High protein eating has a reputation for being expensive. Chicken breasts, protein shakes, Greek yoghurt — it adds up. But if you know which ingredients to build around, you can hit 160g+ protein per day on £25–30 per week in the UK. Here's how.
The UK's Best Cheap Protein Sources (Ranked by Cost per 10g Protein)
Before the recipes, the building blocks. These are the ingredients that make cheap high protein eating possible:
- Chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on) — ~20p per 10g protein; buy from Aldi, Lidl, or the reduced section
- Eggs — ~25p per 10g protein; 6g protein per egg, available everywhere under 10p each at discount stores
- Dried red lentils — ~10p per 10g protein; 26g protein per 100g dry weight; the single cheapest protein source in the UK
- Tinned tuna (in brine) — ~30p per 10g protein; ~25g protein per tin at 50–70p each
- Tinned chickpeas — ~20p per 10g protein; 8g protein per 100g cooked, under 50p per tin
- Frozen salmon fillets — ~50p per 10g protein; available from Iceland or Lidl frozen section at £4–5/kg
- Minced beef (20% fat) — ~35p per 10g protein; buy in bulk and freeze; works in multiple recipes
- Low-fat cottage cheese — ~30p per 10g protein; 12g protein per 100g, under £1 for 300g at Aldi
10 Cheap High Protein Meals Under £2 per Serving
1. Red Lentil Dal (30g protein, 70p/serving)
Simmer 100g dried red lentils in vegetable stock with tinned tomatoes, cumin, turmeric, garam masala, and a clove of garlic. 25 minutes total. Eat with a portion of rice or naan. Works as lunch or dinner, tastes better the next day, and freezes well. Explore our recipe directory for specific lentil recipes with exact macros.
2. Egg Fried Rice (28g protein, 65p/serving)
Day-old rice (cold, from the fridge — fresher rice goes mushy), 3 eggs, frozen peas, soy sauce, and sesame oil if you have it. 10 minutes. 450 calories and 28g protein for under 70p. This is the single best cheap protein meal for speed.
3. Tuna and Pasta Bake (35g protein, £1.10/serving)
Two tins of tuna in brine, 100g wholemeal pasta (dry weight), half a tin of chopped tomatoes, garlic, and oregano. Combine in an oven dish, top with a sprinkle of own-brand cheddar, bake at 180°C for 20 minutes. Makes 2 servings at 35g protein each.
4. Chicken Thigh Tray Bake (45g protein, £1.40/serving)
Two bone-in chicken thighs (approximately 250g each) on a roasting tray with sweet potato chunks, red onion, and paprika. 40 minutes at 200°C. One of the easiest meals to batch cook — make 4 portions at once, portion into containers, refrigerate for 3 days.
5. Cottage Cheese and Oats (20g protein, 45p/serving)
50g rolled oats cooked in water or milk, topped with 150g low-fat cottage cheese and a tablespoon of honey or peanut butter. Sounds unusual but tastes like a creamy porridge. High protein, under 400 calories, 45p per portion. Best cheap high protein breakfast in the UK.
6. Chickpea Spinach Curry (22g protein, 80p/serving)
One tin of chickpeas, one tin of chopped tomatoes, a bag of spinach (wilts down significantly), onion, garlic, garam masala, cumin, and chilli. 20 minutes. Serve with rice or naan. Fully plant-based, filling, and refrigerates for 4 days.
7. Minced Beef Chilli (40g protein, £1.60/serving)
300g minced beef (20% fat), tinned kidney beans, tinned tomatoes, onion, garlic, cumin, and smoked paprika. Cook down for 30 minutes, serve with rice. Batch to 4 portions — freezes exceptionally well. At £1.60 per portion for 40g protein, this is one of the best value protein meals available.
8. Salmon and Sweet Potato (38g protein, £1.80/serving)
One frozen salmon fillet (defrost overnight or under cold running water), oven baked at 200°C for 15 minutes with lemon and black pepper. Serve with a roasted sweet potato. Simple, minimal washing up, high protein, and the omega-3 content justifies the slight premium over chicken.
9. Egg and Bean Scramble (26g protein, 55p/serving)
Three eggs scrambled with half a tin of baked beans (yes, baked beans — they're cheap protein and fibre), serve on wholemeal toast. 500 calories, 26g protein, 55p. The most British cheap high protein meal on this list.
10. Greek Yoghurt Chicken Bowl (50g protein, £1.90/serving)
200g cooked chicken thigh (from a batch cook), 100g fat-free Greek yoghurt as a sauce base mixed with garlic and lemon, served over rice with cucumber. Unusual combination that works surprisingly well as a tzatziki-style bowl. One of the highest protein-per-pound meals you can make.
How to Use These Meals in a Weekly Plan
The most efficient approach: pick 3 of these meals, double the quantities, and rotate them across the week. Monday's dinner is Tuesday's lunch. Wednesday's batch cook carries you to Friday.
To work out exactly how much to cook and what combination hits your specific targets, use our meal planner — set your calorie target, protein goal, and weekly budget, and it generates a full 7-day plan with a shopping list optimised around cheap UK ingredients. Or start with the macro calculator if you want to know your targets first.
The Key Principle: Protein First, Everything Else Fits Around It
When planning cheap high protein meals, build each meal around the protein source first. Decide on chicken, eggs, lentils, or tuna — then add carbs and veg to hit your calorie target. Trying to retrofit protein into a carb-heavy meal is harder and more expensive. Protein first makes the planning straightforward.
With the ingredients above and these recipes as a starting point, hitting 150–180g protein per day on under £30 per week is genuinely achievable in the UK. The maths works — you just have to plan it.