Meal prep containers are often used to prepare a week’s worth of meals in advance. These handy containers mean you can have your food on the go and may keep your food fresh for longer.
Not all food prep containers are the same, so it’s important to choose the right containers for your needs. This article will give you more information on the best meal prep containers available.
New to meal prepping? Check out our beginners guide.
Quick Overview: The Best Meal Prep Containers
Advantages of Using Meal Prep Containers
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By prepping meals in advance, you save yourself time during the week to spend with family.
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You can save money by taking lunch to work each day rather than eating out.
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When you’ve prepared meals in advance, you avoid the temptation of buying unhealthy alternatives, making it easier to stick to your diet plan.
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By following healthy recipes, you’ll learn about portion control and healthy eating habits.
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It makes grocery shopping a breeze because you know exactly what you’ll be preparing and eating all week.
How to Choose The Best Meal Prep Containers
First, think about what you’ll be using your meal prep tupperware for. Do you want to take your lunch with you to work every day? Do you want to prepare evening meals for your family? Do you want to portion control for your new diet?
Think about why you need meal prep containers before you go any further. Once you have your reason in mind, the following information and reviews will help you decide which containers best suits your needs!
Factors to Consider
When choosing the best meal prep lunch boxes, it’s important to keep in mind some key aspects:
Material
Meal prep containers are usually plastic or glass. Plastic containers are light weight and can be more affordable. These are great if you do a lot of meal prep since they’re cheaper to buy in bulk. However, they can more easily crack and warp, meaning the lid may not fit well over time.
Glass meal prep containers can be heavier and bulkier, but they may last longer and stain less easily. However, these might not be the best option to use with small children due to the danger of the glass smashing.
Size
There are different sizes of meal prep containers and you need to find the best one for your needs. Some are designed specifically for portion control, meaning they may be smaller than your usual meal portions. Other sets come with multiple size lunch boxes to store a variety of meals and snacks.
Seal
A great attribute of meal prep containers are airtight seals. These keep food fresh for longer and prevent leaking. However, not all containers have this feature, so it might be a good idea to look out for the plastic seal in the lid if you make a lot of soups or liquid-based foods.
BPA
BPA stands for bisphenol A and was used years ago to make certain plastics. Human exposure to BPA is a concern because of potential adverse health effects. Although the effects of BPA are still widely unknown and need further investigation, make sure plastic containers are BPA free to avoid the possible harmful chemicals.
Dispelling the Myth of Meal Prep
Many people believe that meal prepping is hard work. There is a misconception that meal prepping takes a lot of time and effort and it’s easier to make meals separately each day. However, it’s simple and quick to prep meals if you know how to do it effectively.
You can easily prep a week’s worth of meals on a Sunday to take away the stress of cooking through the week. Or prepare family meals in advance to save yourself that valuable time to spend with your kids in the evenings.
The video below gives you a great example of how to prep meals using your new containers quickly and effortlessly.
If you’ve decided that meal prep containers are the right tool for you and you’re ready to go ahead and purchase some new containers for yourself, below we’ve given you an in-depth review of several different types of containers available. This will help you decide which containers best suit your needs.
Meal Prep Container Reviews
Emerald Living
This container has a single compartment designed to help with portion control. This might be a good choice for those looking to lose weight through dieting. However, these containers hold 38 fl oz. This is slightly larger than average portion control containers, so you may need to double check your portion sizes.
This is a large set of ten containers, so you can effortlessly prep a week’s worth of meals in advance. With a 4-tab lid design, it’s easy to open while still being secure. The flat, compact lid saves space when storing and stacks easily. This is a great feature if you don’t have a lot of cupboard space. This meal prep lunch box is dishwasher and microwave safe as well as BPA free.
This set of containers also comes with a free meal prep eBook worth $13. If you’re new to meal prep, this may be a good option to help you get started and give you ideas for meal options.
One issue with these containers is they are not 100% leak free, so there is a possibility of liquids leaking out. This could make transporting meals with a sauce or thin consistency difficult. If you’re planning on prepping soups and sauces, these may not be the best option for you.
Overall, this is recommended for beginners who want to test out meal prepping for themselves. The pack of ten comes at a reasonable price and the design makes meal prepping simple. But keep in mind these are not guaranteed leak proof.
PROS
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Helps you stick to a portion controlled diet
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Large set of 10 containers is good value for money
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Free meal prep eBook included
CONS
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Not leak proof so could leak when transported
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Long terms use may cause containers to warp and lose shape
Efficient Nutrition
This colourful meal prep set comes with seven different sized containers. This is great for prepping different types of food at once, such as a main meal as well as snacks.
These containers are dishwasher safe, as well as being suitable for both the microwave and freezer. The multiple sizes also mean these meal prep containers easily stack for effective storage.
These containers are specifically designed to help you with portion control. Instead of measuring out your food, you can use these containers to give you optimum portions easily. It also comes with a 21-day meal planner eBook as well as a 50+ page recipe book to help you prep your meals.
If you want to prep several days’ worth of meals, you may need several sets of these containers to accommodate your needs. These are more suited to those who prep meals the night before for the day ahead.
Overall, these are a good option for individuals who want to control portion sizes to aid weight loss. The colour coordinated containers and handy planner make sticking to correct portion sizes easy.
PROS
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Different size containers allow meal variation
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Help with portion control
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Free planner and recipe eBook included
CONS
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Not suited for planning a week’s worth of meals
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Unsuitable if you’re not focusing on portion control
Fresh Chef Pack
These containers have three separate compartments, giving you different options for meals and snacks. And having 14 containers means you can easily prep a week’s worth of meals while having others in the dishwasher.
The main benefit of these meal prep containers is the leak proof sauce cups they come with. These are handy for dressings and sauces to stop food becoming soggy. What’s more, they come with stick on labels, so you can easily identify what’s in your lunch box without having to remove the lid. I personally love this feature, because after these have been in the freezer or fridge for a few days, it can be difficult to see what’s in the containers, and it can be frustrating to have to remove the lid to see what’s inside!
The containers have three separate compartments to keep food separate and fresh. The compartments are shallow, making them great for portion control. These containers are microwave and dishwasher safe, so you can use them again and again. And once you’ve used them once, you can stick a new label over the old one if you decide to prep a different meal.
This set of 14 containers comes with a money back guarantee, so you can be confident in your purchase. However, the container lids are only leak resistant, not leak proof, so may leak into your bag if tilted.
Overall, these containers are great for the organised individual who loves labelling. The stick-on labels are a great feature, and the sauce pots are a great add on.
PROS
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Compartments allow you to keep food separate
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Leak proof sauce containers for dressings
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Stick on labels for organisation
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Money back guarantee
CONS
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Containers only leak resistant – may leak
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Slightly more expensive than alternatives
Pata’s
This food organizer from Pata’s Goods is leak proof and crack proof due to the hard plastic and snap on lids. The snap on lids are leak proof and can keep your food fresher for longer. There are also easy-open tabs, meaning these lunch boxes are easy to open. This is a great feature because they are unlikely to crack due to being forced open.
They are microwave, dishwasher and freezer safe. All a must-have for long term re-use. This container comes with 3 removable compartments as well as a separate sauce pot. This is great if you wish to prepare meals with only certain components that need heating. For example, you could put salad in one compartment and chicken in another, then simply remove the chicken compartment and put it in the microwave to have a hot chicken salad on the go.
These containers are large and do not focus on portion control. If you’re not restricting portions they may be a good option. But might not be as suitable if you’re dieting and need help with portion sizes.
Overall, these are a recommended meal prep container. These are a great option if you’re looking to upgrade your thinner plastic meal prep containers. And because of the different compartment options, they offer more versatility than alternatives.
PROS
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Leak proof and crack proof
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Removable compartments for separate heating
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Separate sauce pot
CONS
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Not suitable for portion control
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Only 1 container per purchase so slightly more expensive option
Prep Naturals
This five-pack of glass meal prep containers come with snap on lids with an airtight seal. This makes them spill proof, even with liquids such as soup.
The glass material means they are less likely to stain than plastic. I have personally found that many plastic containers stain over time when filled with curry or other sauce-based dishes. Although this doesn’t affect the quality of the food, it can be unsightly.
These containers are made with Borosilicate glass which is extremely tough. Perfect for freezing and microwaving meals.
These glass containers are heavier than plastic and may take up more room in your fridge and freezer. These containers may also not be suitable for children because of the risk of them being dropped and smashed.
These meal containers are dishwasher, oven and microwave and freezer safe. This means they won’t warp or break and can be used again and again.
PROS
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Leak proof lids
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Less likely to stain
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Money back guarantee
CONS
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Heavier than plastic containers
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Danger of containers smashing
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Bulky to store in the fridge/freezer
Our Pick
Although each of the meal prep containers reviewed have advantages and drawbacks, our clear winner of the round up is the Prep Naturals Glass containers. These high-quality containers are stain resistant the snap tabs mean they’re leak proof. They also are made with tough glass, meaning they’re hard wearing and will last. On top of all that, they are freezer, microwave and dishwasher safe, and don’t contain plastics so there is no added risk of harmful chemicals.
These containers are a little more expensive than alternatives, but all the features included are worth the price and are great for meal prep beginners.