Cheap Low Calorie Meals Under $3
Eating cheap low calorie meals doesn't mean living on ramen. These recipes cost $3 or less per serving and stay low in calories by leaning on budget proteins like lentils, beans, eggs, and canned tuna. Ranked from least to most expensive so the biggest savers sit at the top.
$1.00
cheapest serving
$2.23
avg cost per meal
115
budget recipes
馃挵 Cheap protein sources
The cheapest low calorie meals all start with one of these budget proteins. Stock your pantry with them and a filling, low-calorie dinner is never more than a few dollars away.
Lentils
~18g protein · ~$0.30/serving · 230 cal/cup
Black Beans
~15g protein · ~$0.40/serving · 227 cal/cup
Chickpeas
~15g protein · ~$0.40/serving · 269 cal/cup
Eggs
~6g protein · ~$0.15/egg · 78 cal each
Brown Rice
~5g protein · ~$0.20/cup · 216 cal/cup
Canned Tuna
~26g protein · ~$1.00/can · 116 cal/100g
How to build cheap low calorie meals
1. Anchor on a budget protein. Lentils, beans, eggs, and canned tuna give the most protein per dollar. Build the meal around one of these and the rest is just vegetables and a cheap starch.
2. Stretch with fiber, not fat. Rice, oats, and frozen vegetables add volume and fullness for cents - without piling on calories the way oil and cheese do.
3. Batch-cook. A pot of lentil soup costs the same for one serving or four. Cook once, portion, and your per-meal cost drops further while dinner takes 2 minutes to reheat.
Cheap Low Calorie Recipes (Ranked by Cost)
Sorted from cheapest to most expensive - every one is $3 or under per serving.
Apple Peanut Butter Toast
Baked Sweet Plantain
Healthy Banana Ice Cream
Banana Nice Cream
Citrus Mint Detox Water
Crispy Roasted Chickpeas
Cucumber Mint Detox Water
Peanut Butter Apple Slices
Turmeric Ginger Healing Tea
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
Baked Potato with Cottage Cheese
Berry Chia Overnight Oats
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest low calorie meal?
The cheapest low calorie meals are built around lentils, beans, oats, eggs, and rice - all under $1 per serving. Lentil soup, black bean soup, and egg-white veggie scrambles routinely come in under $2 and 350 calories while delivering 15g+ of protein and 10g+ of fiber.
How can I eat healthy on a tight budget?
Buy dry lentils and beans (pennies per serving), eggs in bulk, frozen vegetables, and oats. Skip pre-cut produce and name-brand snacks. A week of low calorie meals can cost under $40 if you batch-cook around these staples and use our meal planner to match recipes to what is on sale.
Are cheap low calorie meals high in protein?
They can be. Lentils (18g protein/$0.30), eggs (6g/$0.15), canned tuna (26g/$1), and chickpeas (15g/$0.40) are among the cheapest protein sources available - and they are all low in calories. The recipes on this page all use these budget proteins to keep cost down and protein up.
What is considered a cheap meal?
A cheap meal generally costs $3 or less per serving. On this page we rank recipes with an estimated cost of $3 or under, sorted from least to most expensive. Recipes without a cost estimate are treated as $999 so they never crowd out the genuinely budget-friendly options.
Build a budget meal plan
Tell us what's in your pantry and we'll match cheap, low calorie recipes to your ingredients and weekly budget.
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