Feed a Crowd on a Budget: Cheapest Meals 2025 Ranked by Price
The post has been updated to reflect April 2025 prices.
Cheap Meals for a Crowd
To help you decide which cheap meal for a crowd would be best for you, I did some research for ya! In the article below, I have options for both home-cooked meals and fast-food value meals. I also have a lot of tips to share to help reduce meal costs overall. Hope you find this info helpful!
I calculated the cost of these home-cooked recipes (assuming you already have basic ingredients like spices and oil) with Walmart ingredients, then rounded to the nearest dollar. I chose to use the cheapest available products. I was shocked at the results!
Cheapest Home-Cooked Meals Ranked by Price 2025 (Walmart prices)
| Recipe | Notes | Feeds | Total Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast for Dinner (pancakes, eggs, hash browns) | A generic box of pancake mix, 12 eggs, bottle of generic syrup and 6 russet potatoes. | 16 | $19 | |
| Hearty Pasta Salad | Slice of ham from deli, Great Value fresh mozzarella cheese balls, Great value dressing + Garlic Toast Crostini slices | 12 | $22 | |
| Chili with Beans | Double the linked recipe and substituted 2 lbs of ground beef for ground turkey (Check prices of each to see which is cheaper in your local area.) | 12 | $22 | |
| Baked potato Bar | Price includes 10 lbs bag of Russets. | 16 | $23 | |
| Corn Chowder | Double this liked recipe and serve with a loaf of buttered bread of your choice (I like sourdough) | 12 | $24 | |
| Tuscan Bread and white bean soup | I skipped infusing the olive oil and just used plain evoo. Doubled this recipe. 1 Marketside Italian loaf was plenty of bread. | 14 | $27 | |
| Slow Cooker Cheddar and Bacon Potato Soup | Double the recipe, 8oz block cheddar shredded yourself can sometimes be cheaper than purchasing pre-shredded cheese. | 10 | $29 | |
| Frito pie | Double recipe. Consider serving with simple side salad if you have extra $$ | 12 | $29 | |
| Grilled Chicken with Tossed Salad | I included a 5 lbs bag of frozen chicken breast, tripled this recipe, and included a cheap bottle of olive oil since a lot is required for this recipe. | 12 | $36 | |
| Hot Dog Bar | Two hot dogs per person with potato chips. | 16 | $38 | |
| Pulled Pork sandwiches with Homemade coleslaw | Double the recipe, purchased (2) Smithfield Pork Shoulder picnic roast + 2 bags of Hawaiian rolls 8 ct. Price includes 1 bag coleslaw and 1 bottle dressing. | 12 | $38 | |
| Nacho Bar | Cost can vary depending on how fancy you get- in this price I included: 2 lbs ground beef, Velveeta cheese, guacamole, black beans, salsa, ground beef, tomato | 16 | $56 |
Cheapest Fast-Food value menu options Ranked by Price
I chose national chains to compile this chart.
| Menu Item | Restaurant | Price |
|---|---|---|
| $5 Meal Deal: Choice of McChicken or McDouble, 4-piece Chicken McNuggets, small fries, and small drink | McDonald’s | $5.00 |
| $5 Your Way Meal: Choice of Whopper Jr., Chicken Jr., or Bacon Cheeseburger, plus 4-piece chicken nuggets, value fries, and value drink | Burger King | $5.00 |
| Luxe Cravings Box: Beefy 5-Layer Burrito, Crunchy Taco, Cinnamon Twists, and medium fountain drink | Taco Bell | $5.00 |
| $7 Meal Deal: Full-size hamburger, French fries, drink, and sundae | Dairy Queen | $7.00 |
| Really Big Meal Deal: Choice of Big Cluckin’ Chicken Sandwich or Big Classic Bacon Cheeseburger, fries, and a fountain beverage | Applebee’s | $9.99 |
| 3-For-Me Deal: Choice of appetizer, entrée (e.g., Crispy Chicken Sandwich, OldTimer Burger with Cheese, or Big Smasher Burger), and a beverage | Chili’s | $10.99 |
Please note that prices and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. It’s advisable to check with your local restaurant for the most current information.
Impact of Inflation on Meal Costs (and what you’re paying for now)
Let’s be real—grabbing a quick bite or going out for dinner doesn’t hit the wallet like it used to. Over the last five years, inflation has quietly (and sometimes loudly) crept into nearly every menu, from your favorite fast-food drive-thru to casual sit-down spots like Chili’s or Applebee’s. So, what happened? And how much more are we actually paying for that burger, fries, and drink combo?
Fast Food Is Not So “Fast and Cheap” Anymore
Remember the $1 menu? Yeah, it’s basically a thing of the past. These days, it’s hard to find anything under $2, even at places like McDonald’s, Burger King, or Taco Bell. What used to be a quick $5 lunch deal is now easily $7 or more, and portion sizes? Sometimes they’ve shrunk too.
What the Numbers Say
Here’s a quick snapshot of how prices have changed over the last 5 years:
- Eating out now costs about 25% more than it did in 2020.
- Fast food prices climbed steadily, especially from 2021–2023.
- Full-service restaurants took a hit in 2020 (hello, lockdowns) but bounced back with higher prices and fewer discounts.
So, What Can You Do?
If you’re trying to save:
- Look for value bundles like the ones mentioned in the chart above (some are still decent, like Taco Bell’s $5 boxes).
- Skip the drink (it’s often the most marked-up part of the meal).
- Consider loyalty apps—many restaurants offer exclusive deals or points for frequent visits. I use the McDonalds app all the time. I do save money, but I also go there more because of the app. It’s really for marketing than anything else.
Bottom line? Inflation changed the way we eat out. That once-simple trip to grab a burger has become a bit more of a budgeting decision. But hey, at least now you know where that extra few bucks are going.
#1 TIP for reducing meal cost: Potluck it!
The links in the ‘Recipe’ column are the actual recipes I used to calculate the prices. Of course, your results will vary depending on the specific recipe you choose to make. The prices in the ‘Cost’ are a guide so you can see and compare the relative cost of these recipe ideas and choose an option that’s best for you.
After years of cooking for crowds (I have my husband’s big family to thank for that), I’ve learned much about how to feed a lot of people on a budget; and how to avoid giant embarrassing fails that lead to a delivery pizza solution. If you want to learn from my mistakes then read on :0)
Feeding a crowd on a budget is easy when each guest or family brings a dish to share, instead of committing to feeding everyone yourself. This is also known as holding a Potluck 😁 Potlucks can be very exciting when you give them a “theme“, such as “your favorite meal as a kid” or “a regional cuisine”, or just “bring whatever the heck you want” and be surprised!
If the whole Potluck idea is not going to work in your situation and you’ve already committed to feeding everyone, then read on. I’ve got you covered with lots more tips and recipes to share below.
More ideas to cut costs and make it easy
So you want to impress your co-workers, friends, or family with a warm, welcoming homemade meal that you have prepared yourself. How do you do this without slaving over the stove all day and breaking the bank???
- Choose a recipe that can be scaled up without having to cook or bake more batches.
- Create a “Bar” and feed everyone cafeteria style, such as a potato bar. (This idea works great as a potluck too.)
- Slow cooker/Instant Pot to the rescue!
- Make as much food ahead of time as you can.
Chose a recipe that can be scaled without having to cook or bake in batches
Stews, soups, pasta, and salads are excellent for this. Create the entire meal in one giant pot or bowl. You do NOT want to be cooking batch after batch after batch to have enough food for everyone. That is exhausting!
This is often what I resort to when I have a large gathering of people to feed. I invite potluck style in the summer and cook up a giant batch of stew myself in the winter.
Create a “Bar” and feed everyone cafeteria-style
There are lots of bar ideas out there, such as the Nacho bar, Baked potato bar, Burrito bar, Hot dog bar, Root Beer float bar, Hawaiian Haystacks bar, Sandwich bar, etc. All of these can be done on the cheap, and links to all these ideas can be found below. They are also really fun!
The bar idea works great with Potlucks too- you can ask guests to simply bring one topping with them, such as cheese or sour cream.
I don’t know about other people’s families and friends, but when I invite people over they often ask me what they can bring to contribute, which I really appreciate! Sometimes I have it covered, and sometimes I don’t- so it’s helpful when they offer to bring something.
Slow Cooker/Instant Pot to the rescue
You can cook a Pork roast into melty pulled pork sandwiches, a tomato-based hearty Italian ‘Sunday Gravy’ served over pasta, or a creamy shredded chicken to ladle over rice for Hawaiian Haystacks. Then simply cook the pasta or rice right before your guests arrive to complete the meal.
Beware of meat prices, however, as they continue to climb. Having meat as your main protein or entrée can often be costly. Remember, beans and potatoes are the cheapest foods on the planet, so make use of them.
Make ahead, make ahead, make ahead
I feel like such a girl boss when all my guests arrive to a clean house and a meal that’s ready for them! Making food ahead of time is such a great way to alleviate stress. I almost always will make my desserts, side dishes, and any breads/rolls ahead of time. I can still make them from scratch and be un-frazzled when the crowd comes to the door.
Conclusions
Updating this chart above each year with prices (current as of April 2025) I am once again shocked to see the results from my research. The pancake breakfast is the cheapest meal to feed a crowd, despite a dozen eggs still costing about $5. In 2021 my data showed that a pancake breakfast for 16 people was just 7 dollars using generic ingredients!
The results of this 2025 chart update were appalling to me. Inflation is a real buzzkill for sure, and something I am definitely keeping my eye on the next time I have a crowd to feed!
I am still a huge fan of the “pot lucky” Potluck if possible, but that won’t work if you have a house full of family visiting from out of town. Good luck and I hope your next gathering is cheap yet fantastic!
