These 35+ Easy Crockpot Freezer Meals are a great time saver. Meal prep ahead of time, then let your slow cooker do all the work!
Benefits of Crockpot Freezer Meals
- They save time on your busiest days because you can prep them beforehand.
- They reduce your stress as you know a healthy meal can be thawed in minutes!
- They keep your meal prep simple.
- They prevent you from having to stand over the stove to make meals for your family.
Crockpot Freezer Meals
Let’s face it: life can be busy and stressful. With work, school and busy schedules, the last thing you should have to worry about is finding time to make wholesome meals for your family.
Thankfully, slow cookers and Instant Pots are a busy cook’s best friend! Meal time is so easy when all you have to do is dump some ingredients into a crockpot then set it and forget it.
I rounded up some of my favourite crockpot freezer meals. You can make them ahead of time to save time and stress throughout the week! This round-up includes everything from curries to pulled pork, pasta and chili, so there’s something for all taste buds.
Interested in building out a freezer stash? Try this free Freezer Meal Plan for some ideas!
Chicken & Turkey Freezer Meals
Poultry freezes beautifully in these slow cooker meals! Try a healthy slow cooker turkey chili, crockpot teriyaki chicken, and more!
Beef & Pork Freezer Meals
These freezer meals featuring beef or pork are excellent family dinner ideas! You can make everything from a quick and easy lasagna to a super flavourful stew in the crockpot.
Vegetarian & Vegan Freezer Meals
No matter your dietary restrictions, you can find a crockpot freezer meal that’s perfect for you! These vegetarian and vegan recipes are so great – you won’t even miss the meat.
Meal Prep Tools
- If you don’t already have one, pick up a crock pot to make these easy freezer meals!
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls to pack up these meals for your weekly lunches.
- Meal prep with your freezer! Butcher Box conveniently delivers a variety of meats to your door frozen.
- Use these Ziploc bag holders if you’re preparing freezer meals.
- Store leftovers in these foil containers so you can reheat directly from frozen.
Frequently Asked Questions
A crockpot and a slow cooker is essentially the same thing! Crockpot is a brand that popularized slow cookers. It’s become a household name for all slow cookers, just like all tissues are called Kleenix or bandages are called Bandaids.
Yes! In fact, I recommend that for most of these recipes, you freeze them after cooking them! Store individual portions in Souper Cubes or Ziploc bags so you can reheat just what you need. Most of these cooked meals will last at least 3 months in the freezer.
No, you should always thaw your meat or poultry before putting in the crockpot. Make sure to thaw it overnight in the fridge or, if you’re pressed with time, by submerging it in a bowl of cold running water. If you put frozen chicken in the slow cooker, it can grow harmful bacteria.
If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can use your Instant Pot to make these freezer meals! Set your Instant Pot to the normal slow cooker mode then cook the recipe for the same time as it would cook in a slow cooker set on low. Make sure you have at least one cup of liquid in the Instant Pot to ensure it doesn’t burn. For the best results, you can also pick up a tempered glass lid for your Instant Pot.
Comments & Reviews
Samantha says
Thanks for sharing these Easy Crock Pot Freezer Meals, can’t wait to try these .
Jill says
Hi There- Great recipes! If we don’t use a Crock-Pot, can we thaw and put in a pan in the oven? Or even freeze in an aluminum pan and put straight into the oven from the freezer?
Taylor Stinson says
I’m sure you could Jill! I can’t give specific alternate instructions but using the oven for most should be fine 🙂
Lynne Starkman says
I was interested in the sausage and peppers dish because it said freezer meal but the recipe does not give instructions on how to freeze. Do you have them? Do you have recipes that are specifically for freezer to crock pot? I am very interested in that. Thank you!
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Lynne – unfortunately not all recipes will have specific freezing instructions, it just means that the meals can be frozen. Typically you would freeze each recipe in a glass bowl or you can assemble ingredients in a Ziploc bag and then freeze.
Wendy Nathalie says
Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe Lynne is looking for “freezer-to-crockpot” meals, whereas these seem to be “crockpot-to-freezer” recipes. These are exactly what I’m looking for, because I want to do the cooking in my slow cooker first, then freeze the cooked food in single servings for my elderly mother (and for me, also) so she (and I) can just nuke them for an easy dinner.