Vegan meal kits vs supermarket costs (UK): which is cheaper for you
Last updated: 15 October 2026
On vegan meal kits vs supermarket shopping, the supermarket usually wins on the price of the ingredients. A meal kit can still cost you less over a month if it replaces takeaways, top-up shops and food you throw away. WRAP’s Love Food Hate Waste campaign puts the average UK family’s food waste at about £83 a month, so the waste side of the sum is not small.
If you want to try a vegan kit, the current Grubby offer and the steps to claim it are on our Grubby discount code page.
Vegan meal kits vs supermarket shopping at a glance
| Factor | Supermarket cooking | Vegan meal kits |
|---|---|---|
| Price per portion | Lower, if you plan and reuse ingredients | Higher, but the weekly bill is fixed |
| Time and planning | You plan, write the list, shop and decide each meal | You pick the recipes once a week |
| Food waste | Higher unless you use up leftovers | Lower, because ingredients arrive portioned |
| Learning vegan cooking | Cheaper, with more trial and error | Recipe cards and set portions remove the guesswork |
| Flexibility | No deadlines | You have to skip or change each box before the weekly cut-off |
Why the price per portion is only half the sum
On paper, supermarket meals cost less. In practice, plenty of people spend more than they planned. They do extra top-up shops, buy one-off ingredients for a single recipe and order a takeaway when the plan falls apart.
Food waste adds to the bill too. The average family throws away about £83 of food a month, according to Love Food Hate Waste, WRAP’s consumer campaign. So a kit that sends exact quantities can close some of the gap on price.
When the supermarket wins
Supermarket cooking is the cheaper choice when you do three things:
- Plan four to six repeatable meals rather than a fortnight of new recipes.
- Reuse ingredients such as onions, tins, sauces and spices across those meals.
- Cook what you planned instead of buying extras midweek.
Beans, lentils, rice, pasta, oats, frozen veg and seasonal veg keep the bill down. Meat substitutes and vegan cheese are fine, but they add up quickly.
When vegan meal kits can be better value
- Takeaways: if one or two a week are your real alternative, a kit dinner usually costs less than the delivery.
- Top-up shops: quick trips to the shop tend to add snacks and impulse buys.
- Waste: fresh ingredients go off when you are too tired to cook them.
- New to vegan cooking: set recipes cut down on failed experiments and half-used jars.
How to compare the two for your own household
- Pick a normal week and add up everything you spent on food, including takeaways and meal deals.
- Count how many dinners you cooked at home that week.
- Divide the first number by the second to get your real cost per dinner.
- Compare that with the per-portion price of a meal kit, including delivery.
For Grubby’s box prices worked out per meal and per portion, see our breakdown of how much Grubby costs in the UK.
How to make either option cheaper
Cheaper supermarket vegan meals
- Build a short rotation of meals and repeat it.
- Use frozen veg and frozen protein to cut waste.
- Cook double and take the leftovers for lunch.
- Buy spices and sauces one or two at a time, as recipes call for them.
Cheaper vegan meal kits
- Order for busy weeks only, and skip the rest before the cut-off.
- Choose quicker recipes on tiring weeks, so you cook every kit you pay for.
- Start with a new-customer offer, such as the one on our Grubby discount code page.
FAQs
Are vegan meal kits cheaper than supermarket shopping?
Usually not on the cost of the ingredients alone. They can work out cheaper over a month if they replace takeaways, cut food waste and stop top-up shops.
What is the cheapest way to eat vegan in the UK?
A planned supermarket shop built around beans, lentils, rice, pasta, frozen veg and a few repeatable meals. Meat substitutes and vegan cheese raise the bill fastest.
How much food does the average UK household waste?
WRAP’s Love Food Hate Waste campaign puts it at about £83 of food a month for an average family, with 60% of UK food waste coming from homes.
Is Grubby worth it compared with cooking from scratch?
That depends on how often you would otherwise order in. Our guide to whether Grubby is worth it sets the cost against the time it saves.
How do I try Grubby without paying full price?
Use the current new-customer offer. The amount and the steps to claim it are on our Grubby discount code page.
More from CoolCuration
- Best vegan meal kits UK: Grubby and the other plant-based boxes compared.
- Huel vs real food: meal replacement priced meal for meal against a supermarket lunch.
- How to start eating vegan in the UK: a beginner plan, shopping list and easy meals.
- Oddbox: wonky fruit and veg boxes that would otherwise go to waste.
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