how I stock my fridge as a vegetarian (budget friendly)

One thing I love about being vegetarian, especially in today’s economy, is that plants are usually a lot cheaper than meats. However, it can be tricky to learn how to shop without meat on your grocery list. Fake meats can be very pricey, and there’s a lot of meat-free products on the market these days. I’m going to walk you through how I stock my fridge as someone who eats primarily plant-based, while staying on a budget.

I stopped eating meat 7 years ago, and there is one question that people always ask when I tell them I’m vegetarian — how do I get protein? While I definitely agree that protein is important for everyone, I think their concern is misplaced — just because I don’t eat meat, doesn’t mean I don’t eat protein.

Here’s how I stock my fridge as a vegetarian, all while staying (mostly) under $100 for two people.

shop for the person you are

My first piece of advice before I share my grocery list with you is to shop for the person you are, not the person you want to be. I’ve spent too much money buying fancy greens and berries, just to toss them after a week because they didn’t really interest me.

Here’s the person I am: I love to cook, but I’m in a really busy season of life and oftentimes just need something I can heat up quickly. I love having a big serving of vegetables with every meal, but I also love vegan chicken nuggets. It’s all about finding what feels right for you, and not judging what might be right for someone else.

Now that we’ve had that little disclaimer, onto how I stock my fridge! Please note that I’m not including any of my pantry staples in this list, so if you want to see that in a separate post, be sure to leave a comment and let me know.

proteins

I really like to keep a variety of plant-based protein options in my fridge and freezer, so that I can mix and match to suit whatever I’m craving that day. I don’t buy all of these items every time I’m at the store, but I usually have at least two or three of them in my fridge at any given time.

• Beyond Burgers

• Beyond Breakfast Sausage

• Beyond Italian Sausage or Meatballs

• Lightlife Bacon

• Lightlife Tempeh

• Extra Firm Tofu

• Eggs

• KiteHill Greek-Style Almond Yogurt

• Hummus

• Cheese (I don’t really eat cheese because I’m lactose-intolerant, but we usually keep some on hand for my partner)

Based on just this list, it looks like a lot of my protein sources are fake meats. Keep in mind that this doesn’t include any pantry items, and that beans are a HUGE staple in my diet.

produce

My rule of thumb is to always have three vegetables and three fruits on hand, plus always have lettuce, kale, onions and peppers. The variety depends on what’s in season/on sale, but I pretty much always have broccoli in my fridge. I buy fruits and veggies that I know I love, and that I can mix and match to create different meals and salads. When I’m eating a meal, my goal is to have about half my plate be vegetables.

My three veggies usually looks like:

• broccoli

• zucchini

• asparagus or brussels sprouts

My three fruits usually looks like:

• bananas

• apples

• grapes/cherries/strawberries, etc

Always in my freezer:

• spinach or kale

• mango

• blueberries

I’m a big smoothie girl, so I love having smoothie fixings ready to go at all times.

other staples

These are the things that bring everything together — you can’t have a burger without a bun, you know? Pretty much the only thing I’m rotating in my fridge are the types of proteins and types of veggies. But these staples will ALWAYS be in my fridge.

• oat milk

• tortillas

• sandwich bread

• kombucha (I brew mine at home)

• condiments and sauces

  • try and keep ones that you love on hand, that can go with a lot of different things. I usually have Teriyaki, soy sauce, a couple types of mustard, barbecue sauce just to name a few.

final thoughts

I love to budget small splurges into my grocery bill every week. The way I see it, since I’m already limiting myself by not eating meat, I encourage myself to try new things and splurge a bit when at the store. I am definitely known for buying an $8 jar of pickled carrots every now and then, but within reason.

To keep my day-to-day life functional, I always chop my veggies and have them ready to cook as soon as I get home from the store. I find that helps them last longer, and prevents me from getting the before dinnertime dread.

What are your fridge staples (vegetarian or not!)? I would love to hear in the comments.