V7 Budget Bangers Meal Plan
Keep your wallet happy with our budget-friendly vegan meal plan, featuring easy, surprisingly delicious recipes for breakfasts, lunches and dinners. You might be amazed at just how good these meals taste while costing so little, with breakfasts and lunches coming in at under £1 and dinners under £1.65 per serving.
Each recipe is designed to be nutritious, satisfying and affordable, helping you eat well without overspending. With tips on sourcing ingredients, clever serving ideas and helpful factsheets throughout, you’ll learn how to make every penny go further while still enjoying food you genuinely look forward to eating.
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Day 1
Breakfast: 5-Minute Greek Yoghurt Pots
These 5-minute Greek-yoghurt pots layer creamy vegan yoghurt, crunchy granola and juicy berries for a quick, wholesome breakfast that feels like a treat. Perfect for busy mornings or a speedy snack. 98p per serving
Lunch: Korean Pancake With Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce
This crispy, savoury Korean-style pancake is packed with fresh veggies! It’s quick to make and perfect for lunch, dinner, or a snack. Served with a rich, spicy peanut dipping sauce, it’s full of flavour and seriously satisfying. 62p per serving
Dinner: General Tso’s Tofu
This General Tso’s tofu is crispy, sticky and full of bold, tangy-sweet flavour, making it a delicious plant-based twist on the classic takeout favourite. (Nutritional information based on one serving with 150g cooked brown rice) £1.61 per serving
Vegan food is just too expensive
It’s very common for people to assume that vegan food is more expensive than animal-based food but in reality that isn’t the case at all.
Day 2
Breakfast: Classic French Toast
Fun fact: French toast is known in France as ‘pain perdu’ which means ‘lost bread’ – referring to this dish’s amazing ability to rescue stale bread and turn it into something delicious! Every non-vegan who has ever tired this vegan eggy bread has been blown away by how authentic it tastes! The great thing about… Continue reading Classic French Toast
Lunch: 20-Minute Lentil, Lemon & Tomato Soup
This speedy lentil soup layers aromatic spices with red pepper, tomatoes and lemon to create a bold, nourishing bowl in no time. Ideal for lunchtime fixes and weeknight cooking, it’s cosy and endlessly crowd-pleasing. (nutritional information based on one serving with two slices of wholemeal bread) 69p per serving which includes two slices of wholemeal… Continue reading 20-Minute Lentil, Lemon & Tomato Soup
Dinner: Creamy Orzo Traybake with Roasted Butternut, Butterbeans & Pesto
A colourful, hearty traybake packed with roasted squash, tender orzo and butterbeans, finished with a hit of pesto and optional vegan cheese. Perfect for a simple, all-in-one dinner. £1.64 per serving (this includes Aldi vegan cheese. If you’d like it to be cheaper then leave out the spinach and the vegan cheese. Without the spinach… Continue reading Creamy Orzo Traybake with Roasted Butternut, Butterbeans & Pesto
How can I save money on groceries as a vegan?
Saving money on groceries as a vegan isn’t all that different from saving money as a non-vegan, except there are a few small nuances.
Day 3
Breakfast: 5-Minute Power Muesli with Fruit, Nuts & Seeds
A crunchy, fruity mix that’s as nutritious as it is delicious – ready in minutes and made with simple pantry ingredients you probably already have. (nutritional information based on 75g muesli per serving with 100ml soya milk) 42p per serving (not including plant milk)
Lunch: Coronation Chickpea Sandwich (plus other sandwich filling ideas)
As the name suggests, this is a traditional British royal dish but we’ve jazzed it up and veganized the whole affair! (nutritional information based on one serving plus 2 x slices wholemeal bread with vegan spread) 86p per serving
Dinner: Creamy Cauliflower Curry With Crispy Tempeh Sprinkle
This gently spiced cauliflower curry, enriched with coconut milk, gets an irresistible upgrade from sticky-savoury crispy tempeh scattered on top. A balanced, comforting dinner that’s as nourishing as it is delicious. (nutritional information based on 150g cooked brown rice) £1.55 per portion
I couldn’t afford all the supplements I’d need if I went vegan
Well done for thinking about planning your diet carefully! However, you might be surprised to learn that a vegan doesn’t usually need to take handfuls of supplements.
Day 4
Breakfast: Creamy Banana Oat Smoothie with Cinnamon, Nutmeg & Peanut Butter
Cheap, easy and surprisingly healthy – this recipe uses just a handful of ingredients and still tastes like a treat. Honestly, it’s so good it could pass for dessert. 60p per serving (if using peanut butter, 66p if using almond butter or 68p if using cashew butter)
Lunch: 10-Minute Vegan Egg & Cress Baguette
Be the star of every picnic – or anytime a sandwich is needed – with this scrumptious, easy-to-make classic that everyone will love! 94p per serving
Dinner: Jacket Potatoes with Smoky Chipotle Beans & Sour Cream
This easy dinner layers fluffy jacket potatoes with a deeply spiced chipotle bean mix and a cool, creamy tofu sour cream. It’s a satisfying, budget-friendly midweek meal that delivers maximum comfort with minimal effort. £1.45 per serving
I don’t have the time to prepare all my food from scratch
Well done for thinking about planning your diet carefully! However, you might be surprised to learn that a vegan doesn’t usually need to take handfuls of supplements.
Day 5
Breakfast: Super-fast Scrambled Tofu
This dish is an absolute must-have in your weekly assortment of recipes! It only takes 10 minutes to make, it’s high in protein, really delicious and can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner. (nutritional information based on one serving with half an avocado and 2 x slices wholemeal toast) 98p per serving
Lunch: Quick & Easy Ramen
A hearty, flavour-packed vegan ramen that comes together quickly and uses everyday ingredients – perfect for busy weeknights and lunchtimes. Adjust the broth to your liking and load it up with your favourite toppings. 34p per serving (or 72p per serving with the tofu and pak choi)
Dinner: Creamy Lentil & Kidney Bean Dhal Makhani
This creamy, gently spiced dhal makhani brings together lentils, kidney beans and aromatic Indian spices for a rich, comforting bowl that tastes like it’s been simmering all day. It’s deeply flavoursome, naturally plant-based and perfect with rice or warm naan. (nutritional information based on one serving with 150g brown rice and 100g cooked frozen spinach)… Continue reading Creamy Lentil & Kidney Bean Dhal Makhani
I’d have to spend a lot more money on protein if I was vegan
Well done for thinking about planning your diet carefully! However, you might be surprised to learn that a vegan doesn’t usually need to take handfuls of supplements.
Day 6
Breakfast: Classic American Pancakes
These fluffy vegan pancakes are a plant-based take on the classic American stack – light, delicious, and super easy to make. With just a handful of ingredients and costing only 13p per serving (2 pancakes per serving), they’re perfect for a quick, budget-friendly breakfast or brunch. (nutritional information is based on 2 pancakes per serving… Continue reading Classic American Pancakes
Lunch: Smoky Tofu & Chickpea Toast with Spinach and Cherry Tomatoes
With its comforting mix of smoky tofu, tomatoes, spinach and chickpeas, this savoury toast delivers a hearty bite on a budget. Finish with sunflower seeds and your favourite drizzle for a satisfying, nutrient-rich meal. 98p per serving
Dinner: One Pot Spicy Sausage & Tomato Rice
A simple, one-pot wonder with vegan sausages, spicy tomato sauce and fluffy rice. Easy, tasty and perfect for feeding the whole family. 99p per serving
Do vegan chocolate, sweets and snacks really cost more?
While some vegan chocolates, sweets and on-the-go snacks can be more expensive than non-vegan ones, this isn’t always the case.
Day 7
Breakfast: The Big Vegan Budget Breakfast
Fuel your morning without breaking the bank! This Big Budget Vegan Breakfast is hearty, satisfying and costs just 99p per serving.
Lunch: Budget Bliss Poke Bowl
This is our deliciously budget-friendly take on a traditional Hawaiian poke bowl – quick to make, nutritious and just £1.29 per serving (or even less with a few swaps). (nutritional information includes bowl using tofu and 1 x tablespoon sunflower seeds)
Dinner: Gambian Stew (Domoda) With Easy Peanut Hummus
One of the team recently visited The Gambia and discovered a delicious peanut stew that was served everywhere. Determined to recreate this authentic dish for the Vegan Recipe Club, we now have one of our most popular dishes on the site! With a creamy, nutty sauce, colourful sweet potatoes and a lovely deep heat, it’s… Continue reading Gambian Stew (Domoda) With Easy Peanut Hummus
Eating out and travelling (service stations/airports/train stations) as a vegan is too expensive
It’s impossible to deny that the cost of eating out has risen over recent years but when it comes to eating out as a vegan, nowadays there are so many options.