KF.Social
KF.Social EditorialProtein has a reputation for being the expensive part of the plate, and if your only mental image of it is skinless chicken breast, that reputation is fair. But protein per pound is where budget eating gets interesting. Eggs, tinned fish, dried lentils, tinned beans, own-brand yoghurt, and tofu all deliver a big protein hit for very little money. Once you rank foods by cost per gram of protein rather than by how they look in a fitness advert, hitting a genuine target for under two pounds a serving stops being a challenge and becomes the default.
The short version
- For building and keeping muscle, aim for roughly **1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day**, the point where extra protein stops adding much.
- The cheapest protein per gram comes from eggs, dried legumes, tinned fish, milk, and own-brand yoghurt, not from lean meat or powder.
- Legumes are the budget hero: protein plus fibre for pennies, and higher intake tracks with lower heart-disease and diabetes risk.
- Plant and animal proteins both work. Soya foods like tofu and edamame are complete proteins and need no clever combining.
- Every meal here lands under 2 pounds a serving while carrying 25 grams of protein or more.
The number you are actually aiming for
Before worrying about cost, know your target. For building and holding muscle, the best available evidence points to roughly 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. A large review that pooled 49 studies found benefits from protein plateaued around that point, so a working range of 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram covers almost everyone who trains. For a 70 kilogram person that is about 112 to 154 grams a day.
That sounds like a lot until you see it in cheap food. Two eggs, a tin of beans, a pot of yoghurt, and a tin of tuna already stack up past 60 grams for a couple of pounds total. The target is not the expensive part. The expensive part is only how you choose to hit it.
The cheapest protein in the shop
The trick to cheap protein is to shop by cost per gram of protein, not by price on the shelf. A big bag of dried lentils looks like nothing on the receipt but delivers an enormous amount of protein. Here is roughly how the cheap staples stack up. Prices are approximate own-brand estimates and shift over time, but the order is stable.
| Food | Protein per typical serving | Roughly per serving |
|---|---|---|
| Dried lentils (dry, per cup cooked) | about 18 g | about £0.20 |
| Eggs (2 large) | about 12 g | about £0.50 |
| Milk (500 ml) | about 17 g | about £0.35 |
| Own-brand yoghurt (170 g) | about 17 g | about £0.40 |
| Tinned beans or chickpeas (1 tin) | about 15 g | about £0.50 |
| Tinned tuna or mackerel (1 tin) | about 24 g | about £0.90 |
| Firm tofu (150 g) | about 20 g | about £0.90 |
Legumes sit at the very cheap end and bring fibre along with protein, which is why reviews of long-term studies link higher legume intake to lower risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Eggs and dairy are the cheapest animal options. Tinned oily fish costs a little more but throws in omega-3 fats. Notice what is missing from the top of the list: chicken breast and protein powder are fine, they are just not where the value is.
One habit multiplies all of these savings: buy the big format and portion it yourself. A large tub of yoghurt is far cheaper per gram of protein than the same weight in small pots, a dozen eggs beats a half-dozen, and a kilogram bag of dried lentils works out cheaper per meal than any tin. The cheapest protein in the shop rewards a little planning and a container to store it in.
Plant sources are a touch less protein-dense and lower in the amino acid leucine, so eat slightly larger portions, roughly 10 to 20 percent more, and mix a few sources across the day. Soya foods such as tofu, tempeh, and edamame are complete proteins and need no combining at all. None of this makes plant protein inferior, it just means being a little more generous with the scoop.
Meals that hit the number under two pounds
Put those cheap sources together and 25 to 40 grams of protein per plate is easy, all under 2 pounds a serving.
| Meal | Protein | Roughly per serving |
|---|---|---|
| Lentil dahl with rice and a spoon of yoghurt | about 24 g | about £1.00 |
| Tuna and sweetcorn jacket potato | about 30 g | about £1.30 |
| Bean and egg breakfast burrito | about 26 g | about £1.10 |
| Tofu and frozen veg stir-fry with rice | about 28 g | about £1.60 |
| Greek yoghurt with oats, milk, and peanut butter | about 30 g | about £1.20 |
The overnight protein bowl
Mix a big pot of own-brand Greek-style yoghurt with oats and milk, leave it overnight, and stir in a spoon of peanut butter in the morning. That is around 30 grams of protein for about £1.20, no cooking, and it travels. Swap in a soya yoghurt and it stays cheap and just as high in protein for a fully plant-based version.
The bean and egg burrito
Warm a tin of beans with a little smoked paprika, scramble two eggs, and wrap both in a tortilla with any veg you have. About 26 grams of protein for roughly £1.10, and it works for any meal of the day. Skip the eggs and double the beans, or add a handful of grated cheese or tofu, depending on what is in the fridge.
The tuna jacket potato
The laziest high-protein dinner on the list. Bake or microwave a large potato, split it, and top with a tin of drained tuna mixed with a little yoghurt or mayo and some sweetcorn. That is around 30 grams of protein for about £1.30, almost no skill required, and the potato adds fibre and potassium. For a plant version, swap the tuna for a tin of curried chickpeas or a scoop of hummus and beans.
Hitting the total without overspending
Total protein over the day is what matters most, but spreading it across meals is both slightly better for muscle and easier on the budget, because it stops you leaning on one pricey source. The International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends spreading protein across the day in doses of roughly 0.4 grams per kilogram per meal. In practice that means putting a cheap protein anchor in every meal rather than saving it all for dinner.
- Anchor breakfast. This is where most people fall short. Eggs, yoghurt, or an oats-and-milk bowl fixes it for pennies.
- Keep a legume tin in every dinner. Beans and lentils bulk out a meal, cut the meat you need, and add protein and fibre for almost nothing.
- Buy the big yoghurt tub, not the pots. Per gram of protein it is far cheaper, and you portion it yourself.
- Use eggs and tinned fish as the flexible middle. Both are cheap, keep well, and turn a plain base into a proper protein meal in minutes.
Oats with milk and yoghurt, a bean and egg lunch, a lentil or tofu dinner, and a glass of milk or a yoghurt to close a gap. That is well over 100 grams of protein for under five pounds across the whole day, no powder required.
Questions people ask
What is the cheapest source of protein?
Can I build muscle on cheap protein?
Do I need protein powder to hit my target on a budget?
How do I hit a high protein target as a vegan on a budget?
References
- Morton RW, et al. British Journal of Sports Medicine. A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. 2018. doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2017-097608
- Jager R, et al. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Protein and Exercise. 2017. doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0177-8
- Viguiliouk E, et al. Advances in Nutrition. Associations between Dietary Pulses Alone or with Other Legumes and Cardiometabolic Disease Outcomes: An Umbrella Review and Updated Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies. 2019. doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmz113
Last reviewed 18 July 2026. We check health-condition articles against current guidelines and update the date above when we do.
