Student Meals
Cheap student meals, sorted by what they actually cost
No lists of vague "budget" recipes here — every dinner on this page is sorted by its real, worked-out cost per serving, cheapest first, starting from £0.32 a serving. Minimal kit, freezer-friendly where it counts, and a proper macro breakdown on every one, checked by a registered nutritionist rather than estimated. Fancy something sweet instead? See the no-bake sweets & snacks too — most cost well under 50p a portion.
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Red Lentil Dhal
One of the cheapest meal-prep dishes there is — a big pot of spiced red lentil dhal that freezes beautifully in portions.
- Vegetarian
Marmite Spaghetti with Cheese
A well-known student classic for a reason — Marmite, butter, and cheese turn plain spaghetti into something genuinely craveable, for pennies.
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Lentil & Vegetable Soup
A thick, filling soup that costs less than 50p a bowl — red lentils break down completely for a naturally creamy texture.
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Curried Parsnip & Apple Soup
Parsnips and a cheap cooking apple make a naturally sweet, curry-spiced soup that costs pennies a bowl, nutritionist-costed like every recipe here.
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Big Batch Moroccan Chickpea & Apricot Tagine
Warm spices, sweet dried apricots, and tinned chickpeas make a proper vegetarian tagine — a batch of 8 portions for the freezer.
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
Pearl Barley & Root Vegetable Stew
Pearl barley makes this stew naturally thick and filling without any meat — a proper winter warmer for under £3 total.
- Vegetarian
Overnight Oats Meal Prep Jars
No cooking required — five jars of overnight oats made in one go, ready to grab from the fridge for breakfast all week.
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Jacket Potatoes with Baked Beans & Cheese
The definition of a British budget classic — four jacket potatoes loaded with beans and cheese for about £3 total.
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Sweet Potato & Black Bean Stew
A smoky, cumin-spiced vegetarian stew built on tinned black beans and sweet potato — cheap, filling, and freezes in neat portions.
- Dairy-free
Freezer-Friendly Chicken & Veg Soup
A big pot of chicken soup that's just as happy in the freezer as it is on the stove — makes 8 portions for grab-and-go lunches.
- Vegetarian
Pasta e Fagioli (Tomato & Bean Pasta)
An Italian classic built entirely from the store cupboard — pasta and beans in a rich tomato sauce, ready in 25 minutes.
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Ratatouille
A big pot of slow-cooked Mediterranean vegetables that only gets better with time — freezes well and works as a side, a pasta sauce, or a jacket potato topping.
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Sweet Potato & Kidney Bean Curry
Sweet potato breaks down into the sauce as it cooks, making this curry naturally thick and satisfying without any meat.
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Potato & Leek Soup
A timeless, creamy soup made without any cream — just potato, leek, and stock, blended until silky — costs about £0.54 a serving, nutritionist-costed.
- Gluten-free
Pea & Ham Soup
A thick, bright green soup using frozen peas and leftover or budget diced ham — ready in 25 minutes — costs about £0.55 a serving, nutritionist-costed.
- Dairy-free
Freezer Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
A double batch of meatballs simmered in tomato sauce, portioned eight ways — just add pasta or rice on the night.
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Vegetable & Lentil Tray Roast
Roast root vegetables tossed with cooked lentils and a mustard dressing — a filling vegetarian traybake for very little cost.
- Dairy-free
Bacon & Cabbage Stir-Fry with Rice
A few rashers of bacon go a long way when stir-fried with a whole cabbage — a genuinely cheap way to feed four.
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Bubble & Squeak with Fried Egg
The classic way to use up leftover potato and cabbage — crisp on the outside, soft in the middle, topped with a fried egg.
- Vegetarian
Simple Minestrone Soup
Whatever veg you have got, plus pasta and beans, makes a proper minestrone — a big pot for under £3, nutritionist-costed and freezes well.
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
One-Pot Root Vegetable & Chickpea Tagine
A vegetarian tagine built from carrots, swede, and chickpeas — warmly spiced and filling without any meat at all.
- Vegetarian
- Dairy-free
Thai-Style Peanut Noodle Salad
A cold noodle salad with a peanut butter dressing that tastes far more restaurant than 12-minutes-from-scratch.
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Spanish-Style Potato & Onion Tortilla
Just eggs, potatoes, and onion — a whole tortilla costs under £2 and works hot, cold, or packed for lunch the next day.
- Vegetarian
Peanut Butter & Banana Porridge
A filling, protein-boosted porridge that costs pennies and keeps you going all morning — nutritionist-costed with real protein numbers.