Preparing meals at home is an excellent way to cut costs, especially with inflation at a multi-decade high.
But planning, shopping for and cooking economical meals isn’t always straightforward.
Gleaming cookbooks and celebrity chefs are pleasant, sure. But where can you actually learn to cook in your own kitchen without breaking the bank?
Here are our top selections for budget-focused food bloggers and influencers who can show you how to make inexpensive, tasty meals at home.
These well-liked culinary creators can refresh your social feeds with simple recipes and grocery-saving tips.
Let’s get started.
7 Budget Food Bloggers and Influencers Worth Following
We all know how challenging it is to eat well while sticking to a tight budget.
As grocery costs rise, interest in thrifty food blogs is increasing.
We compiled seven of our favorite food influencers who concentrate on simple, low-cost recipes.
And by low-cost, we mean dinners for $5 that serve a family of four and a complete Thanksgiving spread for $35.
Your appetite — and bank account — will thank you.
1. Frankie Celenza
Instagram:@frankiecooks
Website:https://www.tastemade.com/shows/linear-struggle-meals/
Best Known for: His series “Struggle Meals,” which teaches budget-minded beginners how to cook.
Frankie Celenza focuses on making cooking approachable, nourishing and budget-friendly.
On his show “Struggle Meals,” he demonstrates how to create frugal dishes — often $2 or less per serving — along with strategies to save on groceries and practical meal-planning tips.
His lively, humorous delivery makes the episodes both fun and educational.
Celenza began experimenting in the kitchen as an NYU student around 2009 and gained broader attention with Tastemade’s “Struggle Meals” during the pandemic.
Follow him on Instagram and watch Struggle Meals episodes on YouTube, where you’ll find gems like “Frankie Goes to the Grocery Store With Only $3,” “How to Make the Perfect Scrambled Eggs” and “How to Use Leftover Herbs and Citrus Peels.”
2. Tom Kerridge
Instagram:@FullTimeMeals
Website:https://endchildfoodpoverty.org/full-time-meals
Best Known For: “Full Time Meals,” where he and Marcus Rashford show kids and families how to create affordable dishes using minimal kitchen tools.
Tom Kerridge is a celebrated British chef who launched “Full Time Meals” in April 2021. The short, five-minute clips aim to teach hearty, budget-friendly recipes you can make at home.
Kerridge teamed up with Marcus Rashford, the English footballer, to produce the 52-video series as part of an effort to combat child hunger and poverty in the U.K.
All 52 Instagram clips feature seriously tasty recipes that families can prepare, often using a single pan and staple pantry items.
The duo’s Instagram also highlights affordable staples like potatoes and chickpeas, plus tips for a supermarket cheat sheet and keeping your fridge organized.
3. MaryAnn Allen
Instagram:@thefrugalchef
Website:https://thefrugalchef.com/
Best Known For: Her blog and YouTube channel, The Frugal Chef, which helps readers prepare healthy meals without overspending.
MaryAnn Allen created The Frugal Chef, a beloved blog and YouTube channel filled with practical advice, tips and a touch of humor about budget-friendly cooking.
Allen started the blog in 2008, and The Frugal Chef’s YouTube channel continues to publish multiple new videos each week.
Her site includes plenty of recipe ideas like easy keto brownies, squash soup and Instant Pot beef stew.
The Frugal Chef offers weekly meal-plan menus, strategies for cutting food waste and guidance on freezing nearly any ingredient.
4. Joshua Weissman
Instagram:@joshuaweissman
Website:https://www.joshuaweissman.com/
Best Known for: His YouTube channel, notably the “But Cheaper” series featuring low-cost recipes.
Joshua Weissman is an Austin-based pro chef, cookbook author and food creator who began posting recipes on YouTube in early 2015.
The young chef has become one of the platform’s most-followed personalities, amassing more than 6.5 million subscribers.
His compact “But Cheaper” videos concentrate on making quick, straightforward meals on a tight budget.
Weissman has released over 50 “But Cheaper” clips, including “A Whole Thanksgiving Day Meal for 35 Dollars,” “The 2 Dollar All American Breakfast” and a $30 charcuterie board.
You’ll also find many budget-friendly recipes and ideas on his website and Instagram, which has about 1.3 million followers.
5. Toni Okamoto
Instagram:@plantbasedonabudget
Website:https://plantbasedonabudget.com/
Best Known for: Budget vegan meal plans, like $25-a-week menus, via Plant-Based on a Budget.
Toni Okamoto launched the blog Plant-Based on a Budget in September 2016 to share wallet-friendly vegan and vegetarian dishes.
The site demonstrates that reducing meat and dairy can be both economical and healthier for you.
Whether she’s sharing recipes for spinach potato pie, buffalo cauliflower wraps or tofu tacos, Okamoto shows you can keep flavor and value intact on a plant-based diet.
Okamoto, who has Japanese and Mexican American roots, also gives tips for reproducing cultural favorites using meatless alternatives.
In addition to her blog and Instagram, she posts budget-friendly healthy recipes on her YouTube channel.
6. Beth Moncel
Instagram:@budgetbytes
Website:https://www.budgetbytes.com/
Best Known for: Budget Bytes, a go-to blog for low-cost recipes and meal-prep guidance.
Beth Moncel created Budget Bytes in 2009 after finishing college.
“I was working a low wage job and was barely able to make ends meet,” Moncel explains on her About page. “I had already cut all discretionary spending, so the only place left to cut was food.”
That realization sparked Moncel’s focus on economical meal planning, savvy shopping and affordable cooking.
Her motto? Eating cheaply doesn’t have to mean surviving on canned beans and instant noodles every night.
She continues to produce inventive recipes, with colorful dishes like lemony cucumber couscous salad and tomato basil chicken.
Budget Bytes’ Instagram has nearly half a million followers and is frequently updated with tempting recipes and easy live videos.
7. Erin Chase
Instagram:@5dollardinners
Website:https://www.5dollardinners.com/
Best Known for: Her blog 5 Dollar Dinners, which helps readers “spend less on groceries and make peace with cooking dinner every night.”
Erin Chase is the founder and mother of three behind 5 Dollar Dinners, a site dedicated to helping busy households save time and money through meal organization, planning and affordable recipes.
The 5 Dollar Dinners site features a wide collection of budget recipes like chicken pesto pasta and beef fajita skillets, plus helpful articles such as “7 Money Saving Tips for Packing Lunches” and “15 Grab and Go Breakfast Ideas.”
Chase is also the author of multiple cookbooks and hosts “The Erin Chase Show,” streamed on Amazon Live and Facebook Live.
Casey Martin is a Certified Educator in Personal Finance and a senior writer for Savinly.
