Among the different misconceptions about following a vegan diet, one of the more common ones is assuming this is a more expensive lifestyle. It can seem that way in the beginning, but with just a few tweaks to what you eat and where you shop, you can make it just as affordable as any other way of eating. Take a look at our list of affordable vegan food options.
It’s All in the Seasonal Produce
Quite a bit of the food you buy when you are on a vegan diet is fruits and veggies, which can get up there in price when you eat a high amount of them. The best thing you can do is try to stick to produce that is currently in season.
For example:
- In the spring, apricots, avocado, fennel, carrots, and asparagus are in season.
- In the summer, pineapple, plums, cherries, zucchini, bell peppers are in season.
- In the fall, cranberries, squash, pumpkin, sweet potato, and pears are in season.
- In the winter, apples, broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower are in season.
You can get these any time of year depending on where you live, but you tend to spend less when you stick mostly to the in-season produce. By doing this, it also switches up your recipes throughout the year, helping to make everything more interesting.
Foods You Can Buy in Bulk
You can also save money by getting your plant-based foods in bulk, when available. This includes your flour, grains, spices, herbs, nuts and seeds, beans, and legumes. These food items are going to be cheaper in the long run when you purchase big bags of them.
In the beginning of your vegan diet journey, you may want to stick to the smaller bags just until you know which grains, beans, and nuts you enjoy eating the most of or that you will definitely use. Once you choose your staples, buy in bulk as much as you can to save money.
Foods You Can Make in Big Batches
While you will spend a little more on the ingredients in the beginning, making food in big batches saves you money in the long run. Buy as much as you can in bulk and on sale, then make batch foods like casseroles, slow cooker meals, chilis and soups, and other dishes that will last longer in your refrigerator or freezer.
Cheap Vegan Meals
As far as meals that you can make easily and won’t cost a lot of money, here are a couple of easy options.
Pasta with sauce One of the simplest vegan meals is just pasta and tomato sauce of any kind. Most pasta is vegan, but do check the label just to be sure. You can make this simple meal in 10-15 minutes, and boost the protein by adding some meatless ground in the sauce.
Wraps Salad wraps are basically salads in tortillas or whatever type of wrap you have on hand. The reason these are cheap is because you just use whatever ingredients you happen to have in the fridge. It is a great way to use up veggies before they go bad.
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