The 70+ Best Freezer Meals on the Planet

After writing two freezer meal cookbooks and testing hundreds and hundreds of recipes over 10+ years, we’ve narrowed down the best of the best healthy freezer meals for your family. Our freezer meal recipes and methods are well tested and delicious.

Check out our growing list of amazing make-ahead freezer meals below.

If you’re ready to start browsing our freezer meals, feel free to use the links below to hop to any category.

Before you jump down to the recipes though, we’d love to share some of our 10+ years of freezer meal cooking knowledge with you.

• Breakfast Freezer Meals
• Chicken Freezer Meals
• Beef Freezer Meals
• Crockpot Freezer Meals
• Instant Pot Freezer Meals
• Vegetarian Freezer Meals
• Misc Freezer Meals

Benefits of Freezer Cooking

As tongue and cheek, “freezer cooking evangelists”, we are constantly sharing about the amazing benefits of freezer cooking with anyone who will listen. We’ve even been able to share about freezer meals on the Hallmark Channel and in People Magazine! Here are some of the benefits we regularly point out:

• Freezer cooking saves money by buying in bulk and avoiding eating out. If you can incorporate 1-2 freezer meals a week, you can save over $2,000 in a year!
• Cooking in bulk cuts down on time in the kitchen by prepping meals with the same ingredients at one time. Browning ground beef? Chopping veggies? Making soup? Why not double or triple it and then utilize the freezer? You save time on prep and clean up. We even created 1 Hour Freezer Prep Sessions to help you do this!
• Freezer cooking helps you eat wholesome, delicious meals at home regularly. You know what goes in your food. You can make modifications too.
• Having a stash of freezer meals reduces dinnertime stress while bringing your family together around the table. This is what freezer cooking is really all about! 

What is considered a healthy freezer meal?

We aren’t about diets, eating low-fat foods, or cutting out food groups.

We are about cooking tasty, homemade food and eating all things in moderation. We’re also about cooking with as many unprocessed, organic and/or local ingredients as possible, including a variety of:

• vegetables and fruit
• whole grains
• local, organic, and/or grass-fed meats (that’s why we’re big fans of Butcher Box*)
• healthy fats (i.e. olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, grass-fed butter, and organic dairy)

By simply making homemade meals for your family, you are cutting out loads of sodium, sugar, simple carbs, and harmful trans-fats that come from fast food and store-bought convenience foods. You control what goes into your food.

What’s the best way to store frozen meals?

There are several different ways to safely and effectively store meals in your freezer. Some work better than others depending on the type of food you are freezing or even the space you have in your freezer.

The best way to store and save a freezer meal is in any method that will prevent air from getting to the food. It really depends on the recipe!

Freezer Meal Containers We Use and Recommend

1) Freezer-safe glass baking dish with air-tight lid

Having a glass baking dish or rigid container with an air-tight lid is a safe, reusable, and practical option. It not only allows for easy stacking of frozen meals, but a glass baking dish can also go into the oven when ready to bake or reheat.

2) Freezer Storage Bags

You have two options for resealable freezer bags: Disposable or reusable bags.

3) Wide-Mouth Mason (canning) Jars

Most canning jars are freezer-safe and useful when freezing soups, sauces, broths, and more. We like that they are made of safe material and that you can store smaller or individual servings of your freezer food.

4) Heavy-Duty Aluminum Foil

Foil does a great job of blocking moisture and air in the freezer. It’s helpful because it can be molded into almost any shape and used to wrap and store baked goods, meat, burritos, sandwiches, etc. Or, use it to wrap a baking dish that doesn’t have a lid.

5) Vacuum Sealer

Many of our readers have said they use a vacuum sealer for their freezer meals and have had great results. The benefit of preserving food this way is that, if done correctly, your meal is completely air-tight. And…as we all know by now…air is the enemy of delicious freezer meals! Vacuum sealer fans and companies swear that this method extends the life of freezer food from months to years. We haven’t tested that yet. 😉

If you want more detail on how to properly freeze food, we have written a whole post about the 5 Best Ways to Package and Store Freezer Meals.

What’s the best way to thaw a frozen meal?

We’ve learned all the tricks when it comes to safely thawing your freezer meals. Here are the 3 primary ways:

1. Thaw Freezer Meals in the Refrigerator

The best and safest way to thaw a freezer meal is to put it in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours. Thawing time will depend on the size of the meal but plan on roughly 5 hours per pound.

2. Thaw Frozen Food in Cold Water

Another safe thawing option is to place the food in a leak-proof plastic bag and immerse it in cold water, changing the water out every 30 minutes. This still takes a bit of time–anywhere from 3-5 hours depending on how big your meal is, but it’s quicker than the refrigerator option.

3. Thaw Frozen Food in the Microwave

A third option is to microwave-defrost food in a microwave-safe dish. Defrost your food using your microwave’s instructions. The reason this is the third option (our least favorite) is because this method (especially chicken) can tend to dry out food a bit.

Regardless, sometimes you just need to quickly thaw something, so the microwave it is!

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70+ Favorite Freezer Meals

You can quickly hop to any category using the links below. Freezing instructions are included at the end of each recipe. 

• Breakfast Freezer Meals
• Chicken Freezer Meals
• Beef Freezer Meals
• Crockpot Freezer Meals
• Instant Pot Freezer Meals
• Vegetarian Freezer Meals
• Misc Freezer Meals

Breakfast Freezer Meals

Is a healthy breakfast possible on those chaotic weekday mornings? We’ve got you covered with these wholesome, freezable breakfast ideas to make ahead and have on hand.

1. Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

2. Easy Breakfast Casserole Muffins

3. Freezer Smoothie Packs: 7 Recipes + Printable Labels + Shopping List!

4. Pumpkin Muffins with Crumble Topping

5. Breakfast Burritos

6. Blueberry Baked French Toast with Vanilla Glaze

7. Double Chocolate Zucchini Waffles

8. Savory Breakfast Muffins

9. Chocolate Sweet Potato Banana Bread

10. Make-Ahead Breakfast Sandwiches

11. 7 Overnight Oats Recipes: These aren’t a freezer meal but you can make them ahead for the week and store in the fridge!

12. Fluffy Egg Casserole with Bacon

Top Chicken Freezer Meals

We love easy, freezable chicken recipes and we know you do too! We have a huge variety of easy chicken freezer meals for you to browse though. Enjoy!

1. On the Go Chicken Burritos

2. Southwest Grilled Chicken Tenders

3. Mini Chicken Burgers with Herbs

4. Cheesy Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas

5. Chicken Parmesan Casserole

6. Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken Thighs

7. Gourmet Chicken Sandwiches

8. Lemon Garlic Chicken

9. Honey Garlic Chicken Kabobs

10. Baked Chicken Spaghetti

11. Italian Baked Chicken Thighs

12. Chicken Burrito Bowls

13. 7 Best Chicken Marinades – (Free printable cheatsheet!)

14. Baked BBQ Chicken Drumsticks

Top Beef Freezer Meals

These beef freezer meals are total crowd pleasers. Not only are they tasty but they are filling too!

1. Super Sloppy Joes

2. Baked Italian Meatballs

3. Beefy Baked Ravioli

4. Mini Meatloaf Muffins

5. Taco Bar

6. No Peek Beef Stew

7. Balsamic Shredded Beef

8. Hearty Baked Penne Pasta

9. Cheesy Chive Burgers

10. Crowd Pleaser Mexican Soup

Tip: This is the place where we both source our grass-fed beef (and it’s delivered to our doorsteps).

Top Crockpot Freezer Meals

Once you start making freezer meals for the slow cooker, you won’t go back. It’s magic to have a meal prepped ahead of of time for the Crockpot! Get started with these recipes.

1. Slow Cooker BBQ Beef

2. Slow Cooker Honey Bourbon Chicken

3. French Dip Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

4. Chicken and Cheese Taquitos

5. Chicken and Dumplings

6. Chicken Fiesta Soup

7. Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Sliders

8. Cheddar and Bacon Potato Soup

9. Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili

10. Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork

Want to see more? Hop over to our Top 20 Crockpot Freezer Meals

Top Instant Pot Freezer Meals

Push a button and dinner is done. When you prep freezer meals for the Instant Pot, it can be that easy! We’ve fine tuned the art of Instant Pot freezer meals and sharing everything we know in the recipes below!

1. Instant Pot BBQ Beef Sandwiches

2. Chicken and Cheese Taquitos

3. Vegetable Soup

4. Tomato Soup

5. Crispy Carnitas

6. Chicken Parmesan Sliders

7. Instant Pot Steel Cut Oats

8. Chicken and Dumplings

9. BBQ Pulled Pork

10. Beef Stew

11. Honey Bourbon Chicken

Want to see more? Here are our Top 20 Freezer Meals for the Instant Pot

Did you know we have an Instant Pot cookbook called From Freezer to Cooker? While testing recipes for this book, we honed in on the best timing and methods for cooking different types of meals in the Instant Pot. We are excited to share this valuable information with you. You can DOWNLOAD A PRINTABLE VERSION OF OUR INSTANT POT COOKING TIMES CHART HERE.

Top Vegetarian Freezer Meals

Finding tasty vegetarian freezer meals can be a challenge. Fear not, below you’ll find some of the best of the best!

1. English Muffin Pizzas

2. Tortilla Soup

3. Cheesy Baked Tortellini

4. 20 Minute Pumpkin Chili

5. Make Ahead Lunch Wraps

6. Hearty Vegetable Soup

7. Cancer Fighting Soup

8. Autumn Chowder (omit bacon)

9. Tomato Bisque

10. Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups

Want More Freezer Meals?

Here is a collection that didn’t fit into any of the categories above. But trust us, you don’t want to miss them!

1. Spinach and Bacon Quiche

2. Ham & Cheese Sliders

3. Ultimate Twice Baked Potatoes (or Super Stuffed Potatoes)

4. Turkey Pesto Paninis

5. Mediterranean Shrimp

6. Asian Lettuce Wraps

7. Powerball Cookies

8. Salmon and Sweet Potato Cakes

9. Pork Tenderloin with Seasoned Rub

10. Chocolate Oatmeal Energy Bites

11. Pan Seared Pork Chops

We hope our monster list of healthy freezer meals helps your home run just a little smoother!

Looking for a Freezer Meal Prep Session?

Do you like the idea of stocking your freezer with 6 meal in 1 hour? What if all of the brainwork was done for you? We’re talking shopping lists, step-by-step instructions, labels, and even a video tutorial.

Our 1 Hour Freezer Prep Sessions have been a massive success with our readers and we know they can help you too. Hop over to learn more!