Freezer Meal Tips

Fresh rhubarb is only available for a limited time each year. Once you know how to freeze rhubarb, you’ll be able to enjoy it later in the year. You can also use it in many delicious recipes. Both my neighbour Christie and my friend Denise grow rhubarb in their gardens. Fortunately, this means that I am the lucky recipient of fresh rhubarb every year. I am super thankful for this as I’m a fan of this unusual vegetable.

If you aren’t fortunate enough to have a neighbour or friend that grows it and gifts it to you, you can find it at Farmer’s Markets and even sometimes in the produce section of the grocery store when it is in season.

If you’re a fan of this vegetable too, there’s great news. Rhubarb freezes beautifully. Freezing rhubarb is very easy as it doesn’t require blanching beforehand.

How to freeze rhubarb:

Method for if you’re wanting to be able to take out smaller amounts of rhubarb from the bag:

1. Cut the leaves and the tails off the rhubarb stalks.
2. Wash the stalks.
3. Dry them well using a tea towel or paper towels.
4. Using a sharp knife, slice into 1/4″ to 1/2″ pieces.
5. Place the slices on a cookie sheet in a single layer and place the baking sheet in the freezer.
6. Once frozen, transfer the rhubarb pieces into a large resealable freezer bag.
7. Remove the excess air from the bag, seal, and freeze.
8. For best results, close the bag almost all the way and then insert a straw in the opening to suck out whatever air is left. This will prevent freezer burn. Do this whenever you take some rhubarb out and are resealing the bag.

Method for how to freeze rhubarb for use in recipes:

1. Cut the leaves and the tails off the rhubarb stalks.
2. Wash the stalks.
3. Dry them well using a tea towel or paper towels.
4. Using a sharp knife, slice into 1/4″ to 1/2″ pieces.
5. Measure into 1 or 2 cups and transfer to a medium sized resealable freezer bag.*
6. Label the bag “1 cup” or “2 cups” so that you don’t need to re-measure.
7. Remove the excess air, seal, and freeze. For best results and to prevent freezer burn, close the bag almost all the way shut and insert a straw in the opening and use that to suck out any air that is left.
8. When needed, dump the contents of the bag into the recipe you need it for.

*I measure all of mine into 2 cups because if a recipe calls for one cup, I just double it as we have a large family.You don’t need to thaw the rhubarb before adding it into a recipe.

Once frozen, rhubarb keeps for up to one year as long as the air is removed from the bag.

Ideas for using your frozen rhubarb:

In case you have rhubarb sitting in your freezer and aren’t sure what to do with it, I’ve gathered some ideas and recipes for you.

• Add it to smoothies. My husband loves the tartness this gives.
• Rhubarb muffins
• Easy Rhubarb Cake
• Rhubarb crisp or any variation such as combining it with strawberry, apple, or other fruits. I’m partial to pairing it with Saskatoon berries myself!
• soda
• Rhubarb compote
• Rhubarb Dream Bars
• ice cream (homemade or as a topping)
• jam
• stewed rhubarb
• Rhubarb Cinnamon Buns
• in salads
• Rhubarb pie
• salsa
• pickles
• Rhubarb & Date Chutney
• Rhubarb Platz (I had never heard of this before until my neighbour introduced me to her delicious squares)

You may also be interested in reading:

The Quick Start Guide to Freezer Meals

The Instant Pot is all the rage. Chances are, if you have one, you love it. Once you try freezer meals for the Instant Pot, that love affair will be taken to a whole new level!

Easy meets fast. They were a pair meant to be together. This easy guide to Instant Pot freezer meals will tell you everything you need to know to get started. 

The Easy Guide to Instant Pot Freezer Meals:

You will need two things in order to get started. You will need an Instant Pot and freezer meals. The Instant Pot should be chosen based on your needs. We have a large family (7 kids including some hungry teenage boys!), so I went with an 8 quart Instant Pot.

If you’re new to making freezer meals, you can find all the basics in this Freezer Meals 101 guide. (click that link to read)

The benefits to making the meals ahead of time to later be cooked quickly in the Instant Pot:

• shop less often (saves time)
• buy in bulk (saves money)
• never have to decide what to make for supper (saves sanity)
• no prep on the day of cooking (saves time)
• never have to run to the store for missing ingredients (saves time and money)

The first step will be grocery shopping. Whenever you make many freezer meals at once, it always saves time to prep your ingredients before you start assembling. Once you’ve done that, it’s time to assemble the meals.

The Shape Dilemma:

One of the nicest things about the Instant Pot is that you can cook from frozen. This is particularly good for those of us who sometimes forget to take out a freezer meal to thaw in the morning or the night before. I freeze most of my freezer meals in large resealable bags.

If they are frozen solid, their rectangular shape doesn’t lend itself well to being put into the round Instant Pot. This poses quite a conundrum.

If you want to place the meal into the Instant Pot completely frozen, the best trick I’ve heard is to make the freezer meals in empty ice cream pails or similar sized round plastic containers. That way, they can fit directly into the Instant Pot, no thawing needed.

The downside to freezing the meals in pails is that they take up a lot more space in the freezer. I like that resealable freezer bags can be stored flat. That way, I can fit several months worth of meals in the freezer.

There’s an easy fix to the space dilemma though. Just place the freezer bag in lukewarm water for a few minutes to thaw it enough to get the contents into the Instant Pot.

What Foods Freeze Well?

With freezer cooking, it’s important to know what freezes and what doesn’t. Read a full list here of what foods freeze well and which don’t as well on tips on how best to freeze them.

I’ve created a cheatsheet for you to print out as an easy reference to remember what freezes well.

Freezer burn is the enemy of freezer meals. The good news is, you can prevent freezer burn by taking all the excess air out of the freezer bags before sealing. Label your bags with the date so that you can track which ones to eat first.

Filling the Instant Pot:

Only fill your Instant Pot 2/3 of the way full. For recipes that will expand, such as those that contain beans or rice, fill it no more than 1/2 full.

I have made the mistake of overfilling and then out of the pressure nozzle came a FOUNTAIN of liquid. It covered my counter, my floor, my cupboards. Some of it even got on the ceiling. You had better believe that I never made that mistake again!

Adjusting Cook Times:

If you are cooking your meat from frozen, you will need to add some time to the recipe instructions. It will take longer to come to pressure from frozen.

If you are adding the whole freezer meal in completely frozen, then you will either need to add a bit of water or turn on the saute setting and allow to cook for 5 minutes before sealing and cooking. This is to create some liquid.

A pressure cooker needs liquid in order to do what it needs to do. Use your judgment about which recipes to add water to as it could affect the final meal. A soup for example would be fine to add a bit of water to. Recipes that are not intended to be watery wouldn’t fare as well. For those, use the saute idea.

Supplies Needed for Instant Pot Freezer Meals:

You will of course need to have an Instant Pot. You will also need good quality resealable freezer bags or empty ice cream pails, and permanent markers or printable labels for labelling the meals. I use Avery 5163 labels.

I strongly suggest that you also invest in an electric can opener. I wish I had gotten mine sooner. When you are opening dozens of cans in a day, it wears on your wrists and thumbs. It also eats up precious time.

Instant Pot Qt 7-in-1 Multi- Use Programmable Pressure CookerInstant Pot Freezer Meal PlanZiploc Freezer Bags, GallonSharpie Permanent MarkersCuisinart Electric Can OpenerLabels (5163)

Converting Slow Cooker Recipes to Instant Pot Recipes:

Many of our favourite recipes are freezer to crock pot recipes. If you want to use one of those recipes in the Instant Pot, you can, but you will have to adjust the times significantly.

Things cook much quicker with pressure cooking. In a slow cooker recipe that calls for 8 hours of cook time on low (4 hours on high), the cook time in the Instant Pot in the sealed setting will be 25-30 minutes. You will of course need to allow extra minutes for the pressure to release.

Instant Pots need liquid to cook things properly, so if your original recipe doesn’t have at least one cup of liquid (this can be broth, sauce, water, etc.), you’ll have to add some.

Don’t add freezer to slow cooker recipes that have milk or dairy in them (condensed or evaporated milk is ok). You can add the milk or dairy in at the end, but because of the high pressure, you don’t want to include them for the full cook time.

One last note about this: Instant Pots can also function as a slow cooker, so if you only have an Instant Pot, it’s easy to use your crock pot recipes in there using that feature.

Our Favourite Freezer to Instant Pot Recipes:

BBQ Beans Instant Pot (Freezer Friendly)

Instant Pot Chicken Paprikash Stew

Country Style Instant Pot Ribs

Freezer Friendly Instant Pot Borscht Recipe

Hawaiian Chicken in the Instant Pot

Instant Pot Asian Noodle Soup

Instant Pot Bone Broth That’s Keto Friendly

Instant Pot Breaded Red Curry Shrimp Freezer Meal

Instant Pot Butter Chicken Freezer Meal

Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala Freezer Meal

Instant Pot Italian Chicken and Veggies

Instant Pot Pizza Casserole

Instant Pot Pork or Chicken Shawarma Recipe

Instant Pot Tomato Soup (freezer directions included)

Instant Pot Turkey Sloppy Joes

Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

Slow Cooker or Instant Pot Beef Taco Soup

Spicy White Bean and Chicken Soup

Stuffed Pepper Soup Recipe Make Ahead Meal

The Big List of Instant Pot Freezer Meals

Find freezer to Instant Pot recipes, shopping lists, prep lists, and printable labels in our Instant Pot Freezer Meal Menu Plan. 

Freezer meals have saved my sanity. That may sound like an extreme statement to make about dinner, but truly, they have. As a busy mom of 7, supper used to cause me so much stress. It wasn’t that I didn’t like cooking. It was that I had a hard time deciding what to make every day. Four o’clock would roll around and I would have that moment of not knowing what to make for dinner. Since discovering freezer cooking, I never have that problem anymore.

Now, each morning, I go to my freezer and open the door where I am greeted with ready-to-cook meals. I pull one out to thaw and don’t have to think about what I’m going to serve for dinner that night. I also don’t have to run to the store to pick up an ingredient I’ve forgotten. It’s saved me so much time and saved our family a lot of money too.

For those of you who are new to freezer cooking, I wanted to put together a Freezer Meals 101 guide to help you get started. Here you will find answers to all your freezer meal questions.

Freezer Meals 101:

What are freezer meals? Freezer meals are just what they sound like. They are meals made ahead and frozen for later use. This can look as simple as doubling a recipe that you’re making anyway and freezing the extra. Most often though, the term “freezer cooking” is used to describe batch cooking. Batch cooking is when you set aside time to make many meals at once. They are then frozen. You can then take out one meal a day for cooking for dinner. Breakfasts and lunches can also be made ahead in this way.

How to know what freezes and what doesn’t:

One of the important elements of freezer cooking is knowing what freezes and what doesn’t. You can read a full list here of what foods freeze well and which don’t as well on tips to freeze them.

I’ve also created a cheatsheet for you to print out as an easy reference to remember what freezes well.

Freezer burn is the enemy when it comes to creating delicious freezer meals. To prevent freezer burn, remove all the excess air from the freezer bags before freezing. Labelling your meals with the date made also helps prevent freezer burn as you can move the older meals to the front of the freezer.

Supplies needed for freezer cooking:

• Good quality freezer bags. It’s important to use good quality freezer bags so that they don’t leak or break. I use both the large size for the main meal and the medium size for additions such as grated cheese or dry pasta and then attach them together using a stapler.
• Stapler. For meals that require more than one bag, use a stapler to attach the freezer bags together.
• Labels. We use Avery’s 5163 label template for our labels.
• Permanent marker. Having a permanent marker on hand comes in handy for adding extra instructions to labels or for adding the date to the labels.
• Electric can opener. Using an electric can opener has saved our wrists, thumbs and so much time.
• Meal plans. Our meal plans include the recipes, prep lists, shopping lists and printable labels which make things so much easier.
• Freezer. An upright freezer works best and the investment will pay for itself for all the money you will save in groceries.

Freezer Meal PlansZiploc Freezer BagsSharpie Permanent MarkersStaplerAvery Labels for Laser PrintersElectric Can Opener

What to include on the label:

• name of meal
• detailed cooking instructions
• date
• optional: serving suggestions

Step by step guide to freezer cooking:

1. Choose the recipes. I always do a combination of tried and true family favourites along with a few new recipes. This allows me to find some new meals to add into our regular rotation. You can find freezer meal recipes here or you can purchase one of our freezer meal plans so that you can skip over the next few steps. 
2. Make a shopping list. Be sure to remember to add the freezer bags to your list. I make three lists, one for a bulk store where I purchase things such as spices, one for a warehouse store where some bulk items can be purchased at a discount, and one for the regular grocery store. If you are planning a huge freezer meal assembly marathon, call your local store with a meat order. This will ensure they have enough when you arrive and can also sometimes get you an additional discount.
3. Print labels and recipes. I use Avery’s 5163 labels. See the instructions above for what information to include on the labels.
4. Purchase the groceries and supplies.
5. Prep your ingredients. Chop and/or finely mince the onions. Fry up any ground beef, turkey or sausage. For recipes that call for cooked chicken, put the chicken on baking sheets and cook it in the oven before cubing or shredding or whatever the recipe calls for. Chop, slice or cube vegetables. Fry bacon. Grate cheese.
6. Set up stations in your kitchen or a larger community kitchen. At each station, place the photocopied recipe, non-perishable ingredients that you will need, spices called for, the freezer bags, labels, and any equipment you will need such as mixing bowls, can openers, measuring cups and spoons, and mixing spoons.
7. Assemble the meals. If you are assembling freezer meals in a group, assign one person to each station and get to work. Making multiples of the same meal is hardly any extra work and at the end of the day, all of you will have many delicious and healthy meals to take home to your families. If you are making the meals on your own, start at one station and work your way around.
8. Clean as you go. Do the dishes as you work so that things don’t pile up. It’s also important to wash the surfaces you are working on to keep things sanitary.
9. Freeze the meals. For all meals that are put in a bag, let out all excess air and lay the bag flat. This will optimize your freezer space. If you are doing this in a group, have everyone bring a cooler or a laundry basket to transport their meals in. Keeping the meals cold can be tricky the day of the assembly, but if you live in a place where the winters are cold, schedule your cook days for cold days and store the assembled meals in the boxes outside until people are ready to go home.
10. Open the freezer at the end of the day and admire the meals that will make things so much easier for weeks to come!

Freezer Meal 101 Tips:

Wear comfortable shoes. You will be on your feet for a long time. You can also invest in a memory foam kitchen mat to make things more comfortable. I have one by the sink.

Never freeze in glass containers. As contents expand while they are freezing, the glass can break.

Freezer meals keep for 3-6 months if properly stored. They need to be kept in a freezer at 0° Fahrenheit or below.

These Freezer Meal Hacks will make things go more smoothly. If you’re looking to learn more about batch cooking, check out our Freezer Meal Tips section where you can reference all kinds of resources and information to help you.

How does freezer cooking save money?

Using this method of cooking has cut our food bill in half! I am able to buy things in bulk, take advantage of caselot sales, get additional discounts by calling in meat orders, and most importantly, nothing goes to waste. Gone are the days of buying groceries only to have them go rotten in the freezer.

I am able to use everything I buy. I also no longer have to run to the store for forgotten items and make impulse purchases. And of course, the most obvious reason for how freezer cooking saves money is that you no longer need to do take-out or pizza delivery.

Note that some items are not less expensive when purchased in bulk, so compare prices to be sure you are getting the best deals. I also sometimes plan our freezer meal menus around advertised sales which saves even more money, particularly if it’s a sale on meat.

Freezer Meal Recipes:

Apple Maple Chicken Dump Recipe

Asian Rice Bowl Freezer Meal

BBQ Beans Instant Pot (Freezer Friendly)

BBQ Pulled Pork Freezer Meal

Beef and Bacon Goulash (Freezer Meal)

Beef Curry Freezer Meal

Make Ahead Beef Fajitas Freezer Meal

Beefy Rice Slow Cooker Casserole

Best Ever Freezer Meal Spaghetti Sauce

Black Bean and Corn Enchiladas (freezer meal)

Blue Cheese Hamburgers

Butternut Squash Freezer Meal Side Dish

Cabbage Roll Casserole Freezer Meal

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Bake

Chicken and Vegetable Casserole with Crispy Onion Topping

Chicken Cacciatore Freezer Meal

Chicken Fried Rice Freezer Meal

Chicken in Mango Cream Sauce Over Pasta

Instant Pot Chicken Paprikash Stew

Chickpea and Vegetable Curry

Chickpea Butternut Squash Fajitas

Chili Glazed Chicken Dump Recipe

Cilantro Lime Chicken with Corn and Black Beans

Corn Dog Mini Muffins for School Lunches (freezer friendly)

Country Style Instant Pot Ribs

Creamy Tomato Beef Skillet Meal

Dill Salmon Freezer Meal

Droolworthy BBQ Shredded Chicken Freezer Meal with Garlic Mayo

Easy Asian Meatballs Freezer Meal

Easy Chicken Marsala

Easy Kung Pao Chicken Recipe

Make Ahead English Muffin Pizzas

Freezer Chicken Pot Pie Filling

Freezer Corn Chowder with Bacon

Freezer Friendly Instant Pot Borscht Recipe

Freezer Garlic Bread Recipe

Freezer to Crock Pot Beef Stew Recipe

French Toast Casserole – Make Ahead Freezer Breakfast

Garlic Butter Shrimp Freezer Meal

Ground Beef Stroganoff Freezer Meal

Hawaiian Chicken in the Instant Pot

Hearty Sausage and Zucchini Soup

Homemade Granola Bars (freezer friendly)

Honey Maple Glazed Carrots Freezer Meal Side Dish

Honey Sesame Chicken Dump Meal

Instant Pot Asian Noodle Soup

Instant Pot Bone Broth That’s Keto Friendly

Instant Pot Breaded Red Curry Shrimp Freezer Meal

Instant Pot Butter Chicken Freezer Meal

Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala Freezer Meal

Instant Pot Italian Chicken and Veggies

Instant Pot Pizza Casserole

Instant Pot Pork or Chicken Shawarma Recipe

Instant Pot or Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken Tacos

Instant Pot Tomato Soup (freezer directions included)

Instant Pot Turkey Sloppy Joes

Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

Irresistible Chicken Pasta Bake

Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce

Italian Wedding Soup Recipe

Keto KFC Style Chicken

Lemon Garlic Chicken Dump Recipe

Lemon Mustard Chicken Dump Recipe

Lemon Pesto Chicken Freezer Meal

Mahjong Chicken Dump Recipe

Make Ahead Apple Pork Chops

Make Ahead Beef Dip Recipe

Make Ahead Chicken and Spinach Penne Alfredo

Make Ahead Cinnamon Freezer French Toast

Make Ahead Everything Bagels Breakfast Muffins

Make Ahead Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa

Make Ahead Freezer Smoothie Bags

Make Ahead Hot Roast Beef or Ham Sandwiches

Make Ahead Mac and Cheese

Make Ahead Mexican Manicotti Bake

The Best Make Ahead Pancake Mini Muffins

Make Ahead Rice Pilaf Recipe

Make Ahead Breakfast Sausage Hand Pies

Maple Dijon Salmon

Pastitcio Baked Pasta Recipe

Pesto Chicken and Vegetables Freezer Meal Recipe

Pizza Stuffed Chicken

Pork Chops Topped with Spiced Pears

Reggae Gumbo Freezer Meal

Rustic Beef Stew Recipe for the Slow Cooker

Salsa Chicken Freezer Meal

Saucy Sausage Pasta (Freezer Meal)

Sausage and Peppers Freezer Meal

Seafood Curry Pasta Freezer Meal

Shrimp Stir Fry Pack for the Freezer

Simple Marinated Pork Chops

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken on Buns

Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork

Slow Cooker or Instant Pot Beef Taco Soup

Spicy Slow Cooker Chicken Poblano

Spicy White Bean and Chicken Soup

Spinach and Sausage White Bean Soup

Stuffed Pepper Casserole (Freezer Meal)

Stuffed Pepper Soup Recipe Make Ahead Meal

Taco Breakfast Cups You Can Make Ahead

Taco Chili Freezer Meal

Tater Tot Casserole with Beef and Veggies

Tater Tot Pizza Casserole Freezer Meal

Tequila Lime Shrimp Freezer Meal

Tex Mex Pasta Bake Freezer Meal