So your boss is on an ego trip one day and decides to sack your lazy ass.
The first thing on your mind isn’t your mortgage, or your woman giving you a severe wrap across the mouth. It’s, “What are cheapest sources of protein I can get my hands on?” (if the preceding statements actually described you, you need your head examined 😉 )
So I thought I’d put together a list for anyone looking cheap sources of protein.
I came up with 13 from my own experience. If you know of any more, leave a comment below.
13 Cheap Protein Sources
(1) Tuna
You can get Tesco Tuna Flakes for 55p (185g tin). There’s about 30g of protein in there.
(2) Whey
The cheapest source of high-quality protein can be found at MyProtein. MyProtein USA here. MyProtein UK/Europe here.
And if you use those links I just gave you and input MUSCLEHACK at checkout, you can get 10% off your entire order – every single time you order.
Slam down 40g whey after your THT training sessions to fuel big gains (ON Whey is also a good choice).
(3) Eggs
And egg deliverd 6g protein, if you eat them whole. And you SHOULD eat them whole! See here for the benefits of whole eggs. (Only when I’m cutting sometimes do I use a combo of whole and egg whites to reduce calories).
If you want to make serious muscle gains, download my free THT training package.
3 X MUSCLE GAINS | SIZE GAINS IN 2 WKS | 100% FREE 🙂
(4) Chicken
Specifically for me it’s frozen fillets from Tesco. It’s the cheapest way to get your chicken I’ve found. £3.82 for a 1kg bag of fillets. I cook 2 x 2kg bags at a time, and keep the fillets in the fridge for when I need them. Makes life easier 🙂
Always bear in mind that all meat usually delivers about 20-25% protein per weight. So 100g cooked will give about 25g of protein.
All meat delivers about 25% protein per weight. So 100g chicken breast = 25g protein Click To Tweet
(5) Low-fat Natural Greek Yogurt
Now before you flip out because I selected the low-fat version, I did so because there is actually a higher protein content. 89p for a 170g pot, which will give you about 15g of protein.
Add some whey and berries and you’re all set. Since it’s both low in carbs and fat, it’ll work with any diet. You can also use this to make my totally frickin’ awesome Blueberry Protein Pancakes!
(6) Tins of Stewed Steak (tesco)
A half a tin of this is all you need for one serving. It’ll deliver about 30g protein. A full tin is about £1.40, so you’re talking about 70p per serving. Plus it’s tasty as hell! It’s about 5% carbs and 3% fat, so it’ll go well on most diets too.
(7) Tins of Chicken in White Sauce
I found this recently while doing my shopping. £1.40 per tin and you’d only take half a tin per serving, which gives 25g protein. It’s low in carbs (1%) and about 8% fat. A good choice for the MANS diet.
(8) Corned Beef
I love corned beef. Not surprising being Irish I suppose 😉 But we don’t eat corned beef & cabbage (I don’t know where that came from).
A big-ass 340g tin of Princes Corned Beef is only £2.99 and you only need 100g at a time for 25g protein. (There’s a lean version if you prefer).
(9) Pigs Liver
35p in Tesco!
(10) Sardines
49p for a tin of sardines, giving 20g protein. A very portable choice if you’re on the go.
(11) Cheese
Should fairly self-explanatory. It’s cheap, low-carb, high-fat or low-fat, tastes great, goes well with most things.
(12) Nuts and nut butters
Go natural with nut butters. I recently posted on the facebook page that I bought a large tub of natural peanut butter from MyProtein. It’s £5.99 for a 1kg tub.  I use this for some of the easy protein bar recipes in my Buff Baking anabolic cookbook. Also try almond nut butter.
(13) Quinoa
I know what you’re thinking, but it’s good as a side. So if you want a good, low GL side to go with your meat, try quinoa. It’s about 14% protein and should be a staple on the GLAD diet.
Click here for 13 sources of cheap #protein to build muscle Click To TweetWhat cheap protein sources do you use? Share them with the rest of us by leaving your suggestions below.
If you’re from a different part of the world, I definitely want to hear from you. And other readers in your neck of the woods want to hear your tips too!
And click here for vegetarian sources of protein.
Stay Motivated!
Mark
Get Totally Shredded Fast
Get ripped at blistering speed without losing muscle and keep gaining in the gym. Also, you get your abs or you get your money back! That's the power of Mark's Total Six Pack Abs program. More details here.
Buff Baking Anabolic Cookbook
Extremely easy anabolic recipes with simple ingredients that makes fueling muscle growth feel like a cheat meal! Bars, cookies, pizza, ice cream...see pics and recipes here.
Advanced T.H.T. Training
A brand new workout including 9 x advanced "Shock & Awe" hypertrophy techniques to ignite pounds of new gains! It's "Game-Changing" time! Got at least 1yrs training experience? It may be time to go advanced! You've never trained like this before. Get all the details here.
Stay Shredded
Stay shredded all year – no more long cutting cycles. If you’ve ever gotten ripped abs only to lose them a few weeks later, you need to know the secrets of staying shredded without fasting and without giving up cheat meals. I’m ripped all year – you should be too! Details here.
Shoulder Blast Workout
In Jan 2019 a bunch of 'lab rats' tested the New Shoulder Blast Workout and gained up to 2.5 inches in shoulder size in 7-10 days! There is a very specific type of training stress that works uniquely well for the shoulders. You're about to target it...hard! More details here.
The Arm Blast Experiment
Gain up to an inch on your arms over the next week with new "hyper-intense" training techniques that literally force new arm growth. The workout is based on the results of an online study conducted by Mark from MuscleHack. More details here.
Chest Blast Workout
3 Workouts | 7 Days | Up to 3 inches in chest growth! A workout that will fry every muscle fiber in your pecs and literally force new and permanent growth...fast! More details here.
The Leg Blast Workout
An explosive training package for fast leg gains! 1 week | 3 x 90 minute workouts | "hyper-intense" techniques = big & fast leg gains. Up to 3 inches in growth. See more details and testimonials here.
Ah I’d completely forgot about corned beef!!! I used to love that stuff. Will get some again this weekend 🙂
Also, a new brand of yogurt called Chobani! 18 grams of protein per 6 ounces and only 7 carbs!
https://www.chobani.com/cache/Products/4/source/nutition_0percent_pink.jpg
https://www.chobani.com/products/c/nonfat
@Andrew. Looks good!
beans are high in protein and fiber and are inexpensive
@Zach. True. And a good recommendation for our vegetarian friends.
Another one for the US folks, Kashi GoLean, 12 grams of protein, and only 20 grams of net carbs (10 fiber!) https://www.kashi.com/products/nutrition_info/golean_original
Add to that some unsweetened soy milk and you have a fiberous log GI meal replacement!
Depends on the Kashi, the GoLean in Canada has 37 grams of carbs per bowl not 20 and also is bland tasting in my opinion. Protein isn’t usually that hard to fill in a diet, eat unprocessed meats, include it with something low-carb and voila. It’s just a matter of having ideas for variety. Great post Mark!
Ironscience is the cheapest in europe for whey powder at the moment although they are a new company so cant say if its good quality or not but their prices beat the other big 2 companys per kg and delivery is away cheaper!
non-fat Cottage Cheese: 14grs per 1/2 cup, it is casein type protein, good for big gaps like night time and for thickening smoothies. Very hard to find no-sodium.
Beef Jerky:
very portable. watch the nitrates
non-fat Greek Yogurt:
22grs per cup, at Trader Joes (US)
Great for ff days.
I have found pork chops to be a good protein source. The fat can be trimmed off and a package of several pork chops is suprisingly cheap.
Tesco Millet Seed (cook in the same way as Quinoa), 99p for 500g. 100g gives 11g protein and is also a natural source of amino acids (so I’ve read).
Tesco Natural Fromage Frais. 83p for a 500g tub. 100g gives 7.8g protein with only 0.2g fat and 3g of carbs.
@Mike, I’m surprised to see Pork Tenderloin as cheap as it is, tasty, and more lean than other cuts. It’s not very chewy either!
Rump roast is cheap and when fixed in a crockpot delicious! Not a lean cut of meat, but I find it a good source of fat to get needed calories as well.
Just tried quinoa for the first time last week. It tastes great and would be a good staple in anyone’s diet. Great list, I would have added skim milk to it as it is inexpensive and very versatile.
Mark, i was wondering, if you had to pick 1 of your programs to do forever, which one would it be???
Tesco Light Choices Beef Mince Steak 500G
Cooked dried fried
cals 183
pro 30.9g
carb 0
fat 6.6
sat fat 2.5
I also eat Chobani, which is a Greek style yogurt. Very high in protein, not too sweet and good for the digestive system. Plus, my dog gets to lick the pull-off foil wrapper, which makes him very happy.
Forgot to mention the above is for 100 grams cooked not raw.
A good read Mark. Those are some cheap ass prices!! Ha,Ha,Ha!! Thanks Again!!!
The cheapest flavored protein I’ve found is nutrisport 90+ its available for £44.99 for 5Kg – chocolate is best but doesn’t taste great though its a blend of whey iso and micro casein for a good balance.
Tesco Haricot beans are the lowest in carbs per 100g with a very high fibre content (Fibre helps keep hunger at bay on TSPA)
Thanks for all your hard work Mark ! Things are going well.
canned salmon chum w/ bones, 1 can has ~91 grams protein, paid $2.95, just made 4 patties w/ 1 egg, 1/2 cup oatmeal & 1/2 cup salsa, each patty should have 11 g fat, 6 g carbs, 24.5 g protein
@Dan
Isn’t chum fish bait? Where did you get this stuff? If it’s not fish bait, it sure sounds pretty cheap and good.
Everyone should watch the sodium in their meat sources especially if they are cutting. You need some, but it can bloat you up like whale if you over do it. no?
I’m in the USA! I go to Costco (a wholesale warehouse place) and get a huge bag of chicken breasts for about $16US. I eat 3 egg whites and a 4-6 oz. skinless breast in the morning before work. I get like 2g fat, -1g carbs, and almost 30-40g protein from that alone.
– Bulk Chicken Breasts (Costco Wholesale Warehouse)
– Eggs
– Optimum Nutrition Whey – Natural (Amazon.com)
– Optimum Nutrition Casein – Natural (Amazon.com)
– Optimum Nutrition Oats & Whey – Natural (Amazon.com)
– Peruvian/Mexican Rotisserie Chicken – 2 cooked breasts (any Peruvian Chicken restaurant/carry-out in the city)
Hi,
As been said already Pork Chops & Chicken.
At Farmfoods 3 * 1kg bags of both for £10
The Chops are 10 Loin Chops at 18g per chop, so thats 30 chops for a Tenner.
I have 1 everyday.
OH and theyt cook from frozen under the grill in 10 mins.
Which is great as i’m always forgetting to take stuff out the freezer, LOL
I’m in Texas and I buy the canned salmon at HEB. It’s a generic brand, says pink salmon on the can. It does look like fish chum, ground up chunks w/ bones, but it’s for people and I use the recipe on the back of the can, substituting oats for the cracker crumbs. I find it around where the tuna is sold. Scooby’s Workshop had a recipe where you fix a big batch of lentils & mix w/ salmon. I tried it and thought it was pretty gross, especially after eating it a few times. The salmon patties are actually good, it was hard not to eat more than one yesterday.
I get 5 lbs of skinless chicken breasts for about $10. Dice up a chicken breast or two. Brown them in a pan. Add a low carb/low fat sauce. And eat it in a wrap or in a salad or pair with a vegetable dish. Cheap, easy, healthy, and delicious.
Thanks for your protein report Im buying up and go shakes for protein boost I have a active job and when I get home I workout 3 days a week I did a rough calculation to find out how much protein I should be taking Im 11.5 stone and 511tall my workout is pushups dumbell curls upward rows hammer curls Im on my feet alday so legs dont really need it ,any advice on diet is welcome thanks.
@mike. Tough one since the idea is to switch between the cycles. I like THT Volume 2 and also THT HIT in the 6-8 rep range (with those killer burn-out sets!).
@Grant. You’d need around 160g protein per day. Your legs won’t grow without direct, very intense work. See the GLAD diet
https://musclehack.com/the-new-bodybuilding-diet-glad/
I tend to get the big joints when on offer at Tesco , Asda etc , I get a load of joints out of one and freeze them, Pork was £2 kg the other week…..got 8/9 joints large enough for a single bloke,, cost a fiver…
I am on LCHF so fat’s not a problem , so big catering bags of bacon offcuts, its pot luck tho, sometimes you get 15 meals worth out of them sometimes maybe 4 big steak type slices, but at £1.20 kg well worth it………. (60p a 500g pack at the mo)
And I am very lucky as I live 2 mins away from a factory that supplies a lot of the big brands with Chicken, and they have a factory shop open to the public, the prices are stupid low, whole chickens for 50p each, that have been rejected for being lopsided lol…..filled the freezer with 20 chickens for a tenner lol…
@Jase. I’m jealous. I need to live beside that factory!