High protein on a budget, priced at Tesco and Sainsbury's

To eat high protein on a budget, pick meals that give the most protein for each pound and plan the week around them. We ranked Susten's high-protein recipes by grams of protein per £1 at Tesco and at Sainsbury's. Then Susten planned a 2,400 kcal week with a target of 180 g of protein a day, without protein powder, and priced it at both shops.

The most protein per £1

This chart ranks Susten's recipes with 30 g of protein or more in a Medium portion. Each bar shows the grams of protein that £1 buys in that meal at one shop.

Grams of protein per £1, one Medium portion

• Tesco
• Sainsbury's

1. 

   1. Boiled Eggs on ToastBreakfast · 32 g protein

   35 g · £0.93 at Tesco

   56 g · £0.66 at Sainsbury's
2. 

   2. Lemon & Herb Chicken with Baby PotatoesDinner · 36 g protein

   42 g · £0.86 at Tesco

   47 g · £0.86 at Sainsbury's
3. 

   3. Tuna Mayo SandwichLunch · 34 g protein

   40 g · £0.86 at Tesco

   43 g · £0.85 at Sainsbury's
4. 

   4. Tuna Melt Muffins with Melted MozzarellaLunch · 38 g protein

   35 g · £1.09 at Tesco

   27 g · £1.45 at Sainsbury's
5. 

   5. Herb-Crusted Air Fryer ChickenLunch or dinner · 56 g protein

   27 g · £2.03 at Tesco

   28 g · £2.03 at Sainsbury's
6. 

   6. Chilli Mac & CheeseDinner · 41 g protein

   27 g · £1.55 at Tesco

   27 g · £1.58 at Sainsbury's
7. 

   7. Pesto Chicken & Sun-Dried Tomato WrapLunch · 35 g protein

   26 g · £1.31 at Tesco

   26 g · £1.36 at Sainsbury's
8. 

   8. Egg, Bean & Cheddar Breakfast QuesadillaBreakfast · 36 g protein

   22 g · £1.64 at Tesco

   30 g · £1.24 at Sainsbury's
9. 

   9. Toasted Rice & Pork LarbLunch or dinner · 39 g protein

   25 g · £1.53 at Tesco

   26 g · £1.52 at Sainsbury's
10. 

    10. Chicken Tagine with Fennel & ApricotsDinner · 37 g protein

    22 g · £1.71 at Tesco

    28 g · £1.49 at Sainsbury's

The Boiled Eggs on Toast comes first across the two shops. A Medium portion has 32 g of protein for £0.93 at Tesco and £0.66 at Sainsbury's. At Tesco alone, the Lemon & Herb Chicken with Baby Potatoes gives more: 42 g per £1, against 35 g.

The middle recipe of all 56 gives 18 g of protein per £1 at Tesco and 16 g at Sainsbury's.

Why the chart starts at 30 g of protein

Protein per £1 alone puts cheap carbs first. Peanut butter on toast and porridge give lots of protein per £1, because they cost so little. However, most of their calories come from carbs and fat, so they can't reach a high protein target on their own.

That's why the chart counts only meals with 30 g of protein or more. For a target, you need both: protein for your money, and protein for your calories. Toast makes the chart only with enough protein on it: a Medium portion of the Boiled Eggs on Toast has 32 g.

Tesco or Sainsbury's?

Neither shop is cheaper for every meal. Of the 56 recipes, 26 cost less at Tesco and 28 cost less at Sainsbury's. The other 2 cost the same.

The gaps are often a few pence. A few are bigger. For example, the Egg, Bean & Cheddar Breakfast Quesadilla costs £1.64 at Tesco and £1.24 at Sainsbury's. In contrast, the Tuna Melt Muffins with Melted Mozzarella costs less at Tesco.

A 180 g protein week, without protein powder

Next, Susten planned a full week for one person. Here it is:

The week

Targets: 2,400 kcal and 180 g protein a day

The week, day by day

	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Snack
kcal	2,374	2,374	2,517	2,437	2,440	2,410	2,385
g protein	177	177	184	184	178	179	179

Dinner · Day 1 · Make 3 portions

Turkey & Black Bean Burrito Bowls, the recipe, opens in a new tab

902 kcal · 58 g protein

We set Susten up like this:

• Targets: 2,400 kcal and 180 g of protein a day.
• How you like to cook: Most nights, with leftovers.
• Budget: Keep it low. Susten then buys value products first and leaves out recipes that cost over £3 for a Medium portion.
• Everything else: no diet, no allergies, and "Don't mind" for how long a meal takes.

We added one rule of our own: no protein powder on the list. On 17 October, the first two weeks Susten planned bought a £22 tub of it for one breakfast.

Three meals from the chart made the week: Boiled Eggs on Toast at breakfast, the Tuna Mayo Sandwich at lunch and the Toasted Rice & Pork Larb at dinner. The snack is two pots of Tesco High Protein Vanilla Yogurt every day. Four lunches and two dinners are leftovers from an earlier dinner, so you cook dinner on five nights.

How each day adds up

Every day lands between 2,374 and 2,517 kcal. Protein runs from 177 to 184 g. Days 1 and 2 have the least, because their lunch, the Tuna Mayo Sandwich, has 47 g.

Protein by meal, each day

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
• Snack

• Day 132475840177 g
• Day 232475840177 g
• Day 332585440184 g
• Day 432545840184 g
• Day 526585440178 g
• Day 626595440179 g
• Day 726545940179 g

The black line is the target: 180 g of protein a day.

Lunch and dinner give most of the protein. Breakfast gives the least every day: 32 g from Boiled Eggs on Toast on Days 1 to 4, and 26 g from Peanut Butter on Toast on Days 5 to 7.

The same week at Tesco and Sainsbury's

Susten writes the list for whichever shop you use. Here is the same week, with the same meals and portions, at both:

Total	Tesco	Sainsbury's
To buy	£75.55	£85.48
To buy, with Clubcard or Nectar prices	£75.55	£85.18
Whole list, cupboard items included	£104.98	£112.80
Food the meals use	£51.96	£62.79
Items on the list	59	59

The food these meals use costs about the same at both shops. The lists differ more, because each shop sells different pack sizes. A whole pack costs more than the part a week uses, and the rest stays in your cupboard and fridge.

Switch the list between the two shops. Each line notes its Clubcard or Nectar price where the shop has one.

Is 180 g of protein right for you?

It depends on your body weight and how active you are. The British Nutrition Foundation gives these figures:

• Adults in general: 0.75 g of protein per kg of body weight a day.
• People who do vigorous exercise: 1.2 to 2.0 g per kg a day, a range it quotes from the American College of Sports Medicine.

So 180 g a day is 2.0 g per kg for a 90 kg adult. Susten's macro calculator works out your own targets. To see a lower target, read the 2,000 calorie high-protein week. To cook in batches instead, see high-protein meal prep.