken thighs. Add flavor with onions, garlic, spices and canned tomatoes. Below are 9 easy recipes with calories and protein per serving (most have 20–33 g of protein and 350–470 calories), a list of budget staples and tips to spend less.

Is healthy food more expensive?

On average, a little. A review of 27 studies from 10 countries found that the healthiest diets cost about $1.50 more per person per day than the least healthy ones (Rao et al., BMJ Open, 2013). The biggest price differences were for meat and other protein foods.

The good news: you don’t need expensive food to eat well. Beans, lentils, eggs and frozen vegetables give you protein, fiber and vitamins for much less than meat or ready meals.

The best budget staples

Food	Why it’s good	How to use it
Dry lentils and beans	Protein + fiber	Soups, curries, chili, burrito bowls
Eggs	Cheap complete protein	Fried rice, shakshuka, omelets, sandwiches
Rolled oats	Fiber, very filling	Oatmeal, overnight oats, in meatballs
Brown rice	Whole grain	Bowls, fried rice, with curry
Potatoes	Vitamin C, potassium	Baked, roasted, in soups
Frozen vegetables	No waste, keep vitamins	Stir-fries, soups, fried rice, pasta
Cabbage and carrots	Cheap, keep for weeks	Slaw, roasted, soups, stir-fries
Bananas and apples	Cheap fruit	Breakfast, snacks
Canned tuna or sardines	Protein, omega‑3	Pasta, salads, sandwiches
Chicken thighs	Cheaper than breast	Sheet pans, curries, soups
Peanut butter	Protein + healthy fat	Oatmeal, toast, sauces
Canned tomatoes	Flavor base	Chili, curry, shakshuka, pasta

Frozen is fine. Vegetables and fruit are frozen soon after picking. In one study, frozen produce had similar or higher vitamin levels than fresh produce kept in the fridge for five days (Bouzari et al., Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2015). And nothing goes bad in the drawer.

9 cheap healthy meals

Calories and protein per serving are based on USDA FoodData Central values and rounded.

Meal	What’s in one serving	Calories	Protein
Lentil soup + bread	¾ cup lentils, carrots, celery, onion, canned tomatoes, 1 tsp oil, 1 slice whole-wheat bread	350	19 g
Egg fried rice	¾ cup brown rice, 2 eggs, 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables, 1 tsp oil, soy sauce	470	23 g
Black bean burrito bowl	½ cup brown rice, ¾ cup black beans, 1 oz cheese, salsa, lettuce	400	20 g
Chicken thighs, potatoes and cabbage	4 oz skinless chicken thigh, 1 medium potato, 1 cup roasted cabbage, ½ tsp oil	405	33 g
Tuna pasta with peas	1 cup whole-wheat pasta, ½ can tuna, ½ cup frozen peas, 1 tsp olive oil, lemon + Greek yogurt sauce	350	27 g
Shakshuka	2 eggs baked in canned tomatoes with peppers and onion, 1 tsp oil, 1 slice whole-wheat bread	345	20 g
Bean and cheese quesadilla + slaw	1 whole-wheat tortilla, ½ cup pinto beans, 1 oz cheese, cabbage slaw with yogurt	395	19 g
Chickpea and spinach curry	¾ cup chickpeas, canned tomatoes, spinach, onion, spices, 1 tsp oil, ½ cup brown rice	395	15 g
Peanut butter banana oatmeal	½ cup oats cooked in 1 cup skim milk, 1 tbsp peanut butter, ½ banana	380	17 g

Want more protein in the curry? Add a big spoon of plain yogurt on top or some cubed tofu.

Three recipes in a bit more detail

Lentil soup (6 servings). Soften 1 onion, 2 carrots and 2 celery sticks in 2 tbsp oil. Add 1½ cups dry lentils, 1 can tomatoes, 6 cups water or broth, cumin, salt and pepper. Simmer 30 minutes. It keeps 3–4 days in the fridge and freezes well.

Egg fried rice (2 servings). Use cold leftover rice. Scramble 4 eggs in 2 tsp oil, add 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables and 1½ cups rice, then soy sauce and green onion. Ready in 10 minutes.

Chicken thighs, potatoes and cabbage (4 servings). Put 1¼ lb (570 g) skinless chicken thighs, 4 cubed potatoes and wedges of a small cabbage on a tray with 2 tsp oil, paprika, garlic, salt and pepper. Bake at 425°F (220°C) for about 35 minutes.

How to save money on healthy food

1. Plan the week and shop with a list. Planning cuts impulse buys and food waste.
2. Cook once, eat twice. Make a big pot of soup, chili or curry and use it for lunches.
3. Buy dry beans, lentils, rice and oats in big bags. They keep for months.
4. Choose store brands. Plain oats, beans, frozen vegetables and canned tomatoes are basically the same as the big brands.
5. Compare the unit price (per kg or per lb) on the shelf label, not the package price.
6. Buy fruit and vegetables in season and use frozen for the rest.
7. Use cheaper cuts and less meat. Chicken thighs instead of breast, and half meat, half beans in chili and tacos.
8. Skip drinks and snacks. Soda, juice, chips and cookies add up fast – and they’re the least filling calories you can buy.

Plan cheap healthy meals for the whole week. With NutriSmart, you answer 3 quick questions and get a week of healthy recipes with the shopping list ready, so you buy only what you need. Not in the mood for a meal? Swap it in one tap. Then snap a photo of what you eat, and the app counts the calories and protein for you.Get the app free

Want to lose weight on a budget? See how a calorie deficit works, our list of high-fiber foods and our guide to plant-based protein, which is often the cheapest protein of all.

The bottom line

Cheap healthy meals are built from the same few foods: beans, lentils, eggs, oats, rice, potatoes, frozen vegetables, canned fish and chicken thighs. Healthy diets cost a little more on average, but planning the week, cooking in batches, buying store brands and using frozen vegetables closes most of the gap. Start with the lentil soup or the egg fried rice – both are ready in under 45 minutes and cost very little per serving.