$25 goes farther with plant-based

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Budget-friendly recipes

The cost of food has risen dramatically over the past few years, and many shoppers are looking for ways to save on their grocery bill. Experts have pointed to plant-based foods to get more bang for your buck compared to animal products – but what does that look like for your grocery haul? The PlantUniversity team took to the shops to find out.

Each bag represents $25 worth of groceries. The bag on the left shows the value of $25 of meat and the bag on the right shows $25 of plant-based foods.

Bag #1: Meat

For $25, a British Columbian consumer can purchase one 600 g striploin grilling steak.

Bag #2: Plant-based foods

Or, for $25, a consumer can purchase the following plant-based foods:

  • 1.81 kg red lentils
  • 3 398 mL cans black beans
  • 350 g tofu
  • 1 crown broccoli
  • 1 bunch kale
  • 750 g frozen peas

Plant-based foods are not only less costly; they also offer better nutritional value compared dollar-for-dollar against their animal-based counterparts, including protein, iron, fibre, calcium, and potassium. Registered dietitian Pamela Fergusson determined the cost of 100 g of protein in various foods:

Will you be buying more plant-based foods to save at the till?

Check out these simple and budget-friendly recipes for inspiration on how to use more plant-based protein sources in your cooking:

Looking for more inspiration? See all plant-based recipes in the Plant University recipe library!

All recipes