Okay… here we go.
Plant-based meal prep on a budget is currently the only reason I’m not surviving purely on Maggi and existential dread right now.
Seriously.
Last week I looked at my bank account, looked at the ₹180/kg paneer price tag, looked back at my bank account, and decided it was time to get my shit together. Or at least mostly together. I’m in Faridabad, Haryana, January 2026, electricity bill just hit, gas cylinder is on its last legs, and inflation is laughing in my face. So yeah—plant-based meal prep on a budget became my new personality.
Why I Finally Committed to Plant-Based Meal Prep on a Budget Plant-Based Meal Prep
I used to think “vegan = expensive avocado toast and fancy nut milks.” Then I realized I can live without both. Most weeks now my grocery bill for 7 days of eating hovers around ₹1800–2200 depending on how many onions decide to betray me that month.
Biggest game changer? Buying dals, rice, millets, peanuts, and seasonal sabzi in bulk from the local mandi or the guy who sits outside Reliance Fresh with gunny bags. No aesthetic glass jars here—just poly bags tied with rubber bands living their best life in my kitchen.
(Quick credibility link for anyone doubting cheap plant protein exists in India right now: check this 2025 roundup of cheapest plant-based protein sources in India — chana, moong, soya chunks and peanuts still win.)
My Actual 7-Day Plant-Based Meal Prep on a Budget Menu (January 2026 prices ≈ Faridabad)
Everything prepped Sunday evening in roughly 2.5 chaotic hours.
Breakfast (same every day because decision fatigue is real) Plant-Based Meal Prep
- 7 small bowls of overnight soaked rolled oats + roasted peanut powder + jaggery + whatever fruit is cheapest (this week banana ₹5/piece)
- Cost per serving ≈ ₹8–10
Lunch & Dinner rotation (I batch-cooked 4 big things) Plant-Based Meal Prep
- Chana masala (soya chunks + kabuli chana mix because pure chana felt too virtuous)
- Moong dal khichdi with spinach (palak was ₹20/bunch thank god)
- Rajma (kidney beans) with jeera rice
- Mixed vegetable sabzi (whatever looked sad but cheap: cauliflower stumps, carrots, beans, potato)
Pro tip nobody tells you: roast your jeera, dhaniya and red chilli whole in a dry kadhai before grinding. Tastes 800% better and costs 0 extra.
[Insert placeholder image: Mid-post image 1] (my actual thali from Wednesday — notice the dal is slightly separated because I forgot to stir, very relatable)
How Much It Actually Cost Me This Week Plant-Based Meal Prep
- 2 kg kabuli chana ₹180
- 1.5 kg rajma ₹210
- 2 kg moong dal ₹240
- 5 kg sona masuri rice ₹380
- 1 kg soya chunks ₹110
- Peanuts 1 kg ₹140
- Veggies (cauli, carrot, beans, palak, onion, tomato, garlic) ≈ ₹480
- Spices, oil, salt, jaggery (pantry restock) ≈ ₹150
- Bananas 14 pieces ≈ ₹70
Total ≈ ₹1960 for ≈21 meals (breakfast + lunch + dinner). That’s roughly ₹93 per day or ₹31 per meal. Still cheaper than one chai + samosa run.
The Parts Where I Screwed Up (Because Transparency) Plant-Based Meal Prep
- Forgot to soak rajma overnight → pressure cooked for 47 minutes instead of 25 → slightly crunchy disappointment
- Overdid the hing in the chana masala → my kitchen smelled like a temple Prasad counter for 3 days
- Made too much khichdi → ate it cold straight from fridge for breakfast once → not cute
- Dropped an entire bowl of soaked moong on the floor at 10:48 pm → cried for 30 seconds then mopped
Quick Tips From Someone Who’s Still Figuring It Out Plant-Based Meal Prep
- Buy turmeric, jeera, dhaniya, red chilli powder in 500 g–1 kg packs once every 3–4 months — works out 60–70% cheaper
- Freeze chopped onion + tomato masala base in ice cube trays — saves 20 min every cooking session
- Soya chunks > paneer for budget. Fight me.
- If palak is expensive, use bathua, chaulai or methi instead — same nutrition, usually half price this season
- Track prices in a shitty Google Keep note — I swear mandi rates swing ₹10–20/kg week to week
Final Thoughts (aka please don’t judge my life) Plant-Based Meal Prep
Plant-based meal prep on a budget isn’t glamorous. My containers don’t match, my labels are written in anger, and sometimes dinner is just khichdi with extra ghee because emotions. But I’m eating. I’m not broke. And weirdly… I feel kinda okay.
If you’re also tired of spending half your salary on food delivery or pretending two bites of Maggi is “dinner,” try this. Start small. Maybe just prep lunches. You’ll screw up. I still do. But you’ll also save money and probably feel smug when your friends order ₹400 pasta and you’re eating homemade rajma that cost ₹22 per plate.
Wanna try it this weekend? Tell me in the comments what your budget-killer ingredient is — mine is definitely cashews. I miss them daily.
Love, a very tired but well-fed human in Haryana
