Cook under CHF 5 per person: through the ingredients, not the promise
Cooking for under CHF 5 per person is doable in Switzerland: Swissmilk runs a whole recipe collection "for under five francs per person" (updated: July 2026). The ingredients decide, not the recipe: dried pulses, eggs, low-fat quark, seasonal vegetables, and own-brand pasta and rice cost least per portion. What drives the bill up is fresh meat, fish and ready meals. Which of them are on offer this week, you see in Rappn.
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Cooking for under five francs per person is doable in Switzerland, and it is not a marketing promise: Swissmilk runs a whole recipe collection "for under five francs per person". The trick is not a single recipe but the choice of ingredients. Relying on cheap staples and cooking around the promotions keeps you reliably within budget.
Rappn is an independent grocery price comparison app in Switzerland, with no commercial agreement with any retailer. Migros, Coop, Aldi, Lidl, Denner, Aligro and Otto's do not pay us to rank them, and nothing below is sponsored.
How do I cook for under five francs per person?
| Cheap base | Why | Example dish |
|---|---|---|
| Dried pulses | cheapest protein source | lentil curry, chickpea stew |
| Eggs | cheap and versatile | frittata, shakshuka |
| Seasonal veg + own-brand pasta | cheapest in season | pasta with vegetables |
| Fresh meat, fish, ready meals | cost drivers, use sparingly | only on offer |
These are live offers in Rappn: search cheap staples like lentils and compare the offer prices across chains, with the unit price, so 'under five francs' becomes a checkable number. Type a product to try it.
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The plate blueprint: how to stay under five francs
Instead of hunting for one exact recipe, you can build every plate to the same blueprint. The trick is not the single ingredient but the ratio on the plate: lots of cheap base, little expensive protein. Putting meat or fish at the centre pushes the bill up; making it a side keeps you reliably within budget.
- Base first. A filling, cheap foundation takes up most of the plate. It is the cheapest element and it fills you up.
- A seasonal vegetable for volume. One portion of vegetables in season adds colour, quantity and nutrients without pushing the price up.
- Only a small accent. A little of the expensive item, or a cheaper accent, brings flavour. Not the centre, but the seasoning.
Because the base carries the plate, every shift towards the raw ingredient lowers the price per portion. Cook the base in a bigger batch: a single pot of lentils, rice or pasta covers several plates and several days, which saves time and energy. What is cheapest this week depends on the promotions, so we name no fixed franc amount per plate. The principle stays the same: heavy on the base, light on the protein.
For the plate blueprint you only need one idea per evening. In the Kitchen in Rappn you browse recipes under "Explore" with filters for time or category, add the one you choose to the Planner, and send its ingredients to your list, where the app separates "You have it at home" from what is still missing. Turning recipes into a shopping list walks through that step, and the weekly routine is in how to meal plan in Switzerland.
Whether your dish stays under five francs this week depends on what is on offer. You check that yourself: in this week's offers you see which chain has an ingredient on promotion and at what price per kilo, litre or piece, and in the Rappn app a recipe from the recipes goes onto your shopping list in one tap. Rappn does not work out a price per recipe. That turns "under five francs" from a promise into a figure you can check yourself. The whole method is explained in cook cheaply, and how to plan a week in weekly meal plan on a budget.
Updated: .
Why Rappn?
Rappn is an independent grocery price comparison app in Switzerland, with no commercial agreements with any retailer. Our comparisons are truly independent.
- 100% free: no subscription, no hidden costs
- Neutral: no commercial agreements with Migros, Coop, Aldi, Lidl, Denner, Aligro, or Otto’s
- Updated daily, as soon as the chains publish their deals
- The chains’ deals in one place: search, filter, compare, no subscription
- Meal planner in the Kitchen tab: plan the week, send the ingredients to your list
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can you cook for under five francs per person in Switzerland?
Yes. Swissmilk runs a recipe collection "for under five francs per person", and with cheap staples like pulses, eggs and seasonal vegetables it is well doable. The exact price depends on the store, the week and the promotions, so we give no fixed figure; which ingredients are on offer this week you see in Rappn.
Which dishes are most likely to stay under five francs per person?
Dishes based on cheap ingredients: lentil curry, chickpea stew, vegetable frittata, shakshuka or pasta with seasonal vegetables. They use the cheapest categories (pulses, eggs, seasonal veg, own-brand pasta) and avoid the cost drivers meat, fish and ready meals.
Why do you name no fixed price per recipe?
Because the price of a dish depends on the current prices and promotions and changes weekly. A fixed franc figure would soon be wrong. So we explain the ingredient logic. Which ingredients are on offer right now, and at what unit price, you see in Rappn; the price per recipe you work out from that yourself.
Are pulses really the cheapest protein source?
Dried pulses are structurally among the cheapest protein sources per portion, often cheaper than eggs and much cheaper than fresh meat. That is a rough ordering, not a fixed franc figure; whether they are on offer this week you see in Rappn.
In what ratio should I fill the plate to stay cheap?
Simple rule: the cheap base like pulses, pasta or rice takes the biggest share, with a seasonal vegetable, and meat or fish only as a small accent. Heavy on the base, light on expensive protein keeps the portion cheap.