Eating enough protein on a college budget feels impossible — until you stop buying the expensive stuff and start leaning on the ingredients that have always been the best value per gram.

These five meals cost between $1 and $3 per serving, take under 30 minutes, and will keep you full and fueled through late-night study sessions.

Eggs are one of the most complete protein sources available, and one of the cheapest. Two eggs over a cup of cooked rice with soy sauce, sriracha, and whatever vegetables you have around comes in around 25g of protein for under two dollars.

What you need: Eggs ($3–4/dozen), white or brown rice, soy sauce, hot sauce, frozen or fresh vegetables.

Tip: Cook a big batch of rice at the start of the week and use it as a base for multiple meals.

A can of black beans runs about $1 and contains roughly 25g of protein across the whole can. Mash them with cumin and garlic powder, spread onto a flour tortilla with shredded cheese, and cook it in a dry pan for 3 minutes per side.

What you need: Canned black beans (~$1), flour tortillas, shredded cheese, cumin, garlic powder. Add salsa or Greek yogurt as a sour cream substitute.

Tip: Rinse canned beans before using to reduce sodium by up to 40%.

Canned tuna is often overlooked but punches well above its price — a single can has 20–25g of protein for around $1.50. Toss it with cooked pasta, olive oil, lemon juice, capers if you have them, and black pepper. Done in 15 minutes.

What you need: Canned tuna in water, pasta, olive oil, lemon, salt, pepper. Optional: capers, parsley, red pepper flakes.

Tip: Tuna in water has fewer calories than tuna in oil and tastes cleaner with pasta — save tuna in oil for sandwiches and salads.

Plain Greek yogurt has roughly 15–17g of protein per cup and costs a fraction of the flavored single-serve cups. Layer it with a drizzle of honey, a handful of granola, and frozen berries (thaw overnight in the fridge) for a breakfast or snack that requires zero cooking.

What you need: Plain Greek yogurt (store brand tubs are cheapest), honey, granola, frozen berries.

Tip: Buy a large tub of plain Greek yogurt instead of individual cups — the cost per serving drops by more than half.

Lentils are nutritionally dense, extremely cheap, and one of the best plant-based protein sources available — about 18g of protein per cooked cup. Simmer one cup of dried red lentils with diced onion, garlic, canned tomatoes, cumin, and vegetable broth for 25 minutes and you have four servings of a genuinely filling soup.

What you need: Dried red lentils (~$2/lb), canned diced tomatoes, one onion, garlic, cumin, vegetable or chicken broth.

Tip: Make a big batch and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Lentil soup gets better after a day in the fridge as the flavors develop.

Not all protein is equal. Animal sources like eggs, dairy, and tuna are “complete” proteins, meaning they contain all nine essential amino acids. Plant sources like beans and lentils are often low in one or two amino acids — but eating a variety of plant proteins across the day (beans + rice, for example) covers all your bases without requiring any complicated planning.

Eating well on a college budget is mostly about knowing which cheap foods are actually nutritious. Eggs, canned beans, lentils, Greek yogurt, and canned fish are the backbone of affordable high-protein eating — and they’re all sitting in the cheapest aisle of any grocery store.