10 Tips for Creating Budget-Friendly Recipes for Your Kidney Care Diet

Food costs can add up quickly, but eating healthy doesn’t have to break the bank. Choosing nutritious, kidney-friendly foods is one of the best ways to manage chronic kidney disease (CKD), and with planning, you can eat well on a budget. Home cooking gives you more control over what you eat—and how much you spend. Enjoy more meals at home and try few-ingredient recipes to save money. Learn how to fill your plate with budget-friendly recipes that will keep you thriving.

If you have CKD, it’s hard for your kidneys to balance the nutrients, waste, and fluids in your body. Following a kidney-friendly diet helps keep you feeling your best. If you’re living with CKD, read the nutrition labels and keep an eye on these minerals:

• Sodium. Too much salt can hold onto fluid in your body, raise blood pressure, and make your heart work harder. When shopping, look for foods with less than 10% Daily Value (DV) of sodium.
• Potassium. Potassium is a nutrient that everyone needs for heart health, but with CKD, it’s easy to have too much of it. Talk to your physician or dietitian to decide how much potassium is right for you.
• Phosphorus. Your body only needs a small amount of phosphorus to be healthy, and if it builds up, it can damage your heart and bones. Phosphorus usually isn’t listed on nutrition labels, so read the ingredient list and watch out for anything containing “PHOS.”

If you are on dialysis, you may also be asked to change how much protein you eat and to limit your fluids. Your needs can also change depending on your stage of CKD and current treatment. Talk to your doctor or dietitian about what your body needs.

Ready to build your shopping list? Our free downloadable cookbooks and library of recipes are all kidney friendly. Explore recipes and filter by type of meal, dietary needs, or ingredient. To get you started, we’ve highlighted some of our favorite easy, healthy, budget-friendly recipes—and tips to keep the prices down.

Lower-priced staples like canned low-sodium light tuna can be a great way to fill up on a budget. Use coupons, shop the sales, and choose generic brands to trim your grocery bill even more.

Recipe idea: Mediterranean Tuna-Spinach Salad

Enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables when they’re in season to get the best price and peak flavor. To save money when produce isn’t on sale, choose frozen vegetables without added sauces or seasonings. They can be as nutritious as fresh¹ and the price is generally consistent year-round.

Recipe idea: Creamy Chicken Potpie

Processed foods like sweets, soda, and chips are an added cost. There’s nothing wrong with a treat now and then—just be mindful of your eating and choose kidney-friendly snacks when you can. 

Recipe idea: Sweet & Nutty Protein Bars

Many pricier foods have less-expensive options that work just as well to create your favorite budget-friendly dinner recipes. Try lean ground turkey instead of ground beef for instant cost savings.

Recipe idea: Hawaiian Turkey Sliders

Meatless Mondays aren’t just for vegetarians. Eggs, beans, tofu, and plant-based proteins tend to cost less than meat and are still full of healthy protein. As an added bonus, plant-based foods are shown to be especially beneficial for people with kidney disease.^2,3

Recipe idea: Spicy Tofu Scrambler

If you can buy in bulk, you can save big on ingredients like pasta, rice, and other nonperishables, especially when they are on sale. These pantry staples work well with most recipes.

Recipe idea: Creamy White Chili with Cream Cheese

Storing your leftovers properly means you can have more meals without added cost. Not interested in eating the same meal twice? Reuse leftover vegetables in budget-friendly dinner recipes like potpie, fried rice, and casseroles to save prep time and keep food from going to waste.

Recipe idea: Easy Fried Rice

Restaurant meals cost more than home-cooked dinners, so try making your own copycat recipes. If you do decide to go out to eat, remember to ask for a box if you don’t finish your meal—that way, you can save money by enjoying leftovers later. Restaurant dishes made with low sodium and lots of fresh foods (like salad or grilled chicken) can be good choices for people with CKD.

Recipe idea: Cobb Salad with Dijon Dressing

If your budget-friendly recipe calls for an expensive utensil or appliance, see if you already have tools in your kitchen that can handle the job. For example, you might be able to use a fork instead of a whisk or mixer.

Recipe idea: Mini Mushroom Sausage Quiches

Building a kidney-friendly meal plan and cooking in batches are great ways to plan ahead and estimate your grocery budget. Once you’ve decided which dishes you’ll create, write up a detailed shopping list to help you stay on track and resist impulse buys.

Recipe idea: Chilaquiles Casserole

Eating well can be simple. One great way to stick to a budget-friendly meal plan is to cook kidney-friendly recipes with fewer ingredients. Easy-to-prep recipes with fewer ingredients—like sandwiches, pasta, and casseroles—are not only healthy and delicious, they can also save you extra time in the kitchen. Seasoning blends and mixed vegetables are great shortcuts that save both time and money. Choose wholesome, kidney-friendly ingredients to build a simple yet delicious plate any night of the week.

Sticking to a budget is important, and so is being mindful of your diet. If you have CKD, choose kidney-friendly recipes that meet your unique needs while making the most of your grocery dollar. Trimming your shopping list and cooking few-ingredient recipes can help keep your costs down. Try adding budget-friendly recipes to your next meal plan so you can keep on eating well.

References

¹ Li L, Pegg RB, Eitenmiller RR, Chun J-Y, Kerrihard AL. Selected nutrient analyses of fresh, fresh-stored, and frozen fruits and vegetables. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. 2017;59:8-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2017.02.002.

² Chen X, Wei G, Jalili T, Metos J, Giri A, Cho ME, Boucher R, Greene T, Beddhu S. The Associations of Plant Protein Intake With All-Cause Mortality in CKD. American Journal of Kidney Disease. 2016;67(3):423-30. doi: 10.1053/j.ajkd.2015.10.018.

³ Alvirdizadeh S, Yuzbashian E, Mirmiran P, Eghtesadi S, Azizi F. A prospective study on total protein, plant protein and animal protein in relation to the risk of incident chronic kidney disease. BMC Nephrololgy. 2020;21(1):489. doi: 10.1186/s12882-020-02079-y. .