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85 Easy Freezer Meals to Make Ahead on a Budget (Foods You Can Freeze and For How Long)
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85 Easy Freezer Meals to Make Ahead on a Budget (Foods You Can Freeze and For How Long)

Find out how to make ahead easy freezer meals for breakfast and dinner, especially on a budget, that will help you time and money.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 300 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Foods you can freeze:
  • banana peeled
  • Fruit berries, avocado, melon, mango, pineapple. etc
  • bread in slices, whole loaves, or breadcrumbs
  • butter
  • pasta partially cooked, cooked
  • rice partially cooked, cooked
  • egg cracked into small containers, not in the shell
  • flour you can use it directly from the freezer
  • cornstarch you can use it directly from the freezer
  • beans lentils, and chickpeas, cooked
  • cheese grated
  • herbs best frozen either in melted butter or oil to retain their flavor
  • meat both raw and cooked
  • nuts outside the freezer they can go rancid fairly quickly due to their oils
  • stock
  • wine

Instructions

Make sure to follow the steps below to easily freeze your meals properly:
    Cup of Yum
  1. COOLING: After making your meals, let them fully cool before freezing. For that, cool off your dish on the counter for 20-30 minutes, then place it in the fridge to cool completely.
  2. You can also cool off your dish by placing the container in a bowl of ice. That will allow your food to freeze more quickly, preserving flavor and nutrients.
  3. STORING INTO CONTAINERS/BAGS: Use either Ziplock bags (with the air squeezed out) or freezer-safe containers to keep your meal frozen for longer and preserve their nutritional value.
  4. LABELING: Label your homemade freezer meals as directed below before placing them in the freezer.
  5. THAWING: To thaw your freezer meals, do so in the fridge. It is recommended to allow 5 hours per pound of food.

Notes

  • FDA Safe Guidelines for Freezing Food (What to freeze and for how long):
  • FDA Safe Guidelines
  • for Freezing Food (What to freeze and for how long):
  • Raw poultry: (whole) 1 year, (parts), 9 months 
  • Raw white fish: 3-6 months
  • Fatty fish (raw): up to 3 months
  • Cooked meats: 2-3 months
  • Cooked meats:
  •  2-3 months
  • Poultry and seafood (cooked): 3-6 months
  • Poultry and seafood (cooked):
  •  3-6 months
  • Cooked beans, lentils, and chickpeas: up to 6 months
  • Cooked beans, lentils, and chickpeas: 
  • up to 6 months
  • Rice and pastas (cooked al dente): up to 1 month.
  • Rice and pastas (cooked al dente):
  •  up to 1 month.
  • Blanched vegetables: 12 months
  • Fresh fruits: 12 months
  • Eggs (out of the shell): 12 months
  • Unsalted butter: 8 months
  • Fruit juice: 6 months
  • Stocks: six months
  • Pastries: 4 months
  • Salted butter: 4 months
  • Ice cream: 4 months
  • Sliced bacon: 3 months
  • Soups and non-creamy sauces: 2-3 months
  • Bread dough: 3 months
  • Milk (for cooking only) – 3-6 months (after that, it may become yellow, absorb odors from the freezer, and taste different).
  • Nuts (shelled or unshelled) – up to 12 months
  • Wine: up to 6 months 
  •  
  • Foods that should NOT be frozen: 
  • Foods that should NOT be frozen: 
  • Foods that should NOT be frozen: 
  • Creamy sauces – they can become grainy and/or curdled.
  • Creamy sauces – they can become grainy and/or curdled.
  • Creamy sauces – they can become grainy and/or curdled.
  • Creamy sauces
  • – they can become grainy and/or curdled.
  • Deep-fried foods -- after defrosting, crispy coatings turn to mush.
  • Deep-fried foods -- after defrosting, crispy coatings turn to mush.
  • Deep-fried foods -- after defrosting, crispy coatings turn to mush.
  • Dishes with crumbs or bread toppings -- you’ll lose the crispness and it will go soggy. Add those toppings just before reheating to retain the crispness.
  • Dishes with crumbs or bread toppings -- you’ll lose the crispness and it will go soggy. Add those toppings just before reheating to retain the crispness.
  • Dishes with crumbs or bread toppings -- you’ll lose the crispness and it will go soggy. Add those toppings just before reheating to retain the crispness.
  • Milk – not if it is for drinking later on. However, it works fine for general cooking once re-heated.
  • Milk – not if it is for drinking later on. However, it works fine for general cooking once re-heated.
  • Milk – not if it is for drinking later on. However, it works fine for general cooking once re-heated.
  • Sour cream, cream cheese, coconut milk, and mayonnaise- Their original textures are ruined by freezing, which turns them lumpy, grainy, or curdled. It is best to prepare a dish, freeze it, and then add such ingredients and reheat once the dish is thawed.
  • Sour cream, cream cheese, coconut milk, and mayonnaise- Their original textures are ruined by freezing, which turns them lumpy, grainy, or curdled. It is best to prepare a dish, freeze it, and then add such ingredients and reheat once the dish is thawed.
  • Sour cream, cream cheese, coconut milk, and mayonnaise- Their original textures are ruined by freezing, which turns them lumpy, grainy, or curdled. It is best to prepare a dish, freeze it, and then add such ingredients and reheat once the dish is thawed.
  • Fully cooked pasta and rice – only freeze rice or pasta that has been partially cooked, otherwise, they will wind up overcooked once reheated.
  • Fully cooked pasta and rice – only freeze rice or pasta that has been partially cooked, otherwise, they will wind up overcooked once reheated.
  • Fully cooked pasta and rice – only freeze rice or pasta that has been partially cooked, otherwise, they will wind up overcooked once reheated.
  • Fully cooked pasta
  • and rice – only freeze rice or pasta that has been partially cooked, otherwise, they will wind up overcooked once reheated.
  • Cooked egg whites and hard-boiled eggs – never freeze these, otherwise, you will end up with a pure mess on your hands. Freezing changes their texture a lot.
  • Cooked egg whites and hard-boiled eggs – never freeze these, otherwise, you will end up with a pure mess on your hands. Freezing changes their texture a lot.
  • Cooked egg whites and hard-boiled eggs – never freeze these, otherwise, you will end up with a pure mess on your hands. Freezing changes their texture a lot.
  • Cooked egg whites and hard-boiled eggs
  • – never freeze these, otherwise, you will end up with a pure mess on your hands. Freezing changes their texture a lot.
  • Meringues, flans, and gelatins – freezing ruins their original textures.
  • Meringues, flans, and gelatins – freezing ruins their original textures.
  • Meringues, flans, and gelatins – freezing ruins their original textures.
  • Meringues, flans, and gelatins
  • Meringues, flans, and gelatins
  • – freezing ruins their original textures.
  • – freezing ruins their original textures.
  • Raw poultry: (whole) 1 year, (parts), 9 months 
  • Raw meats: 1) Roasts (4-12 months), 2) Steaks (6-12 months), 3) Ground beef (3-4 months)
  • Open packs of frozen fruit: 8 months
  • Raw white fish: 3-6 months
  • Fatty fish (raw): up to 3 months
  • Cooked meats: 2-3 months
  • Poultry and seafood (cooked): 3-6 months
  • Cooked beans, lentils, and chickpeas: up to 6 months
  • Rice and pastas (cooked al dente): up to 1 month.
  • Fruit in syrup: 12 months
  • Blanched vegetables: 12 months
  • Fresh fruits: 12 months
  • Eggs (out of the shell): 12 months
  • Unsalted butter: 8 months
  • Fruit juice: 6 months
  • Cakes: 2-6 months
  • Stocks: six months
  • Pastries: 4 months
  • Salted butter: 4 months
  • Ice cream: 4 months
  • Sliced bacon: 3 months
  • Soups and non-creamy sauces: 2-3 months
  • Bread dough: 3 months
  • Milk (for cooking only) – 3-6 months (after that, it may become yellow, absorb odors from the freezer, and taste different).
  • Nuts (shelled or unshelled) – up to 12 months
  • Wine: up to 6 months 
  • Creamy sauces – they can become grainy and/or curdled.
  • Deep-fried foods -- after defrosting, crispy coatings turn to mush.
  • Dishes with crumbs or bread toppings -- you’ll lose the crispness and it will go soggy. Add those toppings just before reheating to retain the crispness.
  • Milk – not if it is for drinking later on. However, it works fine for general cooking once re-heated.
  • Sour cream, cream cheese, coconut milk, and mayonnaise- Their original textures are ruined by freezing, which turns them lumpy, grainy, or curdled. It is best to prepare a dish, freeze it, and then add such ingredients and reheat once the dish is thawed.
  • Fully cooked pasta and rice – only freeze rice or pasta that has been partially cooked, otherwise, they will wind up overcooked once reheated.
  • Cooked egg whites and hard-boiled eggs – never freeze these, otherwise, you will end up with a pure mess on your hands. Freezing changes their texture a lot.
  • Meringues, flans, and gelatins – freezing ruins their original textures.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1portion Calories 300kcal (15%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4 people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 300

% Daily Value*

Serving 1portion
Calories 300kcal 15%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.