50+ Freezer Friendly Recipes - Iowa Girl Eats (2024)

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Similar to my post on how to eat healthyon a budget, one of the most requested posts OF. ALL. TIME. here on IGE is one that’s all about freezer cooking! So many of you are parents to young and busy children, are busy professionals, cooking for one of two, and/or like to stay ahead of the game, which means freezer cooking is perfect for you.

First let’s talk about foods that freeze well – I’m looking at you,non-dairy-based soups, stews, and chilis, pasta and meat sauces, all kinds of raw and cooked meat and meat-based dishes, some casseroles, baked goods, and bites and snacks – whew! I’ve got sections forall these foods below with links to recipesthat are freezer-friendly, as well as instructions on how to freeze, thaw,thenserve them. When I’m making a freezer-friendly recipe, I like to buy double or triple the ingredients so I can make double or triple the recipe to freeze.

Let’s also chatreal quick aboutthe best materials for freezing foods and recipes, freezer cooking tips, tips to avoid freezer burn (the worst!) foods that freeze well and, equally asimportant, foods thatdon’tfreeze well.

Materials needed for freezer cooking:

You can get away with freezing a ton of foods and recipes in Ziplock freezer bags, though some won’t fit inside so you’ll want to first wrap those in plastic wrap and then foil. Instead of tyingup glass bakeware, assemble casseroles inside disposable foil pans then cover with foil, label, and freeze.

• Ziplock Freezer Bags
• Foil
• Plastic wrap
• Disposable foil pans

Freezer cooking tips:

• Chillfoods completely in the refrigerator before freezing them. This will not only prevent ice crystals from forming on top, but will helpkeepthe temperature of the freezer from drastically dropping when adding unfrozen foods to it.
• Freeze foodsFLATin Ziplock bags to avoid clumping and so they can stack in the freezer.
• Chop raw ingredients like fruits, vegetables, etc. before freezing flat in a Ziplock freezer bag.
• Label bags/packaging with date frozen, enjoy-by date, contents, andreheating instructions.
• Click here for recommendations on how longto store frozen foods.

Tips to avoid freezer burn:

My two best tips for preventing freezer burn is to never freeze warm or hot foods, and wrap as airtight as possible! More on that…

• Never put hot or warm foods into the freezer. Chill completely before packaging.
• Removeas much air as possible from freezer bags before freezing (sometimes I sticka straw in the corner of the Ziplock bag to suckall the air out.)
• Wrap foods that don’t fit in freezer bags, likequick breads, first in plastic wrap and then foil.
• If using plastic or glass containers to freeze liquids like broth or soup, leave room at the top for liquid to expand once frozen.
• Don’t overload the freezer with a tonof unfrozen foods at once, which will bring down the temperature of the freezer. Freeze unfrozen, chilled foods in batches.

Foodsthat freeze well:

• Chicken breasts (cooked or raw)
• Ground meat (cooked or raw)
• Salmon filets (raw)
• Shrimp
• Bacon (I prefer raw)
• Shredded cheese
• Butter
• Bread/buns
• Tortillas
• Broth
• Berries (slice larger berries like strawberries first)
• Chopped fruit: bananas, pineapple, mango, peaches, pitted cherries
• Vegetables: peas, chopped carrots, sweet corn kernels, chopped onions
• Chopped squash (for pureeing once thawed)
• Lemon/lime juice
• Marinara sauce
• Baby spinach and chopped kale (throw directly into smoothies)
• Chopped freshherbs (freeze in ice cube trays inextra virgin olive oil)
• Prepared mashed potatoes
• Prepared waffles/pancakes
• Cooked brown rice
• Cooked wild rice
• Uncooked gnocchi
• Cooked ordried beans
• Coffee
• Ground flax seed

Foods that don’t freeze well:

• Cooked gluten-free pasta (for this reason I don’t recommend freezing casseroles made with GF pasta)
• Previously fried foods – freeze breaded foods un-fried then thaw beforefrying
• Cheesy/milk-based soups
• Fruits or vegetables with high water content – watermelon, cucumber, lettuce, cabbage, brussels sprouts, mushrooms, celery
• Recipes with cooked white rice (cooked wild rice freezes fine)

Alrighty, let’s get to stocking that freezerwith these 50+gluten-free, freezer-friendly recipes!

Soups, Stews, and Chili

Preparethen chillcompletely, scoop into gallon Ziplock bags, and freeze flat. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then heat in a soup pot or in individual portions in bowls.

• Signature Spicy, Smoky, Sweet Chili
• Roasted Tomato Soup
• Best-Ever Black Bean Soup– preparerice the day you eat.
• Crock Pot White Chicken Chili
• Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Smoky Roasted Chickpeas and Bacon
• Crock Pot Sweet Potato and Quinoa Turkey Chili
• Spicy Tomato and Turkey Soup
• Ben’s Beef Stew
• Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
• Smoked Sausage and Chicken Gumbo
• Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup – prepare noodles the day you eat.

Sauces

Preparethen chillcompletely, scoop into gallon Ziplock bags, and freeze flat. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then reheat in asaucepan and serve.

• 30 Minute Vegetable Ragu
• Crock Pot Spaghetti Sauce
• Pomodoro Sauce

Meats

You can freeze burgers, meatloaves, and meatballs cooked or uncooked. I prefer to freeze meat rawon a baking sheet then transfer to a Ziplock freezer bag once frozen. Thaw meat in the refrigerator then bake/prepare according to recipe instructions. In the case of freezingcookedground meat, cool cooked meat completely then transfer toa freezer bag and freeze flat.

• Incredible Italian Meatballs
• Honey Balsamic BBQ Meatballs– make sauce the dayyou eat.
• Mini Mediterranean Turkey Meatloaves
• Mini Salsa Turkey Meatloaves
• Mini BBQ Cheddar Meatloaves
• Chili Lime Chicken Burgers
• Crock Pot Mojo Pork – make beans, rice, and toppingsthe day you eat.
• Crock Pot Sausage and Peppers– prepare pastathe day you eat.
• Crock Pot BBQ Chicken
• Crock Pot BBQ Pulled Pork
• Crock Pot Ranchero Chicken
• Pulled Pork Taquitos
• PF Chang’s Lettuce Wraps
• Crock Pot Loose Meat
• Chick-fil-A Bites
• Thai Sticky Chicken Fingers – make sauce the day you eat.
• Chicken Fried Rice
• Browned ground beef/sausage – use in Cheeseburger Quesadillas, tacos, combine with a jar of marinara, breakfast scrambles, etc.

Casseroles

Assemble casseroles up to the baking step thenchill, cover tightly with plastic wrap and then foil, and then freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight then bake according to recipe instructions. You can bake casseroles directly from the freezer but there is a bit of guesswork involved in timing and temperature.

• Crock Pot Shredded Beef Enchiladas
• Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas with HomemadeGluten-Free Enchilada Sauce
• Roasted Poblano Salsa Chicken Enchiladas
• Gluten-Free Party Potatoes Deluxe
• Lazy Girl’s Ravioli Lasagna(use GF ravioli) – bakefrom frozen at 350 degrees for 20 minutes then turn heat up to 400 and bake according to directions.

Quick Breads/Muffins

Quick breads, muffins, cupcakes, and cookies are perfect for freezing! Cool completely then, in the case of muffins, cupcakes, and cookies, transfer to a Ziplock freezer bag and freeze. Cool quick breads completely then wrap in plastic wrap and freeze in a Ziplock freezer bag or wrap in foil if they won’t fit in a bag. Thaw in the refrigerator, on the counter, or wrap in paper towels while frozen and microwave at 50% power until warm.

• Gluten-Free Zucchini Coffee Cake
• Healthier Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
• Apple Crisp Muffins
• Fresh Apple Cake
• Soft Batch Apple Cider Gingersnap Cookies

Bites and Snacks

Chillbites and snacks completely then freeze on a baking sheet and transfer to a Ziplock freezer bag once frozen. All of these recipes (except granola and Puppy Chow which don’t need to be thawed!) can be reheated in the microwave at 50% power from frozen.

• Mini Pizza Quinoa Bites
• Mini Ham and Cheese Quinoa Cups
• Mini Bacon Cheeseburger Quinoa Bites
• Mini Corn Dog Muffins
• Crunchy Quinoa Granola
• Puppy Chow
• No-Bake Crispy Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Breakfast

Each recipe containsfreezing instructions so refer to the post when making and freezing thesegluten-free breakfast recipes!

• Make-Ahead Breakfast Bowls
• Frozen Breakfast Burritos(use GF tortillas)
• Homemade Breakfast Sausage
• Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies

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