Budget Friendly Meal Prep

Planning, preparing, and portioning your meals ahead of time is one of the most effective tools for keeping your food budget in check. We have 80+ Budget friendly meal prep ideas to keep your taste buds happy, your belly full, and your budget on track! New to meal prepping? Check out our Meal Prep 101 before you begin.

Looking for pre-made meal plans? Check out our range of 4-week dinner meal plans!

This Cheeseburger Meatloaf Meal Prep is an easy American classic meal that you'll look forward to each day. Toss the TV dinners and make your own! Budgetbytes.com

Popular Meal Prep Recipes

Smoky Chicken and Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potato Meal Prep

$9.43 recipe / $2.36 serving

Four glass meal prep containers lined up with roasted vegetable couscous. Two with chicken and two with chickpeas

Roasted Vegetable Couscous Meal Prep

$12.01 recipe / $4.00 serving

Three glass containers filled with hummus lunch box ingredients

The Hummus Lunch Box

$8.04 recipe / $2.01 serving

Cold Peanut Noodle Salad

$5.30 recipe / $1.33 serving

Ground Turkey Stir Fry

$7.41 recipe / $1.48 serving

Newest Budget Friendly Meal Prep

Grilled Vegetables

$7.64 recipe / $0.95 serving

With just a few ingredients and my easy grilling method, these grilled vegetables are the perfect side dish for any summer BBQ!

Sheet Pan Pancakes

$2.22 recipe / $0.55 serving

These sheet pan pancakes make breakfast on weekends a breeze! They’re easy to whip up and they’re freezer-friendly. Perfect for breakfast meal prep!

Taco Salad

$17.26 recipe / $2.87 serving

This taco salad recipe is super customizable without compromising on its hearty and satisfying flavors. It's the ultimate meal prep salad!

Chicken Stir Fry

$10.55 recipe / $1.76 serving

This Chicken Stir Fry recipe is perfect for a quick & easy dinner meal. It has lots of chicken and veggies and a super delicious stir-fry sauce!

Egg Muffins

$2.01 recipe / $0.34 serving

These super easy and delicious high protein egg muffins are the perfect meal prep breakfast to make weekday mornings a breeze.

Air Fryer Chicken Breast

$5.74 recipe / $1.43 serving

This juicy, tender, Air Fryer Chicken Breast is super flavorful and ready in less than 20 minutes. Perfect for meal prepping!

Southwest Lentils And Rice Skillet

$5.65 recipe / $1.41 serving

This Southwest Lentils and Rice Skillet is packed with veggies and bold flavors for a super filling, budget-friendly, and easy to make one pot skillet meal!

A serving of Sheet Pan Chicken Sausage and roasted vegetables on a white plate next to a sheet pan.

Sheet Pan Chicken Sausage Dinner

$9.93 recipe / $2.48 serving

Say yes to this easy, no-fuss, veggie-packed, Sheet Pan Chicken Sausage Dinner. Perfect for those busy weeknights!

Stuffed Bell Peppers

$12.21 recipe / $2.03 serving

These Stuffed Bell Peppers are a classic comfort food that’s hearty, filling, has incredible flavors, and can easily feed a large family.

Three meal prep turkey bowls lined up with yogurt sauce being drizzled over the middle one.

Mediterranean Turkey Bowls

$10.11 recipe / $2.53 serving

These Mediterranean Turkey Bowls are the perfect filling and fresh meal prep lunch for Spring and Summer. Plus, they're super versatile!

Turkey Pinwheels

$9.91 RECIPE / $2.48 SERVING

Turkey Pinwheels are a fun and easy spin on simple sandwiches, and the perfect recipe to make ahead for lunch meal prep or bring to a potluck.

Three glass meal prep containers lined up in a row full of chicken, potatoes, and broccoli.

Ranch Chicken Meal Prep

$11.58 recipe / $2.90 serving

This simple chicken meal prep features garlic herb chicken, roasted potatoes and broccoli, and a little ranch dressing to drizzle over top!