One question I’m asked a lot, as I am 100% plant based when it comes to my diet (or vegan as it’s more widely and easily understood), is whether it is expensive.   My answer is yes and no.  No, it’s not expensive if you stick to eating a diet stuffed full of fresh fruits and vegetables, but mostly veggies, that are in season.  But yes, it is expensive if you start buying processed vegan food and junk food such as vegan cheeses and vegan mayonnaises, raw chocolate bars, meat alternatives and so on.

If you keep it simple, then being vegan can be done on a budget. 

Keep it simple by keeping it as whole food plant-based as possible with no processed foods, and then costs will stay down. 

In fact, that’s probably a lot cheaper than eating meat or cheese, as they can be really expensive. 

When I was a vegetarian, I loved cheese, and it had to be the proper mature stuff.  It cost a small fortune!  Even milk is quite costly, and yes, plant-based milks are expensive, but you can easily make your own oat milk very cheaply. Or buy them in bulk on Amazon for a cheaper price per carton.

It’s funny, really, as I was a vegetarian for several years before cutting out all animal products completely, and no one ever questions if vegetarianism is more expensive than eating a meat-based diet!

But as soon as you mention following a vegan diet, then a lot of people will ask if it’s expensive to eat that way!

In fact, many people think eating anything healthy is expensive, and I often hear people comment that ‘healthy’ food should be cheaper.  Well, I’m not sure where they are shopping as the last time I went to the supermarket I managed to buy a banana for 12p, yet a chocolate bar was closer to £1, or more!

Many commonplace fruits and vegetables are actually very cheap indeed.

Is vegan food more expensive than meat?

It depends entirely on what you're comparing.

If you're putting a pack of plant-based sausages up against a basic pack of meat sausages, yes, the vegan option may often cost more. Especially if you are buying the premium and best-tasting vegan brands, such as Beyond.  The processed and convenience end of vegan eating is where things get pricey - just like with any diet.

But right now, honestly, there are so many vegan brands, including cheaper supermarket own meat-free ranges, that often the price is very similar, if not sometimes cheaper than meat versions.  There are also regularly meat-free offers and extra point deals (such as Morrison's meat-free Mondays) to be had.

Also, if you compare a meal built around lentils, beans, chickpeas, rice, and seasonal vegetables against a meat-based equivalent, the vegan version will almost always come out cheaper. Pulses and grains are some of the most affordable foods you can buy. A tin of chickpeas or a bag of red lentils costs very little and stretches a long way.

Meat - particularly good quality meat - is expensive. Cheese is expensive. Butter, eggs, cream. When you stop buying those regularly and replace them with whole plant foods, a lot of people find their weekly shop actually comes down.  

Where it goes wrong is when people try to replicate everything they used to eat with a vegan version. Vegan butter, vegan cheese, vegan burgers - those products can sometimes be pricier, and a basket full of them will cost you. If you bought high-quality meat, and the finer brands anyway, then the cost difference is probably negligible. But, if you shift your cooking approach to build around plants naturally, rather than swapping like for like, it can genuinely be one of the most affordable ways to eat.

You don't need vegan cheese to be vegan. You don't need a £4 protein bar. Those are treats, not staples. So when people say vegan food is expensive, they're usually talking about the speciality and processed products, not the core of what plant-based eating actually looks like day to day.

One thing I have noticed, though, is that there are no "savers" brands or really cheap budget brands for vegan alternatives.  So if you are used to buying the absolute cheapest versions of products in the supermarkets when it comes to meat and dairy, then you will find the vegan alternatives more expensive. 

Tips to save money as a vegan and eat healthily

Like anything, being healthy or being vegan can be expensive, or it can be cheap and affordable - the same as most things in life. 

It depends on where you choose to shop and what level of products you choose to buy – savers, the shop’s own brand, branded, luxurious, independent or organic.

There are also many vegan food swaps you can choose from, so it depends on whether you opt for cheaper versions or expensive readymade versions.  And it depends on whether you make food from scratch, cook your own meals, or buy readymade products.

Read on as I will share some of the ways eating healthily or following a plant-based diet can be more affordable, if you think it might be too expensive.

1. Keep it simple and eat a lot of fruit and vegetables

Check out your supermarket's fruit and veg aisles, and you’ll see a lot of prices well under £1 for large bags of goodness. 

I often see comments on articles about healthy eating, such as the introduction of the sugar tax, where people say something along the lines of ‘if you want us to quit sugar and eat healthier, then make healthy food cheap’.  I really believe it already is cheap, and I’m not sure where they are shopping!

Over Christmas, my local Tesco had big bags of vegetables on offer for 29p each!  2.5kg of potatoes for 29p!  Even today, they sell a 1kg bag of carrots for 69p! 

At Easter in 2026, my local Morrisons surpassed Tesco and had common veggies used for roast dinners on offer for only 4p per bag .  Crazy! 

In the 69p 1kg bag of carrots from Tesco, I can see around 9 large carrots in the bag - so that’s a lot of great healthy carrot stick snacks for adults or kids, plus plenty left over as a side of steamed veg for a couple of meals or more. 

Eating affordable and healthy snacks by creating your own from fruit and vegetables is totally possible, and it doesn't have to be expensive.

2. If you go organic, choose a subscription box

Yes, organic food is at a premium, and I totally think that is wrong.  We buy organic in our household as I believe it’s an investment in our health, the planet and wildlife. It is more expensive, and I think this is wrong.

Organic food needs to become the norm and accessible to everyone. 

One way to get better value on organic fruit and veg and to ensure you get a good variety is to order a fruit and vegetable box each week. 

The boxes should provide you with local fresh produce that works out cheaper in a box than buying the items individually, plus companies such as Abel and Cole regularly have special offers and new customer offers.

Riverford currently has an offer for £15 off for new customers, and you can get credits if you refer your friends and family.  They also have a cheaper zero-waste surprise bag if you're not fussy about which fruits and veggies you get. 

3. Base your meals around vegetables

If you base your cooking and main meals around vegetables and some wholegrains, then you can make meals more affordable as you’ll not be adding costly meat or cheese. 

Of course, there are vegan meat alternatives, but we rarely use these and just stick to vegetables, wholegrains, herbs, spices, beans and lentils when cooking. This makes things a lot more affordable and probably even cheaper than a meat diet.

If you start buying processed ‘healthy’ foods such as pre-packaged meals, dried fruit bars, meat alternatives and so on, then the cost of eating healthy can start to add up.

Instead, keep it simple and stuff your diet full of as many fresh fruits and vegetables as possible to keep costs down. 

Plus, if you fill yourself up on as much fruit, salad and veg as possible, you’ll leave less room for the bad food and stop reaching for the expensive snacks as you’re already full on the good stuff!

4. Use supermarket coupon apps to save on healthy food

I'm a big advocate of the supermarket coupon apps that give cashback on certain items in the supermarkets.  They have loads of offers every day, on around ten or so items per major supermarket, where you can save money or even get 100% of the cost of the item back.

There are regularly fresh fruit and vegetable savings to be made with these apps, especially with the GreenJinn app, which regularly gives cashback on supermarket own-brand fruits and vegetables. 

They regularly have some vegan food included, so you can try some of the branded food with a discount.  The plant-based milks have been on them in the past too.

I’m signed up to GreenJinn, CheckoutSmart and Shopmium for virtual coupons via their smartphone apps.  You simply buy the product, upload the receipt, scan the product if using Shopmium, and then get the cashback added to your account.

5. Use cashback websites for online food shops

Another tip is to always remember to check for cashback if you do your grocery shopping online.  Sign up and always check for cashback at Top Cashback and Quidco for cashback.  

Leading a plant-based, vegan diet can be as expensive or as affordable as you need it to be!

The final word on going vegan on a budget

Going vegan is only expensive if you make it expensive.

Keep whole foods at the centre - vegetables, fruits, pulses, grains, seasonal produce - and it's genuinely one of the most affordable ways to eat. The expensive version of veganism exists, just like the expensive version of every diet exists. But it's not the only version, and it's not how most plant-based people actually eat day to day.

If you're already thinking about how to save money on your weekly food shop, a plant-based approach might actually help rather than hinder. Leading a healthy, plant-based lifestyle can be as expensive or as affordable as you choose to make it.