Meal Prep Containers (That Aren’t Plastic)
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Updated Jul 07, 2023
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Meal prep containers should be durable and reusable, versatile for both cold storage and heat and non-toxic. That means no plastic. So my favorite meal prep containers are all made from glass and silicone. These are exact meal prep containers I personally use for meal prep every week.
Meal Prep Containers That Last
To say that my recent Meal Prep Ideas video was popular would be an understatement. I received hundreds and hundreds of comments within hours of posting that video. It was craziness. And the number one comment? “Please do more!”
So needless to say, I will be doing more meal prep recipes future, but today I wanted to share with you some of my favorite meal prep containers.
If you plan on doing weekly meal prep it would be wise to invest in some good containers for all your food storage needs. So what makes a good container? Well, I think three things: 1) it’s durable and reusable 2) it can be used in both cold storage and warmed up, and 3) it’s non-toxic.
That last one is a biggie for me. I’ve mentioned this before on my Pantry Organization video, but I’ve been moving away from plastic as much as possible, wherever possible.
When you’re storing food and more importantly, when you’re reheating food, it’s even more important to stay away from plastic as plastic can leech harmful chemicals into your food. And no one wants a side of bisphenol-A, B or whatever letter is next, along with their roasted veggies. Am I right?
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So today I’m sharing my four favorite meal prep containers (and really, general food storage containers) that aren’t plastic. Instead, these options are all either glass or silicone. Let’s dive in.
The Best Meal Prep Containers
#1 Weck Jars
Weck Jars come in a variety of sizes and shapes and I use them for everything from storing homemade cashew milk to storing homemade nutella.
All Weck Jars are glass and come with a glass top and a silicone gasket and metal clips. Now, I love them because they’re 100% airtight, but if you’re storing dry goods and want an easy to remove lid, then I’d recommend getting these acacia wood lids that are absolutely beautiful.
#2 Le Parfait Jars
Similar to Weck Jars are these Le Parfait Jars, which are also glass and air-tight. You can get them with an attached lid, which means you’ll never lose the lid or you can get screw top lids on many of the jars as well.
Both Weck Jars and Le Parfait Jars are great if you plan to do any type of canning or preserving and you’ve seen me use Le Parfait Jars for serving up my chia seed pudding and storing my homemade almond butter.
#3 Glasslock Containers
When it comes to your more typical meal prep container and storing larger food items, I always use my Glasslock Containers. You saw me use these on my recent meal prep video and I use them for storing pretty much anything and everything – from sliced chicken, to roasted vegetables and hard boiled eggs.
I particularly love the Glasslock brand as the tempered glass is extremely durable and can be used in the fridge, freezer, microwave and oven. They’re also dishwasher safe.
The lids that come with the Glasslock Containers are BPA-free and they latch easily and securely. You’ll hear the lid click when you place it on the container and that lets you know that whatever you have in your container is now air-tight and leak-proof.
I also love these containers because they come in a variety of sizes and shapes and I have sets of both the round and rectangular ones. But most importantly, these containers nest inside each other, which means they take up less space in your cabinets when you’re not using them.
#4 Stasher Bags
Last on our list is a food storage container that isn’t glass, which is these Stasher Bags. Stasher Bags may look similar to a plastic ziploc bag, but there’s no plastic involved.
Instead, they’re made from food grade silicone and are 100% reusable, which also makes them better for the environment.
Stasher Bags are great for meal prep because they can usually fit in those nook and cranny spaces in your fridge and freezer. And I’ll frequently use them for meal prepping smoothie ingredients for the week. So all I do is place some fruit and veggies in the bag and pop it in the freezer. Then, in the morning when I want a quick smoothie before work, it’s as easy as emptying the bag into my Vitamix and blending away.
Now, as you might imagine, Stasher Bags are also great for travel and I’ll use them to take my homemade granola bars or lemon ginger bliss balls (recipe found in my healthy travel e-book Roaming Free) when I’m on the go. They’re TSA-compliant because you can see what’s inside and they’re lightweight, which makes them easy to pack in your carry on luggage.
So those are my four favorite (and non-toxic) meal prep containers and what I use on a regular basis. For more meal prep inspiration, make sure to subscribe to my website and YouTube channel as I’ll have more healthy meal prep recipes and videos coming your way soon!
Have you ever tried using stasher bags for sous vide (heating / warming up foods in hot water)? It says they are compatible for sous vide on Amazon, and I just wanted to see how well they work for that.
We are trying to transition to a microwave-free and plastic-free home, and are currently using stainless steel containers with silicone sealing rings to heat our food in the oven, which takes about thirty minutes and more propane than we were using before. We thought a more energy-efficient way to heat might be sous-vide (ie we heat the hot water to boiling and then we can turn off the stovetop and let the hot water warm the food). We are looking for a plastic-free way to do this and this seems like it could be a solution…
Hi Geneva – I have tried that with the Stasher bags. But if you do, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Where do you buy the bags you suggested?
Hi Evelyn – You can find those Stasher bags linked in the post or in my Shop page!
Love the stasher bags ideas!!
Hi Irene – They’re great for reusable bags!!
How about old-fashioned canning jars? They come in a variety of sizes and are glass
Yes, those are great too!