The Best Meal Prep Containers

The best meal prep containers for keeping food fresh (and organized), stashing leftovers, packing lunches, and taking on-the-go! They’re durable, affordable, and have options for various materials and price points!

Whether you love to meal prep or just make a lot of leftovers, make the most of your kitchen efforts by selecting the best containers for meal prepping and storage to keep it fresh for longer and fit your needs – be that stackability, leakproof for on-the-go, and more.

Being on a budget, we spent years storing leftovers in whatever we could find, including takeout containers and cheap plastic tubs we’d pick up here and there. The problem being:

• The quality was often less than stellar, and they’d warp and/or crack easily.
• Many cheap ‘clip-lock’ style containers warp and lose their airtight locking ability quickly. That leads to messy leaks and a reduced shelf-life for the food within.
• They weren’t all microwave and/or freezer-safe (which we found out the hard way).
• Knowing what we know now, we likely spent years using containers not designed for repeat food storage, with BPA and other unsafe toxins leeching into the food.
• Also, if you want to meal prep over several days, having multiple containers of the same shape and size is a good idea.

Having now tested dozens of different contains and brands over the years, we’ve pulled together a list of the best food containers (or our favorites, at least!), including the best glass containers for meal prep, freezer-to-microwave containers, oven-safe meal prep containers, and more. Plus, there’s a mix of materials and price points to fit your needs.

Plastic Vs. Glass Containers

Recently, we’ve been moving away from plastic entirely towards more durable, eco-friendly glass containers as and when our plastics require changing. However, there are several reasons you might want to use one over the other.

Pros and Cons of Glass Food Storage Containers

Pros

• Sturdy/ more durable – though that comes with a higher price point.
• Non-reactive, so they won’t stain or absorb odors (thus easy to clean, too).
• Free from toxins and BPA.
• They’re largely freezer, microwave, and oven-safe meal prep containers (but check the manufacturer’s instructions as some need to go in a cold vs. preheated oven).
• Glass is a sustainable, recyclable material, and an eco-friendly food storage option.

Cons

• Compared to plastic containers, glass is heavier, so not as great for on-the-go.
• It’s more costly than plastic containers (though also usually far more durable).
• Can shatter (though tempered glass will shatter into ‘cube’ pieces rather than sharp shards, so it’s easier to clean and less likely to cut you) – more brittle than plastic when dropped or subjected to extreme temperature changes.
• Take up more space – many aren’t nestable, and those that are should be stored with paper towel/s between each for easier removal and to avoid chipping when nesting.

Pros and Cons of Plastic Meal Prep Containers

Pros

• Budget-friendly – plastic containers are the cheapest option for those on a budget.
• Light and often nestable (which makes them great for on-the-go and minimal storage).
• Quite often microwave-safe and freezer-safe, but not oven-safe. Many also even freezer to microwave containers (no risk of breakage from heat changes).
• Often dishwasher safe (usually top shelf only) for easier cleaning.
• Won’t shatter, so in that way, their durability is slightly better than glass.

Cons

• Limited durability – they often crack, warp, and require replacing sooner than other materials (like glass or stainless steel).
• Plastics can leech harmful chemicals (like BPA and phthalates) into your food – especially if heated or in contact with acidic foods.
• Over time, they may also release plastic fragments into your food.
• Can stain and absorb odors – which means it is trickier to clean and has shorter longevity.
• You may prefer to avoid plastic for environmental reasons, to reduce plastic waste in landfills/oceans.

You can also buy durable stainless steel or bamboo food storage containers, though we don’t include any on the list below.

What We Look for in Good Meal Prep Containers

There are a few key things we focus on to do with its durability, design, performance, and capacity, including:

• Clear walls (so we can see the food within, to avoid wastage)
• Microwave and freezer-safe
• Airtight (meaning leakproof and the best shelf life)
• Toxin/ BPA-free
• Easy to clean (aka dishwasher-safe and/or with removable gasket pieces)
• Affordable yet durable (and those on the pricier side must be SUPER durable)
• Easy to store (stackable and/or nestable are bonuses for storage space)
• Durable (meaning they’ll remain airtight and usable for years and won’t break easily)

The Best Glass Meal Prep Containers for Everyday Use

This 10-piece (5 containers + lids) airtight glass meal prep container set from Pyrex is perfect for everyday use. Unlike plastic, this meal prep Tupperware is incredibly durable and won’t warp or cling to nasty odors/stains. They’re also microwave-safe, freezer-safe, and dishwasher-safe (yay!).

Having said that, the lids are lightweight plastic but BPA-free and contain 4 clips/tabs for airtight sealing that have been 100% leakproof all the time we’ve used them. We also love the built-in ‘write + erase’ labels on the lids, so you can easily note their contents/eat-by date.

We particularly like the 10-piece set for its range of shapes and sizes that work well for various leftovers, though isn’t ideal for bulk meal prep. There are several sets to choose from, though. Under the Pyrex brand, we’re confident any set will impress. We’ve even dropped these a few times (whoops) without a single chip. They’re truly the best glass Tupperware we’ve tried.

Because of their supreme durability, the lids will likely need replacing before the containers. Luckily, Pyrex sells lids separately – as does Snapware, which we list below.

The Best Airtight Food Storage Containers for Work/School Lunches

The 10-piece Snapware glass meal prep containers set is perfect for weekly bulk meal prepping and provides durable glass containers that are all the same size, stackable, nestable, and come in 4-piece, 10-piece, and 24-piece sets to fit your meal prep needs.

This 10-piece set is particularly perfect for lunches, though, with its 4-cup item volume – perfect for lunch at home or on the go. Though the swap from plastic to glass was originally a little odd because of the weight difference, we quickly got used to it.

Like the Pyrex set, these have non-toxic, BPA-free lightweight plastic lids with durable 4-tab closure and a built-in ‘write + erase’ feature for easy labeling. They’re also microwave, freezer, and dishwasher-safe (on the top tier).

Runner up: Glasslock is another brand we’ve had great luck with for durable, leakproof glass containers that don’t chip easily.

The Best Low-Budget Reusable Meal Prep Containers

When we first gave this Amazon Basics 20-piece food storage container set a try, we didn’t have much hope for their durability but have been pleasantly surprised. Like the above sets, these freezer and microwavable meal prep containers combine glass bases with surprisingly good quality snap-lock plastic lids.

The set comes with a mixture of 2 square, 5 rectangle, and three circle containers of various sizes between 1.3-7.8 cups, too, which is great for all your leftover food storage requirements.

They’re also (top rack) dishwasher safe beneath 450F degree temperatures. Just be careful not to subject them to extreme temperature changes, as that can cause breakage.

If you’d prefer a lightweight plastic storage set, we recommend checking out Snapware’s Total Solution 20-piece set with mixed size and shape containers between 1.2-8.5 cups. They aren’t as durable but are cheaper and lighter for lots of on-the-go storage.

The Best Food Containers for Sauces/Snacks

These Rubbermaid TakeAlong containers come in a pack of four and are a convenient 1-cup size to hold sauces, vegan yogurt, a small portion of soup, and snack portions of pre-cut fruit or veggies, like carrots or cucumber.

These are the only plastic containers on our list, but they’re 100% BPA-free, microwave, dishwasher (top rack), and freezer-safe. Plus, we’ve found the soft plastics, stackability, and durable airtight twist lids work perfectly for lightweight storage at home or on the go.

We haven’t had any issues with leaks, though this set isn’t AS durable as others on this page. So be careful not to pile them underneath heavy items when storing, which may cause breakages. However, they’re SUPER affordable and great for a tight budget.

Runner up: Another budget-friendly option we love for sauces/breakfasts (like chia pudding and overnight oats) are glass jars/ mason jars. Particularly collect wide-mouthed jars that are easy to eat from and clean.  

The Best Freezable Meal Prep Containers

Okay, we’ll start off by saying that, yes, silicone Stasher bags are a bit of an investment. BUT, they are the best meal prep bags (reusable!) to cut down on single-use plastics. They’ve more than paid for themselves in the years that we’ve owned them.

The durable yet flexible silicone material means they barely take up any space when empty, and they’re super heavy-duty. Along with being freezer-safe, we’ve boiled, microwaved, and dishwashed them repeatedly with no issues. You can even pop these freezer meal prep containers in the oven (up to 425F/220C).

At first, we were skeptical of the leakproof claims of their pinch-lock seal. BUT, we haven’t had a single incident through years of soup/sauce storage. Better yet, Stasher has container sizes and designs for basically every need. From 1-cup to 13-cup sizes in flat, solid base, and self-standing designs.

We’ve found the 4-pack bundle answers most of our day-to-day storage needs. It comes with a snack bag (12 Fl oz.), 2 sandwich bags (28 Fl oz.), and 1 half-gallon bag (64 Fl oz.).

Bonus: Multi-Compartment Meal Prep Containers

Food containers with dividers aren’t an option we often use – which is why we originally weren’t going to add them to this list of best meal prep storage containers. However, we know plenty of people find this type of food container incredibly useful for bulk meal prep.

The separate compartments allow you to portion parts of your food. However, their real benefit is separating elements to keep them fresh and reduce sogginess (e.g., separate granola from vegan yogurt or salad toppings from the leafy base). It’s important to consider the size and shape of the compartments that will work best for you, though. Otherwise, they risk lacking usage versatility, due to their rigid compartments.

Plastic: One of our favorite super low-budget two-compartment meal prep containers are by Bentgo, which come in a set of 10, containing 1 and 2 cup portions per box. Although plastic, they are fairly durable, BPA-free, stackable, nestable (which we love since we need so many for bulk meal prep). Plus, they’re both freezer and dishwasher-safe.

Glass: If you’d prefer glass multi-compartment food storage containers, PrepNaturals sells sets of 2 or 3-compartment containers in a pack of 5 (perfect for weekly meal prep). Made of borosilicate glass, they’re extremely durable, and can be used (minus the lids) in a microwave, oven, freezer, and dishwasher. Plus, they’re leakproof and stackable.