Use this list of over 25 cheap protein foods to find budget-friendly ways to boost protein! Whether your goal is health-related, or you just want to save money, these cheap high protein foods (with recipe ideas) can help!
There’s no other way to say it: quality protein is expensive!
It doesn’t matter if you buy from a farmer or from the grocery store or stretch every ounce you can at home – meat is pricey.
I didn’t realize HOW pricey it was though, until we ventured on the Whole30 and had to buy 31 ½ pounds of meat every week… MINIMUM.
Yeah, go ahead and catch your breath for a minute there.
Although we finished the Whole30 some time ago, we did enjoy many aspects of the elimination diet. Since then, I’ve been focused on non-meat sources of cheap foods with protein so we still get amazing nutrition but can build our savings account back up too!
For the sake of argument and easy side-by-side comparisons, I’ve included the cost and protein content for a one-ounce portion (or two tablespoons) or the equivalent (like in the case of eggs).
You probably won’t eat just one ounce at a time of the majority of these things, but I did this so everything can be judged on an equal scale. If you’re using this data to build a meal plan with certain protein levels, make sure you account for the portion sizes you’re actually making.
25+ CHEAP PROTEIN FOODS
EGGS
The price of eggs will vary a lot, depending on a few factors… how many hours of daylight there currently is, whether they’re brown or white (which has NOTHING to do with the nutrition of the egg, by the way) the quality of egg you choose (i.e. grain-fed / cage-free / free-range / non-GMO / organic), if there’s an egg shortage because of disease …
I’ve seen eggs for as cheap as 69¢ per dozen at ALDI and upwards of $5.99 per dozen at Sprouts.
Personally, the nutritional difference between the average white egg and the “certified this and that” brown egg doesn’t usually justify the cost (or taste), so unless I’m buying from my friend who owns chickens, I choose the cheapest eggs I can find.
One large egg (about 50g) costs as low as 6¢ and yields 6g of protein.
CHEDDAR CHEESE
Several years ago, I spent several months building a price book and compared the prices of different cheeses at different stores.
Except for a few “fancy” cheeses, Costco won. (ALDI had the best price for those “fancy” cheeses, by the way).
As much as I’d love to make a charcuterie board for dinner, we have Stovetop Mac and Cheese budgets.
So I typically stick to the less expensive dairy products for easy cheap protein foods.
One ounce of cheddar cheese costs as low as 15¢ and yields 7g of protein.
BEANS
Beans are the vegetarian’s best friend when it comes to budget protein. I broke down the math of whether it was cheaper to cook dry beans from scratch or buy canned beans, and the dry beans were a clear-cut winner.
I make beans in the Instant Pot (I like this one) and they’re ready in less than an hour without any soaking. You can make beans in the slow cooker too (here’s the one I use); it just takes a little longer.
When I’m done, I portion 1 ½ cups into freezer-safe containers (without any liquid) and freeze for later. Then when the kids ask for Black Beans Brownies or Pumpkin Swirl Brownies or White Bean Blondies or Cookie Dough Hummus (or Snickerdoodle Hummus), or I’m making Refried Beans for taco night, all I have to do is pull out what I need and let them thaw!
Of all my calculations, I’ve found pinto beans to be the most affordable plant based protein. Costco has a 25-pound bag for as low as 58¢ per pound. That’s definitely one of the cheapest protein foods!
One ounce of pinto beans costs as low as 2¢ and yields 5.2g of protein.
(One serving is usually ¼ cup, which would cost 4¢ and yield 10.4g protein)
GREEK YOGURT
Plain Greek yogurt – whether you make it yourself or buy it from the store – is pretty much the same thing as regular yogurt except it’s much thicker. The clear liquid in yogurt is called whey (by the way, here are 45+ things to make with it) and in Greek yogurt, the amount of whey is significantly less, giving you a greater concentration of cultured yogurt per serving.
That’s why Greek yogurt is a GREAT low cost protein, whereas plain yogurt would just be so-so.
Once again Costco wins for the best price at just 9¢ per ounce, and this yields 1.25g of protein.
(One serving of Greek yogurt is usually ½ cup, which would cost 36¢ and yield 5g of protein.)
PEANUT BUTTER
After being limited to almond butter during the Whole30, I can confidently say that peanut butter is by far the cheapest nut butter you’ll find. We make Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins and Reese’s Copycat Peanut Butter Cups and No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars and we love that they’re not only affordable, but that they “stick to your ribs” so you’re not starving an hour later.
The cheapest peanut butter will be a mainstream brand, but there’s a high probability that those brands contain hydrogenated oils and/or high fructose corn syrup – both of which are seriously awful for your body and are banned from our house.
The best price I’ve seen on a natural peanut butter – or at least one that doesn’t have either of those two toxins – is at Costco again.
One ounce of peanut butter costs as low as 11¢ and yields 8g of protein.
COTTAGE CHEESE
I know cottage cheese is an acquired taste, but you can sneak it into things like Blender Protein Pancakes and add it to smoothies for a “cheesecake” flavor – Cheesecake Blueberry Smoothie, anyone? It also helps beef up the protein levels of vegetarian meals, like Slow Cooker Meatless Lasagna.
The last time I made cottage cheese was a huge failure, so I save myself the headache and buy it from (you guessed it!) – Costco!
One ounce of cottage cheese costs as little as 10¢ and yields 1.7g of protein.
(One serving of cottage cheese is usually ½ cup, which would cost 83¢ and yield 13.6g protein.)
COLLAGEN
Collagen was my go-to source for quality cheap food with protein when I was training for a marathon (and ate Marathon-Training Oatmeal every Saturday before my long run). It’s still one of my favorite cheap protein sources because it’s tasteless and odorless, meaning I can add it to my morning coffee (or tea, kombucha, juice, etc.), and BOOM, just like that, I’ve added 10g of protein to my day.
I’ve tried other brands of collagen, but the Perfect Supplements brand is the only one where I could actually see the difference on the outside. Literally, my nails grew longer, my skin GLOWED and my hair was growing like crazy!! I stock up when it’s on sale. You can save an extra 10% right now with coupon code CRUMBS10.
Seeing the benefits first-hand when I used this brand, I kept it as part of my morning routine. I either drink a Green Smoothie for breakfast or nibble on Chocolate Hazelnut Protein Bars in the afternoon.
On an average day, one scoop of grass-fed hydrolyzed collagen costs as low as 65¢ and yields 10g of protein!
(One serving is typically one scoop, and one ounce is actually 2.58 scoops).
CHEAPEST PROTEIN FOODS FAQS
What are the cheapest protein foods that are healthy and highest in protein?
From the budget protein list above, collagen and beans come in as the highest in protein at 10 grams per ounce. Beans are a perfect source of plant-based protein! Read even more about protein sources in 12 Natural Ways to Boost Protein in Smoothies without whey protein powder!
Which cheap and healthy snack foods are high in protein?
MORE HEALTHY CHEAP FOOD WITH PROTEIN
LEGUMES
SEEDS – ANOTHER SIMPLE CHEAP FOOD WITH PROTEIN
- Chia seeds. 1 TBSP has 2 grams of protein! Use chia seeds to make chia seed pudding or put them in smoothies!
- Hemp seeds. 3 TBSP has 9.5 grams of protein! Perfect for Hemp and Herb Crusted Pork Chops, Hemp Butter, and Hemp Milk.
- Sunflower seeds. 4 TBSP of shelled sunflower seeds contains 7 grams of protein. Great for a snack or on top of a salad.
- Pumpkin seeds (or pepitas). 2 TBSP of pumpkin seeds gives you about 5 grams of protein. Roast your own and choose the seasonings for a yummy snack!
FRUITS HAVE PROTEIN TOO!
VEGETABLES
GRAINS
CHEAP PROTEIN FOODS FROM ANIMALS
One of the most cost-effective animal protein sources is nourishing bone broth, in my humble opinion. You can make broth in large quantities to freeze for use in so many tasty, protein-rich recipes.
Use the meat from an Instant Pot Whole Chicken (or an Oven Roasted Whole Chicken or a Slow Cooker Whole Chicken) for a week’s worth of chicken meal prep recipes …or make ahead and freeze meals. A perfect way to optimize your healthy sources of low cost protein, but also to stretch your grocery budget.
- Bone broth. 1 cup of nourishing bone broth will provide about 9 grams of protein per serving. Here’s how you can easily make delicious chicken bone broth (Chicken Stock in an Instant Pot).
If you’re looking for cheap cuts of meat that pack in the protein, some of your best options include:
- Ground turkey
- Chicken thighs
- Ground beef
- Canned tuna
- Chicken breast
- Pork loin
- Ground pork
HOW MUCH PROTEIN DO I REALLY NEED?
That will depend on your personal protein goals. According to Harvard Medical School, the average sedentary person (someone who doesn’t exercise) needs just 0.8g of protein per kilogram of body weight.
- To figure out your weight in kilograms, multiply your body weight in pounds by 0.36.
- Then multiply your weight in kilograms by 0.8g to figure out your daily protein goal.
Remember, this is only valid if you don’t exercise. Those who exercise regularly, are pregnant, or require a high-protein diet need a higher protein intake each day.
If figuring out how much protein you need sounds confusing, I can help! Figuring out the correct portions and getting enough protein, fat, and carbs can help you with weight loss or maintenance. If you want to learn more about nutrition, whatever your nutrition goals, sign up for my FREE Getting Started Nutrition Guide.
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What are your go-to cheap protein foods?
