These are the best homemade takeaway recipes
These are family friendly fakeaway recipes that not only taste amazing but that can rival anyway takeaway outlet. All these fakeaway recipes are under £1 a head for four people and are delicious.
If you are looking for more £1 a head family meals then have a look at:
The Ultimate £1 Per Head Budget Meal Planning List – This is our biggest list of £1 a head family meals that you can use to fill up your meal plan.
101 Aldi Recipes That Will Give You Dinner Ideas For Tonight – These recipes can help you to not only fill up your meal plan but can help give you ideas for what to eat.
The Best Cheap Recipes For Families – These are the best tasting budget recipes that you can cook for your whole family. There are loads of beginner recipes that can help you to save money quickly.
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Cook from scratch
If you do feel out of your depth then have a look at Spicentice. They send you packets of spices that can help liven up your mealtimes. What we love the best about Spicentice though is that the packets include an exact shopping list and easy to follow instructions. You can then use them over and over again.
Spicentice are Slimming World and Weight Watchers friendly, offer gluten-free spices and dairy-free.
They are great to use if you are new to cooking from scratch or if you are looking to get your family eating new budget-friendly meals and have no clue where to start.
We tried them at the start of this year and loved them. We got stuck in a food rut and they helped by giving us ideas while keeping our food budget really low.
Using Spicentice we have cooked:
Beginner Chilli Con Carne Recipe for Just 95p a Head
Vegan Shepherd’s Pie For Just 82p Per Portion
Spaghetti Meatball Recipe For 73p a Head
Easy Chicken Fajita Recipe: A Family Meal for 94p a Person
Chinese Chicken Curry For Just £1.54 For 4
Really Easy Homemade Beef Burgers For Under £1 a Head
The Best Southern Fried Chicken Recipe For Under £1 a Head
Chicken Tikka Masala Curry For Under £4 a Head
The Best Katsu Curry Recipe For Under £1 a Head
The Best Turkey Curry For Under £1 a Head
The Best Firecracker Chicken For Just 99p a Head
The best fakeaway recipes for the whole family
These are the best fakeaway recipes that will stop you reaching for the takeaway menu. They all come in at under £1 a head for 4 people and are really easy to make from scratch. You don’t need any special skills. Most of these you can also make from what you have in your store cupboard already.
Read our post here about meals you can make using what you have inside your cupboards.
Beef fakeaway recipes
These are the best beef fakeaway recipes for the whole family.
Chilli Con Carne
You can make this in the slow cooker really easily. Brown the mince off first then put it all in together and leave to cook for 6-7 hours. You’ll come home to the best smelling fakeaway ever!
Read how to make our beginner Chilli Con Carne recipe for just 95p a head here
500g minced meat £1.99
4 onions 32p
3 garlic gloves 7p
300ml tinned tomatoes 28p
400g tinned kidney beans 30p
3 tbsp tomato puree 15p
Half a lime 12p
220ml stock 3p
4 tbsp low cal spray 20p
1 tsp salt 2p
Half tsp sugar 5p
180g Rice 24p
Total: £3.77 that’s 94p for four people.
Spaghetti Meatball
Sometimes we all fancy meatballs. There’s no need to order them in! Cook them yourself and enjoy how cheap these are to make. If you don’t want spaghetti, you could make yourself the best sub sandwich ever!
Read how to make our Spaghetti Meatball Recipe For 73p a Head here.
500g minced meat £1.99
2 onion 16p
3 glove garlic 7p
1 egg 10p
1 tsp salt 2p
2 tsp low cal spray 10p
1 tin passata 32p
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 3p
Half tablespoon sugar 5p
Half tablespoon salt 3p
210g Spaghetti 8p
Total: £2.95 = 73p a head
Homemade Beef Burgers
If you kids are craving a takeaway then our homemade beef burgers are for you. Cut the chips really small and fry them so they are nice and crisp.
Read how to make our Really Easy Homemade Beef Burgers For Under £1 a Head here.
500g minced meat £1.99
1 frozen onion 8p
2 garlic cloves 6p
1 egg 10p
Pinch of salt 3p
6 burger buns 56p
Lettuce leave 25p
Tomato 50p
Cheese slices 35p
4 potatoes 40p
Total: £4.32 that’s £1.09 for four.
Beef Mince Tacos
Beef mince tacos make a great weekend fakeaway meal that is perfect for the whole family and really cheap to make. Minced beef tacos are really easy to make and can be as spicy or not as you like. We like using frozen mince or Quorn mince as you get to pick out as much as you want and freeze that rest.
You can use frozen vegetables if you prefer as they are re-cut so can make the process a bit quicker. This taco recipe includes the light salsa that is really fruity so great for kids.
Put everything in the middle of the table and let everyone help themselves and build their own perfect mine taco.
100g mince 75p
175g baby corn 95p
190g frozen red onions 42p
100g red pepper 45p
110g kiwi fruit 60p
115g tomatoes 50p
5g garlic clove 2p
85g red cabbage 20p.
Total: £4 that’s £1 a head for four people.
Chinese beef stir fry
We love this beef stir fry! It makes a great Friday night dinner that will have you throwing the takeaway menu away. We serve us with rice but noodles would work great as well. Start by mixing together the cornflour and five spice. Chop the beef into strips and fry. It will only need about 5 minutes or so depedning on how you like your beef cooked.
When cooked, remove from the heat and leave to cool. Once cool, add the beef strips to the cornflour mix and coat. Using the same pan, fry the beef in small batches, remembering to put it on a paper towel so it doesn’t stay greasy.
Add the garlic, ground ginger and your vegetables to the pan and cook. We like ours soft but if you like them crunchy then they will only need about 3 minutes. Mix the wine vinegar, chilli sauce, ketchup and soy sauce together in a bowl.
Using the same pan, cook the sauce for a few minutes on a shimmer. Add the beef and the vegetables to the sauce. You may need to add a little water if the sauce is to thick.
3 tbsp cornflour 5p,
2 tsp dried spice 5p,
170g JUST ESSENTIALS by ASDA Beef Steak £2,
2 tbsp oil 5p, 1 garlic cloves 3p,
1 tbsp dried ginger 5p,
red pepper 50p,
1 carrot 30p,
50g mange tout 50p.
Sauce:
4 tbsp rice vinegar 5p,
2 tbsp chilli sauce 5p,
2 tbsp ketchup 5p,
2 tbsp soy sauce 5p.
Total: £3.73 thats 93p for four people.
Fakeaway chicken recipes
These are the best fakeaway chicken recipes.
Sweet & Sour Chicken
This is a must if you are craving your normal greasy takeaway. This Sweet & Sour Chicken recipe is a lot healthier and takes under 20 minutes to cook.
Read how to make An Easy Sweet & Sour Chicken Recipe For Just 58p here.
2 frozen chicken breasts £1.16
1 can pineapple chunks in natural juice 50p
2 tbsp cornflour 2p
½ tsp dried chilli flakes 2p
2 tbsp dark soy sauce 5p
2 tbsp tomato puree 2p
50g frozen onion 8p
300g frozen peppers 43p
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 5p
Total: £2.33 that’s 58p per person.
Chicken Fajita
Food sometimes just has to be quick to make and these chicken fajitas will not disappoint you. It can all go into the wok together and fry on a really high heat. You can use fresh vegetables if you prefer and add cheese if you don’t like spice.
Read how to make our Easy Chicken Fajita Recipe: A Family Meal for 94p a Person here
4 frozen chicken breasts £1.40
200g frozen peppers 30p
200g frozen onion 16p
3 garlic cloves 9p
1 tbsp salt 2p
1 tsp sugar 5p
Tortillas £1
Total: £3.08 that’s 75p a person.
Southern Fried Chicken
This is a great fakeaway recipe for the whole family. There’s no need to order in when you have this Southern Fried Chicken recipe to hand.
Read how to make our Southern Fried Chicken recipe For under £1 a head here.
4 chicken breasts £1.40
150g breadcrumbs 65p
2 eggs 20p
4 tbsp plain flour 15p
4 tbsp milk 10p
2 tbsp low cal spray 10p
4 potatoes 40p
4 corn of cob 52p
Total: £3.52 that’s 88p for four people.
Firecracker Chicken
If you like your chicken hot and spicy then this is for you. We love having this with egg fried rice but you can have it with normal rice and add yogurt if you need it spiced down.
Read how we make our The Best Firecracker Chicken For Just 99p a Head here.
3 frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts (defrosted) £2.10
2 onions 20p
3 garlic cloves 15p
5g ground ginger 5p
1 red pepper 45p
1tbsp lemon juice 10p
1 bunch of spring onions 37p
2 tbsp tomato puree 5p
4 tbsp soy sauce 6p
2 tbsp hoisin sauce 6p
1 tbsp plain flour 10p
1 tbsp low cal cooking spray 5p
150g wholemeal rice 25p
Total: £3.99
Peri-Peri Chicken
This is a family-friendly Peri-Peri chicken recipe that is great for when you want a TV dinner. It comes in at under £1 a head and takes under 20 minutes to cook.
4 frozen chicken breasts £1.40
3 garlic cloves 9p
Small piece of ginger 2p
3tbsp of lemon 3p
5 tbsp lemon juice 9p
2 tbsp cooking oil 3p
1 tsp salt 2p
1 tin potatoes 40p
180g Rice 24p
Total: £2.32 that’s 58p a person for four people.
Chicken Kebabs
You can make these homemade chicken kebabs with chicken breast or chicken thighs. We prefer chicken breasts as you can cut them into chunks easily. If you are planning to use the pitta then you may want to finely chop the vegetables smaller. You can also make the marinade as spicy as you like. My children do not like spice but you can add chillis or flakes to the sauce for that extra kick.
300g frozen chicken breasts £1.08
100g red peppers 25p
100g green peppers 25p
425g tin pineapple 90p
Marinade:
5g turmeric 5p
5g mild curry powder 10p
5g smoked paprika 5p
5g tomato purée 7p
150g natural yogurt 20p
5g garlic clove 10p
Total: £3.05 that’s 76p per person. (4 people)
Baked Chilli Chicken
This baked chilli chicken recipe is a great Friday night dinner for the whole family. You can add as many different vegetables as you like. It only takes about 10 minutes to cook as you have very little to chop and fry.
25g flour 10p,
1 garlic clove 5p,
1 tsp chilli flakes 5p,
2 chicken breasts £1.20,
5 tbsp oil 5p,
stir fry vegetables 50p,
spring onions 85p,
10g rice wine vinegar 7p,
1 tsp ground ginger 5p,
2 tsp tomato puree 5p,
1 tbsp honey 7p.
Total: £2.99 that’s 74p a person for four people.
Chicken Pilaf
This is a really easy dinner that can be made when you are in a rush. It takes about 20 minutes to cook, and that’s all down to the rice, so there is very little prep. Start by frying off the onions, garlic and chilli. Add the frozen vegetables then add the chicken. Put the rice and the 1 litre of stock into the pan as well and bring to the boil.
If you have a lid, put it on and let it boil for 20 minutes or so. The rice should take up all the liquid.
1 tbsp oil 5p,
100g frozen onion 30p,
150g frozen vegetables 12p,
1 garlic 5p,
1 red chilli 5p,
250g rice 15p,
250g frozen chicken 63p,
Chicken stock 5p.
Total: £1.40 thats 28p for four people.
Chicken Doner Kebabs
We make our own chicken doner kebab marinade which we smother all over our kebab meat. Our kebab marinade recipe is: 50g low-fat natural yogurt curry powder chilli powder dried coriander finely chopped chillis Optional spices are: smoked paprika garlic powder onion powder It is really easy to make chicken kebabs healthy. You do not need oil to keep the chicken, you can grill it instead with the rest of the vegetables or even roast them with a pinch of salt.
This chicken doner kebab recipe is really easy to make.
We use frozen chicken breasts but you can use chicken thighs if you prefer.
50g low-fat natural yogurt 7p
5g curry powder 10p
5g chilli powder 10p
10g lime or lemon juice 5p
10g dried chopped coriander 10p
10g red chilli 10p
300g chicken breasts £1.08
100g green salad 55p
4 pitta breads 25p
Total: £2.40 that’s 60p for four people.
Vegetarian fakeaway recipes
These are the best fakeaway vegetarian recipes for the whole family.
Chickpea curry
This is a really easy curry that you can make with all your tinned vegetables. Cook time for this simple chickpea curry is about 20 minutes depending on how you like your chickpeas. We like ours really soft so tend to wait until the liquid has reduced quite a lot.
Read how to make our chickpea curry for under £1 a head here.
For the paste
2 tbsp oil 5p
100g frozen onion 25p
5g dried chilli 5p
9 garlic cloves 25p
5g ground ginger 5p
5g ground coriander 5p
7g ground cumin 5p
5g garam masala 5p
10g tomato purée 11p
For the curry
2 x 400g tin chickpeas £1.10
400g tin canned tomatoes 42p
100g tin coconut milk (optional) 18p
100g spinach (optional) 20p
250g rice 40p
Total: £3.21 that’s 80p for 4 people.
Spicy mixed bean tortillas
These Spicy mixed bean tortillas are great for weekend days when you want something quick and easy. All of these ingredients come from tins or the freezer.
8 tortilla wraps 85p
200g onion 10p
1 tin of carrots 49p
400g can chopped tomatoes 39p
400g can kidney beans 30p
400g can of mixed beans in a mild chili sauce 30p
100g mature cheddar cheese, grated 49p
Total: £2.92 that’s 73p for 4 people.
Homemade Pizza
We love homemade pizza! Making your own pizza dough is easy and tastes so much better than ordering in.
375g plain flour 20p
1 teaspoon salt 5p
1 tablespoon caster sugar 5p
7g dried active baking yeast 8p
225ml warm water 0p
100g Mature Cheddar 85p
400g chopped tomatoes 31p
100g ham 62p
400g tin mushrooms 20p
Total: £2.36 that’s 59p a person.
Burritos
This is the best street food ever that you can cook from home.
Frozen onion 10p
500g long-grain rice 40p
400g red kidney beans in water 21p
Tortilla wraps 92p
Little Gem lettuce 75p
1tbsp dried basil
300g Salsa 69p
Total: £3.87 that’s 96p for 4 people.
Vegan Tacos
This roasted veggie tacos recipe is great for the whole family. Let everyone pack their tacos as they wish for the full fun experience.
Read how we make our yummy vegan tacos here.
175g baby corn 95p
190g frozen red onions 42p
100g red pepper 45p
5g cumin seeds 5p
2 tsp olive oil 5p
110g kiwi fruit 60p
115g tomatoes 50p
5g garlic clove 5p
5g dried coriander 5p
1 tsp vegan bouillon powder 2p
5g smoked paprika 5p
85g red cabbage 20p
100g wholemeal flour (optional) 20p
Total: £3.09 that’s 77p a person for 4 people.
Related Posts:
- 15 Easy Overripe Banana Recipes
- 7 Family Meal Plans That Can Help You Save Money
- 9 Slow Cooker Chicken Curry Recipes That Are Budget Friendly
Fakeaway curry recipes
These are the best fakeaway curry recipes that cost very little to make but are great alternatives.
Chinese Chicken Curry
This is a great chicken korma recipe that the whole family will love. it’s very mild and great for younger kids who want to try a curry.
Read how to make our Chinese Chicken Curry For Just £1.54 For 4 here.
2 chicken breasts 65p
2 onions 16p
Small piece of ginger 15p
2 garlic cloves 6p
400ml stock 3p
2 tbsp low cal spray 10p
3 tbsp plain flour 10p
1 tsp sugar 5p
180g rice 24p
Total: £1.54 that’s 38p a person.
Chicken Tikka Masala Curry
This is the best chicken curry recipe that you will ever taste! It’s lightly spicy and great for that Friday night treat.
Read how to make our Chicken Tikka Masala Curry For Under £4 a Head here.
4 frozen chicken breasts £1.40
100g frozen onion 16p
2 garlic cloves 6p
200ml tinned tomatoes 28p
100ml single cream 60p
1 tsp lemon juice 5p
4 tbsp low cal spray 20p
1 tsp salt 3p
180g Rice 24p
Total: £3.17 that’s 79p for a family of four.
Katsu Curry
This katsu curry recipe goes great with any rice. We love homemade egg fried rice but you can also have it with brown or white plain rice. The crispy chicken will soon be a family favourite.
Read how to make The Best Katsu Curry Recipe For Under £1 a Head here.
4 frozen chicken breasts £1.40
100g frozen onion 16p
400g tin carrots 47p
3 garlic cloves 5p
1 egg 10p
900ml chicken stock 10p
2tbsp soy sauce 5p
1tsp honey 5p
3tbsp plain flour 5p
100g breadcrumbs 55p
200g wholemeal rice 15p
Total: £3.13 that’s 78p per person.
Mango and Tomato Curry
This curry is really family-friendly. It’s sweet to eat and is a great introduction to curries for kids.
Frozen red onion 17p
10g ground chilli flakes 10p
400g tin tomatoes 60p
Small mango £1.15
150g 2% Fat natural yogurt 49p
500g Basics long-grain rice 40p
Total: £3.46 that’s 86p for four people.
Chicken Jalfrezi
This is a sizzling great chicken jalfrezi fakeaway that will have you converted quickly. It’s spicy and goes great with homemade chips.
4 frozen chicken breasts £1.40
2 frozen onions 16p
1 frozen peppers 15p
3 garlic cloves 9p
Small piece of ginger 2p
2 tbsp tomato puree 6p
2 tbsp cooking oil 3p
1 tsp salt 2p
Total: £2.09 that’s 52p a person.
Chicken Balti
This chicken balti recipe is great for that Saturday night fakeaway urge.
Use our chicken balti recipe instead which comes in at under £1 a head.
4 frozen chicken breasts £1.40
200g frozen onions 16p
200ml tinned tomatoes 28p
3 garlic cloves 9p
1 tbsp tomato puree 3p
2 tbsp cooking oil 3p
1 tsp salt 2p
1 red chilli 5p
Pinch of dried paprika 3p
Total: £2.11 that’s 52p a person for 4 people.
Laura x
If you enjoyed this post and would like some more family friendly budget recipes or meal plan ideas, then head over to the budget food section here on Savings 4 Savvy Mums where you’ll find over 30 cheap posts dedicated to helping you cook and shop wiser for less. There’s enough tips to help you save over £300 a month! You could also pop over and follow my family food Pinterest boards for lots more ideas on how to eat well and spend less; Family Meal Plans on a Budget, Budget Family Meals & Budget Slimming World Recipes for Families.
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