I’ve had several requests lately for freezer-friendly meal ideas. It must be that time of year! With our little bambino on the way in a couple months, I’ve been making a list of meals I’m going to try to make in advance to stash away in the freezer. It will be a miracle if I can even get through a third of this list below (considering I have no working oven until late August…minor detail, hah), but I included plenty of options so you have some variety to choose from! The recipes at the top of my “must-make” list are: My Favourite Vegan Chili; Spiced Red Lentil, Tomato, and Kale Soup; Pumpkin Gingerbread Snack Bars; Summer Harvest Tortilla Soup (from OSG cookbook); Crowd-Pleasing Tex Mex Casserole (OSG cookbook); Feel Good Hearty Granola Bars; veggie burgers/balls; Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ‘Larabars’; and my Indian-Lentil Cauliflower Soup (also from OSG cookbook). That should be a good start!
First a few Q + A’s…
What to freeze in? I switched to glass, BPA-free freezer + oven-safe containers last year, so I always use those for freezing (I use these Pyrex containers). The added bonus is that you can bake thawed casseroles/enchiladas right in the very dish! Yay, for less dishes. I also use Glasslock containers, but those are not oven-safe, fyi. Lastly, I use freezer-safe zip bags for foods like granola bars, granola, and cookies. I always rinse and reuse the bags when I’m done with them to cut down on waste and save money (those things are expensive). Mason jars (for canning/freezing) also work well. Tip: We also use freezer bags for freezing bananas for smoothies. At any given moment you can find about 2 bags stuffed with peeled bananas in the freezer!
How to freeze? As for the method I use to freeze things, it’s pretty basic. I’m a big fan of what I call the wrap + seal technique (totally just made that up), meaning that I wrap the cooled food first (usually in tin foil or other freezer-safe bag) and then place the wrapped food in the glass container and lock/seal the lid. I like that it has two layers of protection from freezer burn. This method works great for single-serving foods like veggie burgers/balls, burritos, or snack bars. If it’s a liquid-based dish like soup, pesto, sauce, casserole, or chili, I will pour it into the dish and then sometimes put a layer of wrap on top of it. Press the foil/wrap down to prevent freezer burn from forming and then secure the lid as usual. It helps to leave an inch of so of space at the top to allow for any expansion. For those who don’t want to use foil or wrap, you can try wrapping with parchment paper and securing with baking twine or something similar.
How long to freeze for? Ah, the million dollar question! I find this depends on the type of food and your freezer. I’m pretty sensitive to the dreaded freezer-burn taste, so I try not to freeze things for longer than a month or two in my regular (fridge) freezer. It’s really just trial and error though. You can get more mileage out of certain dishes and less with others.
For the recipes that don’t make a very large serving, I like to double or triple the recipe whenever possible. I haven’t tried freezing every single one of the recipes below, but I’ve tried a lot of them. Generally speaking, these categories tend to freeze quite well.
I encourage you to share your freezing methods in the comments! I’m certainly not a freezing pro and welcome all your tips. Update – there are now a ton of great freezing tips in the comment section! Be sure to check them out.
Veggie Burgers + Balls
When it comes to veggie burgers and bean balls, I now prefer to cook them first, cool completely, and then use the wrap + seal freezing technique I mentioned above (wrap individually in tin foil and then place them all in a glass container). When ready to eat, thaw on the countertop or in the fridge and reheat on the skillet with some oil or in the oven on a baking sheet. I find cooking the burgers/balls first and then freezing helps the patties stay together better.
Thai Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers
Soup + Chili
Liquids like soup and chili are freezer-friendly superstars! Most will do just fine. After cooking the soup, let it cool completely, and then place in a freezer-friendly glass container leaving a bit of space at the top for any expansion that might occur. Sometimes I add a layer of tin foil on top of the soup to prevent freezer burn.
Luxurious 7-Vegetable and ‘Cheese’ Soup
Spiced Red Lentil, Tomato, and Kale Soup
Black Bean, Sweet Potato, and Red Quinoa Soup
Pasta Sauce + Pesto
Sauces and pesto’s tend to freeze nicely too. I only freeze the sauce and rarely ever freeze the sauce mixed into cooked pasta or other noodle (it tends to get soggy for many dishes). I use the same freezing method as written above for soup/chili. You can even freeze sauces/pesto’s in smaller portions (for “two” is a popular one around here!), so you don’t need to thaw the entire batch for just one meal. Try freezing pesto in silicone muffin trays for easy removal. Once they are frozen, you can pop them into a reusable freezer-safe zip bags to save freezer space.
I haven’t tried freezing these two below yet, but if you have please leave a comment!
Cauli-power Fettuccine Alfredo Sauce
Enchiladas + Burritos + Casserole
I freeze the Tex Mex Casserole in an extra large oven/freezer-safe glass dish with a layer of tin foil pressed tightly on top of the casserole to prevent freezer burn. Tips: For this specific casserole, I skipped the 15-20 minute oven cooking because I knew I would be cooking it after thawing. I let the skillet mixture cool before adding it into the container. I also waited to add the corn chip garnish until just before baking so they didn’t get soggy. When you are ready to eat it, thaw it completely (this takes well over 24 hours in the fridge – FYI), remove the tin foil, sprinkle on the corn chips, and pop it in the oven at 350F for about 30 minutes. Easy! Serve it with sliced avocado, cashew sour cream, sliced green onion, salsa, etc. As for enchiladas, people have told me they had success freezing the entire lot all at once, thawing, and baking as instructed. I would wait to make + add the cilantro avocado sauce until just before serving since it’s avocado based. For burritos, you can wrap them up individually in tin foil or freezer bags and freeze for quick grab and go meals.
Crowd-Pleasing Tex Mex Casserole (from The Oh She Glows Cookbook, page 149)
Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas (for an updated version with a 5-minute homemade enchilada sauce (this freezes well too!), see pages 147 and 300 in the OSG cookbook)
Black Bean and Butternut Squash Burritos
Snacks/Breakfast
For cookies, I bake them as directed, cool completely, and then freeze in freezer-safe zip bags. Some people also have success freezing the portioned cookie dough on a baking sheet and then popping the frozen dough balls into freezer baggies. Then you can thaw on the counter and bake as usual. I’ve also included a link to my recent granola bar recipe – I tested freezing these and they lasted for over a month in the freezer which I was very happy about! They make a great snack and I love that I can thaw one bar at a time as I need them. Lastly, granola always freezes well. My favourite granola is on page 31 of my cookbook.
Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ‘Larabars’
Ultimate Nutty granola Clusters (from The Oh She Glows Cookbook, page 31)
Blissful Blueberry Banana Spelt Muffins
Heavenly Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
Pumpkin Gingerbread Snack Bars
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This list is by no means inclusive of all the freezer-friendly recipes on the blog over the past 6 years. If I’ve forgotten any good blog recipes that you’ve had freezing success with, be sure to let us know in the comments! The more the merrier.
Happy freezing!
I LOVE freezer meals! I try to spend one day a month making up a lot of food I can freeze for a while when I’m tight on grocery $$ one week or just don’t have time to cook. Soups & burritos are my two favorite freezer foods!
I love freezing soups too but never thought to freeze burritos? And I totally agree, freezer food is awesome when the budget gets a little tight one week or I’m just exhausted from being up all night with a sick kid or whatever =) This is such a timely post because I think so many of us our thinking about freezing right now….or maybe it’s just that August is here and that means fall will come soon. Oh well, fall provides lots of vegan recipes =)
I learned to have strategy around how I stored and used items. Now, I am better at using things within a shorter time. Freezing helps singles live a more balanced diet.
This is so helpful Angela. I freeze a lot of food, but if i do not use it soon enough I definitely find a lot of freezer burn, I like the idea of double sealing it in. I will use these tips, and SO many wonderful recipes. Right now when I am trying to fuel running 75 miles a week, I need all the nutrition I can get, and meatless meals are a must have to do this. Thanks for sharing!
I agree about the freezing foods. It gets freezer burn when it is froze for long time!
This is SO helpful Angela, thank you! I have to freeze a lot of my food, and it often ends up with freezer burn if I do not have it soon enough. I like the idea of using a tight seal and then using a freezer bag, think I will give that a try, especially right now as I try to stock up on fruits for the year!
As for the recipes, so many wonderful ideas, I do not know where to start. When I am trying to fuel my body through running 75 miles a week, I need all the nutrition I can get, and these are the perfect resources! Thank you!
I used to have the freezer burn problem. I have learned to be sure there is less air space, this helps prevent freezer burn. The other thing I have learned is to ‘file’ things in my freezer and discipline myself to choose items from the ‘oldest’ to the most recent…and i also do a one week every 6 weeks when I just don’t buy any new food, and use that week to use up reserves of food that needs to be used. It saves me money because I am not wasting as much.
Great tip!!!!
What a great guide! Thanks so much for putting this together!
THank you!! I really struggled with food for me after my first baby. My husband really can’t cook. Most friends and family think vegetarian means loaded with cheese ( I don’t do dairy). My parents were good at bringing soups by once a week but I needed more… This go around I’m going to use your guide and freeze a ton of these recipes. I will eat well. :) I’m very excited to have this list.
Thanks Amber, I hope it’s helpful for you! I will try to add more recipes as I think of them too (and I’m sure others will suggest more in the comments).
Angela,
I haven’t actually frozen any cooked meals, ever. We have a lot of frozen bananas and stock in our freezer, but this post is encouraging me to try more stuff. Will give freezing your burgers a try this weekend. Thanks!
Thanks for the list, and the reminder that I need to get on this ASAP as well! My timeline is a little less tight at the moment as I’m not due until Christmas-time, but this should at least kick-start the planning phase. We’re also doing renos to our current house which we’re selling this fall, but we’ll be moving in August… unfortunately, I haven’t had the luxury of freezing meals lately since we’re trying to EMPTY our freezers! Probably for the best though since I’m finding some skeeeeeeeetchy looking items way in the back that are likely no longer safe to eat :P Hopefully you get through most of your list! If not, send of the recipes to nice friends and family for them to cook for you? haha
haha…oh yea, I always find those sketchy items in the back of the freezer (and fridge) when we move. Scary!
Yes, I might have to put my mom on food duty when she’s here visiting after the baby arrives. ;)
Thanks so much for doing this round up of freezer meals. I’m a big fan of freezing meals since it frees up so much of my time in the evenings and makes it more likely that we’re eating healthy (I initially wrote “I’m a big freezer” lol).
Also I’m so excited because my boyfriend bought me your book yesterday! He went to 3 stores before finding it because it was sold out everywhere! It looks so amazing and I can’t wait to try out the recipes.
What a thoughtful boyfriend you have :) So glad he finally found it!
I know, so sweet! I tried the ‘ultimate nutty granola clusters’ and ‘peanut butter cookie dough bites’ (with almond butter) already, and they turned out great. I posted pictures of the granola today and I ate every single one of those cookie dough balls already haha.
You can also “flash freeze” items. I do this with burgers, meatballs, cabbage rolls and fruit a fair bit. Make your recipe and cook bake ahead of time as needed. Place individual items on parchment lined baking sheet and freeze. Once frozen, you can wrap them individually or just put everything into a group. It makes it easy to take 1 or 2 items out at a time.
Thanks for this tip!
Hi Angela,
LOOOOVVVVEEE your recipes. I think I have “sold” about a dozen people your cook book :)
I have frozen both the cauliflower and butternut squash sauces in large Mason jars. Wokrs beautifully! It would take at least overnight to thaw in fridge; I was impatient so thawed a bit on counter top (until thawed enough for the sauce to slide out of jar),then transferred to saucepan and defrosted the rest of the way covered, on low heat, stirring and breaking up mixture.
So delish.
ilona
I was hoping someone would leave a comment about these sauces! Thanks for letting us know. Now I can freeze them with confidence. :)
I, too, have frozen the cauliflower sauce! It’s actually the only way I have ever eaten it…I don’t think I have every actually eaten it right after it was made.
I have tried to get away from plastic containers and switched to glass containers…but do have a few plastic ones left. I have frozen the sauce in both plastic and glass. I have to admit, I am not paitent enough to let the sauce thaw in the fridge or in the counter…I usually just put it in a sauce pan and let it reheat, it works GREAT!
Great tips!! Thank you :)
Hi Angela! I’ve been having trouble freezing things in mason jars…they always crack! I’m wondering how you guys are having success with this. Maybe I’m not letting things cool enough before freezing, or maybe I’m filling them too much and the expansion makes the glass break in the freezer? Any tips?
Hi Miranda, sorry to hear you’ve been having troubles! I think both of the things you mentioned could be factors, but my guess is the major one is the space for expansion. I always try to leave about an inch of space at the top of whatever I’m freezing; that’s usually enough room to prevent a cracked jar. Hope this helps, and that you have better luck next time!
Hi Miranda
Mason jars come in freezer varieties as well.
They’re a squared off cylinder rather than a round cylinder.
Stacy
I have mixed your cauliflower sauce and cashew cream together ( to make “ricotta” for lasagna) and froze the finished meal. Both the noodles and cheeze had a great texture when reheated from frozen. When I thawed it first the gf noodles disintegrated into mush. Cheeze held up though.
I’m loving the snack recipes. Definitely going to work them in for the school year. Thanks!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! These are wonderful!
Thank you for this list! I’m just now thinking about making/freezing meals for when our second baby comes in early fall and this is so helpful!
Sometimes I worry when you freeze meals they can get freezer burn, but with theses tips that seems next to impossible! :)
Thank you Angela – I am probably at 90% vegan now and this article is perfect for me – like a birthday gift – as the rest of my family are not vegan. I love your cook book and your website and really enjoy your baby tab:) Thank You very Much!
I’ve made most of these recipes but haven’t put them in the freezer. Thanks for the freezing tips. No matter what method I have used, I have not been successul. I have had sauces burst open in freezer bags, mason jars explode, and tipperware warp and thus freezer burn sets in. I have the same pyrex containers and haven’t thought to try those. Am I the only one who is unlucky in freezing? Ha ha. P.S. I have shared your website, recipes, and cookbook with just about everyone I know! It’s like a “glow” party when we all start talking about your cookbook. :)
haha I definitely don’t think you are alone! I’ve had some bad attempts in the past too. Maybe you just have a super human strength freezer? ;)
Thanks for your kind words about my cookbook…I’m so happy to hear that you like it enough to share with others!
Hi Andrea
Cracked a couple of mason jars myself… sounds like you are overfilling your containers.
Food expands when freezing so always leave about 1 inch/2.5 cm of space for it. Hope this helps….
Super human freezer – ha ha ha. Thanks for the tip. I’ll try freezing in mason jars again, this time leaving the space you mentioned. Thanks!
Hope it works out better for you!
Hi Andrea,
Just read your comment about freezing and exploding. I have been freezing for years and know that when I had exploding food it was usually because I had filled the containers too full. Try filling only 1/2 or 3/4 full and see what happen. Hope it all works out for you:)
I saw a few people gave you tips about leaving head room in mason jars which is important. Another trick I use is to not screw the lid tight until the food is frozen, then I go through and tighten everything. With freezer bags make sure to buy heavy duty and I find it is better not to leave air space in them. Zip them most of the way closed, stick a straw in the end and suck out the extra air. Similar effect to a vaccum seal. Lay flat in a single layer until frozen and the stack on each other or stand upright. Also, make sure to cool off your soup or stock really well before filling the bags. Heat will weaken the seals of the bags and cause more risk of breakage. Hope that helps!!
Andrea, you may be freezing when the food is too warm. I cool to room temp, then chill in fridge, then transfer to freezer. This keeps temp fluctuations to a minimum and risk of unpredictable expansion is minor. Hot × freezing = disaster. Freezing is all about the water content. Hot water/moisture in food will contract as it cools, then expand on freezing. As it cools, if the inside temp is warmer, the food will freeze inconsistently and expand unpredictably, causing bursting.
Also, food freezes more consistently in smaller or flatter containers. This also relates to volume expansion and moisture. Jen below has good suggestions. Cooling before freezing is essential with large quantities.
When freezing in a glass jar, make sure your food is not hot (the glass needs time to cool down before going into freezing cold temps) leave space for expansion:)
This is an awesome idea! I need more of these on hand so I’m not tempted to eat ice cream for dinner!
Thank you for saying that! Who can say they’ve never been tempted??? (The only question is, how many times have we given in … :-) )
Angela, as always, you know exactly what your readers are looking for. I’m heading back to full-time teaching in the fall, with a toddler now!, and I know I have to make my dinners ahead … because eating ice cream for dinner was fine when it was only me (at least that’s what I told myself!) but is definitely not OK for my baby!! :-) THANK YOU!
Last year before the school year I did a bunch of batch cooking and freezing. I found it very fun and learned lots! I regularly freeze your red lentil and squash curry stew with great success! I have also froze the “Not your average potato soup”, and the mushroom millet soup. I have also assembled multiple batches of your jerk chickpeas recipe in ziploc bags, all ready to be thawed and baked. It is really easy to make 4 batches at once so all the prep work is done! Another thing I did was cook up large batches of beans and froze them in 1 cup portions. It was easy to thaw for a quick protein to add to salads in a pinch. I agree, most soups and stews freeze really well. The only thing I don’t like is larger chunks of sweet potato, they tend to fall apart and can taste watery if the stew isn’t thick enough. Not sure if I am accurately describing what happens but the point is that sweet potato doesn’t freeze well for me, lol. I get around this by making the stew extra thick, or chopping the sweet potato smaller so they eventually become part of the stew’s liquid rather than a chunk of veggie.
Good luck with all your batch cooking before the baby arrives! :D
Great tips, thanks for sharing!
You definitely read my mind! I also just started putting together my list of dishes to make and freeze pre-baby. I have a feeling they will seriously come in handy!
Thanks this is great. I am in the habit of continually freezing one or two servings of most things I make immediately and then eating them a week or two later for lunch. Keeps me from throwing away leftovers and it makes brown-bagging easy and fast in the morning.