Most popular inexpensive recipes every university student needs to try!!
This post is all about the cheapest college meals.
One of the most valuable things you learn as a student is how to eat healthy on a budget. This list of the cheapest college meals will give you tons of inspo so that you’re not just eating the same boring meals every day!!
If you’ve ever struggled with finding good recipes that are still budget-friendly, then you might just want to save this post to a Pinterest board so you can easily come back for inspo because I think you’ll be just as obsessed with these recipes as I am!
Note: I’ve given cost estimates below for each meal, but these estimates are just ballpark guesses based on the average price of these items at the time of writing this post so the cost at your local grocery store could be slightly different.
This post is all about the cheapest college meals.
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CHEAPEST COLLEGE MEALS:
1. Chickpea Avocado Salad
This chickpea avocado salad is one of my go-to’s when it comes to the cheapest college meals! You can get the veggies and protein you need in one sitting, and it’s so inexpensive to make.
COST ESTIMATE:
- Chickpeas: $1
- Avocado: $2
- Cucumber: $1
- Tomato: $1
- Lime: $0.50
- Optional: add tuna and bocconcini cheese for extra protein, and a bit of salt or balsamic dressing!
- Total cost estimate: $5.50-$10.00 for a salad that will last you about 2 meals!
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2. Basic Baked Chicken Wings
This is not only one of the cheapest college meals but also one of the easiest.
When you’re super tired and just want to throw something in the oven, these simple baked chicken wings are a great option!
I love making these with a simple side of rice or a salad. So easy, fast, and does not even come close to breaking the bank!
All you need is chicken wings, olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper (but obviously you can add other seasonings if you want)!
Depending on what seasonings you already have, you may just need to buy the chicken. So this meal can easily cost you under $10 and last you for 2-3 meals!
3. Tuna Melt
Don’t leave just because you don’t like tuna… hear me out.
Even people who don’t usually like tuna tend to enjoy tuna melts. They are the easiest thing to make, a great source of protein, and you only need 3 ingredients (for the most basic version) which makes them one of the best cheap college student meals!!
COST ESTIMATE:
- Bread $3
- Tuna $2
- Cheese $5
- Total: $10 (but again, these ingredients will last you more than 1 meal!)
4. Chicken Souvlaki Plate
You know those pre-marinated chicken skewers you can get at the grocery store??
Literally all you need for this recipe is those, some rice, cucumbers and tomatoes.
It’s as simple as it sounds. Bake the chicken souvlaki skewers, cook up some rice, and then cut up some cucumbers & tomatoes and add a little balsamic sauce and/or olive oil and you’re good to go!
I’m estimating that this will also cost you $10 or under (but it really depends how much chicken you get!).
5. Balsamic Pork Chops & Sweet Potato Fries
Sweet potato fries are so easy to make because literally all you need is a sweet potato and some oil.
Pair that with this 5-ingredient balsamic pork chop recipe, and both you AND your bank account will be in food heaven!
All you need is oil, salt, balsamic vinegar, rosemary, and pork chops. I’m guessing this will also cost you around $10 depending on how many of those ingredients you already have in your pantry.
6. Mediterranean Flatbread Pizza
This is one of my favorite healthy college meals not only because of how cheap it is, but also how easy it is to make!!
WHAT YOU NEED + COST ESTIMATE:
- Naan bread ($1.50)
- Mozzarella cheese ($5)
- Toppings of your choice. I use chicken breast ($4), black olives ($1), spinach ($1.50), and onion ($1)
Let’s say you use all the things I just mentioned… your total cost will be about $14, but this should last you for about 3 meals which would make this less than $5 per meal.
All you do is cook and shred the chicken breast, throw the cheese and toppings on the naan bread and then stick it in the oven at 350 until the cheese is melted. So simple!!
7. Simple Charcuterie Board
This one is great because you can pretty much include or not include whatever you want.
But generally, all you need is crackers ($2), some cheese ($5), grapes ($3), olives ($1.50), and sausage or lunch meats if you want ($4-7).
Those estimated costs above are what it should cost if you’re buying enough to eat it for multiple days, so that $15.50-$18.50 isn’t just for one meal, but probably 2-4. That makes this about $3.75-$5 per meal!
8. Classic Farmer’s Wrap
This is a classic Canadian breakfast and I couldn’t find a good picture on Pinterest but all my Canadian readers out there will know what I’m talking about! And if you don’t, you NEED to try this out because it is seriously so good.
WHAT YOU NEED + COST ESTIMATE:
- Eggs
- Frozen hash browns
- Slices of cheese
- Bacon or sausage patties
- Tortillas
- Chipotle sauce
Obviously it’s hard to guess the cost of one wrap because all of these items except the chipotle sauce come in a pack of multiples. However my best guess would be that these ingredients altogether will cost you less than $25 but could make up to 12 of these wraps which means that each one would cost you about $2!
How’s that for amazing cheap meals for college?!
All you have to do:
- Fry an egg however you like it
- Bake the frozen hash browns as directed on the package (1 hash brown per wrap)
- When the egg and the hash brown are done, put them on the tortilla and then add the cheese on top (1 slice or grated cheese works too)
- Put chipotle sauce on top
- Fold the tortilla like you normally would for a wrap and warm it on the pan you cooked the egg in until it’s lightly browned
- That’s all!! So good!
9. Chicken Pad Thai
Pad Thai is one of my fave college recipes because you can literally make it with 3 ingredients!
All you really need is pad thai noodles, pad thai sauce, eggs, and chicken breast (and bean sprouts if you want).
It’s one of the cheapest college meals out there because those ingredients usually cost me about $20 altogether but last me for at least 3 meals, making it less than $7 per meal!
The recipe I’ve linked below has more ingredients than I just listed because like anything else, you can obviously make it more complex if you want to. But if you’re trying to save money and still have a good dinner, the ingredients I listed above are really all you need!
10. Black Bean Quesadillas
Opting for vegetarian meals sometimes seriously will save you a huge amount. You can still get some good protein with ingredients like black beans, at a fraction of the price of meat!
This black bean quesadilla recipe is estimated to cost you about $7 for the ingredients but less than $1 per quesadilla! How incredible is that?!
Which of these cheap college recipes are you going to try?!
This post was all about the cheapest college meals.
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The black bean Quesadillas look super fun and easy. I clicked on the recipe. Yum yum. Thanks for the variety of recipe ideas.
They are so good and easy!!