Best Meal Prep Containers for 2023
These functional meal prep containers will keep your food fresh all week.
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A good meal prep plan isn't all about the ingredients. The best meal prep plans start with the right hardware, so we're out to find the best reusable meal prep containers for the future health nut in you.
Speaking of which, meal prep is almost like a form of time travel. Let me explain. If you're trying to eat more healthy stuff on the regular, laying out a few days or even a week's worth of healthy meals is like playing defense against your future self and stopping those impulsive and highly questionable diet decisions before they happen.
When you plan and prep your meals ahead of time, you help yourself stay on track and make conscious choices about what you're eating. Sometimes meal prepping can feel like a chore, but having the right meal prep containers could be the boost you need to get it done on Sunday and be set up for the week.
You could scroll the web for food storage sets and meal prep containers for hours and the types of meal containers and reusable lunch boxes are many. You've got plastic meal prep containers that are microwave- and freezer-safe, locking glass or metal containers, leakproof easy-to-clean portion control Tupperware, Mason jars and containers with vented lids for safely housing hot food.
We've scoured the internet to unearth the best and most popular food prep container sets that are simultaneously good-looking and functional with locking, leak-proof lids to put you in a meal prep mood. There are glass meal prep containers, those made from sturdy plastic, bamboo numbers and bento boxes galore. So prep some overnight oats, blend up that salad dressing, pull out your meal prep recipe book and peruse our list of the best containers for meal prep in 2023.
This durable 18-piece set of glass food prep containers is a dream for portioning out healthy meals. Use a glass container for soups, snacks, veggies, stews and brown-rice bowls, and then toss them in your work bag or pop them in the microwave. The locking lids on these glass meal prep containers are completely leak-proof and spill-proof. (Hot tip: Use the tiniest one for storing condiments and dressings.)
Best plastic meal prep containers
Bentgo 10-piece set
If you're not into glass containers, these light plastic meal prep containers are ready to set your meal prep plan ablaze. This slick set comes with 10 trays and 10 lids so you'll be good to meal prep all week and then some.
Another great glass option
Verel glass containers with bamboo lids
If you're working from home for the foreseeable future and won't be lugging food to an office, I strongly recommend glass meal prep containers. For one, they'll last longer and glass gets sparkling clean with almost no effort. Plus, they're just sort of classy, don't you think? Speaking of aesthetics, these large glass food storage containers with airtight bamboo lids look great and stack easily in the fridge. It's a perfect meal prep system and under $40 for a set of four.
Best reusable food bags
Silicone storage bags
May you never buy another plastic bag again with these clever food storage containers that are great for meal prep. These reusable silicone wunderkinds come in a variety of sizes (there are three in this set). Use one food container for your sammy and the baby ones for cut carrots, nuts and berries or chocolate.
Best glass storage jars
Ball Mason jars
We know you've maybe heard of this one before, but still, there's nothing more satisfying than constructing a gorgeous Mason jar salad, which is pretty much the perfect way for a meal prepper to beat the "home desk salad" blues. These durable, freezer-safe meal prep jars are also great for storing liquids like salad dressing, soup and protein shakes. Best of all, glass gets sparkling clean with no effort, unlike some other materials.
Best collapsible food containers
Vremi silicone set
Perfect for portion control, these colorful reusable food storage containers will help you spot your lunch in a crowded fridge. The locking plastic lids will minimize leaks and spills with their airtight seal -- and they collapse after use, which means more cupboard storage space for you!
Best reusable container for salad
Oxo leak-proof salad container
This genius three-layer food prep salad container separates your proteins and toppings from your veggies and greens, and a mini container with a twist-off top keeps your dressing in check.
Best lunchbox
Prepd bamboo lunch pack
A favorite product of Oprah's, this genius pack has a sleek bamboo cover and a Tetris-like modular design with durable containers that are completely spill-proof. (You can buy different sizes to mix and match to help with portion control.) It's microwave-safe, freezer-safe and dishwasher-safe. Plus, it comes with magnetic cutlery, which decreases your chances of accidentally tossing a fork in the trash.
Best bento box
Takenaka box
Prove that you're a millennial who can actually cook (or at least one who remembers to use those leftovers from last night) with this double-decker bento lunch box that can be converted into a single-tier box, too, depending on your bento lunch haul.
Best stainless steel lunchbox
Unichart lunch box
This adorable triple-decker box isn't just a looker, the insulated top layer of the compartments will keep your food warm for two to three hours.
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