The Best Meal Prep Containers

My life is always on the go with 3 active kids, but with good planning, I still manage to get things done and meals on the table. And you know what helps me? Meal prep! Specifically, meal prep containers I can reuse over and over. I’m sharing the system I use weekly, along with other top meal prep containers, too!

How to Choose Meal Prep Containers Wisely

If you’re going to put in the time to meal prep, your containers can make or break the whole thing. The wrong ones — too small, too divided, too bulky — and you end up frustrated, cramming food in weird ways or just not using them at all. The right ones disappear into your routine.

For busy families, meal prep containers are such a time saver. You cook once, portion everything out, and suddenly lunch for the week is just… handled. Grab it, go, done. But that only works if the containers are easy to stack, easy to grab, and big enough to hold a real meal. Trust me, I’ve gone through many over the years, until I found a set that makes this foodie happy!

Glass over plastic is worth considering, too. Glass doesn’t absorb stains or odors, goes straight from the fridge to the microwave or oven, and just feels cleaner overall. It’s one of those small upgrades that makes a bigger difference than you’d expect.

My Favorite Meal Prep Container Set

I’m all about the Ello Everyday 10-Piece Glass Food Containers (pictured above) with leak-resistant lids from Target, priced economically. They’re oven and microwave safe (without the lid), dishwasher safe, and designed to stack in your fridge.

Specifcations

Brand and Name	Ello Everyday
Set Includes	10 pieces (5 glass containers + 5 lids)
Capacity	3 cups per container
Dimensions	2.25″H x 6.87″W x 5.5″D
Weight	1.5 pounds
Container Material	Glass
Lid Material	BPA-free plastic, press-and-lock
Features	Stackable, nesting design
Dishwasher Safe	Top rack only
Microwave Safe	Yes — without lid
Oven Safe	Yes — without lid (not broiler-safe, not stovetop-safe)
Freezer Safe	Yes
Price Point	$24.99

Our viral Marry Me Chicken Dinner is #1 for meal prep. Cut the chicken, portion it out into containers, and then serve with pasta, rice, or potatoes during the week.

What Are the Best Meal Prep Ideas?

Here are some delicious, easy recipes for great meal prep that will sustain your family for breakfast, lunch, and dinner throughout the week!

Breakfast:

• Cottage Cheese Egg Bake
• Sausage and Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole
• Paleo Breakfast Bake with Sweet Potatoes and Apples
• High Protein Overnight Oats (with 6 Flavor Ideas)
• Keto Quiche (with a Keto Crust!)

Lunch:

• Cold Asian Noodle Salad
• Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup
• ​​Greek Healthy Meal Prep (Paleo and Whole30 Options!)
• Chicken Tikka Naan Pizza
• Sesame Chicken Lo Mein
• Marry Me Chicken Soup
• Buffalo Chicken Bowls

Dinner:

• Easy Egg Roll in a Bowl with Coleslaw Mix
• Chick-fil-A Southwest Salad Recipe
• Southwest Ground Beef Bowl with Cottage Cheese Queso
• Big Mac Salad
• Best Chicken Fried Rice (Restaurant-Style!)
• Fully Loaded Burger Bowl with “Special Sauce”
• Gyro Bowls (Meatballs with Tzatziki, Lemon Rice, and Cucumber Salad)

Guess what? I started a Substack, where I share make-ahead meals that you won’t find on the 40 Aprons site (and they’re SO easy to do!) —subscribe here!

My Honest Review of the Ello Everyday Meal Prep Containers

First things first: the Ello Everyday Food Storage Containers are glass, and that matters. No weird smells, no staining, and no wondering what’s leaching into my food. Just clean, clear containers that actually look nice in the fridge.

The colors are different from each other, which sounds like a small thing, but is really useful. It’s an easy visual way to keep things separate — this one’s mine, that one’s yours, the pink one is Tuesday’s lunch. It just makes the system work better without any extra effort.

The biggest thing for me, though? They’re not divided. So many meal prep containers come with these built-in sections, and I just… don’t want that. I want flexibility to put in as much as I want, without having to work around dividers. These are just open, flat, and functional.

They also stack really nicely — and they’re shallow enough that they don’t take over my whole fridge drawer. That’s a bigger deal than it sounds. And they’re actually a good size. Most meal prep containers are way too small, and these fit as much as I need. These cute airtight food storage containers are on regular rotation for meal prep in my house!

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Best Storage Food Containers for Meal Prep

You might not be a fan of Ello’s flatter, open design, so here is a list of other containers that are me-approved! They’re great for different kinds of meals and are listed from lowest to highest pricing, which I hope is helpful to you!

Qipecedm 8-Pack Overnight Oats Glass Mason Jars

These mason jars are specifically great for overnight oats, chia pudding, and anything else you want to prep in individual portions. The set comes with 4 large 16 oz jars and 4 smaller 10 oz jars — so you’ve got options depending on how hungry you are on any given morning. The wide-mouth opening makes them very easy to fill and clean, the lids have a silicone seal so they’re actually leak-proof, and the included erasable marker lets you write directly on the lid, so nothing mysterious is sitting in the back of your fridge, and aren’t they cute-looking? Price: $16.99

FIT Strong & Healthy Glass Meal Prep Containers, 4-Pack

These glass storage food containers have dividers, and though I’m not a dividers person, you might be, and they are genuinely well-made. This 4-pack comes with two 2-compartment and two 3-compartment containers, made from borosilicate glass with airtight snap-locking lids. Gotta love that you can take them from the freezer to the microwave to the oven, and they’re dishwasher safe too. They’re great for portion-controlled meals where you want your protein, your carb, and your veg to stay in their own lanes. Price: $27.99.

Snuvid 6-Pack Borosilicate Glass Food Containers

These adorable food containers are superb for soups, stews, oats, salads, or really any single-portion meal you want to store and grab throughout the week. The lids use a reinforced hinged sealing design (not the flimsy one-piece kind that snaps after three uses), with a silicone gasket for a proper airtight seal. Borosilicate glass means they’re oven-safe, microwave-safe, freezer-safe, and dishwasher-safe. Price: $28.99.

SOLIGT 4-Pack Glass Salad Jars with Built-In Wet/Dry Separation Dividers

If you make a lot of salads and want them to last through the week, these glass food jars are designed for salads — and if you’ve ever pulled a sad, soggy salad out of the fridge and just given up, you’ll understand why that matters. Each mason jar comes with two small built-in BPA-free containers: a 2 oz container at the top for dressing and a 3 oz container at the bottom for things like beans or croutons, so nothing touches the greens until you’re ready to eat. Just note: these are not microwave-safe or heat-resistant, so they’re strictly for cold storage. Price: $29.99.

VERONES 10-Pack Glass Meal Prep Containers

If you want to stock up in a big way and don’t mind a divider down the middle, this 10-pack is your new meal-prep friend. Each 30 oz container has one divider splitting it into two sections — good for keeping a main and a side separate without going full bento-box. Made from borosilicate glass with BPA-free snap-lock lids, they’re microwave, oven, freezer, and dishwasher safe. 10 containers mean you can prep a full week for multiple people without running out by Wednesday! Price: $44.99.

Friends, I hope this review of my go-to meal prep containers is helpful. I’d love to know, what are your all-time fave meal prep containers?