When you’re a student, food is something you always need to think about and for many, achieving a healthy diet is a near herculean feat. You need to balance costs against your limited time constraints and limited space which can turn the simple act of feeding yourself can become a constant strain in the back of your mind. But there is a solution, and it comes in the form of batch cooking.
What is batch cooking?
You’ve likely seen batch cooking content online, especially if you view much content about health or fitness. Batch cooking, simply put, is cooking a large batch of food and splitting it into individual portions that can be stored in the fridge or freezer and eaten later. Amongst the fitness community, batch cooking is popular as it lets athletes pre-portion meals with controlled macros that can be conveniently eaten after a workout. But that isn’t what makes it good for students, sure you can control portions and macros if that interests you but the key strengths for students are value, ease and storage.
The benefits of batch cooking for students
1. It’s cost effective
Starting with the most important factor, it is significantly cheaper to make a large batch of something than to make individual portions. There are a few reasons for this such as quantity discounts, bigger packs tend to have a lower price per item.
But making a large batch lets you bulk out a meal with cheaper items while not compromising on flavour as the key ingredients are still in there.
Take a simple chicken curry for instance, you could use a kilogram of chicken at a cost £6.50. Or, you split half chicken and half potato, which would only cost £3.75. You can then further bulk the curry out with the likes of chickpeas or onions which all enrich the meal’s flavour and massively boost the nutritional value of the meal, all while cutting the price. And this type of thing can be done for all sorts of meals you batch cooking, not just curries.
Even if the idea of substituting doesn’t suit you, it is still much cheaper to batch cook something than to cook individual portions or even more expensively, buy ready meal options.
For a one-to-one price comparison, let’s look at a bolognese. If you buy a ready made Spaghetti Bolognese at Tesco you’ll be paying £3.50 for a pretty small portion of passable quality. Alternatively, you can make a super simple pot of bolognese for at most £11 and get six, far tastier and healthier, portions out of it which works out as less than £2 per portion.
When you do the maths it really is a no brainer price and health wise but you might be thinking that this would be a lot of effort to cook but that largely isn’t true.
2. It’s time efficient
Sticking with the bolognese example as it something of an ‘old reliable’ meal, cooking a large pot will only really take ten to fifteen minutes of prep and active cooking at a push. After that you get need to stir it every ten minutes or so for an hour and then bosh! You’ve got yourself enough bolognese for a week.
Plus that hour you’ll spend gently stirring is a great time to catch up on uni work or reading or reality tv, personally I favour Taskmaster as my cooking show.
3. You can store it for later
At this point you might be thinking that sure, batch cooking has a lot of benefits but you don’t want to eat the same thing everyday for a week. Well I couldn’t agree more and that’s where the freezer comes in. You can very easily tub up and freeze your cooking to use at later dates when your particularly busy or really hungover or just can’t be bothered to cook.
The effort you put into your batch can save you so much effort in the future and trust me, you’ll end up being very grateful to yourself.
One last word on freezing your batches; in a shared uni kitchen, fridge space is a very valuable thing that people will wage a constant subtle war for. Freezer space however is often a bit easy to come by, especially early on and, from my experience, flatmates are usually not too fussed by someone taking up a lot of freezer space if it means more available fridge space.
Besides, you can very easily source some tubs that take up tiny amounts of space which is invaluable in a shared uni kitchen.
Easy batch cooking ideas to start with
Here are some easy and budget-friendly batch cooking ideas for students. These meals are designed to be simple, affordable, and reheatable—perfect for storing in the fridge or freezer and grabbing during a busy week.
1. Pasta Bakes
- Cook pasta in bulk, mix with a cheap tomato sauce (or make your own with tinned tomatoes, onion, garlic, and herbs), add some frozen veggies, and top with cheese.
- Bake in the oven, then portion into containers.
- Student tip: Pasta bakes reheat really well in the microwave and can be varied with tuna, chicken, or veggie-only options.
2. Chilli (Meat or Veggie)
- Fry onions, garlic, and spices, add either mince (beef, turkey, or veggie mince) or beans/lentils, then stir in tinned tomatoes and kidney beans.
- Cook in a big pot and portion out with rice.
- Student tip: Add sweet potato or butternut squash for extra bulk and nutrition.
3. Stir-Fry Rice or Noodles
- Cook rice or noodles in bulk, then stir-fry with frozen veg, soy sauce, and any protein (tofu, eggs, chicken).
- Store in tubs for quick grab-and-go meals.
- Student tip: Fried rice works well with leftover rice and eggs for a super cheap meal.
4. Curry (Lentil, Chickpea, or Chicken)
- Use coconut milk (or plain yoghurt for cheaper), curry paste/powder, and tinned tomatoes.
- Lentils, chickpeas, or chicken can make it filling, and frozen spinach or peas add nutrition.
- Student tip: Pair with rice or naan—curry flavours often improve after a day or two in the fridge.
5. Traybake Meals
- Chop up potatoes, carrots, onions, and whatever cheap veg is on offer. Add chicken thighs or veggie sausages, season, drizzle with oil, and roast.
- Easy to portion out into meal prep boxes.
- Student tip: Change the seasoning (herbs, garlic, paprika) to keep it from getting boring.
6. Soup & Stews
- Big pots of soup are cheap, filling, and easy to reheat. Think tomato & lentil, chicken & veg, or chunky bean stews.
- Blend smooth or leave chunky, then store in tubs or freezer bags.
- Student tip: Buy a bag of frozen mixed veg—saves chopping time and money.
7. Overnight Oats or Baked Oats (Breakfast Batch)
- Mix oats, yoghurt/milk, fruit, and seeds into jars for overnight oats.
- Or make a big tray of baked oats with bananas and berries, then cut into squares for grab-and-go breakfasts.
- Student tip: Sweeten with honey, cinnamon, or frozen fruit rather than expensive syrups.
So, now that you know the value of batch cooking, what are you waiting for?
Go out and save yourself a mountain of money and effort just through a little forethought an a big batch. It really is a game changer and a lifesaver .
FAQs on Batch Cooking for Students
Batch cooking means preparing multiple portions of meals in advance, often in one session. It’s especially useful for students as it saves time, cuts down on food waste, and helps manage a tight food budget more easily.
Buying ingredients in bulk is usually cheaper, and cooking in large portions reduces the temptation to order expensive takeaways. Students can also take advantage of discounts or yellow-sticker deals and freeze leftovers for future meals.
Yes. Cooking once or twice a week instead of daily frees up valuable time for studying, socialising, or relaxing. Reheating a home-cooked meal takes just a few minutes compared to cooking from scratch every night.
Great student-friendly batch meals include chilli, curry, pasta bake, soup, stir-fries, stews, and one-pot rice or lentil dishes. These meals are cheap to make, freeze well, and can be customised with whatever’s left in the fridge.
Not at all. A few basics like a large saucepan or casserole dish, food containers with lids, and access to a freezer or fridge are all you need. Some students also invest in slow cookers for effortless batch meals.