The Best Freezer Containers to Keep Food Fresh
Updated: Feb. 01, 2024
The best freezer containers make meal prep easier and preserve leftovers for longer.
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Are you trying hard to do more meal prep? Want to give your wallet a night off from takeout? Having a freezer stocked full of food and recipe ingredients is key to success as an at-home cook. But you can’t just put those meatballs from your Sunday sauce in just any food storage container.
The best freezer containers are made from plastic or glass that’s sturdy enough to withstand the frosty temperature without imparting any weird odors or flavors on your leftovers. We rounded up some of the best options on the market to keep your meals fresh and your freezer organized.
What to Look for When Buying Freezer Containers
As with all kitchen storage solutions, you’ll want to ensure the freezer containers you buy actually meet your needs. While some freezer storage options offer a good variety of container sizes, you might need more containers for soup and less for, say, lasagna. And unless you’re looking to fill a walk-in freezer with leftovers from Sunday dinner, chances are you’ll want to get containers that you can fit well and organize neatly in your fridge—unless you like playing Tetris with your leftovers.
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Best Freezer Container with Flexible Storage
Annaklin Collapsible Food Storage Containers with Airtight Lid
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Best Overall Freezer Container
Rubbermaid Food Storage Containers
The Rubbermaid brand has long been synonymous with food storage, and this 16-piece container set continues the legacy. These clear containers come in two different sizes—three cups and five cups—but the red lids are the same size for both, so you never have to ransack your kitchen cabinets for the right-sized top.
Fill these best freezer containers up with leftovers, snap on the lids and organize them in stacks in your freezer. Ready to dig in? You can heat up leftovers right in these containers, thanks to built-in vents that prevent splatters. Pop them in the top rack of the dishwasher for easy cleanup. When they’re not in use, you can nest them inside each other and keep your cabinets neat and organized, too.
Pros
- Ample storage containers with built-in vents
- Every container uses the same-size lid
- Top-rack dishwasher- and microwave-safe
Cons
- Lids are stiff, according to some reviewers
- You might need larger containers
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Best Glass Freezer Containers
Pyrex Simply Store Glass Food Storage Container Set
This 24-piece Pyrex food storage set offers a plethora of sizes and shapes for your freezer storage needs. They’re made from tempered glass to resist stains and odors, and they stack easily to keep your freezer organized. You can use them in the microwave, plus they’re dishwasher-safe. One set contains 12 different containers with lids, so you might be able to solve all your food storage needs with this one set.
Pros
- Tempered glass is stain- and odor-resistant
- Variety of sizes
- Stack easily for storage
Cons
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Much heavier than plastic
Best Freezer Container for Soups and Stews
Tafura Twist Top Soup Storage ContainersÂ
The best freezer containers come in all shapes and sizes, but these Tafura Twist Top soup storage containers are perfect for freezing soups, stews and other liquids. Paying attention to portions? There’s convenient measurements marked along the side so you don’t need to pull out other measuring cups. These leak-proof containers hold up to a quart of liquid under air-tight lids, so they’re great for eating on-the-go. By the way, do you know how to clean a freezer?
Pros
- Tall and narrow for freezing soups, stews and other liquids
- Leakproof
- Feature measuring marks on the sides for portion control
Cons
- Not as good for storing non-liquid foods
- You might prefer snap-on lids
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Best Freezer Container with Flexible Storage
Annaklin Collapsible Food Storage Containers with Airtight Lid
Some freezer containers are too big. Some are too small. But these collapsible food storage containers that allow you to adjust them to fit the amount of food you wish to store are just right. They’ve got tops that buckle securely on, plus air vents that make microwaving in them a breeze. Whether you expand them to full capacity or push them down for a slimmer profile, these best freezer containers stack neatly without taking up too much shelf space.
Pros
- Flexible capacity to store different amounts of food
- Tops buckle securely
- Air vent valve makes reheating in microwave easier
Cons
- Must remember to push lid down on sides, not top, to avoid collapsing
- You might prefer/need different sizes
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Best Budget-Friendly Freezer Container
Twist and Store Round Food Storage Container
If you’re sticking to a budget, chances are you’d prefer to spend your money on food, not pricey storage containers. Enter these Twist and Store 16-oz containers. These BPA-free plastic containers are not only freezer-safe, but they’re fine to pop in the microwave and top rack of the dishwasher, too. Each holds up to two cups of food in a leak-resistant container, so no worries about spills when you fill or defrost them.
If you’re on a budget, consider investing in food-preserving gadgets, like a vacuum sealer, produce keepers or Bluapple produce balls. These items will keep your groceries fresher for longer.
Pros
- Less than $1 per container
- Won’t leak
- Microwave- and dishwasher-safe
Cons
- Small
- You might prefer snap-top lids
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Best Meal Prep Freezer Container
GoodCook Meal Prep Bowl
The GoodCook meal prep bowl set might not be the fanciest-looking containers on our list, but what they lack in aesthetics, they make up for in utility. Each container holds four cups of food, while the cups hold up to one ounce of liquids, like salad dressing. The lids snap on tightly, so you can take these food containers on the go without worrying about leaks or spills.
At a little more than $1 per container, these are perfect to buy in bulk so you can meal plan to your heart’s content. When you’re in between batch cooking sessions, they stack neatly and compactly, so you won’t have to worry about taking over your cabinets with food storage containers.
Pros
- Plenty of room for meals, with separate containers for condiments
- Great value
- Also microwave- and dishwasher-safe
Cons
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You might prefer different sizes/shapes
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Best Freezer Bags
Tangibay Leakproof Freezer Safe Bag
Ever wish you could store food like books on a shelf? You can with these Tangibay leakproof freezer-safe bags. These reusable bags can seal and reseal with a double-zipper top that ensures your food won’t leak—even soup stays put! After you’ve emptied these best freezer bags, clean them out with some soap and water, then leave them out to air dry. Just one of these bags is enough to save around 380 disposable bags, so you’ll reduce waste by using this sustainable storage.
Pros
- Easy to zip/unzip
- No worries about losing lids
- Great for frozen marinated meats
- Can be stored upright or flat
Cons
- You might prefer containers that stack
- Can be harder to wash/dry
How We Chose the Best Freezer Containers
As shopping experts, our only job is to help you find a winning product. We start with the research and reporting basics—what products are made of, what they look like and how much they cost—to ensure that we’re only recommending the buys that are worth your time and money. Then, we research the features that speak to the product’s quality, taking advice from industry insiders and subject matter experts on what makes a product a smart value (or worthy of a splurge). Finally, we do the work of combing through user reviews to see how real people interact with the product, and if it stands up to the test.
FAQ
Can you freeze glass or plastic containers?
You can freeze glass or sturdy plastic containers if they are marked as freezer-friendly. The manufacturer will indicate it on the packaging, or you can look for the snowflake symbol on the bottom of the container that proves it’s ready to spend some quality time in your freezer.
As with all cooking containers, be sure that you don’t take things from one extreme temperature to another to keep the glass or plastic from cracking.
How do you label freezer containers?
You should label freezer containers with the date you store them so that you can track how long you’ve put those leftovers in storage. Don’t rely on memory for the date or what you’re storing: Write the food down on the label as well so that you can tell which frozen blog is stew and which one is bolognese sauce.
You can use a wet-erase marker—a dry one can easily smudge off—to write on containers directly. Alternately, you can write on a piece of painter’s tape or a freezer-friendly label that you stick to a container. Either way, find a system that works for you to avoid digging through your freezer to find that stock you made a few weeks ago.
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Originally Published: January 25, 2023
