With prices for items like red meat and dairy climbing, adopting a vegetarian or vegan way of eating is becoming more appealing.
Since 2023, shoppers have felt the squeeze of higher grocery bills—especially for staples such as eggs and beef, which the federal food price outlook report projects will increase by 33.2% and 6.8% respectively in 2025.
As grocery costs rise, many wonder whether a vegetarian diet truly saves money. Don’t trendy health-food markets and organic plant-based products end up costing just as much?
Choosing vegetarian doesn’t require $10 smoothies or boutique natural food stores. In truth, stocking your cart with vegetables can benefit both your health and your finances. A predominantly plant-based diet can indeed cut your grocery spending.
Below are 10 ways a vegetarian approach can help you keep more money in your pocket.
- Skip the meat alternatives
- Frozen produce is an ally
- Keep that warehouse club membership
- Factor local purchases into your plan
- Opt for generic and store-label items
- Do your own prep work
- Pick recipes that share ingredients
- Shop at the regular supermarket
- Try growing some of your own food
- When unsure, go with a grain, a green, and a bean
But first, let’s examine how much you might actually save.
How Much Can You Save by Eating Vegetarian or Vegan?
The belief that diets rich in fresh fruits and vegetables are unaffordable has lingered for years.
Yet a 2021 Oxford University study found vegetarian, vegan and even flexitarian diets tend to be less costly than omnivorous eating. (An unrelated 2015 U.S. study reported that vegetarians typically save about $750 per year on groceries compared with meat-eaters.)
Oxford researchers evaluated prices for seven sustainable diets across 150 countries — including the U.S., UK, Australia and parts of Western Europe — and concluded that diets with little or no meat reduced food costs.
The largest savings were tied to vegetarian and vegan diets that emphasize legumes and whole grains. The study did not account for expensive processed meat substitutes in calculating savings.
- Eating vegan could cut food expenses by up to 33%.
- Switching to vegetarian saved nearly as much as vegan eating.
- Adopting a flexitarian approach — reducing meat and dairy but not eliminating them — could trim costs by about 14%.
By contrast, people who eat meat and fish spent roughly 10% more on groceries. Pescatarians—those who avoid meat but eat seafood—spent up to 2% more, according to the research.
“When experts recommend healthy, planet-friendly diets, it’s often dismissed as something only affordable to people in ivory towers. This study shows the reverse: these eating patterns can benefit your wallet as well as your health and the environment,” said Dr. Marco Springmann, author of the study and a researcher with the Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food.
What Does Eating Meat Actually Cost?
Even with savings tactics, that chicken breast often remains the priciest item at the grocery checkout. But do you really need it as the star of every meal?
Not always. Many dishes—lasagna, curry, salads and soups—work perfectly without meat as the main attraction. Consider the burrito bowl: a blend of meat, rice, beans and vegetables that can cost under $1.70 per serving.
The very same bowl without meat comes out to $2.85 per serving. A stripped-down vegetarian burrito bowl can be as low as $1.05 per serving.
Saving a few dollars per meatless meal may seem small, but those savings accumulate over time.
10 Ways a Vegetarian Diet Can Cut Your Grocery Bill
Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian or still include some meat, these pointers will help you dodge common grocery traps and capture savings on plant-based meals.
1. Skip the Meat Alternatives
Pre-made chicken substitutes and artisanal veggie burgers are handy, but they increase your grocery tab. (You can make a homemade black bean burger for under $1.)
Instead, diversify your protein sources with inexpensive staples like beans, lentils and whole grains.
Buying those staples in bulk helps offset costs for the plant-based basics that form the backbone of a nutritious vegetarian diet. Often, adding protein to a meal is as simple—and cheap—as opening a can of black beans.
2. Frozen Fruits and Vegetables Are an Ally
Frozen produce is often more affordable and can support weight management, while locking in nutrients because it’s frozen at peak ripeness for later use.
And opting for plant-based meals doesn’t force you to buy everything organic. Experts suggest prioritizing organic for items you eat frequently or those high in pesticide residue. So make room in your freezer and grab produce deals with confidence.
3. Don’t Cancel That Warehouse Membership
Even if you’re no longer stocking large amounts of pork or beef, warehouse clubs still make sense for vegetarians: you can buy bulk beans, whole grains and packaged staples that stretch across many meals, and grab ready-to-use items for hectic evenings.
4. Make Local Purchases Part of Your Plan
Buying local requires some effort, but the savings—and the benefit of supporting nearby growers—can be worthwhile.
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs provide seasonal produce delivery or pickup in many regions. Use this USDA directory to locate a CSA in your area.
Shopping at farmers’ markets can also make fresh produce both more affordable and easier to access.
5. Choose Store-Brand and Generic Items
Shoppers know generics save money, and this is particularly true for vegetarian products often marketed under niche, premium labels aimed at food trend followers.
Some stores crowd “vegetarian” specialty items onto single shelves alongside expensive gluten-free or organic options. Avoid those premium aisles and stick to plain, store-brand versions where possible.
6. Do the Chopping Yourself
Pre-cut vegetables offer convenience but come at a markup. Reserve them for one hectic night a week and do your own chopping the rest of the time. You can also prep once and use the same cut produce for multiple meals later in the week.
If you’d like guidance on handling produce, chef Amy Chaplin demonstrates how to prepare a wide variety of vegetables.
7. Seek Recipes That Share Ingredients
Variety is enjoyable, but buying too many different ingredients can be expensive and lead to waste. Find vegetarian recipes that reuse common items.
If a recipe calls for an expensive specialty ingredient, swap in a cheaper alternative or leave it out. Many plant-based cookbooks include a staples list to help you stock a cost-effective pantry.
8. Shop at the Standard Supermarket
Going vegetarian doesn’t require hunting through specialist health-food stores for obscure ingredients.
Most tasty vegetarian meals use straightforward ingredients you can find in any regular grocery store.
9. Try Growing Some Produce Yourself
You don’t need a large yard to grow food. Urban gardeners demonstrate that tiny spaces—or none at all—can yield herbs, tomatoes and other pricier produce.
Use compact indoor planters or tiered containers to maximize space and grow the expensive items in your diet, like fresh herbs.
10. When Unsure, Combine a Grain, a Green, and a Bean
There’s an easy formula for inexpensive meatless meals. Popularized by Matt Frazier of No Meat Athlete, the approach is “a grain, a green, and a bean.”
Pick a whole grain, a leafy green you have on hand, and a can of beans. It’s a simple method for quick, filling, no-fuss meals.
Start Small and Save Big by Being Vegetarian Some of the Time
If cutting out meat completely feels intimidating, remember you don’t have to stop eating it entirely. Simply reducing how often you eat meat and dairy can produce savings.
Imagine you spend $500 a month on groceries. With the roughly 14% savings linked to a flexitarian pattern, you could shave off $70 a month—$840 over a year.
You can still consume eggs (ovo-vegetarian), or include chicken and dairy occasionally, or eat fortified alternatives.
Add one or two meatless meals to your weekly rotation and let that plant-based shift help your budget. Your bank account—and your health—will likely benefit.
Kaz Weida is a senior writer for Savinly.
