Leaving home and going to university is the first time most of us will have experienced the freedom to buy, cook, and eat whatever we choose. It’s for this reason that many people find that their diets change somewhat when they become university students. Those who have been vegetarian or pescetarian up until that point often find that starting university gives them the perfect opportunity to fulfil their Vegan dreams.
If you’re considering becoming vegan when you start university in September, you may be surprised to find that it’s much easier, and cheaper, than you think. We’ve put together a guide to getting started on your vegan lifestyle, plus a few cheap, easy, student-friendly vegan recipes to get you started...
Before you go to university...
- Learn how to cook: Whilst there are a variety of vegan-friendly convenience foods on the market these days, the price of these convenience foods isn’t exactly student-friendly. If you are planning on becoming vegan when you start or return to university in September, the best preparation you can do over the summer is to learn how to cook and perfect a few easy recipes.
- Research your uni accommodation: Most first years typically live on campus in university halls of residence, which are either catered or self-catering. If they are catered, contact the university to see what vegan options they offer. If your accommodation is self-catered you’ll have much more freedom to cook and eat whatever you choose.
- Research the area: If you’re moving to a completely new area for university it’s a good idea to have a look online for cafes and restaurants in the area that cater for vegans. Download the Happy Cow app or use the web version to find vegan and vegan-friendly establishments in any area, all over the world!
- Educate yourself: Obviously you know that being vegan means not consuming any animal products, including eggs, milk, cheese, and even honey. However, there are certain types of alcohol which are off-limits to vegans, as well as some surprising foods that are actually vegan. Vegan-friendly alcohol includes Absolut, Bacardi, Malibu, Budweiser, and Yellowtail red and white wines. Biscuits including Oreos, Hob Nobs, and Jammie Dodgers are all ‘accidentally’ vegan, which is great news for vegan students who need a sugar hit when the exam pressure builds!
When you get to university...
- Join a society: Most universities will have some sort of vegan/vegetarian or animal rights society that you can get involved in. It’s a great way to meet likeminded students, share vegan recipes, and get more involved in campaigning for animal welfare on a larger scale.
- Stock up your cupboards: If you are in catered halls your main meals are already taken care of, but it’s a good idea to have a stash of vegan snacks in your room for hangry emergencies. Things like Nakd bars, peanut butter, and certain brands of bread are vegan, and check out PETA’s list of 44 'accidentally vegan' foods for more snacking inspiration. Of course, fruit and vegetables are all vegan and great for you too so shouldn’t be overlooked when it comes to snacking.
- Stock up your freezer: If you are in self-catering accommodation or living off campus in a shared house you’ll have much more freedom food-wise. Before lectures begin, it’s a good idea to cook batches of vegan meals like chickpea and potato curry, Quorn Bolognese sauce, mixed bean chilli etc and freeze it in portions so that you’ve got some quick and easy meals to see you through those first few crazy weeks of the new semester.
When you go home for the holidays...
- Be prepared for a barrage of questions: When you return home for the holidays you will likely be faced with a barrage of questions from your family. They may assume it is just a phase, and they may not understand why you’ve become vegan. Stick to your guns and be prepared to answer their questions and educate them on animal welfare.
- Help with shopping and cooking: Whoever normally does the food shopping and cooking in your family home will likely feel a bit stressed at the prospect of catering for your new diet. Get involved with meal planning, go to the supermarket with your parents, and get involved in cooking. You never know, when they taste your delicious vegan foods they may be tempted to follow suit!
Easy and Cheap Vegan Meal Ideas
Accommodation costs are always rising, and students are constantly having to stretch their loans further and further. Contrary to popular belief, living a vegan lifestyle is actually really cheap if you do it right. Ditch the pre-packaged convenience foods and opt for a natural, homemade approach and you will save a fortune on food bills compared to your meat-eating peers.
Here are a few great ideas for breakfast, lunch, and dinner that you can make quickly, easily, and cheaply...
BREAKFAST
There’s no need to go out of your way to buy fancy ingredients that cost an arm and a leg; many of your favourite go-to breakfasts are already vegan or can be veganified really easily!
- Porridge: Oats are vegan, so you just need to ensure you make your porridge with vegan-friendly milk such as almond, hazelnut, rice, soya, or oat milk which are all readily available in most supermarkets. Top it with maple syrup, agave, fruit, or nuts for a tasty and filling breakfast any day of the week.
- Overnight oats: Oats are cheap, filling, and low fat so they make a great way to start your day, but porridge isn’t great as a grab-and-go breakfast. Instead, take half a cup of oats, mix with around 100g of vegan-friendly yoghurt and a lacto-free milk like almond or soya. Mix it all together, refrigerate overnight; in the morning simply top with fresh or dried fruit or some nuts and you’re good to go.
- Avocado on toast: Avocado is an excellent source of healthy fats, and fat is what helps you to stay full. Halve an avocado, remove the stone, scoop out the flesh and mash it with a fork. Meanwhile, toast a couple of slices of bread, then top with the mashed avocado. You could add a squirt of lime juice and some crushed chilli flakes, or a handful of sunflower seeds and a drizzle of maple syrup.
- Beans on toast: An age-old student staple; there’s simply nothing more comforting on a cold morning that some thick-cut brown bread toasted and topped with baked beans. Most brands of tinned beans are vegan but do check your labels to be sure!
- Fruit and yoghurt: Make a fruit salad at the weekend and keep it in your fridge for quick and easy breakfasts during the week. Top it with soy or coconut yoghurt and a handful of seeds or chopped nuts. Frozen fruit is often cheaper than fresh and it won’t spoil in your fruit bowl either!
- Green smoothie: A smoothie is the ideal on-the-go breakfast; simply invest in a reusable plastic bottle or carry cup and take your breakfast to lectures with you. Start with a couple of handfuls of a green leafy vegetable such as spinach, then add in some fruit such as strawberries or kiwis (the vitamin C in these fruits aids your body’s absorption of iron from the spinach!), and top it off with some vegan-friendly liquid like water, coconut water, almond milk, or soy milk. You can also add in a tablespoon of chia seeds or nut butter for extra protein and yumminess.
LUNCH
During the week you’ll want something you can prepare easily and throw into your bag for a quick fix between classes, whilst at the weekend you can brunch your lazy little socks off. Either way, we’ve got you covered!
- Hummus and pittas: Hummus is an absolute vegan staple, and if you can make your own you’ll save money too! The basic ingredients consist of chickpeas, tahini, garlic, coriander, and lemon blended together in a food processor, and homemade hummus knocks socks off the store-bought stuff. Scoop it up with toasted pitta bread or chopped raw veggies like carrots, peppers, and cucumber.
- Soup: Tinned soup is fairly cheap, but remember to check labels to make sure it’s completely vegan. The best way to ensure soup is suitable for you is to make it yourself. It’s also a great way to use up leftover veggies. Start by frying an onion in a little oil, add in your aromatics like garlic and spices, followed by chopped veggies and enough stock to cover them in the pan. Add lentils to make it really hearty and filling, and simmer for about 30 minutes. Eat it chunky or blend it with a hand blender to your tastes, and serve with crusty bread.
- Salad: A salad is something that you can prep the night before and just grab from the fridge on your way to class. You can pretty much put whatever you fancy into a salad; start with green leaves like baby spinach, cos lettuce, or rocket, and add in things like tomatoes, chopped cucumber, red pepper, radishes, red onion etc. Next add in some protein such as toasted chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, cashew nuts, or Quorn ‘chicken’ pieces, and a drizzle of vinaigrette.
- Sandwiches and wraps: At first you’ll probably be thinking “what the heck can I put on a sandwich?”, but when you start to look into vegan sandwich fillings you’ll be surprised at the choice! Spread your bread with hummus and add sliced falafel and salad; slice or mash an avocado and add some chopped cashew nuts; toast some chickpeas and wrap them with salad in a tortilla; or good old peanut butter, on its own or with chopped banana or jam.
DINNER
Whether you like to relax in the evening by cooking yourself a vegan feast, or are looking for a quick throw-together meal after a long day of lectures, try out some of these recipes for size.
- Instant ramen: No list of student meal ideas would be complete without some sort of instant noodle dish! Most supermarket own brands of instant noodles are, in fact, vegan, and they’re also really cheap. It’s definitely worth having a few packs in your cupboard for emergency meals. Eat them on their own, or go gourmet and add in stir-fried vegetables and Quorn ‘chicken’ pieces or chopped firm tofu to make a more hearty meal out of your ramen.
- Veggie burgers: Check the frozen aisles of your local supermarket (or on the website if you’re placing an online order!) for frozen veggie and bean burgers, making sure to check the ingredients to ensure they are vegan. They’re really handy to have in the freezer for nights when you don’t feel like cooking. Of course, if you are able to make your own bean burgers they’ll be a lot cheaper, and often a lot tastier! There are tonnes of recipes online, just have a look on Pinterest or Google.
- Jacket potato and beans: Baked potatoes are cheap, filling, and healthy. Top them with baked beans for a quick and easy meal any night of the week. If your budget will allow, you could also buy some nutritional yeast to sprinkle on top for that cheesy beans experience without actual cheese.
- Chickpea and potato curry: There are loads of recipes for this kind of curry online, but they’re all basically the same. You’ll need a tin of chickpeas, a large potato or sweet potato, a bag of spinach, tinned tomatoes, stock, and aromatics like onion, garlic, and curry powder. Serve with a big bowl of rice, and don’t forget to freeze your leftovers for future quick and easy meals!
- Falafel: There are loads of great pre-made falafels on the market, but it’s also really easy to make at home too, and much cheaper! Do a quick search and find a recipe you like, but you’ll typically need chickpeas, flour, spices like garam masala or harissa pasta, lemon juice, garlic, and something green and leafy like spinach or basil, and some oil to gently fry it in. Serve it with cous cous and roasted veggies, or toasted pittas and hummus.
- Spaghetti Bolognese: This classic is a student favourite as it’s so easy and cheap to make. For a vegan version simply switch out the meat for Quorn mince. Chop an onion and some garlic and fry until translucent, add the Quorn mince and fry for another minute or so. Add a tablespoon of tomato puree and mix will, then tip in a tin of chopped tomatoes and some vegetable stock, as well as oregano and basil, and a splash of red wine if you have some to hand. Simmer for 20 minutes, then serve with a big bowl of pasta and enjoy!
SNACKS
A busy schedule of lectures, seminars, tutorials, and essay writing can take its toll if you’re not careful. Regular snacking between meals can give you the energy you need to cope with university life. Here are some really easy snacks that you can grab on the go, or make in advance and throw in your bag to get you through the day.
- Popcorn: Certain flavours of Propercorn, Metcalfe’s Skinny, and Butterkist popcorn are vegan. It’s also easy to make your own; you’ll find popping corn kernels in most supermarkets and health food stores. Simply place the kernels in a pan with a little bit of oil, put the lid on, and warm over a medium heat until the corn begins to pop! Sprinkle with salt and pepper, sugar, coconut oil, cinnamon, or whatever else takes your fancy.
- Biscuits: Certain brands of biscuits are accidentally vegan, and having some in your cupboard can be a lifesaver when you’re bogged down with coursework and revision and in need of a pick-me-up! Fox’s Party Rings, Oreos, Crawford’s Pink Wafers, and McVitie’s Fig Rolls, Hobnobs, Ginger Nuts, and Fruit Shortcake biscuits are all vegan, as are many brands of chocolate bourbon biscuits.
- Snack bars: All flavours of Nākd bars are completely vegan, and they’re cold pressed rather than baked so they can even help a raw vegan out in a hunger emergency! They are sold in most supermarkets and health food stores, or you can buy them in bulk from their website. It’s also fairly easy to make your own cold pressed energy bars; you’ll need dried dates, cashew nuts, and some sort of flavouring such as cocoa powder, chai spices, or grated orange peel. Blend together in a food processor, line a square tray with cling film, press the mixture into the tray, and refrigerate for a few hours before slicing and enjoying.
- Chocolate: There are several brands of dark chocolate that are vegan, so even the most hardened chocoholics needn’t be scared of making the leap from vegetarian to vegan. Cadbury Bournville, Lindt Excellence 70%, 85%, and 90% Dark Chocolate, Green & Blacks Dark Chocolate plain, or the espresso, spiced chilli, ginger, lemon, mint, or maya gold flavours, and Fry’s Chocolate Cream are all suitable for vegans.
- Crisps: There are a wide variety of regular crisps which are accidentally vegan, many of which are actually meaty flavours, somewhat ironically. Walkers standard crisps in salt and vinegar, ready salted, prawn cocktail, and Worcester sauce flavour, as well as Sensations lime and coriander chutney poppadoms, and balsamic vinegar and caramelised onion flavour. Hula Hoops in original and salt and vinegar, and Pringles in original, BBQ, paprika, and smoky bacon flavour are all vegan.
- Nut butter: A chopped apple dipped in peanut or almond butter makes a healthy and satisfying vegan snack. Prepare it the night before and throw it in your bag for a tasty, well-balanced snack on the go. If you're at home when hunger hits, pop some bread in the toaster and slather it with peanut butter. And if you're all out of fruit and bread, there's absolutely no shame in eating peanut butter straight from the jar with a spoon!
- Roasted Chickpeas: Drain and rinse a tin of chickpeas and pat them dry with a paper towel. Put a tablespoon of oil into a food bag, along with whatever seasoning you like, such as paprika and garlic powder. Add the chickpeas, twist the bag to seal, and give it a good shake to coat the chickpeas evenly. Spread them out onto a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper and bake at 180°C for around 20 to 30 minutes, shaking halfway through, depending on how crunchy you want them to be.
- Nuts: Good old fashioned nuts are one of the easiest snacks to carry around with you for emergencies. They are full of protein and good fats, so they’ll really hit the spot when you need a burst of energy to keep you going between meals. Check the world foods aisle in the supermarket where you’ll usually find nuts much cheaper in bulk packs, then simply divide them into food bags or plastic tubs into perfect portion sizes.
This list of recipes and meal ideas is by no means exhaustive, but if you’re new to veganism it should give you some great ideas to get you started. Invest in a couple of vegan cookbooks, and with some practice you’ll soon learn how to adapt your old favourites to make them vegan too!
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