Swapping some of your food shop for beans could save you £100 a year
The humble bean could help give your bank balance a boost.
Britons could save almost £100 a year on their food bills simply by swapping a couple of sausages a week for beans, lentils or peas, according to new research.
The finding comes from the Green Alliance thinktank, where researchers calculated that replacing the equivalent of two pork sausages per person each week with pulses grown in the UK would provide the same amount of protein while cutting the average household food bill by a sizeable amount.
It’s not just our wallet that could benefit, either, but the environment and our bodies.
Advert
Making the switch could reduce domestic freshwater use by 45 billion litres a year, which is the equivalent to 82 percent of the capacity of the proposed new reservoir in Cambridgeshire.
“Meat is a dietary staple in the UK, but pulses like beans, lentils and peas need 95 percent less domestic freshwater per kilogramme than beef to produce, and they’re a healthy alternative source of protein at a fraction of the cost,” said Matilda Dunn, policy analyst at Green Alliance, according to The Grocer.
Shoppers don’t have to cut all meat out if they don’t want to, but some small swaps can add up to a big chunk of change over 12 months.
Possible changes include adding a tin of kidney beans to a chilli, lentils can bulk out a bolognese and chickpeas can turn a modest curry into several portions.
Beans can also be used in soups, stews, salads and pasta dishes, making them a relatively easy ingredient to introduce into meals people are already cooking.
And shoppers are already discovering how far pulses can stretch.
Reddit users discussing putting together a £20-£30 weekly food shop frequently suggested beans, lentils and pulses.
On suggested “Lentils to make daal”, while another added: “I would add in some beans/lentils/legumes/pulses they are fantastic nutrition for pennies.”
Another shopper explained that they regularly buy a 33p tin of kidney beans and use it in cheap chilli or pasta dishes.
The Green Alliance findings echo those of the celebrity-backed ‘Bang in Some Beans’ campaign.
In 2025, chefs including Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall got behind the scheme, which aims to double the amount of beans eaten in the UK by 2028.
There are signs that shoppers are already moving in that direction.
Analysis reported by The Guardian in August found that sales of beans, pulses and soya derivatives in the UK rose by 7.3% during the first half of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier.
Sales of cheaper dried lentils were particularly strong.
There’s the nutritional benefits too, as beans are a great source of protein and fibre.
According to the Food Foundation, they remain an underused food despite their health, cost and environmental benefits.
A Devon County Council food partnership notes that beans are a less expensive source of protein and says 96 percent of adults do not get enough fibre, and this is one way of boosting that.
For anyone looking to trim the weekly food bill without completely changing the way they eat, the advice is remarkably straightforward.
Swap out the sausages for beans occasionally, and watch your money go further.
Jen Thomas