Budget Friendly Meal Prep

Planning, preparing, and portioning your meals ahead of time is one of the most effective tools for keeping your food budget in check. We have 80+ Budget friendly meal prep ideas to keep your taste buds happy, your belly full, and your budget on track! New to meal prepping? Check out our Meal Prep 101 before you begin.

Looking for pre-made meal plans? Check out our range of 4-week dinner meal plans!

This Cheeseburger Meatloaf Meal Prep is an easy American classic meal that you'll look forward to each day. Toss the TV dinners and make your own! Budgetbytes.com

Popular Meal Prep Recipes

Smoky Chicken and Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potato Meal Prep

$9.43 recipe / $2.36 serving

Four glass meal prep containers lined up with roasted vegetable couscous. Two with chicken and two with chickpeas

Roasted Vegetable Couscous Meal Prep

$12.01 recipe / $4.00 serving

Three glass containers filled with hummus lunch box ingredients

The Hummus Lunch Box

$8.04 recipe / $2.01 serving

Cold Peanut Noodle Salad

$5.30 recipe / $1.33 serving

Ground Turkey Stir Fry

$7.41 recipe / $1.48 serving

Newest Budget Friendly Meal Prep

Overhead view of thanksgiving salad in two bowls.

Thanksgiving Bowls

$13.67 recipe / $2.73 serving

These Thanksgiving Bowls are the perfect salads for using up all your holiday leftovers. Fresh, healthy, and great for reducing food waste!

Overhead view of sweet potatoes and black bean skillet with napkin and wooden spoon on the side.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Skillet

$7.44 recipe / $1.86 serving

This Sweet Potato Black Bean skillet is a fun, budget-friendly, and veggie packed meal with lots of flavor and is perfect for meal prep!

Air Fryer Baked Potatoes

$3.10 recipe / $0.77 each

Air Fryer Baked Potatoes are a classic comfort food that’s budget-friendly, easy to customize, and made conveniently in the air fryer.

Overhead view of overnight oats with various toppings

Overnight Oats (Base Recipe plus Variations)

$0.42 serving

These easy Overnight Oats are the ultimate introduction to budget-friendly meal prep. They're no-cook, ideal for on-the-go, and customizable!

Grilled Vegetables

$7.64 recipe / $0.95 serving

With just a few ingredients and my easy grilling method, these grilled vegetables are the perfect side dish for any summer BBQ!

Granola Bars

$7.42 recipe / $0.74 serving

Homemade Granola Bars are wholesome and healthy! Loaded with oats, dates, peanut butter, walnuts, and chocolate chips.

Niçoise Salad

$10.64 recipe / $1.77 serving

Niçoise salad is protein-packed, crunchy, and oh-so-satisfying-- perfect for meal prep to keep you full all week long.

Sheet Pan Pancakes

$2.22 recipe / $0.55 serving

These sheet pan pancakes make breakfast on weekends a breeze! They’re easy to whip up and they’re freezer-friendly. Perfect for breakfast meal prep!

Buffalo Beans and Greens

$6.61 recipe / $1.65 serving

These Buffalo beans and greens are a little bowl of luxury on a shoestring budget. We just can't get enough!

Taco Salad

$17.26 recipe / $2.87 serving

This taco salad recipe is super customizable without compromising on its hearty and satisfying flavors. It's the ultimate meal prep salad!

Chicken Stir Fry

$11.87 recipe / $1.98 serving

This Chicken Stir Fry recipe is perfect for a quick & easy dinner meal. It has lots of chicken and veggies and a super delicious stir fry sauce!

Egg Muffins

$2.01 recipe / $0.34 serving

These super easy and delicious high protein egg muffins are the perfect meal prep breakfast to make weekday mornings a breeze.