This post is all about healthy college meals.
If you’ve struggled with eating healthy in college, you are most definitely NOT alone. It’s no wonder the freshman 15 is so common when it’s easiest to grab fast food on-the-go or get microwave meals at the grocery store that you don’t need to spend your precious energy cooking. But the truth is, there are TONS of great healthy college meals that you can make without overspending your money, time or energy.
I’m not going to tell you to create some elaborate meal plan or give you some all-organic grocery list, because I know those things aren’t always the most realistic as a college student. These are just 27 go-to easy college meals to keep you on a healthy diet while barely even trying.
Hopefully, you’ll find some great meal ideas on this list with good protein sources that require only a little planning. Having some go-to recipes at affordable prices seriously makes all the difference in college.
These are my favourite 25 healthy meals to make as a college student that don’t require crazy amounts of ingredients, time, energy or money.
You’ll wanna save this post for future reference because that’s the best way to make sure you can come back to these easy meals again and again!
25 RECIPES FOR STUDENTS:
1. Quesadillas
When my friend suggested making quesadillas to me in my first year of college, I thought she was crazy and overly ambitious. I thought it would be hard and take way too much time, but it’s actually so easy to do!
The other thing I love about quesadillas is that you can often use whatever you have on hand. If you have veggies that are going to go bad if you don’t use them soon, like red bell peppers peppers or onions, these are great to throw in a quesadilla!
You can always add protein like black beans and chicken and a side of sour cream to make it a high protein option.
Overall prep + cooking time: 10 minutes
Get the recipe >>> Quesadillas
*Make this with just beans instead of adding meat and it’s vegetarian!
2. Avocado chickpea salad
This is (and I think will always be) one of my go-to healthy college meals. It is seriously so easy to throw together, so healthy and actually fills you up a lot!
You can also turn this into a chicken salad by adding grilled or canned chicken.
Overall prep time: 15 minutes
Get the recipe >>> Avocado chickpea salad
3. One pan chicken, potato & veggie dinner
This recipe is genius because you literally just throw everything all onto one pan and throw it in the oven. Once you’ve made it a few times, you won’t even have to read the recipe as you cook anymore; it’s that simple!
It has veggies, carbs, and protein, which is everything you need to maintain good energy levels in college.
This will also last you for 3-4 meals, so you can meal prep it for the whole week to make things easier.
Overall prep + cooking time: 40 minutes
Get the recipe >>> one pan chicken, potato & broccoli dinner
4. Lemon garlic baked tilapia
One problem you may run into as a college student is that good fish (like salmon) can be suuuper expensive. And if you’re a pescatarian and fish is your go-to for protein, then it can get really expensive buying fish like salmon all the time.
Fish like tilapia tends to be significantly cheaper (better for your college budget!), but is still so healthy and easy to cook. I’m not pescatarian but I do love fish and this is one of my favourite healthy college meals that I have been making for years! The lemon juice on the fish is the best part… It makes it sooo juicy and delicious with such little effort.
It goes really nicely with brown rice, quinoa or potatoes.
Overall prep + cooking time: 15 minutes
Get the recipe >>> lemon garlic baked tilapia
5. Greek quinoa salad (vegetarian/vegan)
This is one of the most common cheap healthy meals I make. It’s so good and if you like meal prepping, you can make a bunch in advance and then keep it in the fridge to eat throughout the next week.
It’s got such simple ingredients that are small enough to keep in a mini fridge if you’re living in a dorm! Plus, the good news is that it’s also a great healthy option for vegetarians and vegans. If you want to make it vegan, just skip the feta cheese.
Overall prep time: 15 minutes
Get the recipe >>> quinoa salad
6. “Healthy” ramen
Okay, the ramen itself might make this not the *most* healthy meal on this list, but in my freshman year of college, I learned how to master the art of making unhealthy meals moderately healthy.
Let’s be honest:
Sometimes you just want something unhealthy that doesn’t take long to cook. This healthy ramen recipe is seriously so good because it still won’t take you that long to make but it incorporates protein and other healthy nutrients so that you’re not literally just eating carbs and sodium.
And if you want to make it an even healthier option, you can find gluten-free ramen noodles, which are just as cheap and a great way to keep a balanced diet if you struggle with gluten.
Overall prep + cooking time: 10 minutes
Get the recipe >>> “healthy” ramen
*My secret hack: get some kimchi and add it to your ramen – it’s healthy and tastes sooo good!
7. Stovetop sweet potato fries (vegetarian/vegan)
I know sweet potato fries on its own doesn’t really seem like a meal, but I actually do this pretty often when I just want a small and filling but healthy meal. These are a great healthy study snack or small meal to eat after a late evening class if you don’t want to stuff yourself right before going to bed.
So, if whether you eat sweet potatoes as a side to your meals or as healthy snacks, this recipe is such a good idea!
It also tastes soooo good with chipotle sauce, which is easy to keep in a dorm room fridge. And you can make this meal even faster if you have an air fryer!
Overall prep + cooking time: 20 minutes
Get the recipe >>> sweet potato fries
8. Chicken stir fry
Stir fry is one of the best healthy college meals because you can customize it to your liking. You can also use up whatever you have on hand.
Why pay for a meal like this in the dining hall when it’s so easy to make yourself for way better prices? This is one of my favorite recipe ideas (and honestly, I’ve made it so many times that I don’t even follow a recipe anymore!)
I also mentioned this about the quesadillas in #1, but if you have some veggies that are about to go bad (e.g. peppers, broccoli, onions, etc) then you can throw it into a stir fry to make sure it gets used and not wasted!
Overall prep + cooking time: 20 minutes
Get the recipe >>> stir fry
9. Tomato, avocado & egg breakfast sandwich
This one is so filling and is seriously one of my favourite healthy college meals (although I feel like I’ve been saying that about all of the meals on this list because it’s true). It’s a great way to take avocado toast to the next level by adding more protein that will keep you full for hours.
You could also add a side of greek yogurt, fresh fruit or cottage cheese to this!
Overall prep + cooking time: 25 minutes
Get the recipe >>> tomato, avocado & egg breakfast sandwich
10. Fried rice
The thing I love about fried rice is that you can make a ton of it and then save it and eat it throughout the week! I have done this so many times and I never get tired of it.
The only thing to keep in mind is that it’s ideal to make the rice 24 hours ahead of time to chill it so that it fries properly. If you can’t do that, the meal will still be delicious, but if you really want to be eating gourmet in college, then making the rice in advance is a game-changer. That’s what also makes this a great meal if you’re looking for healthy college meal prep ideas.
My recommendation?
Quickly make the rice on a Saturday evening and then finish preparing the meal on Sunday afternoon/evening. Then you’ll have a meal to eat all throughout the week and you won’t have to worry about cooking again until the next weekend! This is perfect for any busy college student.
Overall prep + cooking time: 20 minutes
Get the recipe >>> fried rice
*My special hack: if you want to make this even faster to cook, get pre-cooked frozen shrimp from the grocery store (rather than putting chicken or beef in your fried rice). This means you won’t have to cook any meat and you can literally just throw the shrimp in in the last 2 minutes of cooking the fried rice and it’ll be ready!
[RELATED – Tips on Meal Prep That Will Improve Your College Life]
11. Guacamole & tortilla chips (vegetarian/vegan)
Here’s another one that doesn’t really seem like a proper meal on its own. But it’s a great recipe to have on hand for when you just need something a little smaller! This guacamole is easily one of my favorite easy recipes and once you know how to make it, it will take you less than 10 minutes.
This guacamole will keep in the fridge for a couple days, which makes a perfect study snack.
Overall prep time: 10 minutes
Get the recipe >>> guacamole & tortilla chips
12. Fettuccine alfredo with chicken & broccoli
Anything with traditional pasta is super easy, filling and mindless (in a good way)! This is one of the best healthy college meal ideas for students who don’t have lots of time to cook.
Skip the chicken to make this a vegetarian option (obviously).
Overall prep + cooking time: 25 minutes
Get the recipe >>> fettuccine alfredo with chicken & broccoli
*My special hack: if you want more protein, add roasted nuts to this recipe! Cashews & pine nuts work really well in this.
13. Tomato & cucumber bocconcini salad
I’ve actually been eating this salad since high school because it’s so healthy, but also has some protein which makes it a bit more filling than you’d expect. This is one of the best 6 ingredient meals for college students (you can even make it less than 6 ingredients and it’s still great).
Takes just minutes to throw together!
If you get in the habit of eating this regularly, you can get the tomato, bocconcini, and cucumber as bulk items once per week and eat it every day. It’s a great way to incorporate nutritious food into your meals while avoiding doing any dorm cooking, since you don’t actually have to cook for this one.
Overall prep time: 5 minutes
Get the recipe >>> tomato & cucumber bocconcini salad
14. Creamy Mushroom Tortellini
Not only is tortellini good, it gives you a little protein and adding mushrooms to the recipe makes it one of the more nutritious meals you could make! If you know how to boil water then you can make this recipe with ease.
You could add a green salad to this or meal prep it at the beginning of the week. Either way, it’s such a delicious meal for college students!
Overall prep + cooking time: 30 minutes
Get the recipe >>> creamy mushroom tortellini
15. Fruit & protein bistro lunch box
This is one of the best healthy college meals because it requires absolutely NO cooking and it’s just a matter of throwing things on a plate or in a tupperware container. I love making bistro lunch boxes on days when I have long lectures or lots of work to do.
All you need to make this is some variation of protein (like eggs, cheese, and peanut butter), some fruits of your choice, and some kind of whole grain bread or crackers!
Overall prep time: 5 minutes
Get the recipe >>> fruit & protein bistro lunch box
16. Eggplant bruschetta bites
I know this sounds weird, but it’s actually really quick to make and as you can imagine, it’s super healthy. Even my boyfriend liked this, and he is not a fan of eggplants.
Plus, when you see a photo of these, I don’t know how you can resist!
This is often made as a party appetizer, but it’s super filling if you eat a few of them and it’s really healthy.
Overall prep + cooking time: 25 minutes
Get the recipe >>> eggplant bruschetta bites
*My hack: since you’re not making it as an appetizer, skip the unnecessary fancy stuff – like the garnish, even the roasted garlic. You can really get away with just olive oil, salt, pepper, and balsamic.
17. Mediterranean flatbread pizza
I’ve actually only made this a couple times but I keep meaning to make it again because it is seriously SO GOOD!!
The first time I made this, I actually just made it so I could use up a bunch of extra chicken breast that I had cooked a couple days prior. This is a great idea to keep in mind if you ever have extra chicken in the fridge that you don’t want to go bad but don’t know what to do with! Or, you can grab a rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store and use that for your flatbread pizza.
This is one of the most filling and quick meals for busy college students!
All you have to do is keep some flat bread on hand and that takes away all the hard work of this recipe. The rest is so easy to throw together at meal time!
Overall prep + cooking time: 15 minutes
Get the recipe >>> mediterranean flatbread pizza
18. Chicken caesar wrap
This is super simple to throw together and it’s something that you can prep and then eat for a couple days after.
Another option?
Get pre-cooked chicken from the grocery store if you don’t have the time to cook it (although this is usually a bit more expensive than buying raw chicken which honestly doesn’t take that long to cook anyways).
Overall prep + cooking time: 15 minutes
Get the recipe >>> chicken caesar wrap
19. Scrambled eggs that use up your leftovers (sounds gross but it’s genius)
Ok, so I’ve mentioned a few times now the idea of using up leftover produce that’s gonna go bad soon. For this one, you can even use leftover meat if you want to – chicken, sausage, bacon, ham – it’s all great in this.
It might sound gross, but I promise it’s not. This is actually a super genius way to make sure you’re not wasting food or the precious money you spent on groceries.
You can pretty much throw whatever veggies you want into scrambled eggs, and that makes it an even healthier meal as well! This is such a good breakfast and a great way to make healthy choices by getting more nutrition into your meals.
You could also grab some wraps and add this scrambled egg mixture into breakfast burritos!
Overall prep + cooking time: 12 minutes
Get the recipe >>> scrambled eggs that use up your leftovers
20. Cheese board lunch box
Like, not the cheese & ritz crackers your mom used to give you when you were 5 but also not charcuterie board type fancy…. You feel me?
This is a really simple lunch idea that requires absolutely no cooking but is healthy and filling!
Overall prep time: 5 minutes
Get the recipe >>> cheese board lunch box
21. Rice dolmades & lemon potatoes (vegetarian/vegan)
This might look like something that’s super complicated to make, but you don’t even have to do it all from scratch for it to be healthy.
What do I mean?
Literally all you need to do is get these canned rice dolmades and then make the lemon potatoes. This is one of the most delicious healthy meals for college students!
Overall prep + cooking time: 1 hour
Get the recipe >>> lemon potatoes
22. Avocado egg salad sandwich
Here’s another example of those healthy college meals that is super filling while being healthy! A great option if you have a heavy day of classes or assignments.
Overall prep + cooking time: 25 minutes
Get the recipe >>> avocado egg salad sandwich
23. Filling energy booster protein smoothie (vegetarian)
For those days where you just want a small lunch or an energy boost between classes, this protein smoothie is a great option.
In my freshman year, I’m not kidding when I say that my friends knew me as the girl who ALWAYS had a smoothie on her if I had a full day of classes. If you throw it in a tumbler that will keep it cold, it’s the perfect on-the-go snack!
If you want it as a sit-down breakfast, you can also use this same recipe to make smoothie bowls with different toppings.
Overall prep time: 10 minutes
Get the recipe >>> filling energy booster protein smoothie
24. Crispy grilled cheese (vegetarian)
I’m probably one of the biggest grilled cheese fans out there.
My favourite part about grilled cheese?
Customizing them! Sometimes, I love putting ham or salami on my grilled cheese, and maybe a slice of tomato. This just adds nutrition and makes it taste even better. Another weird thing I like (but it’s so good) is dipping it in zucchini relish. One jar lasts such a long time, making it a super affordable option!
Overall prep + cooking time: 15 minutes
Get the recipe >>> crispy grilled cheese
25. Loaded baked potato
Baked potatoes are one of my favourite healthy recipes for college students in apartments because you can just throw one in the oven and then spend an hour or so doing assignments, studying, or cleaning while you wait!
Overall prep + cooking time: 1 hour
Get the recipe >>> loaded baked potato
26. Protein pancakes
Protein pancakes are so good and SO filling. The best part is, you can make a big batch and then keep them in the fridge or freezer. In the morning, just pop a couple in the toaster or microwave, top them with maple syrup, and you’ve got an easy breakfast!
Overall prep + cooking time: 20 minutes
Get the recipe >>> protein pancakes
27. Ground beef taco bowl
Taco bowls are great because they’re DELICIOUS but they also store well, so you can store them in the fridge for several days and take them on the go. Plus, they’re so filling and easy to customize to your liking!
Overall prep + cooking time: 30 minutes
Get the recipe >>> ground beef taco bowl
28. Make-ahead breakfast burritos
These make-ahead burritos look amazing! They do take a little longer to make, but the benefit is that you can meal prep a bunch of them at once, keep them in the freezer and heat them up one at a time for an easy, healthy breakfast. This is one of the best ways to make sure you’re well nourished before a long day of classes!
Overall prep + cooking time: 45 minutes
Get the recipe >>> make ahead breakfast burritos
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What a fantastic variety of recipes! I often do “open” grilled cheese sandwiches by toasting the bread first, then baking the bread topped with cheese, tomatoes and cooked asparagus. Totally yum!
that sounds soo good!! ?