This is a great collection of over 50 cheap student meal and recipe ideas. If you're cooking for yourself for the first time, these recipes will help you cook up delicious meals within your budget. You'll find meat, fish, vegetarian, and vegan student recipes. There are also tips on easy swaps and other student money-saving food ideas. These recipes are perfect for the student lifestyle, whether you're cooking on your own or in a group.
Jump to:
- Student Food Budgeting Tips
- How to make the recipe work for you
- Cheap Vegetarian Student Recipes
- Vegan Student Recipes
- Student Recipes with Meat
- Student Recipes with Fish
- More Student Cheap Meal Ideas
- Budget Student Snack Ideas
- Cheap Student Pizza
- Easy Ingredient Swaps
- Freezer Tips
- Common Foods you can Freeze
- Food Sharing Apps!
- 💬 Reviews
Student Food Budgeting Tips
- Try to plan your meals. Start with one day and go from there. If you've bought a bag of spinach for example, find several recipes where you can use it up. Just click the search icon in the top right of your screen.
- Use ingredients you already have!
- Use the freezer if you have one. You can freeze almost anything. Check out the freezer tips below.
- Cook in batches and freeze portions you don't need. Batch cooking often works out cheaper, saves on energy costs, and means you don't need to cook every night.
- Cook with others. This helps to spread the cost of your shopping bills.
- Vegetarian and vegan meals are cheaper than meat and fish-based ones so build some of these into your week.
- Don't be afraid to experiment a little. Check out the easy swaps below.
- Don't waste food! Check out these tips on how to avoid food waste.
How to make the recipe work for you
When you click on the recipe, there's a jump to button to take you straight to a recipe card - or you can read the tips, suggestions, easy swaps, etc in the post. In the recipe card, toggle 'Cook Mode' so your phone doesn't go off when you're making the recipe. All the recipes are written for 4 people, but you can easily change the number of servings. Click on number of servings and use the slider button. The quantity of ingredients will automatically change. If it says to use 1.5 onions, just use 2. This isn't baking and it will work out fine.
Cheap Vegetarian Student Recipes
Incorporating some vegetarian or vegan student recipes into your week is a great way to manage your budget.
Veggie Pesto Pasta Bake
Vegetables, pasta and pesto, topped with cheese and baked. Very cheap and easy to do. Enjoy leftovers for lunch the next day!
Check out this recipe
Creamy Vegetable Pasta
A perfect recipe for using up leftover vegetables. Ready in 20 minutes.
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Cheats Mac and Cheese
A quick and easy mac and cheese using a creme fraiche sauce so super straightforward.
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Tomato and Mascarpone Risotto
Made mainly from store cupboard ingredients, this is a great budget meal and ready in 30 minutes.
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Quorn Lasagne
Quorn mince is a tasty cheap alternative to beef and can be cooked from frozen. This lasagne can be frozen and is perfect for feeding a crowd.
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Cheesy Cauliflower Pasta Bake
Like a cauliflower cheese, but with added pasta. Cheap and filling.
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Cauliflower Lasagne
A vegetable lasagne that's filling and budget friendly.
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Mediterranean Vegetable Lasagne
Packed with vegetables, this is a great economical recipe for feeding a crowd.
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Spinach and Ricotta Lasagne
Simple ingredients but tastes amazing. Another great recipe for feeding a crowd.
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Bean Burgers
Make your own bean burgers and freeze them. These are super cheap, have a nice texture and don't fall apart. Bake or fry them.
Check out this recipe
Crustless Quiche or Frittata
Perfect for using up leftovers. Can be eaten hot or cold. Serve with a salad!
Check out this recipe
Vegan Student Recipes
These Vegan Student Recipes are easy and use simple ingredients to help you keep to your budget. If you wouldn't normally eat a vegan meal, don't be afraid to try these.
5 Bean Chilli
A bean chilli is an easy student go-to meal as it can be made from store cupboard ingredients.
Check out this recipe
Bean Goulash
Another easy bean recipe with a smokey paprika flavour. Perfect with jacket potato, rice or pasta.
Check out this recipe
Vegan Stew with Dumplings
This is very cheap to make, tastes delicious and you can make vegan dumplings too. Use dried thyme if you don't have fresh.
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Aubergine Stew
You can eat this hot or cold or even serve it on crusty bread as a bruschetta. It freezes well so why not make a batch.
Check out this recipe
Roasted Aubergine and Chickpea Curry
A healthy vegan curry ready in 30 minutes. Super cheap to make.
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Chickpea and Lentil Curry
A great tasting vegan curry. Add spinach for extra nutrition or you can leave it out. One of my most popular curries!
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Vegetable Thai Green Curry
A vegetable thai green curry is easy and budget friendly. Buy a jar of thai green sauce, add the vegetables and serve.
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Quorn Bolognese
A simple and tasty bolognese using quorn and a cheap alternative to beef. To keep it vegan, use a vegan worcestershire sauce (or leave it out)
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Lentil and Mushroom Bolognese
A very cheap alternative to a bolognese sauce. High in protein, it will fill you up and freezes well.
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Cottage Pie with Quorn
Quorn can be cooked from frozen and is fairly cheap. To keep it vegan, use a vegan worcestershire sauce (or leave it out).
Check out this recipe
Cottage Pie with Beans
Using beans instead of quorn or beef is a great cheap alternative and very filling.
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Quorn Chilli
A simple quorn chilli that can be made from store cupboard ingredients so very handy.
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Sweet Potato Chilli
Roasted sweet potatoes and spices make a delicious chilli that's cheap and easy.
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5 Veggie Pasta Sauce
This homemade pasta sauce is packed with vegetables and very cheap to make. It freezes well so make up a batch and it will be your new go-to for when you're too busy to cook.
Check out this recipe
Veggie Fajitas
Roasted vegetables in a homemade tex mex spice mix. Add your own toppings and this is a perfect budget meal for sharing.
Check out this recipe
Vegan Sausage Casserole
Hearty, filling and perfect for colder days.
Check out this recipe
Vegan Toad in the Hole
A classic dish made with vegan sausages cooked in a vegan batter.
Check out this recipe
Student Recipes with Meat
Whilst meat can be expensive, these are cheaper meat recipes perfect for students. Use more vegetables to make your portions go further. Building some vegetarian meals into your week will allow you to spend slightly more on meat dishes. It also helps you eat a healthy and sustainable diet which is good for you and the environment.
Easy Carbonara
This is a great student recipe. Use bacon or pancetta which are cheaper cuts of meat. It's really easy, cheap (and impressive) to make your own sauce with eggs and cheese.
Check out this recipe
Sausage and Baked Bean Casserole
A classic combination but the ingredients go further in a casserole. Swap the pumpkin for carrots or butternut squash (or leave it out). Adding veg always means getting more meal for your money and gives you extra nutrition.
Check out this recipe
Sausage Pasta Bake
Sausages are fairly cheap compared to other meat. Using them in a pasta bake means you don't need as many as you can pad it out with extra veg.
Check out this recipe
Sausage Tray Bake
This tray bake needs just 5 minutes of prep time and is great for making in a small group.
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Easy Chicken Tray Bake
Another tray bake with just 5 minutes of prep time. Boneless chicken thighs are much cheaper than chicken breasts, but use what you can find. Use dried herbs or leave them out.
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Chicken and Broccoli Pasta Bake
Pasta bakes are budget-friendly and will keep well in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Check out this recipe
Chicken Leek and Mushroom Pasta
Leeks and mushrooms are cheap and go well together. Use more veggies and less meat if you want to save money.
Check out this recipe
Chicken Risotto
A risotto is perfect if you've only got a small amount of meat. Don't worry if you've never cooked one before, they are super easy. Add in any leftover veg. Chorizo adds extra flavour. Leave it out or use cooked sausages.
Check out this recipe
Chicken Curry (Korma)
This is healthy and tastes amazing. Using a curry paste is cheaper than buying a jar of sauce as it goes much further. Once open, store the curry paste in the fridge.
Check out this recipe
Pork Meatballs with Pasta
This recipe shows you how to make your own meatballs -or you can buy some and follow the recipe for the sauce. It's great cold for lunch the next day too.
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Student Recipes with Fish
Fish can be expensive, but most of these recipes can be made with tinned fish, which is much cheaper and still good for you. Buy tinned salmon and tuna and you'll always have something you can cook for dinner.
Tuna Pasta Bake
This Creamy Tomato Tuna Pasta Bake can be made from store cupboard ingredients and is ready in around 30 minutes. Add some spinach if you can - it's cheap and gives you iron, but leave it out if you can't be bothered to go to the shops.
Check out this recipe
Tuna Fishcakes
Homemade fishcakes are easy, can be frozen and taste so much better than store bought ones.
Check out this recipe
Fish Pie
An easy fish pie recipe, great for cooking in a group. You can also freeze it. Look for cheaper varieties of fish. Check the frozen section and you can leave out the prawns.
Check out this recipe
Cod Mornay
Cod Mornay is a lazy fish pie. Buy frozen fish fillets which are cheaper but defrost them first or your sauce will be runny. If you have some slightly stale bread, use this as breadcrumbs on the top. You can also use crisps!
Check out this recipe
Fish Curry
Use any white fish fillets for this easy curry and cook them from frozen if you need to. Frozen fish fillets are usually cheaper than fresh ones.
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Fish Stew
This fish stew only takes 20 minutes and is healthy and full of flavour. You can use frozen white fish fillets in this recipe too and cook from frozen if you need to. Chickpeas are very cheap and bulk this out. Serve with rice, couscous or bread.
Check out this recipe
Tray Baked White Fish
A tray bake is perfect for cooking in a group. You can substitute the cod with a cheaper white fish. Add more vegetables to make it go further.
Check out this recipe
Keralan Fish Curry
A South Indian Fish Curry with coconut milk. Ready in 30 minutes.
Check out this recipe
Thai Green Fish Curry
A straightforward Thai Green Fish Curry, ready in 20 minutes.
Check out this recipe
Salmon Pasta
You can use tinned salmon in this pasta dish for a super quick and budget-friendly meal.
Check out this recipe
Salmon Risotto
Use tinned salmon in this salmon risotto for a cheaper version that still tastes amazing.
Check out this recipe
Salmon Carbonara
Another recipe where you can substitute tinned salmon and it's ready in just 15 minutes.
Check out this recipe
Salmon Lasagne
A great tinned salmon recipe for cooking with friends.
Check out this recipe
Smoked Mackerel Pasta Bake
Smoked Mackerel is an oily fish and relatively cheap. Smoked mackerel fillets are already cooked and usually vacuum packed so they last longer which gives you more flexibility around using them.
Check out this recipe
Smoked Mackerel Fishcakes
Because Smoked Mackerel is such a cheap fish, try this fishcake recipe. You can freeze them for up to 3 months.
Check out this recipe
Smoked Mackerel Salad
This is a super easy recipe and good for dinner or lunch as you can eat it hot or cold. Ready in 10 minutes, smoked mackerel and noodles is a brilliant cheap combination.
Check out this recipe
More Student Cheap Meal Ideas
There may be times when you really need to stretch your budget. Try these budget meal ideas.
- Pasta and pesto.
- Beans! Nothing wrong with beans on toast.
- Fish finger wraps. You can even add some salad!
- Noodles. Cheap and easy.
- Jacket potato. Cook for about 8 minutes in a microwave and add toppings.
- Grilled cheese sandwich
- Tuna melt (add tinned tuna to your cheese and melt under the grill)
- Fajitas
- Omelette - great for using up leftovers. Add some cheese and finish it off under the grill. (don't put plastic pan handles under the grill)
- Soup - most vegetables can be made into a soup. Start with an onion, add some stock and other vegetables, season with salt and pepper, bring to a boil, and simmer. Use potato to thicken it and put it through a blender if you have one.
Budget Student Snack Ideas
Buying snacks can easily take up lots of your budget. Try some of these cheaper options when you need something extra.
- Toast
- Toasted bagel
- Cereal
- Tinned Rice pudding starts around 29p
- Fresh Fruit
- Raw vegetables and dip (carrots, cucumber, celery)
- Cheese and crackers
- Yoghurt and banana or other fruit or granola.
- Celery and cream cheese
- Smashed avocado on toast
- Tinned fruit in its own juice
- Hard boiled eggs
- Banana sandwiches -add peanut butter or chocolate spread
- Waffles
- Quesadillas
- Jelly - you need to make it in advance but it's super cheap.
- Rice Cakes -top with peanut butter
Cheap Student Pizza
Almost everyone loves pizza, but take-out pizzas are expensive. You can make your own. For the base, use one of the following. Use a little passata or tomato puree then just add toppings and cheese.
- Tortilla wraps
- Flatbread - check out this easy 3 ingredient flatbread recipe
- Bagels
- Baguettes cut in half longways
- Pitta Bread
- Plain naan bread
Easy Ingredient Swaps
Don't worry if you haven't got all the ingredients you need for these recipes. Most of the time, it won't matter too much. Whilst baking cakes requires precision, cooking dinner doesn't. Here are some simple student swaps you can make.
- Tomato Puree - use a tablespoon of tomato ketchup.
- Groundnut oil or other types of oil - use any vegetable, sunflower, or olive oil.
- Fresh Lemons - use bottled lemon juice and keep it in the fridge.
- Mince - Quorn mince is cheaper and can be cooked from frozen.
- Fresh herbs - use dried. As a general rule, if a recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs, use 1 teaspoon of dried. Dried herbs should be cooked in however so if the fresh herbs are sprinkled on the top once the meal is cooked, just leave them out.
- Fresh garlic - use garlic paste in a tube.
- Fresh ginger - use ginger puree or minced ginger.
- Fish Stock - less common in recipes so use vegetable stock instead.
- Beef, chicken, lamb stock - just buy one of these, I recommend chicken and use it in all meat-based dishes that ask for stock.
Freezer Tips
You can freeze most foods. When you put food in the freezer, it's like pressing the pause button. Food will not go off in the freezer. If it's there for a long time, the taste and texture may change, but it will still be safe to eat. Most foods can be frozen for 3-6 months without any change. The most important freezer rule to remember is that you can only freeze food once.
For example, if you get raw chicken out of the freezer, you can cook it and then freeze the cooked chicken. You cannot refreeze the raw chicken. You can defrost a meal for 2 -3 days in the fridge. Make sure cooked food is piping hot before eating it.
Common Foods you can Freeze
Managing a student budget means avoiding foodwaste. These are some common foods you can freeze.
- Mashed potato - shape it into a ball about the size of a snooker ball and freeze it on an open tray. Once frozen, you can put your frozen balls of mash into one bag or container. Defrost them in the microwave.
- Cooked Pasta - cool the pasta and put portion sizes into zip-lock bags. Squeeze out the air. Place it in the freezer. Reheat it in boiling water for a few minutes from frozen.
- Cooked Rice - cool the rice and put portion sizes into zip-lock bags. Squeeze out the air. Place it in the freezer. Reheat it in boiling water for a few minutes from frozen. Don't leave cooked rice sitting around at room temperature as it will grow a bacteria and make you sick.
- Bananas - if your bananas are going brown, peel and chop them and place them in the freezer. Add them to smoothies or defrost and mash them up on toast.
- Bread - you'll rarely get through an entire loaf of bread before it goes off. Take a few slices out and store the rest in the freezer.
- Hard Cheese - (cheddar etc.) If you find a deal on cheese but it's too much to use at once, you can freeze it until you are ready to use it.
- Milk - if you're going away and have some milk left, pop it in the freezer.
- Eggs - break the egg into a cup and whisk the yolk and white together. Put the whisked egg in a container and freeze it.
- Vegetables - most vegetables freeze well. It's handy to have some diced peppers and onions etc in the freezer. Store in an airtight container. You can cook them from frozen.
- Cakes, biscuits - you can freeze these too.
Food Sharing Apps!
As a student, food-sharing apps can help save you money, as well as help in the general fight to reduce food waste! You buy food that would otherwise go to waste at knockdown prices from restaurants, cafes, and shops. The food is perfectly good to eat but often only available at the end of the day.
- Too Good To Go - Buy surprise bags of food at knockdown prices from shops and restaurants nearby. This is a great idea to share with flatmates and you can get some real bargains.
- Olio - another food waste-reducing app. People give food away for free they no longer need. They also now offer other items not just food.
- Karma - a bit like Too Good To Go, except you can see exactly which meals are available to buy at reduced prices from restaurants, cafes, etc nearby.
