Budget recipe ideas

500+ budget friendly family dinners, sorted into collections. Every recipe shows the cost per portion and a step-by-step method.

Looking for cheap meals the whole family will eat? Start with a collection below: dinners for under £1 a head, quick and easy meals for busy nights, or budget favourites by main ingredient and cuisine. Every price is worked out from typical UK budget supermarket prices, so you know roughly what a dinner costs before you shop.

• Dinners for under £1 a portion219 recipesFamily dinners that cost less than £1 per person, based on typical UK budget supermarket prices.
• Quick 30-minute dinners184 recipesCheap dinners on the table in 30 minutes or less, for busy weeknights.
• Cheap easy meals78 recipesSimple dinners with 7 ingredients or fewer, ready in 30 minutes or less.
• Cheap vegetarian recipes172 recipesMeat-free family dinners: curries, pasta, soups, bakes and more. Vegetarian meals are some of the cheapest you can make.
• Freezer-friendly budget meals230 recipesCook once, eat twice. These cheap dinners freeze well, so you can batch cook and save money and time.
• Cheap pie recipes18 recipesBudget pies and pasties: cottage pie, shepherd's pie, chicken and bacon pie, fish pie and more.
• Cheap chicken recipes88 recipesBudget chicken dinners using thighs, drumsticks, breasts and whole chickens, from traybakes to curries.
• Cheap beef recipes49 recipesBudget beef dinners, mostly using mince and diced beef: chilli, cottage pie, stews and more.
• Cheap pork, sausage and bacon recipes63 recipesBudget dinners with sausages, bacon, ham, gammon and pork.
• Cheap fish and seafood recipes74 recipesBudget fish dinners using tinned tuna and sardines, frozen white fish, salmon, mackerel and prawns.
• Cheap turkey recipes42 recipesTurkey mince and turkey steaks are a lean, low-cost swap for beef and chicken.
• Cheap lamb recipes32 recipesLamb on a budget, mostly using lamb mince and diced lamb in curries, burgers, stews and hotpots.
• Cheap British recipes110 recipesClassic British and European family dinners on a budget: pies, stews, bakes and roasts.
• Cheap Italian recipes75 recipesBudget Italian dinners: pasta, gnocchi, risotto, pizza and more.
• Cheap Mediterranean recipes70 recipesGreek, Spanish, Turkish and Middle Eastern dinners on a budget.
• Cheap Asian recipes73 recipesBudget stir-fries, noodles, fried rice and curries from across Asia.
• Cheap Indian recipes65 recipesBudget curries, dals, biryanis and more, cheaper than a takeaway.
• Cheap Mexican & Caribbean recipes66 recipesBudget tacos, burritos, chilli and Caribbean dinners.
• Cheap American recipes61 recipesBudget American dinners: burgers, mac & cheese, BBQ and more.

Or browse all 500+ recipes.