15+ Cheap Keto Meals For Dinner | Wholesome Yum (2024)

One of the biggest struggles people have on keto isn’t learning how to start a low carb diet, overcoming a weight loss stall, or finding a remedy for keto flu… it’s budgeting time and money to cooking low carb meals. Rest assured, it doesn’t take pounds of bacon and cheese or hours in the kitchen to create easy cheap keto meals for you and your family. Let’s go over the basics for building cheap low carb meals and delicious cheap keto dinner recipes for all to love!

Tips for Making Cheap Keto Meals On A Budget

Cheap keto meals don’t have to bedifficult! Here are some of my best tips:

1. Prioritize Foods That Are In Season

Seasonal foods in your area generally cost less than in season produce shipped from other regions. Shop farmers markets and grocery sales to get the best low carb fruits and keto vegetables, and build meals around those components… or get your produce shipped to you!

2. Buy Foods In Bulk

Buying in bulk allows you to pay a lower price than buying each item individually. If you have the storage space and make a plan to buy foods you actually eat, buying in bulk can substantially lower your cost per meal when you cook. Ways to buy in bulk include:

• Stocking up on nonperishable keto grocery items when they go on sale
• Buying and freezing large quantities of meat (such as a portion of an entire cow — it’s true!)
• Visiting the bulk section in a standard grocery store and getting only the amount needed for a single recipe

3. Choose Cheaper Protein Options

Who says you have to eat fancy steaks for every meal on a keto diet? You can easily assemble cheap low carb meals with budget-friendly cuts or meatless protein options. Try these:

• Eggs
• 80/20 ground beef
• Bone-in chicken parts
• Whole chicken and turkey
• Large beef and pork roasts
• Canned meats, such as tuna
• Cottage cheese (full fat)

I prefer to find grass-fed and pastured meats for their flavor and health benefits, but these proteins will fit keto macros regardless of how they were raised.

4. Load Up On Low Carb Vegetables

Vegetables add bulk to cheap keto meals, so you can eat less meat. They also have more fiber to keep you full and cost less per pound than most proteins. There are so many to choose from, too — see the full keto vegetables list here.

5. Consider Frozen Produce

There are so many reasons to buy frozen produce over fresh!

• It stores longer – No need to worry about fruits and veggies going mushy in the fridge if you can’t use them right away.
• Frozen sometimes tastes fresher – Crops are frozen shortly after picking, so if fresh produce travels far to get to you, the frozen versions may actually have a fresher flavor and more nutrients, despite the impact of the freezing proces.
• You’ll always have options – Instead of relying on takeout, you can pull together a last-minute cheap keto dinner recipe using basics from the freezer.
• You can stock up during sales – If your budget allows, pick up extra frozen fruit and veggies when they go on sale to save even more.

6. Meal Plan As Much As Possible

A cheap keto meal plan sets you up for success! Here’s why:

• You can create meals around budget-friendly foods
• Avoids last-minute (a.k.a. expensive) takeout or trips to the drive-through
• You’ll have a plan for how to use leftovers and avoid food waste
• A plan encourages you to only buy what you need — nothing more

Whether you use pen and paper or an app (the Wholesome Yum app includes macro tracker, custom keto meal plans, automatic grocery lists, recipes, and more!), it’s a guaranteed money saver and the easiest way to create cheap keto meals ahead of time.

7. Meal Prep When You Can

Cheap keto meal prep means making enough of something to last several days or a week, and packing it up into individual containers. (I like these glass ones because they have vented lids!) Many people do low carb meal prep on Sundays. This saves tons of time throughout the week, but it can also save money because it helps reduce food waste.

In addition to individual containers, sometimes meal prep just means making enough of something to last several meals. For example, you can bake a loaf of keto bread and use it for multiple things during the week.

Get all your meal planning and prep list done for you with the Wholesome Yum app! In addition to curated keto meal plans each week, you can also customize every part of your plan, track your macros in real time as you add foods or recipes, save your favorite meals, shop from an auto-generated grocery list, print plans for later, and so much more!

8. Use What You Have

Before you go to the grocery store, always check your fridge, pantry, and freezer for the ingredients you need (or close substitutes). Plan cheap low carb meals around these items first, so you can use them up and avoid purchasing unnecessary food.

9. Freeze Extras

When you look at the low carb recipes on my website, notice that the recipe cards all have a box for number of servings. Go ahead and increase that serving count, because it takes almost the same amount of effort to make a double or triple batch of something! Then, freeze most of your cheap keto bulk meals. You’ll have an effortless low carb dinner ready to go for another day.

If you have extras of a particular food (say, spare broccoli or an avocado about to go brown), you can prep and freeze those too! (Here’s how to freeze avocados, by the way.)

Want to learn how to make 6 cheap keto freezer meals in 2 hours? Get my Easy Keto Freezer System! Get the tools to prep and freeze individual foods, plus dozens of freezable keto recipes and reference lists so you can cook cheap low carb meals on your schedule.

10. Share Entrees For The Family

One challenge that I repeatedly hear about from readers is trying to find cheap low carb meals for yourself when friends or family aren’t on board. It’s totally doable! You can make it easier on yourself (and cheaper by not cooking two separate meals) if you prepare a shared healthy main dish for everyone to enjoy that happens to be naturally low carb, like sirloin steak, pan seared chicken breast, or baked salmon. Then, make a keto side dish for yourself and regular potatoes/rice/whatever for people that want them.

11. Shop Bargain Stores

If you have the time to hunt for good deals, shop at your local food outlets or bargain food stores. Many offer meats, dairy, and produce at steep markdowns, which you can use right away or freeze for future cheap low carb meals.

12. Use All Your Scraps

Your grandma was right about never allowing food to go to waste. Using up all your food can stretch your grocery budget and help you make more components for cheap keto meals. Try these methods:

• Cook an entire chicken and use the bones to make homemade bone broth
• Add wilting produce and nearly-expired meats to soups, then freeze leftovers
• Sneak small amounts of cooked meats and veggies into keto casseroles
• Have leftover nights regularly throughout the week to clear out spare foods

13. Buy Keto Foods Online

Have trouble with impulse buying? Buying online helps you stick to your grocery budget, because you can get exactly what you need and see the total before making a final purchase. Here are a few ways to do it:

• Order specialty keto ingredients online from stores with markdowns and price matching
• Subscribe to keto ingredients you use regularly, such as almond flour or sweetener, for added savings
• Order groceries online from local physical stores for pickup

15+ Cheap Keto Dinner Recipes

To get you started, I’m sharing over 15 of my favorite easy, cheap keto dinner recipes. And, many of them are versatile enough that everyone in the family can enjoy them. You can also browse my lazy keto meals, many of which are budget friendly as well.

Keto Taco Salad

With ground beef and tons of veggies, this cheap keto dinner recipe should be on your regular rotation. Done in 20 minutes!

Get The Taco Salad Recipe

Keto Egg Roll In A Bowl

All the flavor of takout, without the high price tag (or carbs!). It takes 15 minutes and uses budget-friendly ingredients like ground meat and cabbage.

Get The Egg Roll In A Bowl Recipe

Easy Chicken Fajitas

Lots of veggies make this the perfect cheap low carb meal for weeknights. Use chicken thighs to save even more!

Get The Chicken Fajitas Recipe

Cheeseburger Casserole

This dish is loaded with classic burger flavor, all while using ground beef and budget-friendly cauliflower rice.

Get The Keto Cheeseburger Casserole Recipe

Crock Pot Whole Chicken

It one of the most economical ways to cook juicy poultry! Save the bones for homemade bone broth.

Get The Crock Pot Whole Chicken Recipe

See Also

Easy Keto Meals 5 Ingredients or Less Over 25 Entree Recipes

Keto Chaffles

For the biggest budget friendly option, make the basic version compared to the other flavor variations. Perfect for cheap keto meals where you want bread!

Get The Keto Chaffles Recipe

Fried Cabbage And Sausage

Two naturally frugal ingredients come together in a mouthwatering one-pan meal!

Get The Fried Cabbage And Sausage Recipe

Egg Salad

One of the best keto snacks or cheap keto meals for one, made with simple ingredients. (For even more protein, try a tuna salad recipe with egg too!)

Get The Egg Salad Recipe

Vegetable Fritatta

One of those cheap keto meals that tastes delicious anytime of day! This one uses mushrooms, bell peppers, and zucchini, but you could easily swap in other produce.

Get The Keto Vegetable Frittata Recipe

Slow Cooker Garlic Parmesan Wings

Cook them low and slow, then crisp them up on a sheet pan — it only takes 10 minutes of hands-on time to make this cheap keto crockpot meal.

Get The Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings Recipe

Smothered Pork Chops With Onion Gravy

Thanks to budget-friendly ingredients like cream cheese and onions, this cheap keto family meal makes the juiciest meat and sauce with minimal work.

Get The Smothered Pork Chops Recipe

Zucchini Lasagna

No wheat noodles here! This naturally gluten-free dish makes a cheap easy keto meal because it uses ground beef and lots of fresh produce.

Get The Zucchini Lasagna Recipe

Keto Cabbage Soup

So simple, so hearty! This recipe uses ground beef, but ground turkey or chicken would taste delicious as well. Plus, you can make it in an Instant Pot or slow cooker.

Get The Cabbage Soup Recipe

Cauliflower Mac And Cheese

Cheap keto dinner recipes don’t need meat! This one gets to the table fast with whole ingredients like heavy cream and real butter.

Get The Keto Cauliflower Mac and Cheese Recipe

Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole

Make it with fresh or frozen produce for just 5 grams of net carbs per serving. One of the best cheap keto family meals that everyone at the table loves.

Get The Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole Recipe

Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs

This naturally keto-friendly cut of meat gets super crispy skin with a few simple techniques!

Get The Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Thighs Recipe