Shopping and labels
How to eat vegan on a budget: a sample weekly shopping list
Short answer
Build the week around dried legumes, grains, oats, potatoes and seasonal or frozen vegetables. Treat ready-made meat and cheese alternatives as extras. Below is a sample list for one person – without prices, as they change quickly.
Sample week for one person: 500 g of lentils or split peas, 2 cans of chickpeas or beans, 400 g of tofu, 1 kg of oats, 1 kg of buckwheat, barley or rice, 500 g of pasta, 2 kg of potatoes, a loaf of rye bread, 1 l of calcium-fortified soy drink, cabbage, carrots, onions, frozen vegetables and fruit, apples, peanut butter, rapeseed oil and iodised salt. Plus a B12 supplement.
Batch-cook for 2–3 days: lentil soup, bean chilli, porridge, grains with vegetables and tofu. Compare the price per kilo, not per pack, and try supermarket own brands. Adjust quantities to your appetite and activity level.