Believe it or not, a freezer meal can make a great gift! Anyone (not just new parents and the bereaved) will enjoy a homemade meal prepared with love.
Want to save this post?
Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, I’ll send you budget recipes and money-saving tips every week!
For years I mistakenly thought that stuff would make me happy. In reality, I needed no more stuff. I just needed help.
I needed help to get through the day with a busy work schedule, or a new baby, or an active toddler.
One day a neighbor brought me a lasagne.
I have no idea why. She said she just wanted to bless us. That was crazy. And brave. And it was the best lasagne I think I ever had. Thank you again, Wendy!
Culinarily speaking, it was a great dish. But, even more was the break it gave me that night. Not only was it nourishment for our bodies, but it was food for my soul.
And my budget, too, actually. We were trying to get out of debt at the time, so the blessing of a meal left a few more ingredients in my cupboard to stretch for another day.
Freezer cooking is a great way to save time, economize, and eat great meals all in one fell swoop. It’s also a great way to bless someone else.
Yep! You can share your freezer meal prep with others!
Give a Freezer Meal Gift
Don’t discount the idea of gifting a freezer meal! Yes, it’s typical for when someone’s born or someone dies, but let’s normalize helping each other out in the kitchen.
(Though, I totally recommend these postpartum freezer meals.)
A freezer meal gift is perfect for anyone, really:
- the empty nesters who live across the street
- the military family experiencing a deployment
- the coworker having a rough time at work
- the family struggling with illness
- the college kid working hard to make ends meet
- the busy mom who’s running to and fro with the carpool
- or your friend who just needs a little boost and encouragement
How to Make a Freezer Meal Gift
The process of making a freezer meal gift is simple, but there are some things you can do to make it extra special.
- Choose a recipe that is generally well-liked and decide how many batches you will make. If you’re giving freezer meals to several households, it makes the most sense to make the same thing in bulk. You’ll save time, money, and effort this way.
- Do some math. Multiply the ingredients by the number of batches to make sure you’ve got enough ingredients. If you use a Good Cheap Eats recipe, you can easily change the number of servings on the recipe card and it will do the math for you!
- Shop your kitchen, then shop the store. Shopping the kitchen saves money. Check to see what you already have then hit the store. Since cooking in bulk can be tiring, this is a great time to Use Walmart Grocery Pickup.
- Get containers. You’ll need freezer-safe containers to store the meals in. Since it’s a gift, try to use containers that look like you put in the effort. You don’t have to spend a lot. Dollar Tree even has some nice options!
- Cook, chill, and freeze. Prepare the recipe in bulk, then divide into meal-size portions in your containers. Chill completely and label before storing in the freezer.
- Talk to your gift recipient about a good delivery time. Not everyone has loads of freezer space and some often already have dinner plans for tonight. Ask a direct question about when you can provide dinner.
Tips for Gifting Freezer Meals
Here’s how to make your freezer meal gifts really successful!
Respect food allergies. As a mom of a kid with a serious nut allergy, I’m super careful about what I serve my daughter. Find out if your freezer meal recipient has any food allergies or sensitivites before you start cooking.
Think about the freezer meal packaging and what suits your friend’s needs. Disposable pans they don’t need to wash may be just the ticket. Or a nice Pyrex pan with a plastic lid might suit better. Soup freezes well in Reditainers which are cheap to get in bulk so you can include them as part of the gift.
Include the recipe and reheat instructions. This way they can know what ingredients are included as well as how to reheat from frozen. At the bottom of every printable recipe card here on Good Cheap Eats, we’ve included a QR code that you can attach to the freezer meal to make it easier for your friends.
Make it a little more. Add a bread or salad on the side. Include a bag of cookies. Tie a bow on it. It’s a special meal!
Easy Freezer Meals to Give as Gifts
Gift any of these easy freezer meals to friends and family. It’s affordable as well as delicious!
This easy veggie curry comes together in less than 30 minutes in one pot. Chock full of vegetables and chick peas with a delicious savory sauce, this vegetarian curry is a great one-dish dinner.
Creamy Chicken Enchilada Casserole comes together quickly, freezes beautifully, and makes for a delicious and hearty main dish. Make a double batch so you can repeat the experience next week!
Mac and cheese is one of life’s ultimate comfort foods. Cozy up with a plate of this rich and cheesy, Pesto Penne and Cheese to while away whatever worries you may have.
Homemade lasagna is a delicious one-dish dinner that can be made ahead and frozen. This recipe for making lasagna allows you to customize it to suit your tastes.
Viva la fiesta! These six-layer nachos are packed with flavor and are freezer-friendly. They go well poolside as well as at a tailgate party.
Enjoy a chilly day a bit more by mixing up a pot of this delicious homemade soup, chocked full of vegetables, beef, and barley. It’ll do your body good.
Do you crave something like mac and cheese only a little meatier? This Sausage Noodle Casserole is just the ticket. Glorified mac and cheese, full of comfort and love, dotted with spicy bits of sausage and juicy peppers.
Homemade pureed soups can be a delicious and economical way to get enough vegetables in your diet. They are also a great way to use up leftover vegetables. This creamy vegetable soup is blended so it’s creamy without adding any cream!
Make up a batch of these easy bean burritos for supper or to stash in the freezer at a later date. Either way, you’ll eat good and cheap.
Homemade Guinness beef stew is homey and comforting. It’s also so easy to make, you’ll wonder why anyone would think to ruin it in a can.
Dotted with chiles, corn, and cheese, these Cheese tamales are packed with flavor and super simple to make, the perfect vegetarian tamales.
Delicious and flavorful, made with pantry staples, these turkey and black bean enchiladas are easy to prep and super freezer-friendly.
Easy Breads to Freeze
If you’re delivering a frozen casserole or soup, it’s nice to have some bread to go with. These breads freeze well and are versatile enough to go with a number of freezer meal gifts.
Enjoy fresh garlic bread any night or day when you have a stash of this Easy Make-Ahead Frozen Garlic Bread in the freezer. So good and easy!
Homemade pumpkin dinner rolls for your fall or holiday bread basket!
Enjoy fresh-baked sub rolls, enriched with white whole wheat flour. Sandwiches on rolls you make yourself are better than any five-dollar footlong.
Easy Desserts to Freeze
Don’t forget dessert! You can freeze cake and any number of other baked goods.
For a smaller household, consider cutting the dessert into servings and wrap each with plastic wrap. Alternatively, you can divide a large cake recipe into smaller aluminum pans, cool in the pan, and then add a lid.
Bake yourself happy with this spiced zucchini cake topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting.
Cozy up with a delicious and easy Gluten Free Apple Crisp. It mixes up quickly, freezes well, and adds just the right sweet ending to any meal.
Cocoa powder brings the chocolate and orange marmalade brings that amazing orange flavor for this Chocolate Orange Cake recipe that you’ll want to make over and over again.
Blood orange sorbet, vanilla ice cream, and chocolate ganache come together so nicely in this easy and delicious ice cream pie.
Dark brown sugar and pecans add flavor, sweetness, and crunch to this Banana Pecan Coffeecake. It’s like all that’s delicious about banana and toffee rolled into one.
More Freezer Meal Tips
Tell us what you think!
We love to hear your experiences with Good Cheap Eats. Click the STARS on the recipe card or leave a STARRED comment to let us know what you think of the recipe.
This post was originally published on December 27, 2014. It has been updated for content and clarity.
