Saving money on food doesn’t have to be difficult. Stocking your kitchen with versatile, low-cost ingredients is the first step in making affordable meals. Read on for some of my favorite, go-to affordable ingredient picks.

Top 10 Cheap Ingredients: Fill your fridge and pantry with these budget-stretching essentials. Click through for all 10 ideas.

One of the keys to cheap cooking is learning a repertoire of cheap recipes, and stocking your kitchen with affordable and versatile staples. Here are some food items that I always keep stocked in my kitchen:

1: Tortillas

Besides being a staple in Mexican dishes, you can use tortillas to make thin-crust pizzas, appetizer roll-ups, homemade tortilla chips, and more. Consider buying whole wheat tortillas for added nutritional value.

2: Bouillon

I always, always have bouillon stocked in my kitchen. It’s much cheaper than canned broth, takes up less space in your pantry, and once incorporated into a dish, produces similar results.

Bouillon can be used as a base for soups, sauces, meat dishes, casseroles, and other savory dishes. It’s available in chicken, beef, vegetable, chipotle, and other flavors. I buy non-MSG boullion whenever possible (namely the brand Better Than Boullion).

3: Eggs

I am constantly amazed by the versatility of eggs. You can scramble them, fry them, bake them, poach them, and hard boil them. And when you separate the yolk from the white, amazing things can happen (like meringues, soufflés, fluffy frosting, and custard).

I recommend buying quality eggs (organic and cage-free) because they taste better and they’re better for you. Even if you’re spending more on organic eggs, the cost per egg/serving is still low.

4: Real Parmesan Cheese

Shredded Parmesan cheese packs more flavor than its dried and grated counterpart. Since it is so flavorful, you can generally use less than is required in a recipe – which saves calories as well as money.

5: Pasta

There are virtually unlimited ways in which to prepare pasta. Pasta and sauce (without meat) is one of the cheapest meals out there.

6: Sweet Chili Sauce

You can find sweet chili sauce in the Asian food section of most supermarkets. I use it all the time:

  • As a dipping sauce for egg rolls or samosas
  • As a sauce on a veggie pizza
  • As a sauce on breaded chicken
  • In stir-fry

It’s one of the most versatile and budget-friendly sauces that I use. It costs about $3.00 for a large 25-ounce bottle. Alternatively, you can make homemade sweet chili sauce at home.

7: Chipotle Peppers In Adobo Sauce

Nothing beats the heat and smoky flavor of chipotle. In the Mexican food section, you can buy chipotle peppers packed in spicy red adobo sauce.

To get more use out of a can of chipotle in adobo sauce – instead of using just the peppers or just the sauce –  pour all contents into a blender to liquefy and then freeze. You can use the pureed liquid as needed in recipes such as soups, salsas, tomato sauces, and Mexican dishes.

8: Fresh Lemons and Limes

Using fresh lemons and limes in your cooking (versus bottled juices) can make a world of difference in terms of taste. Nothing beats the flavor of fresh citrus.

Before juicing a lemon or lime, roll it firmly under your hand a couple of times. This maximizes the amount of juice that is released from the fruit.

9: Beans and Lentils

Besides being cheap and healthy, beans and lentils can be prepared a million different ways. Nothing beats the ease of canned beans, but dried (and prepared) beans are the real deal in terms of flavor, texture, and cost savings. Lentils are easy and quick to prepare. They cook in about 15 minutes.

10: Cabbage

You can often purchase a large whole cabbage for less than $2.00 – and it’s enough to make many side dishes, salads or even main courses. The trick is to learn some versatile cabbage recipes. Some of my favorites are:

11: Potatoes

Another essential cheap ingredient that can be prepared in a million different ways are potatoes. The key is to learn a variety of ways to prepare them deliciously, such as:

12: Oats

There are many ways to prepare oats beyond a bowl of oatmeal, both sweet and savory.

13: Frozen Vegetables

Frozen vegetables can be substituted for fresh in many types of recipes. Beyond steaming them according to package directions, use frozen vegetables as a low-cost substitute in the following recipes:

14: Canned Tomatoes

The ultimate pantry staple, canned tomatoes in their many forms (diced, tomato sauce, stewed, whole, etc.) can be used in so many recipes:

15: Rice

Rice is one of the most versatile and affordable pantry staples you can buy – a five-pound bag costs around $4 to $6 and can stretch across dozens of meals, from fried rice to casseroles to simple side dishes.

16: Peanut Butter

The average American eats about 4.4 pounds of peanut butter a year – and that’s more than just peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. This is another crossover ingredient that can be used in both sweet and savory recipes:

17: Carrots

One of the cheapest vegetables in the supermarket, carrots are great for dipping (great on any vegetable tray) but can also be prepared into various side dishes, main course dishes, and desserts:

Top 10 cheap ingredients, from Cheap Recipe Blog

Where You Shop Matters

If you’re new to cooking on a budget, you have to know where to shop. Find out how drastically prices vary at 8 different types of grocery stores:

Supermarket price wars: Comparing prices at 8 types of grocery stores, from Cheap Recipe Blog

Start Making These Cheap Recipes To Start Saving Money On Food

What are the cheapest recipes on Cheap Recipe Blog? I made a list of 38+ recipes that make use of low-cost ingredients, and are all less than $1.00 per serving.

These are the cheapest of the cheap recipes, the ones that will help you save a lot of money over time. Check out the 38+ cheapest recipes on my blog.

My cheap ingredient list is inevitably different than yours. So let’s start a conversation: what are your favorite cheap food staples? Please leave a comment below.

Where To Find Cheap Ingredients

The short answer: where you shop matters as much as what you buy. Here’s where to find the best prices on budget pantry staples:

  • ALDI — Consistently the lowest prices on eggs, produce, canned goods, butter, and dairy. If you have one nearby, it should be your first stop.
  • Walmart — Very strong prices on pantry staples like rice, pasta, beans, and frozen vegetables. Great for buying in bulk.
  • Costco or Sam’s Club — Best for large families or items you use constantly: oats, olive oil, canned tomatoes, peanut butter, cheese.
  • Store brand / generic — At any grocery store, switching to store brand on staples like pasta, canned beans, frozen vegetables, and broth can cut your grocery bill by 20–30% with no difference in quality.
  • The freezer aisle — Frozen vegetables are just as nutritious as fresh and significantly cheaper, especially out of season.
  • Ethnic grocery stores — Asian, Mexican, and Eastern European grocery stores often carry staples like rice, noodles, beans, spices, and sauces at a fraction of mainstream grocery store prices.

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