After a long day, coming home to cook an entire meal for one person can feel like a lot of work! So, instead, you might head to the freezer section of your local grocery store and opt for a frozen store-bought meal that probably leaves you feeling pretty hungry and disappointed.
If this sounds like you, we’re excited to introduce you to the world of single-serve freezer meal prep! Making individual freezer meals is a great way to save time on busy weeknights or early mornings while still enjoying a delicious meal that will make you feel completely satisfied and ready to take on the rest of your day. Compared to regular meal prep, freezer meal prep can help you add more variety to your diet so you don’t have to eat the same meal multiple days in a row.
When grocery shopping or cooking for one, it can also be tough to eat all of the food you buy and prepare. Freezer meal prepping is a great way to reduce your food waste by freezing extra food to save for another day.
In this article, we’re sharing the best way to prepare freezer meals for one person, along with 13 tasty recipes for breakfast, lunch/dinner, and dessert!
Is this your first time prepping meals for your freezer? Before you read this article, check out our Ultimate Guide to Freezer Meal Prep. This in-depth guide will give you all the information you need to know to become a freezer meal prep pro.
Already know your way around the freezer? Then let’s dive in!
How to Make Freezer Meals for One
The truth is, freezer meal prepping for one person isn’t a whole lot different than freezer meal prepping for an entire family—except for one key make-or-break tip… You need to freeze your food in single portions!
Although it’s always essential to freeze your food in the portion you want to eat it, it’s especially important, and sometimes especially challenging, when you’re only freezer cooking for one person. Most containers are too large for single servings, so you might end up freezing and thawing a larger portion than you’re able to eat. Some people recommend mason jars as the solution to freezing food in smaller portions, but you might end up with cracked jars, and they can take up a lot of your precious freezer space.
The real secret to successful, perfectly portioned freezer meal prep for one is …. (*drumroll) Souper Cubes®! Our freezer food trays are made from food-grade silicone and come in multiple sizes so you can freeze the perfect individual portions of food. Once your food is frozen, you can simply pop the cubes out of the trays and store them in labeled freezer bags to save space in your freezer.
For single servings of complete meals, either the 1-cup or 2-cup Souper Cubes® trays are our most popular options, depending on your appetite. For side dishes, our ½-cup trays are also a great option. If you’re unsure which trays you should purchase, our 2-cup trays also come with 1-cup fill lines so you can experiment and find the portion sizes that work best for you.
Once you’ve got your Souper Cubes® trays in hand, you’re ready to prep your freezer meals as you normally would, just in smaller portions.
Tasty Single Serving Freezer Meal Recipes
Now that you know how to freeze the perfect portions of food for one person, it’s time to dive into our favorite make-ahead recipes for the freezer!
Bonus: All of the recipes below provide directions on how to freeze food in Souper Cubes® trays so you can ensure your freezer meals are perfectly portioned in individual servings.
Breakfast
Sometimes, a bowl of cereal just doesn’t cut it! If you’re craving something heartier to kickstart your day, the following breakfast freezer recipes are sure to leave you feeling satisfied until your next meal.
Mini Crustless Breakfast Quiches
Start your day off right with this delicious meal! Quiche is the perfect savory breakfast food that you can customize with your favorite vegetables, meats, and cheeses. Pair it with a side of chopped fruit, and you’ve got a delightfully balanced breakfast.
Generally, the 1-cup Souper Cubes® trays are a great size for an individual portion of this delicious dish. Since Souper Cubes® trays are completely oven-safe, you can bake your quiches in the trays and then stick them in the freezer once they’ve cooled.
Pro tip: use a spatula to gently release the quiches from the walls of the tray before you freeze them, so they’re easy to pop out later.
Breakfast Potatoes
Served with a side of freshly scrambled eggs, these breakfast potatoes are the perfect way to round out the most important meal of the day. They take a bit longer to cook but trust us when we say they’re worth it!
For one person, a half-cup or 1-cup portion is often the perfect size. Simply thaw the potatoes in the refrigerator overnight or pop them in the microwave for 45 seconds and then finish them in a skillet for 3-4 minutes for a quick and hearty breakfast.
Steel Cut Oats
If you’re looking for a low-cost breakfast that will leave you feeling nice and full, you need to try this freezer-friendly steel-cut oats recipe! You can buy steel-cut oats for around $1/lb at your local bulk store and then choose whatever toppings your heart desires. Think apples, coconut shreds, chocolate chips, bananas, raspberries, or whatever else you can find in season.
One cup is typically a good size portion for one person. To heat up your frozen steel-cut oats, simply pop one of the cubes in the microwave for 3-4 minutes with a splash of water or milk, and enjoy!
Pumpkin-Apple Granola
Enjoy this yummy granola recipe with a bowl of yogurt and honey for a quick and easy breakfast or even a snack! The recipe makes more than one serving, but granola will last a month or two once it’s combined, so you’re good for a week’s worth of breakfast after it’s prepared!
To prep this recipe for the freezer, you’ll only freeze the wet ingredients and then combine them with the oats and toppings later when you’re ready to make the granola.
Lunch/ Dinner
Ditch the frozen pizza and opt for making freezer meals instead! You’ll thank yourself later when you sit down at the dinner table to a plate of warm and tasty home-cooked food.
Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken pot pie is classic comfort food and also a great freezer meal (with the right recipe)! This recipe was tried and tested to help you make the perfect chicken pot pies without any unfortunate freezer fails.
A 1-cup or 2-cup portion is typically the perfect size for one person as a complete meal. The benefit of freezing 2-cup portions is that they fit perfectly in a Souper Cubes® 5” baking dish, so you can easily bake the cubes from frozen.
Shepherd's Pie
Who doesn’t love a warm and comforting bowl of shepherd’s pie complete with mashed potatoes, ground beef, and your favorite veggies?
This easy, freezer-friendly recipe yields about 8 cups of shepherd’s pie to help you stock your freezer with lots of individual portions. When you’re ready to eat, simply pop it in the oven to bake for around 35 minutes, and you’re good to go. (But if you want those mashed potatoes extra crispy, we recommend broiling it for another 3-5 minutes — it’s worth it!)
Lasagna
Another comforting recipe is coming your way! If you want an easy and complete meal that you can simply heat up at the end of a long day, you’re going to want to bookmark this baked lasagna recipe. Lasagna is a great freezer meal that can be completely prepped on your designated meal prep/cooking day. When you’re ready to eat, simply pop the frozen lasagna in the oven for 35-40 minutes (plus an extra 3-4 minutes to broil), and you’re all set.
P.S. This is another one of those recipes you might want to prep in a 2-cup Souper Cubes® tray. Stick the lasagna right in your 5” Souper Cubes® baking dish to bake and save any leftovers for lunch the next day!
Chicken Tikka Masala
Looking to spice up your freezer meal prep? This chicken tikka masala recipe is to die for! It’ll take a bit longer to prep and cook, but it’s SO worth it in the end.
A 1-cup portion is the perfect size for one person and makes for a fantastic meal when paired with cooked rice and naan. If you want to make a complete meal without worrying about cooking your jasmine rice on the day of, we recommend preparing the dish in a 2-cup Souper Cubes® tray and topping it with the rice before sticking it in your freezer. Read the full recipe to learn more!
One-Pot Beef Chili
A chilly day and a warm bowl of chili are practically a match made in heaven! This freezer meal is full of hearty ingredients like ground beef, white corn, and kidney beans to make you feel nice and comforted.
The recipe yields about 8 cups of chili, which you can freeze in 1-cup Souper Cubes® trays for easy lunches or weeknight dinners.
Veggie Mac & Cheese
Satisfy your pasta craving with this creamy, cheesy recipe complete with a very special secret ingredient—veggies! Along with the noodles and shredded cheese, the vegetables give this mac and cheese freezer meal some added color and flavor.
The best part about this recipe is that it can all be prepped in a single pot, so clean-up is a breeze. Add your cooked pasta to your 1-cup or 2-cup Souper Cubes® trays to freeze the perfect portions for individual servings.
Pro tip: Undercook your pasta by about a full minute, so it doesn’t get mushy. Read the full recipe to learn more!
Dessert
Now it’s time for the BEST part of the day—dessert! If you have a sweet tooth, you’re going to love these three freezer dessert recipes that you can keep on hand whenever you’re craving a bit of sugar.
Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Most fruit crisp recipes make large portions that are far too much for one person to eat in a single sitting. That’s why this freezer-friendly strawberry rhubarb crisp recipe is such a great option! If you’re not a fan of strawberries and rhubarb, you can easily swap them out for your favorite fruit combos.
This recipe shows you exactly how to prepare the fruit crisp and freeze it in your Souper Cubes® 1-cup or 2-cup trays. When you’re ready to eat this delicious dessert, you can pop out the cubes and bake for 35-40 minutes.
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
How adorable are these mini zucchini bread loaves!? It can be tough for one person to finish an entire full-size zucchini bread, so these mini loaves are the perfect alternative! The recipe is nice and easy, and it can be customized depending on your preferences.
We recommend using a 1-cup Souper Cubes® tray to make the perfect sized loaves for an individual-sized treat. As an added bonus, Souper Cubes® trays are oven-safe, so you can bake your chocolate chip zucchini bread in the trays and then stick them straight in the freezer after they’ve cooled.
Apple Crisp
If you’re an avid apple pie lover, this apple crisp is sure to hit the spot (and save you from wasting ¾ of a pie)! We recommend prepping your mini apple crisps in your 1-cup Souper Cubes® trays for the perfect-sized individual portions. When you’re ready to eat this tasty dessert, simply stick a single cube in the oven for around 45 minutes and then top with whipped cream or ice cream—dealer’s choice!
Take Your Individual Freezer Meal Prep to the Next Level
Now that you’ve read through this entire article, we hope that you’ve bookmarked tons of new easy freezer meals and feel inspired to start freezer cooking in individual portions.
Looking for even more freezer meals that can be perfectly portioned in single servings? Check out our recipes page! We’re always adding new tasty recipes for you to enjoy.
As we’ve said before, freezer cooking is a great way for you to add many more delicious home-cooked meals to your diet without having to spend a ton of time and effort cooking every day. It also lets you reduce food waste by using stretching your delicious food to enjoy another day. That’s why we’re passionate about helping you make the freezer cooking process easier.
Purchase your own 1-cup and/or 2-cup Souper Cubes trays and 5” baking dish today, and you’ll start making delicious freezer meals for one in no time!
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We would love to hear your ideas or better yet, post a photo of your cubes organized in our Freezer Meals & Recipes Facebook Group!