How to be Vegan on a Student Budget

With many of us students spending a lot of time at home these days, there's never been a better time to experiment with a vegan diet.

Being vegan on a student budget has always carried the stigma of being too expensive and too complicated. I’m here to give you my top three tips on becoming a vegan on a student budget and how simple it can be! I will also be giving the recipe to three of my favourite 10-minute vegan meals that are student accommodation friendly (no oven needed) 

Tip 1: Cook from scratch with own brand ingredients

Although it may be tempting to buy the Linda McCartney vegan sausages and Quorn nuggets (it does take some willpower to stay away), these products are expensive and will rack up the cost of your weekly shop pretty quick. Instead of spending money on processed foods, focus on buying ingredients instead and cook from scratch. This is not only a healthier option but it will also help your money go a long way.

Buying the ingredients to make a home cooked meal can be very cheap when you shop the own brand range in the likes of Lidl, Aldi or Tesco. The cost of buying own brand beans, lentils, chickpeas, tinned tomatoes, nuts and seeds- which are an essential part of a vegan diet- along with a mixed range of fruit and veg in Tesco is less than €10 and will last you for an entire week. With the help of the easy vegan recipes that I have included, you will see that cooking from scratch doesn't need to be difficult. 

Tip 2: Prepare meals in bulk and freeze the leftovers

This leads me on to my next tip in which being vegan on a student budget can save you time as well as money. Most recipes will be made to serve 4-6 people, meaning that cooking just one meal can actually last you for most of the week. 

The freezer is your best friend when it comes to cooking in bulk as it can last for up to a month and that way you don't have to eat the same food 4 nights in a row. I would recommend saving two meals in the fridge to eat for lunch/dinner the next couple days and then freeze the leftovers to save for those days that you're too tired to cook. This way you will only need to cook around 3 dinners each week and with the 10 minute vegan meals I have included down below, you'll only be spending around 30 minutes a week cooking dinner! 

To freeze your meals, all you need is a few reusable lunch boxes. I purchased my three reusable lunchboxes in IKEA for only €5! 

Tip 3: Follow inspirational accounts to keep you motivated 

My final tip to being vegan on a student budget is to follow inspirational vegan food accounts on instagram such as The Happy Pear, Deliciouslyella and Roz Purcell's food account Naturalbornfeeder. These accounts will help keep you motivated to continue to eat a vegan diet while giving you inspiration for delicious new meals to cook. As mentioned in my first tip, the recipes that these influencers post may seem too expensive at first glance but when you look into buying own brand ingredients and also see that one meal will last you for 4 days, things become a lot cheaper.

YouTube is another great source of inspiration! One of my favourite vegan YouTuber's is Mina Rome. She posts easy vegan recipes for students that are delicious and very quick to make. Whenever I'm lacking inspiration for meals to cook, watching one of Mina's videos will always help.

10 minute vegan meals (no oven needed): 

1. Lentil Bolognese 

Inspiration: choosingchia

Ingredients:

• 250g wholewheat spaghetti
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 500g mushrooms
• 1 tin canned tomatoes
• 50g tomato puree
• 250ml vegetable stock
• 1 tin of lentils

Method:

1. Add 250g of wholewheat spaghetti into a pot of boiling water.
2. In a large pot, cook the onion and garlic for 2 minutes until they are translucent.
3. Stir in the mushrooms and sauté for 3 minutes until golden brown.
4. Pour in the tinned tomatoes, tomatoes puree, vegetable stock and lentils.
5. Bring to the boil and reduce the heat for 4 minutes.
6. Drain the spaghetti and stir into the sauce.
7. Enjoy!

2. Vegan Burrito

Inspiration: wearesovegan

Ingredients:

• 150g rice
• 1 tin refried beans
• 2 large wholemeal tortilla wraps
• Hot salsa
• Lettuce
• ½ avocado
• Handful of tortilla chips
  
  Method:

1. In a pot of boiling water, add 150g of rice.
2. Pour refried beans into a pan and heat for 5 minutes until piping hot.
3. Heat both wraps in the microwave for 10 seconds.
4. Lay out the tortillas and add some hot salsa, lettuce and mashed avocado. For an extra crunch add in some crushed tortilla chips.
5. Drain the rice and add to the tortilla along with the refried beans.
6. Place the left over rice, beans, avocado and salsa in the fridge to reheat the next day!

3. Chickpea curry

Inspiration: hostthetoast

Ingredients:

• 250g rice
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 red onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• ½ teaspoon of chili flakes
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 tin tinned tomatoes
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 tin chickpeas

Method:

1. In a pot of boiling water, add 250g of rice.
2. In a large pan pour in the oil and heat for 1 minute.
3. Add in the onion and garlic and fry for 2 minutes until translucent.
4. Add all of the spices along with the curry powder, salt and paper and stir for 1 minute.
5. Pour in the tinned tomatoes, chickpeas and coconut milk.
6. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat for 5 minutes.
7. Drain the rice and serve with curry sauce.

I hope that these tips made it easier to see that being vegan on a student budget is possible! I also hope that these easy vegan recipes that can be made in just 10 minutes have sparked some inspiration and inspired you to try and cook a vegan meal. 

Let us know in the comments which meal you're going to try and like us on Facebook to stay up to date on meal ideas, exercise tips and also how to look after yourself and your mental health during this tough time!