If you thought being vegan is expensive and if you thought that being vegan means you can't get enough protein (especially if you're one of those bodybuilder type people who eat 150g of protein or more a day), then this article is here to prove you wrong.
Sure, you could buy all the fake meat things which can taste pretty good but are usually quite expensive. Why not go for whole foods instead that are way cheaper? Here are some suggestions. We calculated how much protein you can get out of $1. Keep in mind that that might mean a lot of calories actually, but it should give you an idea of how much protein you can actually get for such little money.
1. Dried Beans e.g. Kidney Beans - 94g of protein for $1
Damn...!! 94g is over what most people need for protein a day! All for a dollar! Dried beans are so, so cheap. Yes, it might be a bit of a hassle to soak them overnight but if you want to get fancy, buy a pressure cooker and then you can just cook them right away.
2. Dried Lentils - 34g of protein for $1
Super yummy and quick to make. Eat with rice, make into a salad, blend into a bread spread.. basically do whatever you want with it. In Germany, I've even seen pasta made out of lentils but I haven't seen in supermarkets in the US so far.
3. Dried Chickpeas - 32g of protein for $1
My favorite is actually chickpea flour (so either blend dried chickpeas yourself or buy some from an Indian store) that you can use to make things like pancakes! It's generally very cheap as well. However, you can obviously just prepare them in their whole form. You don't really need me to tell you how to eat chickpeas but there is plenty inspiration online if you need some!
4. TVP (texturized vegetable protein) - 40.5g of protein for $1
Ok this one might be hard to find at your typical grocery store... you could try a health food store or amazon instead. You usually soak tvp in water for about 10 minutes and then you can flavor it and use it however you want later on. Depending on the type you buy, it will come in small pieces sort of resembling minced meat, or in bigger chunks etc. Make it into a bolognese sauce, add it to a stir-fry or just eat it without These are some that I found on amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Betta-Foods-Soyabeaf-Unflav...
https://www.amazon.com/Betta-Foods-Soyabeaf-Unflav...
https://www.amazon.com/Betta-Foods-Imitation-Unfla...
5. Tofu - 9g of protein for $1
So yes, this one may seem like a rip off compared to the others. But it might also be because finding the typical price of tofu online is hard. Yet, tofu is a yummy plant-based protein source and there are billions or recipes online to try! My favorite is baked tofu that is marinated in a little bit of soy sauce and left in the oven for about 20 minutes.
6. Brown Rice - 47g of protein for $1
The classic. Unlike white rice, this rice hasn't been refined. It contains more vitamins and minerals than brown rice, has fewer carbs overall and more fiber and has a lower glycemic index. Yay!
7. Oats - 42g of protein for $1
Apparently, at least according to what we could find on walmart.com, steal cut oats will be cheaper than rolled oats so try and find those. Steal cut oats are those that you have to cook for a while first or just make overnight oats instead (when you soak them in plant milk or plant yogurt overnight so they become nice and soft in the morning).
8. Protein Powder (we used hemp in this example) - 34g of protein for $1
Add protein powders to smoothies (especially hemp because it tastes horrible on its own) or just mix with water or plant-based milk. While they are not really necessary for most people, athletes like to have them before and after their workouts and others like to simply add it to their smoothies.
9. Peanuts - 29g of protein for $1
Who doesn't love peanuts? So yummy. Try making your own peanut butter by simply blending peanuts! It'll be way healthier than the ones you can buy in stores that have added sugar and fat. Plus it'll be cheaper too.
10. Sunflower Seeds - 32g of protein for $1
Taste best if you roast them for a couple of minutes in a pan, add some salt if you like and eat by themselves or use as a topping on other meals. Also tastes great when blended into a butter!
