Which Supermarket Has The Cheapest Weekly Vegan Shop?

According to the Office of National Statistics and NimbleFins, the average single person's grocery spend is £34 per week. Using the £34 as a guideline, I filled baskets with everyday vegan products and necessities at some of the most popular supermarkets. All products here were listed on supermarket shelves and websites in the Vegan sections but always check the label. Prices can also vary depending on promotions. 

 It should also be noted that the prices below are without multibuy savings and brand sales because shoppers may not encounter the same deals.

The basket I created consisted of the following ‘everyday’ items: 

Which Brands to Buy

Tesco: Tesco has a broad range of vegan products under its belt. The range is called Tesco Plant Chef and is affordable compared to specialist brands.

ASDA: ASDA’s brand of vegan products is known as “Asda Plant Based”, which offers many different affordable vegan options

Sainsbury’s: Sainsbury’s has a great line called “Plant Pioneers”, which is pricier than the equivalent at Tesco or Asda. However, the food is excellent quality, and there are often competitive offers.

Morrisons: Morrisons has a range of vegan products under the name V Taste which is competitively priced and often on offer. 

Morrisons

Morrison’s continues to impress with their affordable plant-based V-Taste range, which offers a variety of ready meals and meat alternatives without compromising on taste or nutrition. They also have a good selection of budget foods. Among their standout products is the ‘Savers’ line, which offers items like tinned beans, lentils and a range of frozen vegetables at low prices.

The total basket value I arrived at with the list of everyday items at Morrisons was £34.00 

The total breakdown is below:

Tesco

Tesco’s value vegan line ‘Plant Chef’ offers a myriad of low-cost, high-quality vegan products. From basic pantry staples like legumes and beans to affordable produce and convenience foods such as frozen vegan burgers, ready meals and even vegan sausage rolls, prices are competitive without compromising flavour.

The total basket value I arrived at with the list of everyday items at Tesco was £32.88 

The total breakdown is below:

ASDA

Asda’s ‘Smart Price’ range is a well-known and commendable range of low-cost, vegan-friendly items ranging from pantry essentials like tinned food to pasta and fresh produce. The supermarket also has the ‘Plant Based’ line, which offers a variety of low-cost ready meals, dairy alternatives and meat-free options.

The total basket value I arrived at with the list of everyday items at ASDA was £34.02 

The total breakdown is below:

Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s ‘basics’ line offers everyday essentials like fruit, vegetables and grains at competitive prices. They also offer a vegan line called Plant Pioneers which offers a broad range of inexpensive but tasty options. The Plant Pioneers range offers everything from vegan meat substitutes to dairy alternatives and ready meals.

The total basket value I arrived at with the list of everyday items at Sainsbury's was £39.47. They also had no tinned tomatoes that had vegan-friendly labels when I was shopping.

The total breakdown is below:

Aldi

Aldi doesn't have a big home-brand vegan line. Instead, they use 'named' brands that are similar but cheaper than their more famous competitors. They have an everyday essentials range and a vegan range called Plant Menu, but compared to competitors, it was inconsistent. Despite not having a well-known home brand, everything was very competitively priced.

The total basket value I arrived at with the list of everyday items at Aldi was £27.19. However, they had no vegan nuggets when I was shopping.

The total breakdown is below:

The Results

So there we have it. Aldi is the cheapest weekly vegan shop at £27.19 for those who stay within the £34 average. However, it didn’t have a vegan nugget equivalent when writing. It’s also good to note that Tesco has an Aldi price match, so if your closest store is a Tesco, it’s likely cheaper to shop there. Granted, not everyone's weekly grocery shopping list looks the same as ours, but hopefully, this list serves as a helpful indicator of food prices at the time of writing and which stores to visit to get the cheapest shop. 

For more helpful tips and tricks regarding grocery shopping, check out our article that explains how much shopping in the reduced section saves you, and for advice on how to maximise your value with supermarket reward schemes, visit our supermarket reward schemes article