20 Vegan Freezer Meal Prep Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How many freezer meals should you make? ›

Start Small and Choose A Manageable Amount of Meals

Instead, start small and choose 4-6 recipes to start. It is better to spend a couple of hours every few weeks prepping freezer meals than trying to do too much, getting overwhelmed, and wasting time, food, and money on unused ingredients.

Make a meal plan of about four days of safe storage in the fridge and about four months of safe storage in the freezer. Watch for changes (smell, color, texture, and mold) to your meal prep food as a sign that it's gone bad. If you're unsure if food has spoiled: when in doubt, throw it out.

Simply prep your recipes, allow them to cool then place into freezer-safe food bags or Tupperware and voila! Having meals ready in the freezer means you will be less tempted by a takeaway, and can still enjoy a hearty, warm meal when you have no ingredients in to cook with, or simply can't be bothered with the effort!

While some frozen meals can be very cost-effective, others may be more expensive than cooking the same meal from scratch. If you're cooking a meal for multiple people, you may find it's cheaper to buy the ingredients separately than to purchase enough frozen meals for everyone.

On most days of the week, you'll want to rely on fresh meals — or tasty leftovers. “At the end of the day, I would limit frozen meals to no more than twice a week,” notes Taylor. But when you need the convenience of a frozen entrée, these tips can guide your choices.

Freezer meals are a great way to help you save money and eat a balanced diet, but there are some steps you should consider along the way to keep them safe. Photo: Shutterstock. Preparing meals ahead of time can make dinner preparation easier and provide a more cost-effective, healthier lunch option.

How long can you store chicken in your freezer? According to the USDA, frozen chicken will be "safe indefinitely" as long as you keep it continuously frozen (i.e., you're not unfreezing it and then re-freezing it because you didn't have a chance to cook or eat it).

Can You Freeze Anything for Meal Prep? The short answer is that pretty much any food can be frozen. The US Department of Agriculture explains that you can freeze almost any food, except eggs in their shell and canned products. However, you may not want to eat every food after it has been frozen.

What vegetables can you freeze for meal prep? ›

The best vegetables to consider are corn, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green beans, squash and winter greens such as spinach, kale, chard and collards. Onions, peppers, celery and herbs can also be frozen.

Freeze Foods Flat for Smart Storage

Here's the scoop: freeze them flat. Get yourself some sturdy zip-top freezer bags and fill them up. Press out as much air as you can, place the bags on a baking sheet or the floor of your freezer, and freeze.

To freeze your food quickly, expose as much surface area as possible to cold freezer air. Distribute foods you're trying to freeze (like meatballs) on sheet trays, then transfer them to freezer bags. Freeze soup in multiple freezer bags, not one large container.

You don't need to cook freezer meals before freezing! The meals in our database are prepared with fresh quality ingredients and are frozen raw. This saves you from having to cook meals twice, maintains better texture, and preserves nutrients.

Raw defrosted food may be frozen once more, only if it has been cooked after defrosting and before re-freezing. Never leave food to defrost in a warm place (defrosting in the fridge at 5C is the safest way to do it), cover loosely, and ensure it is thoroughly defrosted before cooking - cook food soon after defrosting.

According to senior food editor Rick Martinez and Robert Ramsey, chef instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education, you can refreeze and re-thaw food—but just because you can doesn't mean you should. At ICE, Ramsey and his colleagues have a blanket rule: "If something's been frozen once, that's it."

The more you freeze the food, the more the tissues break down, the flavor profile decreases and moisture escapes. For example, some vegetables, like green beans, will become mushy if it is thawed and frozen multiple times. They are still safe to eat, but the texture may not be as desirable.

While frozen meals are a convenient way to eat a balanced meal, it's easy to be led astray–they're also known for being packed with sodium, calories, and saturated fat, making moderation important.