Eating gluten free doesn’t mean you have to spend more! These cheap gluten free meals rely on affordable, healthy ingredients so you can prepare easy dinners, snacks, and breakfasts without sacrificing your budget or energy!
best Tips for eating gluten free on a budget
When initially starting a gluten free diet, home cooks may have a bit of of sticker shock. Grocery and speciality health food stores carry certified gluten free foods that are priced astronomically higher than their traditional counterparts.
It’s a trap, though! Cheap gluten free food is all around you, and affordable meals are possible without spending extra time or effort in the kitchen. Here are some easy tricks to eating gluten free on the cheap!
- Number one way to save – meal plan! Avoid convenience food traps by planning out meals each week and shopping for those ingredients. You will have everything on hand, ready to go, and avoiding frequent trips to the grocery store saves money!
- Feed everyone in the family the same meal. Find gluten free dinner recipes that use naturally GF ingredients and appeal to the whole family. Stir frys over rice, stuffed potatoes, casseroles, and sheet pan meals are great options!
- For pricier ingredients, such as gluten free flour, certified GF oats, and specialty grains, buy in bulk using Amazon’s Subscribe and Save, Vitacost, or Thrive Market.
- Instead of premade mixes, which often contain hard-to-decipher ingredient labels, use whole foods – fruits, veggies, affordable cuts of meat, grains, and canned goods.
- Make foods that you use a lot and are expensive to buy, such as gluten free sandwich bread, pancakes, and muffins. Go to this resource for more of the best gluten free bread recipes!
- Alternatively, avoid using bread by substituting lettuce wraps, opting for stuffed potatoes, or serving open-faced over cheap-to-make and freezer-friendly gluten free cornbread.
where to buy affordable gluten free food?
A web search for “cheap gluten free meals” will turn up many options for pre-made gluten free meal delivery. Although this may be convenient and easy, there is a massive trade-off with price. Plus, small portions doesn’t make this a realistic option when feeding a family.
The number one place to buy affordable gluten free food is your local supermarket. Use regular grocery store items, such as meats, fruits, vegetables, grains, and canned goods to make meals. Typically the only speciality item I buy is GF pasta, which isn’t terribly expensive if using Barilla or Ronzoni brand.
For gluten free flour and certified grains, buy in bulk using Amazon’s Subscribe and Save, Vitacost, or Thrive Market. Signing up to mailing lists will alert you to coupon codes and deals, and take advantage of those deals by buying in large quantities!
cheap gluten free dinners
The gluten free recipes listed below are great examples of using regular ingredients to make affordable, allergy-friendly dinners. If you are cooking for a family, be sure to check out Gluten Free Recipes for Kids for more affordable gluten free meals!
- Walking Taco Casserole
- Baked Chicken Cacciatore
- Gluten-Free Meatloaf
- Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas (serve over a rice or cauliflower rice bowl)
- Instant Pot Sloppy Joes (skip the speciality buns and serve over potatoes)
- Smoked Sausage and Potatoes
- Mexican Stuffed Peppers
- Crockpot Turkey Chili
- Instant Pot Honey Soy Chicken
- Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls
- Sausage Bake Dinner
- Easy Tomato Pie
- Tamale Pie
- Tuna Noodle Casserole from Scratch
- Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- BBQ Pulled Chicken
- Sweet Potato, Onion, Sausage Goulash
easy Gluten free snacks
- Gluten Free Chex Mix
- Cheese sticks wrapped with lunchmeat
- Nuts
- Fresh fruit
- Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
- Gluten Free Mozzarella Sticks
- Raisins mixed with gluten free cereal
- Homemade Caramel Corn or popcorn
- Cottage cheese
- Hummus and veggies
- Dates stuffed with peanut butter
- Rice cakes with peanut butter & banana
bargain breakfasts
- Instant oatmeal or baked oatmeal (freeze in individual serving sizes)
- Instant pot yogurt and homemade gluten free granola
- Flourless pancakes
- Sausage Egg Muffins
- Chex cereal with fresh fruit
- Gluten Free Cheese Scones
- Gluten Free Banana Muffins
- Applesauce Muffins
- Oat Flour Banana Bread
- Gluten Free Waffles
- Grits and eggs
- Avocado toast
- Oat flour bread with peanut butter and bananas
Save these cheap gluten free meals to your PINTEREST board!
Let’s be friends on Pinterest! I’m always sharing great recipes!
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Marquesa says
I love these recipes. They look wonderful. I am making one of them for dinner I just need to decide which?
Melissa says
Thank you so much, Marquesa! I’m glad you are enjoying them!
Best,
Melissa