21 Vegan Recipes For Less Than 5 Euros (Plus, More Tips on How to Save Money)
On Zucker&Jagdwurst you will find so many recipes that it can sometimes be difficult to find exactly the right one for the moment. For that, we've categorized our recipes, but if you want to be more specific, you'll hopefully find the right dish in our recipe collections – for example if you're looking for soy-free desserts, hangover food, and what to eat when you have a cold. You can find all recipe collections here.
Do you want to eat vegan but are deterred by the rather high-priced vegan substitutes in supermarkets? Then you've come to the right place to be convinced otherwise. We show you that vegan food doesn't have to be expensive! In this article, you will find a collection of reasonable vegan recipes and some practical tips for saving money when buying groceries.
12 tips for eating low-priced and vegan:
Compare prices: Depending on the supermarket, food prices can vary greatly, so it's worth comparing them. It may take some effort at first, but eventually, you'll know exactly where to buy the best and most reasonable groceries. Oriental or Asian markets often sell groceries much more affordable and in larger packages. In addition, these stores often have food that’s difficult to find elsewhere. In standard supermarkets, you'll often find the cheapest products at the bottom or top of a shelf. That’s where they're least likely to catch your eye.
Plan your meals: If you make yourself a plan about what you want to eat in the next few days, it will be easier to buy only what you actually need. This way, you won't be tempted to spend more money than you want. In addition, good planning helps to use food optimally for several dishes. This way, nothing will spoil and has to be thrown away. So by planning well, you save money, prevent food waste, and support the environment.
Buy larger quantities: The price usually drops when you buy larger quantities. To make sure that food with a shorter shelf life doesn't go to waste, you can cook in bigger batches and thus have pre-cooked for the next few days. You can also freeze part of the food and enjoy it on a day when you don't have much time to cook. By the way, we’ve also written an article on meal-prepping. You can find it here.
Prepare your food instead of buying it: Not always, but often it's cheaper to prepare ready-to-eat-products yourself. In addition, this has the advantage that you can adapt the respective food to your taste, and it contains less or no additives. On our blog, you can already find several recipes for vegan dips and spreads and homemade cheese alternatives.
5 Buy seasonal and regional: If you pay attention to this, you support the environment but also your wallet. Seasonal fruits and vegetables are usually offered at a lower price than those imported from abroad.
- Go shopping on Saturdays or just before closing time: Especially on Saturday evenings, but also occasionally during the week just before closing time, food is often sold at reduced prices. Stores want to get rid of food with a limited shelf life – in some cases, you will pay only a fraction of the original price, especially for fruits and vegetables.
Watch out for special offers! Not every special offer is a good deal, so you should always compare the prices of reduced products. Often similar, non-reduced alternatives from other companies still cost less. However, it can be worthwhile to grab reduced vegetables and fruits.
Buy store brands: Own brands of food retailers are usually particularly cheap and taste just as good as other branded products.
"To Good to Go": Many of you probably already know the app, but if not, feel free to give it a try. This isn't paid advertising - we just love using it ourselves. In the app, supermarkets, bakeries, snack bars, and restaurants offer single foods, food baskets, and whole meals at lower prices. This way, less food is wasted. Besides the app, most supermarkets also have a corner where they offer food thats best-before date is about to expire at reduced prices.
Food-sharing: The principle of food-sharing is similar to that of "To Good to Go," but you get the food for free. The movement doesn't exist in all cities and is based on volunteer work. Every day, volunteers pick up surplus food or products with a reduced shelf life from bakeries, gas stations, or event venues, for example, and take them to designated locations. There they are distributed fairly to everyone interested.
Carbs, carbs, carbs: We love carbohydrates! Not only do they provide energy and satiate, but they can also be purchased at reasonable prices, especially in the form of pasta, potatoes, rice, flour, and rolled oats.
Last but not least: Don't go grocery shopping when you’re hungry! I don't think we need to elaborate on why.
21 Vegan Recipes for 4 People for less than 5 Euros
1. Vegan 5-Ingredient Mujadarra
2. Vegan, German Potato Pancakes with Apple Sauce
3. Vegan Gozleme with Spinach Potato Filling
4. Vegan Pumpkin Mac and Cheese with Baked Brussels Sprouts
5. Vegan Chana Dal Tadka
6. Vegan Colcannon with Roasted Carrots
7. Easy Vegan Tomato Soup (Isa's Grandma's Recipe)
8. Vegan German Flaedle Soup (Pancake Soup)
9. Tagliatelle with Cauliflower Tomato Sauce
10. Vegan Orzotto with Peas and Smoked Tofu
11. Vegan Creamy Leek Soup with Soy Meat
12.Vegan pierogies with sauerkraut & mushrooms
13. Smoked lentil soup with vegan sausages
14. Cauliflower Apple Soup with Cinnamon Nuts
15. Sweet and Sour Tofu with Rice
16. Vegan, savory Spinach Pancakes
17. Vegan Boiled Eggs in Creamy Mustard Sauce with Potatoes
18. Vegan macaroni salad with almond dressing
19. The World's Best Potato Salad
20. Vegan Cabbage & Onion Pasta
21. Vegan Red Lentil Soup
