Meal Prep Foods That Freeze Well for Easy Meal Planning

How many times have you opened the fridge to discover all the fresh produce you bought last week is no longer edible? Stocking up on meal prep foods that freeze well is the perfect solution for having healthy foods ready to cook at a moment’s notice for easy weeknight meals.

Vegetables, fruit, dairy and even baked goods have a limited shelf life, which means most of us throw out food each week  because we simply can’t eat it fast enough. Luckily there are plenty of foods that freeze well for meal prep​. Storing fresh foods properly in the freezer will not only enable you to have fresh ingredients on hand to throw a meal together quickly, you’ll also save money by not having to throw last week’s uneaten food in the trash!

By prepping your perishable foods once a week for the freezer, you’ll have an abundance of options on hand for all your favorite recipes. Here’s a list of easy meal prep foods that freeze well, plus a ton of healthy and delicious recipes to make with each freezer-ready ingredient.

The Best Foods to Freeze

Certain foods freeze better than others. Here’s a list of foods that are good for freezing and tips on how to prepare them for freezer storage:

• Hard cheeses: grate the cheese first and then seal it in a freeze-safe bag
• Milk and dairy free milk: this will expand in the freezer so don’t store it in a glass bottle
• Fresh vegetables: rinse, chop and then blanch or steam before freezing
• Cooked rice: after it has reached room temperature, store it in single serving containers for easy reheating
• Cubed potatoes: rinse, cut and blanch before freezing
• Cooked pasta: penne, rigatoni and stuffed pasta can be cooked al dente and then frozen
• Fruit: rinse, core and slice before freezing
• Butter: Stock up on butter when it’s on sale and then freeze it until you’re ready to use it.
• Herbs: freeze fresh herbs in ice cube trays with water or olive oil for easy-to-use portions
• Baked goods: cookies,  breads and muffins can be frozen soon after baked or purchased to maintain freshness until you’re ready to eat them

How to Freeze Fresh Vegetables

If you’re wondering which healthy freezer foods to start stocking up on, vegetables are some of the easiest and healthiest foods to use in freezer meal prep. To preserve freshness and kill bacteria, you should blanch your vegetables before freezing them.

To do this, start by boiling water (one gallon for every pound of vegetables). Once the water has started to boil, add the vegetables and cover with a lid. Once the water comes to a boil again, allow them to cook for just a few minutes, then quickly place them in a large bowl of ice water. After they have cooled, dry them and put them into an airtight container or freezer bag. To avoid freezer burn, make sure there is no air in the container when you seal it.

Here are some tips on how long to blanch your vegetables before freezing them:

• Asparagus: 3 minutes
• Beans: 2-3 minutes
• Broccoli: 3 minutes
• Brussel sprouts: 3-5 minutes
• Carrots (sliced): 2 minutes
• Cauliflower: 3 minutes
• Corn kernels: 4 minutes
• Peppers (sliced): 2 minutes
• Potatoes (cubed or sliced): 3-5 minutes
• Squash (cubed or sliced): 3 minutes
• Tomatoes: 1-2 minutes
• Zucchini (cubed or sliced): 1-3 minutes

Mushrooms are one of the exceptions, as they need to be steamed instead of blanched to maintain taste and texture. Here are some vegetable recipe ideas you can make with your meal prepped frozen vegetables.

To prep fruit for freezing, you should rinse, core, peel and slice larger fruits like apples, pears, peaches, strawberries and bananas. Smaller fruits like blueberries and raspberries can be rinsed and left whole. Once dry, place the fruit pieces individually on a baking sheet to freeze for several hours. Once they are frozen solid, place the fruit in airtight containers and mark the date when they were frozen.

Here are some fruit-based meals that are perfect for your frozen meal prepped fruit:

Most smoothie recipes also use frozen fruit, so try your favorite fruit combination or make one of our nutritious and delicious smoothie recipes.

How to Freeze Rice

Rice is a very versatile side dish to have on hand for quick and easy meal prep. The next time you cook rice, make a double batch so you can freeze half of it. After allowing it to cool to room temperature, divide it up into single portioned containers for freezer bags before freezing. Then when you’re ready to eat it, just pop it in the microwave!

Whether you want to just meal prep your rice or cook your entire meal to enjoy another day, here are some recipes with rice that freeze well:

Here are more delicious and healthy rice recipes to try.

Can You Freeze Potatoes?

Yes, you can freeze potatoes, but for best results you should peel your potatoes and blanch them first. To blanch potatoes, boil a pot of water with a dash of salt and drop the potatoes in. The cooking time will depend on how large the potatoes are cut, and can range from 3 minutes for small pieces to 10 minutes for large whole potatoes. Once cooked, immediately transfer the potatoes to a bowl of ice water. Pat them dry and arrange them on a lined cookie sheet. Freeze them overnight ,and then transfer them to a freezer safe container.

Once thawed, here are some delicious ways to cook with your potatoes:

Keep in mind that mashed potatoes that are fully prepared in advance don’t last long in the freezer and can often change their taste and texture. Instead, follow the instructions for prepping your potatoes for the freezer and then mash them once they are thawed.

Can You Freeze Pasta for Meal Prep?

Yes, you can freeze pasta to enjoy another day. But if you’re wondering if there’s a trick to freezing pasta, there is! If you’re planning to cook pasta for freezing and reheating, you should cook it al dente, approximately 1-2 minutes less than the time recommended on the box. Then, rinse the pasta under cold water. Once it’s cooled completely, toss the pasta with olive oil to keep it from sticking together. When you’re ready to freeze the pasta, place it on a baking sheet in a single layer and allow it to freeze for at least an hour. This will stop it from clumping together. Then you can move it to a freezer bag or container. For best results, stick to larger noodles like penne and ziti.

Here are more delicious pasta recipes to make any night of the week.

Tips for Freezing Food

Are you ready to start freezing food for meal prep? Here are a few tips and tricks to help get you started:

• Don’t freeze cooked food until it has reached room temperature. If food takes more than 1 to 2 hours to cool, put it in the fridge to speed up the cooling process (not the freezer).
• Use ice cube trays to freeze small portions of liquids like sauces and broth for easy reheating.
• To ensure meat is safe to eat, always thaw it in the fridge overnight; do not leave it out on the counter.
• Don’t refreeze meat once it has been frozen and thawed. This will compromise flavor and food safety.
• For best results, freeze food right after it is purchased to help maintain taste.
• Don’t overpack the freezer so air can’t circulate.
• Label foods with the ingredients and date so you know what you have to cook.
• Eat your frozen foods within 3 to 6 months of freezing it to ensure it doesn’t lose its flavor.

Foods You Shouldn’t Freeze

While freezing food is a great way to meal prep in advance, some items don’t freeze well. Fresh salad greens, certain herbs, and many dairy products change taste and texture in the freezer, including yogurt, sour cream, soft cheeses, cream cheese, cottage cheese and mayonnaise. Make sure to avoid these foods in your meal prep freezing routine to ensure a successful and delicious meal.

Do you prefer making your entire meal ahead for meal prep? Here are easy to freeze meals that can save you time and money.