Surprisingly Budget Friendly Meals Better Ordered Than Cooked

Sometimes the best meals come from a delivery bag instead of your kitchen.

Cooking at home sounds like the cheaper option, but once specialty ingredients, prep time, and possible kitchen mishaps are factored in, ordering out can actually cost less.

Here are meals that taste amazing, stay budget-friendly, and are far easier to order than attempt from scratch.

1. Sushi Rolls

Making sushi at home requires buying expensive ingredients like sushi rice, nori sheets, rice vinegar, fresh fish, and special tools. Most ingredients come in large quantities you’ll rarely use again.

Restaurants buy in bulk and have trained chefs who can roll perfect sushi in seconds. You’ll spend less money ordering a delicious variety pack than gathering all the supplies yourself, plus you avoid the learning curve of rice preparation and rolling techniques.

2. Fried Chicken

Getting that perfect crispy coating takes practice, special flour blends, and the right oil temperature. You’ll need a deep fryer or large pot, gallons of oil, and cleanup is absolutely messy.

One batch of oil costs almost as much as ordering a whole meal. Restaurants have industrial fryers that maintain perfect heat and produce consistently crunchy results. Skip the oil splatter and order from pros who’ve perfected the recipe.

3. Pad Thai

Authentic Pad Thai demands tamarind paste, fish sauce, palm sugar, rice noodles, and dried shrimp that most grocery stores don’t even carry. Tracking down specialty Asian ingredients becomes an expensive treasure hunt.

Balancing sweet, sour, and savory flavors requires years of experience. Thai restaurants already have everything prepped and ready, delivering restaurant-quality noodles for less than your ingredient shopping trip would cost.

4. Pizza

Homemade pizza sounds simple until you realize quality dough takes hours to rise properly. You’ll need specialty flour, yeast, a pizza stone, and an oven that reaches extremely high temperatures.

Buying multiple toppings, good cheese, and sauce adds up quickly when you want variety. Pizza places get wholesale prices and have perfected the art of crispy crusts. Why struggle when delicious pizza arrives hot to your door?

5. Ramen

Real ramen broth simmers for 12 to 18 hours using pork bones, chicken, and aromatics. You’ll need specialty noodles, miso paste, mirin, and toppings like bamboo shoots and nori.

Most people lack the time and patience for authentic broth preparation. Ramen shops dedicate entire days to perfecting their signature broths. Ordering a steaming bowl gives you complex flavors impossible to replicate quickly at home.

6. Burritos

Building the perfect burrito means preparing rice, beans, multiple proteins, fresh guacamole, pico de gallo, and cheese separately. Buying small amounts of each ingredient costs more than one restaurant burrito.

Wrapping technique matters too, because amateur attempts often split open messily. Burrito joints offer huge portions packed with flavor for incredibly reasonable prices. Let the experts handle the assembly while you enjoy every satisfying bite.

7. Indian Curry

Authentic curry requires a dozen spices like garam masala, turmeric, cumin, coriander, and fenugreek that expire before you use them again. Whole spice collections become pricey fast.

Layering flavors properly takes skill and time most home cooks don’t have. Indian restaurants buy spices in bulk and have generations of recipe knowledge. Ordering curry gives you complex, aromatic flavors without the spice cabinet investment.

8. Pho

Pho broth demands charred onions, ginger, star anise, cinnamon sticks, and bones simmered for hours until deeply flavored. Finding ingredients like rice noodles and Thai basil takes multiple store trips.

Vietnamese restaurants make giant batches daily, spreading costs across many bowls. You’ll pay less for a satisfying restaurant portion than assembling all the components yourself. Plus, cleanup is just tossing the container!

9. BBQ Platters

Smoking meat properly requires a smoker or grill, specialty wood chips, rubs, sauces, and most importantly, time. Brisket alone can take 12 hours of careful temperature monitoring.

BBQ restaurants have massive smokers running constantly, producing tender, flavorful meat you can’t match at home. Ordering a platter with sides costs less than buying a smoker and all the supplies. Enjoy fall-off-the-bone goodness without the all-day commitment.

10. Dim Sum

Dim sum involves making delicate dumplings, buns, and small bites that each require different doughs, fillings, and cooking methods. You’d need bamboo steamers, wrappers, and hours of folding practice.

Restaurants offer variety packs with multiple types for less than buying all the ingredients individually. Pleating dumplings perfectly takes serious skill. Why wrestle with wrappers when you can enjoy a delicious assortment delivered right to you?