The keto diet is absolutely huge right now. Unfortunately, it’s gotten a reputation as being a bit expensive. Luckily, this isn’t at all the case – you’ll find that, with a tiny bit of effort, you can easily do keto on a budget with some of these amazingly cheap keto meals. You can even build your own cheap keto meal plan with these recipes! I mean, just take a look at some of these dinner ideas…
To help you with this, we’ll show you just what food you should buy to stick to the keto diet without breaking the bank.
And if you’re already a keto pro, keep scrolling to see 30 budget-friendly keto recipes with breakfast ideas, lunch ideas, dinner ideas, desserts and snacks/fat bombs.
This means that you can create your own cheap keto meal plan while making sure that you save money!
What is the keto diet?
The ketogenic diet — better known as “keto” — is all about eating less carbs and more fat.
Specifically, the keto diet says you should get 60-75% of your calories from fat, 15-30% of your calories from protein, and 5-10% of your calories from carbs.
People report great weight loss results from the keto diet. Just make sure that you’re keeping an eye on your overall health and consider seeing your doctor before starting to check that the keto diet is right for you.
And if you’d like more information before diving in, there’s a mountain of it online.
After all, it was one of the top 10 most Googled diets for 2018. So it’s got a huge following with an enormous amount of websites looking to share more details with you.
What can I eat on the keto diet?
One of the best parts of the keto diet is that the focus is on eating real food. As you’ll see from the recipes below, these aren’t prepackaged, flavourless meals.
Many low-calorie diets have additives or an unhealthy amount of sugar or salt added to meals to give them taste. This means that while something may be low-calorie, it’s still not very good for you. Not so with meals on the keto diet.
In addition, the best kind of diet is one that you can sustain. When the food is tasty and filling, like with the meals below, you’re far more likely to stay with it.
We go through some of the specific food you can eat on a keto diet below.
How can I follow keto on a budget? Is there such a thing as a cheap keto meal plan?
There’s a bit of a misconception that the food you need to buy for the keto diet is expensive.
But as with most eating options, you simply have to make sure that the necessary ingredients won’t blow your budget.
(There are also a ton of other ways that you can save money on your groceries, whether or not you’re following the keto diet!)
MORE INFORMATION: HOW I SAVED $300 ON GROCERIES IN ONE MONTH
In the case of the keto diet, when you’re selecting which recipes to make each week, there are certain foods that you should look out for to stick to both the diet and your budget.
Luckily, we’ve created a list of them just for you!
Print it out and stick it on the fridge. Then, when you’re preparing this week’s meal plan and shopping list, you’ll easily be able to double check if the food you’re planning to cook is both keto-friendly and wallet-friendly.
I like to combine this with my favourite strategy for saving money on groceries: freezer cooking.
Freezer cooking essentially involves preparing as many freezer-friendly meals as you can ahead of time.
And then when you need to eat, you just take a meal out of the freezer so that it can thaw and then heat it up in the microwave or oven.
For me, I spend about one hour every Sunday afternoon making 10 to 12 meals. So it’s equivalent to one hour of work producing enough meals for every week night dinner for the next two weeks.
And in addition to being faster, I’ve definitely found freezer cooking to be cheaper, as it lets you buy in bulk.
That said, I’m not so good at meal planning each week, so I’ve recently been trying out a My FreezEasy subscription.
The money and time that this service has saved me has been incredible. In addition to showing you just how to get started with freezer cooking, they also send you great meal plans.
And better yet – they have cheap Keto Meal Plans!
I can honestly say that freezer cooking has been amazing for my wallet, my health and my free time – I thoroughly recommend it.
So to see if freezer cooking works for you, check out the FREE Freezer Cooking Workshop right here!
30 cheap keto meals for making an easy keto meal plan
These keto recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner ideas, as well as dessert and snacks/fat bombs will not only keep your stomach full, but they’ll help to keep your bank account full as well!
They’re made with low-cost ingredients without sacrificing taste or nutrition.
With ten recipes for keto dinner ideas and five of each of the other recipes, you’ll definitely have enough options to fill a weekly cheap keto meal plan, especially if you make enough for some meals to be leftovers for the next day.
Which is great when you consider that meal planning and only going into a supermarket with a shopping list are some of the best ways to save money on your grocery bill!
Keto breakfast ideas
Breakfast Sandwich
Source: Hey Keto Mama
From Hey Keto Mama
A sandwich without carbs? Well, the sausage on the outside is perfect for making sure that you don’t miss having bread.
Cream Cheese Pancakes
Source: I Breathe I’m Hungry
From I Breathe I’m Hungry
Not only is this recipe delicious, but if you’re a bit, ahem, challenged in the coordination department (*raises hand*), the link includes a great video on how to easily flip these pancakes.
Mushroom Omelet
Source: Diet Doctor
From Diet Doctor
Mushrooms and eggs are super filling, so try this omelette to start your day knowing that this simple and fast recipe will keep you full for hours to come!
Waffles
Source: Foodie Fiasco
From Foodie Fiasco
The best part about these waffles is that the fact that they’re so low carb and so low calorie means that you can add almost any topping you feel like and still stick to your diet! And we all know waffles aren’t only for breakfast, right?
Keto lunch ideas
Avocado Chicken Salad Wraps
Source: Whole and Heavenly Oven
“It’s not easy being green” doesn’t apply to these wraps. Not one bit. Frankly, they’re pretty superb.
Cauliflower Calzones
Source: Delish
From Delish
So much cheesy, cheesy goodness. Who even needs carbs, anyway?
Chicken Zoodle Soup
Source: Damn Delicious
From Damn Delicious
If it’s the thermometer has dropped outside or you’re feeling a bit under the weather, no need to ditch doing keto on a budget – instead, this chicken and vegetable soup will warm you up in an instant.
Shredded Chicken Chili
Source: Ketogasm
From Ketogasm
My food theory: If your nose isn’t running by the end of it, then you didn’t put enough chilies in and you definitely need to try again. And again and again.
Tomato Bun Tuna Melts
Source: Delish
From Delish
Sure, you may not be able to have a “real” burger when doing keto on a budget. But this tastes so good that you won’t even miss it!
Keto dinner ideas
Cauliflower Quesadillas
Source: Delish
From Delish
Cauliflower is seriously a godsend. Whoever knew that this broccoli’s pale cousin could be so versatile!
Eggplant Parmesan Roll-Ups
Source: Delish
From Delish
Spoiler alert: the smell when you pull these out of the oven is magnificent.
Enchilada Chicken
Source: Eating on a Dime
From Eating on a Dime
You won’t even notice the missing tortillas from this enchilada lookalike, especially when you can have this from the pan to the table in no time flat. Cheap keto meals are even better when they’re easy!
French Onion Zoodle Bake
Source: Climbing Grier Mountain
Not only is this delicious, but it’s great for having leftovers. Save even more money when you’re doing keto on a budget by using it for lunch the next day!
Garlic Butter Chicken
Source: Diethood
From Diethood
This one is for the garlic fans in the house. I know I’m not alone here. Far from it, I assume?
Lasagna Stuffed Peppers
Source: Peace Love and Low Carb
The best part about this recipe is that you can make the tomato meat sauce ahead of time and freeze it. Perfect for when you’re too tired to cook after work but still want to show off your cooking!
Mini Pepper Pizzas
Source: Delish
From Delish
Serve these in the center of the table so everyone can grab as many as they want. And trust me, they’ll want a lot.
Mexican Zucchini and Beef Skillet
Source: Low Carb Yum
From Low Carb Yum
This is so simple but the spices give it an incredible zing.
Pizza
Source: Genius Kitchen
From Genius Kitchen
If you’re doing keto on a budget, your Friday night pizza doesn’t have to mean a carb overload. Especially when the low-carb version tastes this good!
Zucchini Noodle Carbonara
Source: SkinnyMs
From SkinnyMs
You don’t need pasta to enjoy a delicious plate of carbonara – and this recipe proves it.
Keto dessert ideas
Almond Joy Cookies
Source: My Montana Kitchen
From My Montana Kitchen
You can practically taste the warm gooyness (it’s definitely a word) in that photo. Not bad for only four ingredients!
Chocolate Cake
Source: Melanie Cooks
From Melanie Cooks
Look at the moisture in that photo. No, I mean really look at it. And now for the magician’s trick: you can’t even tell that it’s flourless and gluten-free, can you?
Lemon Cheesecake
Source: Mother Thyme
From Mother Thyme
…And if you’re not a fan of lemon, substitute it in your cheap keto meal plan with orange, lime or even strawberry or raspberry.
Peanut Butter Brownies
Source: Seasonly Creative
From Seasonly Creations
Peanut butter and chocolate must be one of the simplest combinations in the world but it is, without fail, one of the best.
Strawberry Shortcake
Source: Gluten Free Makeover
From Gluten Free Makeover
This creamy, fruity gluten-free goodness is great to finish off a meal – or perhaps even as a pre-dinner treat?
Snack/Fat Bomb
Jalapeño Poppers Fat Bombs
Source: Low Carb Yum
From Low Carb Yum
As most fat bombs are sweet, this is a great alternative if you’re craving something a little different.
Key Lime Pie Fat Bombs
Source: Real Balanced
From Real Balanced
I think we can all agree that key lime pie is pretty glorious. So it’s even better when it’s *inhale* low-carb, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, vegan, and refined-sugar-free – and budget-friendly!
Red Velvet Fat Bombs
Source: My Keto Kitchen
From My Keto Kitchen
All the goodness of red velvet cupcakes but in a keto-friendly way!
Savory Salmon Fat Bombs
Source: Keto Diet App
From Keto Diet App
And just as a return to savory fat bombs, these are also great if you just don’t need the sweetness right now.
Strawberry Cheesecake Fat Bombs
Source: Low-Carb So Simple
From Low-Carb So Simple
These taste exactly like strawberry cheesecake ice-cream. It’s uncanny.
What’s your favorite recipe for doing keto on a budget that doesn’t break the bank?
Just one more thing…
If you liked finding out about 30 Easy Recipes For Doing Keto On A Budget, why not share it with your audience?
They love saving money too, after all!
4 comments
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I love these recipes! I can’t wait to try these. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing such an amazing article!
Great article! I love the keto meal plans that are wholesome yet don’t burn a hole in your pocket.