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Looking for the best frugal cookbooks to help you save money on food? In this post, I’m sharing some great cheap eating cookbooks to help you cook on a budget.
Having a trusty cookbook is a great resource to help you save money by eating at home more. It’s your go to guide for finding a great recipe to make for your family when you need some help.
Today, I wanted to share the best frugal cookbooks to help you find recipes to make on a budget.
23 Best Frugal Cookbooks to Help You Cook on a Budget
These cookbooks are all about helping you prepare frugal meals for your family, so you can save money on food and still eat great.
Check these out and find your perfect cookbook to help you cook on a budget!
Frugal Tip: I love to buy used cookbooks to save money. Check the used prices for really great deals!
23 Best Frugal Cookbooks:
Click on the link or image to find out more about each cookbook. I have also included a short excerpt from the Amazon book description to help you find the perfect frugal cookbook!
1. Simply Frugal: Waste Less, Save More, Eat Well
This cookbook focuses on reducing food waste, using up leftovers, and saving at the grocery store.
It includes over “25 tried and true recipes, two weeks of simple and frugal dinner meal plans, freezer and food storage tips, zero food waste tips, and a food re-purposing glossary so you can see exactly how every recipe will help you to intentionally eat what you have while at the same time eating well.”
Get Simply Frugal: Waste Less, Save More, Eat Well here.
2. Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day
“By showing that kitchen skill, and not budget, is the key to great food, Good and Cheap will help you eat well—really well—on the strictest of budgets. And I love that for every book bought, they donate a copy to a family in need.”
Get Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day here.
3. The Flat Broke Cookbook: Thrifty Meals & Shopping Tips for Tough Times
“The Flat Broke Cookbook is about shopping for food with limited funds and still feeding your family tasty and nutritious meals. These recipes are simple, filling scratch-cooking to keep you nourished when times are tough.”
Get The Flat Broke Cookbook: Thrifty Meals & Shopping Tips for Tough Times here.
4. Frugal Vegan: Affordable, Easy & Delicious Vegan Cooking
“Live a healthy vegan lifestyle without breaking the bank with these 99 affordable and delicious plant-based recipes. Frugal Vegan teaches you how to avoid pricey perishables and special ingredients, and still enjoy nutritious, exciting food at every meal.
Learn the tips and tricks to creating plant-based cuisine on a budget and fill yourself up with a delicious feast.”
Get Frugal Vegan: Affordable, Easy & Delicious Vegan Cooking here.
5. 30-Minute Frugal Vegan Recipes: Fast, Flavorful Plant-Based Meals on a Budget
“With Melissa’s wallet-friendly recipes, you can skip expensive vegan substitutes and pricey health food stores, all while enjoying nourishing meals that are as pleasing to your palate as they are to your bank account.”
Get 30-Minute Frugal Vegan Recipes: Fast, Flavorful Plant-Based Meals on a Budget here.
6. The Frugal Paleo Cookbook: Affordable, Easy & Delicious Paleo Cooking
“For those on the Paleo diet, one of the biggest concerns isn’t the variety but the price. Luckily, Ciarra Hannah, creator of PopularPaleo.com, has 100 easy, wallet-friendly Paleo recipes that’ll feed the whole family.
Ciarra uses flavorful but less expensive cuts of meat in traditional yet approachable cooking methods, as well as her roll-forward technique for creating multiple dishes to maximize your time in the kitchen.
You’ll love her keys to budgeting, tips for making items ahead of time, 5-ingredients-or-less seasoning blends and other money-saving pointers.”
Get The Frugal Paleo Cookbook: Affordable, Easy & Delicious Paleo Cooking here.
7. The 5-Ingredient College Cookbook: Easy, Healthy Recipes for the Next Four Years & Beyond
“Healthy cooking expert and cookbook author Pamela Ellgen brings you the latest in college cooking with The 5-Ingredient College Cookbook―the simplest college cookbook yet.
By sticking to 5 easy-to-find main ingredients per recipe, The 5-Ingredient College Cookbook makes it easier than ever for students to cook tasty, high quality, healthy food for themselves.”
Get The 5-Ingredient College Cookbook: Easy, Healthy Recipes for the Next Four Years & Beyond here.
8. Cheap and Wicked Good!: 5-Ingredient Budget-Friendly Recipes for Everyday Meals
“Eating on a budget doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice flavor or nutrition! This collection of cheap and delicious recipes will surprise you by its variety and how easy each recipe can be prepared with only 5 ingredients!”
Get Cheap and Wicked Good!: 5-Ingredient Budget-Friendly Recipes for Everyday Meals here.
9. The Frugal Instant Pot Cookbook: Simple, Tasty Recipes That Cook In A Flash & Don’t Break The Bank
“With this cookbook you’ll be able to make the most of of your Instant Pot and cook affordable meals that turn out delicious.”
10. The Tight Budget Cookbook: Delicious and Nutritious Recipes for the Frugal Cook
“If you want to save a lot of money on your grocery bills, yet still serve delicious and nutritious meals, this cookbook is for you!
All of the recipes in this book were contributed by Nutrition Educators with your needs in mind. You’ll find breakfast dishes for as little as 4 cents per serving, and main dishes featuring meat for as little as 51 cents per serving.”
Get The Tight Budget Cookbook: Delicious and Nutritious Recipes for the Frugal Cook here.
11. Little House Living: The Make-Your-Own Guide to a Frugal, Simple, and Self-Sufficient Life
“From the immensely popular blogger behind Little House Living comes a motivational homemaking book, inspired by Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie, featuring creative, fun ways to live your life simply and frugally—perfect for fans of Ree Drummond’s The Pioneer Woman.
With over 130 practical, simple DIY recipes, gorgeous full-color photographs, and Merissa’s trademark charm in personal stories and tips, Little House Living is the epitome of heartland warmth and prairie inspiration.”
Get Little House Living: The Make-Your-Own Guide to a Frugal, Simple, and Self-Sufficient Life here.
12. Seriously Good Freezer Meals: 150 Easy Recipes to Save Your Time, Money and Sanity
“In Seriously Good Freezer Meals, Karrie shares 150 recipes photos that will change the way you think about freezer cooking. You won’t find your mother or grandmother’s freezer meals here (except lasagna, of course).
Her recipes include Morning Energy Bars, Empanada Hand Pies, Coconut Cashew Basil Curry Soup, Smoky Grilled Louisiana Turkey Legs, and Layered Chocolate Mousse Cake with tons of vegetarian, gluten-free and vegan options, too.
Plus, she adds a bulk-batch chart for ease in making large quantities of each freezer-meal recipe.”
Get Seriously Good Freezer Meals: 150 Easy Recipes to Save Your Time, Money and Sanity here.
13. Budget Cookbook (3rd Edition): 103 Delicious & Easy Recipes That Will CUT Your Grocery Bill in Half (Feed 4 for Under $10 A Meal)
“Save money with these quick, easy and tasty dinner recipes. Feed 4 for Under $10 with meals your family will love and think costed more!”
14. Frugal Cooking for Simple Living (90+ Recipes)
“This Frugal Cooking cookbook has over 90 recipes! It is divided into easy-to-find categories, helping you find exactly what you’re craving.
You’ll learn recipes for Breads, Salads, Pastas, Meats, Cookies and Desserts, and so much more!
Your family will love trying new delights from this cookbook and you’ll quickly find that eating frugally can equal eating well!”
Get Frugal Cooking for Simple Living (90+ Recipes) here.
15. The 5-Ingredient Fresh and Easy Cookbook: 90+ Recipes For Busy People Who Love to Eat Well
“If a busy schedule has been standing between you and eating the healthy meals you and your family deserve, consider a simpler alternative.
The 5-Ingredient Fresh and Easy Cookbook is a straightforward, convenient, and organized method that proves you don’t need a ton of ingredients to make a great meal―all you need is 5.”
Get The 5-Ingredient Fresh and Easy Cookbook: 90+ Recipes For Busy People Who Love to Eat Well here.
16. Gluten-Free on a Shoestring: 125 Easy Recipes for Eating Well on the Cheap
“From chicken potpie to banana cream pie, Nicole shares her recipes for tasty family favorites–all gluten-free, all easy on your wallet.
With revised and new recipes, pantry-stocking tips, keys to the best GF flour blends–and of course, more top money-saving secrets–Nicole’s got you (and your wallet) covered for every meal and craving.”
Get Gluten-Free on a Shoestring: 125 Easy Recipes for Eating Well on the Cheap here.
17. How to Cook for Beginners: An Easy Cookbook for Learning the Basics
“If recipes look like secret codes and boiling an egg might as well be rocket science, How to Cook for Beginners is for you. Easy lessons and delicious recipes teach you everything you need to know to get started in the kitchen.”
Get How to Cook for Beginners: An Easy Cookbook for Learning the Basics here.
18. The $7 a Meal Slow Cooker Cookbook: 301 Inexpensive Meals the Whole Family will Love!
“With this cookbook, families will find 301 great recipes that almost cook themselves, including: Spicy Turkey Meatballs; Hearty Root Vegetable Soup; Pizza Fondue; Crock-Pot Fajitas; Black Bean Lasagna; and more.
This comprehensive, all-purpose cookbook is packed with simple instructions, nutritional information, and the amount of money needed for each recipe and makes preparing delicious, healthy, and cheap meals easier than ever before.”
Get The $7 a Meal Slow Cooker Cookbook: 301 Inexpensive Meals the Whole Family will Love! here.
19. Good Cheap Eats Dinner in 30 Minutes or Less: Fresh, Fast, and Flavorful Home-Cooked Meals, with More Than 200 Recipes
“In over 200 recipes, Jessica Fisher shows time-pressed cooks how they can eat remarkably well without breaking the bank. Good Cheap Eats serves up 65 two-course dinners, consisting of a main dish and a substantial side, salad, or soup, all of which take 30 minutes or less to prepare.
And as a mother of six and a busy parent, she shows home cooks how to get dinner on the table quickly and inexpensively without relying on heavily processed shortcuts or artificial ingredients.
Great for time-pressed couples, families with picky eaters, or singles that need a quick solution to dinner tonight, Jessica’s two-course pairings are artfully conceived and perfectly complementary.”
20. The “I Love My Instant Pot®” Affordable Meals Recipe Book: From Cold Start Yogurt to Honey Garlic Salmon, 175 Easy, Family-Favorite Meals You Can Make for under $12
“In the “I Love My Instant Pot®” Affordable Meals Recipe Book, Aileen Clark shows that it is possible to eat healthy, filling meals while on a budget. With 175 recipes and photos throughout, this is a must-have cookbook if you are looking for good meals that are easy on the wallet.
Save money and reduce your monthly food budget with practical approaches to grocery shopping. With a cost estimate included for each recipe, you can easily stay on budget and manage your food costs ahead of time so you can be better prepared with your expenses.”
21. $5 A Meal College Cookbook
“Offering up more than 300 hassle-free dishes, this cookbook will not only satisfy your hunger but your meager bank account, too!”
Get $5 A Meal College Cookbook here.
22. The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook: 200 Recipes for Quick, Delicious, and Nourishing Meals That Are Easy on the Budget and a Snap to Prepare
“Erin is the founder of “$5 Dinners”, the skyrocketing internet website that’s now the go-to source for families who want to eat well and stay within a budget. Erin became a supermarket savvy mom, challenged herself to create dinners for her family of four that cost no more than $5 and is here to share her fool-proof method with you in her first cookbook that contains over 200 recipes that cost $5 or less to make.
First, Erin will show you how to size up the best supermarket deals, clip coupons that will really save you money and create a weekly dinner menu plan. Then, in each recipe she shows you just how much she paid for each item and challenges you to do the same.”
23. The $5 Dinner Mom One-Dish Dinners Cookbook: Feed Your Family for $5 or Less
“Erin’s newest book, The $5 Dinner Mom One-Dish Dinners Cookbook is filled with more than 150 one-dish recipes that don’t cost an arm and a leg, are easy to prepare and even easier to clean up after.”
Get The $5 Dinner Mom One-Dish Dinners Cookbook: Feed Your Family for $5 or Less here.
There you have it – 23 of the best frugal cookbooks to help you eat at home more and save money.
I hope you found the perfect cookbook for your diet and your family. Use these recipes to help you make a frugal meal plan, and cook frugal meals for your family.
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