How to Plan a Freezer Meal Cooking Day (Free Printable Guide)
Does freezer meal planning sound like a good idea, but you can’t find any pre-made plans that fit your family’s needs? This guide (with free printable planning tools) will walk you through the steps of creating your own freezer meal plan from scratch.
I’ve used a freezer meal system on and off for years, and every time I get back into the rhythm of it, I wonder why I ever stopped. I mean, who doesn’t love being able to open the freezer and pull out a fully prepped, ready-to-go meal—especially on those days when cooking is the last thing you want to do?
Since recently getting back into the groove of stocking my freezer, I’ve realized just how helpful it is to have a solid plan before your counters are piled high with groceries. I don’t know about you, but when I’m in the kitchen, I want to be efficient and get it done so I can move on with my day.
In this post, you’ll find a step-by-step guide to planning your very own freezer meal prep day. No recipes—just a super practical framework you can use again and again to create a prep day that fits your family, schedule, and budget.
And don’t worry, I’ve got you covered with a free printable freezer meal planning workbook at the end of this post—so you’ll have the entire process laid out for you!
Affiliate disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate this means I will earn a small commission if you choose to purchase through my links. This is at no extra cost to you! Read full disclosure here.
Why Plan a Custom Freezer Meal Day?
Yes, there are tons of freezer meal guides and kits out there you can buy that come with all the recipes and lists pre-made. They can be great—if you find one with meals your whole family actually enjoys and that fit your dietary needs.
Personally, I usually like about half of the recipes in those kits. Which means I still end up rewriting the shopping list and tweaking everything anyway. And I definitely don’t want to spend time (and money) prepping meals that no one’s excited to eat.
Creating your own plan means:
- You shop and cook more efficiently—no waste.
- You use recipes your family already loves.
- You can easily adjust to dietary needs and preferences.
Planning Your Freezer Meal Day
Let’s break it down into three main parts: Before Cooking, Cooking Day and After Cooking.
Before Cooking Day
1.Select Recipes
Start with freezer-friendly recipes you already love, search Pinterest for ideas, or grab a freezer meal cookbook. Not sure if something is freezer friendly? Just Google “can I freeze [insert meal]?” to double-check.
Tip – Choose 4 to 8 recipes max to avoid overwhelm. Look for overlapping ingredients to save prep time. For example, cook ground beef once and use it for taco meat, burritos, and enchiladas.
2.Double, Triple..QUADRUPLE!
Once your recipes are chosen, decide how many batches of each you want to make. I usually quadruple most of mine. I’ve just found that it’s easier to make larger quantities of the same recipe than it is to make a lot of different recipes. And since we don’t eat these freezer meals every night, this is still enough variety for my family.
Tip: If it’s a new-to-you recipe, avoid making a huge batch until you know your family likes it.
3.Print Recipes
Trust me, printed recipes are much easier than toggling between apps while your hands are messy.
You can also write them out on the free printable full-page recipe cards I provide in this post.
4.Organize Your Shopping List
- List ingredients by category (no quantities yet).
- Go back and total how much you need of each item across all recipes.
- Don’t forget things like foil, freezer bags, or containers. Souper cubes are awesome for freezing dishes into individual or smaller servings sizes.
Tip: Buy in bulk where possible. Shop your pantry and freezer before heading to the store.
5.Create a Workflow
This part takes a little practice, but it helps a ton.
Start by planning what you can prep ahead:
- Chop all veggies
- Shred cheese
- Cook and shred chicken
Then, loosely decide what you’ll cook when. If you need the oven for multiple dishes, figure out what can bake while you prep something else.
Tip: Don’t stress if this feels like too much. If planning the whole workflow is overwhelming, skip it and focus on prepping ingredients first—you’ll learn what works best as you go.
6.Get Your Groceries
Choose whether to shop the day before or the morning of.
If fridge space is tight, day-of works fine.
Tip: Shop your fridge and freezer first to free up space and avoid duplicates.
On the Day of Cooking
1.Prep the Kitchen
- Start with a clean kitchen.
- Empty the dishwasher, take out the trash, and clear the counters.
- Wash your storage containers and pull out any non-perishables you’ll need.
I like to set up a station (my kitchen table works great) with canned goods and spices so I’m not constantly going back to the pantry.
2.look at your plan & get started
Grab your printed plans and start with the prep steps. Once those are done, move into assembling meals.
Tip: Clean as you go. I reuse pots and pans throughout the day, so I wash them as needed instead of letting a mountain pile up at the end. Future me is always thankful for that.
3.marking & storing
Label your meals with:
- Name of the dish
- Thawing instructions
- Any extras to add later (cheese, broth, etc.)
- Cooking or reheating instructions
You can use cute labels or just write on foil or freezer bags with a permanent marker—whatever works.
After Cooking Day
Keep a freezer inventory
Use the printable inventory sheet included in the workbook to write down everything you prepped so nothing gets forgotten at the bottom of the freezer.
Incoroporate meals into meal plan
If you don’t schedule them into your weekly plan, they’re easy to forget. I like to include a “Freezer Meal” card in my menu board system to keep it top of mind. You can read more about my menu board meal planning system here.
Save your plans
You worked hard—don’t toss your plans. Save them in a binder or file to repeat next month. Make notes on what worked or what you’d tweak for next time.
Free Printable Freezer Meal Planner
Grab your printable workbook here and get started planning your next freezer meal prep day!
